The wind was blowing through his hair, tickling his nose and cheeks till he finally awoke and moved to brush the annoying strands out of his face. A stinging pain shot through his arm, from his wrist up to his shoulder and he howled out, he clenched his elbow and bit his bottom lip to will his tears away. Slowly the pain subsided but he didn't dare to move an inch, his knees pulled up to his chest.

A faint voice reached his ears, coming closer and closer, a familiar voice was calling his name over and over again and he heard footsteps on dry ground approaching him in a fast pace. It was Usopp who fell down to his knees in front of him, his voice sounded of panic and helplessness, "Sanji, what's wrong? Are you in pain? What hurts?"

Someone else knelt down behind him, when he spoke Sanji felt himself relaxing even more. "Looks like his arm is broken," the voice of Zoro reached his ears and he nodded in response, still biting down on his lip to force the pain away.

"I might have some bandages in my bag, wait a second." With half-lid eyes Sanji watched Usopp rummaging through his large bag that seemed to have taken a lot of damage from the accident. The accident... they had gotten into a severe storm and lost control over the ship, the waves had practically swallowed the Sunny whole like a giant snake.

Alarmed he turned to look at Zoro, opened his mouth to ask about Nami and Robin but froze when he saw the bruises and cuts all over his face, still a small smile lingered in the corners of his lips. Sanji swallowed, he couldn't tear his eyes away, it was always strange and surreal to see someone as strong as Zoro wounded and defeated. While Usopp was working on aiding his arm, he tried to calm down and just watched the sniper following the instructions he had once learned from Chopper.

"Your arm will be back to normal in no time," Zoro suddenly spoke, a soft and soothing tone Sanji wasn't familiar with. "...once we're back on the Sunny."

"Let's hope we'll find it. Wherever we are, it's not where we got caught in the storm. I just hope the others are alright," Usopp said and crushed all the hopes Zoro had gotten up for Sanji.

"It's just the three of us?" the blonde asked, looking from his curly-haired friend to Zoro who nodded in reply.

"We didn't see anyone else yet but this area is flat without any trees so from looking around... we're all alone. But Usopp noticed some sort of village a few miles ahead, maybe we'll find a doctor there," the marimo smiled gently and brushed a few damp strands of green hair out of his face.

"For you too, Zoro, you shouldn't take those wounds too easily," Usopp frowned and put his supplies back into his bag, then helped Sanji getting onto his feet.

The sun was shining mercilessly down on them, it must be lunch time judging from her position but none of them had the mind to be hungry now. After a short conversation of where to go next, they set off into the direction of the town Usopp had found earlier. Maybe they could crash there for the night and have the townspeople help them to find their nakama and ship, or maybe they were just running into a pointed blade. If Nami was here, she surely knew what to do, Sanji thought, maybe she had studied a map back on the ship and knew a little about this island. Hopefully she was fine, wherever she was.

By the time they reached the outskirts of the town, it was already getting dark and colder. Their clothes had luckily dried in the burning hot sun but Sanji still found himself freezing in the thin fabric of his dress shirt and jacket. The wind was blowing through his clothes, chilling him to the bone and he couldn't help but shiver at each and every breeze. If they wouldn't find a place to crash over night, they'd end up with flu and pneumonia for sure, nothing he was looking forward to. Luckily they had a little money so chances were they could pay for a room at least for tonight. And hopefully some food, he knew the eating schedules of his nakama by heart and they would need something within the next hour.

He was fumbling with his crushed pack of cigarettes, with one hand it was almost impossible to get one functional cigarette out of the box but there was no other option and he'd better gotten used to it, his broken arm wouldn't heal overnight. When he finally got hold of one still intact cigarette, he unfortunately dropped it along with the pack and groaned in despair. It led to nothing, neither to him getting a smoke nor to anything at all, and by now he was already a few feet behind the other two only because he was failing at pulling out a cigarette with one healthy hand.

After leaning down to pick his belongings up, brushing the dust off them with his shirt, he called, "Hey, marimo, can you help me?" Both halted at his words and turned, Usopp wearing an expression somewhere between pity and sympathy, neither of them were gestures he wanted.

Wordlessly Zoro walked over to him, his expressionless face only sublimed by his dark eyes that wore no hints of any emotion. That was why he had asked him, even though he knew the marimo was having his thoughts about his helplessness and incapability of using his hands, he would never show or say what he truly thought. Well, not in such situations at least.

"Could you-" Sanji started but it was useless to tell him what to do; by the time he had spoken the second word, Zoro had pulled out the intact cigarette and pushed it between the cook's lips. One of his hands reached into his dress pants' pockets, exactly the one where he was keeping his lighter, and pulled it out to lighten up the cigarette for him. With wide eyes the blonde watched Zoro smirk at him before turning around and walking back up to Usopp who only shook his head with a smile and started walking again.

Pitch-black darkness had laid itself upon the city once they reached it. The streets were quiet and empty, stores shut down and doors locked behind bars, only from afar they could hear noise, probably coming from the town's heart. Where were they supposed to go? How were they supposed to orientate themselves in these empty, soulless streets? The sheer fact that they had no clue how to get back to the Sunny, where their friends where, if any of them were still alive, that his arm was broken and they had nothing but three swords, some medical supplies and around 200 berry, made it hard for Sanji not to panic. He knew that they had been in situations like these before, even in worse situations, but something was off and something was off to the point where he had the feeling that something bad would happen. That it was something, they wouldn't get out of so easily. And his incapability to fight was only making him feel worse.

"Oh, shit," Zoro suddenly said, causing Sanji to stop his train of panicky thoughts only to get replaced by a similar feeling. They had run into a group of people armed with guns and knives, obviously caught in some sort of fight. And now they were right in the middle of them, three against about twenty armed and masked guys, or rather one and a half against twenty, since Usopp was a coward and he himself was unable to balance himself with a broken arm.

Usually they wouldn't mind a chance like this, it was a good training for them, at least for Sanji and Zoro. But right now was the worst of all moments for any of that to happen, they needed to find another way out of this situation even though it seemed rather hopeless as the group of people were closing them in and pointing their weapons at them ready to-

Sanji jolted awake in his bed. His heart was beating out of his chest, strands of hair stuck to his neck and face, mirroring his pajama. The room around him was dark, thick and bottomless darkness was holding him in a tight grasp and he felt sick with panic. Was he really awake? Was he safe in his bed? A shiver ran down his spine and he started out trembling, out of fear, out of cold. Instead of trying to reach for the lamp on his nightstand, he hugged himself, he didn't dare to move in case he was still caught in his head.

That dream again, or rather, that memory again. After two years he hadn't been able to push it out of his head or at least drown it out, he would still randomly dream about it and wake up in panic. That night, he would never be able to forget what had happened, he would never be able to get rid of the pictures in his head and the knowledge of what had happened the day after. Everything had fallen apart even more, they had fallen apart then and not to mention himself, he had fallen apart into tiny little pieces.

No, no, he didn't want to remember, he didn't want to relive it again and again. A dry sob erupted from his throat and he desperately nuzzled his face into his palms, he tried to silence himself but the tears would only provoke louder sobs. In his agony he fisted his hair as if to rip it off, bit down on his bottom lip until the first layer of skin tore and a thin drop of blood pooled on top. He needed to get out, out of this emotion and out of himself, it made him feel like drowning, and he knew this feeling too much.

The images wouldn't fade; the blood, he could still feel it on his hands, he could still hear the cries, his cries, his panic rising until he couldn't breathe any longer. And he couldn't now either, his sobs seemed to simply stay in his throat creating a lump that crawled up the insides of his neck. His eyes shot wide open again and he clapped a hand over his mouth, he knew where this was leading and he had to prevent any mess from happening.

On shaky legs he got onto his feet and staggered over to where he thought the door was, hastily grabbed the handle and almost fell through the open door into the dim-lit corridor. His vision was blurry still, fresh tears were making it harder for him to clear it but he knew the way to the bathroom by heart now. This was his home, after all, he was finally realizing it. He was home, not caught in that ugly dream or the past. Where he was now was a place he was safe. It almost calmed him down, at least preventing new tears from rolling down his cheeks but it wouldn't help him swallow the lump in his throat.

He tried his best to be quiet, he didn't know if Zoro was still downstairs watching TV or already in bed. In any way, he didn't want to draw his attention onto him, he hated it to make his nakama worry. Particularly Zoro. However when he opened the door to the bathroom, he couldn't hold on any longer and stumbled through the doorway, switched on the light, throwing over the hamper in his way, and fell down on his knees in front of the toilette. In the last minute he was able to pull up the lid before the snacks from earlier made their way out of his system.

When everything was safely outside of his body, he reached up to flush and fell back onto the cold tiled floor. He closed his eyes for a brief moment but opened them quickly after, he didn't like the dark and he didn't like it when his head was spinning and both simultaneously were something he dreaded. His eyes roamed through the room, the neatly picked furniture, all a creamy white tone with wicker and wooden baskets and chairs, shelves and wall units. Nothing spectacular, maybe the huge wall mirror with the silver and golden ornamental frame that Sanji had been allowed to pick, but all in all it resembled the style of the rest of their house; comfortable but simple.

Safe for the floor. Smiling he let his hand trace over the lines of the little flowers carved into the marble, they were subtle, just a different shade than the marble itself. He could still recall how he had come home from a stressful and depressing day at work and found their bathroom completely done, everything put at the spots they had planned before, the flower pots on the window sill standing exactly where he would've put them. But what really had brightened up his day had been the floor. Days before they had been in some old man's store, looking at tiles, most of them too expensive for them and especially to be a bathroom's flooring. They had almost made their minds up to take a cheap marble imitation, when the old man had showed them a tile of pure and valuable handmade, out of beige marble with a gentle yet minimalistic flower pattern. Back there, Sanji had recognized it immediately; it was the most expensive marble in the whole world, original North Blue marble.

Like now, he had been tracing along the carved lines of the typical palm like leaves, swirling into another almost playfully but not too kitschy. They had decided against them though, they were too valuable for a stupid bathroom floor anyway and after all, they hadn't planned to stay in this country for long anyway, they had just needed some floor in their first storey bathroom. But when he had gotten home that day, the bathroom floor had been covered in those beautiful tiles and Zoro had been standing in the doorway, smiling the warmest and broadest smile he had ever seen on the swordsman's face.

So naturally, he spent a lot of time in between those walls, taking long baths in the huge tub whenever he had the time to. He had decided to have Franky take them out and apply them to the Sunny's bathroom floor, for one he didn't want to live without them again, and most of all: Zoro had spent money on them, for him.

By the time he felt thirsty, and freezing to the point where his teeth were clapping together, he had almost been lying there for half an hour, lost in memories and emotions. Still weak in his knees, he forced himself into a standing position to be able to brush his teeth before heading down and get a glass of water and some fresh air. It was just his luck that he could sleep in tomorrow and wouldn't have to deal with his stressed out boss. No matter how much he loved cooking and working in the restaurant, he hated being there. His co-workers were quite nice but they mostly minded their own business, the waiters were friendly but he never got in touch with them and the chef practically lived for every chance to blacken him. Hence he had stopped smoking, the restaurant's owner hated people who did and people who smelled like it, and so only smoking when he wasn't at work, was no option either. And he missed smoking like he missed inhaling the ocean's scent, like he missed the feel of the rough wooden planks of the Sunny, like he missed the nights in the Crow's Nest, like he missed his nakama, his family. Even though he was living with one, even though he had three of them by his side, it wasn't the same, they weren't the same people they used to be. And who were they anyway, when they weren't with their beloved ship?

The floor in kitchen was cooler on the ball of his feet than the bathroom tiles, he felt another shiver running down his spine while he tiptoed over to the cupboard with the glass cups and retrieved a bottle of mineral water from the cabinet. He leaned against the counter for balance, he wasn't sure he would be able to sit on the stools at the kitchen island, he still felt so dizzy and weak. His hands clenched around the cup, he had accidentally caught one of their rather expensive whiskey glasses but a little bit of healthy water wouldn't taint them, he figured. The cool and pure liquid calmed his throat and senses after one gulp, he even had to chuckle when the carbonic acid tickled his pharynx. For distraction he settled his gaze on the bottle's sleeve, it insisted that the source of the water was as natural as water could be, coming from the richest and purest rivers in the mountains. Kind of stupid, since water was still water, but people who spent 10 berry on a bottle of one of these at least expected the company to put a nice lie on the sleeve.

Thinking about it, their lifestyle was rather expensive or at least wealthy. That although it was mostly Zoro who brought money home, who paid the rent for the house, who paid the car, who had paid their alterations of the interior and the exterior, and all he did was filling the fridge with the food he bought from poor farmers. It wasn't expensive food but it was good and it was quality and he didn't trust those weird supermarket-thing-shops, they were one of those things in this country that he couldn't quite warm up to.

A shuffling noise reached his ears and he swirled around, almost falling over but his reflexes were quick to reach for the countertop. His eyes fixed on the sleepy face of Zoro, his hair tousled and his cheeks still flushed from sleep. The sight triggered the old feeling of guilt inside of Sanji, he must've been too loud reeling down the stairs and that had woken Zoro up who really needed his sleep for work.

"I-I'm sorry for waking you up, go back to sleep, I'm... fine," Sanji forced out, smiling weakly at the silent marimo. His eyelids were threatening to fall shut again as he walked over to him, he only cracked one eye open to frown at Sanji, making it obvious that he wasn't convinced.

Gently smiling Zoro fixed himself a glass of water and leaned on his side against the counter to look at his friend, "Nice try."

Sighing and dropping his shoulders, Sanji looked into his water and watched the bubbles float up to the surface and disappear with a sizzling sound. "I don't want you to waste away possible hours of sleep, you'll need it," he repeated without looking up.

"Can you stop that for once?" Zoro sighed with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "I don't know if you actually notice but you're having serious problems. You have those nightmare every other night, only the slightest bit of drama or stress makes you anxious and that makes you throw up almost every day. You have to see a doctor for this."

Sanji's head snapped up and his mouth gaped open, he was about to say something, counter back but the green-haired swordsman stopped him before he could even begin, "I know you only let Chopper check you up but he's not here and he wouldn't want you to wait and get sicker and sicker instead of seeing a doctor. Neither do I, neither does Luffy. Not even Nami. Promise me you will call in for an appointment tomorrow."

"I..." But there was no way he could make Zoro take that back, in that case he had no mercy and Sanji figured he should treasure that. Zoro was trying to help him, he wanted him to feel better and become his old self again, he shouldn't kick that with his feet. Defeated, he dropped his shoulders again along with his gaze; Zoro was right with everything.

"Don't worry, no one's gonna call you weak," the older man said softly and reached over to brush the long damp bangs out of Sanji's face, revealing his hidden eye. "Admitting that you're ill and that you need someone to help you to get better is actually very courageous and takes a lot of strength." Gently he pushed the strands behind the cook's ear even though a few would fall back in their place right away.

It made Sanji smile widely, a teary and honest smile that spread over his whole face. When had they become so... easy? What had made their nakamaship so simple, what had turned it into friendship? The strange circumstances? The accident? The events back in that bloody night that he didn't want to recall? It was hard to believe that their relationship had changed within one night from jumping at each other's throats to sacrificing nights of sleep to dry another's tears.

Blushing a little Sanji wrapped his bony fingers around Zoro's wrist to hold his hand there, he nuzzled his cheek into his palm and closed his eyes. Even then he could see Zoro in front of him, his bare scarred chest, the low riding pajama pants, the firm biceps, quite the opposite of himself. In his mind he went further, along his sides over his ribcage, the huge scar diagonally tainting his upper body with painful memories, yet it was a reminder of his dream. There was another scar, not as huge and not as old but it hurt Sanji even more than the one he had received from Mihawk. From his upper arm spreading over his shoulder towards his collarbone, he knew he could even feel how it created a white and long asperity on Zoro's skin if he only dared to touch it. But he hadn't touched it ever since that night and only knowing that it was there, tore his heart into pieces.

He hadn't noticed that he was crying until he felt the marimo's arms wrapping around him, like a warm and soft blanket. His glass was taken out of his limp hand, put down on the countertop beside him and the same hand brushed through his still damp from his sweat locks, combing them gently in a way that felt like a massage. It was almost impossible to imagine (about two years ago it had been impossible) that a rough and socially rather awkward man like Zoro was capable of calming one down like no other could. His caress was so gentle and careful, so skillful were his moves that Sanji wondered if he had been taking classes or just was this perfect at soothing people.

When his tears were slowly fading and his breathing turned back to normal, he felt Zoro lean closer to his ear, one hand was still caressing the hairline in his neck, the other arm was wrapped around his middle. "Do you feel like going back to sleep?" the swordsman whispered, his voice was so deep and soft that it sent comfortable shivers down the cook's spine.

Was he? He felt drained, exhausted and tired, his body was heavy from the lack of energy and he felt cold, every fiber of his body was craving for his bed but... he didn't want to be alone. His room would be silent and dark and so cold, he didn't want to go back in there yet; he was scared to fall back into the same nightmare and not being able to wake himself up in time. Shaking his head hesitantly, Sanji pushed himself off Zoro a bit to look at him, "I'll go and... watch some TV... or read. You can go back to sleep."

The frown on Zoro's face was firm and disbelieving, he had obviously expected a different answer. "You're tired, cook, no doubt," he said sternly and raised an eyebrow at him, "You should get some sleep as well, don't torture yourself." A soft sigh slipped over his lips when he leaned closer again and pulled Sanji back into a tight hug. "You're too complicated for me, shitty cook." One of his hands stroked the blonde's back in a gentle and circular motion, the kind of rhythm you couldn't resist but fall asleep to.

Soon it was unbearable and impossible to fight anymore, so Sanji gave into him and rested his head on the marimo's shoulder, his eyes fluttering shut and his lips curling into a soft smile. They remained like this for a while, one or two minutes but to Sanji, it felt like half of an eternity. "Come on, cook, let's go back to bed."

Warm rays of sunlight broke through the rich treetops, birds were loudly twittering in the sky above while squirrels ran from tree to tree to gather acorn. The morning was promising a nice and warm day, and if they wouldn't have to do hours, they could actually enjoy it out here in the woods. There was something mystical about this forest, during some stages of the day, giving it was late summer or fall, the sun would make the leaves of the trees appear golden, hence its name Aureus Forest.

The same occurrence happened today but Zoro wasn't sure they should feel lucky. His head was aching from the lack of sleep and past four hours of working through the files of the applicant for a hotel. It was only 10.30 in the morning, the early hours were sitting on their shoulders like barrels of sand and from the corner of his eye Zoro could watch Luffy catching himself each time he threatened to fall asleep. Obviously they both had had a tough night.

Since Sanji had been sleeping so peacefully beside him Zoro had no mind to wake him up for breakfast and decided to head off to work with just a cup of coffee in his system. Bad idea, he had noticed hours later and so they had decided to stop by their favorite bagel dealer and grab a bite before meeting up with the applicant. They were sitting in Luffy's car, chewing on their breakfast in silence and forcing themselves to stay awake which wasn't by far easy even with a liter of coffee.

"Why are we doing this job again?" the raven-haired captain asked and sighed around the piece of rissole in his mouth. "I should resign and apply for paperwork... they only have eight hour shifts and off on the weekends, that's like a dream."

"Yeah but they sit in front of the computer all day long reading through finances and correcting contracts. I rather get up at four in the morning and work till midnight to get some greasy old bastard behind bars for child labor. Better than living through hell of boredom in some office," Zoro pointed out and reached for his coffee.

"You got a point there," Luffy chuckled and pulled the bagel out of the paper bag, it was one with bacon and fried egg wrapped in silly pink paper. The shop belonged to a group of girls who figured pink was the key to a successful restaurant but lucky for them, their bagels were the best in town. Well, safe from Sanji's, of course.

The atmosphere between them was comfortable as usual, simple and without any tension, without having to fear that anything that could be said could ruin the day. "How did it go with Nami last night?" Zoro asked leaning back in his seat, he was done with his bag of bagels and satisfied for now.

Luffy had dreaded the question but knew he had to answer. "Well, we had a little bit of a fight when I came home. Apparently she's ashamed to have some unknown cook plan our catering who doesn't even have a valid certificate in this country, and then all this talk about my position and the people and impression and what not...," he told, pausing to take a sip of his coffee, "But she apologized afterwards and I guess we found common ground. She was pretty strange, like wanting to cuddle and giving in and stuff. But I guess I pissed her off when I said that we needed to be in love in order to be a real couple what people would expect and that we weren't... she stormed off and I haven't talked to her yet. No idea if she's home or at her friend's."

"Dude, can you be more dull?" Zoro grinned at his best friend in amusement. "She does have the hots for you, even though she's tricking you into giving her all your money most of the time. That was like... a slap in the face for her, you know? I'm sure she had her hopes up somehow that you'd marry her out of love as well and then you shove the opposite into her face, that's pretty tough."

Considering his friend's words for a moment, Luffy fell silent and looked out of the window into the forest. "If she really wanted me for such reasons, then there was no need to get married. I don't even want to get married and be bonded to anyone but myself and the sea. If she wasn't so self-absorbed, we wouldn't need to go through all this because I wouldn't have to worry that she could run off to nowhere."

"I know, I can relate perfectly well, Luffy," Zoro sighed and rested the paper cup in his lap, his gaze resting on a spearow in a nearby tree. "I think there's no way how you could get out of this. She'd freak out if you took your proposal back... I mean you could get a divorce or just like, ignore the marriage once we're all back together and afloat but I fear she wouldn't let you get away so easily."

"I wouldn't even mind a relationship, you know? But why do we have to get married for that? And why the fuck couldn't she just stay put and act reasonable? Sometimes I wonder if she even wants to go back," Luffy burst out angrily, his hunger pushed aside. He wrapped the half-finished bagel back into its paper, dropped it back into the bag and threw it onto the backseat.

"You two really need to talk... for real. She has to confess her feelings and you have to tell her what you just told me, you're old enough to get that settled peacefully," Zoro concluded with a gentle undertone.

"I guess I will have to," Luffy groaned and shifted in his seat in discomfort.

Their appointment was set due 11.30am, by the time they had finally found the building set in a huge clearing near a creek, it was 11.46am. Hopefully the guy wouldn't report about it to their boss, and even if, there was actually nothing they had to fear about. As Sanji had put it, they were the best in their department and their boss would be lost without them, he couldn't just throw them out. Not because they couldn't find a darn log cabin in a thick forest. And it wasn't by far easy to march through the woods and worry about a suit, the fabric of their dress pants was thin and damageable, not to mention those uncomfortable shoes that weren't made for long walks on uneven ground.

The area was quite nice, with the woods and the creek, the exterior seemed appropriate for an animal shelter as well as a hotel. Before knocking at the door and announcing their arrival, they walked around to examine the place further, mostly to have a reason why they were late. Several huge stalls and smaller cabins were settled around the huge main building, a few spots were framed by fences, one of them was inhabited by a few hen that seemed healthy and happy. So far, nothing seemed wrong about this place but that wasn't enough for them to let their guards down.

Along the path towards the front door were beautiful flower pots, a harmonic arrangement of colors greeted the visitor and welcomed them to the residence. It looked cozy and promising, beautifully decorated to a point where it could trick anyone into believing that this place was what people would expect. But no one could fool them.

Although they had done this plenty of times before, had been standing in front of doors leading to people who didn't even bother to keep their crime secret, they had been kicking doors and acting like police cops quite a handful of times and still they were a little nervous of what could await them behind this fancy wooden door. They weren't armed since they didn't assume this applicant to be dangerous, from the documents they had been working through in the early hours of this morning, this man was anything but a potential criminal and all they had to check up on were minor things, basically. You could never know.

Voices could be heard after Zoro had rang the bell, it was a familiar melody, not the shrill ring from their own houses. There was shuffling and the hollow sound of footsteps coming closer to the door, someone worked on the lock and opened the door an inch with a quiet crack. The feminine features of a woman looked back at them, soft black locks framing her face and few bangs diagonally covering her forehead, put in place by a silver clip at her temple. Her blue eyes glistened with a sort of amusement despite their bright shade that could easily be mistaken with ice. Simple, silver framed glasses sat on the bridge of her nose giving her an educated look.

Obviously she hadn't really looked at them, just noticed their suits and their department's identity cards attached to their jackets. She pulled the door open and spoke with a nervous smile adorning her thin rosy lips, "You must be the investigators, come in." Her whole face was beaming at them, her eyes closed as she smiled the broadest and most dishonest smile she could provide; she detested those men and the trouble they had put them through. She wanted them to take their damn notes, do their jobs, and then leave as soon as possible, hopefully positively impressed.

So when the men on the other side of the door didn't move an inch, she opened her eyes again, her features relaxing into a weaker smile at the edge of annoyance. It was difficult to remain calm and patient after all the months of fruitless calls and appointments with a thousand different departments who only sent them two investigators as proof of their distrust.

"Can you co-" she began with a little bit of harshness in her voice but she cut herself out when her gaze finally settled on the faces of the two suited men. Her heart skipped several beats before it started pounding painfully inside her chest and she had to cover her mouth with her hand to muffle the scream that was about to erupt from her throat.

They stared at each other for a moment, mouth gaping open and eyes wide with surprise and slowly growing joy. It was her to finally break the silence and almost throw herself at them, between the two of them, and wrapped her arms around their necks. Tears started to run down her cheeks in streams when they responded to her hug, tightened their embrace as if they wouldn't want to let her go again.

"Are you even real?" she suddenly asked and pulled away to pinch Luffy's cheek and stretch his skin, as expected she could stretch it for as long as she wanted and it would go back into place, as if nothing had happened.

"Of course we are," Luffy grumbled with a chuckle in his voice. His hand moved up to rub his cheek, no one had used his rubber ability in a while, the feeling was odd but still familiar.

"I'm sorry, it's just... just so... surreal, I can't believe it," the black-haired woman blushed and stepped back a bit, the back of her hand wiping over her eyes as she spoke. "I could be dreaming as well, you know. It wouldn't be new."

"You tell me," Luffy chuckled widely at her. They all probably felt the same way about this unexpected but craved encounter, it simply seemed too good to be true.

The broad smile on Zoro's lips was mirroring in Luffy's face when they shared a glance and stepped into the hallway of the house. The walls were made out of white painted wood panels, meeting at their bottom with the wooden floor which was in a darker, dirtier shade of white. It was a round hall, small for an entrance hall but the simplicity of the furniture and the atmosphere that was created inside these walls was warm and comfortable. It felt as if every little detail, from the grass green curtains to the little pencil box with cat pattern on the registration desk had their own little purpose of welcoming the visitors. There was a soft green carpet in the center of the floor, a small green couch and an armchair underneath the huge arched window with a white table in between and some shelves along the walls carrying various vases, shells or other forest-related decorations.

Three doors let into other areas of the house in each direction. A spiral stair let up to a first floor and probably to a second floor as well, since the building was big in its height rather than its width. One of the doors were opened, revealing a corridor leading to a lot of other doors on its sides and to a huge glass door obviously leading outside.

"Wow, it looks really great," Luffy pointed out while they were walking through the entrance area towards said corridor, "I really love the design of... this whole place, actually."

They stepped into a quite colorful room that only at second glance looked like a kitchen. The cabinets, counters, cupboards and shelves were in an off-white shade, their insides were of a rich matt red color while most of the walls were painted in a soft sky blue. One wall was dedicated to a shelf system holding about fifty different pots of plants, mostly herbs. A huge kitchen island was set in the center, two stools placed in front of them however there was space for two more. Another huge wooden door led outside onto a porch, decorated with lots of plants and furniture of oak wood, creating another dining area.

She led them outside onto the porch, it was a small area hidden behind a huge hedge of Japanese holly and filled with a million of tiny little things such as little flower pots, figures, little flat bowls that looked like ponds, a small creek curved its way through a flower bed and disappeared under the hedge. It looked like the home of fairies from some children's book, so much love to the detail, so colorful and vivid, and so surreal.

As they sat down on the soft cushioned chairs, a small and nervous voice sounded from inside the house, it seemed to come from the corridor, judging from its volume. "Robin?" the voice asked several times until it came closer but its owner still stayed out of their sight.

"Chopper! Come here, we have special guests!" the raven-haired lady smiled widely towards the opened kitchen door, as if she saw him standing there but no matter how Luffy nor Zoro craned their necks, they couldn't make out anything.

There was silence followed by a deep sigh leaving Robin's lips, she turned towards her friends and whispered, "He's afraid of people even more since we lost each other... he... he sent in the papers for this place but he wouldn't want to talk to anyone at the departments. I think he thinks you're... well, you're not you."

"He can't be blamed, I can't believe I'm here either," Zoro smiled gently, his voice as quiet as Robin's. She smiled at him in return and touched his arm, nudged it gently and stood up.

"I'll get us some coffee and then we have to talk," she announced and walked back inside, leaving them alone in this unreal garden.

Both of them didn't know what to say. There they were, sitting in a garden of a house that obviously belonged to their long lost friends, Robin and Chopper. Accidentally they had found them, unexpectedly they were reunited with two of their friends, when hours ago they hadn't even known that this place existed. When last night, they had relived the catastrophe in their dreams, when they had lost all their hope all over again, to ever find anyone else of their crew.

And now they were sitting in their home, about to have coffee, about to share memories of the past two years. It was hard for both to believe that it was real, that they weren't dreaming or somehow being tricked, but somehow it felt too real to be not reality.

They looked at each other and started to laugh, out of relief, out of happiness. How dumbfounded they must look at some point, they came here expecting some weirdo with long hair and a vision of 'trees shall be equal to humans' but found their friends who they had been missing so much for two never-ending, torturing years. This day seemed so surreal now that the little magical garden appeared normal.

"Come on, Chopper. I promise, they're not gonna hurt you," Robin spoke as she stepped onto the porch again, carrying a tray with four cups, a coffee pot and a glass jar of cookies towards the table, put it down in its center and turned back around.

Nothing moved, no one responded, not even a shuffling could be heard. The little reindeer's reaction wasn't the one Robin had hoped for, she had been so eager to make them meet as well and now he was hiding away even more. It was understandable, she could even relate to some extent; after all this time, after all the dreams that had never come true, it didn't seem right, it didn't seem true that they were here.

With a disappointed expression and an apologetic smile Robin sat down opposite of the investigators, her gaze still fixed on some spot in the kitchen they couldn't see from their angle. "I'm sorry... he doesn't want to believe me. And I can understand him, I wouldn't either if I was him."

"Where is he?" Zoro asked, taking off his dress jacket and loosening his tie, and got up to his feet, "Maybe he lets me close."

"He's in the kitchen, hiding in that little niche between the sink and the wall... it's his favorite hiding spot," Robin explained with a small smile, she didn't want to recall how many times she had found him there, crying and biting on his arms to wake himself up from what he thought was a nightmare. Each time had broken her heart a little more, each time she had to tell him that even though they were alone, their friends were somewhere unknown, there was still hope they would find them. And now that they had, the scars went deeper than his hope.

On his way to the kitchen door, Zoro touched Robin's shoulder affectionately and smiled down at her, a gesture she replied by touching his hand in return. His smile was encouraging, warm and soft, the kind of smile she had wished to once be given instead of having to give. All this time she had had to keep Chopper's and her own hopes up, all those months she had had to soothe them both without anyone who could provide her warmth and comfort.

When the green-haired swordsman let go of her and disappeared into the house, she sighed deeply and leaned back in her chair, all these emotions at once were somehow exhausting. Her gaze wandered off though her eyes were fixed on Luffy filling their cups with coffee, his hand taking out one of the cookies she had made herself. She considered labelling this event as sort of miracle but it wasn't her to believe in such things at all.

"Those cookies are great, have you made them?" Luffy asked as he reached for a second one, this time leaving the lid open.

"Yes, I have. After all the preparations for the hotel were done, I had a lot of waiting to live through," she smiled weakly at him, "Thank you, I'm glad you like them. I've never thought I'd get into cooking."

"I know what you mean. We've all done... things that we've never thought we would. Like Zoro shares a house with Sanji, and I... I work my ass off for Nami," Luffy spoke and sipped on his coffee, currently his most favorite drink.

Robin thought for a moment, trying to wrap her mind around all those information. "Is there a way for you to tell me easily and systematically what happened in the past two years?"

A loud chuckle slipped from his lips as he put down his cup, "I could try." After a short moment of thinking and remembering, he started to tell her what she wanted to know. How Nami and he had been washed to the shore, how they had lived with that old farmers' couple, how they had done stupid jobs in order to afford a home, how he'd applied for the job at the government and how he'd met Zoro there, and rolled into his and Sanji's story.

Meanwhile Zoro was putting foot before foot, he added enough pressure to his steps to be heard but still give Chopper enough time to run away. He'd seen the little doctor in this state quite a few times in their early stages of nakamaship, especially the first few nights in which Usopp and Luffy would make up horrifying stories about ocean ghosts that along with his homesickness kept the reindeer awake and crying his eyes out. Whenever he'd heard him sobbing and hiding in the galley, Zoro had approached him carefully to give him space and time to flee if he wanted to, most of the times Chopper would end up sleeping in his bunk though.

There was a sniffing sound coming from the corner Robin had mentioned, the same quiet and infantile sniff he associated with Chopper. A warm smile spread on his face, if the little doctor was just frightened, he knew what to do. He sat down on the floor by the little niche for the trash cans, leaned back against the wall and waited a moment in silence. A little leaf-patterned curtain was separating them now, perfectly hiding Chopper's body behind itself but unable to keep the little sobs away from Zoro's ears.

"Hey, Chopper," Zoro finally spoke, he made sure to sound gentle and calm but still familiar. The sobs grew louder and became muffled, he was probably trying to convince Zoro that he wasn't there so he would go away. "Chopper, it's okay. You don't need to be scared anymore."

There was shuffling and another sob, then a shaky and small voice cried, "You're not real... you're not real, leave me alone."

Was there anything he could say? Every word he'd say, Chopper would take as part of his dream, made up by his hurt heart that was missing his friends. He reached out and pulled back the curtain to reveal a Chopper curled up into a ball in the corner, his tears covered face looking in fear back at him. "I am real, Chopper, as real as I were about two years ago. You're not dreaming, buddy, I'm sitting here for real," he smiled at his little friend.

The little reindeer blinked at him in confusion and disbelief, he had dreamed about similar situations before and each time he woke up finding himself caught in a reality that wasn't in the slightest like his dreams. Each time he woke up remembering that their nakama were gone, that they could even be dead. But now, now there was Zoro looking at him and he looked so real, his eyes shining in the little light coming from the tiny kitchen window, his hair as green as ever.

Inch by inch Chopper shifted closer towards the older man, he turned onto his knees and curiously leaned forward to touch his old nakama, he wanted to make sure he was real. If he could touch him and he wouldn't fade, then he ought to be real, right? With his hoof he first touched his arm quickly, almost expecting Zoro to vanish with a pop, but the man remained where he was. He stared up at him with wide eyes, it was dawning on him that this was his friend Zoro and he was real, he was alive and he was real and he was here for real. He wasn't a dream.

"You... you are... real...," Chopper concluded, and his face slowly turned into a broad smile as the realization sank in. "You are real... you are real!" The last words were a cry out of joy and he flung himself at Zoro who caught him with a loud chuckle and held him close. "Oh, Zoro, I missed you so much..." His smile was replaced by another wave of tears, his eyes were glistening from the tears collecting in their corners. "I thought you... I thought... you were dead, Zoro..."

"I'm not dead, I'm as alive as I could ever be," Zoro smiled warmly at him, rubbing the reindeer's back, "So are Luffy, Sanji and Nami. We're all fine." He didn't want to mention the other three, they had no knowledge of their whereabouts which would probably only darken Chopper's mood even more. "Everything's gonna be alright."

"I am so happy, Zoro," Chopper cried into the man's dress shirt but they couldn't be bothered, there were more important things now than Zoro's expensive shirt.

"It's strangely soothing that we weren't the only ones going through a tough time," Robin sighed with a small smile when Luffy ended his story. "Even though Sanji's and Nami's reactions are rather... radical."

"What do you mean, Nami's reaction?" Luffy frowned at her in confusion. He couldn't help but tell her everything about his life with Nami, about their fights and her behavior and how he didn't want to get married. The archaeologist had always been good at giving advices and he was in dear need for one or he would go insane.

"Well," Robin began and reached for her cup of coffee to take a sip before continuing, "She's always been a little... bossy and she's always been very focused on wealth and money. I know she was worse when you all met her, she told me once how you guys shaped her and changed her mind about friendship. At some point she started putting you, or rather us, on top of her list of priorities." Her eyes scanned Luffy's face to see if he was following her, to her surprise he seemed to understand where she was heading. "I think she... fell back into her old behavior as way of coping with the loss. And after some time, she was so stuck in this new reality that she became what she is now. While Sanji is breaking and drowning himself in his pain instead of coping with it."

She watched her captain lean back in his chair and look up into the bright blue sky, obviously weighing her words in his head. It was clear that he wasn't happy with his situation, he was carrying a lot of responsibility on his shoulders while having to deal with his own fears and agony and also with Nami who was running off into a completely different direction. She'd always been wondering how this air-headed, easy-going and childish young adult was able to handle all the responsibility without losing himself in the chaos. If she looked closely now, she could see how he had aged throughout the past two years, there were only hints of those characteristics left in his eyes. The familiar passionate flame was dying under the weight of world.

"Maybe it'll knock some sense into her that you're back in our lives," he finally said with a smile, his head lolled to the side to look at her. "I would wish for it. She's holding my sanity in her hands... I've never given so much to someone and I can't say I enjoy it."

"I understand," Robin chuckled, "You're an ern not a budgie." The smile on her friend's lips widened, filling out his entire face the way she knew him.

"You always know the right words to say," Luffy chuckled back at her, "I missed that." He reached out for her hand, wrapped his fingers around it and squeezed it gently, a gesture he had used on Nami back at the farm whenever she was sad.

Small tears prickled at the corners of Robin's eyes, how she had been missing such moments, missing his smile and his whole being. The nightmare had finally ended. "I missed you, too, more than I ever thought I would," she whispered and let the tears fall down her cheeks; it was okay to cry now, she was finally safe.

Footsteps sounded from the kitchen door along with squealing and giggling and soon Zoro stood outside on the porch again, carrying a beaming Chopper on his shoulders. It was like in old times, the sight of them like this had been a daily highlight for Robin, she couldn't believe she was lucky to see it again. That and how the reindeer eagerly jumped onto Luffy's lap to greet his friend made her give into the feeling and the tears that were now streaming down her face. Everything seemed so unreal, so damn unreal, what if she would wake up any minute to find out that she had just been dreaming again? It sounded so like her, to wish those investigators would turn out to be their long lost friends instead of some arrogant men who'd take away their newly built lives. She didn't want it to be another dream, she wouldn't survive another disappointment, not again, not so soon.

A hand brushed over her cheek gently, wiping away the tears almost skillfully. She looked up and found Zoro's warm smile shining down on her, his hand moved into her neck to caress her shoulders in order to calm her down. Relaxing she leaned against him, her head resting against his belly while she let him comfort her so perfectly. She had always expected him to have a soft side somewhere but feeling it now was still unbelievable.

When her tears were dried, Zoro sat back down on his chair and fixed himself a cup of coffee, yearning for one right now. Although he was used to solace someone from Sanji, it still chewed on his nervous whenever someone he cared for started to cry around him. And watching Robin cry had always struck a chord inside of him.

"I guess you want to hear how Chopper and I ended up here," Robin spoke after a moment of comfortable silence with another cup of coffee in her hands. The two just nodded and she didn't hesitate to begin with their story. "I don't really remember what happened during the storm, I just know that we held onto each other for dear life. Everything happened so fast and the water made it hard for me to focus. But I remember waking up on some board drifting on the sea with Chopper next to me. There were plenty of shattered furniture and boards floating around us, I really hope that... that the Sunny didn't take as much damage from the cyclone as it seemed." She paused to gather her thoughts and courage to go on. "We managed to survive on the sea for three days before a fisher boat found us and brought as to the shore. I don't know how we could have been granted with so much luck in such a dark situation. The fisher were kids of a nice couple who lived in this very forest close to the shore and we were welcomed to live with them for a while. Their father is the current ranger of the Aureus forest, that was where Chopper's ability of understanding animals came in pretty handy. Not to mention his knowledge about medicine and nature in general. So we ended up helping the ranger on his strolls through the forest. He let us live in one of their cabins, paid us a pretty good wage and we... were sort of part of their family."

"I learned a lot in that time," Chopper threw in smiling happily, "And Robin studied the history of this country from the books of the old man. It was a good time with them but some day we felt like we needed to move on and... so we came up with founding this place. We thought that maybe it would become famous among the people and you would find us..."

"Like a lighthouse in the night," Robin smiled at her little friend, "We hoped you would grow suspicious somehow and that you would come here. It seemed better than to travel through the world without a hint of any of you."

"Almost like our plan," Zoro nodded and brushed his fingers through his messy green hair, "Luffy and I had the same idea when we applied for the job at the government. For one we're safe there from any bounty hunters and then we would gain a lot of information about strange incidents or people. I'm glad that worked out."

"Me too," Robin beamed at him, "Without the forest ranger's help, we wouldn't have managed to achieve this though. He and his family helped us to build this house and the part with the inn was their idea, they said that the people in this country have lost their connection to their origins and nature and a place like this in the famous Aureus Forest would be a good attempt at changing that."

"Wow, I'll put that into the report," Luffy laughed and took another cookie from the jar. "I think it will convince the departments, they're easy to impress actually. Especially when we pull up."

"Haha, yeah, there won't be any problems anymore," Zoro chuckled in agreement, "Even if you'd slaughter animals, as long as we give our okay, they won't give a shit about you anymore."

"Then I'm pretty happy we weren't sent other investigators," Robin chuckled as well, she was more than just relieved that everything was working out so well. From the corner of her eye she could see the huge smile on Chopper's face that didn't seem to fade anymore, and she felt exactly the same about the outcome.

Suddenly the ringing sound of a cell phone interrupted their peaceful moment and everybody turned their heads towards Zoro who was now fumbling for his phone in his dress pants' pockets. A deep sigh left his lips when he read the name on the screen, and released another when he looked at the little clock. It was way past lunch time, normally he would be on his way home already or at least call that he wouldn't be home before dinner. "I go inside quickly," he excused himself, arose from his chair and left the group for the kitchen, not without hearing Robin ask who it was and Luffy's reply, "Probably Sanji."

The ringing didn't stop until he accepted the call, Sanji could be so persistent. "Hey," he spoke softly and leaned back against the kitchen island, "I'm sorry I didn't call. I... got kinda... distracted."

There was a pause, a shaky sigh and then a hiccup, typical for the cook when he had been crying too much. "It's okay, I just got a little worried...," Sanji sniffed, not bothered to hide how hurt he was that something was more important than calling him, "When will you be home?"

"I don't know," Zoro sighed closing his eyes, he knew that it wasn't by far okay and it made his stomach churn. "Do you need me home now?"

"N-no... it's okay. Just be home for dinner, okay? You can bring Luffy, too." His voice was calm and friendly but Zoro knew he was lying, he could imagine him squeezing his eyes shut to hold his tears at bay.

"About that...," Zoro started off but interrupted himself when Sanji started to sob, obviously thinking he was being turned down. In frustration the swordsman brushed through his hair again, thinking hard of what to say. He wanted to stay here for a while longer and have dinner with his nakama, he didn't want to leave them so soon again. But he had promised Sanji to be home for dinner today and he stuck to his promises, like resin to skin.

"It's fine, I can eat alone tonight. I'll be fine." There was shuffling and a strangled sob, followed by the sound of water splashing; he was most likely having a bath.

"No, Sanji, listen... I'll pick you up in an hour, okay? I know you hate going out but you won't regret it. There're people I want you to meet, Luffy's here too. Maybe you want to bring some stuff and make dinner here?" Zoro figured his choice of words wasn't perfect but they would hopefully do their work.

More shuffling, Sanji was probably considering the offer. "Okay. Do I need to dress up?"

"I leave that up to you, cook. Just try to relax before I pick you up, okay? You won't have the mind to be anxious here anyway," Zoro chuckled into the phone.

"You're confusing me, marimo. I hope your plans for the evening will be worth my time," Sanji spoke in his typical cocky cook-tone, the one Zoro had learned to treasure since it indicated that the blonde was in a good mood.

"I promise, cook. My ability to plan fun times have never disappointed you," Zoro grinned, knowing well that Sanji was chuckling and rolling his eyes at his words.

"Alright, I'll see you in an hour. Don't make me wait."

About an hour later, Sanji found himself being dragged down a curvy path in the Aureus Forest, Zoro's hand gently but tightly wrapped around his. The idiotic marimo and his stupid smirk had picked him up half an hour earlier than planned which had ruined Sanji's plans of getting dressed, fixing his hair, making some snacks and being out of the damn bathtub when the idiot of swordsman would burst in without knocking. There had been a little bit of awkwardness from his side but Zoro didn't seem to care, he was in such a good mood that it actually scared Sanji, even though he couldn't deny how it cheered up his spirits as well.

"Oi, marimo, slow down," Sanji called and tried to tug at the green-haired man's hand. The path was of uneven ground, stones and twigs, up's and down's everywhere and with the pace Zoro was guiding them through the forest, Sanji had trouble to keep his balance and not stumble over a branch.

Zoro stopped in his tracks and turned around to find his friend leaning over, hands on his knees and panting as if he had been running a marathon. "You should do some exercise once in a while, you know. That would help," he teased him and gained a death glare through the blonde's curtain of hair.

"Shut up," Sanji hissed and straightened up again, "You know that I have no spare time to go to the gym like you." Still panting he stepped closer to be on the same level as Zoro, he was glad he had decided against wearing dress shoes and picked his plain brown sneakers that matched his outfit of black jeans, beige cardigan and a sky blue dress shirt perfectly well, not to mention how convenient those clothes were here in the woods in comparison to Zoro's.

"Well, you could cut back hours. You work too much for the little salary you get, and it's not like we'd starve or anything if you worked less," Zoro suggested, knowing well his attempts were fruitless, the stupid cook would never listen to him.

"No, I would lose my job if I did and I can't lose my job!" Sanji shot back glaring at his friend, his face was red with anger and his ribcage rising and fall in growing rage. He hated it when Zoro brought this very conversation up, he hated how that idiot thought there was nothing wrong if he gave up his job, his independence. Because he would lose the little he had left of it, if he quit his job. No matter how much he appreciated Zoro's efforts and company to some point, he was still a man and still had pride, he still was able to care for himself, if only financially. And if only a little bit.

"Fine," Zoro frowned and held his hands up in defeat, "No need to get angry, okay? I told you to relax before we arrive. I'm not in the mood to pick a fight with you, not right now." The soft tone of his voice and the weight of his words made Sanji reconsider his outburst and he immediately regretted it. Marimo was trying to be nice to him, even somehow trying to cheer him up, and all he did was yelling at him when he only wanted to help. Just... what was wrong with him lately?

They continued walking, this time in a slower pace and without their hands touching, something Sanji felt weird about. Sometimes their fingers would brush together and he considered tangling them together again but then, what would Zoro think? And why would he even want to hold hands with the marimo? They might have shared a bed last night but they hadn't touched, and whenever they touched it was because Sanji was depressed or they were fighting. And holding hands didn't fit into any of those criteria.

Mentally he shook his head and pushed his hands into his pants' pockets to avoid any touches. His gaze wandered around, there were trees everywhere, carrying rich tops that hid the sky from his eyes. Why would anyone live here? No one would find the way to their house and would get lost so quickly; were they even on the right path?

"Oi, marimo, how do I know that we're not in the process of getting lost?" he asked bluntly, drawing Zoro's attention fully back at him. The swordsman's mouth opened to come up with some smart comment but closed again, his cheeks turned a shade of pink and he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. "Perfect, couldn't you have sent Luffy to pick me up? I didn't want to get lost in the forest on my last day off, thanks much."

"Hey, I'll figure this out, okay, just trust me this once," Zoro spoke in defense and pulled out his cell phone when a disembodied hand reached out of a nearby tree and pointed west. A quiet chuckle crossed his lips and he turned to Sanji who luckily was busy examining a group of mushrooms and didn't notice Robin's arm sticking out of the tree. "Come on, you can play with your friends later."

After a little of smacking each other in the neck, they set off into the direction the hand had pointed to. All the way, hands would appear to guide Zoro who pretended to look the way up on his cell phone, and he made a mental note to ask Robin later how she had managed to successfully hide her hands from Sanji's sight. The grumpy expression on the blonde's face faded as soon as they entered the clearing, he'd known the cook would enjoy the sight, he had always been a fan of nature and its wonders. "Pretty, huh?" Zoro smiled at him, his eyes roaming over the cook's body, only halting at his face that he hadn't seen so at peace and calm in weeks.

"Yes, it's perfect. Are we right here?" Sanji smirked at his friend and got gently shoved by him in response.

"Luffy and I thought the same when we got here but it seems kinda fitting, I think. They only need to mark the path and put up signs but I think people will love to spend their vacations here," Zoro smiled again, gazing over the clearing before them.

"Yeah, I think I'll get a room right away so I can have some time off from you." Sanji flinched before Zoro could even launch an attack at him which wouldn't be more than another shove or smack over the head.

Zoro stepped closer so Sanji took a few steps backwards until his back hit a tree, a quick hint of fear flashed up in the cook's eyes, if Zoro wanted he could easily beat him up here and he wouldn't even be able to fight back. Two years of doing nothing but peeling potatoes and cutting vegetables and no training had done their work on turning his body weak and quickly exhausted. But Zoro was as strong and skilled as ever, he had joined a gym and found a dojo to train at, he even went swimming once a week. His body was as well-shaped and muscled as about two years ago while his own seemed to go back in time and copied the shape of a boy's.

The teasing smirk on Zoro's lips faded when he noticed the quick change of expression in Sanji's face. He'd only wanted to fool around with him like back in the days because he felt like back in the days, but the sadness and agony buried under temporary happiness in Sanji's eyes were proof enough that they wouldn't be back in the days so quickly.

"Don't tell me you're scared of me," he spoke quietly, one hand propped up next to Sanji's head while his body was leaning into the other man for a little bit.

"Y-you wish, idiot," Sanji stuttered and turned his head away though never drew his eyes from Zoro's that seemed more of a golden shade than brownish.

"You're the idiot here, cook. Last night you cried in my arms and then fell asleep lying right next to me, it doesn't make a sense that you're scared of me now," Zoro frowned and leaned back again.

Was there anything he could say to this? He knew Zoro would never hurt him seriously, he was nakama after all, they were somehow family. Lately Zoro had been closer to him than anyone had ever been in his life, no one had ever cared for him as much as the marimo and yet he felt so vulnerable, so weak for letting him into his broken mind. It scared him that Zoro could read him like a damn book, that he knew when he was close to tears and what brought him to tears, although it also meant that he knew how to chase those demons away. Being so exposed to someone felt unfamiliar to him and with his body's current condition, he was scared that one day, he'd say the wrong word and Zoro would snap and beat him up. And he wouldn't even be able to defend himself.

"Now come on, they're already waiting for us," Zoro broke the silence finally and reached for Sanji's hand again as he turned to walk. Silently they walked up the path leading up to the front door, Robin had left it unlocked for them and so he pushed it open and pulled Sanji inside. The blonde's head turned from one side to the other, he was taking in his surroundings with curious eyes and his mouth gaping open a little, obviously impressed by the harmonic and neatly decorated interior. It made the swordsman chuckle, Sanji had developed an interest in interior design and decoration in general; in retrospective, it sounded pretty much like the cook.

Rushing through the entrance hall, Zoro never let go of Sanji's hand who let himself being dragged anywhere at this point. The blonde was too caught up observing the world around him that he luckily didn't notice the blush settling on the swordsman's cheeks or the wide smile on his lips that gained in intensity when he saw Robin entering the kitchen - unnoticed by Sanji. Latter was staring at an oil painting of a riot in which center someone flew a flag, it dressed the wall opposite of the kitchen door and when Zoro wanted to pull him into the room Robin was in, he found the younger man glued to the ground in front of the picture.

"Oi, cook, stop being creepy and finally move," Zoro insisted with a chuckle, no matter how cute he looked, so curious and passionate about this piece of art, it was sometimes creepy what new, unexpected and strangely attractive sides he discovered on the blonde cook. He tugged at the other man's hand, pulled and squeezed it gently, even brushed his thumb over its back to freak him out over the affectionate gesture but Sanji didn't move at all. Whatever meaning or event the painting was based off on, it was more important right now than Zoro. "Shithead, move!"

"Let him be, Zoro. It's a very special painting, to say the least," Robin's voice sounded from the kitchen doorway, soft and warm, matching the chuckle on the older woman's lips. Zoro quickly chuckled back at her before turning back to Sanji but he didn't miss the glistening of the happy tears in her blue eyes.

His reaction was beyond Zoro's imagination. He'd expected him to strip off his depression and turn back to his old, perverted love-cook self, he'd kind of even expected him to doubt her and him, to consider this as bad joke or weak attempt at cheering him up. But he'd never expected the following, not with Sanji. It was almost comical, surreal how his ears twitched like a wild cat's upon hearing potential prey approaching. The fingers curled around Zoro's first tightened around his digits, then softened until he let go and slowly turned around, revealing his facial expression to them. His eyes were wide opened, shining so clear with tears and emotions that Zoro had to swallow a gasp and tear his eyes away so he wouldn't lose himself inside these orbs. The sight was gone anyway when Sanji rushed past him, his tears rolling down his cheeks and his bottom lip trembling as he choked out, "Robin..."

Zoro watched them hug, holding onto each other as if they were moored buoys in the raging sea, Sanji's face nuzzled into her raven hair, Robin's hands changed from fisting his cardigan to rubbing his back soothingly. They seemed to whisper into each other's ears, or rather cried and sobbed into each other's ears, and as much as Zoro wanted to know what they were talking about, he knew he should give them a moment and left for the restroom.

For a moment Sanji forgot about everything. About his cockiness, about his pride and sense of honor, about the marimo standing right next to him, about the woman he fancied who was now almost cradling him in her arms to calm him down. He was losing his face but he didn't care, have Robin see him cry, he didn't care, he couldn't care. "You're alive... I was so scared... I thought you... you had died... I thought... I'd never see you again, Robin, I thought you'd be gone forever...," he sobbed into her shoulder, his long fingers were tangled into a fistful of black hair to the point where it must hurt her.

"I was scared, too, Sanji-kun, I felt the same... I couldn't sleep at night anymore, I was missing you and the others so much... I'm so happy you're alive, Sanji-kun," Robin cried into his ear, she was unable to hold her feelings back. She had never felt like this before. Of course, she had missed her nakama, or her home or the ship which was her home now. They were her family that she had been missing already plenty of times, that she had craved to be close to before. But missing them individually and not as group was totally new to her. "I'm so happy...," she smiled as she pulled away and pecked his cheek gently, "All the waiting, all the nights I had to keep Chopper's and my own hopes up, it was all worth it..."

In any other situation, two years ago, he would've swirled around her in a cloud of hearts and his mind would've shut off but that part of him had died in the cyclone, drowned in the merciless great wide ocean. "Chopper's with you? He's here?" Sanji choked out wide-eyed staring at Robin whose lips curled into a chuckle and whose hands were gently caressing the back of his neck. How could they be so lucky? Being reunited with two of their long lost nakama, two at once! There had to be some kind of catch, he didn't trust his luck anymore. Luck was only an indication of an upcoming disaster, life had taught him that plenty of times.

"Yes, he's outside with Luffy," Robin smiled at him, grabbed his hand and led him outside onto the porch through the kitchen. Their fingers were tightly entangled and she had no objection nor mind to let go. Obviously Sanji's reaction to these kinds of touches had changed quite a lot; however she had never been as annoyed by it as Nami, she felt more comfortable with this new side of Sanji.

Outside on the porch they found Chopper sitting in Luffy's lap, a deep frown was on the reindeer's face as he watched the raven-haired man talking on the phone. The expression on Luffy's face and the tone of his voice wiped the smiles off their faces, he sounded worried but also disappointed, almost frustrated. His words faded into the breeze that danced over his cheeks, failing to tickle a smile out of him. "I can't reach Nami for some reason... could be she's at a movie with her friends, I don't know," he finally said in a low voice, his eyes fixed on Chopper's sad ones although he wasn't really looking at him.

They remained silent for another minute, no one knew what to say or how to react. Sanji's hand was still holding Robin's, squeezing it gently as a small wave of anxiety rushed through him. Even though Luffy had a point, the blonde knew better. Let Nami take them all for granted, let her be reckless and careless but he knew that she would be available at all times. Particularly when Luffy would try to call her plenty of times, she'd react disregarding where she was or with whom she was. So seeing that he had to leave her a voicemail after trying over and over again to call her, something bad must have happened.

"Hey, shithead, don't stand in my way," Zoro's voice sounded from behind Sanji, followed by a familiar shove in his back. With a groan he turned around and was greeted with a wide smirk on the swordsman's face as said one walked over to one of the chairs and sat down.

"Shitty marimo, don't you get in my way while I'm with a lady," Sanji hissed back at him with a glare that caused Robin to giggle wholeheartedly.

"Sanji!" Chopper squealed in delight and jumped off Luffy's lap and up into Sanji's arms, "Oh Sanji, I've missed you so much!" His little arms wrapped around the cook's neck as he nuzzled his soft face into the crook of his neck, relaxing into the embrace once Sanji hugged him back.

"I've missed you too, buddy," Sanji whispered into his ear, he had one arm wrapped tightly around the reindeer's middle, even brushed through his soft fur a little. As girlish and childish this might sound, he had missed the feeling of the soft hair against his fingers, had missed the squeaky young voice of their doctor, and most of all his urge to worry and care about everyone. But now he was back in Sanji's life, the only doctor he had ever trusted in this world.

Time seemed to slow down in the little garden, none of them noticed the sun going down nor the birds' tweeting fading into crickets' chirring, within their little group the sun was still shining even when they were surrounded by nightly darkness. Nothing could ruin their mood, they talked and laughed and told their stories and ate delicious food just like in the good old times. Towards the end of the day they were reminiscing in their shared past, in old adventures when they had still been together, when there had still been nine of them living on a ship, sailing from island to island, in direction of their dearest dreams. Tears were shed over sadness and happiness and the wish to live those adventures again.

It was past midnight when they finally separated and retreated to their homes.

The house was dark and silent when Luffy closed the front door, changed into his slippers and threw his keys into the bowl. Moonlight shone into the corridor through the opened living-room door, coating the furniture in silvery light and creating a surreal atmosphere. The curtains weren't drawn, the dishes done, blankets neatly folded on the couch, remotes at their rightful places and his ashtray emptied. It was as if life had been removed from his home while he was out, everything looked like the set-up's of a photoshoot for a furniture magazine.

But in that moment, he was too excited to notice the signs, he was too stuck in the thoughts that were waiting in his throat to be finally voiced. His feet carried him through the corridor, throwing glances into each room on his way to the stairs; it was way past midnight, she could also be in bed already. He practically jumped up the stairs, taking two steps at once, not even having the mind to be quiet. Inside his head his heart was pounding out of happiness and the urge to share this feeling with his friend, he couldn't wait to deliver the news to her.

For once he was forgetting where they were, that this wasn't two years ago on the Sunny, that this wasn't a completely different life, that they hadn't somehow grown into a less colorful version of themselves. His mind was back to his old way of thinking and acting and so he called, barely having reached the top of the stairs, "Nami, wake up, I've got news! You won't believe this!" Upstairs was as silent as downstairs, as dark and lifeless as he had been greeted only minutes ago when stepping through the front door.

"I tried to call you several times but you didn't answer, I'm sorry, I wanted you to be there as well... where the hell have you been anyway? You never not call back, we got a little worried there...," Luffy went on, approaching the door across from his own bedroom at the end of the corridor. "You should screw all your plans for tomorrow and come with me, there's something I..." His feet halted abruptly on the doorsill, his heart skipped a few beats. "... need to show you..." The last words faded into the air that seemed to fill out the room he had just entered. Cold and merciless emptiness met his surprised eyes, the room was just as dead as the rest of the house. It left him standing there, speechless and clueless, while his mind was working out the meaning of the sight in front of him.

There was her bed, sheets and cushions arranged the exact way they had found the king-sized bed in the store. Curtains drawn back, the shelves and sideboards looked like they had never been used, like no one had ever placed framed pictures on top of them, nor filled their drawers with other valuable things. "No...," he breathed, stumbled into the room towards the walk-in closet and burst inside, almost ripping out the doors. It was empty, just the hangers dangling from the ceiling of the closet and the mirror on the opposite wall, framing his shocked face. She... was gone.

Nami was gone, simply disappeared. Every single piece of her, every little remainder of her that he had been able to touch and see with his eyes was gone. The realization rushed through his body in waves, growing and speeding up and turning into frustration and guilt. And goddamn worry. Emotions and thoughts raged inside him like magma in a volcano that within seconds reached its limits and spat out its hot liquid. His fist connected with the wall next to him, creating a hole in it but he couldn't think about the consequences now, he couldn't think straight at all. Not now.

She was gone. Fucking gone. He hadn't been able to reach her because she had long been gone. "SHIT!" he cried out in despair, pulled his fist out of the wall just to punch it all over again and replace it with his head that he bumped against the doorframe until he couldn't feel the stinging pain anymore. He had lost her, he had lost Nami whom he had been trying to keep safe, whom he had agreed on giving his freedom up for, just to make her stay. Whom he had never wanted to lose because fuck it, he needed her, she meant something to him, and that could even be more than he had ever shown her. She meant more to him than just nakamaship, than just simple friendship. And he had had the chance to prove her, last night, when she had been so damn close.

But that chance was gone, and so was her.


Hello, there! First of all I want to thank anyone who reviewed, favorited, read and subscribed to my story! I hope you will stay with me through this story (and I hopefully won't disappoint any of you). Plans are that the chapters are going to be as long as this one in future, so along with life and work, it could take some time for me to finish a chapter.

Uh, what I wanted to explain: This might appear as alternate universe and it surely is and I'm fine with it being AU but they're still the Strawhats and they still want to go back afloat. As well as this island is still somewhere on the Grand Line. So this could be an AU inside the OP-verse, or just plain AU, whatever you prefer to call it. ;)

In case of further questions, either review or PM me. Your questions can only help improving this story.

Thanks so much to everyone who reads this story and follows it!