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Chapter 2

"Zoro," Ace said quietly. "He doesn't remember you…"

Zoro blinked in confusion. He doesn't remember him? Like amnesia? That shit only happens in fucking movies! He felt a little bit dizzy and steadied himself on Ace's shoulder.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Zoro hissed through his teeth.

Ace took his arm and tried to steer him towards a small waiting room. "Come with me, we'll talk about it. Let's get you something to drink, give you second to calm down-"

"I don't wanna fucking calm down!" Zoro shouted, ripping his arm from Ace's grasp. "Tell me what the fuck is going on, Ace or I'm gonna start breaking things!"

Ace grabbed him again and pulled him close. Zoro was exceptionally strong, but Ace was just as formidable. He had spent the last ten years fighting fires for the city of Seattle, and if it came to blows, Zoro would come out looking just as bad as the older man.

"Zoro," Ace said patiently in his ear. "You have got to calm down. You make a scene and they're going to ask you to leave. Then you won't get to see him at all… you understand?"

Zoro stared at a spot over Ace's shoulder and breathed heavily through his nose. What good would it do to throw a fit right now? It wouldn't help Sanji, it wouldn't help anything. And Zoro desperately wanted to see him. Every nerve and fiber in his body cried out to see Sanji.

"Okay…" he whispered. "Okay… I'm alright… Just please tell me what's happening Ace."

Ace put his arm around the swordsman and moved him until they were facing each other; opposite shoulders against the wall. The taller man leaned his head down and spoke in a soft voice.

"It's not just you," he began. "He seems to not have any memory of the past two years. He thought he was still working at the Baratie, and you know he quit that job a little after the Christmas Vivi and I started dating."

"That was right around the time I met him…" Zoro was staring at the floor. The reality of the situation was hitting him and he felt lightheaded.

"Yeah, you guys met at the dojo after he quit at the Baratie and started working at the Rocksou. He doesn't remember quitting, or meeting you, or Franky and Brook for that matter."

"That supposed to make me feel better?" Zoro's look was deadly.

"No," Ace said holding up his hands. "I'm just trying to explain. He lost the whole year before the accident."

Zoro's knees suddenly buckled and he lost his footing. Ace caught him before he could fall, and slung a thick arm over his shoulder.

"Zoro!" Ace lost his composure for a moment as his watched his impenetrable best friend falling apart before his eyes. "Zoro, you alright?"

A voice called from the doorway to the waiting room.

"Ace, is he okay?"

Ace looked up and saw Franky watching them with worry in his eyes. The dark – haired man motioned for Franky to come over in case Zoro went completely out. The big man came immediately and put a hand on Zoro's other arm. He took the sword case from Ace and slung it over his own back.

"Zoro, bud you alright? You're scarin' everyone."

Zoro looked up at Franky. The man stood almost a full head taller than he did. He was wearing a button up shirt with a loose tie around his neck as opposed to the usual bright floral pattern surfer shirt. They must have gotten a hold of him as he was going to work, or got him after a really late night. Strangely, Zoro thought of the time he and Sanji had gone shopping for Franky's birthday present. They had gotten in a fight over whether or not to get him the shirt with the blue floral pattern or the green one with the turtles.

A sharp pain pressed around Zoro's heart and he covered his eyes with his hand. I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to cry, Zoro DOES NOT cry…

"Franky…" Zoro moaned. "Sanji doesn't remember me."

He felt Franky's hand on his back. "I know dude," his friend said soothingly. "I know… I'm sorry…"

The two guided Zoro into the waiting room where Robin sat sipping coffee out of a Styrofoam cup, and Usopp was cradling Choppers head in his lap. The boy's eyes were red rimmed and he was clutching Usopp's hand tightly.

"Where's Luffy?" Zoro asked as he sat in one of the uncomfortable cushioned chairs.

"He's in with Nami and Vivi, talking to Sanji," Robin said quietly. Franky moved to sit beside her, and she offered him some of her coffee.

"You want anything, Zoro?" Ace asked.

Zoro shook his head no, and chewed the inside of his cheek. He looked at his friends in turn.

"You didn't tell him how he got there, did you?" Zoro asked carefully.

Usopp shook his head. "We promised you that you'd be the one to do it. And Nami's just in there telling Sanji things about himself, like in the year before it happened… catching him up."

Zoro's eyes widened. "She's not telling him about me is she? We're dealing with Sanji from two years ago! That Sanji thought he was very straight!"

Robin spoke up when Usopp blanched.

"Everyone is steering clear of that topic, Zoro. No one really wants to be the one to break that news to him."

Zoro nodded. "Good. Nobody is going to except me."

Chopper sniffed from Usopp's lap. "Zoro…" he whimpered. "What are you going to do? If Sanji can't remember you, how is everything going to work? How will you guys be together?"

Zoro looked at the floor. He felt like someone had unplugged the game of his life before he'd reached a save point, and now he had to beat level ten all over again. He would have to go back to dealing with Sanji's relentless flirting with every girl in sight. The jibes, the insults, the constant one-upping each other. It had been so hard to win Sanji the first time… and now he had to do it again…

But… then again… this time Zoro knew everything about Sanji. He knew what he liked and what he disliked. His hopes, his dreams, his passions, his favorite color, his favorite dinner to cook- Zoro knew it all… Maybe with his knowledge he would do a better job this time around. Maybe it wouldn't be quite so hard this time.

Zoro stood, and everyone stopped breathing. A look they all knew far too well spread across the swordsman's features. It was the look before Zoro entered a tournament. The look he got just before he made a finishing move; cut down another opponent. It was the look that Zoro had when he was certain he was going to win.

Zoro slipped his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket and took a deep breath.

"I made Sanji fall in love with me once… I'm just gonna have to do it again… that's all."

X x X x X

"I can't believe you two are getting married!" Sanji said quietly. "The last I remember of you two, you were still passing little glances at each other over the card table, and acting like it was 'coincidence' that you guys sat beside each other on movie nights."

Vivi blushed prettily and tucked her long hair behind her ear. "He asked me a few months ago. He took me out on his boat and we watched the sunset… it was very romantic…"

Sanji smiled at her. "Ace is that kind of guy. I'm happy for you," he lay watching Vivi's smile widen, and didn't miss the loving look Luffy and Nami exchanged. "Oh don't tell me you guys too…" he muttered.

"No," Nami giggled. "Luffy hasn't got around to asking me… yet." She elbowed the dark – haired boy in the ribs to emphasize the 'yet' in her statement.

Luffy grunted and made a face as he rubbed his side. "Sooorry, but I gotta think of something spectacular to do when I ask. I can't let my brother have one over on me ya know?"

Sanji chuckled. It had been an interesting night. He had been listening to things he had done two years ago, re-meeting friends, learning what the others had done while he'd been out. They all seemed so happy, so glad that he was there. They listened with rapt attention to everything he said, hung on every movement and sound he produced. Besides the slight ache in all his joints, and the small throb at the base of his skull, he was feeling wonderful. His friends were here, they cared about him, they loved him.

So why did he feel like something was missing? Why did he feel like there was a piece of him that should have been there and wasn't?

Sanji mentally shook his head. He was being stupid. Obviously it was the loss of his memories making him feel incomplete. There was a whole year he had lived that was locked away deep in his brain somewhere! Of course he was going to feel like something was missing!

"Hey, Sanji do you-" Luffy was cut off when the door opened. Nami and Vivi's heads turned at the sound, and Sanji was surprised to see them both go a little pale. Sanji's view of the door was obscured by the curtain, so he couldn't see who had entered and made the girls look so tense.

Luffy stretched his neck to see and smiled at whoever had just come in.

"Zoro!" Luffy waved. "Come say hi to Sanji!"

Zoro? They had mentioned this guy before. They said he and Sanji were good friends- best friends almost. It was too bad he couldn't remember him, he was probably going to make the guy feel bad without meaning to.

Luffy energetically laced his hands behind his head and started to bounce on his toes. "We've been telling him what he's missed! I tried to explain about the restaurant he works at, but I don't really know anything about it except that the food is good," the boy grinned.

Sanji's eyes turned to his left as the curtain was pushed aside by a tall muscular man with tanned skin and… green hair? His face was hansome, in a rough sort of way, and three gold hoops hugs from his left ear. Sanji immediately recognized why he had probably been friends with this person. His aura was unbelievably imposing. He filled the room with his confidence and quiet strength. In the first few seconds of seeing Zoro, Sanji believed that this man, like himself, could command the attention of a room without even trying. But unlike himself, who did it with charm and cunning insight, Zoro did it with in your face, raw power.

He met this fearsome man's eyes and felt a strange connection. It sent little shivers down his back and made him catch his breath. Zoro was looking at him with the most intense gaze he had ever encountered, but instead of shrinking or trying to back down from it like people no doubt usually did, he met it head on. He stared right back, matching the heat from those dark eyes and sending it back in full.

"Sanji," he heard Nami stand and pull Luffy to her side. He broke his eye contact to glance her way. He was never one to be rude to a lady.

"Yes, Nami?" he said sweetly.

"We're going to go for a bit, let you catch up with Zoro."

"Aw, but Nami!" Luffy whined. "I wanna-"

"I'm hungry, Luffy," Nami yanked on his arm. "It's breakfast time, we should go get something to eat."

Luffy perked up a little at the mention of food. "Yeah! Okay, good idea! You coming, Vivi?"

The three said there good-bye's and Nami promised Sanji they would be back later. Sanji frowned at the strange looks the red head gave Zoro before she was pulled out the door, but quickly forgot them when he was left alone with the stoic man. He looked up and watched Zoro move to sit beside his bed. His arms rested on the sides of the chair and his fingers laced together to rest against his chin. He reminded Sanji of a large cat: dangerous, yet lazy- sleepy.

They regarded each other for a minute or two. The silence was strange, but not enough to be uncomfortable. Sanji took in the other's appearance as Zoro's eyes flickered over his face and hair. Finally, the larger man lowered his hands and smiled softly.

"So…" his voice was gravely, but gentle. "How're you feeling, Shit-cook?"

Sanji blinked in surprise, then started to chuckle. The chuckle turned into a quiet laugh, which turned into a soft cough.

Still smiling, Sanji wiped his lips with his fingers and turned back to Zoro.

"We must be good friends if I let you get away with calling me that."

The corners of Zoro's mouth turned up further. "Like you could ever stop me."

"Oh ho," Sanji snapped back, good naturedly. "Just wait until I get outta here, bastard, I'll kick your sorry ass into your mouth."

The two grinned at each other and Sanji was amazed at how easy conversation was with this person he didn't even really know. He suddenly felt bad and his face relaxed a little.

"I'm really sorry I don't remember you," Sanji said quietly. "Nami said we were - I'm sorry – are good friends."

Zoro's gaze dropped to the floor, but not before Sanji caught the pain that flashed in his eyes. He sat forward in the chair and rested his elbows on his knees.

"Yeah," the quiet man rubbed his eyes before placing a hand under his chin. "We're good friends. And don't apologize… it's not your fault."

Sanji didn't like the way Zoro said 'your fault'. He also felt like he had shoved his foot in his mouth, so he changed the subject. "They told me you were flying here? You live out of state?"

"No," Zoro raised his head and Sanji was pleased to see the painful look was gone. "I was at a tournament yesterday."

"A tournament?" Sanji asked, intrigued.

"Yeah," Zoro smiled. "I'm a national kenjutsu champion. I compete all over the country."

"Kenjutsu?"

"Sword fighting," Zoro explained. "I do all styles, but my best is kendo. I compete world class in kendo."

Sanji's eyes widened. "Wait, you compete at NASKA? So do-"

"You do too, I know," Zoro interrupted him. "We went together two years ago."

Sanji saw that flash of pain again, but was too excited to stop his questions.

"We did? How did it go? How did I do? What did you do?"

Zoro chuckled again and placed a hand on Sanji's arm. "Calm down, calm down… you did outstanding. You placed first in the lightweight Savate, and Silat categories. You bowed out of your general Taekwondo match, because you refused to use your hands. The panel worked something out though, and you placed third overall."

"Holy shit…" Sanji was stunned. That was a memory he would pay dearly for to have back. "What did you do?"

"Second overall."

Sanji blinked at him. "Wow..."

Zoro snickered.

Sanji looked down at his hands and sighed, trying to let it all sink in.

"It's so unbelievable, I've been competing in NASKA forever, and when I finally place… I can't remember it…"

Zoro leaned back in his chair. "Well, believe it. You've got the trophy to prove it. It's sitting on our mantle at home."

Sanji's head snapped back to Zoro. "'Our mantle'?"

Sanji watched the color drain from Zoro's face. His eyes widened and his jaw clenched hard enough to contort his cheeks.

"Um…" he stammered. "Yeah… they didn't tell you we're roommates?"

Oh, shit, good job Sanji… way to make the guy feel as awkward as possible…

"No…" Sanji murmured. "But it's alright… I'm sure it'll be fine. You seem like a cool guy… And we got along before just fine, right?"

Zoro relaxed a little and nodded. "Yeah, you got on me a little about drinking milk from the carton, and falling asleep on the couch and drooling on the cushions… but that's about it. We worked out that you stayed out of the workout room, and I stayed out of the kitchen unless it was an emergency."

Sanji's face crinkled and he made a mock disgusted sound. "Drinking from the carton? You're a barbarian, Zoro!"

Zoro jabbed him softly in the ribs. "Just imagine how much I've done it while you've been out?"

Sanji rolled his eyes as the door opened. A pretty nurse came in with meds and a replacement IV bag. She asked politely if Zoro would come back a little later so the patient could rest. Sanji felt slightly annoyed with the girl because he was really enjoying talking with the swordsman. But he also admitted to himself that he was beginning to feel a little sleepy. Ironic, since he'd just spent a year sleeping, but whatever.

"Hey, Zoro…" Sanji said quietly as Zoro stood to leave.

"Yeah, Love-cook?"

Sanji smiled at the nick-name and pulled at his blanket. "Will you come back soon? I want to hear more about your sword fighting."

Zoro's eyes flashed and Sanji felt that same intense gaze as he had when the larger man first entered his room. But the blonde was suddenly too tired to hold it, and he looked away as his eyelids started to droop. The swordsman leaned down and helped pull the blanket up over Sanji's weak arms.

"I'll just be down the hall," he whispered. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

Sanji smiled and closed his eyes. The nurse must have added something to his IV bag cause he was going under fast.

As sleep found him, Sanji told himself he didn't really feel a gentle, calloused hand brush the hair from his eyes… softly caress his cheek...

TBC

AN

NASKA: World martial arts tournament. It's being held in the US this year July 4-5. ESPN will be showing it. You should check it out, it's awesome.

Savate: A form of French martial art (er kickboxing) that only uses the feet as weapons. It's also the only style of kickboxing in which the fighters wear shoes.

Silat: Another form of fighting that only uses the legs. But unlike Savate, Silat allows the use of knees and shins. Another cool thing about Silat is that it's not used just for combat. When it's accompanied with drums, it transforms into a folk dance.