Hello everyone! Chapter 3 is finally finished, so as my birthday gift to you all, here it is!
This chapter is hugely long for one of my fics (I feel so accomplished), and it could have stood to be longer. It's probably the worst for the "violence and blood" part of the warning. Aw well.
Oh, and Georgia is quickly becoming my most hated character that I've ever created. I hate her, and I hate writing her. Ama's still at the top (from an original story), but I think Georgia's gonna replace her soon…
Reader Review Corner!!
IzumiTheMoogle: Oh… I'm a bit confused, what did I reference? *feels like a nOOb* Thanks! This is even longer… this story is eating my mind! Thanks! I'm glad you thought so. Oh, I hate her too, and she's my own character. Haha, bite off her head like a Barbie! ^^ Yup, she's a bad mamma jamma. O.O Heehee, I'm glad you liked the Sanji angst, and don't worry, all fangirls are. ^^ Thanks again!
Grace121: He is. Thanks! Here you go!
Abra Cadaverous: Thanks! Well, it IS Sanji. XP He's just not persistent enough, is he? (actually, he's PLENTY persistent…) Robin has all-seeing eyes, I'm tellin' ya. Haha, that made me laugh. She harmed the books!!! Grab your torches and pitchforks!!! XD XD Yeah, he needs a hug. *hugs* She IS!!! XD Yup. And yeah, that WOULD be very frightening… O.O Any kind of Chopper bonding is cute. ^^ When is he not? He is! I know, aren't I? XP Yes, poor everybody. …Like, a streak for being cruel and heartless? XP
Three-days-late: No! No happiness for you! XP Oh, please, like I could actually kill the little fluff ball off. XD Yeah, she's a freak. Who murders books. And frying pans. DX Yay, you guessed it! Yay, you guessed it again! Yay, approval for my chapter titles! Thanks!!! ^^
Zodiaccat: *feels loved* Thanks so much! I hope you do!
ChronosNumberVII: That's okay, I have the entire Hunchback of Notre Dame soundtrack and I listen to it regularly. I also have the Over the Hedge soundtrack on there (Ben Folds, duh!). XD I don't; she should have gone to see about him! XP Yeah, well… -_-'
Lochrann: 1) Ooo, unsettling. I like it! XP Awesome, it's such a good movie. ^^ Just coincidence; I don't watch tv, I'm too busy writing this junk. XP Yes, lucky you. Haha! Thanks for reading!! 2) Thanks! I'm glad! ^^ Well, I have to keep you coming back for more… Tragic endings? Me? *shifty eyes* Don't worry, you'll live! As for everyone else, well… Thanks for reading again! ^^
Colour Pearl: You're welcome! ^^ Sorry this took so long then… Aw, well, about that… *whistles* Just for you, attempted murder! (actually, yeah, that's been the plan…) Chopper is mostly oblivious… right now. Ah, I'm sorry. But you know, while you're waiting, you could be, oh I dunno… updating "The Killing Moon"? XP Heehee, how cute!
Sora Tayuya: Dear Neptune!! That makes me laugh… Anyway, thanks! Yeah, he's way hot when he's freaking out and screaming at everyone. XP Haha, your cruel fangirl-ism is invigorating. XD Yeah, I love Zoro/Chopper nakamaship stuff. ^^ Zoro can jump to conclusions every now and then. Yup, that's where it's from. Disney music's fun, though! XD XD Thanks again!
Reine-des-rhymes: Really? Thanks! I'm glad you like them, I sometimes worry that I'm just annoying people. Thanks again! Aw, I love Lion King, too! ^^
ZOroronoaRO: Thanks! Here you go! ^^
Saint Dezzie: Thanks! Heehee, I like embedding things. XD I know!!! That's why I didn't have the heart to have anything WORSE happen to him… (I know; worse?) Aw, thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed!!!
Sandy Toehs: Yes, it is glorious indeed! ^^ Thanks! I felt bad about it later. Really, I did… XD Hahaha, really!?! Well, I'm glad it's feasible. Thanks again!
BlackxValentine: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy it! ^^
Amethyst Turtle: Aw, thank you! ^^ Oh, I don't know… let's play, Guess that Victim! XP
Now, onward to the next chapter!
Kiss Kiss
By Dandy Wonderous
Chapter 3: Locked in a Tower
We used to kiss all night, now it's just a bar fight…
-"Love Drunk," BoysLikeGirls
"Ugh… what hit me?"
He was only vaguely aware of hushed conversation around him that silenced the second he spoke. His head was pounding and his ears were ringing, and he felt strangely nauseas.
Forcing his body to ignore this, Sanji opened his eyes slowly, then squinted in the glaring light. There were shadowy shapes around him, moving on the edge of his vision, but he couldn't make anything out.
"Oi, Chopper, wake up!" said a voice near his ear. Usopp.
"Chopper?" Sanji repeated blearily. "I need to cook his fish for supper." He started to push himself up from the pillow.
"Whoa there, Cook-bro," said Franky gently, pushing Sanji back down. Things were getting a bit more focused, and Sanji could see the cyborg looming over him. He realized that he was on the couch in the dining room, and that the lights were actually very dim, and it was just his pounding head that hurt his vision.
"What's going on?" he asked, catching the concern on his nakama's face. "What happened?"
"Someone attacked you and Chopper," Usopp explained.
He blinked at him a moment, then looked around wildly. "Chopper? Is he okay?"
"I'm fine," the reindeer answered. He had been dozing in Robin's lap, but now he was alert, looking Sanji over.
"Oh, good." He relaxed for a second, then tried to get back up. "I need to cook your fish," he informed the doctor.
"Don't worry about that," Chopper said, while Franky pushed him back down again. He looked into Sanji's eyes with a small light, then sighed. "Well, he has a concussion."
"A concussion? How'd I get that?"
"You were attacked, Sanji," Luffy said from where he sat at the foot of the couch.
"Oh. Well, that explains why my head hurts."
"Cook," said Zoro seriously. He waited patiently until Sanji followed the voice to his face and focused. "Do you remember who did this?"
Sanji looked confused. "Who did what?"
"Attacked you!" The swordsman was clearly frustrated.
"Oh. No, I can't…" He closed his eyes, as though searching for the memory. "I remember… Chopper's fish. I have to cook Chopper's fish." He started to get up a third time, and for the third time Franky pushed him back down.
"Zoro!" Chopper admonished. "Does he look like he's up to questions right now?"
Zoro opened his mouth as though to protest, then looked at Sanji with an expression he didn't have the energy to interpret and closed it again, gritting his teeth.
"Why is he so confused?" asked Luffy, head cocked to one side.
"Because of the concussion."
"I have a concussion?" Sanji was finding it too hard to concentrate on the conversation. He just wanted to cook the shitty fish, damn it!
"A mystery condition," whispered Luffy in awe, and there was a chorus of groans from those assembled around the couch.
Sanji's eyes focused on his captain, really, really focused… and suddenly he gasped.
"Sanji!" cried Chopper in alarm. "What's wrong?"
"Something I have to… tell… Something I need to tell Luffy… Can't remember…" Sanji sat up straight, grabbing his hair and pulling at it so ferociously that this time Franky was too shocked to push him back down. "Why can't I… It's important, I know it is! Why can't I…"
"O-oi, Sanji!" cried Usopp, trying to stop him from yanking his hair out of his scalp.
"Sanji, stop! Franky, grab him!" Chopper screamed.
The second he heard Chopper's voice, Sanji stopped tugging at his hair. He turned to the doctor blankly for a second, everyone watching him with bated breath.
Then he tried to push himself off the couch, this time getting a whole foot on the floor before Franky had the presence of mind to stop him. "The fish. Gotta cook Chopper's fish…"
"Cook-san," said Robin gently, and he froze to look at her. "It's not time to start supper yet."
He blinked a few times. "It isn't?"
"No. You just finished washing the lunch dishes, and now you were going to take a nap until time to begin dinner."
"I was?"
"Yes."
He looked confused, but allowed Franky to lower him back to the couch. "Well… if you say so, Robin-chwan." He closed his eyes slowly, and soon he was out like a light.
"He was remembering something," Zoro grumbled accusatorily, but even he looked shaken by Sanji's sudden fit.
"No. It's better that he gets some sleep." Chopper leaned back against Robin's legs, looking exhausted again. "He'll remember whatever it was after a nap."
"Speaking of people who need naps…" said Usopp teasingly while the reindeer yawned. Robin laughed lightly.
"Come on, Doctor-san." She stood up and urged him on with an extra hand. "You can sleep in the library while I fix the books."
"But I wanted to help!"
"You can help after supper."
Franky and Usopp left as well, to search the ship one last time before shoving off. Once they were gone, Luffy and Zoro turned to Nami.
The navigator had been noticeably silent since Sanji had awoken. She had watched him from the side in a sort of trance, a question hanging on her lips but never voiced. Even now she stared at him in a sort of morbid fascination. He was sleeping so peacefully, barely moving… almost like he was dead.
She could still picture him vividly in her mind's eye, holding those small glittering things to his lips, staring so absently out the window, intently focused on something she couldn't see. She remembered how excited, happy, practically glowing he looked when he came in last night. She remembered watching him walk away with that woman. She remembered his fight to go to town this morning, probably so he could see her again. And as all these thoughts swirled in her head, she felt an emotion deep in her heart that grew alarmingly with each passing second until it seized her chest with an icy grip and refused to let her breathe.
Fear.
Fear that one of their nakama was slipping away from them. Fear that he had stopped caring.
Fear that he would leave. Leave and never return.
"Nami?"
She jerked her head up to find Luffy standing over her, looking worried. Zoro was looking at her, too, eyebrows raised. She realized a response was needed. "I… I'm sorry, what?"
"We were saying we should look around town," he said slowly. "Zoro thinks there might be some local bounty hunters around, or that we might get some information if-"
What? Stay on the island longer? But if they stayed here, Sanji might… "No."
Luffy trailed off at her interruption. She was looking angrily at her lap, chewing her lip, and she gave a shake of her head.
"Oi, Nami," said Zoro in ill-concealed concern.
"No," she repeated. She glanced at her wrist; good, the pose had set. "We shouldn't stay here any longer," she said resolutely, looking back up at Luffy. "If something happens at sea, we'll know for sure there's a stowaway and it will make things easier. If nothing happens, then we have nothing to worry about." Her eyes were almost pleading when she added, "It's the most sensible thing to do."
"I'd rather-" Zoro began, voice low and heated, but Luffy cut him off.
"If you think that's best, Nami."
She sighed. The tension in the room fell away, and the fear loosed its hold, fading until there was only a hint of it lurking in the shadows. "Thank you, Luffy."
He broke out that wide, carefree smile, the one that told her everything was going to be okay no matter what happened, and she believed it. He turned and threw his arms in the air. "Yosh! Then let's set sail!"
She jumped up and whacked him over the head. "Sanji's sleeping, idiot! Keep your voice down!"
"Ow! Oh, sorry, Nami."
"Hey, Robin?"
Robin looked up from where she was sorting some pages back into order. "Yes, Doctor-san?"
Chopper looked sheepishly down at his hooves and fidgeted. "You know the wound on Sanji's head?"
"Yes. What about it?"
Chopper seemed to consider, then shook his head. "No, it's silly. Never mind."
"Doctor-san, what is it?"
Chopper looked up at her nervously. "It's just… it looks almost like it was… self-inflicted."
Robin raised an eyebrow. "But Doctor-san, why would Cook-san do that?"
Chopper shook his head. "See, it's silly. Sanji wouldn't hit himself."
"No, of course he wouldn't." Robin smiled encouragingly. "It will be fine soon, I'm sure, Doctor-san."
He smiled back at her. "Yeah. I know it will!"
Sanji speared off a small bite of fish and slipped it in his mouth. Perfect, if he did say so himself. In spite of everything else that seemed to be going wrong lately, at least his love of cooking had returned in full force.
He had woken up a little over an hour ago, head finally clear and focused. The first thing he noticed was that they were at sea.
He looked out the porthole but could only see the faintest hint of the island in the distance. Georgia, being left far, far behind…
Cooking had helped dispel his melancholy a little, but everyone else was so on edge he couldn't quite get rid of it. The air was think and tense, and it wouldn't go away until they knew for sure that there wasn't anyone on the ship that shouldn't be.
Sanji checked his roasted potatoes, then glanced out the porthole again. It was dark enough now that it was impossible to see any islands. Georgia… he would never see her again.
He sighed, running a hand over his face. He had more important things to worry about. Someone had tried to kill his nakama, for Pete's sake!
Speaking of which…
"Oi, cook."
Sanji stiffened automatically as the door closed behind Zoro. "Yeah?" he asked cautiously, turning around.
"I was just wondering if you could remember anything yet."
Sanji leaned back against the counter warily. Zoro had already been in here once to ask what he remembered, and he had already told him that he couldn't remember anything past washing dishes. "No, I don't."
Zoro folded his arms in disbelief. "You said you had to tell Luffy something. What was it?"
"I don't know," Sanji snapped defensively. He knew Zoro wasn't accusing him, but he already felt helpless enough without the marimo reminding him of questions he couldn't answer.
"Listen, cook, the crew could be in danger, and if you know anything-"
"I can't remember, damn it!" Sanji slammed his fist down hard on the counter. He was seething, and Zoro readied himself reflexively to defend against an attack. But then the blonde took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair before letting it flop over his face and hide it. "I don't… I can't remember anything."
Zoro seemed to realize that he had pushed his crewmate a bit too far. "Cook… It… It's not your fault."
For a moment Sanji didn't answer. He put a hand up and gingerly touched the bruise on his forehead. "They attacked me from the front. Surely I would have seen them…"
"Not necessarily."
Sanji ignored him. He gritted his teeth and examined his knuckles. Finally, shame and guilt baring down on him, he looked up at Zoro. "I… Last night, I fell asleep. During my watch."
Zoro's face hardened. "You what?"
The cook squeezed his eyes shut as hard as he could, so he wouldn't have to look at Zoro directly. "Last night… I don't know what came over me, but I fell asleep-"
"For how long?" Zoro demanded, trying very hard, Sanji guessed, not to rip him apart right then and there.
"About half an hour."
"And why didn't you mention this earlier?" Zoro's voice had risen dangerously in volume.
"I don't kn-"
Zoro had a fistful of Sanji's shirt before he could register that the swordsman was lunging toward him. "Don't give me that shit! You were hiding it because why? You were ashamed?" Not allowing Sanji time to answer, he dropped him as though touching him was disgusting. "You should be. What if the one who tried to kill Chopper snuck in during that half hour?"
Sanji couldn't answer, could only stare at his shoes and wait for a blow that he didn't intend to dodge.
It never came.
"I don't know where you were that kept you away from the ship so long last night," he growled, "but if you ever do it again and one of our nakama gets hurt, I swear, cook, you'll pay for it."
Sanji stood stock still in the silence after the echoes from the door slamming faded away, trembling as Zoro's words reverberated in his soul.
Far away, in a kingdom comprised of sand dunes and palm trees, a young princess sat at her dresser, combing her long blue hair in front of a mirror. A gentle desert breeze wafted through the open balcony doors, and ever so faintly she could smell sea salt and fish. It was in quiet times like this that she thought back to her few short days of piracy, and a certain crew that she missed very much.
She had all their bounty posters on her wall. Luffy and Mr. Bushido's new ones were numbers to be proud of. Nami's had a good picture, though she doubted her friend was too happy about it. Poor little Tony-kun had a low number, but she couldn't help but giggle when she saw it. His and Sanji's; they'd gotten the bad end of the bounty poster stick. And as for Usopp, she couldn't imagine why he would have on such a silly disguise, but she was proud of it all the same.
Vivi looked at the posters' reflections in her mirror with fondness, pausing in her brushing. She still wished she could have gone with them, but they were counting on her to be good and take care of things here. Maybe one day, she could…
A gentle knock at her door interrupted her reverie, and she told them it was open. The visitor didn't offer a word, simply answered her invitation by entering.
Vivi's eyes widened at the figure in her mirror before turning to face him fully. "Sanji?"
He smiled, taking a few steps closer. "It's been a long time, Vivi-chan."
She jumped from her chair and ran across the room to greet him. "Sanji!" she cried happily. "Why are you here? How did you get here? Where's everyone else?"
He laughed at her barrage of questions as she hugged his waist. "It's just me for now, Vivi-chan."
She looked a bit disappointed. "Didn't the others come to visit?"
His smile twisted a bit and took on a strange edge. She stiffened instinctively and pulled away from him a little. "S-sanji?"
The smile grew, in size and madness. "You'll be visiting them, my dear. They're waiting for you."
She dropped her arms and took a step back. "Sanji? You're scaring me."
He took a step toward her, and she backed up a bit more. He advanced as she retreated. "You're right to be scared."
What is this?
"Sanji?" she squeaked.
The blonde continued to smile dementedly. "Do you want to know why I'm the only one here?"
What's going on?
"Why?" she gulped.
"Because I killed them all. Even Nami-swan."
No, wait… this isn't right…
She held up a hand as though to warn him off, looking sick. "You're… you're not Sanji! You can't be-"
He lifted his leg and brought it down hard, cracking the floor. "Oh, I assure you, Princess, I'm Sanji."
Stop.
"No… no…" She shook her head furiously.
He laughed in her face.
Stop.
The girl backed away until she slammed against the wall. He had her cornered, and took the advantage to grab her throat between his hands. She tried to scream for help but he silenced her by cutting off her windpipe.
Stop!
Holding her by the neck he raised her from the floor, scraping her back along the wall. She gasped for air and struggled and kicked, but Sanji just tightened his grip and smiled, smiled…
STOP!!!
Vivi's hands on his wrists tightened for one last grasp at freedom, then slackened and fell. Slowly, her eyes rolled back in her head and her body stilled.
STOP, DAMN IT!!!
Sanji laughed hysterically and threw her body to the floor. She landed with a sickening thud and lay there, lifeless.
No, no, NO!!! This isn't me, this isn't me!!!
I don't want to hurt anyone.
Sanji jerked awake with a gasp, sweat rolling off him in waves. The dream was so vivid, too vivid; he had felt her throat under his fingertips, felt her ragged breaths as she fought for air…
He rubbed his eyelids, but behind them the image of Vivi's horrified face hovered like a brand, burned onto them. He opened them and her ghost floated on the floor, crumpled, unmoving…
Sanji swallowed bile and got out of his hammock. He needed a drink.
Franky stiffened when he saw the door to the galley open, but relaxed again when he saw the flash of blonde hair.
"What's Curly-cook doing up so late?" he wondered aloud. A glance at the moon told him it was well after midnight. He remembered how off Sanji had seemed at supper, slumped at the bar, not offering any of the normal courtesies he usually gave the girls, seemingly absorbed in the smoke from his cigarette and purposely avoiding Zoro's gaze.
Something was definitely up with his younger crewmate, and though Franky hadn't been with them long, he had come to love all of them as his family. Now he was worried about the man, and he decided to go make sure he was alright.
With that thought, Franky descended from the lookout and went to check on him.
Sanji stared at the bottles, trying to decide exactly how to go about getting himself as drunk as possible, so that the haunting dream and the lingering guilt would go away. Wine would get the job done fast, which was a good thing, but he would curse himself later for wasting all his good stock on something as unimportant as his mental and emotional state. That left Zoro's assortment of beer, sake, grog, and rum, which were not the drinks of choice for a gentleman such as himself, but Sanji really wasn't feeling much like a gentleman at the moment. Being brutally honest with himself, he felt like the dirtiest scum of the ocean, so this was perfectly suitable. Grabbing the only open bottle (he was surprised that Zoro would ever leave a bottle only partially finished, but that might have had something to do with the fact that he'd wanted out of the galley tonight as soon as possible), he yanked out the cork and looked inside distastefully. It was about a third full (Two thirds empty? he mused) and smelled, in his opinion, wholly unappetizing. Then again, he wasn't doing this for taste, he was doing this to get hammered out of his skull.
Bottoms up.
He managed a mouthful before he had to pull the bottle from his lips and force the liquid down his throat. He screwed up his face in disgust, eyes watering. How the swordsman could enjoy drinking this shit he would never understand.
He swallowed a few times to get the taste out of his mouth (unsuccessfully) and had half a mind to get a bottle of good wine instead. But he wasn't going to waste the drink, so he decided to finish the last of it and then get something else.
He took another drink. It was considerably easier than before. Must have killed a few taste buds the first time.
The third drink was actually somewhat enjoyable. It's just my tongue going numb.
Drink number four was pleasant, and already Sanji could feel the lightest hint of a buzz in the back of his brain. He was nowhere near his limit, but this was a good start.
He looked at the drink contemplatively. It was almost empty now, maybe a sixth of it left. He supposed he could drain it off and then get another of the same, now that it was bearable.
Oh, how the coward drowns himself in intoxication! You can hide what you've done from yourself, but it's only a matter of time before your friends find out the truth.
Sanji didn't get a chance to find out where the voice was coming from; he was already unconscious.
"I thought that, as a chef, you would know getting drunk is bad for your health."
Sanji could already feel his hands shaking. "Why are you back?"
She didn't answer. "Did you enjoy your dreams tonight, Sanji?"
He flinched at the memory. "That was you, wasn't it?"
"It was indeed. Oh, the pain on your face when you squeezed the life from her lips… it was delicious!"
He shuddered involuntarily. "Was that the point, then? To see me in pain?"
"You're smarter than you look, aren't you?" Georgia clapped her hands and Sanji's body woke up. "Now, let's cut the chitchat and get down to business, shall we?"
"No." It was said as firmly as he could, but the catch in his voice was glaring. "I won't let you hurt anyone else!"
She laughed cruelly. "Try as you might, you can't stop me. We're almost at the thirty-six hour mark, and my powers will soon be at their strongest. Why, the only hope you have is to kill me while not under my control…" She put a hand under his chin and stroked the hair there lightly. "And you don't have a hope of that, do you?"
Sanji jerked away from her touch and desperately tried to find some way to communicate with his body. He had to stop this now! Who would be next? Zoro? Usopp?
Nami?
There was a light knock at the door, followed by a concerned, "Oi, Cook-bro! You in there?"
"How about Franky?" Georgia suggested, reaching Sanji's hand out and clasping a carving knife. "I need to attack him from behind, right?"
"No! Stop this, stop it now!" Sanji ran past her, close to where his vision hovered in front of them. "Franky, no! Don't come in! DON'T COME IN!!!"
Georgia laughed and hid Sanji behind the counter, watching as the man screamed himself hoarse.
Slowly, the door creaked open.
Franky peered inside cautiously. The lights were out in the dining room, but there was a warm glow coming from the pantry, so the cook was definitely in here, or somewhere nearby. Other than that, there were no signs of life.
Besides that, he corrected himself, spotting the bottle on the counter. It was almost completely empty. Had Sanji drunk it all himself?
Franky was filled with brotherly concern. He knew Sanji well enough to know he didn't drink hard liquor, only wine with his food, and never so much at once. It was obvious that the cook had come here to get himself drunk.
Franky crept further in, the door shutting behind him and making him jump slightly. Normally such a thing wouldn't scare him, but a rising sense of foreboding was coming on, too strong to be ignored. "Curly-cook?" he whispered, and wondered why he was whispering.
The whole affair was becoming too creepy, too fast, so Franky did the only thing he knew to do in this situation: he danced.
"Ow! Cook-bro, I know you're in here! Ow! Ow! Come on out!"
Something rustled from near the stove, and he realized that it would make sense if Sanji was in the kitchen area. He dropped his pose and walked around the counter, half expecting to find the younger man unconscious among a pile of empty bottles. Then again, even a drunk Sanji would probably be too tidy for that.
He did not find Sanji passed out in the floor. He didn't find anything. There was no one there.
Franky scratched his head in perplexity. This was strange…
He turned around, calling out again. "Oi, Sanji-bro! Where'd you go?" He paused, took a few steps back toward the table, his bare feet smacking across the tile. "It's not safe to drink alone, ya know? Come on out and maybe we can tal-AUGH!"
A foot slammed viciously into his spine, slamming him down to meet the floor. Franky's chin bounced hard off the tile and his ears rang, but he didn't have long to focus on that before something sharp pierced his skin. He gasped and tried to cry out, but all the air was forced from his lungs by the hard digging of a dress shoe toe into his back. A strange, demonic sound filled the air around him, a twisted version of a laugh he had heard so few times before. The sharp object was wrenched from his flesh and slammed back in again, and again, and again.
Somehow Franky managed to turn his head just enough to see his attacker. Blonde hair shadowing a face, only his broad, horrid smile illuminated by a cigarette.
The knife, glistening red, rose again, and then came back down, bringing with it a shroud of black that covered the cyborg, and he knew no more.
"The bigger they are," said Georgia mockingly, standing up over the fallen man.
Sanji was on his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks. He was unable to speak.
"Thus begins phase one of destroying your friends." She kicked Franky with the toe of one of Sanji's shoes. "He won't be getting back up anytime soon. Or ever, really."
'No,' thought Sanji bitterly, face in his hands. 'He can't be dead, he can't be!'
"Oh, I assure you, he's quite dead," Georgia answered the unvoiced question. "Now, what to do about the body… perhaps dump it in the ocean? Oh, but I don't think you'd be able to haul him so far without getting caught. Maybe we should just leave him here and blame it on the mysterious stowaway, hmm?"
"You bitch."
She stiffened, then spun to face him. "What was that?"
Sanji pulled his face from his hands and got up, one foot at a time. "I said, you bitch."
Her nostrils flared angrily. "That's not very gentlemanly of you, Sanji. How do you think you'll ever get a woman if you're going around calling them-"
"You're a bitch," he repeated, cutting her off. "And I hope you go to hell."
She scowled, but then that scowl turned into a threatening smile. "Fine. I was going to stop now, but since you insist on being so rude…" She trailed off, looking out the galley window and toward the observation tower, where a light could be seen in the library. "My, my, my; is Nico Robin still up working so late?"
Sanji's heart plummeted to his feet. "No…" he whispered.
She simply smiled and stepped over Franky's body. "Oh, yes."
Robin carefully pressed the pages into the glue on the spine and held them in place. Around her, industrious hands and feet sorted pages and bindings, trying to put the library into some sort of order, while others put away repaired books in their proper places. Slowly but surely, everything was coming back together.
The archaeologist set the book aside to dry and picked up the next spine. She chuckled when she read the title: Sleeping Beauty. It was Sanji's, one of the ones she had promised not to tell anyone about. If she was correct, he had one of its pages tucked away in his jacket. She would ask him for it discreetly tomorrow; for now, she set it and its pages aside in the unfinished pile and reached for the next.
There were footsteps below her, and she stilled and listened. It was probably Franky; he had come in more than once, offering to help or get her coffee. She turned him down, but had to admit she was flattered by the man's offers to help. With a sigh she looked at the piles of finished work and the work still left to do; maybe she would take him up on the coffee this time.
The door opened and she expected him to burst in, dancing and singing, but instead there was only the soft creak as the door was shut again. Perplexed, she turned and looked over her shoulder.
Sanji stood in the room, puffing on a nearly spent cigarette. He didn't immediately launch into lovesick rants, and she grew a little worried. She knew that Zoro and Sanji had gotten into a fight earlier today, and that it must have shaken the young man up pretty badly. Did he need someone to talk to?
She gave him a soft smile. "Hello, Cook-san. I didn't know you were up."
He didn't answer, instead pulling the cigarette from between his lips and dropping it to the floor, then smothering it with his foot. Robin's eyes widened; he normally would never be so disrespectful as to litter the library with cigarette butts.
"Cook-san? Is everything alright?"
He still didn't answer, taking a few menacing steps toward her. Robin got to her feet instinctively, her insides turning cold. Something was horribly wrong here.
"Cook-san?" she ventured one last time, her arms crossing reflexively. All the extra hands disappeared in puffs of petals as she prepared herself for… what, she didn't know.
Finally, he spoke.
"Hello, Robin-chwan."
And then he darted toward her.
"Mmm… Sanji… meeeat…"
Luffy sat up groggily, still mostly asleep, and flopped out of his hammock. Time for a midnight snack.
He stumbled across the room, still not fully awake, and exited the men's cabin. He had only been gone a few seconds before something occurred to him and he returned.
"Zoro? Why are you awake?"
Zoro was laying on the couch, arms folded under his head, staring at the ceiling. "I don't know," he answered simply.
Luffy cocked his head to the side. "Are you hungry?"
"No."
The rubberman considered, then something dawned on him. "You're worried about Sanji!" he cried, hitting his palm with is fist.
"What!?!" Zoro hissed, sitting straight up. "What gave you that idea?"
"Shishishi, I just guessed."
Zoro scowled at him. "He's not in his hammock," he pointed out sourly, jerking a thumb in its direction.
"Really?" Luffy looked to be sure, then threw his arms in the air. "Yosh! He must be making me a snack!"
Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Somehow, I doubt that…"
A rubbery hand grabbed his wrist and started tugging him toward the door. "Come on, Zoro! I'll eat the snack he's making, and you'll talk to him and feel better."
"What!?! No, Luffy, I don't want to-AUGH!!!"
He barely had time to brace himself before he was yanked across the room and shot up onto the deck.
"Oops. Sorry, Zoro."
The swordsman glared up at his captain. "Stupid… Why do I even bother?" He sighed and got to his feet, then followed the younger man to the galley.
"Sanji!" Luffy yelled, throwing open the door. "ME-"
Zoro walked in after him, confused when his demand stopped mid-word. "Luffy, what's-"
His question stuck in his throat as he looked down at the prone form on the ground of the kitchen.
"Franky!" cried Luffy, rushing to his side. He shook the cyborg desperately by the arm.
After a second, the man groaned and looked up. "Urgh… I do not feel supa…"
Luffy sighed with relief; his nakama was still alive.
"I guess this confirms that we have a stowaway," said Zoro, relief hidden in his voice as well. He stood over Franky, examining the stab wounds visible through his shirt.
"Stowaway?" Franky repeated, and then suddenly he gasped.
"Franky?" asked Luffy, concerned.
"It… it wasn't a stowaway," Franky said solemnly, and the other two tensed.
Robin stared at the wild face of Sanji. She'd managed to stop him with a Seis Fleur, but she knew it wouldn't hold him long.
"Cook-san! Please, what are you-"
Her prediction was true; he'd barely been held a few seconds before he wrenched free of her grip, kicking the hands and making them dissipate in a burst of blossoms. Robin gasped in pain and fear.
He shot forward again, and this time she couldn't stop him. He spun around all her hands and slammed his foot into her side, pinning her against the bookcases.
"It wasn't?" asked Luffy in confusion.
"But… then who…" began Zoro, dreading the answer.
"You'll never believe me," lamented Franky, looking distraught.
Robin's head cracked against the wooden shelf and she saw spots. With a hack she coughed blood into her hand.
But Sanji wasn't done yet; he took a step back and then booted her across the room. She slammed into yet another bookcase, breaking two of the shelves so that she was showered with books. She could feel two or three broken ribs.
She coughed up more blood and watched with fear filled eyes as Sanji slowly crossed the room toward her.
"It was… Cook-bro. I'm sure of it."
"No! Stop, stop, STOP!!!"
Georgia watched with bemusement as Sanji kicked savagely at her. His foot swung through harmlessly, as though she was mere mist.
"Really, Sanji, what do you hope to accomplish?"
"Stop!" he repeated, trying every kick he knew. None worked.
"I've already explained this to you, Sanji; you can't touch me."
"There must be something I can do!" he cried, tears streaking down his face.
She laughed. "There isn't, trust me." To prove it, she gestured at his vision. "Watch this, Sanji dear."
She closed the distance between Sanji and Robin, who was cowering against the shelves. With a kick she had the tall woman on the floor.
Robin screamed.
Georgia just smirked and raised Sanji's foot above her ribcage.
As the words fell heavily from Franky's lips, Luffy and Zoro heard the scream. Numbly, they looked in the direction of the observation tower.
"Nico Robin," gasped Franky in horror. "She's in the library."
Zoro and Luffy needed no further prompting; they were on their way.
Stomp.
"NO!"
Stomp.
"NO!!!"
Stomp.
"STOP!!!"
Georgia gasped as the scream ripped from Sanji's throat; his real, physical throat.
'What… but… no one's ever been able to do that before…'
Blood dribbled down Sanji's chin; he'd probably just bust a vocal chord. It was definitely a real scream of anguish.
She growled at him. "For your insolence," she hissed, slamming his foot down on Robin again.
Sanji's face was a mixture of pain, horror, and guilt, and it was delicious. She smiled cruelly as she started to spin his body at a high speed.
Sanji's eyes widened. "No! No, not that!"
"Oh, I think we should-"
"ROBIN!!! SANJI!!!"
"…Damn."
Sanji's spin was stopped by a fist that hit him hard, rocketing him across the room. He slammed against the wall and slumped down against the floor.
Luffy went to him while Zoro crouched over Robin. She was unconscious, blood dribbling from the corner of her mouth. He guessed she had several broken ribs, and some of her organs could be damaged.
Luffy put his hands on Sanji's shoulders, shaking him. "Sanji? Sanji!" he cried, trying to wake the man up.
"I guess there's no more time for fun here," Georgia sighed in remorse. She looked at Sanji with a sudden light in her eye. "Of course, now you get to go back and see what you've done. Oh, that will be lovely!"
Sanji said nothing, crying in relief that he had been stopped.
She snorted in derision. "Fine, ignore me. I'll see you soon, Sanji dear!"
And then she was gone, and he could feel his shoulder being shaken.
"Uhn… Luffy?"
He opened his eyes to look at Luffy's worried face. What happened? Why does Luffy look like that?
"Sanji," said Luffy gently, staring into his eyes.
Something about his voice chilled Sanji to the bone, and he felt dread in his stomach. Was there another attack? He cursed himself for not helping.
He couldn't take Luffy's penetrating stare anymore, so he glanced down… and froze.
His hands… why were they covered in blood?
He stared at them in confusion before looking up at Luffy again. His captain tightened his grip on his shoulders. "Sanji," he began, but Sanji's eyes had darted around him and looked at Zoro, who was kneeling protectively by a prone form with long, black hair…
"Robin-chan?" he asked, and then he started coughing, to his surprise, and put his mouth against his shirt sleeve. When he pulled away he realized there was a fresh blood stain there. "What happened?" he managed, but it hurt to talk.
Luffy seemed to be trying to find the right way to answer that question. He looked down, avoiding his eyes, and Sanji followed his gaze to his own shoes, stained with blood.
Suddenly, his whole world was spinning. Luffy's face swam in and out, Robin's broken form grew and Zoro's eyes bored into him…
Sanji's breathing quickened and the world spun even faster. Luffy's grip tightened to keep him from falling, and he slumped against him.
"Oh God… Luffy… what did I do?" he whispered. "Oh God, oh God…"
"Sanji," Luffy said yet again, sterner this time. He forced Sanji to look at him. "It's going to be okay, okay?"
So many times before, Sanji had believed those words. Sanji had always believed Luffy.
But he couldn't believe him this time.
Luffy seemed to sense this. Sadly he turned to the frozen swordsman.
"Zoro. Take Sanji back to the cabin and send Chopper to the galley."
Zoro nodded, getting up and walking over. He grabbed Sanji by the arm and yanked him to the feet. The cook was trembling, and it only got harder once he could really, clearly see Robin. His eyes were a mix of anguish and guilt and fear, so Zoro moved his hand to a less menacing position on his back and guided him out of the library.
They didn't speak on the way to the galley, Zoro because he didn't know what to say and Sanji because he was too numb with shock. More than once he stumbled and Zoro had to catch him before he fell. After what seemed like an eternity, though, he finally got Sanji to sit on the couch in the men's cabin.
Usopp and Chopper were watching curiously; when they had woken up, he didn't know.
"What happened?" asked Usopp fearfully. He obviously thought there was some danger onboard.
"Sanji!" cried Chopper in concern. "Your pants… are you hurt?"
Sanji stiffened at the question, then gasped in pain and hid his face in his hands, shoulders shaking wildly. Zoro turned to them and said, "Both of you, to the galley, now."
"Zoro, what-"
"Now."
Usopp didn't venture any more questions. He and Chopper got up and left, casting a glance back at he and Sanji as they went.
Zoro watched Sanji shudder and sob silently. His brain was completely numb, and he didn't know what to think. He and the cook didn't get along well, but never before had he expected something like this to happen.
Just as he was about to decide to go check on Robin and Franky, Sanji looked up at him, his eyes strangely determined. "Zoro."
Zoro swallowed, throat dry. It didn't help much. "Yeah?"
"Can you do me a favor?"
Zoro felt icy dread in his stomach. "Like what?"
"I need you… to kill me."
End of Chapter 3
A/N: Told you it could be longer; after I wrote the RRC I actually added more… Anyway…
PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!!!!
Sanji sat up straight, grabbing his hair and pulling at it so ferociously that this time Franky was too shocked to push him back down.
Ever since that episode on Saboady, I've been making Sanji pull his hair a lot. I like it; it just seems like a Sanji thing to do when he's distressed. Really, he sort of rubs his hair mores than pull it, but whatever.
Far away, in a kingdom comprised of sand dunes and palm trees, a young princess sat at her dresser, combing her long blue hair in front of a mirror.
This part is in here because I still consider Vivi a Straw Hat, and eventually… well, I still consider her one of them, and we'll leave it at that.
Now he was worried about the man, and he decided to go make sure he was alright.
I tend to forget how much older Franky is than the others, since he's just as immature as them. Anyway, yay for brotherly concern!
It was about a third full (Two thirds empty? he mused)…
I always wondered if Sanji was a pessimist or an optimist, until finally I decided that he was a realist. XD
"You bitch."
I know he says "son of a bitch" and stuff, but I like to think "bitch" isn't a word Sanji uses often.
It was probably Franky; he had come in more than once, offering to help or get her coffee.
I just couldn't resist. ^^
He spun around all her hands and slammed his foot into her side, pinning her against the bookcases.
I'm sorry. Really, I am…
Blood dribbled down Sanji's chin; he'd probably just bust a vocal chord.
This is possible. We were always warned about it at choir camp. It also happened to Jordin Sparks.
Um, so… yeah.
I'm going to go enjoy my birthday party and pretend that there aren't people who probably want to kill me now. Chao!
Wondering how she wrote angst while listening to "The Man Who Can't Be Moved," this is Dandy Wonderous, signing off.