Author Notes: Charging headlong into the abyss, will you like where this goes or will you hate me for doing such a twist? Only one way to find out! Read on, brave adventurers! (Not like I'm tired or crazy or anything).
What I mean to say is: I'm a lover of adventure-type plots, so I've thrown a mini-adventure into the story. Don't worry it won't last all 30 chapters. That's not my aim, after all.
Theme: "our distance and that person"
Pairing: Just to reiterate: LuffyxZoro centered but includes SanZo and AceZo so if you like any of those pairings you will get your wish - just, the end result will be my wish, kay? I've got 30 chapters to throw together, so there's ample opportunity.
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Lost
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Zoro let all other thoughts go to the side as he dove into the icy water. His swords were still strapped to his waist - which made him berate himself for jumping in without thinking. He prayed it wouldn't ruin them to be soaked in sea water, but hopefully this wouldn't take all too long.
He didn't want to think too much right now. Luffy was in trouble. His heart was beating faster with every stroke he made, every glance, that turned up showing nothing. He could feel the sword weight pulling on him, trying to drag him down. He ignored it, swimming around frantically to try to find his captain.
Damn devil fruit. Damn storms. This happened way too much, way too often. They should get a leash and tie Luffy to his special seat to keep him from falling into the water. The boy didn't care for his own well being at all. What would he do if he died from something this stupid? What would the crew do? What would he do?
Clenching teeth behind closed lips, Zoro shook the thoughts away. No one was going to die. He was going to find Luffy and pull the boy up to the surface, back to the ship, and then he would get yelled at by Nami for taking too long.
A flash of red in the dark waters caught his attention, and he swam down in that direction. Relief started to poke at his worry when he saw Luffy, but he wasn't completely cool yet. The crazy captain was hanging so limply in the water, his eyes closed, mouth open even, and there was a trail of blood leading Zoro to the boy, so the red had been blood and not the boy's shirt like he had hoped.
With a grimace, Zoro moved forward and wrapped his arms around Luffy's middle, getting a good grip before kicking his feet and aiming up. They broke the surface of the water, but Luffy was still unresponsive, the limp rubber in his arms making Zoro's heart beat faster.
Damn it, Luffy, wake up. Cough. Do something!
But the boy captain hardly moved, waving with the ocean water, making no other sign of life. Getting a gulp of air for himself, Zoro cursed and glanced around frantically, looking for the ship. The ocean water was deceptively cold, the torrential rain stinging as it smacked into his face and neck. Where was the ship?
A too-close-for-comfort lightning strike gave him the desired light to see by, but it didn't reveal the current object of his conquest. Instead, all he could see was the rocks of a reef and the sand of a beach in the distance. It looked like a ridiculous swim, but Luffy wasn't moving in his arms and some higher power had decided to keep the Going Merry hidden.
So, really, even if it would wear him out, even if the distance promised to be more than he could handle, what choice did he have? At the very least, he could count it as a form of training.
Shifting Luffy's position so that he had a better grip, Zoro clenched his teeth and started to make his way to the only safety he could find.
Damn crew hiding the ship from him in the middle of a storm. If anything happened to Luffy, he would blame them all.
~!~
Finally, after what seemed to be a ridiculous long time of holding ropes and attempting to control the ship, of listening to Nami-swan and glaring at Ace for not doing anything... But finally the storm was clearing up. Rain still drizzled lightly, but the waves were calm and the sun was starting to poke out from thinning clouds.
Sanji released a heavy breath and reached into his jacket, not surprised to find the entire pack soaked from the heavy rainstorm. He grimaced and leaned back against the ship railing, crossing his arms and grinding his teeth because he didn't have anything else to chew on. Glancing to the front of the ship, he sent a glare to the moody devil fruit user who had stolen their captain's seat. Ace refused to respond to any of them, staring straight ahead in the distance, quiet and somber almost as he crouched on Merry's head, the tattoo on his back almost seeming to glare right back at Sanji.
A hand touched the railing beside him, a very soft feminine hand, turning Sanji's gaze to the black haired beauty. Robin held out a dry pack of cigarettes and he burst into an appreciative grin as he accepted them. "Arigatou, Robin -ch-"
"Which one do you think he's worried about?" Robin interrupted, nodding her head in Ace's direction.
Placing a cigarette in his mouth and lighting up, Sanji turned back to stare at Luffy's brother. After the storm, they had discovered that Zoro hadn't returned with Luffy, and the entire ship was in a funk of silent worry. The island had been spotted and they had decided to head toward it, but even the few minutes of travel were being spent in heavy silence.
Lacking both first mate and captain, they felt empty. And no one dared voice the real reason for their worry. Just like no one dared voice Ace's lack of involvement during the storm. Just like no one dared confront the devil fruit user now, as he stared into the distance.
Puffing out a stream of smoke, Sanji shrugged. "I don't know. Probably both."
Robin didn't respond to the comment, simply standing beside him and staring into the distance with the others. The island was close. Someone was going to have to lower the anchor soon. And why the hell did simply thinking of the anchor make him think of Zoro - and why did his heart clench?
"It's not like a storm would get the best of those two..." Sanji murmured, catching himself chewing on his cigarette and cursing softly.
"Hmm, but Luffy may have been in the water for too long..."
"Don't say something like that!" Sanji snapped. It wasn't until he blinked and saw Robin's wide eyes that he realized what he had done. Shouting at a lady. He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "Zoro just wouldn't let that happen."
At Robin's smile, he felt a sense of confusion. And then she turned away and said over her shoulder, "So you do use his name."
Sanji could only blink after her, trying to make a sense of the mess of feelings. Worry for nakama was normal. He was just off balance because he was worried. Nothing else. So, why did she have to mention that little detail as if it really meant something else?
~!~
Arms aching, Zoro sighed in relief when his feet touched a sandy bottom. Blinking sea water out of his eyes, he slowly pushed forward, standing up straight in the water as each step brought him and the still unresponsive Luffy closer to the beach.
Everything about his movements was lethargic; his eyelids fluttered as they fought to stay open. Finding his determination, Zoro clenched his jaw and forced himself forward, pushing through the water, crushing the sandy gravel beneath his soaking boots.
As soon as the water fell to about waist high, Zoro pulled Luffy into an easier-to-carry position. So what if it was a bridal style carry? Luffy's body was significantly smaller than his own and it just wouldn't feel right to throw the captain over his shoulder. And there was no need to spend extra energy shifting the boy to the more common piggy-back carry; not when the destination was so close.
So, fighting his exhaustion, Zoro held Luffy in his arms, letting the boy's head rest against his chest. The straw hat had gone missing. Naturally, it hadn't been on Luffy's head when he was under water and the waves had been so great that Zoro would have needed more luck to spot the straw in the ocean. It had probably flown away on the wind, a precious item to join the many already lost at sea. He knew Luffy was going to be upset when he woke up.
When he woke up. Definitely when. Zoro couldn't bear to imagine the alternative, wouldn't allow himself to
imagine the alternative.
He frowned as he moved to the beach, realizing that he had subconsciously been rubbing his fingers across Luffy's bare skin. He couldn't tell if Luffy's body was cold, or if the breeze was just chilly because of being in the water for so long. But it really started to worry him and he had to force those thoughts out of his mind.
One more step and the water around his feet retreated back into the ocean. He kept moving, but his legs began to feel somehow heavier as his mind noted how close he was to laying down. How close he was to resting. How close he was to sleeping off the aches and exhaustion.
Taking a breath, Zoro clung tighter to Luffy and lowered himself to his knees in the sand, having reached the edge of the tide. Ever so slowly and carefully, he set the raven haired boy down, laying him out on the sand, noting the slash near his collarbone, assuming there had been more involved in his falling overboard than the usual hyperactive silliness. He frowned when he noticed the purplish-blue tint to Luffy's lips, and the still chest.
Dammit, Luffy. Breathe!
He placed his hands on his captain's chest, biting his bottom lip as he groaned, feeling his heart beat increase at the lack of heart beat from Luffy. Trying to keep his hands from shaking, not feeling the water dripping from his own body, he traced his fingers up Luffy's chest, resting them around the shoulders. Hearing nothing but the pounding of blood in his ears, he grabbed a hold of the shirt fabric and pulled up, shaking Luffy in a desperate attempt to wake him up.
"Don't you dare," he murmured the words at first, but he quickly increased as the panicking part of his mind started to break out. "Don't you dare!" Zoro shouted, breathing in quicker pants as he watched his captain's head shake limply.
He's not waking up. Shit... Think. What am I supposed to do? Damn it all! What?
The only sound on the beach was the rush of the tide moving in and out. Zoro stared at his unresponsive captain and racked his brain trying to think of what to do. What would Chopper do? He had to get Luffy's heart pumping again. Had to make him breathe again.
Placing his hands on Luffy's chest, knowing enough to position in the correct spot. He knew at least some things from experiences with Johnny and Yosaku. Even as bounty hunters, things sometimes went too close to the brink - yeah, he understood that better than anyone. He pumped down a few times, knowing the motions, not knowing the correct number or even if there was a better way, but knowing what he could do was the best he had.
Dammit, dammit, dammit.
He stared at Luffy's face the whole time, waiting for the lips to open, waiting for the eyes to open. Something. Anything.
Breathe, dammit!
He moved, shifted in the sand, and lowered his mouth to Luffy's, hesitating just slightly before pressing his lips to his captain's and breathing, giving air to the still boy, the one he had followed. He felt movement beneath his hands and he sat back as Luffy began to cough, shooting water into the air.
Feeling his heart beat start to slow to a controllable level, Zoro took in a deep breath and watched his captain's eyes slowly open. Watched the lips lift at the corners. "Mmm... Zoro." Luffy blinked, eyes focusing to see who was sitting over him. Then his eyes closed again and he murmured between breathes. "Tastes...good."
As Luffy fell into a peaceful sleep, Zoro ran a hand across his face, shaking away the water and the heat with a quick movement of his head. Letting out his breath in a rush of air, he turned to look out across the open ocean, empty for as far as he could see.
Now what?
As much as Zoro wanted to sleep away the exhaustion - it had started coming back to him as the panicking adrenaline dissipated - he knew that simply falling asleep on the edge of the tide was a bad idea. He could close his eyes and wake up drowning in the ocean, separated from Luffy. With a grimace at the thought, he shook his head and shifted his swords at his waist. Bending over, he pulled Luffy into his arms once again and started to look around the beach for a good place to set up camp.
Somewhere near the edge of that jungle seemed like a good idea... Zoro would worry about finding the others once he was sure Luffy was safe, and once he could get some rest for himself.
~!~
Sanji decided to confront Ace when they docked at the island town. The others prepared for a search-and-rescue mission, as Usopp and Chopper decided to name it, being the most obvious about their worry. The whole time they worked at docking the ship, Usopp had been making up horror stories on what could have happened to Luffy and Zoro - and Chopper started screaming and running around in circles. Nami had to calm the reindeer and make promises that they would find the captain and first mate in no time and they would both be fine; hopefully her words wouldn't turn out to be empty promises.
After lowering the plank from the ship to the wooden dock, and escorting the two ladies down, Sanji walked back to where Ace was standing on the edge of the wooden walkway, staring at an angle as if he were looking through the jungle trees located behind the small village. Sanji approached the devil fruit user, intending to berate him for not helping; intending to lash out about his recent actions. Not that the fiasco with Zoro and Ace was still bothering him. He was just angry at Ace for making Luffy so upset.
But the freckled face turned to him, frowning. "They're on the other side," he said, nodding his head in the direction he had previously been staring.
Sanji took the cigarette out of his mouth and held it over the side. He tapped it, watching the ash fall into the ocean water. There was a light breeze and the ocean was incredibly calm now, an exact opposite compared to the current feelings among the Strawhat crew.
They could handle being separated in battle, trusting each other to live through such things. But weather? How often were they separated because of a storm? It made Sanji wish he had beaten Zoro over the side of the ship, that he had been the one to rescue Luffy, blaming their current separation on the swordsman's poor direction sense. Using the storm was just an excuse. They were pirates; how the hell did they get separated because of the one common thing on the Grand Line?
When he brought the cigarette back to his mouth, he crossed his other arm over his chest, letting his wrist rest underneath the armpit of his other arm. "What makes you say that?"
Ace shrugged, reaching up to pull his hat off his head and let it hang behind him, covering up the Whitebeard symbol on his back. "Just a feeling."
Before he could question Luffy's brother more, a different voice grabbed his attention - faster even than normal because of the tone it conveyed. "Saaaaanji-kun." The crack at the end of the call was what had him prepared when he spun around.
At the edge of the dock, Nami, Robin, Usopp, and Chopper were caught in a circle, trapped by scared, angry villagers with guns. Biting down on his cigarette, Sanji glanced over to Ace, who shook his head.
Give up? Really?
The fire devil fruit user moved before Sanji could change his mind's choice of action. Ace stepped forward, hands up to show his palms. "What's the problem here?"
One of the villagers, an older man dressed in a nice shirt and pants, probably the mayor or choice of village leader, responded with a growl. "We don't like your kind here. Leave before I have to do something I'd rather leave to you people."
"Y-you mean k-kill us?" Usopp stuttered, squeaking when one of the other villagers poked a gun up against his nose.
Sanji sighed and tossed his cigarette over the side. It was just their luck to land on a pirate-hating island. How he wished for the days of that first island in the Grand Line. Whiskey Peak. Even if it had been full of bounty hunters and all a trap, at least the idea of being loved as pirates was a nice dream to fall into.
Closer to the village streets itself, a crowd had started to gather, keeping itself a certain distance from the "evil" pirates. Hearing a child cough, Sanji glanced over to notice an oddity: red spots covering the young girl's arms and face. He turned his attention back to his nakama, seeing Chopper's hooves shaking against his backpack straps.
He cleared his throat and stepped forward to stand beside Ace, noting at the same time how others in the village seemed to be sporting similar marks, even one or two holding the guns. "I can't help but notice some of you are sick with some kind of disease," he said to the leader.
The older man betrayed his emotion when he glanced over his shoulder back toward the village, his eyes softening. But the growl was back on his face when he turned back to Sanji. "Everything's fine."
Sanji shrugged, "Well, I was going to-"
"Let me help!" Chopper shouted, his high voice carrying along the wind, his eyes full of determination as he stared down the barrel of a gun, probably focusing on the more important matter.
Sanji almost laughed at the shocked expression on the man's face - a talking reindeer, after all, wasn't all that common. "He's a doctor. And, really, we don't mean any harm."
Thankfully, another cough came from the girl, who was holding back tears. Sanji was pretty sure without the girl there, this whole fiasco could have been much worse. As it was, the men gave in quickly and easily, allowing Chopper free to work his doctor magic. They must have been pretty desperate.
Ace was the only one to voice a complaint. "And I was about to show them some fire works, too."
Sanji laughed before he could hold himself back. "You're impossible."
At the words, the gleam left Ace's eyes and he started to stare at the jungle again, frowning, glancing over his shoulder to look up toward the Strawhat flag. "Luffy's worse."
"He's fine," Sanji mumbled. "Zoro's with him."
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A/N: Well, like or hate the direction it's going? Review and let me know!
Kairi says: Reda-Aneki be making it look like Ace/Sanji ;p Don't kill me! *runs away*
