"Blink a dew times for me? Stick out your tongue. Breathe in deep. How are your bowel movements?"

"Chopper!" Sanji jerked away from the stethoscope the young, panicking doctor held to his chest. "I'm fine, enough with these tests!"

"But Sanji…"

"No. Whatever happened it was nothing."

"Nothing? Everything about you changed and now it's back to normal! It's not nothing!" Chopper threw his hands in the air to add emphasis to his statement.

Sanji sighed and stood from the medical bed. "Chopper. What happened, happened. I'm back and that thing won't happen again. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meal to prepare." Sanji left with hurried steps before Chopper could turn Heavy Point and strap him down on the bed for "rest".

Earlier, when he surfaced back on deck from the Aquarium Bar everyone looked his way with startled, wide eyed expressions. He was walking normally, a cigarette back in his mouth, and eyes their normal blue. He didn't want to believe what Zoro had told him occurred, but by the shocked looks and Luffy's cries that he was back, he couldn't deny it. The spirit that was in him had taken over, now the entire crew knew what he felt. No one seemed to have anything to say, or they didn't have a chance since Chopper dragged him to Sick Bay immediately for tests.

He was perfectly fine, except for the worry of what else the spirit had done in his body. Thinking that he actually clung to Zoro, nuzzled him, made him shudder.

"Sanji are you going to cook?" Luffy excitedly ran up to Sanji with a wide grin. No surprise the first thing Luffy said to him was food related.

"Yeah yeah, I'm getting to lunch prep." Sanji answered with a tired huff.

"Yes! I'm glad you're back. Spirit Sanji was fun but real Sanji is the best. Shishishi~!"

"Ah… thanks?" What sort of train of thought the Captain had. Sanji left a grinning Luffy behind as he entered the Galley. With a soft sigh he got to work preparing lunch. Not a sound disturbed the peace of the room as he measured out the rice to boil and chopped vegetables to fry. Almost instantly a headache struck him.

Sanji winced, ears angling down. It felt like something was pressing up against his skull. A worse pain than when he had snapped back. With grit teeth he pushed forward through the beating pain. It was just a headache. Only, a headache.

"Sanji-kun?"

"Ah, Nami-san." Sanji looked back to the Navigator standing in the doorway. How he wished he didn't have the headache wracking his brain; Nami was dressed in her skimpy bikini, probably tanning on deck. He should be fawning over her, holding back blood that dared dribble out. But no, his headache was persistent. Actually, he hadn't even heard Nami approach the Galley. The usual click of her heals on the wood was enough to give her away. His headache must have dulled his senses. Damn annoying pain. "Did you need something?"

"Yes, actually. We're going to try talking to the village people you found. I was hoping you could show us the way."

"Ah, yes of course. Though, I probably should stay behind less they attack you."

"Zoro has to stay behind too." Nami added.

"Yes… I know what happened…" Sanji didn't need to be reminded of it constantly. "Shall I make box lunches then?"

"That would be lovely, thank you. The sooner we go the better."

"Anything for you, Nami-san!" Sanji said, forcing his tone to sound normal through his headache. He twitched his ears to add to his forced cheery mood. Nami watched the golden ears move. She wanted to pet the soft fur again, but that surely would start a bloody waterfall from the Cook. She smiled and waved, leaving before she gave in to temptation. She should have pet those more while the spirit was in control.

Once Nami was gone Sanji slumped over the counter with a groan. His fingers wound tight in to his hair. The headache had gotten three times as worse. A particular sharp strike between his eyes made him jump.

"Crap… I should have asked Chopper for something to ease this."

"Cook."

"Not you again." Sanji grumbled. "I'm not in the mood for a fight."

"It's your head, isn't it?" Zoro was next to him. Sanji flinched and stood straight, hands clutching the counter top to keep him from gripping his head again. He hadn't heard Zoro's trudging steps come near either. This headache was more than an annoying pain.

"Marimo would you—"

"It's probably trying to take over again."

"Eh?"

The way Zoro was looking him over, arms crossed, leaning in close, and eyes narrowed in deep concentration, was something only seen when the Swordsman was contemplating how to handle a fight. Zoro was assuming that the fox spirit was trying to take the wheel again. That pissed of Sanji. He just figured Sanji was too weak to prevent the fox spirit from taking over. And that he had moved even closer to Sanji.

"Your eyes are still blue."

"Of course my eyes are still blue! My eye colour doesn't change!" Sanji snapped.

"It did when—"

"That was a one-time thing!" Sanji stepped back from Zoro. He had noticed the way Zoro's hand twitched. He had better not had been thinking to actually touch him. "This headache doesn't mean something is trying to steal my body because it won't happen again!" Sanji sliced in to an onion with more force than needed. The fierce chopping eventually calmed when the height of Sanji's rage mellowed. Zoro hadn't left yet. Sanji risked a glance to him, silver tip of his tail flicking. Zoro hadn't moved closer to Sanji again, but he still had that studying look to him.

"Cook, I'm not talking to you because I care, more like I don't want your crappy body clinging to me again." Is what Zoro concluded was the safest thing to say to the easily irritated Cook. He still had his own emotions to check, but in the meantime he had to keep his usual act.

"Shut the hell up! You keep bringing that up like you're waiting for me to hug you again!"

"Admit that you feel it pushing you away." Zoro spoke rather calmly.

"Zoro that will not happen again. There is nothing trying to force me out of my own head. My headache means nothing. Got it?" Sanji spoke lowly, serious. He needed Zoro to just shut up and stop annoying him. Zoro sighed.

"Whatever, Cook." Zoro turned to leave.

"Oi, get the packs and canteens ready. We're going food hunting while the others talk to the village." Sanji called back to him. Zoro stopped.

"What?"

"You heard me. We're food hunting while the other try to talk to the village. We can't be seen with them, for their safety, so we might as well do something productive."

"At least it's you I'll be with." Zoro sighed and left.

Sanji had expected more of a fight from the Swordsman upon hearing the forced on activity. Zoro had agreed willingly, and made a comment odd to him. Sanji shook his head and went back to cooking. Zoro was probably still weirded out about what happened, Sanji assumed.

Box lunches ready, Sanji joined the scouting crew on deck. He passed out the lunch, stopping Luffy from eating his instantly. The Captain probably would anyway once he was out of sight from the grumpy Cook. The crew, minus Brook, climbed down the Sunny to the clean beach. Brook remained because a talking afro skeleton probably wouldn't bode well in a spirit crazy village.

Sanji lead the crew through the forest. He was glad he had a good memory, everything in the forest looked the same but it was food choosing from earlier that guided him. Soon enough they made it to the hidden path he had found. Sanji told them that as long as they stayed right they'd soon come upon the deep centered village. With a wave and a promise to return before sunset the Straw Hats parted to their tasks. Sanji turned to Zoro when the two of them remained.

"You better stay close. I am not going to look for you, again."

"Mm." Zoro grunted his response and tossed Sanji a pack and canteen. Zoro waited for Sanji to strap on his pack and take the lead.

Sanji couldn't take the path where he had picked out which plants were edible, he might give away the crew. But if those plants were native to this island then he could find them again easy elsewhere, maybe some other tasteful choices as well. Every now and then Sanji would glance back to make sure Zoro was following.

He was. Abnormally close to a point each step threatened to catch the Cook's tail under his boot. Sanji frowned and walked faster, which prompted Zoro to pick up his pace. Sanji did tell him not to get lost, but not to cling so close to him. Sanji arched his tail against his back as a precaution to Zoro's heavy steps. At least he could hear the steps this time.

His headache had dulled as he prepared lunch. There was still the subtle throbbing irritating him from forehead to the brim of his nose, but it was a tolerable pain; certainly it wasn't the same pain as a set of broken ribs. There was nothing trying to push him aside inside him. Nothing at all. Zoro was worried for nothing. Zoro was worried about him to begin with! That was the real cause to his headache.

Eventually Sanji stopped in a small clearing. He dropped his pack so he could better scavenge the area.

"Ah, these were the ones I found before." Sanji plucked a leaf from its stem in the bush huddled at the base of a tree.

"Leaves?" Zoro questioned.

"Yes. The colour is bright, the texture crisp and fresh." Sanji nibbled the end of the leaf. "The taste is bitter, but it has a sweet touch to it too. Must be because of how fresh it is. It'd be perfect for a salad along with some fresh vegetables, maybe a vinaigrette dressing." Sanji stood. "Marimo, get a good bunch of these." He popped the remaining leaf in his mouth then continued to scavenge. He heard Zoro grumble behind him something about being deer for eating leaves. Sanji smirked at that. He'd have to tell Chopper about that little insult toward his race.

Sanji found other edible plants and herbs in the area and picked plenty in to his own pack. Scavenging for food was always tricky since anything could be deadly. But to a chef who was raised by a pirate chef it was more an adventure, a chance to further bypass Zeff's skills. And a challenge to create spectacular meals from what nature had to offer them. If he wasn't quick to adjust he couldn't call himself a first class pirate chef with pride. Sanji stopped in front of a tree and pulled a piece of dark bark from it. He turned it over in his hands, feeling the texture then taking a sniff of the earthy scent coming off it.

"Don't tell me you're going to feed us a tree?" Zoro dropped his pack behind Sanji with a huff.

"No. Though there are edible barks I know my crew well enough to know they won't eat this. I could use the wood chips, though, for fire wood. The scent coming from this wood has potential to add a pleasing earthy taste for smoked meat. It'd need a gamy meat for the perfect pair." Sanji went off on his train of thought leaving a confused Zoro at the station. "Marimo, before we leave scrape some on this bark from the trees." Sanji flicked the bark piece over to Zoro.

"Why not just cut the trees?" Zoro asked as he easily caught the bark.

"Because, the peeling bark has the most flavor. It's older, years of nutrients and taste packed in to it compared to young wood that is still in its prime."

"I didn't ask for a life story for a tree." Zoro snorted.

"A little knowledge will do you good." Sanji smirked and went over to a bush he had spotted.

The bush turned out to be two bunched together, a different coloured berry to each bush. Bright red round berries twinkled amongst the bright green leaves of the bush while wrinkled purple berries blended well with the dark green of its bush. Sanji looked over each bush carefully, analyzing, judging, He reached for the wrinkled berries.

"Why those? Don't you look for the better ones?" Zoro was asking more questions than Sanji felt like answering. The Swordsman was being oddly chatty compared to their usual scavenges.

"Yes." But Sanji had to answer. There might come a day when the crew got themselves in to such a troubling situation they could be separated, again. Hopefully not as long as the first time. The more they know about wild food when he wasn't around the better chance all nine crew members would unite. "But if you look at the bushes you can see the other is untouched. Not even a leaf missing. Compared to this one it looks like a favourite for an animal; leaves shredded, seeds on the ground, some squished berries too. The animals know this island better. They know what's edible." Sanji plucked a berry and popped it in his mouth. He smiled at the burst of sweet acidity from the juice and plump texture of the berry. "Perfect. Marimo."

"I know, gather the berries."

"Good." Sanji grinned. His ears perked suddenly out of his control. They turned like satellites, pinpointing on every slight sound, every soft breath.

"Cook, what is it?" Zoro watched Sanji's ears twitch apprehensively, the way his tail had curled up in awareness. The Cook was sensing something he wasn't.

"I don't-"

A rumble growl sprung Sanji straight up and back in to Zoro on reaction. That growl had sounded close, too close.

"Oi, Cook, watch it!" Zoro shoved Sanji away. The Cook didn't respond, instead his ears lowered and tail curled around his leg. He was staring straight ahead, visible eye wide. "What is it?"

"Remember when I said the berries were a favourite to someone. Well…" Sanji gestured to the pair of yellow eyes staring at them from the shadows. With a snarl a black bear reared up on its hind legs easily towering over the two Straw Hats. "Looks like he's that someone."

Zoro sized up the bear. Neither side was moving, waiting for the other to act. Zoro's hand slid down to the hilt of his swords. The bear's eyes flicked at Zoro's light movement.

"Well. You wanted game meat, didn't you?"

The two sides sprung at each other in the same instant. Zoro had two swords drawn blocking the fierce swipes from the bear. Sanji reared around the bear to land kicks against the bear's hind legs. If he could get it to topple over they'd have the advantage. He bent back in time to avoid the bear paw slashing at him; he didn't have anything to block like Zoro did, and he wasn't about to risk those claws sinking in to his legs. Zoro took advantage of the bear's change of target to slice across the bear's side. The bear's hide was thick, Zoro's swords only slicing enough to draw blood from an attack that normally took down game easy. He'd have to add more power to his blows to get something done.

The bear roared, it's eyes narrowing and seeming to turn red with its rage. It switched its attention to Zoro completely, slash after heavy slash keeping Zoro on defense. Zoro grit his teeth with each clang of claws meeting steel. He couldn't find an opening in time between each quick slash. Sanji sped forward to land a hard kick on the bear's hunched back. Right when he was about to land his kick the bear turned on the spot and caught Sanji in the stomach with one of its paws. Sanji cried out as he was thrown back to slam hard in to a tree.

"Cook! Damn it!" Zoro was back on defense.

He could have sliced the bear's head clean off when it turned to stop the Cook. But seeing Sanji take the hit and be blown back had frozen Zoro mid strike. It wasn't abnormal for them to get hit some when taking down lunch, but for a spike of worry that which Zoro never felt before to take over was unheard of. A blow like that wouldn't kill Sanji, so why had he panicked?

"Zoro…" Sanji groaned.

He had struck the tree hard with his back. He felt paralyzed from the hit, his vision bleary. His headache was coming back strong. He was stronger than this. So many times he'd been launched during fights, it did little to slow him down. The pain enveloping his body now was holding him down as heavy chains would restrain him. Through his darkening vision he could see Zoro stuck defending with little time to strike. Zoro could easily blow the bear apart, but in their situation they couldn't risk giving themselves away with one of Zoro's blast attacks. Plus, Zoro would get it bad from Sanji if he destroyed perfectly edible meat.

Sanji thumped his head back against the tree he was slumped against. If I had just been faster…. The regretful thought slipped in to his thoughts.

"Cook! Damn it, Crap-Cook I need back up already!" Zoro growled out.

Sanji hadn't gotten back on his feet and jumped back in the fight typical to him. The bear hadn't hit him that hard. Zoro was running out of options fast. Sooner rather than later he was going to have to slice the bear clean through.

"Haaaah!" A loud cry tore through the field. Sanji launched himself at the bear landing right on his back and wound his arms tight around the bear's neck. The bear roared and reared back, trying to swipe at Sanji to throw him off. Sanji held on tight.

Sanji snarled and squeezed his arms tighter, keeping himself balanced on the bear's shaking back. Sanji snarled himself at the bear, matching the angry cries. He kicked off the bear's back bringing the bear down with him. He forced the bear to arch back due to the hold around its neck. The bear roar and thrashed at the uncomfortable position but it still didn't fall. The bear's head rested on Sanji's shoulders, roars and bellows aiming up to the blue sky making Sanji's ears twitch. Sanji kept a steady stance as he supported the bear's weight and continued to keep his tight hold. The bear thrashed more and more despite its steadily draining air flow.

Zoro snapped out of his shock and reacted. He jumped high over the bear and plunged both swords through the bear's chest. A pained wail sent tremours down the Swordsman's spine. Blood spilled out from the bear's back, staining Sanji's blue dress shirt with the crimson paint. Zoro dug his swords to the hilt and finally the bear stilled. The paws ready to strike again fell limp, its body slumped and mouth opened wide from its last cry. Zoro drew his swords back and jumped from the bear. Sanji let the bear roll from his shoulder to collapse with a heavy thud. He fell to his knees, head tilted back as he panted heavily. Both Straw Hats took time to calm their breathing from the tough fight. A steady pool of blood seeped out from under the bear staining the grass bellow it.

Zoro was the first to speak after wiping the bear's blood from his swords and sheathed them. "Cook, took you damn long enough."

Sanji didn't answer, still struggling to catch his breath.

Zoro walked over. "Oi, Cook, was that bear too much for you or—" Zoro stopped talking. He had looked down at the Cook's tired face to be met with familiar green eyes. "It's you… get out of the Cook now before—" A gentle touch to Zoro's face caught the words in his throat again. Sanji smiled up at him. The Cook's gentle finger tips smoothed over the sharp angle in his cheek. His hand dropped as the green drained from his eyes. Blue eyes back Sanji tilted his head down with a groan.

The spirit in the Cook had shown itself again. That explained why Sanji had used his hands in the fight. Rather than take control of the Cook as it did before, it left, just as fast as it came leaving Sanji with a horrid headache again. The fox spirit had helped them. Zoro slid a hand over where the Cook's hand had touched him.

"Shit…" Sanji rubbed his head with both hands.

Zoro looked back to Sanji and dropped his hand. "Finally you did something right, fuzz-butt."

Sanji growled and looked back to him. His gaze cast down to the defeated bear next to them. "You got it?"

"Duh, where was your head? You held it down." Zoro crossed his arms.

"Shut it, shitty Swordsman." Sanji glared. He didn't remember holding the bear down. But if he had, he did. He stood, brushing the dirt from his pants. He tugged at his shirt, he was going to need a bath once he got to the ship. Pulling a cigarette from his pants pocket he lit it for a much needed smoke to calm his head. "I'm going to find some leaves to wrap the meat and keep it from messing up the packs. Make sure you slice it up right." Sanji walked from Zoro with a slight stumble. He felt tired, exhausted, but didn't know why.

Zoro watched the Cook leave in to the forest with a tired sway of his tail. The fox spirit had helped them, it backed away and let Sanji keep control. It had touched his face in a gentle caress that brought a slight pained sensation to his chest. Zoro touched his face again where Sanji, no, the fox spirit, had touched him. Zoro closed his eye and sighed. He unsheathed Shusui and dropped his other hand to unsheathe Kitetsu.

"Luffy will be glad it's bear meat for dinner."


AN: Ah hello everyone! I'm sorry this took longer to update than the usual weekly updates I try to get. Finals are coming up for me and that has been taking a lot of my time. But between studying I wrote! Sorry it's a little shorter than the others; the idea I had would have been too long if I kept it as one chapter so I split it in to two. I do have the next chapter written, I just have to type it. Yup, I'm old fashioned and write in a journal then type it. I get more ideas on the go, especially during classes. But, just a few more days and I will be on break and writing more often! I want to play more with the fox spirit and Sanji and Zoro's growing relationship. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Kitsune out!