A couple hopeless months adrift had found Zoro in a small pub on the coast of Croatia; trying to find any semblance of meaning to his life beyond his former career. Zoro cradled his drink solemnly in the corner as the agents words continued to run through his mind as he tried desperately to understand what he was expected to do with his life now.

Work had been his home. He had nowhere to go, no one waiting for him; he could disappear right now and no one would ever miss him. The past ten years of his life in espionage had been his obsession and now he was expected to simply let it go and begin anew...

So he found himself wandering in a desperate attempt to find something to keep him grounded once more, maybe somewhere he could stop and live out the rest of his miserable days. Weeks spent hiking the mountains in Laos, a few months living in a cabin in north-east Russia, several days on a beach in South Africa, and countless other places. None of them speaking to him in anyway, and all of it unable to break through the daunting, numb sensation that had taken over his mind the moment he had been discharged.

Now here he sat, attempting to drown himself in liquor – such as he had been trying to due for the past several months – in hopes that it might fix whatever felt so broken in him. Raising the glass to his lips he took a large swig before setting it back down and staring at the amber dregs hopelessly.

There was a loud crash accompanied by the shattering of glass as the entire room froze to glance over at the bar where an impeccably dressed woman stood. A long stiletto heel pressing into the windpipe of the man that was currently on the floor cradling what had to be broken nose as she flipped her elegant hair over her shoulder with a huff and exclaimed haughtily down to him, "That's sexual harassment."

The man whimpered pitifully as she finally pulled her heel away and turned back to the bar, downing the last of her martini before pulling on a pair of black leather gloves and snatching up a large case from by her stool. She strode out of the establishment with a confident sway that had many a man jumping out of her way as Zoro watched her leave; eyes falling to the case in interest as there seemed to be much more to her than met the eye.

'Find yourself a girl…'

She was a girl...

Downing the last of his drink, he slapped a bill on the table and followed after her with purpose, determined to find out exactly who she was and why she quite obviously had a sniper rifle in her possession.

~X~

With the last few precise cuts from Chopper, the halves of the cast fell away to reveal Zoro's bare arm for the first time in weeks. The skin was a tad paler than the rest, and even with his continued activity, the muscles had atrophied enough that there was a notable difference between his left and right forearm; there would be a couple months of therapy needed to compensate for that.

Zoro waited patiently until Chopper began prodding his arm to inspect the progress and see how well the bone had managed to heal. Remarkably small, yet sturdy hands held Zoro's wrist firmly,rotating it and testing its mobility, before moving on to do the same with his elbow.

A few more minutes of humming and hawing – the doctor was being far too critical in Zoro's opinion – Chopper finally pulled away with a pleased smile. He nabbed a clipboard from off his desk and began to fill out the few forms he had as he chirped happily, "Bet it's nice to finally have that off, huh?"

"Yeah." Zoro agreed fondly.

Zoro decided against telling Chopper that quite often when he had broken bones, he would just remove the cast himself when it had begun to itch and let the rest sort itself out. The only reason he had kept the cast on for the full amount of time was mainly for Chopper's mental well being and because he had a suspicion Sanji would attempt to break it again for being so negligent.

"It appears to have healed better than we could have hoped." Chopper's final note finished with a scribbled flourish before he was looking back up at Zoro, "but I'll still double check the x-rays once they are available. Otherwise, you are free to go!"

"Great." Zoro grunted happily, pushing himself off the examiner's table with much relief. As much as he enjoyed Chopper's company, he did not fancy spending any more time in hospitals than he absolutely had too. While they were different from the one's in the military, there was still an aura about them that put him on edge.

"Be careful with it." Chopper admonished as an afterthought, clearly having been around Zoro long enough now to know that he wasn't the most careful with his injuries, "Don't go thinking you can go bench press a bunch of weight right away; you need to do some proper physio so you don't cause any lasting damage."

"I won't." Zoro consoled the younger man with a soft smile, not entirely telling him the truth but not wanting to worry him, "I know how to recover from my injuries."

"I'll know if you do something to it!" Chopper warned as Zoro began backing out of the office, a little surprised that the small man nearly half his height actually had him feeling a little nervous, "I can tell!"

"Bye, Chopper!" Zoro shouted through a grin, closing the door on the still talking doctor as he heard a squawk of indignation he could hear just beyond it. A smile touching his lips as he turned to leave and heard inaudible, worried grumbling from the other side.

~X~

Steering his truck off the highway, Zoro followed a dirt road for a while until he arrived at a rather crowded gravel parking lot hidden in the trees just off the edge of the lake. Pines and shrubbery overgrowing much of the area, only barely held at bay by the constant occupants that came to use the area. Pulling into a free spot, he cut the engine and climbed out, slowly trudging across the lot as he took in the view.

There was a therapeutic beauty to the lakeside that had his breath coming in short. An unwarranted melancholy swelled within him as he stared out at the crystalline waters that stretched for miles within the peaceful valley. Mountains rose out like elegant pillars to surround the small haven, sun peeked through to reflect off of timid waves, and birds sung out in the still afternoon air.

Time itself felt like it stood still as he simply existed within this moment, not entirely sure why it affected him so or why it felt so undeserved. After years of death and war, something as innocently beautiful as this felt like a slave to his wounded soul. It was strange, but after all this time resenting where he had ended up after his mind deserted him, it felt like he was finally healing.

"Zoro!"

The sound of his name had him turning to look for its caller, the breath that had been caught in his throat releasing as his gaze landed on his friends. Final ache in his chest fading at the sight of Luffy standing beside his beat up truck waving enthusiastically, Sanji pausing from unloading the gear in the bed to grin at him too. All the others exiting their own vehicles as a smile lit up Zoro's face and he made his way over.

"You came!" Luffy shouted eagerly, tackling Zoro with an impressive amount of force for such a lanky boy, "Are you ready to get your butt beat at volleyball?!"

"Fat chance." Zoro smirked, managing to wrestle him into a headlock and tousling the smaller man's hair. Trying to force his distracted mind to engage the conversation and the others around him, even though a part of him still felt like it was staring longingly at the lake, waiting for something that he didn't even know.

Luffy put up a terrifyingly good fight to get out of the hold and was attempting to return the favour to Zoro when he got distracted by Chopper running off towards the lake. Eyes widening, he began untangling himself from the scuffle, bellowing far too close to Zoro's ear as he took off after the young doctor, "Wait for me!"

"Ah!" Zoro grunted irritably, putting a finger to his ear and trying to rub the ringing out that the boy had caused; somehow his yelling was sharper than gunfire. Shaking it off, he walked over to the truck Sanji was still standing in the back of attempting to unload.

Chuckling at what had just occurred, Sanji noted, "Got here alright, I see."

"Before you did." Zoro snorted.

"Dumb luck." Sanji groused back as he finished dragging the cooler and some other gear towards the tailgate before straightening and taking in the view from where he stood in the back of the truck as he heaved a contented sigh, "What a gorgeous day."

Zoro shrugged in mute agreement, mouth opening to give a half-hearted response when Sanji moved to take off his shirt and Zoro found his words trailing off lamely. The shirt was removed in a swift motion, but from where Zoro was standing, it felt like the moment dragged out for an eternity.

Fingers curling in the hem of the soft blue cotton, dragged slowly upwards to reveal his toned midriff in a languished motion; body flexing as he pulled the shirt over his head with a final jerk to reveal his lean torso. Discarding his shirt on the roof of the truck, his hands returned to his hips as he boasted, "Time to make it even more gorgeous."

Zoro had never seen Sanji out of the stuffy shirts or work clothes, and he found himself a little shocked that the blond was actually in very healthy shape. As Sanji finished removing the shirt Zoro felt an unfamiliar lurch in his gut and nearly jumped when a voice spoke up next to him.

"Need any help, Sanji?" Vivi asked as both girls returned from changing into their swimwear, breaking the silence that had been stretching between them as Zoro pointedly looked elsewhere. He had spent a decade around men in the army and never once had he been flustered by someone's nudity before; what the hell was wrong with him?

"Don't be ridiculous!" Sanji implored soothingly, dropping out of the back of the truck with a lazy hop and leaning an elbow on the truck as he jerked his thumb towards Zoro, "I got this muscle head to help haul everything; you girls just go find a good spot to relax."

"If you're sure." Vivi mumbled warily, still sounding unconvinced.

"He's sure." Nami reassured firmly, snagging up Vivi's hand in hers and guiding her off towards the beach with a teasing wink, "C'mon you can help me put on some sunscreen~"

Watching the couple go, he frowned minutely as he wondered why their state of undress hadn't bothered him nearly as much as Sanji's had. He was unable to really contemplate the thought as Sanji began pulling a large cooler from the back of the truck and was shoving it in Zoro's direction.

"Could you take this?" Sanji asked, not waiting for a response before handing it over into Zoro's extended arms, "Make sure Luffy doesn't get into it!"

"Uh... Sure." Zoro mumbled as he turned to make his way down the trail towards the lake, still a little flustered over the confusing situation that had just happened as he made his way out onto the sand and as predicted Luffy made a concerted effort to get inside the cooler.

Zoro fought to keep him at bay, and it ended with the cooler wedged in the sand with Zoro sitting firmly on top of it while keeping Luffy at length with a foot to the face. The dispute only came to an end when he was distracted by Sanji's arrival and the bag containing the volleyball net that was tossed in his direction.

The net was quickly set up in the sand and the teams were divided fairly equal, Sanji promising to beat Zoro thoroughly as he took the other team. Franky, Vivi, Luffy, Kaya, and Sanji began figuring out their positions as Nami and Zoro went to the other side with Chopper, Usopp, and the three hellions. Nami immediately handed the ball to Zoro and began ordering him to take the serving position with far more authority than Zoro felt she deserved, but also didn't feel in the mood about saying anything over.

"Now, Zoro..." Chopper began wearily as he took a place on the court beside Zoro, "Don't be too aggressive on your arm. I don't want-"

"Don't worry, Chopper." Zoro reassured sincerely, raising the ball in his left hand and grinning down at the smaller boy, "My arm's just fine; see?"

Tossing it up into the air, he brought his right hand over and smacked it as hard as he could to send it whistling over the net to the other side, ball pegging Sanji directly in the back of the head and sending the blond in a fiery tirade as Zoro turned back to Chopper and held up his arm confidently, "Totally healed."

Chopper was too busy watching nervously as Sanji came darting across the beach at the two of them, ball held menacingly in his hand as he hucked it back at Zoro when in range. The ball completely missed Zoro before he had an armful of blond tackling him backwards into the lake as Sanji made his best attempt to drown him. Zoro returned the favour while pointedly trying not to remember the numerous other times he had held others underwater for much less playful reasons.

"Boys!" Both of them froze to look up at Nami whom was standing with the volleyball poised on her hip impatiently as she continued, "You done? We'd like to play."

"Of course, Nami! Darling!" Sanji crooned as he abruptly released Zoro and gave cheery wave, turning back to Zoro and muttering through a grin, "This ain't over."

Before Zoro had a chance to respond Sanji was slapping a handful of water into his face and running out of the lake and up the beach to join everyone on the court. Zoro attempted to follow as he sputtered water out of his eyes and mouth from Sanji's cheap shot; though he found it was only fair since he did peg the man in the back of the head with the ball.

The next few hours passed without incident as they played several games with people coming and going as they chose to either take a dip in the lake or relax in the sand for a while. Most of the adults getting tuckered out until Zoro too was ready to quit and take a nap in the hot sun for a few hours.

His intentions were rudely interrupted when he nearly got taken down by a small youth jumping up and latching onto his back with a death grip as two others assaulted him from the front. Fighting to get the children off of him for several moments, he eventually gave in and nabbed the other two under his arms and stomped off into the lake.

Horrified shrieking and laughter echoed across the valley causing several other people, who had come to relax at the lake as well, looking over in concern, finding a man dragging the three kids into the cold lake water as they laughed while trying to get away.

Dunking the two he had under his arms, he reached over to try and grab the third menace that still had him in a choke hold. Finally managing to get a proper hold of Piiman, he hefted the kid above his head before tossing him as far as he could towards the deeper part of the lake, a large splash drenching them as he immediately tried to run away from the other two that were still latched onto him like leeches.

"Do me! Do me!" Luffy screamed while running into the lake after them, "Me next!"

Zoro soon found himself with an armful of Luffy, the man smashing his cheek against Zoro's in a painfully tight hug, and realized far too late that he had now condemned himself to the role of the fun adult. Shrugging uselessly, he turned back and waded a little deeper into the water before hefting Luffy up.

Throwing Luffy as best as he could - considering he was a fully grown adult - he managed to launch Luffy a good couple feet towards the drop off where the lake got considerably deeper. He fell in with an excited yell and a large splash.

All three of the Usopp's boys stopped in their tracks and gazed at the spot for a few moments before bubbles and thrashing began to break the surface.

"Uh, Luffy can't swim." Tamanegi noted flatly to Zoro, still staring at the spot where Luffy had gone under as Zoro rounded on the child with wide eyes.

"What?!"

Not even waiting for a response, he waded through the waist deep water as fast as he could until he felt the drop off and he dove in after Luffy. He grabbed the flailing boy around the waist and hauled him back to shallower waters, the brunette attempting to drag him under while gasping and sputtering. Arms hooked under Luffy's armpits as he dragged him closer to shore before dropping him and collapsing on the sand beside him.

Both of them gasped for breath as Zoro initially planned to round on the boy and ask what the hell he had been thinking, but was interrupted by Luffy breaking out in hysterical laughter. Zoro was only able to roll his eyes and chuckle as well; he could hardly fathom why Luffy would do something so suicidal on purpose.

"My turn."

Zoro looked up to see the Ninjin staring down his nose at him expectantly. A weary smile cracked across Zoro's face as he pushed himself up and muttered, "Yeah, alright."

~X~

"Okay, that's enough for me." Zoro finally conceded as he attempted to drag himself from the lake with the three children still clinging onto him. He'd spent the last hour flinging the kids as far as he could into the lake and in return have them attempt to drown him in their excitement.

"But Uncle Zoro!"

"Uncle Zoro needs a break." Usopp admonished to a chorus of lamenting groans. Zoro sent the man a relieved look as he dragged himself the rest of the way out of the lake as the father tried to pacify the boys, "Come sit with me and your mother, get something to eat; then I'll come out with you. Sound good?"

There were mixed reviews to Usopp's plan but it allowed Zoro to finally get out of the water and up the beach to grab something to drink. Downing nearly the whole bottle in a couple large gulps before glancing around to see what everyone else had gotten up to.

Everyone lounging in the sun and enjoying their day off; Luffy the exception with a still insurmountable amount of energy as he seemed to be attempting to dig a massive hole in the sand. Usopp's boys also finally took a seat and enjoyed some watermelon out of the cooler Sanji had provided.

Speaking of the blond... it had been quite some time since he had been called a name, or had someone attempt to drown him other than a few children. His gaze slowly scanned the beach in confused disappointment as no bright, blond hair came into sight.

"He's at the docks." Nami murmured from near Zoro's feet. Not even bothering to open her eyes from where she lay on her towel while soaking in the sun.

"Huh?" Zoro grunted in confusion.

"Sanji." She muttered a bit more pointedly, even sounding a little bit exasperated.

Zoro turned his gaze down the beach, spotting a rickety dock sticking out into the water with a few of the locals boats tethered to it. An instantly recognizable splash of blond hair was visible near the end as Zoro turned his gaze back to the redhead who still remained with her eyes closed.

A question was poised on his lips, curious as to why she would even think he would care where the blond was, but he held his tongue, not sure if it was because he knew the answer, or because there was perhaps something she might say that he wasn't entirely certain he wanted to hear. Either way, he shut his jaw before turning and making his way down the beach to go see what the other man was up to.

Making his way down the dock, he noticed it was already remarkably more isolated from the ruckus of the public beach, with only the distant screams of children to be heard. He finally reaching the end where Sanji sat with his feet dangling off the edge, fishing rod held in a lax hand as his other held his cigarette.

Upon Zoro's approach Sanji looked up with a knowing chuckle, "Need a break?"

Zoro shrugged innocently, as he wasn't sure how to admit that it had more to do with Sanji's missing presence than anything else. Carefully dropping down to take a seat beside the blond he simply shrugged and began to relax in the comfortable silence he was always able to enjoy when in the men's presence.

Sanji sensed this – as perceptive as ever – and kept quiet as he continued fishing while the two of them sat in the late afternoon sun. Zoro watched as Sanji managed to reel in another fish to join the several already in the container he had brought with him before casting the line out once more.

Zoro finally broke the silence as he noted the number of fish Sanji had already collected and asked, "How many you planning to catch?"

"Probably one more and then clean 'em up." Sanji replied, before glancing over at Zoro and asking curiously, "Ever gut a fish?"

Zoro shook his head.

"I can show you later if you want?" Sanji suggested while plucking the cigarette from his lips, fingers pressing into his lips as he lazily blew a stream of smoke between them, smirk hidden by the palm of his hand as his eyes remained pinned to Zoro expectantly.

"It's alright." Zoro uttered shortly, gaze darting away as he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the intense nature of the blond's stare at the moment. Instead, he watched the sloping curve of the fishing line that draped from Sanji's fishing rod into the water below.

Ripples curled out from around the thin string as Sanji began reeling it in a little more before a bit of tension caused the line to snap taut and the rod to bend. For the next couple minutes, Sanji carefully struggled with the catch before eventually getting it free. With a dramatic splash, the hook came jerking out the water with a large clump of lake vegetation clinging to the end.

"Oh, look!" Sanji chirped excitedly, "Your cousin!"

Zoro scowled indignantly at the comment, watching as the line swung in and Sanji was able to nab it and begin wrestling the bit of algae off the hook. Without a word he tossed it in Zoro's direction, giving the man no other option but to catch it in his hands and make a face at the slimy sensation.

"Gross." Zoro grumbled as Sanji snickered, "Damn, Curly."

Baiting the hook once more, Sanji cast the line out again and let it sit lazily in the water as he started up a fresh cigarette while still grinning to himself. And as Zoro sat with the wet piece of algae in his hands, gazing over at the blond, something dramatic shifted in that quaint, simple moment.

Sanji sat beside him with his curly mess of sandy blond hair illuminated by the afternoon sun shining just beyond, a golden hue dancing across the locks. Face ducked down with a cigarette poised between soft lips, one hand shading the tip as the other flicked his lighter into life. Rod balanced in the crook of his elbow as he took a long drag on the smoke until the end crackled into life.

Pulling away suddenly, Sanji pocketed his lighter and shifted the fishing rod back into his hand as he removed the cigarette from between his lips and released a long stream of smoke. The cloud danced out across the water of the lake as Zoro continued to watch the man before him with a new found sense of understanding; the emotion that had steadily been growing in his chest finally recognizable.

Zoro sat in misplaced awe at the sudden realization of what he had come to, and utterly taken aback by the visage of the man before him. A sincere desire for the other man that both exhilarated and terrified him as it was something he had never recalled feeling for someone so desperately before; let alone for a man.

It didn't make any sense.

This feeling that had steadily been growing inside of him for months now had morphed into a single inescapable conclusion that had Zoro void of any reaction in its wake. Jaw barely kept from falling open as the once surge of happiness that would swell in his chest upon seeing the blond had now turned into something far more intimate; a sensation he hadn't ever really felt before when looking at someone else.

Yet, despite how foreign the feeling, it was easy for him to place exactly what it was and how overwhelming it was to experience.

Zoro must have been quiet for far too long, because Sanji turned to look at Zoro, shifting the rod into his left hand so he could remove the cigarette with his right and asked around a small chuckle, "What?"

Zoro forced himself to quit staring, the realization that he had just come to still in the process of rocking him to his very core and shattering the foundations of everything he had thought he had known about himself. Choking back sudden, painful emotions that were fighting to free themselves, he just shook his head and murmured back softly, "Nothing."

Turning his anxious gaze back out to the beach, distantly watching the antics of the many people playing in the water and the few that he recognized. Trying to keep his posture aloof all the while, his mind was crumbling in on itself under the weight of the simple fact that he had developed feelings for the oblivious man sitting beside him. "Nothing at all..."

~X~

Clock ticking loudly in the silent office, Zoro sat stiffly in the padded leather chair with his gaze pinned to the floor as his thoughts raced. Fingers turning the wedding ring on his finger nervously, thoughts that he hadn't really allowed himself to dwell on were coming to the surface for the first time in weeks. Sexual confusion, adulterous desires, emotional turmoil; all of it caused by one solitary man.

"Zoro..." Robin began softly, Zoro's gaze snapping up sharply to meet hers as she continued delicately, "If you wish to remain silent for our full hour together; that is your choice. However, I can't help but feel something is on your mind."

His gaze dropped back to the floor heavily, continuing to turn the band on his finger methodically as though reminding himself of its presence was the only thing keeping him grounded at the moment, knowing full well that nearly forty minutes had passed and he has been mulling over the same conflicting thoughts, unable to find the confidence to voice them, nor find a solution to them.

"What..." Zoro eventually began, the quiet word the first he had managed to speak in the entire time he had been in the office. Sitting still for several more minutes, he urged himself to continue, "What does someone do when they develop feelings for someone other than their partner?"

It was clearly not the question Robin had been expecting, but she certainly didn't look surprised by it as she reevaluated Zoro calmly. Carefully considering all the aspects of his question and no doubt making assumptions about its occurrence before finally replying cryptically, "That depends."

"On what?"

"On what you want to hear." Robin replied coolly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zoro snapped back, not in the mood for her games at the moment.

"Are you sure you want to discuss this with me?" Robin asked carefully, knowing full well that the last time she had broached the rather delicate subject of Zoro's relationship with his wife, it had not ending pleasantly. "Because you may not like to hear what I have to say."

Zoro remained stubbornly silent for a long time, knowing everything the woman had just said was completely true. It had been a long standing truce between them that she wouldn't bring up his wife and the tenuous situation that was going on between them, and he wouldn't wreck any of her office furniture. However, now it seemed that the situation was different, considering entirely foreign emotions were now in play.

"I do." He managed softly. Before he had known exactly how he wanted to maintain his relationship with his wife, but that was back when there were no other emotions within him. This entire situation was foreign to him and he honestly had no idea where to even begin.

"Alright, Zoro." Robin stated simply, closing the file that had been sitting open in her lap with finality and leaning forward, "I'll be blunt; your relationship is toxic."

Zoro refrained from flinching. He had known her opinion was going to be harsh, and he was also aware that Robin likely had a very sour interpretation of how Kalifa had been treating Zoro.

"The very fact that you refuse to speak to me about it is the first sign that something isn't quite right between you two," Robin continued sternly, "And while I have done all in my power to help you these past two years I have found that she has been a major roadblock in your recovery.

"If I weren't your therapist I would tell you that I trust this new person far more than I do your current wife, based mainly on the fact that you have made more progress in the last few months with them then you have in three years with her." Robin state coolly, "But I am your therapist, so I will leave you with this; this is your life, you choose how you want to live it."

Zoro remained calm in the wake of Robin's brutal honesty, knowing almost everything she had said had rung with painful truth. However, he found himself hesitant to believe the solution was as easy as she was making it seem. As though one single person was the problem and another was the solution.

Despite these raging emotions that still felt as though they threatened to tear themselves from his chest, he knew they were illogical. How could he possibly leave his wife of several years simply because he happened to develop some feelings for someone else, especially a man. Was he supposed to give up everything good in his life on the off chance that Sanji felt something for him as well? Was he willing to risk losing the best friend he had possibly ever had in his life as well as everyone else associated with Sanji just because of a few stupid feelings?

No.

"Thank you." He managed sincerely, despite the tightness of his jaw and the ache from having teeth clenched together for so long, pushing himself from the chair with calm finality as he knew exactly what he had to do. Despite the conflict roiling within him, he knew that it was a pointless. Whatever these fleeting emotions made him feel, it wasn't enough to justify losing everything he had managed to accomplish in these last couple months.

Striding from the office resolutely, he left any and all of his wavering thoughts behind in that room. Deciding firmly to ignore the emotions, best to let them wither and die than to mess up the small iota of happiness he had finally managed to build for himself.

TBC...


A/N:

Odd side note, but obviously /actually/ jumping in to save someone who is drowning is a SUPER dangerous idea. So I'm just putting it out there that I do not condone the method of jumping into the water to save someone who is drowning(even though that is the main method used in One Piece lol).

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter! And thank you all for your kind comments and reviews; they mean the world to me!

See you next Monday :D

PS Yes, Nami and Vivi are together... for those that were curious.