Just a reminder... Rated M for smut.

Chapter Eight

'Shit!' Zoro thought to himself. 'I got in the wrong apartment'

Annie stood at the door connecting the living room to the dining room. All the blood draining out of her face as she saw the man she had only seen in photos before. Muscular, tall, nonchalant sexiness exuding from his stance and a shock of green hair falling back from his face. So this, was Roronoa Zoro. Her heart sank. Sanji turned gay for him? She would turn gay for him if she was a guy. Wait... what was she thinking? She just had to get drunk tonight, didn't she? Shit! Was this even happening? Was her insecure mind making her see things? She heard Sanji's footsteps behind her but was too shocked to react.

Zoro looked at the lady whose apartment he had just trespassed. She looked rather funny, staring at him like she was dreaming. He cleared his throat and was about to apologize when he heard a familiar voice reach his ears.

"What's wrong?" Sanji's words touched Zoro's ears and his eyes widened in confusion and disbelief as he saw Sanji appear behind the lady, his hand as if instinctively going around her waist.

Zoro felt his heart stop as the floor slipped from beneath his feet; realizing what he was seeing. He was not expecting this. He did not expect to find a stranger next to the man he loved when he came back here today. He did not know what he was expecting; suddenly realizing he had no right to expect in the first place. He had come here today to ask for the cook's forgiveness. To let him know that achieving his dream without him was useless.

He did expect. He expected the cook to fight. He expected the cook to foul mouth him and tell him to never show his stupid face again. He had expected Sanji to kick him. He had 'hoped' for Sanji to wait for him. He froze where he stood, looking at Sanji and the girl next to him.

Sanji all but froze next to Annie, his grip around her waist almost painful. He looked directly into Zoro's eyes. He looked at the face he had deprived himself of for the last 5 months. He had removed everything from his surroundings that reminded him about Zoro. He had tied up the man standing ten feet away from him into a bundle and thrown him at the back of his mind and he had unravelled him every time he felt the weakness take over him. He stared at Zoro for all but ten seconds before a snort escaped his lips.

Annie's hand holding his hand on her waist tightened as she turned to look at him, a little confused. Sanji suddenly closed his eyes and relaxed his grip on Annie. He was shaking a little, his head held low and his fringe hiding his face from her. "Sanji" She murmured. Her mind was working too slowly.

Sanji suddenly let out a burst of laughter as turned his face to look at Annie. This was too much for her. What the... Why the hell was Sanji laughing of all things? His face seemed alive all of a sudden and his one visible eye was glistening with unshed tears and pain. He bent down and kissed Annie lightly on the lips. She tasted the salt in his tears as they rolled into the kiss. "Sorry" he whispered and walked towards Zoro, his head kept low and hair falling forward so that Zoro didn't see him like this.

Zoro felt his heart clench tightly as he saw the cook bend down to kiss ... that girl. He felt his chest constrict a little. There was so much softness there, so much helplessness in the kiss. His eyes widened when Sanji broke the kiss and walked towards him. He however, kept his eyes on the girl whose eyes were glued to the back of Sanji's head. His body tensed as the cook approached him, not knowing what to expect or do.

Sanji walked past Zoro like he wasn't standing an inch away him. He picked up the keys to his car from the key holder.

Before Annie or Zoro could register it, a leg flew out and hit Zoro straight on his head, causing him to crash headlong into the fridge. Sanji huffed as he slammed apartment door shut behind him.

Annie's eyes widened in horror. Did Sanji just kick Zoro? She blinked... forcing her mind to function. Zoro was not moving. She forced her feet to move forward. Walking over to Zoro's fallen form; she felt her heart clench a little. This was so unexpected. Was Sanji going to be okay? She shook her head, realizing now what the "sorry" was for.

She crouched down next to Zoro. "Oi... You alright?" She didn't touch him; she valued her life. Zoro didn't move or make a sound to show any response to her formal concern. She could tell by the slight rise and fall in his chest that he was alright. "Oi..." She poked him with her finger "Oi!" she spoke a little louder, increasing the intensity of her poke. She bent over his face and checked for any cuts. There were none but a nasty bump was forming where Sanji's foot had met his head.

She let out a frustrated growl and got up to hold his legs. "Out cold due to a kick to the head... Thought he was supposed to be some unbeatable sword freak hunk." She pulled on the legs. "Of – course Mr. High Ho would weigh a ton" she muttered to herself all the while she slowly dragged Zoro to the sofa in the living room. It took at least ten minutes with the breaks she took to not stress out her back.

Now, she had to lift the man on to the couch. "That guy is gonna get it when he comes back..." She sat on the couch and held Zoro by his arm pits and pulled with all her might. Another few minutes of pulling and pushing later, she had somehow managed to settle the unconscious mosshead in a comfortable position. She chuckled to herself as the scene reminded her of Rapunzel putting Flynn Rider* into the closet.

What now?

-:-

His head hurt. Zoro had never been knocked out cold his entire life. There were moments when Nami had hit his head hard enough to leave an ugly bump but never had he been knocked out cold. It was therefore a new feeling for him to come to with a numb (?) headache. He opened his eye lids lightly, trying to comprehend what was going on. He was surrounded by darkness and a blanket was separating him from the mild coldness that was in the room.

He closed his eyes again, feeling comfortable. A few seconds later, he felt a movement on the side of his face. He could feel something cool against the numbness on his face.

His eyes snapped open a few seconds later as everything that happened came flooding back into his mind. He sat up straight, not realizing where he was. Fuck. Sanji had kicked him. Sanji has kissed a girl and then kicked him. A girl. Sanji was living with a girl. He felt his heart clench. So, Sanji had moved on. He was too late.

"Finally awake huh?" Zoro turned around to see who the owner of the voice was.

Sitting on the ground beside where his head was a few seconds ago, was the girl Sanji had kissed. He turned away from her, not interested in answering.

"He still loves you."

The words fell on his ear and it took him a while to understand what she was saying. He turned his head slightly to look at her again. She looked like she had been crying. Eyes puffed and hair dishevelled. She was wearing an overlong tee shirt, which Zoro now realized was Sanji's. He was at a loss of words. What was he supposed to say to that?

The words she spoke had however caused a huge wave of relief to pass over him. Sanji still loved him? Even the possibility made him feel a little at ease.

"Here" She (the girl) got up and handed him an ice patch "Put it on the side of your head. Will reduce... you know..." She trailed off as she walked towards the kitchen. Zoro noticed an empty beer bottle in her hand. He felt his heart sink a little.

Putting the ice pack back on his numb side (which, he now realized, was because the girl had been giving him a cold fermentation), he lay back into the sofa. The image of Sanji kissing her was plastered in his mind. It had looked so genuine. It had seemed like in some way, Sanji actually depended on her. His heart clenched again and something overtook all other emotions he was feeling.

Zoro had been jealous before. He had been jealous when he saw the blonde making out with Lilly in Skypia. So jealous that it had made him realize his feelings for the guy. And right now, he felt jealous of her.

"You look... hic... like you're in pain"

Zoro's brows furrowed. What was she trying to do? Did she not know about him? No... No... Her reaction towards him proved she knew him. Then, why?

"Hic... Do you need an asprin?" Her voice slurred a little.

"No" Zoro replied stiffly. Why was she trying to take care of him? Wasn't she supposed to hate him or something?

"He still loves you." The words were spoken sincerely. Zoro sighed. He felt a little stuck. This was the second time in five minutes that she had said that. He opened his eyes, the girl was looking at him as she stood right over his head, staring at him.

"Why are you saying that again and again?" He questioned her.

She blinked. "I think..." she started "He still loves you."

Zoro growled as he got up "What's your problem?" It was then that he noticed that she had fresh tears in her eyes. She sniffed and took a swig at her beer. "You." She pointed a finger at him from the same hand holding the beer, the other deep in her pocket. "You're my problem. You're a handsome fucktard and probably an idiot asshole too."

Zoro felt his blood boil a little as anger clouded his senses "The hell Lady? What are you trying to say?"
She chuckled. "I guess you are a muscle head. He was right."

Zoro stared at her. He had had enough, he needed to leave. Maybe a strong drink and he would be able to think straight. Somewhere at the back of his mind he noticed that the girl was using Sanji's slang to taunt him. So Sanji had talked about him. Just as he was about to get himself off the couch, the girls phone went off. They both glared at the Samsung Note 3 lying on the table for a while.

She seemed to realize a few seconds later that it was her phone that was ringing because she let out a "oh" and then picked up the phone to see who it was. She answered in a second.

"Chopper?"

Zoro's eyes widened. Was she talking to Chopper? Had she gotten that close with everyone? He listened to the one sided conversation.

"Wha..?" Her eyes grew bigger and she looked at Zoro. Fear, pure fear reflected in them. "Who else have you called?" Zoro could practically see all the drunkenness washing off her. What was wrong? "Okay. Do me a favour, don't call anyone. For now. Please?" She turned and rushed into the bathroom. Zoro couldn't help himself. He followed. "... when I get there. Till then, don't call anyone else. Please. And hold yourself together." She had changed into a tank top and jeans and was holding a wet towel in her hand as she rushed out barely 30 seconds later. "Yes. Just, give me around fifteen minutes." Her voice was wavering slightly.

Zoro couldn't help but feel a little worried. She was rushing around and the look she gave him sent shivers up his spine. He was about to ask her what was going on when she started talking.

"We don't have the time to talk. You have a car?"
"Bike" He didn't know why he replied but her voice was demanding urgency and he was dreading what came next.

"Okay. Let's go. Grand Central Hospital. Sanji was in an accident."

-:-

Sanji got into his car and started the engine and wiped the few tears that clung to his chin. He hated leaving Annie to deal with Zoro but he just needed to get away from there. He knew she would understand. He reversed the car out of the garage, third time that day and drove away from his apartment building.

What was he thinking? What was Zoro thinking? Coming out of the blue after five months?

He put the car in 3rd gear as he increased the speed, his mind barely on the road. He lowered the window preferring the cool air outside.

Five months. He left without even waiting for Sanji to come back to their apartment. Gone.

Another tear left his eye as he remembered that day clearly in his mind, as if it was yesterday.


Zoro's mood seemed a little off since the day he had missed the tournament. Today, he was discharged from the hospital and as Sanji drove back to their home, he could feel the self loath and doubt floating off his marimo. He didn't break the silence, wondering what he could do to motivate Zoro for the next match. His self criticising nature had been the cause of a few silent days in the past two years. The only way Sanji had been able to help him was lie close to him on the bed as the mosshead curled up to him, hugging him close. But today, he knew that was not something Zoro would want to do. He himself was against the idea. He felt a little guilty too. He blamed himself for flowing in his emotions without thinking of the outcome.

Sex on a beach under the moonlight.

What were they thinking? Oh wait, they weren't thinking. He would definitely refrain himself from such irrational cravings in the future. He stopped the car outside the apartment to let Zoro out at the door. Zoro got off without a word and shuffled over, still limping a little. Sanji frowned and moved the car into the garage. It was around 7 PM and if he started cooking in the next ten minutes after changing, he could definitely cook something filling and warm for dinner. Maybe, sweet corn chicken soup for starters and grilled fish with mayonnaise dip for the main course. He could add some scrambled eggs and crisp potatoes to the main dish. That would fill them u really well.

He entered the apartment, hung the keys in the key holder and walked over to the living room to find Zoro sitting on the couch, a bottle of rum in his hands. He was staring at the flatscreen but it was obvious he was lost in thoughts and needed some space. Sanji's heart clenched a little but he went back into the kitchen, washed his hands, put on his apron and started pulling out the things he needed to make dinner. He had just finished cutting the fish and marinating it when Zoro walked in.

"Can we talk?"

Sanji looked up at Zoro, noticing the scowl on his face; his brows were furrowed like he was thinking about the most difficult task in his life. Sanji felt a little dread creep up his spine. "Uh.. yeah.. what's up?"
Zoro shook his head. "Sit" He said, pointing to the dining table. Sanji raised his eyebrows. Bewildered, he cleaned his hands and went to sit on one of the chairs while Zoro sat on one right opposite him. He sighed. They sat in silence for at least five minutes. Sanji was a patient man but the tension in the room was getting to him and he was getting uncomfortable. He cleared his throat finally. "Zo.."

"I'm leaving."

Sanji sat there. He heard the words yet he didn't hear them. His mind was able to make absolutely no sense of what Zoro just said. "W... What?" He heard his voice waver but he didn't give a shit about that.

Zoro looked up at the blonde, locking their eyes together. Sanji could see that it was hurting him to do this. "You know my dream, don't you, Sanji?" Sanji could feel his eyes tingle. "You know how important it is to me. You know it is my priority." Sanji just blinked. "I need to leave. I need to concentrate on it. I have to fulfil my promise." A lump was forming in Sanji's throat as he heard every word the swordsman said, etching it into his memory. He knew it. He knew this would happen, somewhere at the back of his head, when he had realized that Zoro would be missing the tournament due to him. His heart started beating faster and he was quite sure that he was breathing heavily.

Zoro wanted an out. He wanted to leave. He heard a chuckle leave him. He couldn't help it. He looked down at the table cloth where his fingers were knotted together. "You want to leave..." His voice came out soft, defeated. "I'm sorry. I am distracting you. You are right. Your dream is important. It's... the priority." Without glancing at Zoro, he got up and took his apron off. "I need some air..." He muttered as he walked hurriedly out the door. He needed air. He needed to let this sink in. He knew they had fucked up. He knew that he had fucked up. He needed to walk; he needed to let that sink in. He needed to... understand... that he had to let go of Zoro if he really loved him.

He came back home an hour later, hoping to talk a little more and see if they could stay in touch. He entered an empty apartment; silence greeted him as he realized he was alone.


Another tear slid down his face as he put the car in gear 4, increasing the speed way beyond the speed limit, feeling the air whip his hair out of his eye.

So he came back, after five months. What was he expecting? Why was he back? The first two months were like a living hell for Sanji as he realized how much everything reminded him of Zoro. His friends, his empty bed, the shower, the couch... himself. Everything. He left no mode of communicating. Sanji knew calling him would be fruitless so he never tried. He controlled himself every time he stared at his phone screen, hoping for Zoro to call. But he didn't.

Stepping down a little harder on the accelerator, Sanji sped through the city. Thinking the same thing over and over again.

Why? Why was he back?

Horns blaring. Tires screeching on the road. Blinding flashlight.

Sanji closed his eyes, trying to protect his eyes from the light as he released the wheel completely to cover his ears.

He felt his head bang on the window as he realized he didn't have his seatbelt on, everything around him blurring a moment later. He was not in control. He could smell the diesel leaking. A sickening, loud crack echoed in his ears and pain travelled up his spine as he felt his body being thrown forward and in a weird angle. White light enclosed his vision.


'..Can... me?' Someone was standing above him.


'... car was upturned and he didn't have the seatbelt on... responsive to light test... blood type O neg... anji Black...'


'... hear me?' A sandy haired boy was speaking to him. 'responsive. Call Doctor kaya. I can't operate on him.'

-:-

Zoro stared at her dumbfounded.

"Sanji was in an accident." His heart stopped beating before it raced.

"C'mon. Zoro." She stepped closer to him, her hand encasing his "You can drive now, right? Are you too dizzy?" Her voice was soft and comforting but there was still a trace of urgency in it.
Zoro concentrated on her as he felt coldness envelope his heart. He shouldn't have come back. He should not have come back. This was his fault.

"Hey!" She snapped; her voice louder. "Blaming yourself won't help here. We need to be there. Can you drive now or not?" She spoke in an authoritative tone.
Zoro tried to concentrate on what she was saying again. "Yes" He whispered. She squeezed his hand. "Good. C'mon. I'll guide the way."

15 minutes later, he and the girl were standing next to an extremely tensed Chopper. When he first saw that Zoro was back, the sand haired man had all but run up to him and held him in a bone crushing hug, his tears staining Zoro's tee. Zoro hugged him back. Chopper was like a younger brother to him. He had missed him the most after Sanji and Luffy. They held on to each other till the girl cleared her throat and apologized for the intrusion but needed to know what had happened.

"They got him in around half an hour ago" Chopper started, sniffing a little "Luckily I was on call tonight. His face was covered in blood and was barely responding to any of the sensory tests. He has a cracked skull and a cracked spine too. The medic told me that his car had been upturned when a truck came and hit him. He didn't have the seat belt on which is why he was thrown around like a ball and that is probably the reason behind his fractures. He is being operated right now. He was barely responding so he is definitely not in the safe zone."

Zoro could feel his heart tear bit by bit as he heard what Chopper was saying. The girl standing next to him suddenly leaned into him. He looked down at her, she was trembling slightly. He got his arm around her shoulder. He knew at this moment, no matter how much he hated her, she was feeling the same agony that he was. They both were feeling helpless and could do nothing but wait.

Zoro led her into the waiting room, Chopper tottering behind them. He made her sit on one of the empty chairs and took a chair beside her, patting the empty one next to him to indicate chopper to have a seat.

The time passed slowly. The lady fell asleep fifteen minutes later and Chopper rushed to get her a blanket he kept in his locker. Zoro sighed. He didn't know what to think. He was torn between his worry for Sanji and the snitch in his heart. He glanced at the girl next to him. He realized that he didn't even know her name.

'He still loves you.' Her words came rushing back in his head as he looked at her. Why had she said that? She had been crying when she did. Even in the dark place where he was now, those words filled him with a little warmth. His heart sank again. She was hurting too. If what she said was true and Sanji had never stopped loving him but was still so close to her... She had to be hurting.

His thoughts went back to Sanji. Sanji. The person he fell in love with. He leaned back in his chair, hands on the arm rest; head tilted enough to see the ceiling.


He had hurt Sanji. He could see the horror reflect in Sanji's eyes. He sat there staring at him.

Then, suddenly, he heard him chuckle. Sanji looked away from his face. 'You want to leave... I'm sorry, I'm distracting you.' His voice was hollow and painfully calm. 'You are right. Your dream is important. It's... the priority.' He heard the defeat in his voice.

Zoro wanted to leap from his chair and hug him. He wanted to tell the blond that he loved him. That he didn't want to leave. He wanted to be with him forever. He almost did. But Sanji suddenly got up 'I need some air.' And walked out.

Zoro hated himself. He hated himself to inflict this on Sanji. But he knew if he waited another minute, he would stay. He would stay and put his promise with Kunia at a lower priority. He took a deep breath. Picking up a bag, he put his swords, wallet, keys, mobile and charger into it. He was almost about to leave when he remembered something. He walked into their room, avoided looking at the bed and went to his almirah. He fumbled with his clothes before he found what he was looking for and left, a small tear making its way down his face. Sanji would never forgive him for this.


"It's a hostel mister. You have to share your room!"

Zoro glowered at the boy sitting on the desk behind the counter. He had tried looking at every inn and hotel in the east line but none were available. Apparently, some carnival was planned for the next day and the city was packed. He had finally got this place but now he is being told that he has to share the room. It had been a month since he left the front door of their... Sanji's apartment and he had been training almost all the time except when he had to shift cities when no one challenged him in the underground fights.

"Fine. Give me the key."

On getting the key, he huffed his way up to the third floor, and found his room after a few minutes. He entered to find one of the two beds in the room covered with nothing but stuffed toys. His eyes winded slightly.

"You're my roommate?" a high pitched voice spoke to him. He looked around to see where the voice was coming from but he found no one. "I'm under the bed. Wait." A girl with pink hair crawled out from under the bed. She stood up with a bounce, a happy gleam in her eyes. "Hi! You're my roommate?" She repeated her question.

"Uhh..." Zoro turned to look at the number on the door again. "yes."

"Cool. I'm Perona" She held out her hand "Zoro" he replied. They shook hands.

"Make yourself at home. How long are you here?"

Zoro looked at here in awe. She was friendly, it seemed. "I dunno.. a month or two maybe."

"Well then, I guess we are going to stick together for a while" She smiled at him. "In that case, don't go through my underwears."

Zoro stared at her. "Your... What? Why would I do that?"

She laughed a weird laugh. Zoro was starting to regret this already.


Three months. Three months had passed since he got this hostel. Four months away from Sanji.

Every challenge he won felt hollow. He had found various amazing fighters in this town. Beating them was not in the slightest bit easy. But he succeeded in defeating every one of them. He learnt a few new attacks and his speed had increased. But he felt no joy in winning. He felt no warmth in his heart. He never felt victorious. He just felt... empty.

Perona entered the room. "Hey!" She walked over to where he lay relaxing on the bed and handed him a coffee she got from Starbucks. "Another win?" She asked as she kept her bag on her bed and sat down, a Strawberry Frappuccino held in her hand.

Zoro grunted and sat up to drink the coffee she got for him.

"You're missing him again... aren't you?"

Zoro sighed. He was surprised how close he had gotten to Perona. She knew almost everything about him now and he knew about her past as well.

"It feels empty."

Perona got off her bed and came over to his and straddled him, his arms automatically went on her hips. She grinded herself a little on him and kissed him. Zoro closed his eyes and tried to forget the hole in his heart. Frustrated, he growled into the kiss and flipped so he was on top. He grinded himself on her roughly before he bent down to kiss her furiously. His hands going into her long beautiful hair as her legs came around his hips, pulling them so that he kept grinding his hardening member on her spot. Her hands found a way under his tee and he broke the kiss for a second to take it off and glued his lips to hers again.

Her hands travelled all over his muscled back, tickling him close to his backbone. He relaxed into the kiss when she did, tingles spreading all over his torso. His grinds became smoother as he sucked softly on her lower lip. She licked his upper lip, trapped between her lips. Zoro parted his lips slightly, getting his tongue out to meet the tip of hers before sliding along it inside her, feeling her do the same. He trailed a hand down her side and lifted her top a little. He felt her smooth skin as he moved his hand to cup her breast.

He applied the pressure he knew she liked on her nipples with his palm. She moaned into the kiss and Zoro grinded a little harder onto her, increasing his place slowly. Her hands went down his torso to cup his hardness. He rolled himself into her hand as she applied some pressure as well. He broke the kiss and raised her skirt (short) to reveal tight pink panties which were already wet.

He shifted so that her legs came around his chest as he moved the panties to one side. She smelled of sex. Zoro licked up the juices around her vagina, his tongue teasing her entrance. He laid his tongue flat against her red swollen bud as he separated the lips using his two fingers and moved it vertically, causing her to clench her ass muscles and arch her back lightly, a soft moan escaping her lips. He continued the motion with his tongue for a while before getting replacing the flatness of his tongue with the tip. He slowly started drawing the figure 8 on her, feeling her legs starting to tremble around him. He increased the speed and pressure slowly and felt more juices wet his lips. She started moaning loudly and bucked her hips into his mouth. He started tracing a circle next, not letting her get even a moment's break. He could feel her nearing her orgasm. She got her hands into his hair and pulled. "Ah! Fuck... Zoro! Faster!"

Her strained voice went straight to his cock. He increased the pressure and started moving his tongue faster, making his tongue lay a little more flatter. Her legs around his chest tightened as she arched her back, wetness flowing from her into his mouth as he continued tonguing her through her orgasm. He felt her squirm a little under him as it became too sensitive for her. He sucked on her for a second before going back up on her, his one hand opening his jeans to free his throbbing cock.

She leaned up to kiss him a little as he freed his member and placed it at her entrance. Her hand travelled down to place them on his hips. She pushed him lightly, hinting him to go ahead. He entered her in one stroke. Her felt her wet warmth surround him. She was tight and hot. He sighed and kissed her back feverishly as he raised one of his hands to the headboard to support himself. He pulled out a little and thrust back in. He made another experimental thrust. Getting comfortable, he started rolling his hips in a set rhythm, thrusting into her, grinding himself a little on her clit.

The kiss turned sloppy as he increased the pace, thrusting himself to achieve completion. Perona broke the kiss to arch her back slightly as he rode her to her second orgasm. His hips snapped with her with each thrust he made. He could feel it nearing. His pace faltered a little as her felt his precum leak inside her. She rolled her hips to meet his thrusts. That was the last straw. Zoro felt her tighten around him as they came together.

Zoro sprawled to his side, panting. Perona came to cuddle him and he hugged her lightly.

There were no kisses after that. Just the two lost in deep thoughts.

"Zoro?"
"Mmm?" He rested him chin on her head
"Go back. Go back to him."


Two weeks later, Zoro was standing infront of the hostel and giving Perona a goodbye kiss and thanking her for everything. She smiled and told him to get back to the man he loved.

He and Perona were, as she liked to call it, Friends with Benefits.


When Perona had told Zoro to go back, he had been a little taken aback. He had never considered it an option, not after how he left Sanji.
It took her two weeks to convince him to go back. That trying to salvage what might be left was better than living a life in bitter resentment. And here he was, sitting in the hospital waiting room, next to the girl who for all he might know was probably Sanji's friend with benefit.

Who was he kidding? He saw the kiss. There were feelings attached to it. It was so obvious that what was between the two of them was serious.

"Zoro? Annie?" Chopper's voice entered his train of thoughts. He jerked his head forward; it had been nearly four hours since they reached the hospital. Every second had passed agonizingly slow with nothing but worry and tension looming over their head. No updates were given to them as they sat in the corner of the room.

"Chopper.." Zoro's voice was hoarse from misuse. Beside him, Annie was curled up in the blanket Chopper got for her. Her eyes were red and puffy. She looked at Chopper intently, probably hoping for good news.

Chopper's face however betrayed that hope. He looked at both of them. Zoro and Annie were not prepared for what came next.

"He's in a coma."

I tried... Reviews are welcome!

ZoroSanji2015 I hope you like this chapter J Baby 5 is close enough :D

BlackPiece, I was about to click 'post chapter' when I got your review. :P I hope this chapter is not a let down! Hope you like it! Thank you so much for reviewing! I really appreciate it! XOXO