New chapter! It's a good one, too. Ufufufu, watch out for awesomeness! I wish I could've done some more with it, though, but, if I'd dragged it out anymore it would've been too long. Anyways... Enjoy!

The redhead, Nami, had gotten home okay, Zoro made sure. He spent the next day or two watching over her, since she seemed to have the abilities Robin was looking to use. She was probably the most evil and boring human woman he'd ever known. She talked constantly in her annoying banshee voice, always on the phone with someone. She was always scribbling something with a quill pen, too. Zoro really didn't get her, but he didn't care to stay any longer and learn. So, he moved on to Sanji's house.

That place was never boring.

Several times a day, every day for a week, Zoro watched Sanji get into fights with the 'chefs of the sea'. Each of the straw hat's group of friends entered the restaurant regularly, apparently including Robin. He was annoyed by that, because he knew that she knew he was there, watching.

She probably flatters herself thinking I'm following her. Zoro thought, narrowing his eyes slightly. After all, his scent was mixing with hers in the air. He could smell it, just as she could and, if he didn't already know what he was there for, he might think he was following her, too. But, he didn't care.

As of that moment, the long nose and the straw hat made themselves known and entered the Baratie, greeting everyone loudly. Zoro was across the busy street, on top of a four-story building and he could still hear every word they said. Let that be a testament to their loudness, over the noise of the restaurant and the other establishments in the area.

Zoro could barely see anything through the windows at that angle, but he could hear that Sanji was talking to them. He's not a very good waiter if he has time to chat with his friends... Zoro thought, closing his eyes and focusing his ears in on the conversation.

"Yeah! We should do that! I have some stuff on the ship already!" Ussop.

"Cool! I'm gonna invite Zoro! Wait, do you guys know his number?" Luffy.

"I don't think he has a phone." Sanji.

"What? That's not even possible!" Luffy.

"Yeah, Sanji, don't be stupid! Everyone has a phone!" Ussop.

A pause. "Whatever. No, I don't know his number." Sanji.

"Damn. His address?" Luffy.

"Luffy, why're you trying so hard to reach this guy?" Sanji. Zoro frowned. Wasn't he their friend? Oh, wait. No, never mind.

"Hmm... I guess if I think about it, he was kind of annoyed with us." Ussop.

"No! He's our friend! Besides, I'm not annoying." Zoro couldn't help but to laugh at that. Luffy was very annoying.

Sanji and Ussop laughed and then Ussop and Luffy continued conversation, but Zoro couldn't hear Sanji. He was half tempted to think that was a bad sign, if he hadn't realized that the blonde was probably working.

The next few hours passed like that. Zoro made himself comfortable, stretching out and lying down on the rooftop with his ears trained on the Baratie. After an hour or two, Luffy and Ussop had left. Well, not so much 'left' as 'were kicked out'. Apparently the wait staff and the other customers couldn't stand them. Zoro didn't really blame them; Ussop and Luffy were rather irritating.

After they left, the place got a lot quieter. Zoro swore he must have dozed off in the peace, because the next time he heard the voice he'd been listening out for, it was a sigh and 'I'm going to bed'. He sat up and watched as the blonde appeared in a window at the top of the staircase. Sanji pulled his key out of his pocket, unlocked and opened the door. He disappeared for a minute before showing himself again in one of the many porthole windows.

The blonde shed his jacket and tie, (Which Zoro didn't see the point of wearing in the first place), and disappeared again behind the walls. Without thinking, Zoro hopped onto the building next door to his perch and hesitated only a second before jumping clear over the street and onto the jewelry store next door to the Baratie. The building was only two-stories, so Zoro had to duck below the lip of the roof to be able to watch and not get caught.

It was at that point that Zoro realized he was being strange. He'd been keeping a constant eye on Sanji for the past week, so, why was he so compelled to keep watching? What could really happen while the blonde was sleeping? Zoro shook his head. He was being too weird. Certainly he had other things to do.

Just as Zoro went to jump down from the jewelry store roof, he caught a small sound coming from Sanji's room. He stared hard at the window, but those damn blue curtains were in the way. Again, he heard a sound. Was that a beep?

"... Ah, Robin-chan!" Sanji greeted. Zoro focused every one of his senses towards figuring out how that woman snuck past him, but, then he realized; humans have those 'telephone' devices that allow them to speak to people who aren't really there.

"Oh, I see. No. No, she didn't say anything... A week and a half, huh? ... Well, I can talk to her for you, if you'd like... Yes, Ma'am~! ... Yes... I'll see you~!" Sanji swooned, drawing aside the curtains as he closed his talking device. He was smiling and frowning at the same time. Zoro didn't know what to make of that expression. But, he definitely wasn't leaving if it was something to do with the conniving woman.

The blonde hummed to himself and turned his back to the window. "... How do I know that?" He mumbled, tapping his fingers on the windowsill annoyingly. Sanji paced back and forth in front of the window slowly, hand to his chin. Zoro was confused. He was there, wasn't he? He'd gone to Robin's house with Nami, right? So, what was he thinking so hard about?

"Damn." Zoro cursed. Robin must have altered the blonde's brain. Then, to turn around and mention something she'd made him forget? It was a rookie move. Something that could potentially damage him. Robin was better than that. What is she planning?

Sanji put his head in his hands and groaned. "What the hell?" He asked, rubbing his face. Then, for no apparent reason, he fell over. Zoro had never seen it happen before, when people defied the orders planted in their brains by demons, but he'd heard a little about it. Enough for him to know he had to help Sanji.

Zoro looked around briefly before leaping over the short alleyway between him and Sanji's window. He undid the latch from the outside, something he'd practiced long ago, and slipped in without a single witness. The blonde was laying face-down in the carpet, completely still except for the faint expansion and contraction of his breathing. Zoro knelt beside him and flipped him over, paying short notice to the look of peace on Sanji's face, and trying to remember how to help.

The last time he'd helped someone that had been influenced by a demon's power was decades ago. He could remember things from a lot longer ago than that, but he really couldn't be sure. He didn't know what herb or root was supposed to work as the cure.

Blood began to stream from Sanji's nose and ears as Zoro sat there, thinking as fast as he could. Lavender. Lavender fixes this. He thought quickly, standing up and taking in the smells of his surroundings. There was lavender in there, through the hall and on the right. Zoro didn't bother walking; instead using his demonic speed to dart into what he assumed was the kitchen. He opened a single cabinet and grabbed the small glass jar full of dried lavender flowers and stems. It would have to do.

Zoro grabbed a small wooden bowl and put two lavender flowers in the bottom, leaving the rest in their jar on the counter. He went to the shiny silver faucet and turned knobs until water poured into his bowl, then turning off whatever he'd done to cause that and returning to Sanji's side in less than five seconds.

The blood was now staining Sanji's hair and carpet, making something of a pool of blood around his head. Zoro took a deep breath as he poured the slightly-diluted lavender into Sanji's open mouth and waited. He knew it didn't have instant effects, but he really hoped it would stop the bleeding. Zoro wished he had some Horsetail to add to the remedy, but he wouldn't know where to find it. He mentally kicked himself for not inviting Chopper to stay longer than he had.

Suddenly, Sanji lurched forward, almost to a sit, coughing hoarsely. He had a hand on his stomach and the other was clutching the carpet. God, his head hurt so badly. What the hell even happened to him? He didn't know. He couldn't quite remember what he was doing before he passed out. He could swear he was just coming up for a nap... Was he really that tired?

Sanji felt a warm drip down his face, over his lips. He reached a hand up and felt the substance; almost sure it was the worst runny nose of his life. He pulled back his hand to look at his fingers and his eyes went wide. "What the-!" Sanji looked around himself at the carpet- oh, God, his hair!- and his good shirt and he starts panicking.

He scrambled up and away from the mess on the floor in quite an uncharacteristic sort of way. After a minute just standing there, paralyzed by confusion, shock and a bit of fear, Sanji stormed into the bathroom and flicked on the light. His knees threatened to give out at the sight of himself with blood-soaked hair and streaks of blood on his face, all the way down his neck, trails down from his ears and onto his blue dress shirt.

Sanji slammed the handle up on the sink, scrubbing his hands furiously for minutes, filling the sink with red-stained water. It was scalding hot and possibly burning straight through his hands, but he continued to wash for another five minutes before he decided to just take a shower. He turned the water on to heat up while he un-did the buttons on his shirt and threw it in the sink. He opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out the bottle of peroxide and poured a good amount of it on the bloody parts of his shirt. It bubbled up and created a smell in the confined bathroom, (he'd slammed the door shut in his panic), but he just left the thing to sit on the edge of the sink while he shed the rest of his clothing and jumped in the shower, immediately grabbing the shampoo.

~ Outside ~

Zoro knew he probably should have stayed, at least helped explain the situation, but he didn't know what to say. Besides, if he had stayed he would have also had to explain his sudden appearance and how he got in and everything, but his mind was a total blank on cover stories. The blonde wasn't handling it very well by himself, anyway.

When Sanji disappeared into the bathroom, Zoro thought about going to see Robin. He felt like killing her, he was so upset. That really wasn't a stretch, he supposed, since they didn't get along very well, anyway. But, endangering an innocent was too much. Back in the sixteenth century, there were far too many demons using their abilities on innocent people, causing far too many innocent deaths. He, himself, had only ever used his ability a few times, certainly never to hurt a human.

Robin, though. She was absolutely a professional by every definition. So, it wasn't by mistake that she triggered Sanji's hemorrhaging. It was part of her plan. Zoro growled low, without really realizing what he was doing. He hated that he had been right to keep watch over Sanji.

As of that moment, he couldn't decide if he should stay and make sure she didn't try anything else, or confront her in person and beat the living shit out of her, woman or not.

~ Inside ~

Sanji was shaking, despite the fact that it was perfectly warm in his room. He had cleaned up the rather large stain in his carpet, put the towels and his shirt in to wash with loads of bleach, and he even opened a window to air out the sharp smells that were trapped in his room. He doubted he'd ever be able to get them out of his nose, though.

He let out a ragged breath, something he'd been doing too many times to be normal, and sat down on the corner of his bed. He could remember Robin calling him, and having a short conversation with her about Nami. She apparently hadn't heard a word from Nami in a week and a half. He remembered wondering why a week and a half sounded familiar, then, that's where it goes black until he wakes up leaking blood.

Sanji rubbed at his face. What was familiar about a week and a half ago? He knew he'd spoken to Nami that day, and worked an overtime shift at the restaurant after being begrudgingly forgiven for lashing out that morning. There was an empty spot in his memory between getting out of school and getting to work, which he had previously assumed was spent wandering about building up the nerve to go home. But, he couldn't be sure anymore.

His head started to hurt again from thinking about it, so, Sanji stopped thinking about it. His head felt better almost immediately, which didn't make him want to drop the subject, really, because that was beyond strange. He had to figure out what that was about, but, after all that had happened, more than anything, all he wanted was a nap.

~ Outside ~

Zoro breathed a sigh of relief when Sanji's heartbeat finally slowed to a quiet pounding as he drifted off to sleep. For a second there, it looked as if he might cause himself another 'episode'. Zoro wasn't sure how long it would take until it was no longer possible for him to hurt himself just by thinking about his time that Robin had erased.

Speaking of... Zoro thought, glancing to his left, then right. He had to flag her down and implore upon her his standards. She couldn't just go around using people like that, especially human people. And most especially innocent human people.

Silent as a shadow, Zoro disappeared through the city. He moved as fast as he could through the street, following a recent trail left by Robin. It seemed as though she were waiting at his shrine for him, again. Perfect.

When Zoro reached his woods, he slowed down significantly. If he didn't calm himself down, Robin would be in pieces before he got any answers. As it was, he could barely suppress the growl that was sitting in his throat just waiting to break free.

It took only another few minutes' walk to reach his shrine, where Robin was perched on the roof, legs crossed, and elbows on her knee and her chin in her hands. "Ah, Swordsman-san. Why so angry?" She purred, smiling. Zoro felt a twitch in his arm, his subconscious wanting to grab his swords that were dangling from his hip.

"You want to kill him?" Zoro asked, barely more than a growl. His fingers brushed the grip of one of his swords.

Robin laughed, a slightly malicious edge to the chuckle. "No, of course not. You are awfully bothered by that thought, though, aren't you?"

"What are you planning, woman?" Zoro growled, lowering his head to glare at her more threateningly.

She moved one of her hands in front of her smile and gave a short laugh. "You will know in due time." She said, her tone deceivingly sweet. "This was just my little warning to you, Swordsman-san."

"Warning? Is that how little you think of human lives?" Zoro questioned, anger rising in his voice.

"It isn't about what I think of human lives." Robin said, her smile fading away. There was a short silence before she straightened up and slipped off his roof, landing gracefully on her feet. "I suggest you heed my warning, Zoro."

In a flash, Zoro was up in front of her, sword to her throat, growling so loudly that all the birds that had somehow remained in the vicinity flew off. "And, I suggest you stop hurting innocent people!" He roared. Robin's eyes widened and she couldn't help a cringe at the volume and the anger of his voice.

It only took Robin a moment to regain her footing, at which point she smiled. She crossed her arms in an 'x' shape over her chest and flicked her wrists. Immediately, seven tanned arms sprouted from various places and grabbed Zoro's neck. More and more arms sprouted out from them, forcing Zoro back against a tree roughly.

"You're walking on thin ground, Swordsman-san." She warned. Her extra arms disappeared and just like that, Robin was no longer standing anywhere near his shrine.

Zoro rubbed at his neck, still feeling the pressure of her surprisingly strong grip. He stood up a bit straighter and took a minute to get his bearings before he took off towards the Baratie. He would have to keep a closer eye on everyone after that little meeting, but he was going to start with Sanji.

Okay, I apologize, I sort of made Robin the bad guy. But, it serves my purpose so, meh. I'll probably change her sometime soon... If I feel like it. xD Oh, but, maaaan! I loooooooved writing those Sanji and Zoro bits! Definitely got more of that to come!

Reviews are loved!

Ciao~