Squee! I love this chappie sooooooo much! -huggles it and kisses it and loves it to death- Read, read, read!

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Chapter 10 : Brekkie embarrassment

Zoro walked out into the kitchen to see Luffy's leg being bandaged by Chopper, who was fussing and saying that he didn't understand how Luffy's powers could just leave him and come back as they pleased. It was a strange coincidence in his opinion. Luffy was nodding, but it was clear the boy had no idea what was being said.

His mind was on something else entirely and as Zoro walked in, scowl set firmly in place, Luffy looked up. The boy grinned and then his smile faltered at the look on the swordsman's face, and he quickly averted his eyes. Luffy didn't want to see the harshness in Zoro's eyes like he had earlier that night. Chopper finished doing up the bandage and stepped back.

"That should do. Now, we'll have to find something for that chill." and he hurried off. Luffy watched the reindeer go.

"Well?" Zoro growled. Luffy twitched in his seat and drew the blanket that was around his shoulders, closer.

"I met up with a woman out in the street. She said her name was Miss New Years Eve. She told me to deliver two messages." Luffy replied, still not meeting Zoro's eyes. The head of Pearl blinked.

"Miss New Years…? But she's…" and he trailed off, looking up at Sanji, who shrugged.

"Let him finish." Nami said from the other side of the table. She didn't seem angry at him now, but there was a cold edge to her voice as she spoke to him, "There's more Luffy has to say, so hush."

"The first message was that we should watch our backs, because if we don't, then crocodiles will be chewing on it." and he looked up, finally meeting Zoro's eyes, "What does that mean? There aren't any crocodiles around here."

"Oh yes there is. One big one." Sanji replied, "He's also known as Mr Zero."

"Shut up Sanji." Zoro muttered. The chef frowned.

"You shut up moron." he growled. Zoro looked up at him and Sanji sighed, "Yeah, fine, whatever."

"Go on Luffy." Robin urged, her face a little pale. She seemed very interested in what Luffy had to say, even if she had heard it already.

"Her second message is for Zoro from her boss, she said that you'll fail this time, just like you failed last time." Luffy related, "That's all. She left after that." Usopp moved out of the kitchen, a mug in his hands.

"Were you using my kitchen?" Sanji growled, half joking. Usopp frowned.

"It's for Luffy!" he replied. Sanji waved a hand in the air.

"I had better go check and make sure he hasn't destroyed my toaster."

"I made a cup of hot chocolate!" Usopp defended.

"I know." Sanji replied as he walked into the kitchen. Usopp steamed. Zoro had his hand on his chin, and was deep in thought.

"Are you sure she didn't say anything else?" Robin asked softly, a note of urgency in her voice. Zoro looked up at her sharply.

"No, nothing. Oh, she told me to ask her questions, and that I needed to get with the program." Luffy replied. Robin waved a hand in the air, signalling that that was unimportant. She leaned back in her chair and bit her bottom lip as her blue eyes flicked back and forth. Something was bothering her.

"Anything else?" Zoro asked, trying to keep the harshness in his voice to a minimum. Luffy blinked and then his mouth twisted.

"I don't know if you'd care about this, but, I found something tonight." he replied, pulling out a blackened tape recorder from his pocket. It was twisted, but the compartment where the tape was, was fully intact. Luffy had to force the rewind button down because it was half melted, and then he flicked the stop before playing it.

"That was what I heard, and why I didn't come out of the store when you told me to." Luffy explained as the voice cried out 'help' over and over again. A hand sprouted from the table top and pressed the stop button, before it took it and moved it around. Robin was inspecting the device. She gave a small 'hmm' before putting it down again. The arm vanished in a flurry of cherry blossoms that settled on the table before disappearing.

"Tell me rookie, how did you acquire this?" she asked coolly.

"I broke in and stole it!" Luffy announced, rather proud of himself. Zoro choked.

"You stole it?" Usopp asked, incredulous. Luffy nodded and grinned around the table.

"You can't do that ever again? Understand?" Zoro cautioned, "If someone had of seen you and arrested you… Luffy, if you get caught. We can't help. We are unable to do anything to release you, even bail. It is a condition of our job. And if we can't do anything to free you, then, you would be out of the group." Luffy blinked, astonished as his jaw dropped open. The room was quiet when Sanji walked back in.

"Was the toaster destroyed?" Usopp asked sarcastically, trying to break up the tension. Sanji shook his head.

"No, but you left the stove on."

"I didn't use the stove!" and Sanji chuckled. Usopp glared at the chef before standing up from the table.

"I'm going to my room. Knock twice and stay out!" he growled before walking away. Sanji blinked.

"What's bugging him? I mean besides me. He knows better than to take me seriously." the chef said, looking over at Nami.

"How the hell should I know? I'm not his mother." she said, inspecting her nails.

"Of course not! How could you be? You're too beautiful!" Sanji cried, wriggling around like a worm. Zoro threw him a disgusted look before looking at Luffy. He sighed and asked the question he had been wanting to ask ever since Luffy slammed that door.

"Are you okay?" and Luffy looked up at him as though he were seeing someone totally different. He smiled.

"Yep! Monkey D Luffy is always okay!" he announced and grinned. Zoro had to smile at that. Robin and Nami smiled and Sanji snorted.

"Who wants dinner?" he asked, looking around.

"ME!" Luffy screeched. Sanji grinned. At least someone was enthusiastic about his cooking.

"What do you want?"

"Anything with meat!"

"Meat? Right." and he turned towards the kitchen, undoing the buttons on the front of his jacket as he did so, "What a waste of my talent."

"Stop grouching!" Zoro called, feeling a little better now he had asked Luffy that question, and had received a positive response. In fact, just having Luffy sit there in front of him, grinning and bouncing in his seat eagerly as he waited for his meat, was a fantastic sight.

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Zoro heard a ringing and reached out a hand sleepily to bat the alarm clock across the room like he did every morning. But after he heard that satisfying 'crunch' that told him he needed another new alarm clock, the ringing continued.

"Urgh…" he muttered as he sat up, one eye half open while the other was still shut. The phone… Oh the damn phone was ringing. Hang on, the phone… was ringing! Zoro leapt out of the bed and ran over to it, stumbling over his baggy pyjama pants and nearly falling flat on his face.

"Hel-hello?" he asked and yawned as he listened to the voice on the other end, "Red diamonds eh? That sounds… exceedingly boring… uh huh. Uh huh." and he yawned again as he scratched at his naked stomach, "Yeah, whatever. If it's dangerous, we'll take it. Yeah, thanks. As always, it's a fantastic pleasure talking to you." and he hung up,

"Damn moron. Had no idea what he was talking about." and he yawned again before looking around and finding his clock lying in a corner of the room. He moved over and picked it up, flipping it over and looking at the smashed in face, "Gah! It's friggin' five thirty in the goddamn morning!" and he yawned, "No wonder I'm tired. Oh for fuck's sake. Sometimes, I really hate this job." and he opened his door and wandered out of the room and into the corridor. He went to Sanji's door first, and slammed a hand against it.

"Oi, Sanji! Get up ya lazy cook!" and he stepped out of the way as Sanji burst out, his hair frizzed and his visible eye half shut and groggy.

"You fucking moron! It's bloody five thirty in the morning." Sanji growled, the pinstriped pyjama's he was wearing making Zoro snigger.

"We have a mission. We are to be on the case by seven. We need breakfast." Zoro explained as he walked off. Sanji groaned and Zoro distinctly heard Sanji say something about needing a new pack of cigs. He shook his head. It was a wonder he tolerated smoking in this house. It was so unhealthy. He decided he would go and wake up Usopp and Nami next. Those two would have to bring up maps and get the gadgets ready for the day. He moved to Usopp's door and slapped a hand against it.

"C'mon Usopp! We have a mission today!" he called. He glanced over, and decided that Chopper's door would be easier to go to next. So he did so after hearing Usopp sleepily say that he had no-morning-missions-itis. In other words, Usopp was up. He gently knocked on Chopper's door.

"Yes!" the little reindeer's cheery voice returned. He had obviously been up for a while already.

"We have to get ready for a mission at seven." Zoro called.

"Okay!" BANG! "Oh darn."

"You okay?" Zoro asked.

"Mmm, my fur is now green."

"Wash it out! I'm the only dude around here with a green do." Zoro replied jokingly as he walked off. Chopper gave a small, squeaky giggle and hurried into his personal bathroom. Zoro went to Nami's door and had the courtesy to at least whack his hand a little softer against it than he had against Sanji's. The chef was already in the kitchen, cooking up breakfast and dressed in a perfect black suit. Sanji called it his fighting suit. Really, Zoro couldn't see the difference between it and the ones he usually wore. Zoro then went to Robin's door.

"I am already up swordsman." she called softly and tiredly. Zoro frowned. She shouldn't have been up this early. As mysterious, and untrustworthy as Zoro thought she was, Robin was never up any earlier than six.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I appreciate your concern, but, I am fine. Thankyou." she replied. Zoro shrugged.

"Whatever." he replied before moving towards Luffy's door. He hesitated before knocking on it, and then did so very softly.

"Luffy?" he called. There was no response.

"We have a mission. Are you coming? Is your leg okay?" he asked, his voice tainted with concern.

"Oh sure, when I broke my arm I still had to go on missions, but when Luffy gets a cut, he gets to stay home!" Usopp grouched as he walked past. Zoro glared at him and the marksman jumped quickly through the door and into the entrance room to find the atlas for Nami. Zoro looked back at Luffy's door, and then knocked again.

"Hey, are you awake even?" he asked. Once again, there was no response. Zoro raised an eyebrow and became a little suspicious. He took the doorknob and rolled it between his fingers, opening the door ever so slightly so he could peek in.

"No raping in this house!" Sanji called, poking his head out of the kitchen. Zoro spun around and glared at him, an unnecessary blush rising in his neck and cheeks.

"Fuck you!" he returned.

"Rather not!" Sanji called, going back to his kitchen again. Zoro growled as he opened the door and found Luffy's bed was empty. He blinked down at it.

"Hey, Luffy?" he called. Luffy's head popped out of the bathroom, his hair sopping wet and water running down his face.

"Wha?" he asked. Zoro blinked.

"I, uh, didn't think you were awake… so… err…" and the words that were forming in his head, were getting turned upsy daisy, and back to front before they even reached his tongue.

"Hey, what are you doing in my room?" Luffy asked, poking his head out a little further, so he was showing one half of his chest. Zoro was mesmerised by the tanned tone of it and the way the drops of water glistened as Luffy blinked at him.

"I… uh…" but Zoro just couldn't put two words together.

He… was having a shower. And he's staring at me! Say something you moron! It's only Luffy! Oh come on, just because he's naked… behind that door… Zoro thought and once again found himself lost for words. Luffy sighed.

"What's the matter with you? Are you like, drunk or something? Your face is all red." he asked. Zoro blinked and then shook his head, his pendants clinking in his ear.

"We have a mission. Sanji's making breakfast so hurry up." and he marched stiffly out of the room and closed the door. Luffy blinked at the closed door and then walked out of the bathroom, his pyjama pants sitting loosely at his hips.

"What the hell was wrong with him?" he asked as he walked over to his cupboard and pulled out some of the clothes Nami had given him of Usopp's, Sanji's and Zoro's. She had even given him some of her larger shirts that weren't too tight, but fit snugly around him and showed off his abs. But Luffy's favourite was a long sleeved, dark red shirt of Zoro's.

And a pair of Usopp's old faded blue jeans, which he had rolled up into shorts. Grabbing a comb he ran it through his fringe and a bit at the back, once on the left and he didn't even bother with the right side. What was the point? His hair was untameable. Grabbing his old straw hat from the bedside table, he threw it onto his head and then walked out of the room, feeling quite happy.

"Breakfast!" Sanji called. Luffy was then made twice as happy. He bolted for the table, and Sanji was that damn tired, he didn't even bother to hold Luffy back until Nami and Robin got there. There was no point. Luffy had already inhaled half of it by the time Sanji had even realized the boy was there. Seriously, who was awake this damn early in the morning?

"No Usopp. It has to be that way, the compass is bearing north, north east. So it has to be South west." Nami said as she walked over to the table and sat down. Sanji laid her plate in front of her.

"Here my gorgeous, wonderful, fantastic-"

"Alright. I get it. It's too early for flattery Sanji." Nami muttered. Usopp sat down beside her, ignoring their seating plan. Who cared who sat where?

"But… that's the opposite direction." he argued.

"Right, the coordinates they gave us were north, north east. Then there was a red arrow pointing at those coordinates and it was clearly said in the list of codes that that means the coordinates are the exact opposites of the true ones." Nami explained as she picked up a fork.

"Oh. Well that's stupid." Usopp muttered as he picked up his own fork.

"Yeah, but at least no one figures it out. Or, they haven't yet. Vivi's pretty good at that."

"Vivi? Oh, she's the girl who controls the code centre." Usopp muttered.

"And an angel!" Sanji added.

"Yeah yeah." Usopp muttered as he speared a bit of bacon and held it up in front of him. He really didn't feel like eating this early. He examined it before putting it back down again.

"Vivi sent another fax as well. She and that curly haired guy are coming out to inspect our fighting skills and all that crap next week. Same old, same old." Nami commented, waving a fork in the air. She looked so thrilled. Chopper was next to enter, and he bounded in happily and jumped into his seat.

"Morning!" he cried happily.

"Chopper, you look green." Usopp commented, looking up with bleary eyes.

"Uh, one of my potions exploded and I couldn't get the dye out." the doctor replied. Luffy finished his food and was whining softly. Sanji took his plate and then came back with more for the boy, a few seconds later.

"Yay! Thanks Sanji!" Luffy cried. Sanji gave a jaunty little wave before going back into the kitchen and getting the last three plates. Robin came in and sat down. She looked as though she hadn't had a decent night's sleep and Sanji watched her nervously.

"Are you alright my dear?" he asked. Robin looked up.

"I'm fine. I just couldn't sleep last night." she replied. Sanji nodded and sat down.

"Marimo must be sleeping in." he grunted, "Bastard woke us up and now he's sleeping."

"Mm! He came into my room this morning and acted all weird!" Luffy cried, actually pausing in his eating to wave his fork around rather threateningly.

"Acted weird?" Nami asked, not really interested.

"Mhm. He was all red in the face and he couldn't talk… and stuff. I think he was drunk. Or sick." Luffy replied. Chopper looked up.

"Sick?! We need a doctor!" he screeched.

"You are a doctor." everyone said in a tired and bored tone. Chopper blinked.

"Oh." and he hopped down.

"Don't worry Chopper, I'm here." Zoro's voice said and Luffy turned to see the swordsman walk in and sit beside him.

"What was with you this morning?" Luffy asked. Zoro blinked.

"Nothing. I wasn't feeling very well." he replied as he picked up his own fork and began eating.

"Oh, sure. Wasn't 'feeling' well." Nami said cheekily, glancing at Sanji, who snickered.

"Mm, maybe Chopper should check him out." Sanji commented.

"Right!" the reindeer piped up.

"Chopper, why don't you go and get that dye out of your fur?" Zoro asked. Chopper blinked down at himself.

"But-"

"Now."

"Hmph." and the doctor stormed off.

"Oh, evasion." Nami muttered. Zoro glared at her across the table.

"What were you doing Luffy? Parading around in your underwear or something?" Sanji asked. Luffy blinked.

"No. I was washing my face." he replied. Zoro looked up.

"You mean you weren't having a shower?" he asked. Luffy looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"No."

"OHHH!" Sanji and Nami both squealed, "He's caught out!"

"I am not!" Zoro growled in return, "Oh. I thought I'd interrupted you having a shower or something."

"Is that why you were all red and stuff?" Luffy asked.

"Yes Luffy." Sanji answered.

"No! I already said, I wasn't feeling well!" Zoro growled. Luffy blinked at him and Zoro remembered what Luffy had said about lying.

"I think Zoro was feeling a little… hot, and bothered." Nami said tugging at the collar of her shirt and nodding her head towards Luffy. Zoro stiffened in his seat and forced that heat in his face to go back to whence it came.

"I. Was. Not." he replied dangerously. Sanji smirked.

"We'll see. Did he look like he was sweating Luffy?" the chef asked.

"Hmmm," and Luffy put a hand on his chin in thought, "yeah, and he looked like he was staring at my chest or something."

"Ha ha! How you gonna deny that one sword boy?" Sanji asked, intertwining his fingers and waiting patiently for an answer.

"I was… err… staring at the wall behind Luffy… not at his… chest." Zoro replied.

"That's how he was this morning!" Luffy cried. Nami was laughing so hard, that she couldn't breathe, and Sanji was watching Zoro with a knowing look in his eye. The head of Pearl wasn't so easily put off.

"Oh, what about the countless times Sanji's peeked through Nami's door when she wasn't looking?" Zoro asked, grinning smugly at Sanji who blushed a brilliant shade of red while Nami turned slowly to face him.

"You… peeked… while…" she stammered. Zoro could see a fist forming. He was no fortune teller, but, he could see the lump forming on Sanji's head already.

"Now Nami's doing it! Man, this must be catching. I'm going back to my room." and Luffy hurried away.

"I think I'll join him." and Usopp hurried after the boy.

"Only once!" Sanji whimpered.

"Oh, I thought you did it religiously on Wednesday mornings." Zoro commented, having the time of his life. Nami looked ready to kill, but there was an unmistakable blush rising in her cheeks. Sanji was pleading his innocence. Zoro decided he had had enough fun for one breakfast time and he stood from his seat, and moved back to his room. It was time to work.

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Ha ha ha ha! Told you all that I loved this chapter. It has been the best by far I think. Not to mention, it was written at 2:30 ... am. Ha, had coffee and couldn't sleep. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed and I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you next time. -waves and grins like a television host-

!!IMPORTANT!!

Review, please! Plushie has been a nice girl, and has let people get away with not reviewing Fugitives (it only gets an average of three to five reviews a WEEK!!! :( ) and now, it's time for Plushie to be a bitch. If you don't review, I will leave this story right here... right now. I don't care. It's not my problem. I'm writing the story for my benefit, and if I don't have to update for you all, it just means I get more free time to write other things. My hits... they've gone through the roof! You can't tell me that's one of you, reading this page at least a hundred times over. That's just silly. So, do you all understand? Am I making myself clear? Good.

Yeah, Plushie's pissed off. It's exam week, I am surviving off of goddamn coffee and sugar, oh, did I mention that they are final exams? No. Oh, well they are. They're hard, they're hurting my brain, and you're all lucky I even updated. -steam rises from Plushie's ears-

Thankyou to those who HAVE reviewed. SpellcasterHikaru, Clarobell, meatofevil, CalypsoCallista, AMX, LetsEatScabbers, and Shiruji-chan. You guys have supported me from the beggining. Thanks.