Dark sky shrouded the aircraft as it made its way across the expansive ocean far below. After take off, Zoro had managed to approach Sanji long enough to offer the blond a change of clothes and access to the large bathroom near the rear of the plane. The blond took his time as Zoro used the reprieve to properly go through his bags and sort out everything they needed.

Money, passports, and other miscellaneous documents were all stored in a compact container which he shoved to the bottom of his rucksack; pocketing a decent amount of Yen to hopefully cover them until they reached Tokyo. He added his spare ammunition and weapons, before topping it all off with a change of clothes, discarding everything else he didn't need back into the duffel bag as he had no wish to lug around a bulky item once they landed. It would be best for them to blend in as much as possible until they got into the city.

Sanji exited the bathroom sometime later looking much cleaner – the ash scrubbed from his face and the minor injuries from the shrapnel tidied as well. The spare jeans and button up Zoro had grabbed for the man fit almost perfectly and Zoro forcibly glanced away before the blond could catch him staring.

Before Zoro could get a chance to say anything upon the blond's return, Sanji was taking a seat near the opposite corner of the plane and gazing out the window irritably. Zoro couldn't blame him, and while he was relieved he didn't have to talk about their situation anymore, he felt that he still owed the blond something - considering the ordeal he had gotten him into.

A moment of debate had him deciding against it and he pushed himself to his feet, grabbing his own change of clothes and the first aid kit before heading into the bathroom. Locking the door behind himself as he made his way over to the small mirror installed above the metal sink.

Shucking off his jacket, he turned it over to see how bad the damage was from the explosion - leather managing to absorb most of the shrapnel he had taken while covering Sanji. Shifting to get a look at his back he found the white shirt stained a dark pink in several places where the debris had managed to penetrate a bit deeper than he thought.

Steeling himself for the real reason he had sought out solitude, he glanced down at the large piece of wood that had gotten lodged in his hip. Jacket thankfully hiding it from Sanji, the injury had made itself plaintively known after the adrenaline of the incident had worn off a couple hours later.

Unlooping his belt, he folded it in half and placed it between his teeth. Biting down on it and giving a steady exhale through his nose, he took a firm grip on the fragment and pulled. Teeth crunched into the belt, the leather muffling his pained groan as his other arm reached out to the sink in support. Reeling from the wave of pain flaring up his side, breathing becoming heavier while bile stung the back of his throat. The belt fell to the floor with a clatter a few moments later, once he knew he would no longer be needing it to muffle any more cries.

Gasping, he dropped the bloody piece of wood into the sink, taking a few moments to recover before reaching down to grab the hem of the blood stained shirt, carefully removing it. He found himself wincing in agony as several of the shards clung to the fabric , getting pulled out while the pulsing, sharp jab in his side left him breathless. The bloody shirt hit the floor with a wet slop as he glanced down to his hip to see the damage.

Looking at the garish wound, he found himself getting light headed with vague memories of blood and gore. Hand gripping the edge of the sink in a death grip, he attempted to steady himself, shaking his head vigorously to try and stave off the sensations mounting and returning himself to the issue at hand.

Removing the rest of his clothes with effort, Zoro stepped into the shower to wash away the stench that had begun to linger on him as well as the blood staining half his body. He turned on the shower, hissing when the water initially hit his wound, but eventually got accustomed to it as he used the steady stream to clean it as best he could.

Dried off, and back in front of the mirror, Zoro pried open the first aid kit and began disinfecting the wound and getting the remaining slivers out as best he could. This kind of medical care was something he had been very acquainted with several years ago, but it was clear that he was rusty. Zoro was tempted to ask for Sanji's help considering the man's medical background, but he didn't want to bother the man after everything he had just been through.

With the injury finally cleaned, stitched, and patched up, he pulled on a new shirt and pants before heading back out to the main area of the aircraft. Finding Sanji exactly where he had left him, brooding in the corner, Zoro passed him by and returned to his own seat in an attempt to get as comfortable as he could with a jagged hole inflaming his side.

Despite wanting to take the time to get some rest, Zoro couldn't calm his thoughts long enough to get a wink. Mind racing with every possibility, every question, about what had happened back in Merryville. Trying to remember if he recognized the man, even though he knew he had a bad memory when it came to all the people he had slighted.

Nearly an hour passed in the spacious cabin as Zoro continued to mull over as many factors and options as he could with no hope of getting any closer to figuring any of this out. He knew his best bet was to meet up with his former associates in Japan and try to get an idea of what was going on from there, but it was hard to keep himself from brooding.

A muffled groan had Zoro glancing over to where Sanji sat slumped by his own window, hands clasped over his face as his fingers rubbed at his closed eyes. Conflict was apparent in every line of the man's tense form and Zoro could easily guess what might be the cause of it, hating himself for being the reason for any distress to the innocent man.

Turning his gaze back out the small window into the black night reflected outside, he hardly got a chance to fall back into his obsessive thoughts when there was a sudden motion across from him. He looked up to see Sanji falling into the seat opposite him with a resolute yet nervous expression, adjusting himself in the seat for a tad too long before clasping his hands in his lap while allowing his thumbs to fidget nervously. It took a moment of fumbling – Sanji fighting to keep eye contact with Zoro – before finally managing to calm himself enough to utter quietly, "Hey... I'm... I'm sorry."

Zoro just raised an eyebrow in surprise. Not at all expecting that to be the first thing Sanji would say to him, and not entirely certain he deserved it. Though Sanji clearly seemed like he had more to say so Zoro remained silent, waiting for the man to continue.

"You – you did kinda save my life today..." Sanji mumbled as his gaze returned to his wringing hands as he chuckled hollowly, "Which was pretty cool."

"It was my fault you were even in that situation." Zoro responded calmly. Managing to get his emotions in check a while ago, he now felt ashamed for how he had reacted earlier, "It shouldn't have even happened in the first place."

"That doesn't matter." Sanji argued firmly, actually managing to meet Zoro's gaze and the operative was surprised to find such fiery commitment there, "You risked your life for me... And... and I acted like a royal jackass from the moment you did."

"You'd never been in that kind of situation before," Zoro supplied simply. Professionally. "Your reaction was normal."

"No, it wasn't." Sanji muttered sternly, "I've seen worse things day to day at work; I was being irrational."

"It's fine." Zoro murmured, trying to be as reassuring as he could, "Seriously."

Sanji didn't seem satisfied with that, but it also didn't seem like he was willing to argue it either. Opting to sit silently across from Zoro as he finally realized that the blond's fidgeting had less to do with his nerves and more to do with his smoking habit. - knees bouncing up and down in jittery agitation. Zoro made a mental note to get the man some smokes at the earliest opportunity.

Leaning forward in his seat, Zoro rested his elbows on his knees as he stared at Sanji seriously. After having the blond finally calm enough to talk to him once more, he didn't want to entirely waste the opportunity. Sanji however, looking a little weary over Zoro's aggressive posture.

"How's your shoulder?"

Hand unconsciously raising to the injury, Sanji muttered, "Muscles are starting to seize."

Without pause, Zoro pushed himself to his feet and made for the back of the plane. Pulling out a plastic bag and beginning to fill it with ice while ignoring Sanji's barely audible protests. Returning to the man, he leaned down and pressed the ice to the wound; feeling mostly responsible for it because it had been his weight on the man that caused it.

"I... I can..." Sanji began with a nervous stutter. Zoro blinked, realising that Sanji probably wasn't comfortable with him doting on him so closely and handed off the bag of ice to him. It would take a bit to remind himself that even though Sanji knew now, it didn't make it okay for him to be as attentive as he wanted.

Remaining standing awkwardly by Sanji's side, hands hanging uselessly as he floundered, "How's your head?"

"Not concussed if that's what you're worried about." Sanji chuckled lightheartedly, glancing up at Zoro, readjusting the ice on his shoulder and already looking less tense as he added petulantly, "My pride's probably the most injured thing at the moment honestly."

Zoro made a face as he returned to his chair, facing off with the other man once more as he asked, "What?"

"C'mon, having to get rescued?" Sanji prodded with a rhetorical chuckle before muttering to the side a tad bitterly, "How embarrassing is that?"

"He was a trained wet worker." Zoro offered in a lame attempt at consoling the obviously annoyed man, "Or at the very least mafia..." He added as an afterthought. He wasn't entirely sure why Sanji was so bothered by it, but nonetheless able to tell Sanji was more than a little ticked off.

"Still..." Sanji groused as he slouched a little in his seat, "I'd like to think that I'd be a tad better at defending myself; I mean I barely got the door open and..."

And it clicked.

It hadn't been the first time Zoro had been on a guard detail for someone who didn't believe they needed protecting, or come to rescue someone that would firmly deny his help. Sanji was just like everyone else – maybe even a bit more stubborn and prideful than some – and having to have Zoro save him was stinging his ego more than his jesting behaviour would let him admit.

Zoro opted for silence as he continued to watch the blond. Sanji shook his head in mild disbelief before waving his injured hand delicately as he groused, "You made him look like an amateur."

Zoro shrugged, "He was."

Normally a cocky response like that got a scathing remark back, but this time was different. Instead of playfully teasing Zoro about his former career, or challenging him, Sanji just stared at him quietly with a slightly unsettled look. Like, for the first time, Sanji was coming to understand that Zoro had never been joking any of those times he had mentioned what he used to do; like he was truly humbled.

"Anyway..." Sanji murmured, much more timidly than he had earlier, eyes keen on gazing anywhere but at Zoro as he managed stiffly, "I realized I never actually thanked you for what you did... so, thank you."

A polite, yet slightly dismissive remark was on his tongue, and Zoro had to bite it back in favour of offering a simple, "You're welcome."

At his admission, a look of relief finally settled over Sanji, and he seemed to genuinely relax for the first time since getting on the plane. However, his hand was still fidgeting with the pack of ice still held to his shoulder, and Zoro could tell from his body language alone that there was something still nagging at the other man. He watched wearily as Sanji finally seemed to coax himself enough to voice what was on his mind.

"A-and about what you said..." Sanji stuttered out earnestly, "Zoro... I..."

"Well, we're on route!" Rayleigh exclaimed happily as he made his way back to the lounge of his aircraft, "We'll be stopping off in Honolulu for a refill and then on to a secluded airfield in southern Hokkaido."

Zoro took the perfectly timed interruption as an opportunity to push himself to his feet and effectively end his and Sanji's conversation. He did not need it to stray back into territory that he was no in the mood to relive at this point in time, especially not when he was already too high strung and had other, more pertinent, things on his mind.

"How long?" Zoro inquired, purposefully keeping his gaze away from Sanji, not wanting or needing to know what kind of expression might be on the man's face; this wasn't stuff they should be concerning themselves with right now. And while he was grateful for Sanji's apology and gratitude, there was only so much pity he could handle from him in one day.

"About ten hours." Rayleigh replied before smirking at Zoro, "Figured that'd be enough time for you to catch me up on exactly what's going on."

"Yeah, I'll be with you in a moment." Zoro dismissed the man politely, allowing Rayleigh to return to the cockpit as he quickly went to get accommodations set up for the no doubt exhausted blond. Rayleigh's plane was thankfully far more accommodating than most commercial airlines, the cabin set up more for business and pleasure rather than maximum occupancy. Most of his clientele were either people like Zoro, or the incredibly wealthy, it made no sense to have excess seating.

Pulling down one of the folding beds built into the wall, he nabbed a pillow and blanket from a storage cupboard and made his way back over to where Sanji remained seated, offering the items that the blond took without question as Zoro ordered as politely as he could muster, "Get some sleep."

"I don't-" Sanji began, cutting himself off at Zoro's expression.

"Try." Zoro muttered earnestly.

Sanji still looked desperate to argue, but for once kept his complaints to himself as he moved towards the bed. Zoro headed to the front of the plane and found himself faltering in the doorway as he glanced back at the blond who was in the process of grumpily punching his pillow into shape.

Hand tightening on the handle, he realized he could've handled everything a lot better, and that he continued to mess up each interaction with the blond. Turning away with a heavy sigh, he closed the door behind himself and proceeded to take a seat in the unoccupied co-pilot chair and begun filling Rayleigh in on everything that had happened.

~X~

Early afternoon had the three men standing outside the idling aircraft as they bid farewell. Engines roared overhead as they whipped up the grass on the poorly tended field and cancelled out all surrounding noise. Zoro had finished thanking Rayleigh when Sanji stepped forward and offered a hand, yelling over the raucous noise, "Thank you for everything!"

"My pleasure." Rayleigh chuckled loudly, returning Sanji's handshake firmly with a broad grin as he gestured towards Zoro, "Take care of this one."

"Don't think that'll be an issue." Sanji retorted with a snort. Releasing Rayleigh's hand and making his way over to Zoro, the two of them took off across the small field towards the highway just visible from the airstrip. Getting nearly halfway across the field, they stopped to watch the aircraft take off into the afternoon sky in a whirl of dust and leaves.

It wasn't long before the aircraft was completely out of sight and Zoro and Sanji were suddenly very alone in the quiet countryside. They hiked across a gravelly field towards the distant road as the sun beat down on them through a clear blue sky, the rolling green hills surrounding them in the distance. The silence was broken by a single bird whistling a tune as it flew overhead until Sanji finally piped up, "Clarify something for me."

Zoro grunted.

"Did we just enter a country illegally?"

"Technically?" Zoro rebuffed lightly.

Sanji raised a skeptical brow, "There's a 'technically'?"

Zoro shrugged, not entirely sure if the blond was being rhetorical or not. Also he wasn't entirely positive if the man would want the long or the short answer. But before he got the chance to respond, Sanji was waving his hands dismissively and shaking his head.

"Never mind; I don't want to know."

They left it at that, Zoro just grinning to himself as they neared the road and climbed out of the ditch, and began to walk along the endless asphalt. Sanji remained quiet as they trekked in silence and Zoro awaited any sign of a vehicle coming their way.

Sticking his thumb out the first couple times failed, until eventually a farming truck with a flatbed pulled up on the edge of the road in front of them. Zoro trotted over to the open passenger side window to begin conversing with the man in his native language for a few minutes. The man eventually pointed to the back of the truck and Zoro patted the side of the door with a grateful smile and a thankful reply.

He made his way back to where Sanji stood with a perplexed expression wrought on his young face. Pulling himself into the back of the truck, Zoro had to fight a wince as the motion pinched the wound in his side unpleasantly. If Sanji caught the look then he said nothing, instead opting for standing behind the still idling truck with his arms raised out to his sides in a confused shrug.

"I have so many questions."

Tossing his bag near the back, Zoro looked down at the blond from where he stood and quirked his head tiredly to the side before ordering, "Get in."

Sanji's arms dropped with a disgruntled moue, but he followed the order regardless. Both of them sat as far back as they could as the driver took off on the road once more and the roaring engine drowned out any awkward silence that would've been present between them.

Countryside passed for several hours as rolling hills turned into crowded mountains before mellowing out into larger valleys - endless fields of waving, golden wheat that swelled hypnotically under the bright summer sun; speeding through small farm towns that seemed almost abandoned as the truck continued its journey south. All the while Sanji looked out upon the horizon with reluctant awe; the scenery clearly managing to distract him from his earlier anxiety.

Zoro took the opportunity to curl into himself and let the rocking of the truck lull him into a light sleep while cradling his still aching side. He winced into his collar, knowing that the injury was definitely going to be a hindrance in this whole ordeal until he managed to stitch it up properly and it began healing.

~X~

Zoro's eyes fluttered open as he felt the truck begin to slow to a stop. He glanced over to see a weight on his shoulder that was caused by Sanji's head, slumped onto him with his adorable mess of tousled hair splayed across Zoro's shoulder as the blond snoozed softly, his mouth hanging slightly open. Warmth radiated off of him and kept the twilight chill at bay. It also ignited a yearning in his chest that he had to forcefully stomp out as the truck lurched to a halt.

Regretfully and softly pushing Sanji off his shoulder, Zoro hauled himself to his feet and resolutely went about forgetting the feeling of having Sanji so close to him as the blond started to wake up. Snatching up his pack and hopping off the back of the truck, Zoro gestured for Sanji to follow. The sleepy blond complied, remaining on the sidewalk, yawning, as Zoro ran up to thank the driver once more before returning to the blond's side.

"C'mon."

"Ugh." Sanji grumbled irritably, eyes still mostly shut as he blindly allowed Zoro to lead him down the sidewalk and towards the docks, "Where now?"

"Ferry."

"Ugh..."

~X~

Nearly a full day of journey on the ferry took them along the coast of Japan before docking at a small port on the outskirts of Tokyo. Sanji spent most of it out on deck puffing away on a pack of cigarettes he had managed to procure from the convenience shop on board. He seemed intent on smoking his anxiousness away. Zoro took the time to nap for as long his irritating wound would allow.

After disembarking the ferry, it was another long bus ride into Tokyo until they were finally nearing their destination. Zoro took Sanji to a more heavily crowded shopping district as they wouldn't be able to head to his informant's until after dark, and surely not before dealing with the man that had been trailing them since Tsuchiura.

Not wanting to startle Sanji, or have him give away that Zoro was aware of the other man, they went about the day as normally as possible. They stopped to grab some clothes other than the single pair they each wore, found a street side vendor for a bite to eat, and located some much needed smokes for Sanji; all the while keeping an eye on the foreign man that was getting bolder as the day wore on.

Pulling Sanji into a nearby store, he guided the blond down the aisles while attempting to remain casual. Stopping to pick out things that he had absolutely no interest in, he made an attempt to look them over thoughtfully, occasionally offering Sanji something as he tried to manoeuvre the man through the large shopping complex.

It seemed that the tourist gambit could only last so long until Sanji was catching on to the vibe Zoro was giving off. Remaining aloof as he picked up a shirt and inspected the adorable animated creature on the front, he muttered to Zoro, "What are we doing?"

"Waiting for someone." Zoro replied simply as he rotated the small glass figurine over in his grasp with a false look of interest, making sure to keep his mouth obscured by his collar as he spoke so that whomever was watching them wouldn't be able to read his lips.

"Who?" Sanji prodded, folding the shirt and replacing it on the shelf as Zoro reshelved the item and strode further into the shop with Sanji on his heels.

"Don't know." He shrugged honestly.

"Cheers." Sanji snorted sardonically, "That's real helpful."

Ducking under some low hanging merchandise and colourful banners, he managed to loop back around and get back out onto the crowded street. Casting a furtive look to assure that the man was still somewhere in the store, he took off down the street with Sanji stumbling over himself as he muttered swiftly, "C'mon."

"What?" Sanji managed in his confusion, dodging around a large group of tourist before darting up to Zoro's side once more while trying to maintain pace with him.

"We're meeting our colleague."

"Now?!" Sanji intoned, perplexed, "Who?"

"Don't know."

"I swear to Go-" Sanji was cut off by Zoro grabbing his wrist and hauling him along into the crowded street, needing to get ahead of the man tailing them so he could get a good opportunity to get the drop on him. They managed to duck and weave through traffic long enough that the man was almost a full block behind them as Zoro began keeping an eye out for a perfect place to ambush him.

Rounding the corner into a fairly secluded alley, Zoro immediately reached down and began undoing the buckle on his belt while ignoring the garbled noise Sanji made in the back of his throat. Finally unhooking it, he pulled the leather free from his belt loops in one fluid motion before glancing up at the blond who was watching him with an incredulous expression.

"While I'm quite flattered," Sanji mused while holding up his hands, "This is hardly the time or place."

Folding the leather in half, he offered it to the blond with a serious glare and muttered, "Bite down on this."

"Uh..." Sanji merely hummed in blatant confusion and made no move to take the belt, "Not really in the mood yet; your foreplay is lacking."

Zoro refrained from barking at the man and just continued to stare at him.

"Fine." Sanji rolled his eyes and snatched the belt out of the man's hands, keeping it folded as he put it in his mouth and bit down on it. Talking around it, his words came muffled as he questioned, "Why am I doing this?"

Zoro didn't respond, turning to pin his back up against the wall behind him as he reached out a hand and tangled it in the blond's shirt, dragging him over and making him stand the same as he kept a hand on his chest to prevent him from attempting to move from their hiding spot. Sending a quick glance Sanji's way he gave a small, "Shh."

Sanji just huffed indignantly around the leather still clasped between his teeth, shaking his head in credulity and rolling his eyes before letting his head fall back against the wall. Hands lifting in an exasperated motion before falling to his sides as Zoro turned back to gaze out of the alley, waiting as the footsteps he had been anticipating grew nearer.

The man rounded the corner and Zoro's left arm lashed out to viciously tangle in the hair at the back of his head as he turned and hauled the man into the alley, swivelling on his heel before slamming the man's face directly into the wall between himself and Sanji, the man's nose connecting with an audible crack and subsequent squelch that had Sanji screaming around the belt in his mouth.

Releasing the man's head, Zoro let him fall to the ground where his obliterated face became exposed to the both of them just as Sanji's muffled scream came to halt. Cocking his head to the side Zoro frowned as he tried to think if he had ever seen the man's face before in his previous work, as Sanji took the belt out of his mouth and hissed quietly, "What the fuck?!"

"He started following us a while back." Zoro explained easily as he finished doing up his belt that he had snatched from Sanji's lax grip. He dropped into a crouch to pat the man down and found no identification on him before pushing himself back to his feet in dismay.

"Is he alive?" Sanji asked quietly, still obviously a little shaken over what he had just witnessed but was now handling it surprisingly well compared to the first time, edging towards the body with horrified curiously as Zoro picked up his discarded backpack and hefted it back on.

"Probably." Zoro grunted as he turned to leave.

They would need to move now. Not only would the body be discovered soon, but this would only give them so much of a head start before whomever this man worked for would send someone else. And he wasn't in the mood for giving away his informant's location to anyone who was after him.

"Hey. Hey. Hey." Sanji stammered as he reached out towards Zoro's retreating figure, "We can't just leave him."

Zoro stopped and glanced back at Sanji with a perplexed expression, "Why?"

"I'm kinda in the job of saving people?" Sanji groused, before jerking his hands at the man, "I morally cannot leave him like this."

Zoro debated saying nothing and simply dragging the blond away, but he also knew it wouldn't exactly help his case in getting the blond to trust him again. He crossed his arms over his chest in exasperation as he caved, "Fine."

The look of gratitude on the blond's face shouldn't have caused happiness to flutter in his chest, but it did. So he stood silently and watched as the blond dropped to a knee beside the man and began inspecting him. Checking vitals, and several other things before moving to get a closer look at the man's crushed nose, jumping back in horror as foam began sputtering from the man's mouth.

His body twitched and writhed for several moments as the cyanide capsule the man had swallowed did its job. Whomever these men worked for were quite set on not letting him find out who they worked for; not that Zoro had expected to get the information out of them anyway.

"Problem solved." Zoro noted flatly while Sanji remained stunned beside the body, staring at the – now dead – man, in horror. However, he recovered much faster than Zoro had thought he would and swiftly pushed himself to his feet.

Brushing off his hands on his jacket, he turned to face Zoro with a calm, albeit slightly hollow expression as he began walking off down the alley in the direction Zoro had previously been headed. Zoro felt minutely guilty and added this ordeal to the lengthy list of things he'd need to make up to Sanji when he got the chance.

~X~

One more lap doubled back through the area had Zoro feeling confident there was no one else currently following them, and he began heading towards Ikeburo district. Sanji was much quieter after what had just transpired in the alley, and there wasn't much Zoro could say to make him feel better.

It was Zoro who had ultimately killed the man, and nothing he said would probably pacify the blond in anyway. Deciding on silence as the best mediator, they continued along the streets as night fell and lamps began flickering to life. They eventually came across the decrepit, innocuous building crammed amongst a dozen others on a crowded back alley.

With the windows boarded up it appeared almost foreclosed, but without a doubt the men he was looking for would be here. Casting a furtive glance down the street, he tucked his left hand inside his jacket to get a grip on his gun before hammering on the door as loud as he could.

Steeling himself, a couple of seconds passed and he could faintly hear shuffling around just beyond the portal. Hand tightening on the grip, he braced himself and the door suddenly swung open to reveal a man with arms spread wide and a beaming smile on his tattooed face.

"BRO-"

Zoro was dashing inside the doorway in a flash, hand coming up to clamp over the man's mouth and slamming him up against the opposing wall, keeping him pinned as someone rounded the corner at the commotion and Zoro's gun was drawn in a flash and trained on the other man's forehead. Everyone stood frozen in the entryway with the two men holding their hands up in surrender to Zoro.

"What is it with you and pointing guns at people?!" Sanji barked, storming inside and slamming the door behind himself as he looked between the three men with credulity. Zoro refrained from telling Sanji off for talking so loudly, but the man at least had the decency to follow him inside and shut the door so no one passing by would see.

"H-hey, Zoro." The one with the gun trained to his head chuckled nervously, "Long time no see."

"Yosaku." Zoro nodded politely, muzzle still sticking to the man's forehead, before glancing back at the other man still pinned to the wall. Glaring pointedly down at him to hopefully get the point across of how serious the situation was, he hissed, "You gonna be quiet?"

The man nodded slowly, and Zoro released his hold on the man and stepped back to allow him to recollect his bearings. Though he was clearly not too rattled as Zoro's hand was barely removed before a massive grin was splitting his face.

"You know them?" Sanji demanded incredulously.

"Friends." Zoro grunted.

"You treat all your friends this way?!" Sanji balked before holding up a hand, "You know what; don't answer that. I already know because that's how I got in this situation."

"I like him." Yosaku noted, "Where'd you dig him up, Roronoa?"

Zoro just rolled his eyes in exasperation, retracting his gun and backing away far enough to holster it and glance between the two. "Anyone else here?"

"Nope." Yosaku smirked, glancing between the two men before gesturing further into the small house, "Care for a drink?"

"Please." Sanji muttered over top of Zoro's response, pushing past Zoro and following the other man, being oddly forward with people he didn't know, though Zoro assumed that Sanji must trust them if he did. His attempt to follow the blond was interrupted by Yosaku sweeping him up in a rib crushing hug that had the air wheezing from his lungs and his wounded side searing painfully.

~X~

After taking a sweep of the complex to ascertain they were indeed alone, Zoro eventually joined the others at the large table in the messy kitchen, taking a seat just in time to catch the end of Sanji regaling the others on what they had been up to the past two days; though perhaps with a bit more dramatics than Zoro would deem necessary.

Johnny's gaze twisted around onto Zoro at his arrival and inquired in surprise, "So someone's after you?"

"You haven't heard anything?" Zoro clarified flatly.

"Sorry, Bro." Johnny implored sincerely, waving his beer as he boasted, "Hell, if we had known we would have probably come to see you already."

"But," Yosaku chimed in excitedly, "if you're here then that means you're in the market for a few things."

"I need more money and weapons than I was able to bring." Zoro explained and then proceeded to jerk his thumb to the blond beside him, "Also some identification for this one so it'll be easier to move around."

"Shouldn't be a problem." Johnny assured happily, "Everything can be ready to go by morning; if you're able to stay that long."

"Got a rat off our trail earlier today." Zoro groused, already mentally calculating how long it had been since dealing with the man and likely how long they'd have before needing to move again. If even Johnny and Yosaku were in the dark about this then it was clearly something a bit bigger than a grudge, "I'd say we have at least an eighteen hour head start."

"I think we heard about that," Yosaku chuckled, "Guy found in alley; face all smashed up. Not your M.O."

"That's the point." Zoro muttered quietly. It wouldn't do any good disguising their deaths if they were all sent by the same person, however covering his tracks from the public eye or even from the CIA was crucial. And if it did turn out to be several different people after him then it would make it even harder for him to be tracked.

"They must be pretty stupid if they think they can get you." Johnny cackled as he cracked open another drink, foam hissing through the top as he took a messy swallow. Slamming the can back on the table afterwards, he grinned, "I mean, coming after you solo; they clearly have a death wish."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sanji asked in genuine curiosity, glancing between Zoro and the other two men as he returned to the table with his second beer, cracking open his drink and falling into a chair opposite Zoro.

"One on one combat with this guy is suicidal." Johnny chuckled while jerking a thumb towards Zoro, "Hell, he was the CIA's top agent for a while; did a couple black op missions on his own which is batshit crazy."

"So you were pretty 'big league', huh?" Sanji mused, casting a playful smile Zoro's way as he could no doubt see the hint of a blush creeping up Zoro's cheeks. Zoro's gaze dropped to his drink in an attempt to maintain some of his composure and maybe get control over his flushed face.

"Oh, for sure!" Yosaku agreed with an eager nod, "No safer place than with this lug; if you could have anyone as your bodyguard you'd want him."

"Guess I'm pretty lucky." Sanji murmured gently, the utter sincerity to his words causing Zoro's gaze to flicker up for only a moment to find Sanji watching him. A smile of gratitude on his face helped ease some of the guilt still swelling inside him before fixating his gaze back on the glass in his hand.

"Lucky?!" Johnny jeered, "Dude, you get front row seats; I'm jealous."

"Cut it out, guys." Zoro grumbled in embarrassment, appreciating what his old friends were saying but not in the mood to hear any of it, "I'm retired."

"And still probably the best!" Johnny urged, before leaning in and hitting Zoro's arm playfully, "Mihawk was pretty pissed when he found out you retired."

"I'm sure." Zoro noted flatly.

"Who's Mihawk?" Sanji interjected eagerly, clearly beginning to enjoy all the operative talk that Zoro had previously kept secret. Though, regarding their current situation, it now seemed utterly pointless to shield Sanji from unnecessary truths since they already had a target on both their heads for a still unknown reason.

"Top agent for MI6." Johnny explained before whacking Zoro in the arm again. "Gave Zoro a run for his money a few times."

"And vice versa." Yosaku chimed in before glancing at Zoro with a jilted look, "I think Mihawk was hoping one day you'd be the one to kill him."

"I'm sure he was devastated." Zoro responded facetiously while rolling his eyes.

"Um..." Sanji hummed with a tone of concern, "what?"

"There's nothing worse for an agent than retirement." Yosaku explained delicately, gaze shifting to Zoro as the other man kept his gaze trained on the table. Zoro's shoulders had relaxed considerably, much more comfortable talking about generics than mentioning anything that involved him. "You just can't adjust to the lifestyle after all you've been through."

"So... death?" Sanji surmised, not sounding too impressed with the conclusion he was reaching.

"It's better than living to old age and being forced to retire." Johnny muttered, jovial voice once again falling morose as he tilted his head towards Zoro, "Zoro unfortunately was forced to retire far too young."

"Alright," Sanji mused with a cautious understanding before giving a lighthearted shrug and offering, "so, what if it's Mihawk?"

"Phft! What?!" Johnny snorted into his drink.

"Yeah," Yosaku frowned at Sanji, "What are you saying?"

"I just mean," Sanji wearily explained, tilting his drink to the side in a noncommittal shrug, "that if I had a rivalry with somebody that quit before it was all decided; I wouldn't let him leave the game that easily."

Zoro finally raised his eyes from the table to look at Sanji, gaze pinned to the blond in interest as the blond brought up an idea that had obviously entered his thoughts, but not one he had paid much attention to. Despite him thinking it a bit far fetched, it was oddly captivating watching Sanji come to the same conclusion he had.

"Mihawk wouldn't send lackey's to do his work." Johnny piped up.

"Yeah, plus," Yosaku added, "what if one of them got him?"

"They'd get him back into fighting shape so when I eventually saw him it'd be an even match." Sanji explained easily, before waving his hand dismissively, "But if he could be taken down by a bunch of low level thugs, then he wouldn't have even been worth confronting anyway; either way I'd have my answer."

"Dude..." Yosaku drawled dramatically, clearly overly excited by the thought of Sanji's hunch and while Zoro did deem it an interesting one, all of them were forgetting the type of person Mihawk was.

"Yeah..." Johnny mumbled, "Kid's got a point..."

"Maybe." Zoro muttered, not at all convinced.

"But," Sanji mused with playful shrug, "I also have no clue what I'm talking about; so my ideas don't matter anyway."

"Not true." Yosaku implored, "It's fresh insight; quite fun actually."

"Nice to know." Sanji chuckled as he pushed himself out of his chair, tossing his empty can into a bin by the sink before gesturing down the hall, "Anyway, I need some shut eye. Jet lag is still kicking my ass; and sleeping on the ferry didn't help."

"Yeah," Johnny nodded in understanding, gesturing down the hall, "Third door on your left."

"Cheers." Sanji nodded, making his way out of sight as an oddly knowing silence fell over the three men. They watched the other man leave before turning back to face each other, Zoro immediately apprehensive to the gaze directed his way.

"And... uh." Yosaku stalled, casting a short glance at the door leading to the other room. All three listening for the distinct sound of the door shutting before levelling back on Zoro with an air of curiosity, "Since when did that interest start?"

"Recently." Zoro muttered shortly, not allowing the question to phase him and hoping his tone was enough to let them both know he was not in the mood to discuss it. Concluding rather quickly, "Doesn't matter; he's not interested."

"Riiight." Johnny mused slowly.

Zoro glowered at his old acquaintance from under his brow, daring the man to continue and infuriated in knowing that he would anyway. The fact that they had both noticed the tension between them so quickly was infuriating on its own, but that they were interrogating him was even more so.

"Listen, Zoro." Johnny sat forward in his seat and extended a hand to reinforce his tone, "You're good, but you can also be very oblivious."

"Get to the point, John." Zoro stated flatly.

"Any sane person wouldn't go through all that," Johnny waved his hand alluding to the previous ordeal back in America that they had briefed the two men with over their first beer, "then allow themselves to be dragged half way across the world for someone they hardly know."

"We're friends." Zoro grumbled pointedly.

"Uh huh. Yeah. Sure." Johnny nodded in sarcastic disbelief while leaning back in his chair once more. Sending Yosaku a sideways glance before concluding snidely, "'Friends'."

"I don't remember ever seeing you like this before, bro." Yosaku muttered, trying to go for a more delicate approach than his comrade, "Not even for that blond dame."

Zoro wanted to admit to them that he had never known himself to feel like this at any point in his life either, however there was the small factor of Sanji's disinterest that made the whole point moot. Snagging an empty beer can from off the table, he fiddled with the metal tab irritably before tossing the can across the room and into the bin as he muttered, "Doesn't matter."

Johnny clearly did not want to let the subject go, but Yosaku at least had the courtesy to kick the other man in the shin under the table to get him to drop it. Zoro knew the both of them meant well, but he didn't need the pity party over something that was ultimately never going to change. Though that didn't stop him from fantasizing that the words they had said were true; that maybe part of the reason Sanji was here was because he cared and not because his life was in danger.

Shaking off his pathetic musings, he pushed himself out of the chair and to his feet with finality, signalling the end of the discussion. Far more interested in examining their stock of weapons than he was in analyzing his feelings, as he cast a glance around before looking down at the two with a smirk, "Care to show me what you have in stock?"

TBC...