Zoro wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. The fire was not cooperating with him. There wasn't much wood here that wasn't wet. The cooking pot they had cleaned off seemed to be doing the job. The water bubbled and steamed as Zoro dipped in a ladle. He filled the chipped ceramic bowl and stood, careful not to spill any.

Usopp tinkered with a piece of tubing he slid through the window dressings. Rain water collected in the funnel poured in. It ran through large rocks then gravel then sand and finally charcoal before it dripped from a piece of cheesecloth into a collection barrel. He grinned as Zoro looked over his handiwork.

"Not too bad for being done on the fly, huh?"

It was actually less self-congratulatory then he normally was. He hadn't called himself Captain Usopp once that afternoon. He must be pretty concerned. Zoro punched him lightly on the back.

"Looks good."

He slowly made his way back up to the loft. Son of a bitch, not again! Luffy had rolled off of the bed and onto the ground. He was dragging himself to the stairs. Zoro set the bowl on a small table they had set up. He gathered Luffy in his arms patiently and put him back on the lumpy mattress.

"Where do you think you're going?"

He hadn't gotten as far this time. He had actually gone all the way to the front door once or twice much to Usopp's chagrin. That was when he and Zoro officially stopped trading duties just to be on the safe side. Usopp had suggested strapping the boy down but Zoro rejected that notion. It seemed barbaric and cruel.

"Nami…Sanji…need my help…they'll…"

"They'll be fine. You need to stay here. Doctor's orders."

"Wh-what wi-will Zoro do about it? Be-be-beat me up?"

Zoro glanced at his swords jokingly.

"I suppose I will if I must."

"Shishi br-bring it on."

Luffy tried to sit up and just collapsed. He panted heavily and his lids were at half-mast. He shuddered as though freezing but every inch of him was drenched in sweat. Zoro put a hand on his chest gently but firmly to stabilize him.

"We'll have to put a pin in that. Another day. I won't forget."

Luffy's heart rate felt irregular and he was clammy to the touch.

"Promise?"

Luffy held up a trembling pinky finger. Zoro linked his own with Luffy's and shook. A man's word is his bond after all.

"C-c-c-cooooold."

"You just realized that?"

Zoro grabbed his long coat and pulled it over Luffy. He was glad he had carried it just in case. He tucked Luffy in snuggly to trap as much heat as he could.

"Now stop kicking this off, baka."

Zoro fetched his bowl. He took his black bandana. It would work as well as anything. He drenched it and then slowly wrung out the excess water. He laid it across Luffy's forehead. He gazed into that flushed face. It seems like they had just been standing in the woods a second ago. He could hear Luffy's laugh and see his smile in his mind. How the hell did we end up here? What could I have done? Why didn't I see it sooner? Hindsight was 20/20 now that he looked back on it there was a lot of stuff Luffy had done that seemed odd, his own variety of little red flags. Zoro was transfixed in thought and absentmindedly stroked Luffy's face. Luffy murmured in sleep, something along the lines of "feel…good."

Zoro remembered something his sensei had done for Kuina once upon a time. He removed the handkerchief from Luffy's head and rolled him onto his side. He reached under the coat and rubbed Luffy's back in large circles. Luffy seemed more peaceful. His eyes were closed instead of squinted and his brow had relaxed.

"Would Zoro tell Luffy a story?"

"A story?" Zoro raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Don't you think we're a little too old to be doing these kind of things?"

"Luffy just…likes…the sound of…Zoro's voice."

"Very well….hmmm…..there was this pirate hunter."

Luffy interjected.

"You have to start with 'once upon a time.'"

"Once upon a time there was a pirate hunter. He was living hand to mouth and collecting bounties to get by. He was in Shell's town minding his own business when this scrawny punk started some trouble in a local restaurant. He had a mangy wolf he probably pulled out of a sewer or something. The swordsman put an end to it and protected the owners. That really pissed off the blond idiot. It turns out his father was a big man about town. It explains why the pipsqueak's life hadn't been brought to an abrupt end years ago. So the swordsman made a deal with him. If he could survive one month of incarceration then he wouldn't bother the innocent woman and little girl who lived there."

Zoro glared at the memory.

"Little did he know that the asshole didn't intend to keep his end of the bargain anyway. So about nine days had passed when a couple of kids came along. One of them claimed to be the next king of the pirates. The swordsman told the straw hat kid that he was bothering him and to move along. Unfortunately the straw hat kid didn't really take 'no' for an answer. He actually did pretty well in battle. Later on the swordsman would have a chance to see just how strong he really was. The boy wanted the swordsman to join his crew. He was the son of the devil but the swordsman decided to take him up on his offer. It was better to join him than be executed."

"Luffy…is….glad that Zoro…decided to join him."

Zoro ran his fingers through Luffy's damp hair.

"Zoro is glad too."

Zoro heard rustling below. He looked over the edge. Usopp had a finger over his mouth.

"I hear someone outside." He mouthed out silently

Zoro nodded and prepared himself for the possibility of a fight breaking out. He covered Luffy completely and backed into the shadows with his swords at the ready. Usopp hid behind the door with slingshot poised.

No doubt about it, there was a pair of feet sloshing through the mud outside. Chopper and Robin would have announced themselves. The door knob turned and the thing swung open. It cracked Usopp in the jaw and he crumpled against the wall. Two figures rushed in. One was taller than the other. Their clothes dripped all over the floor. The woman cried out into the room.

"Luffy! Robin-chan! Zoro! Are you guys here?"

Nami and Sanji. They found us? But how?