REWRITTEN!
AN: Finished my short-story 'Gentleman' for the Jakob Hansen Literature Festival, and now waits for the answer if I'm one out of the three lucky writers. So now, here you go, new updates of re-written and reread stories of 'Taste of Bittersweet Disaster'. Feedback and critics are more than welcome. ^w^
Nille: ARGH! Damn it! It's fine that I can edit and manage my stories, but what does that help, when the Document Manager-page is down? Anyway, sorry for the delay, 'technical problems on the homepage' you can say (and it's true!) but I'm back again with a new chapter to you guys… uhm girls…^o^; don't think that there are so many boys or men who's reading on this (and if you are, please tell me –snicker-)! And to all of you who have reviewed: Thank you SO much! I LOVE THEM! XD
Luffy: But they just don't taste so well –yuk!
Nille: Luffy…? –Rubbing temple- you know, you're not supposed to eat them, only read them!
Luffy: Oh? So that's was why Zoro always banged his head into the wall when I tried to eat them?
Nille: -BANG! BANG! BANG!-
Luffy: Shishishi! Yeah, it was like that –snigger- You two are funny!
Nille/Zoro: -mumbling- I give up on this man…!
…
Answers on reviews from chapter ten:
Pisaj-Elf : Aww, thanks –hugs you back-
Sanji: -smiles and hugs back- thank you for you kindness and concern, my dearest angel…
Nille: Sanji? You okay over there?
Sanji: …
Nille: Sanji?
Chopper: WHAA! He's bleeding! He's bleeding from the nose!
Nille/Zoro: -both mumbling and sweat drops- let him bleed then… damn perverted cook!
Mish1: Nakama's are the most important in life! Real nakama, for that sake. They'll always be there with you and for you, and they are the ones who let you be yourself, act the way you want it, without thinking that you're weird… okay, let's not discuss that subject much more ^o^;
dalia76 : Haha! Don't worry, there will be MUCH more on its way XD
Daschel: XD well, I'm glad that I hit the right spot. ^o^ But anyway, Zoro does say or think that he miss the old Sanji… ne? ^^ but yes; one can never know what will happen XD and yes, they'll defiantly will keep fighting… well, that is after all Zoro and Sanji we are talking about, ne XD
WaterSage093: Yeah, I know, I'm evil towards them^^ Really? You could really see Zoro hug Sanji in such kind of situation? Phew~! I'm glad to hear that, hehe.
zoroVsanji : Thanks! Glad to hear that you like it ^o^ Yes, promise me not to stop writing on your story, course it's too good to even stop on like that. Can't wait till next chapter…! .,,
ColourPearl: Ah, thank you! I'm glad to hear that my descriptions are that good. glad to know. Uhm, I hope that when you say 'feel sick' then you means it on a good way and not like in a 'I-hate-it-so-much-that-it-made-me-sick'? Ne? Don't hope for the last .,,
Anyway, thank's for your review!
ShaolinQueen: Hehe! I thought so that if Zoro ever came into a situation like this he probably would react like this^^ Thanks for keep reading and reviewing!
Dont-stop-believing: Uhm… I hope that you didn't crush your computer screen too much…? Hehe don't wanna lose any readers ^o^ Hope that I won't disappoint you with the fallowing chapters and that I still can keep your interest to this story –smiling-
silentscreamer666: Really? –big shining eyes- do you really think so…? Hahaha! Thank you so much! I'm honoured to hear that! –big smile-
Yukiim: Haha! That's good to hear that you will try to survive the waiting XD Thanks for your loyalty and… and-uhm.. Did you just call me your favourite a-artist? –blushing- uhm… thanks *^o^*
Pirateking1: Aw thank you for the cookies! –gives cookies to Sanji and Zoro and starts gnawing at my own- Mmmm! Taste good!
Sanji: Thank you my lovely dove for the wonderful cookie! –goes all hearty-
Zoro: -just stands and stares at the cookie in his hand-
Nille: Don't worry; it won't eat you!
Zoro: Hmm… thanks –takes a bite… pause… takes another bite… puts it all into his mouth and swallows it- Not bad…!
Nille: -sigh- I think that's the closest you can come to a positive compliment…hehe ^o^;
Hmm… so you have reviewed before? Weird that I haven't got any or that it hasn't even shown on the page O.o? But anyway, I'm glad to hear that you're still reading and that you still like the story ^o^ thanks!
…
Thanks to Mari-chan and Mei-chan for beta-reading this chapter as well… thank you girls! I don't know what I would have done without you two XD
Please enjoy! ~^o^~
Taste of bittersweet Disaster
-A One Piece fan fiction
By Crystalbluefox
Just when everything went well…
Why should this then happen?
Oh, when will I be able to watch you walk again?
Bend the ways that should be impossible?
When can I hear you laugh again?
Those there are true and not fake?
When will I be able to see…
A warming smile be send from you
To me?
…and why does my heart wish all this?
What is going on with me?
11. Chapter
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Unnoticed Disease
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Slim fingers trailed over his sweaty chest, following the long trail of his scar with feather light touches. The hot tongue played around on his throat, sucked, licked, bit and kissed. His own hands explored the others body, caressing it with gentle touches as he could feel the small abs under his fingers. He buried his nose into the crotch of the others neck, inhaling the sweet smell of sweat, musk, food, cigarette and male… the calming smell of Sanji!
A single blue eye looked into his own grey ones… a lustful and carving dark ocean-blue eye. And then that tongue came forth again and tasted him… he wanted so much to taste him as well, but his body wouldn't allow it. His hands instead found its way down to his ass and cupped it. Sanji's moan sounded so delicious that he needed to hear more of it. A slender hand sneaked down under his haramaki, opening the zipper of his pants and went further and further down.
Zoro woke up abruptly, sweat covering his skin as he looked bewildered around in the room. He recognised the room as the infirmary, he let out a breath he didn't knew he was holding and banged his head against the edge of the bed. Damn it! Why did he get such a dream all of a sudden? And then, for god sake, with Sanji in it? A man! Sanji… he looked slightly up at the sleeping form before him. The air caught in his throat as he watched the man sleep peacefully, a rare sight, a sight he appreciated. The sunlight shone through the porthole and bathed the blond in its light, making his golden hair shine even brighter, sweat glistened on his naked torso, his shirt was slightly open to let the skin breathe. Lips slightly parted, the same lips that he yesterday had… Zoro brushed his thumb over his own lips at the memory, the kiss, those lips had been slightly chapped yet so soft. He wanted to kiss them again, properly, lovingly, to show the blond cook that he wasn't alone, that he was loved.
Loved?
Zoro's chair hits the floor with a loud bang as he runs out the door, scrambles up the stairs and for the love of God, if he truly exist, hopes that no one saw his out of character panic attack and flight. He hides himself among the shadows of the tangerine trees, and collapses. He stares at the dirt, stares at a root there just barely stick out of the ground, stares, and sees him, his sleeping face, his calm expression, hears his slight panting, sees those parted lips. "Shit, fuck!" He hammers his hands hard against the ground, barely notices the dull thump it leads to further down. The hell was he thinking? What the hell was he thinking?! Having thoughts like that, it was all kind of wrong, and forbidden.
And then that dream… those hands, that oh so beautiful deep blue eye. Those lips.
Damn it!
He banged his head against the ground, hard and painfully. Damn it! Fingers clutched the dirt, scraping to catch more of it, he was no more than that. Damn freaking hell! If anyone ever saw or knew… "Shit, stop it!" he groans as he feels the pants tightening as something else is growing. Stop it, stop it already! Deep breath, deep breath! Forget it, think of something else! Don't show, don't show. Deep breaths. Don't think, clear your head. If the others ever found out… if he ever found out of it - the picture of Sanji's lustful, begging eyes kept burning his mind and made his pants tighten even harder till it hurt. He clenched his legs tight together, trying to hide, trying to kill it.
He clutched his shaking dirty hands, grinding them against his temple, cursing himself and that ever growing feeling, it just wouldn't disappear, and he hated it, because he was stronger than this, he had to, he needed to. No, no good idea of thinking at the word 'need' in the moment. Trembling hands itched to do something, to touch something shakenly he let it move up under his haramaki, daring it not to, yet another part wanted to, needed it. Taking in a shuddering breath, his thumb brushed over the zipper. Hissing he squeezed his eyes tighter, daring it, letting it, threatening it, but just as he did, that part of him just didn't care listening to rational reasonings. He was hard, god damn it he was hard, not alone could he feel it inside of his pants as it twitch and pulls a pained groan out of him, but also at the bulge on the fabric as he lets his hand run over it. Not even the worst mood killing tactic would be able to help him out of this one, the hell was wrong with him today? Was that dream and that kiss really enough to do this? He pressed his hand harder against the bulging fabric, groaning and almost choking on his own tongue. Damn it! He so much wanted to do it, just jerk himself of and get over with it. But it wasn't acceptable to think of another man when doing it, it wasn't acceptable to even have feelings like that or to get a hard on because of another man… if he first did it once, he couldn't promise himself if he could control it next time.
Yet, here he was, actually debating with himself and trying to reason with himself why it wasn't such a good idea, and actually loosing. Dirty hand dried off on his pants, removing the worst of it, though it was far from hygienic, he found himself opening the zipper and sneak inside of his boxers. He groaned, just at the touch of cold against burning hot skin was enough to make him wanna just go grab it and rip it. But he couldn't, he shouldn't, yet trembling fingers wrapped themselves around the pulsing length and slowly started moving. Hissing he hoped for the love of anything that no one would see nor hear him, and if anything that horrific should happen, he would just come up with a dump lie. He was a man after all; all men had needs to take care of. But if he ever was asked of whom he had been thinking at, he wasn't even sure if he could put up yet another lie without it seeming weird. His hand stroke him hard down and made him forget about that and instead brought his thoughts to a certain blond whom was at fault at this. Remembering the dream, his lustful voice whisper his name to him, dark ocean blue eyes watching him, judging him and welcoming him in a way never would become real, though none of this never would. Slender hands was on him, strong long fingers were touching him.
Zoro hissed at the mere imagination of a naked Sanji, sweat covering pale skin glistening in the light of the sun, tempting him to lick it all off, to taste him, touch him, to do things against him that no one else ever had done before. He knew that he later would hate himself for this, but for now he actually didn't care any longer, just wanted to get over with it and therefore let his mind have free room to play whatever it would. The closer he got, the dirtier his imagination would get, the longer he wanted it to last. He fastened the pace at the same time he tried to drag it out as much as possible, his dirty imagination having its own sickening will from his rational thoughts, wherever that part was shoot off to. It wasn't allowed, having these kind of thoughts, wasn't acceptable, yet he couldn't stop it, even when he tried to think of someone else to kill the dangerous growing mood. But his possessive mind wouldn't have it that way, only zoomed sharper onto one specific blond man. His hand squeezed tight around his length and stroked it harder, punishing him for his pity try of an escape, he gasped, shuddered. Behind his closed eyes Sanji was making him loosing it, long legs with oh so much strength in them snuck around his neck, pressing his pelvis against his face as the blond smirk and leaned backwards, bending his back in a inhumanly way that only Sanji could do. Hot breath tickled his hair as a warm mouth came over and closed around him.
He banged his head hard into the soil, so hard he actually were seeing stars before him. "Oh god, shiit!" He was sick, he was twisted, fucked up wrong and directly boiling to the depth of his core and damn fucking shit he just didn't want it to end and face the realities. He hissed at the building up to the horrible downfall, gritting his teeth he more than could feel the wetness forming in the corner of his eyes. No one could know, no one should know, least of all that blond whom was as straight as an arrow and worshiped every living woman existing. Whatever little friendship they had, he wouldn't go ruin it just because he was fucked up and slowly but dangerously surely falling hard and painfully for that blond. He wanted to touch, he wanted to taste, he wanted to kiss that mouth again, passionately, lovingly, but it could never happen. He wanted to hold him, never to let go of him again, he wanted to do things with him and for him, he wanted to love him and he wanted him to know that he was loved… he wanted to make love with him so he would forget the horror there had happened to him. He wanted to make him feel like the man he truly was; the strong, ass-kicking, nerve-racking, mind twisting, lovingly, kissable and fantastic cook, person and fighter he was.
Yet, whatever he wanted to do, whatever he wanted to show, could never happen. What he wanted, wasn't allowed, what he thought and what he was doing was downward sick and twisted.
The blond leaned up, one hand still on his penis, the other coming up to his face as he kissed him deep and lovingly and that was enough to send him over the edge. He barely managed to close his hands over it to not dirty the clean soil of the tangerine trees, though the inside of his boxers wasn't as lucky. The picture of a smirking Sanji grinning happily at him still soured in his mind as he collapsed at the ground, panting hard, hand still around the length where warm cum still shot out. Shit, that was more than he had thought was possible. He had never come this hard before, not to any woman he had bedded before, though they could be counted on one hand. Panting hard he carefully pulled his hand out and looked with disbelief at it. Damn it! How should he clean himself unnoticed from the others? He even needed to change his pants and underwear, but as jumpy as the crew was sleeping lately, he soon would be caught and questions raised. Though there was still those little lies he could tell. Truth could never come out, truth wasn't allowed to be breathed out ever. Damn it, he really needed to clean himself.
An imaginary picture of a certain horny blond whom was licking him clean soon popped up. "Oh fuck, stop it, stop it, stop it already!" he groaned out, panting, beyond exhausted and tired as hell, though another part of him was far from that and soon woke up again by the mentally picture. He hammered his head hard into the soil again, grinding his head into it, hoping that the dirt would burry him and the growing tightness in his boxers. Think. He had to think at something else. Clutching his eyes tighter, what little there was left of his rational mind was raging every memory and imagining horror he could muster.
Grandma Kokoro, in Franky's speedos and nothing but those seashells to cover those humongous long breasts. The pure image of it made him shiver in disgust, it was a sure killer, so much he even had to restrain himself from puking his stomach out and rinse it in the seawater with a broomstick and acid.
He sat up leaning against one of the trees as he watched the clouds above float by in their own carefree speed. He was still covered in sweat and cum, hands trembling along with the rest of his body, he willed himself to stare the skies down until sleep would swallow him up. So that was how it was; he was a faggot, with no other interest to others but to that certain man, huh. Did that even make him a faggot when he didn't look at other dudes? Urgh! That actually made him feel a bit disgusted thinking about, but why did thinking of that cook not disgust him out of his good skin then? Why did he allow him entrance into his heart? Why was he so special among all of his friends, his nakama, that his sick mind wanted more with him? He grumbled in irritation and banged his head hard against the tree trunk, the leafs rustled dramatically above him. No matter of what, thoughts like that were not allowed or acceptable on any ship… or any other places for that sake! If anyone knew what he was thinking, of how he felt and what he had done, it on mostly ships could mean death! Luffy was a great guy, a good kid, an open-minded captain, yet even though he knew how acceptable he was to crossdressers, this, being a faggot, was a whole other thing.
And then there were the rest of the Strawhat pirates.
Shit.
He jerked back into reality, catching himself in almost drowsing off, as someone suddenly roared in anger, screaming after his person. "OOOI! SWORD-HEAD! THE HELL YOU'VE DONE TO MY SHIP?!" Zoro mere chuckled when hearing Franky's explosion of anger as he cursed and tramped around on the deck, searching for him.
"Looks like he have seen the dent on the deck," he said to himself as he rose up, walked nonchalant up to the bathroom to clean himself off the semen and dirt. He sneaked into the boys' room to get himself a clean pair of undergarments, threw the others far into the deepest corner of his closet for later to be washed, then showed himself for the furious shipwright. Good. Just what he needed to destroy those last thoughts, kill those wrong ideas there were forming; a good old fistfight!
"ZORO! You're a dead man!" Franky cursed while pointing a large finger at him.
Zoro just chuckled and prepared himself for the upcoming fight as the cyborg neared him. Yeah, he might be a dead man, but at least he would take this fight with him before the end.
-TOBD- TOBD- TOBD—
The seagulls chatted happily as a couple of them sat at the railing, beside them sat Chopper, chuckling at whatever funny there was spoken. Usopp raised a brow, it was booth weird and amazing that the kid could talk with other animals, yet logically seeing he was, after all, half animal, logically seeing none of this should never have been possible to begin with, but hey, it was the Grand Line; everything was possible! After all, he could never deny that being able to talk with animals was pretty cool to watch!
Tilting his head he looked at the construction he held in his hands. It was one of his newest creations. A tabasco bomb. One single push at the button and -
"Hey, Usopp! What 'ya doing?"
It made such a jolt in the sharpshooter at the sudden appearance of their captain, that his thumb there brushed the single button, pressed it down. The bomb exploded, spreading the deadly hot sauce in his face. Usopp didn't cry, no, he shrieked."Aaargh! It hurts! It hurts!" scrambling up on his feet, he ran back and forth at the deck, searching blindly for something to wash it all off with, cursing the horrible stinging sensation as his eyes burned. Sighting a bucket full of water he scrambled for it and stuck his head into the cooling wonder.
Nicki looked comically and slightly worried at him, awaiting for the kid to emerge. "Eehm, Usopp? I don't think it's any good idea to stick your head into dirty soap-water to wash your eyes," Nicki said, shifting the floor scrubber into his other hand, waiting for a reaction. Still none. "Are you dead or something? That's gross, I just cleaned that place."
The sharpshooter flung his head out all of a sudden, yelling and screaming. "It hurts! It hurts! Yuck! Cough! Dirtyyyy!" He spat and coughed, the blond only sighed.
"I told you so…idiot."
"Shishishi! You're an idiot, Usopp," Luffy agreed as the long nosed teen rubbed his itching eyes.
"LUFFY! This is all your fault! You're the idiot, idiot!"
"Eeeehh? You would have pushed that button anyway!" the raven said offended and pouted. Oliver sat down beside the captain, who sat cross-legged where Usopp had sat before, and watched the sharpshooter still rubbing his reddening eyes.
"Is he okay?" the youngster asked a bit worried.
"Naa, don't worry, it's Usopp!
After Chopper had looked him over, Usopp was brought back out on deck. The little doctor jumped up and smacked him hard over the head, the moment they left the infirmary. "Auch! What was that for, Chopper?" Usopp whined as he rubbed his head.
"Idiot! Don't ever touch any of my medicals ever again for your experiments, without asking me for permission! And never wash your eyes in dirty soap water ever again! That's plain stupid!" the reindeer lectured him, hammering a solid hard hove right into his foot for good measure. Usopp cried, nursing his foot he checked it for any damaging or holes, none where found of course, Chopper wouldn't do something like that, only because it would mean double work for him.
"Okay okay! I get it, just… take me to somewhere where I can sit, okay?" Chopper sighed as he watched his friend nervously touching the bandages covering his eyes.
"Ne, you're an idiot, Usopp," Luffy said nonchalant, as Chopper helped the sniper to sit at the chair next to their captain at the railing.
"Shut up! It's your fault!" Usopp said, tramping angrily in the ground.
"The bandages should be on for at least three days, so that the eyes can heal and rest properly." Chopper explained, ignoring Usopp's fuming and whatever he was saying next, Luffy nodded in understanding "I've cleaned them the best I could, but there are still some powder in them, that the immune system has to fight off itself. That's the second thing why he has to wear the bandages." The raven tilted his head and looked quizzically at him. Chopper sighed. "You didn't get a word of what I said, right?"
"Something with a mystical system doing the job!" he said, smiling. Chopper just looked at him, ignoring any temptation to hit either him or himself for even trying to explain it to him, at least Zoro understood, if he'd been awake.
"Just, don't think more about it, Luffy, he'll be okay again." Luffy gave him a wide grin.
"Good! That's all I need to hear! I trust you on this, Chopper!"
"Idiot! As if that will make me happy at all, you stupid jackass!" Luffy laughed heartedly, a rare sound these days and even though that Chopper wanted to prod in with something that he barely remembered of by now, he smiled, happy to hear that heart singing sound that he so much had missed, and wiggled, overreacting his happiness for gratitude even more than usual. It made the captain happy, and laugh, so why not give it an extra nock?
"Oi! Dinner's ready! Come and eat!" Nicki's voice rang out over the deck, calling all of them in. Luffy snapped his head up and in a matter of a few seconds he jumped up and ran towards the kitchen.
"FOOOOOD!"
"Oi! Stop there! No! Nonononono siiit!" Nicki called panicky, wavering arms flying up and down as he tried to stop the bulging cannonball of their captain, who barged his way through hammering the poor blond right to the floor. "LUFFYY!"
Luffy's trademark chuckle were heard from somewhere inside, and from what Chopper could hear of it, his mouth was already stuffed with food. "Yosh! Foooohd!"
Usopp sighed, running a hand through his curled hair, swiftly avoiding the bandages crossing his head. "You think he ever learns about to defend himself and the kitchen against Luffy, Chopper?" he asked, but there were no answers but panicky running hooves clapping against hard Adam wood. "Ehm, Chopper?" he tried, but the hooves only disappeared up along the stairs. "Anybody?" No answer. "OOI! You're forgetting all about ME! I'm still blindfolded here!" He called accusingly, a hoarse seagull answered far above. "Oh shut up, go cook yourself birdie!" then he heard someone snigger.
"You know how perverted that sounded just before, long nose?" Usopp grumbled and folded his arms, it was no mistaking who it was.
"Shut up, Zoro! You know what I meant! And I thought that I was left all by myself here!"
"Scared?" the mock was easily not to be overheard.
"Of course not! Whom do you take me for being? I'm a brave man of the –" Usopp screamed, manly, not girly, it did absolutely not sound like a high-pitched girly scream, as someone suddenly brought an arm around him and tossed him over their shoulder. "Oi! OI! I can walk you know! Put me down!"
"You want some food, brave hero of the sea?" Zoro sniggered as he tramped his way up the stairs "Then you better shut your mouth or I'll leave you out here with the seagulls!"
"I hate you, you brute!" Zoro only snorted in answer. Well, at least he would get something to eat, look at the positive side of life. Hah! He could almost make a scull-joke out of that one.
-TOBD- TOBD- TOBD—
Snow.
Wherever he looked, there was snow. It was freezing cold as he walked down the empty streets. Was it really that late? Sanji turned around as he meant he heard something, but there was nothing to neither be seen nor heard anywhere near him. The wind was picking up and howled around him, tousled his hair around, shit, it was cold! It was only then that he realised that he was stark naked. Where the hell had his clothes gone off to? He wasn't that hammered that he wouldn't even remember that he'd exposed himself to the white world of nothingness, oh but he had been before, that day. So smashed that he didn't even remember what he had been doing, or acting, but that was mostly that guy's fault, that monster.
Where was he anyway? There were no trees, no houses no nothing there could give him a lead to where the heck he was in the world. It was just flat, snowy and white. How'd he even get here to begin with? A wind howled, a cold-hearted laugher cut through it like a spear of ice through thin paper. Sanji trembled, this time not from the cold. That voice, that laughter. He knew that one… he had heard it somewhere before.
Sanji stopped, not even knowing that he had started walking to begin with, and listened carefully. Enthralled with the falling snowflakes, he reached out a hand to grab one of the falling wonders, but as it landed in his hand, it melted, the white snowflake turned into a gruesome red colour. Blood. He quickly tried to brush his hand off on his thighs, only succeeding in smearing the blood further around, the more he tried, the more there was. He started panicking as the blood drippled from his hand and landed before his bare feet's in a red pool, there grew bigger for each try to get it off.
His ears picked up the sound of a distant growl. Sanji snapped his head up and looked to all sides. However, there were no one in sight and he was still all alone, but the fear was there, the familiar panic grasped him in its tight hold and choked him slowly. He held his breath, as he felt the presence of someone else, or rather, something else. Hot air bathed his neck. His eyes were wide with horror as a low whisper of his name ghosted into his ear. Carefully, ever so quietly he turned around to face the owner of that voice, that familiar horrible voice. Lips pulled up to reveal large sharp teeth, a snarl was heard as the smile grew wider and his eyes grew larger. He wanted to back away, to get the hell out of there, wherever there was, but as long as he could get as far away from this man, this creature, anywhere else would be better. One step forward, he took one back, his toes barely scraped the surface of the white fluffy floors as the man, no, monster, surged forward. A scream still caught in his throat burst out, yellow eyes watched him, mirrored his bloody form, as its owners sunk its deadly teeth into him.
Sanji sat up abruptly in his bed, bathed in cold sweat. Heart hammering like a mad against his rips, he tried to get a grip of where the hell he was. An infirmary, a bed, no bars but familiars wooden doors, sunlight, no dark shadows, no cold stones. Movements yet even when he sat still, the ocean, no silent quiet land. He was at the Sunny, he was home,not, not there. He let out a frustrated relieved sigh as his mind pieced together he was safe, not there to await whatever next they had in mind. A test, an experiment, an operation, a beating, a torture, a rape. No, no he was no longer there, he was here, safe. Hepanting and he was shaking. The nightmare had reawakened that else so well bottled up fear he thought he had in control, his slipping mind. That damn fucking nightmare, again! He moved his trembling hands up to his temple, trying to collect himself from that dream, from those memories, those fucked up twisted feelings. Hunter! The dreams had become more weird and terrifying lately, when he finally had got some good sleep, finally thought that he could have a nightmare free nap, it all returned back to him. Those memories, those feelings, those fears. The only comfort had been those cursed drugs, when they injected him with the narcotic everything seemed easier, he didn't care, mind blank, unfocused as they used him from time to time. It felt like years what only had lasted weeks, he thought. Didn't know anymore, didn't care anymore.
Those drugs had been his only saviour, until the effect weighed off and every harsh reality came crushing down at him. He wanted to forget, he wanted to have that numb feeling again. He needed it, his body and mind craved it.
He needed something, and he needed that something now to calm him down, to make him forget and for once, just for once, make him feel at ease again. Even though that he was home, in safe, he was still there, torturing and haunting his mind. He was loosing it, for each day his calm façade was slipping, he didn't have anything to put him at ease, each and every day, each hour, almost each minute, he could feel it. That craving, that need to forget, to let go, to not care and feel carefree – he somehow envied Luffy for his ability for that. He was craving it more than he would like, more than he would ever admit, but it was making him a wreck not getting it for such a long time. Before, he got it daily, if not more than that, he barely remembered. They used to drug him so much sometimes that he barely knew who he was himself and didn't even care about it.
Now, he was feeling the horrible withdrawal of wanting, no, needing that shit. Fuck, he hated himself so much. Who would ever guess that he would ever fall this deep? He had tried to occupy his mind on everything else, now he found himself glancing over Choppers cabinets, searching for one specific drug. He knew that he never could get the clean one, but, morphine could do as well, it had as long as he had been in great pain. Lately Chopper had tried to slowly get him out of the drug and use something not as strong and addicting. The doctor knew the danger of it, Sanji needed it now. His eyes fixed at the little bottle in the locked glass cabinet, he moved closer to the edge of the bed. He could fix that lock, he had seen Nami do it so many times and learned him since she found him as one of the few "hidden talents who would get it". The needles, where were they? Shit, he could look for that one later, now was just to get – he hadn't even heard the door open as someone stepped inside, he hadn't even seen anyone getting up to his bed, as his whole world was about to get his hands on that shitty little bottle.
"Hey! Breakfast's ready. You want some this time?" the voice was familiar, though he hadn't heard much of it, he had distantly heard it bicker with that fucking mossball. It jolted him back to reality and snap his head up in the direction of the voice, scared beyond horrified if anyone ever should catch onto what just had been on his mind. Sanji straightened up, eyes widening as they looked at the person before him, or rather: as he looked at himself looking back at him with a curious smile.
He screamed.
-TOBD- TOBD- TOBD—
It all came fast into motion as people occupying the kitchen, enjoying their breakfast, heard the horrified scream. The whole place simultaneously leapt off their chairs and towards the source of that scream. Zoro had just barely entered the kitchen as he heard it as well. Dropping Usopp to the floors, he forced his way through, pushing everyone in his way to get there first. He flung the door open and was about to run in, ready to attack, ready to defend, ready to whatever there might come, but not ready for this. He stopped abruptly, Luffy, who was hot on his tail, bumped right into his back, whining why'd he'd stopped so sudden.
Sanji sat on his bed, scrambled up against the corner, a shaking finger pointing at the person glued up to the wall at the opposite side of the room. His mouth agape, moving as it tried to form something coherent to say, with no such luck. His blue eye was wide, transfixed at that person.
The crew looked from their terrified chef to their temporarily replacement chef he was pointing at, who tried to press himself almost through the shelves with medicine, staring just as horrified back at the teen. Nicki held his tray with food for dear life, his visible dark blue eye was wide as it now stared terrified at the intruders. His hands were shaking so much that it almost made the milk spill over the glass. He looked from the group and over at the person before him, and then at the others again as he tried to find his vocals again, but without any luck. Instead it was Sanji who spoke.
"Wha-wha-wha, wh-who-who-who the HELL are YOU?!" Nicki snapped his head back to look at the other blond in the room, but only managed to drop his jaw.
"Huh?!"
Nami sighed and clasped her hand to her forehead. "See Nicki, this was precisely why we told you not to walk cautiously in here like that."
"Bu-but I mean, you never said that we were, that alike!"
"We did show you the poster." Luffy shrugged, as if Nicki was being a complete moron here.
"That poster? There's nothing alike!"
"Thank you! Finally someone who means the same – wait, you guys sees him as well?" Sanji said as if world creation finally dawned on him, finger still pointing, though loosened high.
Zoro groaned in annoyance, rubbing a particular nerve there had knotted together between his brows. "Copycat, couldn't you find a better way to scare the hell shit out of the, kid?" he said sarcastically. Both blond heads snapped around to look at him.
"SHUT THE HELL UP, MOSS-HEAD! I'M NOT A COPYCAT (A KID)!" they both screamed at the same time. The swordsman dropped his jaw and just blinked dumfounded at them.
"Okay, this is pretty weird," the redhead said from his left. A bit further behind he meant to hear Robin giggle in amusement and Brook chuckle as well.
The two blondes' neared each other inches by careful inches, almost as if afraid of that the one of them suddenly would jump at their throat and rip it open. Sanji sat almost on the edge of the sickbay, threatening to tip over if he neared it any closer, Nicki now stood right before him, still holding his tray in one hand, they leaned closer towards the other, inspecting each other's faces, staring in disbelief. Both moved a finger up to poke at the others face, both stared at the bang of golden hair that covered their left eyes, both looked at each other like the other was some kind of weird alien or a new meat to be cooked.
"At least you don't have blue eyes as me," the teen suddenly blurted out, no one sure about if it was meant that anyone should hear it or not. Nicki 'hmph'-ed and tilted his head.
"I do, actually, it's just really dark." He said, pointing at his visible eye as he tilted his head, in the right light you could actually see it.
"Oh." Sanji said, almost in disappointment, or interest, it was hard to tell.
"Your eyebrows' curly, is that even real." Sanji snorted and twitched a brow.
"Come closer and I'll show you what's real."
Zoro snorted, amused at how the threat fell in bad ground with the copycat, and that the cook was seeming to act more normal, more like himself, though he could be wrong, he could be tricked by that well-placed mask there had been on the cook since, well, since then. He'd only seen that mask off once, yesterday – he shivered at the memory and tried to focus on what was happening now, rather than at yesterday. The two blonds continued to try finding different things about the other; the ones hair lighter than the other, the skin darker than the other, and their eyes. They both had blue eyes, but in different shades; Sanji's were more ocean blue were as Nicki's were more midnight blue. And then there was about that stupid beard, idiots. In the end the two of them seemed more relaxed with each other, and chanted on with some other stupid stuff. Like even their voices where practically pretty close to each other, but where as Nicki had some kind of accent and heightened and deepened more often, Sanji's was pure and free, and only held a clean accent when wanted to, like pronouncing some shitty fancy dish or something.
"Do you have the same… as me?" Nicki then asked, pointing at the bang of hair there covered the teen's left side of his face. Zoro were curious about this as well, he'd seen the copycat's hidden half, a side of him he wasn't proud of, so when he asked this question, to others it would seem nothing special but oddity, but for the two of them, it was something complete different, and Zoro were one of the few who knew what he meant. They were quite alike, not like a mirror image, when you looked closer and knew what to look for, they were more like twins with their own differently. It was so unlike possible, but hell; this was, after all, the Grand Line.
Luffy light-hearted snigger was what broke the awkward silence. "Sanji, this is Nicki by the way, he's a great painter, but he can also cook good food! Nicki, this is Sanji; the best cook on the whole of Grand Line, and he's our cook!" The two mentioned persons both looked up at the grinning captain, and then looked back at each other.
"Really?" they both said, both smirking that stupid fucking annoying smirk, before they gave each other hands and shook it, in a delayed introduction. "Perfect blonds; wise, handsome and talented." Nicki said, flicking some hair aside to point it out. Sanji chuckled, tightened his grip with the other.
"I can't agree more!"
Franky laughed out loud and Zoro slapped his forehead. "Great! Like one annoying smugBlondie-idiot wasn't enough!"
"Yeah, and it seems like they've just teamed up." Franky guffawed, Zoro let out a frustrated sigh.
"Freaking just great. I go drown myself now before it'll contaminate!"
-TOBD- TOBD- TOBD—
"So, you're the best cook on these oceans?" Nicki asked as he sat down before him, eyeing the way he poked the food, not that he didn't want it, he just hadn't seen this kind before, and, how rude it was, his mind was wandering off. He really needed a smoke, but Chopper had forbidden him to smoke in the moment, and he really really needed something else. That else. Nicki sighed. "It's not poisoned, if that's what you think."
"Huh?" Sanji said wisely, not catching what he was speaking about, shit, he really needed to put himself together before his shattering frame was noticeable. If any found out, if Chopper did, he would pull him fully out of the Morphine treatment, 'a cold turkey' as some pronounced it. That would be a horror. He looked up at the other blond, going through in his mind what he just said and finally understood. "Oh, nono, it's not that," he hurried to say and lifted the plate up. "But, egg-bread?"
"You never served that in the mornings before?" the man asked him. Sanji blinked at him as if he was a complete idiot or something. "Its called (*)'Arme Ridder', its an old Danish breakfast going back to many hundreds years ago... directly translated it means 'Poor Knight', and as the name says; it was breakfast there was special served for poor knights on the roads, who came and slept in the taverns." The older blond told. Sanji gave him a scrutinised look.
"Danish?" he asked. The heck was that? He hadn't heard of that before anywhere else. Nicki sighed in frustration.
"Don't break your head too much on that word –Denmark was a country I once lived at, a long time ago, before I ended up somewhere else, and moved again… end of story!" he said as he scratched his neck and then pointed down on his plate. "You gonna eat it when it's still warm, or should I feed it to Oliver or Luffy?" Sanji furrowed his brow and grabbed his fork and knife and began eating it. He chewed slowly on it to taste the flavour, then hummed and started to take another bite.
"Not bad," he had to confess, chewing it slowly. "Egg and bread, of course… there's defiantly some salt and pepper in it to bring forth the taste, and… (**) cardamom?"
"And milk, yes." Nicki agreed with a nod. "You seriously can taste all that?" Sanji hummed around a fork of 'Arme Ridder', or something."I must say that I am impressed. You got a good tongue, no, tong, taste, taste buts. Yeah, that was the word." Sanji smirked smugly, swallowing his last piece of bread. Maybe he should start making this in the mornings as well? Varied dishes in the mornings was healthy after all and adding one more change didn't hurt anyone, as long the body just got the carbohydrates and vitamins it needed.
"Of course I have, I'm the best chef on these seas, so I have to have good taste buds."
Nicki snickered, then laughed heartedly, Sanji's smile brightened, smug as all hell about his comment. It was nice just talking to someone about cooking, who understood cooking. He didn't know for how long they talked like that, about different kind of dishes, recipes that the one and other wanted to try out and Sanji got even more curious about this country Denmark, especially their dishes. Chatting away like that it helped him forgetting about certain things, though every now and then the need was there, pulling and tempting him, calling for him to excuse himself, to sneak into the infirmary and get the wonderful stuff. Then he reminded himself that he couldn't just sneak in as he pleased; he was tied to a wheelchair and barely could sit up straight without his back killing him if he sat for too long. Shit, he needed something, and he needed it bad, and it wasn't only for the back.
"You okay?" Nicki asked, the finger there had tapped his lips stayed still. Sanji knew that gesture all too well, he did it himself when the need of a cigarette were too strong.
"You smoke?" he asked instead, ignoring the question. The finger brushed the lips a single time before falling onto the table.
"I've quit, for the time being."
"Why?" and why did he ask?
Nicki looked in the direction of the small group of friends at the railing and nodded towards one in particular. "Seems like it doesn't fall on good grounds with your swordsman," he said honestly "he seemed more… hateful towards me when I did, like I tried to kill the air he was breathing or something." He shrugged and instead put his hands into his pockets, a need to hide them. Sanji snorted.
"Ignore that fucking idiot, if you need a smoke then get one, it's not forbidden here. You don't have restrictions from the doctor like I do." He said, shifting in his seat, shit, his back was being more than a nuisance. His fingers drummed thoughtfully on the surface of the table.
"I don't have any left, I tossed what little I had left to make it easier to quit, for the time being. You sure you're okay?"
Then it hit him, a brilliant idea. It was a risk, but if the other blond was in so much in a need for a cigarette as he thought he was, he'd agree to this, he was sure he had stocked up for at least a couple of months – one never knows when to hit an inhibited island. Hopefully he was as trustful as he seemed to be. "No, not really, my back is killing me, I think I need to go lay down again."
"Should I get Chopper?" he asked, already standing, Sanji grabbed his arm before he could get any further.
"No, uhm, could you, do me the favour to get me up there?" he licked his lips nervously "I need to ask you about something, important." The last part he made sure wasn't audible enough to be heard by any other but the two of them, even Chopper would have problems hearing him. Nicki nodded, thoughtfully and helped him up the temporarily gangplank along the stairs.
Shit, he was a stupid fucker.
Luffy watched as the two of them went, he had been watching them the whole time and he was glad to see that things were going so well. "Looks like Sanji seems much better!" he said happily, grabbing his legs in front of him. "That's good!"
"That's just a façade," the first mate said, grabbing hold of his shirt before Luffy would tumble over and into the deep ocean. It wasn't smart sitting at the railing like this when he couldn't even swim, but he dared to, trusting his nakama if his balance suddenly should become too askew. He blinked confused at him.
"Huh? But he looks happy to me!" He knew something was off, of course he did, but Sanji was just barely recovering from whatever bad things they had done to him. He knew that recovering the body would go faster than recovering a broken mind. He wasn't that stupid, and Zoro knew it, still you had to appreciate the small progresses, however small or big they are. Zoro rubbed his forehead, as he looked annoyed at him, Luffy just smiled at him. A smile would put anyone at ease, showing his true worries would only worry his nakama even more, and he didn't need that, they didn't need that. Things went easier when one played the clown, or something like that.
"That's why it's called a 'façade'! He's pretending that he's okay, even so that he's not!" the swordsman grumbled.
"Huh? But why would he do that?"
"Course he don't want to worry us no more than necessary, idiot!"
"Zoro's right, he's pretending," Usopp said from his place on the deck, sitting almost right underneath him. When Usopp knew that he had their attention, he pointed to his ears. "Even though I can't hear exactly what they're saying, I can hear the way he speaks it; it's not as 'strong' as it normally is. It's more… vulnerable."
"Usopp…"
Zoro nodded. "He's right… for once,"
"Oi!"
"When loosing your sight, your other senses get's stronger to help the person to 'see' in another aspect. I must say, Longnose," the first mate sniggered "you're much more useful when being blind, don't you think that you should keep the bandages on?"
"Don't you think you should be more careful when eating your food from now on?" the sniper mumbled for himself.
"What was that, Longnose?"
"Ieep! No-no-nothing! Hehe, just talking to myself…" he waved his hands frantically before him. Luffy chuckled, but Zoro just grunted at him and watched the two blonds as the one helped pushing the other's wheelchair up along the plank. Luffy's smile faltered, mentally, physically he let it get brighter. Something had changed, between the two of them, Zoro had changed, towards Sanji. But was it mutual? He wasn't sure how much was changed to what, but he trusted his first mate to come to him, if he needed to. He hoped Zoro knew that he always could, no matter of what. He hoped that they both knew that. The elder teen's brows furrowed even more as he watched like a hawk the two blonde-haired people disappear into the infirmary. Yes, Sanji had changed, but he just needed time to heal. Now Sanji wasn't more than a bunch of bad nerves ever since he woke up. He'd seen in his eye and he'd seen his reactions towards different things. Even earlier when Oliver accidently dropped a weight about twenty feet away from them, Sanji had literally jumped in his seat and glanced nervously around and in the direction where the sound came from. And Luffy knew that Zoro knew this too, that he had seen it, he had seen the elder teen's grave reaction to it, the dark look, the self-hatred, as if he still blamed himself from what happened, as if he thought that whatever had happened to Sanji, from the very beginning was his fault. His doing. Telling Zoro it wasn't the truth was like to explain the fishes in the sea that they weren't the cause of the typhoons the seas created; they'd feel they're a part of it, even though they impossible couldn't start it.
He knew this feeling, because he was feeling just the same; the blame, the guild, but he couldn't show, couldn't let them see too much. The carefree way was the answer, it pulled them all easier through the hell, it made them believes in themselves, even himself, he tricked even himself to believe in it. Smile and the people around you will smile back, laugh, and the world will laugh with you, even though they don't get the joke, they'll feel the power of the good mood bubble in them, if just a little. And that little spark was enough to help them push through hell much easier.
Zoro groaned irritated and pushed himself away from the railing. He pulled Luffy's leg, there stretched in commando, and gave it to a surprised Usopp, who soon found out what it was, before he walked away, up to the crows nest, to lock himself up, train until he barely could stand, he did that sometimes, ever since the incident with Sanji, and this was one of those days.
"You think he's okay?" Usopp asked, turning his head towards Luffy. Luffy watched as his first mate and nakama disappeared up through the ladder.
"Who do you mean?"
"Both of them, I guess?"
"I don't know, Usopp." He stretched his arms far above, leaning his head back. "Maaan, I'm so hungryyy." He whined, his growling stomach only agreeing with him.
"What? But you just ate an hour ago, or something." Usopp said, deadpanned.
"An hour or something is looong." He complained, leaning back just a bit further to get a proper look at the sky, suddenly he felt a pressure leave his head, it only took a millisecond to realize that his hat was missing, craning his head all around he saw his straw hat slowly floating down closer towards the waters. Panicky he turned fully over, almost dragging Usopp with him and shot an arm down towards his falling beloved hat.
"LUFFY! Be a little more careful will you?!" Usopp said through gritted teeth as he tried to pull him back onboard.
"My hat!" Luffy yelled, almost crawling even further over the railing to get it.
"Nononono, Luffy! Don't touch the water!" Usopp warned, but just as he said it, just as he grabbed his beloved straw hat, his hand came in contact with the seawater. Immediately he felt his strength disappear and his body go slack.
"Aaaah, so tired~…"
"LUFFY!" Usopp grabbed tighter around him as he slipped further over the railing. "LUFFYYYY!"
They both fell into the freezing waters. Usopp submerged with him few seconds later, grabbing tight around him as he kicked the waters. At least he got his hat back.
"Oh why did I ever agree to stay with this insane crew, with a loony idiot as a captain such as you?" Usopp complained dramatically as the ladder was thrown down to them. Luffy only smiled and hugged him.
"Because you love us!"
"Oh shut up!"
-TOBD- TOBD- TOBD—
Dark clouds was gathering, the wind had gotten stronger and the waves more aggressive, slamming against the Sunny's hull, threatening to toss it and sink it as a mere tugboat. But the Sunny was stronger than that, Sunny wasn't so easily to take down, though that didn't mean that it was completely unbreakable, like the masts for instants, and its sails. And then of course it had to start raining as well. Hammering down in a pour of small spears of ice drops. Oliver fought to fasten the sails to the mast, so they wouldn't whip around and kill somebody in the ever growing storm. A sudden wind hit the part of the mainsail that he yet hadn't sat up, and almost sent him down into certain death, if it hadn't been for a firm grasp around his waist. He looked up and through half open eyes, he saw something green under a yellow raincoat.
"You okay?" the deep voice called to him, trying to outshout the roaring winds, as the arm hoisted him back to safety. Oliver nodded slowly.
"Yeah, just a bit surprised. Thanks Zoro!" Even though that they were this close to each other he had to yell for the swordsman to hear him over the howling wind. Zoro nodded as he pulled him back up and went over to fasten the side of the sail that the teen hadn't managed to do.
"One sail more, and we're done! You sure you can handle it?" the swordsman called, as he watched the others face turn all white. "Oi! You sure you okay? Hey! Oliver!"
"Huh? Yeah! I have to!" he responded after collecting himself. Just one more sail and then he could go down and weep in the corner and thank god and Zoro for that he still was alive. "What kind of crewmate would I be, if I didn't help you with anything?" he said and smiled. He crawled back to the middle of the mast and slowly crawled down. "Auch!"
"What happened?" the first mate called and looked down at the youngster underneath him, as he was about to crawl down as well. He could swear that he for a moment also heard the other curse.
"Got a raindrop in my eye! Damn shitty rain!" Oliver growled. Zoro chuckled and shook his head as he continued to crawl down. The last sail was soon taken care off and not long time after they both gave a nod to Franky, to ensure that everything was done and hurried inside where the storm couldn't reach them.
"We're goanna die, we're goanna die, we're goanna die, we're-"
"Oh shut it, Usopp! We won't die!" Nami said irritated after she had heard enough of his complains, and threw a book at the sharpshooter who let out a yelp and jumped in surprise.
"Nope! Nami-sis is right," the blue-haired shipwright agreed as he hung his coat up on a hook nearby the door and patted the wall. "This little storm is nothing for our great Sunny here."
"No, it apparently seems that Lion-chan is much stronger than that." Brook said as he blew the damp away from his tea before he drank it.
"SUNNY! Thousand SUNNY! Her name is Sunny, damn it!" Franky barked at the musician, who just paid more attention to his tea than at the shipwrighter. Said person grumbled and stomped over to sit down, with several curses sent towards the skeleton.
Oliver leaned up against the doorframe as he looked inside. Furrowing his brows he glared. Things were blurring, getting into focus and out of focus, the more he tried to focus, tried to see the clean lines, the more it blurred. His heart began thumping noticeable in his chest, beating faster than normal, but that might be because he'd almost fell into certain death in a roaring storm, several meters above the ground. He almost jumped as a hand laid on his shoulder. "Hey, you sure you're okay?" Zoro asked. His throat felt uncomfortable dry as he swallowed and looked up at the elder teen beside him, nodding in answer.
"M'just a bit tired I guess, that's all." he said and gave him a reassuring smile. He pushed away from the doorframe, and took two or three steps, before the world tilted, swayed dramatically so he actually thought that the ship was actually sinking, his legs gave after from underneath him and collapsed, kneecaps ramming into hard Adam wood, it felt as if they almost shattered by the impact.
"Oi! Oliver?" He hadn't heard the swordsman this frightened before, never thought it was possible, no, that was actually a lie. He had seen him frightened before, directly horrified, when it came to the uncertainty of their blond cook's life or death. When he suffered in those dreams, far from any help, when his heart stopped, gave up or something, that's when even swordsman was afraid, that's when the elder teen stayed longer at the blonde's side, until everything was well again, until he was sure that everything was well again, and then a bit more. The kitchen fell silent, but he couldn't care less. Oliver was kneeling on the floor, gasping. He felt so damn tired and exhausted that even keeping his eyes open was becoming a hard task. It pounded, hard, in the side of his abdomen, or something, whatever it was it hurt, hurt so damn much. Flinging his arms around himself to support his own body from opening up on him, or so it felt like, he leaned his too heavy head against the surprisingly cold floorboards, trying to get a grip of himself, trying to figure out what the heck was going on with him. Chopper was quickly at his side, checking him over, asking questions that he immediately forgot about the moment he murmured his answer. His side, he held tighter, his side hurt so damn much. Chopper said something again, oh, he wanted him to take off his jacket, though that would require him to let go, but he didn't wanna let go. Somehow the doctor managed to help him off the raincoat, the moment it was off, the reindeer hissed. Now when his fingers grasped the fabric of his shirt, he felt it, the wetness, it even squelched as he clenched it a little too hard. That wasn't a good sign, neither the strong metallic smell there hit his nostrils like a battering ram. He was bleeding, a lot, meaning his wounds had reopened… again!
"Hadn't I told you to stop overstrain yourself?" Chopper said with a mix of anger and worry, as he transformed into his human form and scouted him up into his arms. "Make the extra bed ready!" he ordered to the first person who'd react, Nicki reacted immediately and barged the door open, Chopper right behind him. He barely touched the sickbay before his shirt and dripping bandages was immediately removed from him, while Chopper ordered the blonde around to get him stuff. The voices was getting blurry, asking if he was okay, if Chopper needed any help, if they could do something, but Chopper told them no and that he needed his space. It felt like he was sinking and resurfacing, for only to sink and resurface again.
"Is it that bad?" he asked as he meant to hear the reindeer talk about blood and infection, he didn't even know why he asked, he could feel how bad he felt. A hand grasped his, a familiar hand, smooth skin with just the tinniest of callouses and small cuts, hands there was used to work, yet hands there were taken well care of. It was Nicki's hand. He tried to focus on the blond head looming above him, focusing at those midnight blue eyes, the features of the man's face. He mumbled something that wasn't for him to hear, before he answered, pulling a comforting smile as he shook his head.
"Nothing special that Chopper can't handle, so don't worry," his smile grew a little, as he clapped his shoulder. "So, hungry?" Oliver nodded. "Good, 'cause dinner's soon to be ready," he nodded his head in the direction of the kitchen at the other side of the door. "I got a pro to help me this time, so it'll be a great dinner!"
Oliver chuckled. "No doubt about that," he said, working a smile forth. "Your food is always good." Nicki blinked in surprise. "Hey, what ya think Anna will say if she saw me like this? You think she would beat the hell crap out of ya again?" This time the blond literally dropped his jaw. In focus, out of focus, sinking, resurfacing, damn annoying.
"Oliver…you…?" Oliver smiled even more.
"Yeah, I remember you… some parts, but not everything… at least I remember that you're my friend." He chuckled stiffly but then bit down on his lip to choke a scream threatening to break out, when the reindeer added some pressure to his wound "I, remember most of it, my past, but there are still some parts there's dark to me, and I still don't remember what happened to –ah shit!" He winced as he felt a dull prickling in his wound and gasped. Nicki gritted his teeth and looked worried down at his little fellow.
"Is it bad?" the first mate asked from the door, Chopper was about to tell him to leave them when Zoro interpreted "Captain wanna know." At that, the reindeer closed his mouth and nodded, accepting his question.
"I checked it up this morning and it was fine," he merely whispered, almost afraid that any of the others in the kitchen should hear them "but now, its not only reopened like last time he overstrained himself in his training, but it's also infected and it's bleeding a lot!"
"Oi! Marimo! Stop dripping water all over the place!" Sanji yelled, voice getting closer as he rolled towards them. Zoro only glanced for a mere second over his shoulder. "It's enough that it's raining outside, we don't need the rain inside as we -," Sanji silenced at once when he caught the swordsman's serious look, he clicked his tongue, before he asked anew "What's wrong with the kid?" he said, nodding to the infirmary, blocked by his broad form. They others didn't need to see to much of this, either. Oliver merely groaned from inside, Zoro glanced at him; his face ash-grey and he looked worse than before.
"S'not, 'kid', m'name's Oliver, damn it…" the kid hissed through clenched teeth, Sanji hummed, a telltale that he heard him.
Zoro grumbled as he took off his raincoat and hung it up on a hook beside Franky's coat where it could drip off. He turned around and was about to growl back at the blond to tell him that he should just go back to his pots and pans and leave the kid alone, and him - though hearing the blond curse and being an annoyed asshole, made him mentally relax – as caught the look of fear in those pale-blue eye. Zoro quirked a brow at him, Sanji was frozen in place, mouth open as if he was to say something, something flashed in that one visible eye, as the cook pulled his arm close to his chest, holding protectively around. SAnji blinked, a nerve ticked, a frown grew, a frown he knew all too well. Without saying another word, the blond idiot closed his mouth and turned his wheelchair, ignoring him as he rolled back to his stoves. But Zoro would have none of it, he saw the moment of pain in that eye, the flash of fear, he would have none more of that locked up stubborn shit.
"Oi! The hell is wrong with you? Cat got your tongue?" Zoro called after him, following him, and yet again, there were no response no snapping back, no reaction whatsoever but him rolling faster away from him and to his little sanctuary of pots and pans. That was so much not like the spiteful cook he knew of. Even Luffy noticed this odd behavior. He watched him, shared a look with Zoro, and hopped down from the table where he had been sitting, slowly approaching the cook as well.
"Hey, Sanji…?" the raven asked, carefully laying a hand on the older teen's shoulder, knowing hw jumpy he have been these days. Careful approaching, warning before he would make contact with him, such as this; a friendly hand on his shoulder, and as he had expected, Sanji jumped slightly, but didn't pull away.
"L-luffy," he said with a hoarse voice, he licked his lips, and looked up to the two of them, and Zoro swore that there was the distant telltale of a tear, threatening to release more of them. Sanji crying was a bad sign, because he only did this when things was really shitty. His lips moved, tried to form those words there apparently was so hard to say, the fear now shone in that single pale-blue eye. Zoro looked at his captain, was this another panic attack on the run, or what was it. Sanji cleared his throat as he held tighter around his arm, holding to it for dear life, and Zoro suddenly understood. "M-my arm, Luffy, my arm…!" The young captain furrowed his brow by the sudden fear in his cook's voice, he squatted in front of him to get a better look, as his eyes widened, Zoro knew that things were more than bad.
"Oh my god…!" Nami stood a bit behind and saw the same, she covered her mouth and slowly shook her head in disbelief, tears forming in her eyes. He hadn't even seen her coming, before she moved around him to get a proper look, and as Zoro saw it for himself, he understood their reaction and the cook's fear. His hands was his most treasures, it was what allowed him to reach his dream, to work for it an to do what he loves. Loosing his ability to walk had been a had blow, the uncertainty of ever be able to walk again was still paining the cook, so therefore he was extra careful about his hands, and there as; his arms. Therefore as Zoro saw the increasing wetness on the cook's shirt, the discoloring, he knew that something was fucked up wrong. The wet spot grew by the seconds, as had he cut over his own pulse, that almost made sense if Zoro didn't know that Sanji wasn't like that. There was already forming a red pool underneath his feet, on the floor. "Sanji?"
"Damn shit, it hurts…!" he cursed, gritting his teeth so hard together that Zoro swore that he could hear it, and leaned forward, one visible eye shut close, he groaned, jolted as an unbearable pain with no doubt shut through him, it was almost visible to see.
"OLIVER!" Zoro almost snapped his neck as looked towards the infirmary. Chopper was running in there as he barely could see Nicki shaking the kid panicky. Oliver wasn't reacting. "Hey, Oliver! Wake up! Damn it, wake up, wake up I said!"
"I need to give him some adrenaline! He's going into a shock! Nicki, move!" Chopper ordered, fixing a needle as he came to him.
"Oi! What the hell is going on here?" Franky looked perplexed from the kid in the infirmary to the blond in the kitchen. Sanji gulped before he went slack and fell out of his chair.
"Sanji?!" Luffy was fast and grabbed him just in time before he would hit the floor. "Sanji? You hear me? Sanji!" He shook him, but received no other answer but a painful moan. Sanji's head fell back and his one visible eye rolled back in his head. Luffy held his other half of his face protectively in his hand, not letting any other see that half of the face, but Zoro did though see a thin line of a scar gnawed in the flesh underneath their captain's hand. Luffy knew something that he wouldn't let the others know, a secret there only were for him, Sanji and undoubtedly Chopper.
"CHOPPER! We need you here as well!" Zoro roared up. Chopper froze in his track, snapping his head towards them, a long needle in his hooves.
"Chopper! He'd started breathing slower now!" Nicki called panicky as well, his little head snapped in that direction as well.
"Sanji's out cold, what to do, Chopper?" Luffy whined.
"Hey! What's going on?" Usopp called, confused and terrified.
"Chopper!" Nicki urged. Chopper was split of whom to help first, Zoro could see that, poor kid. Then his features changed, he looked more serious as he looked at him and at Luffy, his authorization as a doctor taking over.
"Luffy, take Sanji into the infirmary! Nicki, move out of the way, please! And Robin, I need your hands in her, please! You other; relax, no panic! Zoro, slap Usopp if he hyperventilates any more than he does now!"
"Sure."
"Hey!" Usopp protested.
"Of course, doctor-san." the archeologist said, moving in long strides towards the infirmary.
Luffy got a better hold of the blond and hurried towards the infirmary, almost running right into Robin's back as she suddenly stopped. "Someone's -" she didn't make to say any more as the door out to the deck suddenly flung open. Everyone's eyes were at the dark shape in the doorway, everyone's but Chopper's, his eyes were fixed at injecting the adrenaline after hooking the kid up with an infusion bag. Even Zoro knew that Chopper was taking a huge risk by injecting him with adrenaline since the blood flow would increase, but going into a shock, he had no other choice. Luckily the kid and him had the same blood type, Chopper had told him that he was producing blood faster than any of the others on board the Sunny, what was lucky since he also was the one on board who lost most blood in battles.
The cold wind brought in some of the rain, a thunder stroked over the dark sky, lightening the world behind the person in the doorway. Luffy blinked in surprise, Zoro had already his hand on Kitetsu, the katana halfway pulled out of its scabbard, ready to strike at the slightest wrong movement. The person stepped inside, completely soaked, water was dripping from a brown hat, cowboy-style or something, almost like the one Robin wore the first time they met her, shadowing the person's face. A long poncho was hiding the intruder's features and whatever he or she could be hiding underneath it. At the second step, Sanji woke up; blurry-eyed he looked at the intruder there was catching everyone's attentions. "Is this, the Angel of Death, who has come to claim my soul?" His tired smile turned into one of his stupid goofed smiles, he chuckled slightly. "If yes, I do not have anything against it, if it's such a beauty there is coming for me…" So it was a woman, huh, he should have known.
"Idiot-cook!" Zoro groaned.
"I won't let you have Sanji! You won't get him!" Luffy said, holding protectively tighter around a protesting cook. Said person looked surprised at him, revealing her hidden face, the lights from the kitchen danced in the girl's brown eyes. She blinked and then looked away from him.
"Nicki?" As he heard Chopper's worried voice, Zoro glanced to the infirmary where the door was fully open. The copycat, Nicki, stood in the doorway, one hand at the doorframe, the other slowly sneaking back to get the door handle. Eyes, or rather, his one eye fixed at the female intruder, his skin white as a sheet, almost quite literally. As his fingers brushed the door handle, he carefully tried to close it behind himself, blocking the view of whatever or whoever was in there. But as Oliver woke, and he spoke, Zoro for real thought that the man would pass out, as the woman's face, there had snapped in his direction at the mention of his name, now glared at him with death in her eyes. Nicki gulped, still trying to close the door behind himself and ignore that everyone in the room could hear Oliver's voice and Chopper's questioning if everything was okay, was he sick and what he was doing.
The girl stepped further into the room, now fixed in one direction; to the infirmary, towards a disheveled blond who was almost trembling into pieces, honestly, that woman almost felt scarier than Nami when in a bad mood, almost. "NIIIICKIIII~!" she growled dangerously, brown eyes thundering in pure anger.
Nicki pressed himself fully up against the door, almost as did he hope he could morph into the thing and disappear, Zoro almost felt sorry for him, almost. "I'm a dead man…!" the blond mumbled with a tiny voice, it was evil, but Zoro couldn't help but snicker.
To be continued
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Nille: End of chapter 11! I hope you all liked it, course I'm not completely satisfied with it, but I can't tell what it is there does it… I think it's because I fear what you will say about it ^o^;
Nami: Hmm~, I think it was pretty good.
Robin: Indeed it was. There was a bit of humour in this one this time, Author-san.
Chopper: I think it was really good, Nille!
Nille: hehe, thanks guys ^^ But I also couldn't have done it without the help of my dearest friend, Michelle… you complained about that there wasn't mush to beta-read last time… I think you'll have a lot to do this time, right? ^^;
Mei-chan(Silvey115): -sigh- unfortunately I didn't get to do much this time either. Mari's 'powers' are coming back so there isn't really anything for me to beta =3 anyways I hope everyone enjoys the fic! =D
Nille: And a thing I have to point out! The person Oliver are talking about, Anna, is not –let me repeat, she's not me, and I'm not her!
Anna: No, thank god I'm not.
Nille: Oi! What you mean about that, huh?
Anna: You really want to know, hmm?
Nille: U-uhm… hey look! A flying whale! Sanji~~, let me help you with that –runs away-
Anna: -sweat drops- idiot…!
Chopper: u-uhm… Please remember to Review & Review guys, Pernille would appreciate that…
Anna: Aww, you're a cute little fellow, huh? –claps Chopper who turns completely red in the face-
Chopper: Baka! I do not appreciate your kind words at all, I don't –clap clap, squittle squittle clap-
Anna: -sweat drops- yeah, I can see that…
Zoro: Brr –shivers- that girl gives me the creep! One moment she's a walking demon, the other she's completely different… is she looking at me now, Franky?
Franky: Yup! And it's no cute eyes she got.
Zoro: -looks slightly back… shivers and looks away- Since curl-brow isn't here (and that freaking author) then I think I have to bee the one to tell that the (*) and (**) you saw in the story, will be explained right below here… she's standing right behind me now, isn't she?
Anna: Yes I do, Zoro!
Franky: -sweat drops- man, you make it sound like a horror-movie. Anyway, what sword-bro said is true. Hope you all will have a SUPEER day! Take care, sisters!
Chopper: Bibi! –waves-
Luffy: And remember to send that Review-thingy!
…
(*) 'Arme Ridder' is as Nicki told, an Old Danish breakfast there goes back to year 1400-1600, if not earlier. And yes, directly translated it means 'Poor Knight'. And as he also said, it was breakfast there special was served for poor knights on the roads, who came and slept on the taverns.
(**) Normally cardamom isn't used in 'Poor Knight', but are used in French toast (together with something else I don't quit remember now ^o^; ). But it taste good when using it to this 'dish' –weak smile- if someone are interested then the formula to this one are like this;
1 raw egg
½ teaspoon of salt and pepper
¼ cup of milk
½ teaspoon of cardamom (I like it best with this in, if you don't like cardamom, you don't have to XD )
2 piece of white bread
And 25 gram margarine
Mix egg, salt, pepper and cardamom together in a deep plate (don't know what you're calling it on English, sorry ^^; ) until it got a fine yellow colour with a slight of brown in it. Add milk and mix this together with the rest. Heat a pan up with some margarine on the lowest heat, (don't let the margarine get brown! It'll just ruin the taste of it all!). Take One Piece (haha XD… sorry, I couldn't leave it ^^; ) and let it soak in the mix. After in about 15 to 20 seconds turn it slowly over so it won't break and do the same, after doing this you'll place the 'wet' bread on the pan and then do the same with the other white bread. Let it simmer in a 1½ minutes to 2 minutes and after that you'll turn the 'wet' bread over and let it fry on the other side as well. Keep on with this until the 'eggbread' got a fine light-brown colour and but it all on a plate and drink a glass of milk to it. Bon Appetite!
Or as we will say it in Denmark: Velbekomme! XD
IF you wish, (and like me, Luffy and Oliver like meat… mmm…. Meat!) you can either take fried bacon or cooked sausage to this breakfast… this is my (and properly Luffy's and Oliver's) personally liking, you don't have to if you don't like it. ^o^
Nille: thank you for reading!
Chopper: And remember to Review & Review!
Luffy: See ya!
