Guess what? Oh, that's right. I finally updated this story! Wai~ Wai~ NineSoul is actually doing something productive while she sits on her ass all day! Honestly, I don't know when you can expect the next update. This story takes so much concentration (a thing I don't have).
Anyway, thanks to Llanyia for betaing again. It came out pristine as always~
The market in town was quiet. Sure, there were people there, but everyone seemed on-edge. The vendors' smiles looked more fake than usual, and their relatively small crowd of clientele were eerily silent and stoic. The bright colors and whimsical buildings that had been uplifting yesterday were nothing of the sort less than twenty-four hours later.
Sanji trod carefully, catching the eyes of more than a few people as he passed. Damn. What had the Marines told them? Whatever it was must have been along the lines of "give up the pirates or suffer the consequences!"
The cook stopped at a few stands for dry goods and produce, but he really didn't need too much stuff. He had changed his mind about buying all the food they needed, anyway. He needed to get some things for cleaning and for basic upkeep, and then he was done for the day. Ussop had gotten gunpowder and ropes the other day, so he didn't have to get that stuff, but there was always more to get. He readjusted the straps of the paper bags in the crook of his elbow and put his hands in his pockets, starting towards the part of the island that was for ship-oriented equipment, as directed by multiple signs.
Briefly, Sanji thought Zoro would still get lost, despite the signs. He almost laughed. But, then he remembered he was annoyed with the stupid swordsman. Being so fucking annoying and not listening to him and being... plant-ish. Just, damn him.
Sanji realized he was being a little ridiculous then, not because he was still fuming about Zoro not listening to him (he would always be fuming about that), but because he was also upset about earlier in that little tree-cave. When Zoro had let go of him so suddenly, as if he were on fire. That was what was ridiculous.
He should've been mad that Zoro was touching him in the first place, not that he had stopped. But, Sanji couldn't convince himself that that was why. After an unnerving amount of time, he didn't even care to convince himself that he wasn't just upset about Zoro acting like he was offensive, he just wanted to not be thinking about it. Anything else, anything at all, would be better.
"You three, check that way! You tw- no, not you! You there! And, you and you, go left!"
"YES, SIR!"
Sanji heard the clattering footsteps of armed Marines running around and he ducked under a low-hanging eave. A middle-aged man who was sweeping the street glanced at him warily and Sanji just inched further into the shadows. A group of three Marines marched through, rifles in hand. One of them stopped and asked the man sweeping the street if he'd seen any suspicious-looking people. The other two split up and started checking behind and inside barrels of various things.
The cook held his breath as the man with the broom looked at him again, briefly. "No, sorry. Can't say as I've seen too many pirate-types," the man said smoothly. The Marine questioning him hesitated a moment, studying the man harshly under the brim of his hat. "Very well, then. Have a good day, sir," the Marine said, and the other two joined him as he marched further down the street and out of sight.
Sighing, Sanji nodded his thanks to the man with the broom, who nodded in return, and then he slipped away into the shadows of buildings. He had to be more careful. A run-in with the Marines wasn't something he wanted to chance.
Hurriedly, Sanji bought a few things that looked like they would serve as helpful towards the repair of the ship, like glue and sandpaper. His arm strength was maxing out quick, though. He needed to find his way back to the ship.
Marines shouted about something to his right, past a row of shops. He knew they were Marines because they spoke with a unique attitude, and aside from that, they kept saying "sir." Somebody spotted a suspicious person sleeping in the middle of the street, according to one of them. Sanji put his face in his hands. Please, God, don't let it be Zoro, he thought indignantly. And then another Marine added that the suspicious person had green hair.
Sanji cursed under his breath and listened for a location. Towards the eastern coast, a Marine had said, and Sanji started running towards the east. He rolled his eyes, remembering that they had originally been anchored at the eastern dock. Leave it to Zoro.
As he hurried down the cobblestone street, he wondered briefly if he really needed to help the shitty swordsman. He probably shouldn't, since Zoro was trying his level best to ruin Sanji's life, but he wouldn't be any happier about a rescue mission later. The idiot probably hasn't even told the others about the Marines yet.
He had been close to the north side of the island before, Sanji knew, so it wouldn't take him long to reach the eastern coast. The bags he was carrying bumped against his legs as he ran, occasionally hitting a pre-existing bruise, so he hoped "wouldn't take long" was indeed as promising as he thought.
Townspeople gave him weird looks as he passed, forgetting to stay in alleys and shadows. He didn't care, really. If they were going to report him to the Marines, they would have already done so, since he had just been shopping for an hour in plain sight. He could handle it, he decided, if Marines came after him while he was on his way to Zoro.
When he reached the coast line, Sanji stopped for a breather. He couldn't hear the town anymore, or the Marines, so he assumed he was safe for the time being to just slow down. The cook switched the bags he was carrying up to his shoulders, instead of on his forearms and elbows. He rubbed at his arms a moment before starting to walk along the point where sand overlapped onto wood.
oOo
Seagulls.
Fucking Sea-rats.
So annoying. Go away.
The incessant squawking of birds he wished were extinct drove Zoro away from the brink of sleep. He cracked an eye open, trying to spot the offensive birds, only to be blinded by the sun. He groaned and turned his head away from the light. Where the hell was he? He didn't know. Somewhere near the ship, he hoped.
Zoro yawned, stretching his arms out from where they had been folded under his head. He ought to try again to find the ship. He was pretty damn tired of people moving stuff on him, so he'd stopped to take a rest and ended up sleeping. Well, as much as one could sleep on solid pavement with birds cawing endlessly over one's head.
The swordsman sat up easily and looked around, rubbing the back of his head. He couldn't see any buildings from where he was. The deserted stone path that he was lying on led up and over a hill, clear out of view. On either side of the wide path was a mixture of sand and grass that led into trees. Truly, the middle of nowhere. But, at the visible end of the stone path, towards the ocean, there was another path, a wooden one, sprinkled with sand. It looked like a dock, only it wasn't out in the water. It was just a walkway dividing stone and sand.
He looked between the wood and the stone for a second, then shrugged. One or the other, didn't matter. Zoro stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants before starting down the wooden path. It seemed like a nicer path anyway.
As he made his way along the beach, Zoro noticed that the sun was setting. It was still plenty bright, but out over the ocean to his left, the sky was tinted purple and blue. In another hour or so, it would be dark. He really didn't mind being out in the dark, but he figured it would be more dangerous with the Marines milling about. Not that a fight would affect him terribly, he just didn't want to deal with them.
Zoro could hear the indistinct murmur of voices from where he was and guessed that the town must be close. It didn't matter, he decided. Going through town would get him noticed too easily. If he came back across that quiet, shrouded place from earlier that afternoon though, he would probably cut through there.
"There! Look!"
Someone was shouting. Zoro hadn't seen any people close by, but he hadn't really been paying attention. He didn't care to look and see whatever was being pointed out, so he kept walking, focused on getting back to the ship.
"Hey, you! Stop right there!"
They couldn't be talking to me? Zoro wondered, narrowing his eyes at the thought. No, if someone were talking to him, they would call him out as a swordsman. Plus, probably no one on the island was bold enough to call him out.
"Shiiit!"
That one, Zoro knew, was something he should pay attention to. He looked around, searching for the source of that familiar voice. He couldn't see anyone on the slope up to the island or on the wooden path behind him. But, he could hear heavy footsteps, thundering as they would on planks, rather than slapping against stone. So, where?
Two shots fired and Zoro's head snapped up. That sounded close. He ran straight forward, to what he assumed was the source of the compounding echo of gunshots. He could hear the pounding footsteps louder then. But, there was a steep curve in the path ahead of him, surrounded by coal-colored jagged rocks that blocked his view after a certain point.
Zoro hurried to round the obstacle, but before he could reach the bend, Sanji came wildly skidding around the rocks. The blond, shopping bags pummeling his sides, waved at Zoro to run back the way he came. "It's the Marines," he explained breathlessly, shoving at Zoro's shoulder to get him to turn around.
"Why are you running? We'll just kick their-"
"Not that simple!" Sanji interrupted, breathing raggedly. He pushed the bag handles back onto his shoulders as they started to slip, running faster still than he had been a moment ago. Zoro didn't understand. Sanji didn't seem scared, not really, but he was running like he was being chased by something much worse than a few-
Gunshots fired again, one bullet lodging itself in the wood planks by Zoro's feet and he ran. He peered over his shoulder at what he had previously assumed was just a Marine or two. Nope. In fact, it was more like a parade of Marines, weapons drawn and aimed in Sanji and Zoro's general direction. "Holy shit, what did you do?!" he shouted, running even faster to catch up with Sanji, who had gotten a bit farther down the path.
"Told you!" Sanji gasped, swerving terribly as a bullet whizzed past his head. The cook looked worn out, Zoro noticed. Tired and sweaty, like he'd been running for a while. Absently, Zoro wondered how long he'd been asleep.
The path kept straight, almost annoyingly so, as they kept running in hopes of escaping. They knew better than to try either of their close-range fighting styles with so many weapons aimed at them. It would be risky at best. There were at least twenty Marines following them, all of which were angry and armed, and there were probably more on their way. Sanji and Zoro decided, even though they didn't speak, that "run first, ask questions later" was a good plan.
Sand consumed their path ahead, so Zoro pulled Sanji towards the sloped stone path that led up into town. Sanji went without question and Zoro followed him quickly. The Marines were gaining on them, but he figured they'd be safer in town. It would be easier for them to hide and harder for the Marines to just open fire.
A bullet cracked the flawless stone ground just behind Sanji as he hurried up the hill, and another flew past Zoro's hip, missing his swords by a fraction of an inch. "This must really be a revenge mission," Zoro commented, though his lungs burned with the effort.
"Just run, idiot!" Sanji gasped, pulling another burst of speed and energy from who-knows-where as a bullet grazed his shoulder, cutting the sleeve of his jacket halfway. Zoro caught the mortified look on Sanji's face as he noticed his ruined suit and snorted.
The ground levelled out and running became much easier as they reached the edge of town. There weren't any people around, but the buildings would provide enough hiding spots that it wouldn't matter. Zoro skidded as he turned and ducked between two buildings on his right, while Sanji darted in the opposite direction.
The swordsman heard several sets of footsteps clattering against the pavement behind him and he wanted to look back and see how many were there, but as a bullet flew by in his peripheral vision, he pulled out all the stops and ran. It crossed his mind to be embarrassed that Roronoa Zoro was running from a few measely Marines, but he flew past the thought. Now was not the time, he decided.
oOo
Sanji's legs were trying to give out and his shoulders, of all things, were cramped. He had to find somewhere to hide, or he was going to be in some deep shit. Those Marines never seemed to run out of ammunition, damn them.
He slid on the wet pavement outside a flower shop as he tried to turn. Sanji just barely avoided connecting with the stone wall of another building, shoving off of it with his hands to help himself. Behind him, he heard a commotion of sorts, as Marines slipped in the puddles outside the flower shop and several of them fell to the ground. They were getting back up again, yes, but they were also blocking the way for the ones who hadn't fallen, giving Sanji the perfect opportunity to get away.
"Catch him, Goddammit!" one of them was screaming, but none of the Marines could catch up to him now. Sanji turned down a dingy side road and collapsed in a crevice between buildings. He didn't care enough to move so that his suit wouldn't get dirty.
For a long minute, all he could hear was his own heart pounding, and all he could feel was the stinging burn in his lungs. Then he started to feel other things, like the ache in his legs from suddenly being folded up after running for so long, and a sharp pain in his arm, just below the shoulder. He vaguely recalled a bullet slicing open the sleeve of his jacket, but he hadn't realized he'd been injured by it.
Sanji dropped the grocery bags beside him and reached up to touch the wound on his arm. It wasn't that bad, he decided. He'd already been scratched up before, so it didn't make much difference. He was surprised he could feel it at all.
Tromping footsteps passed by Sanji's hiding place and he held his breath until he couldn't hear them anymore. When they were out of earshot, he sighed. "Thank God," he mumbled, pulling out a cigarette and putting it between his lips. His hands were shaking slightly, but he ignored it as he lit his cigrette and tried to calm his racing heart.
oOo
Zoro looked around. He had no idea where he was, but at least he'd lost the Marines.
All around him, plants were growing wildly, reaching out and catching on his clothes. The sand beneath his boots shifted as he disentangled his swords from a sticky plant. He hated this part of the island, he decided.
He thought about calling out, just to see if anyone was there, but he stopped himself before he could. It would be good if Sanji was there, or a local, but not if any Marines turned out to be close. So, instead of shouting, Zoro started walking again. If he kept going, eventually his feet would lead where he needed to be.
The plants went on forever, it seemed, sometimes going over his head and sometimes dropping below knee-level. Most of them were relatively thin, but he couldn't see far enough through the weeds and branches to know where the end was. He didn't know how long he'd been there, but it was far too long.
Unwittingly, Zoro began to think of a soft memory. It was subtle at first, just a good feeling bubbling up inside him, but then it started to clear up. He could feel warmth against his chest, and smell something sweet with an underlying bitterness, all in the memory. He didn't usually have that much detail in normal memory, so, he was rather confused. He couldn't picture it exactly, but it was right on the tip of his mind.
Like his brain was telling him it was obvious, the memory showed itself fully and caused Zoro to stop walking. It was Sanji and it was him, and it was both of them together, and it was less than half a day ago, and it was wonderful. He had his arm around Sanji and he didn't want to let go, but that didn't make sense, since they were supposed to be enemies. But, he'd had that feeling before.
Zoro shook his head and walked briskly, trying to clear away the thoughts, and especially that memory, but it did him no good. He could see the look on Sanji's face when he let go of him, full of confusion and something else, something so damn Sanji that it wasn't even funny. He didn't know why it got to him. It was stupid and annoying and he just wanted it to go away, but the image was persistent. Why had he let go?
Groaning, Zoro dismissed the question. He didn't dare dwell on the subject even a moment longer. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't really care. He had to figure out where he was, and then-
With a delayed sense of relief, Zoro realized he was back in town somewhere. He looked over his shoulder, but he could see no remnants of the sandy, plant-filled area he had been walking through. That was good, he supposed, but it disturbed him slightly to think that he'd been too immersed in that memory to notice the scenery around him changing drastically.
Zoro shook his head again as he half-walked, half-ran down the street.
oOo
"Hey, Cook-san and Swordsman-san have been gone for a while, haven't they? It's almost dark."
"Yeah, Sanji needs to come back and make dinner!"
"Oi! You're supposed to be in bed!"
"They'll be back, soon, Luffy, just go to bed before Chopper notices you're up."
"He's what?! Luffy!"
oOo
Zoro felt like he'd been walking for hours, but he was still in town. He hadn't been able to find the ship yet and it was reminding him more and more of the previous night, when Sanji had come to get him even though he was pissed. But, he hadn't found Sanji, either. Perhaps if they had crossed paths they would've stuck together, but Zoro hadn't seen Sanji since they split up when it was still daylight out. The town's lamps had long since been lit.
He hadn't had anymore direct encounters with the Marines since he and Sanji had been running from them earlier, but he had heard them all around town. It seemed even darkness couldn't stop them. Zoro wondered if they would decide to move on from the island after a day or two of searching with no result. That was the hope, anyway.
But, he wasn't stupid. And, the Marines weren't stupid enough to leave after having spotted two members of the hunted pirate crew. If he were on their side of it all, he would try even harder to find the rest of the crew. He had to tell the others.
Unless, of course, Sanji had already gotten back to the ship and told the others. Well, he'd still have to get back to the ship, but he wasn't in any hurry if Sanji was already there. And, chances were, Sanji had gotten back to the ship pretty easily. He's got an Eternal Pose that always points to the ship, or something.
Zoro stopped in the middle of a crossroads. The cobblestone paths made a pristine X, giving no clues about which way led where. The nighttime businesses lining the streets cast dim orange and yellow lights in every direction, and a greater number of people than had been out in the daytime were wandering about. It seemed he'd have to just pick one path because all of them looked the same. Shrugging, Zoro turned on his heel to take the left path.
Various bars and generally dingy-looking dives were the only places still open, which was disconcerting. It must have gotten late, Zoro knew, but he could swear the sun had only set a few minutes ago. He looked around at the lively, Marine-free nightlife, listening to the sounds of distant laughter and someone singing at the top of their lungs.
Then, out of the vague sounds of the island, he heard, "Hey, buddy, are you okay?"
He didn't know why those words affected him at all. Frequently, Zoro would hear people talking to their sloshed friends like that. But, that time it was different. Like someone drunk was doing the asking, but there was no reply. Normally, there would be laughter.
"Wh- hey, are you sleeping? You can't sleep there, man."
Zoro looked around for the person speaking, and walked towards the one-sided conversation. A man was standing at the mouth of an alley, swaying on his feet and staring intensely at something in the alley. "Hey! I'm talkin'a you!" the man slurred, taking a staggering step into the darkness between two buildings.
Zoro peered around the corner into the unbelievably dark, narrow alley and his eyes must have popped out for a moment, because he just couldn't believe what he was seeing. He mumbled something to the drunk man that he didn't even really process as he dove into the alley and dropped to his knees beside Sanji.
He didn't know what to do at first, because a puddle of blood had developed around Sanji and he didn't appear to be breathing. Zoro was almost afraid to put his hand to Sanji's neck looking for a pulse, but when he did, Sanji took a deep breath. He's only asleep.
Zoro's arms were shaking, but he didn't know why. He looked Sanji over and determined that the blood pooling beside him was from a cut on his arm. He was winged by a bullet, Zoro remembered. "Shit," Zoro grumbled, shaking Sanji by his uninjured shoulder. "Wake up, assshole." The cook didn't show any sign of waking.
Worry crept up on Zoro again as he shook Sanji. "Oi. Wake up, already! I'm the one who's supposed to be asleep, remember?" He could hear his own voice, but it sounded strange to him. It wavered a little when he spoke to the sleeping blond.
Sanji's head lolled to the side, resting on Zoro's hand and he snored softly. Zoro clenched his free hand into a fist. "You better wake up, damn it!" he yelled, shaking Sanji a little harder than necessary. The cook moaned in his sleep, a frown creasing his brow.
"Wake up!" Zoro growled, fighting off the terribly sudden fluttering in his stomach. Sanji mumbled something and raised his arms to push Zoro away. "Wake up, damn it, you're bleeding!"
That time, Sanji opened his eyes, if only a little bit. He stared straight at Zoro for a long minute, maybe it was two or three, before he finally raised his eyebrows and asked, "Zoro? What are you doing here?" His voice was slowed by sleep and somewhat groggy, but he looked at least half-aware.
Before Zoro could answer, Sanji suddenly jerked to the side and clapped a hand over the cut on his arm. "Shit! What happ- no, no, no, I remember now, I remember now," Sanji spoke quickly to himself, shaking his head and pulling his hand away from his arm for a moment. "Damn. How long have I been asleep?" Sanji asked no one in particular.
"Why you shitty... I don't know! You were passed out like a rock when I got here a minute ago, and that's all I know." Zoro crossed his arms over his chest, still kneeling beside where Sanji had been. He was glaring fiercely, but he didn't know why. Sanji was just a little disoriented; he hadn't done anything to deserve being glared at. But, Zoro couldn't stop.
Sanji ran a hand through his hair, the one that wasn't covered in blood, and groaned. "Damn it... How long has it been dark? I think it was still light out when I fell asleep." Sanji looked to Zoro for answers, but Zoro just growled and stood up.
"You idiot. It's been fucking dark for two fucking hours!" Zoro scolded, though he didn't really know how long it had been dark. He was angry, and he was taking it out on the cook, but he couldn't name the reason why.
Sanji didn't raise his head to look at Zoro, instead looking up at him through his eyelashes. "I apologize for the inconvenience, shitty swordsman, but you needn't bother yourself with my burden any longer," Sanji said sarcastically. He grabbed the handles of his shopping bags and roughly shoved them onto his good shoulder as he stood up. Zoro stood with him, still glaring as Sanji began to walk away.
"Oi," Zoro grumbled, roughly grabbing onto Sanji's shoulder. "What the hell was that?"
"Don't expect me to be all cupcakes and rainbows when I wake up to your face," Sanji said flatly, trying to shrug off Zoro's hand, but it wasn't working. Zoro kept a persistent hold on Sanji's injured shoulder and the blond looked back at him with a dare in his eyes. "Let go of me."
Zoro would've listened, he really would have, but he couldn't. He didn't know why he was upset, or why looking at Sanji seemed to compound the jittery anger inside of him, but it was getting old fast. He was tired of being confused, but Sanji looked confused too, so he couldn't expect any easy answers. He had to think about it.
"You're hurting my arm, plant-head bastard," Sanji snapped, trying again to pull away to no avail. "Seriously, let- Shit..." Sanji trailed off, putting a hand to his forehead. Sanji hit his knees before Zoro could think what to do and then the cook was holding his head in both hands, bags forgotten.
"Hey! What's wrong?" Zoro knew the answer to his question, but he couldn't stop himself from asking.
"Goddammit!" Sanji shouted, pulling at his hair. Zoro started to help him up, or hold him together, or something, but Sanji stood abruptly on his own and staggered back a few steps. "Just leave-" Sanji paused and sucked in a sharp breath. "Leavemealone!" His voice was a terrible slur and it tripped the switch in Zoro's head that opened the floodgate of thoughts.
To his knowledge, Sanji hadn't had any medicine since before breakfast. He'd left the ship after that incident, so of course he didn't know. Zoro could only guess about what would happen if Sanji didn't get back to the ship quickly. All his guesses, every single one, were bad. He never thought he had much of an imagination until then.
"We need to get back to the ship," Zoro said firmly, stepping towards Sanji. The cook didn't agree nor disagree. He just stood there, holding his bowed head. Zoro was going to take that as agreement until he reached for Sanji and he flinched away.
"Don't touch me," the cook mumbled, his tone surprisingly calm. "I can walk just fine by myself." Sanji took a few steady steps forward and bent down a little to pick his bags up off the ground, but then he paused.
Zoro frowned. "What's wrong?" He looked between Sanji and the bags on the ground. "Is something wrong with those?"
"You pick them up, I can't do it," Sanji slurred, standing up a little straighter and leaning against the side of one of the buildings whose alley they were occupying.
Zoro's frown deepened and he wanted to ask why Sanji couldn't pick up the bags. But, Zoro decided he'd let it go for the time being and he picked up Sanji's bags and slid them onto his own shoulder. "Oi," he said, moving into what he hoped was Sanji's line of sight. "Come on."
Sanji made a sound, something like unwillingness, Zoro guessed, and pushed off the wall with his shoulder. He held onto his head with one hand and dug through his pockets with the other, silent save for his breathing. Sanji pulled out his cigarettes and a matchbox after a minute and stared at them. The matchbox was covered in his blood, marring the brand logo and perhaps the matches as well. "Hn." He turned the matchbox over and over in his hand.
Meanwhile, Zoro was becoming impatient. Sanji must have been faking, he decided, because if he was really hurt, he'd be in more of a hurry to get back to the ship and the doctor and the drugs. The cook must be faking, trying to make him feel guilty or some shit. But, it wasn't going to work. "Hurry up, shitty coo-"
"Quiet," Sanji interrupted, his voice still a little slurred. He pulled out a cigarette and lit up before continuing. "Your voice hurts my head."
"Bullshit!" Zoro spat, more convinced than ever that Sanji was yanking his chain. "You ain't gettin' pity points from me, you shitty bastard. If you want to hang out in some dark alley all night, you can do that by your damn self! I'm going to back to the ship and-"
"Please, for the love of God, will you just shut up," Sanji groaned, kneading his temples with the heels of his palms. His cigarette was burning to ash between his lips, but he seemed to have forgotten it. Half his face remained hidden behind his hair, but Sanji had raised his head, if only a bit, so Zoro could see his expression. His visible eye was shut tight and his lips were pressed together so hard that they were almost nonexistent.
At that point, Zoro wasn't sure what to believe. He was pretty sure that Sanji was faking, but it was quite an extreme measure to take for... whatever Sanji might get out of making Zoro feel bad. He didn't know. His pride told him not to give up, but that stupid feeling in his chest and his gut was telling him that Sanji wasn't pretending. It was a toss up.
"The Marines'll probably be back soon," Zoro mentioned, thinking out loud for the most part, but unconsciously biding his time. "We have to get out of here. I've been looking for the ship all afternoon, but I haven't-"
"It makes my brain rattle," Sanji grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose and finally opening his eyes.
Zoro was thrown off. "What? What are you talking about?"
"Your voice. You're being too loud and too Zoro. It hurts my head more than it was already hurting," Sanji answered, quiet but level in tone. He blinked slowly, seeming to have trouble opening his eyes again as he took a deep breath. "Something tells me you don't believe me, though. That's very shitty of you, thanks a ton."
Zoro narrowed his eyes at the cook, vaguely threatening. "I'm trying to help, shit-cook. If you don't like my voice, fucking deal with it."
Sanji's eyes closed again and he took a long drag from his smoldering cigarette held between shaky fingers. "Che. You think I need your help? I think you got that backwards. Obviously, a directionless fungi such as yourself wouldn't be able to find the ship on his own." Sanji opened his eyes only once he was finished speaking, catching the angry, offended look on Zoro's face and smirking slightly.
Zoro started to respond but Sanji cut him off with shake of his head and a cringe. "Don't... talk. Just, go on. I'll be right behind you, and I'll steer your ass in the right direction." Sanji crushed his cigarette beneath his shoe and gestured for Zoro to lead the way.
"Don't be creepy, shitty love-cook," Zoro grumbled, walking out of the alley and onto the street anyway. A moment later, he heard the tapping of expensive shoes behind him.
"I'm impressed. This is the right way."
oOo
Zoro looked over his shoulder for the fifteenth time since Sanji's last direction and the cook was still holding his bent head. "Stop doing that, would ya?" Sanji hissed, startling Zoro a little bit. The swordsman faced forwards again, refusing to acknowledge that he had, in fact, been caught watching the cook by the cook himself.
"Left," Sanji instructed. Zoro listened and turned. "Your other left," Sanji said, patiently. That was how their evening was going. Every few minutes, Sanji would tell Zoro which way to go and between directions, Zoro would look back at Sanji, who appeared not to be watching the road at all.
"I'm not going anywhere, you know," Sanji had said, after a few minutes of uninterrupted silence and equal uninterrupted staring. Sanji wasn't looking at Zoro still, but he seemed to know that Zoro was looking at him. "It wouldn't benefit me in any way to run off anywhere by myself like this."
"That's not why," Zoro said, angrily turning to face the street ahead of him.
Sanji laughed breathily behind him, then hesitated a moment before asking, "Then why?"
"Just makin' sure you ain't dead, or somethin'."
"I'm 'or something,' thank you very much."
Zoro growled. "Shut up, okay? I just don't wanna get an earful for lettin' your ass wander off and rot somewhere," Zoro defended himself. It was true, he supposed, but the truer answer would be that he was worried the cook was seriously hurt. But, if he said that, he'd never hear the end of it.
Sanji didn't respond.
They were walking along the coast in a matter of minutes after that exchange and Zoro couldn't hear Sanji's footsteps anymore, so he looked over his shoulder more often. The cook didn't call him out on it, Zoro noticed, but he wasn't complaining. He would rather not be accused of looking at the cook for weird, made-up reasons.
For maybe twenty minutes, they walked to only the sound of the waves and the seabirds that refused to sleep. Zoro was starting to wonder, at that point, whether or not they were going the right way after all, but before he could voice his thoughts, the silence was broken by an unnervingly close shout.
"Sir!" A chorus of unseen voices startled Sanji and Zoro, turning both their heads towards the shroud of trees blocking their view of the neighborhood and people just beyond.
"Not this again..." Zoro groaned, hands on his swords.
"Have you succeeded, any of you, in finding any of the Straw Hat pirates?"
Sanji pushed Zoro from behind, whispering, "Go, go."
"Yes, sir! We, uh, earlier, we encountered..." The voice tapered off into nonexistence.
"Well? Out with it!"
"A group of our men ran across Roronoa Zoro and one of the other pirates in town today and gave chase. Unfortunately, sir, they escaped..."
Zoro hurried across the sand, thanking all that was good and holy that the moon was hidden behind the clouds, causing almost complete darkness around them.
"And? Did you find their ship? Did you shoot them?!" The responding voice was growing louder and more impatient.
The swordsman looked back at Sanji, who was taking long strides to cover as much ground as possible without actually running. The blond was holding his head with one hand, leaving the other to swing at his side. He was still in pain, Zoro realized.
"N-no, sir. We were unable to-"
The voice was cut off by a loud smack. "I don't want to hear how you've failed! I want to hear about progress!" the strict voice screamed. Zoro saw Sanji cringe at that.
"Hurry," Zoro whispered, turning around to face Sanji, who was a few paces behind.
Sanji halted almost immediately after Zoro hurried him and his other hand came up to his head as well. He nearly fell to his knees, only saving himself by taking a staggering step forward. Almost as if he hadn't stumbled at all, Sanji stood up straight again, shoved his hands in his pockets and began walking faster than he had been before.
"Are you alright?" Zoro asked as Sanji passed him.
"Keep your voice down," Sanji whispered back. For what felt like the first time in days, their eyes met and Zoro found himself locking his jaw and nodding in compliance.
Zoro could hear multiple lowered voices, but no distinct words. And, judging by the look on Sanji's face, he couldn't hear them either. Zoro took that as a bad sign. The swordsman put his hand on Sanji's shoulder and pointed to some bushes, nodding. The cook seemed confused, but he went anyway.
Zoro ushered Sanji to a point he mentally deemed safe and peered through the openings in the bushes, looking for the Marines. He could still hear their hushed voices, but it seemed as if they had deliberately quieted themselves. Definitely not good.
"That way!" was the harsh whisper that penetrated the silence of the night. Zoro and Sanji exchanged a look, one that asked the question, "Fight or flight?" Zoro wasn't sure what Sanji could really do if his head was hurting so much that he could barely walk straight, but the cook was nodding determinedly.
"If they get close enough..." Sanji whispered, barely audible. Zoro nodded in agreement, clutching two of his swords.
Twigs snapped left and right as unseen Marines searched for whatever or whoever they thought was around. A shadowy shape passed by with only a single thin bush between it and the two pirates. Sanji looked in the direction of the sounds as they occurred until the only sound left besides the ocean was the subtle grainy sound of people walking through the sand.
"That was close," Zoro sighed quietly. The walking sounds ceased and were suddenly replaced by clacking, guns on guns. Oh, shit.
Sanji grabbed Zoro by the shirt and pulled him down to huddle below the branches of a thicker bush and put his finger up to his own mouth. The cook eyed him seriously for a few seconds, before crouching down further and peering under all the bushes. Zoro did the same and quickly realized they could see several sets of feet through the bushes, all of which were walking right around them.
Zoro looked over at the blond briefly, a bit shocked by how little space was between them. Sanji caught the look and grinned at him, pointing in the general direction of the Marines and laughing without sound. Zoro looked at the seemingly disembodied feet wandering around in search of them and failing spectacularly. He couldn't help himself but to smirk as well.
A pair of legs came a little too close for comfort behind Zoro, so he scooted a waddle-step forward in his crouched position. Sanji's facial expression then could only be described as mocking laughter. Zoro glared at him until Sanji found himself having to move as well. One Marine was only a few inches from Sanji's left arm and he scrambled away as quickly and quietly as his crouch would allow. Zoro mirrored Sanji's previous expression right back at him, grinning smugly.
Close call after close call kept them shifting around in their small hiding spot, nearly bumping into each other several times. All the while, Sanji looked like he was trying not to laugh, even though Zoro could not see the humor in the situation, try as he might. He guessed it must be because of Sanji's head that he found their predicament amusing.
"Sir, I don't think there's anyone here," one Marine said, from his standpoint six inches to Zoro's right.
After a pause, the obvious superior in the group conceded. "Fine. Back to the ship! We'll radio in the other groups for a small break, but we'll be out again by dawn!"
"Sir, yes, sir!" A small army of clattering guns and thudding boots bustled away.
For a long, long few minutes, Zoro and Sanji remained completely quiet, just staring at each other. Then, Sanji started to laugh. Zoro had no idea why or what was even really funny about it, but he laughed, too. "Your face," Sanji laughed between breaths. "You thought they were going to get us! You really-" he broke off into a laugh.
Zoro was offended, yes, but he had to laugh. It was ridiculous for reasons he couldn't even think of anymore, but the fact that the cook was laughing made it okay. "What about you, baka? You looked like you were gonna wet yourself," Zoro snorted and Sanji laughed harder. *
And then, shit got serious.
"Ow, dammit, ouch!" Sanji cursed, holding his head in his hands again. This time, when Zoro reached out to help, Sanji didn't stop him. Zoro grabbed Sanji's shoulders and pulled him up into a standing position.
"Come on. We have to get back to the ship, now," Zoro said carefully, just in case angry Sanji came back.
Sanji nodded, whining. "Quieter, please," he said, eyes shut tightly. Sanji let Zoro guide him out of the bushes before he started walking completely on his own. "Goddamn exertion from laughing. Stupid-ass headache."
Zoro rolled his eyes at Sanji. "We'll be back soon, so quit your whining."
"You don't even know, Zoro," Sanji mumbled, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms. That made Zoro curious and surely he'd ask, but questions were for another time.
Without another word, Sanji and Zoro walked along the sand in search of the dock. Sanji was still holding his head, but he didn't seem to be in as much pain as before, Zoro noticed. That was good. The last thing he needed was for the others to see him with a catatonic Sanji.
"How close are we to the ship?" Zoro asked after a few minutes' silence.
Sanji looked over his shoulder at Zoro. "Pretty close. It should just be around that rock, see?" Sanji pointed to a tall, jagged boulder like many others they'd seen on that island, sectioning off the beach a few meters ahead of them. "You really can't remember where we parked, can you?"
Zoro narrowed his eyes at Sanji for a second. "No, I don't commit useless things to memory."
"Ha."
"Shut up!"
oOo
When Sanji and Zoro finally got back to the ship, everyone was hanging around on deck in the lantern light, doing their various preferred activities. Luffy, Ussop and Chopper, who had been playing a convoluted game of Go Fish, looked up when the cook and the swordsman climbed up onto the deck.
"Oh, guys! Where've you been all day? Nami had to make dinner and it was awful."
"Sanji, I really need to have a talk with you about your health. You shouldn't go wander-"
"Eights?"
"Hey, Ussop, I was talking! ... But, here."
"Hah, according to the rules, you must now forfeit any twos in your hand!"
Sanji and Zoro shared a look of exasperation. Sanji mouthed the word "kitchen," and Zoro nodded. He'd gotten hungry from all the running around they'd been doing since early that afternoon.
"Oh, you two!" Nami came out of the galley just as they were headed in. "Shame on you for leaving most of the day! It's been so damn hectic around here. The next time you leave for free time," Nami said as she passed them, "I'm fining you one million beli a piece!"
Zoro actually laughed.
* Baka - Stupid, idiot, dumbface. (That last one was made up. It doesn't mean that. But, wouldn't it be funny if serious adult Zoro called someone a dumbface? xD)
That was really fucking long. I can't even see straight anymore. Can you? Well, you wouldn't be able to read this if you couldn't. Best of luck to your eyeballs. In other news, SANJI! OMGWTH happened to Luffy being the sick one?