A/N:
You can tell I'm stress-writing when I post 4 chapters in the same week. XD I think my average was about a chapter every two months before this.
So here's the long awaited chapter of when Zoro finally meets Sanji's human form. This chapter is dedicated to the ZoSan shippers following this story, but I still can't promise this is the direction the story will go from here.
A warning that the rating for the story has been bumped up to M for the nudity in this chapter.
Sanji Kitetsu Chapter 21
The first thing Sanji is aware of after his mishap on the mountain is the smell and taste of fresh warm blood.
Then it's the intermittent and strangely soft voice of his mossy master as he comes in and out of consciousness.
... sorry I...
Next is the fact that he's being held in a pair of hands, one on the hilt, the other on the back of the blade, slightly shaky, but warm and gentle.
After that is the feeling of warm breath on his hilt.
... promised you'd make...
He drifts off again.
The next time he comes to his senses he's instantly aware of the amount of pain he's in. Everything hurts with every breath he takes.
Wait, breath? He takes another.
He opens his eyes (yes, eyes, not the blue gem) to find the familiar green haramaki inches from his face. He tries to turn to get a better look of where he is, but the slightest movement has him hissing in pain. Immediately, a large calloused thumb starts drawing soothing circles on the bare skin of his hip.
The...
Bare...
Skin...
Of his hip...
He bolts upright, but the stabbing pain in his back forces him back down on the swordsman's legs with a THUD and draws an involuntary howl from his throat.
"Shhhh... Don't move. You're hurt pretty badly." The swordsman says from above, his other hand starts combing through Sanji's hair.
Now he's completely awake. He's in his human form, curled up in semi-fetal position in the swordsman's lap, naked.
Yes, naked, and the swordsman's hand is on his hip.
Sanji is set aflame with equal parts of rage and embarrassment. He tries to push himself out of the man's lap, but his arm responds with only pain and no movement. Frustrated, he sends the best glare he can manage up to the swordsman's face.
"Did you see?"
The swordsman gives him a confused grunt.
"Did you see me down there, no DON'T LOOK, YOU IDIOT!" He fumes, followed by more pained hisses.
"Yeah. You're definitely a boy." The man only shrugs.
"YOU PIECE OF S-" His explosion is cut short by the sound of the door banging against the side wall.
"Zoro, have you seen N-..." Usopp's voice comes through the doorway. Then a loud gasp, and the door slammed shut again.
"I'm sorry I'm sorry! I saw nothing! Just-... I'll guard the door, so finish what you're doing!" The long nose shouts from beyond the door.
Sanji shares a look with the swordsman and decides to fix the situation first.
"Where's my sheath?" He demands. If the moss-brained swordsman kept his sheath on while he transformed, he'd at least have some clothes on right now.
The man gives him a blank stare and begins searching the floor around them. It doesn't take long. A few seconds later, the master leans forward to reach for the sheath, pinning Sanji painfully between his broad chest and muscular legs.
"Ahhh-OWWW, FUCKING GET OFF ME THAT FUCKING HURTS! FUCK!" Sanji yells, and the yelling only brings another wave of pain. The swordsman quickly backs off, holding up his still solidly wooden sheath for the cursed blade to see. Sanji continues spilling a string of curses at the sight of it.
"Move!" A new voice commands from outside the door, the voice of an older lady.
"L-l-look, it's no-" Usopp stutters.
"I heard the yelling. There's someone injured in there, and if you're going to stand between a doctor and her patient, you'd better be prepared to pay the price."
"EEEKK..."
The long nose squeaks, followed by the sound of the door banging on the side wall, again. Then comes the clicking of her shoes. No one seems to dare to make a sound as she makes her way into the room. The foot steps stop right behind Sanji, and after a second or two, he feels an ice cold finger dragged across his back.
"Don't move. He dislocated his spine. He won't walk again if you move the wrong way." The lady says.
The moss head gives a serious nod in response, and the finger moves up Sanji's chest.
"Cut wounds, two, no three broken ribs..."
The finger moves to his unresponsive arm.
"More cut wounds, broken forearm, dislocated shoulder..."
Then it goes down the side of his leg.
"The legs seem fine, except for the cuts and the sprained ankle. It's amazing how well he's dealing with the pain. Are you his boyfriend?"
"What? NO!" The two answer in unison, and Sanji hisses in pain.
"OK, so who are you?"
"His master." The swordsman sounds rather proud.
"Master?... As in teacher of some kind?"
"No, as in owner."
A moment or two passes before the lady lets out a heavy sigh.
"Well you're a despicable piece of shit, and I hope you know that. He's a human being, you know! What did you DO to him?"
"What? He's not-"
"I don't want to hear another word from you. Put him on the bed, GENTLY, and get the hell out of my castle."
The moss head complies after a moment of hesitation and princess-carries Sanji to the bed (much to the cursed blade's embarrassment). The contact with the bed draws a few more pained hisses from his lips as his body finds its new position.
"And take your torture devices with you." The old lady throws Sanji's wooden sheath at the man and shoves him out of the room.
"Wait, you might want to hurry. He has about 20 minutes left!" The swordsman tries to warn the doctor on his way out.
"He can take as much time as he wants while he's MY patient. You don't get a say in that. Get lost." The old lady says through clenched teeth. Then she shouts down the hallway. "Chopper! See this guy out the door and grab a blanket and some straps. We've got a dislocated spine."
A faint "OK" comes from afar before she slams the door shut.