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Chapter 51

Dissonance

Thanks to their last call and the distribution of his apple pastries, Sanji finally had the joy of making new desserts to his friends and for two days that they had set sail again, sorbets and various fresh fruits bowls were coming after every meal.

That morning, he was about to slice a pineapple in preparation for lunch when an awful high-pitched screech was heard from deck. The cook's knife almost escaped from his hands while another much more low-pitched but equally unbearable sound was heard a second later. Both worried and annoyed, the blond left his utensils to inquire where these noises were coming from.

He only had to lean over the railing of the first floor to discover their origin in the grass of the Sunny. Around Brook, Luffy was blowing with excitement into a trumpet, Ussop was tapping the keys of a music keyboard, Franky was tuning his guitar and Chopper was admiring his flute from every angle. Sanji winced frankly. Did the musician of the crew really have the idea of creating a marching band with these fanatics? He knew that Franky was doing well since he had already seen him at work but he wasn't sure the others had even an ounce of knowledge in this area.

This observation made, he jumped again a few moments later when Luffy blew with all his strength in his trumpet, probably indicating the Sunny's presence to all the crews in the region. Brook tried to correct his student, but the navigator arrived before, tumbling down onto the deck like a fury.

"What the hell is this, you want us to become an open target from miles around?!" she roared.

"I'll show them how to do it, don't worry", the skeleton immediately promised her.

He grabbed his violin and started a soft melody, announcing the rhythm to his crewmates. From his perch, Sanji suddenly spotted the swordsman who was watching them out of the corner of his eye a little further. Very likely snapped out of his meditation, he had come to see what was going on and his withdrawn air confirmed to the cook he didn't really appreciate the new hobby of the crew.

Franky soon accompanied the official musician with some well placed chords and Sanji mentally approved his initiative. So long as the other three don't get started, this pleasant and light tune suited him perfectly. Besides, Nami agreed with him because after nodding positively, she went back to her maps in her room.

Sanji then met Zoro's absent gaze on him from the deck. He flashed him an amused smile in return but the fencer seemed lost in thought and he didn't react. Yet his intent observation eventually bring the swordsman's attention to his person and the cheerful musical notes around them made the blond want to tease him. However, his smile now playful didn't seem to please his partner because the latter snapped shut before turning his back. Rolling his eyes, Sanji followed for a few moments his figure which was moving away towards the crow's nest.

Zoro had been grumpy for the past few days again and he didn't quite understand why. His main assumption was that maybe the fencer was still dissatisfied with his training since the loss of control he had experienced. Quickly leaving aside the possible reasons for the mood swings of the marimo, the cook shrugged and lit a cigarette. He wasn't going to run after him to ask the question; he knew it was useless anyway.

He then quickly went down the stairs to his other crewmates.

"Hey, Sanji-bro, you're gonna join us?" the cyborg greeted him with excitement.

"I'm just here to take a look", the blond said, dragging on his cigarette.

"Look at my flute, it's beautiful!" the little reindeer gushed.

The cook diligently listened to the ship's doctor describing his instrument. According to him, the flute was the eighth wonder of the world and he smiled in front of his overflowing enthusiasm.

"You could play the drums!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed.

Sanji frowned at the suggestion.

"No, I don't think it'd be my thing", he declined.

"Can you play an instrument?" Usopp asked him.

"I learned a bit of music theory but it's been a long time since I read a score", the blond admitted.

"I know exactly what would suit you!" the skeleton chimed in.

He slipped away for a few moments and returned with a double bass which he put in front of the crew's cook. With admiration, the latter stuck his cigarette between his teeth to examine it.

"I never played it but I like to listen to this kind of instrument", he approved.

"Double bass presupposes great dexterity", Brook showed him. "It is part of the string family but produces low tones. You can use the bow or simply pluck the strings with your fingers. Look!"

The musician used the bow to draw a few melodious notes that reminded the chef of the departure of the ships at sea. The deep sounds of the strings were giving off a power that instantly pleased him.

Brook then handed him the bow and he positioned himself behind the double bass in an attempt to repeat his moves while recalling his memories of music theory.

"That's for sure the instrument I prefer", he claimed after a few minutes, turning to his friends with a smile on his lips. "Fingers' movements remind me of cooking and this deep musicality sends me on the ocean as well as on the Sunny! Too bad I don't really have time to dedicate myself to it", he added regretfully.

"As soon as you feel like it, I can teach you", the skeleton assured him.

Sanji thanked him while Ussop was calling out to another member of the crew who was crossing the deck at this moment.

"Come and choose an instrument, Zoro!"

The cook looked up and saw the swordsman come to a stop not far from them. He then decided to make him pay for his previous rudeness.

"Come on, cabbage leaf, don't be shy", he cheekily added.

The fencer turned in his direction to glare at him while proudly folding his arms on his chest. Amused, Sanji dragged one last time on his cigarette butt almost entirely consumed, defiantly gazing at him.

"You're scared of embarrass yourself, marimo? You're probably right."

He didn't expect the swordsman to grab an instrument to prove him wrong, but he thought he would surely try to throw his blades in his face to make him eat his words. However, it wasn't the case and the fencer finally decided to ignore him by moving away towards the back of the ship.

"I don't need to know how to play music to become the best swordsman in the world so I don't care."

"Party pooper", the blond grumbled behind his back, annoyed that he didn't respond to his provocation.

Beside him, his friends quickly moved on and resumed all their instruments, impatient to start.

Sanji slowly breathed while massaging the bridge of his nose, his tray balanced in his right hand as he was about to get out of his kitchen again. He had spent some time with Brook to enjoy the double bass, but his cooking duties had quickly brought him back to reality and he had left. So he had finished the preparation of the meal then all the lunch had taken place among happy conversations around their new activity in spite of the totally discordant sounds which his friends were getting for the moment.

Unable to take more free time today, the blond had spent the afternoon in his lair after suggesting to Brook to teach his crewmates a few basics. Indeed, although the skeleton was one of the most talented musicians of Grand Line, the accuracy of his performances didn't hide the cruel lack of knowledge of most of the crew in matters of music. The skeleton had therefore decided since the end of lunch to make them repeat scales in order to instill in them the essentials. There wasn't indescribable cacophony anymore but instead, the same notes had been going on endlessly for hours, which had ended up annoying the blond.

Sanji had then applied to put together a hearty snack to keep them busy as long as possible after having served his two princesses locked in the library but he had only obtained a few minutes of rest and by the time he had prepared a drink for Zoro, the jerky notes had started to chime out again.

Sighing, he nevertheless crossed the door and went to the back to drop his glass for the swordsman who had also been training since the beginning of the afternoon. As he was coming closer, he noticed the strained and impatient moves of the fencer on his dumbbells and he smiled.

"It's impossible to concentrate, isn't it?" he casually called out to him as he came up.

Zoro fixed his gaze on him suspiciously and Sanji raised his eyebrows.

"What? I know it bothers you too, just look at your face", he added.

The swordsman scowled and the blond placed his tray not far from him.

"Take a break, marimo. You've been at it for hours."

"No need", his partner muttered as he was continuing his efforts.

"You're so stubborn", the cook growled, taking advantage of being outside to light a cigarette.

He then watched him continue training tirelessly for a good minute. However, he could see that Zoro was zoning out. His movements weren't as smooth as usual and his features were tensed. Finally, he blew the smoke from his cigarette above them.

"You should take a break", he repeated. "You need it."

"I don't need it!" the swordsman immediately roared, glaring at him. "Now get out of here, you're the one who's distracting me!"

Sanji narrowed his eyes to stare at him and intensely dragged on his cigarette, furious. He was feeling the anger rocking on the fencer's side, fuelling his own. He didn't understand why the swordsman was suddenly so aggressive. Usually, when Zoro was cut to the quick after one of his remarks, he would send him a biting retort in the same tone and before they came to fight, a verbal sparring ensued to allow them to test the extent of their disagreement. But now, the fencer had clearly rebuffed him, obviously not wanting to waste a second with him.

"Stupid bastard", the blond finally hissed between his teeth while crushing his cigarette under his shoe.

He brutally turned on his heels, leaving the swordsman who had resumed his exercises behind him.

After dinner, the music group started to train again with just as much enthusiasm and when Sanji came to bring their tea to the two young women in their room, the racket had followed him in spite of himself when he had opened the door. Nami had tried to calm down and had resumed her discussion with the archaeologist but at the time when the blond came to get their empty cups, her slim patience left her. She glared at the door and decided she was really fed up.

"I don't know how long this new whim will last them but I won't be able to endure it any longer!"

She got up right away and headed for towards the troublemakers with a firm step while her two friends were following her.

Arriving near them on the deck, she planted herself in front of them.

"I know you're making efforts to learn but I can't stand it!" she inveighed.

"They do whatever they can, this isn't easy", Brook tried to explain. "Music theory is an arduous practice that requires patience and regularity."

"I didn't say otherwise but you're not gonna tell me you didn't notice that all your students aren't music geniuses!" she fumed again.

"Everyone can learn at their own pace", the skeleton insisted.

Nami rolled her eyes and then turned to the apprentice musicians to call them to witness.

"Sanji-kun, Franky and Usopp are managing but the other two really have no gift in this area!" she pointed in a fact tone.

Luffy didn't seem to be offended by the remark of his navigator but for his part, the little reindeer was utterly dejected.

"That's pretty rough!" Franky reproached her, unhappy with her harshness.

"That's true, they're doing their best", Usopp protested.

For his part, Sanji cast a sympathetic glance at the doctor of the crew. Nami wasn't wrong, but to see him so sad was breaking his heart.

"Don't worry, Chopper. I'm sure you have a lot of other talents", he assured him sincerely.

"Maybe we can find a compromise", Robin suggested. "Are there instruments that are easier to use for beginners?"

As Nami was approving of her intervention, Brook straightened up, cheerful again.

"Absolutely! There are lots of possibilities and I have dozens of instruments available! I stored them in Usopp's workshop!"

The small group quickly went to the place and arrived inside, Nami entered first.

"Let me see what you got", she said, searching through the skeleton's reserve. "Ah, well, that's perfect!"

She brought out two maracas which she handed to Chopper and a triangle for the captain who grabbed it with a delighted air.

"There you go", she went on with satisfaction. "You can have fun and limiting decibels this way!"

The doctor was smiling again and he shook his maracas in rhythm while waddling. Franky immediately accompanied him with his ukulele and good mood finally reappeared.

"If I may, I would like to join you", Robin who had gone to the back of the workshop suddenly chimed in.

"With pleasure, my dear!" the musician exclaimed. "Which instrument do you prefer?"

"This one."

The crew members widened their eyes in front of the harp the young woman showed them.

"I didn't know you play it, Robin-chan!" the cook frolicked. "It makes you even more wonderful and I'm sure we can make memorable duets!"

"I only have some basics", she admitted. "However, ever since I was a child, I have always found its melody fascinating and I would very much like to learn to master it more."

"This instrument is one of the oldest and has always been celebrated!" Brook got enthused, approaching it to her. "It will be an honor to teach you everything I know!"

"Thank you."

Luffy hit his triangle in conclusion, grinning from ear to ear.

"We're gonna have so much fun!"

Everyone then came out commenting on the potential that their band was now offering and the budding musicians quickly took their place on deck around their teacher. Sanji then promised himself to take the time to join them because he was impatient to be able to share a score with the beautiful archaeologist. So he went to the kitchen to finish his dishes while Nami was going back to her room.

Sanji turned off the kitchen light and left the room an hour later, letting the soft night air greet him. He had finished the dishes and the rest of the evening belonged to him at last. With a sigh of ease, he took a cigarette out of his packet and leaned over the railing while lighting it.

Below, his friends were carefully following the directives of the crew's musician lit by numerous candles and the resulting melody was rather pleasant for the first time. Sanji then wondered if he should join them immediately but he finally decided to just enjoy it. The new composition of the band and their instruments were frankly a success. Thus, Robin's harp and Usopp's keyboard were answering each other while Franky was accompanying them with a few light acoustic guitar chords. Everything was punctuated by the whisper of Chopper's maracas in the background and the tinkling of Luffy's triangle marking each change in the song.

After a few moments spent observing them quietly, the blond saw Zoro heading towards their bedroom and he followed him absent mindedly with his gaze, surrounded by the hushed atmosphere of the ambient music. The fencer had obviously buried the hatchet since this evening. Indeed, Sanji had no longer felt this strange hostility on his part during dinner and when he himself had ignored him to make him pay for his past behavior, the swordsman hadn't tried to push him.

While finishing his cigarette, Sanji took the time to stretch. He was interpreting his partner's attitude as a sort of excuse and it suited him very well. He didn't know what had been going on in the head of the fencer lately, but the important thing was that he had realized it and he was himself ready to move on.

With a determined smile, he finally threw his cigarette butt and rushed down the stairs to find him.

When he quietly slipped into their room, he noticed that the swordsman was polishing his blades, sitting on the bed. He gently closed the door and silently walked around it before abruptly pressing himself against his back, running his hands under his tee-shirt.

"It's my turn to get some attention", he suggested, placing his lips on his neck.

"Hm."

The fencer didn't move and continued his task so Sanji increased his kisses in the hollow of his shoulder while trying to free him from his tee-shirt. Soon, the skin of his partner bristled and the cook intensified his caresses despite the fabric that was still in the way. Fortunately, Zoro seemed to understand his frustration and he stood up to put his swords on their places. However, he sat back on the bed without removing it and Sanji decided to change strategy. He settled facing him on his knees so he could kiss him fiercely, his body burning with desire. The one of the swordsman wasn't insensitive to his treatment and the blond prolonged his kiss again, his feverish hands greedily stroking his chest.

"I'm beat."

The cook suspended his gestures for a second before fixing his gaze on the one of the swordsman.

"You don't have to do anything, promise", he assured him with a smooth smile.

He leaned down to kiss him again but Zoro suddenly put his hands on his shoulders to stop him.

"I really need to sleep."

Sanji frowned, annoyed.

"Is it because I disturbed you this afternoon?" he got impatient. "You're overdoing it, marimo, I didn't do anything special! It was you who seemed in a bad mood!"

"It ain't like that. I'm just tired, that's all."

The blond sighed in front of the focused look of the fencer.

"That's because you're training too much these days", he mumbled, placing his lips along his jaw in the form of little kisses. "You should take the time to relax..."

At these words, he raised his tongue to his ear and the fencer shivered. Smiling, the cook thought he had won when he felt two strong arms drop him on the mattress, separating him from his lover's body.

"Knock it off, I told you I need to sleep."

Sanji then watched him in dismay as he sneaked under the sheets without another glance in his direction. Red with anger, he wanted to throw him a kick that Zoro blocked with his forearm.

"What's your problem?" the swordsman grumbled. "You're only here for sex, can't do without it?"

The cook stared at him, perfectly flabbergasted, and Zoro took the opportunity to roll over, turn off the light and close his eyes.

Silence spread throughout the room and Sanji remained motionless for a long time on the bed, thinking about the sequence of events without managing to give them meaning. He wanted to get angry again but he had no objective reason to be. If Zoro didn't want him tonight, he wasn't going to force him.

In the middle of the darkness, the blond's heart began to pound. He watched the regular breathing of the swordsman who had visibly fallen asleep in record time and a painful sensation twisted his stomach. Forcing himself to breathe, he slipped in his turn between the sheets to relax. He had no rational element that could fuel the strange feeling he was experiencing now, but it didn't seem less real to him.

His mind was now gathering the fencer's past attitude in a whole new way and doubt began to invade him. What if his volatile mood and his frenzied training for several days were hiding something other than a simple desire to improve? Did the fact that he had knowingly almost killed a man after he had been kidnapped with Nami affect him that much? Was he tipping over to that darker side of his personality? Or did the cook get worked up for nothing and did the fencer simply need to rest after his activities?

Finally, Sanji closed his eyes while trying to calm his too fast heartbeats. It was too early to really worry. Tomorrow would be another day.

What do you think? Is Sanji overthinking or is Zoro really different?

I tried to maintain confusion to the most...