Guest: Oh, it's continued! :D
2: The Notes
The next morning, Sanji woke blearily, the cold air making him shiver briefly before retreating back underneath the quilts and animal fur. Then he opened his eyes with a start, remembering the events of yesterday. He sat up and looked to the other side of the bed, and saw that Zeff still wasn't around. The room was devoid of the other man's presence – no outside cloak hanging from the coat rack, no boots near the door, the fire in the hearth burning vaguely, threatening to go out.
Uncomfortable with the thought that the others were still out there looking for him, Sanji looked at the windows. The early morning was breaking over the mountains in the east, the valley fogged over with cold air. He could hear the light sounds of activity out in the streets, the spillage of waste falling down to the gutters, and he pushed the blankets aside with a frown. He grabbed his robe and tended to the fire, adding more wood to it before moving to the kitchen, making coffee. By the time he was ready to head to the tavern to assist cook in the morning rush, neither man was back.
He quickly bathed and dressed in faded trousers and a side button work shirt, rolling up the sleeves. Then he sat outside and enjoyed a hand rolled cigarette, watching the town wake up slowly. The chill in the air was intense, and he went back inside to grab his cloak, the heavy brown material settled around him as he sat on the back step and watched people move around sluggishly. The tobacco tasted good, a present from Rayleigh, and it burned his throat and lips with flavor. He thought that when they actually married and settled in Rayleigh's house together, he would have to give up smoking, as the man didn't like the smell of it. But he gave Sanji these gifts so that he'd enjoy them until then; he carefully set it out before tucking it back into a metal case, along with some matches.
Making his way to the tavern, Sanji opened up the back door to see that cook was already there, and Ussop was pulling on his apron.
"No word?" cook asked curiously. "My boy returned home hours ago."
"No, nothing," Sanji said, bewildered. "Rayleigh hasn't, quite yet."
"I'm wondering if we should do anything," Ussop commented as Sanji removed his cloak and set it aside, pulling on his apron before moving to the counter to assist with cook. "Should we be really worried? What did your son say?"
"They found a mudslide east of here, through the footpath, but no sign of Zeff. Rayleigh thought that perhaps he was held up in that town, so he rode ahead, sent the others back," cook said.
"I'm sure there isn't much to worry about, Sanji," Ussop said, looking at him.
"I'm not worried. He's out there, somewhere," Sanji mumbled, cutting through potatoes swiftly. "Any hunters return, yet?"
"There's several sitting out there," Ussop reported. "I'll start taking orders."
"Find out their luck!" cook called as he disappeared onto the main floor.
Those that had braved the cold air of last night were sitting at the tables in quiet huddles as Ussop started a fire. As the warmth built in the room, he took their drink requests, offered blankets for those that shivered, but by the time Sanji started coming out with plates of food, there were more people coming in, looking as dejected as the previous.
"No such luck," one hunter muttered. "Those walls were impossible to scale. Slippery after last night's rain."
"Saw a man impaled on one of them thorns," another said gravely. "He was still twitching as we left."
"Those voices were everywhere, and no where at once," a bearded man said, shivering. "Calling out, yelling, cursing at us. 'Bring us your women!' I heard one man yell. It was almost satanic."
"Our 'women'?" Sanji repeated. "Why?"
"Do you think they're in danger?" Ussop asked with worry.
"I heard one yell, 'Bring us your virgins, or suffer our wrath!'"
Everyone began talking in low tones, growing alarmed.
"It's frightening how fast these voices travel," one man said, shaking over his coffee. "One minute I was sighting one of the castle windows, the next there was a dresser being launched through the air, nearly hitting me. What was worse was that it pushed itself back up on its legs and scooted backwards, like it were possessed."
Above those murmurs, someone said, "I heard a woman yell out ferociously, 'They need to be handsome!' So, there's a witch residing there."
"I heard another woman's voice, as well! Only she said, 'Fuck these bastards! They're all ugly! I want to work for a handsome man!'"
"I heard the same thing! only, a man answered her! Said, 'I want grandchildren!' So, it appears our children are in danger, too."
All of them were upset, and Sanji and Ussop looked at each other with concern. Ussop shivered as they made their way back to the kitchen.
"Why would they request those specific things?" Sanji asked curiously. "Doflamingo was a younger man back then, wasn't he?"
"I don't know, I think he was popular with some of the bimbos around here, being made of money and power," Ussop said with a shrug. "Maybe after all these years, he's, uh, horny."
"Ghosts can't marry the living."
"No, but…I'm sure they perv out just the same."
Sanji considered it with a bewildered look, Ussop running water to boil in order to fill the sink. The cook caught himself looking over the cooking food with a startled expression, wondering if this statement were true.
"Virgins, grandchildren, and handsome men," Sanji repeated thoughtfully. "It sounds more like they want somebody of marriageable age. Maybe someone escaped Tsuru's wrath, and is the only living soul up there. You said there were children living there – maybe one of them grew up and is of age."
"That's weird," Ussop commented skeptically. "If there was a living soul up there, why not come out?"
"Maybe they have," cook said, stirring thick gravy before creating more breakfast bowls for Sanji to pick up. "We get a lot of visitors through here, I'm sure they can fit right in."
"Well, enough of these things. I say we get to work. When Zeff comes back, he'll be disappointed that we're slacking off," Sanji said, carrying the plates into the main floor, serving everyone that were exchanging horror stories about the things they heard throughout the enchanted forest, the castle grounds.
That night, Sanji returned to a cold, dark house. The tavern had been so busy with disappointed but frightened hunters, and all the tales they had ranged from hearing angry voices demanding genders of marriageable age to being attacked by inanimate objects. None of them were able to get close to the castle walls themselves. There was no sighting of the Beast, either, and even then, no one reported hearing it. He sat out on the back porch and enjoyed the last of his cigarette from that morning, peering out over the darkening town. There was a rumble of thunder in the distance, the sight of lightening flashing over mountain tops, and he pressed his lips together with a frown. He wondered where the old men were, and if they were truly okay.
As he killed the ember to his cigarette, a sound caught his ear. It was the faint sound of a monster releasing its rage, and it was stronger, this time. He heard people on the street pause in midstep, gasping. The sound echoed throughout the valley, carried over the quiet stillness of the town. To Sanji, it wasn't frightening – it just sounded like a roar of sound, expressing frustration. The forest between Flower Hill and the town seemed to rustle noisily, as if pushed by sudden wind, and voices carried over the silence.
Those on the streets hastened their step home, frightened by the approaching voices of disembodied souls. Creeped out, hearing the sounds of conversation growing nearer to the town, Sanji hurried into the house and shut the door behind him. He tended to the fire, brushed his teeth, and undressed for bed, throwing on his nightgown before sliding underneath the piles of quilts and furs. Pulling them over his head, he hoped he didn't hear anything else as the silence stretched on.
In the morning, he awoke at the feel of cold air on his face, the touch of a hand on his skin. He opened his eyes to see Rayleigh sitting there near him, and he sat up hastily, rubbing his eyes, looking for Zeff.
"No luck?" he asked, worry thick on his tone as Rayleigh shook his head. His long, silver hair was pulled up in a messy bun at the back of his head, glasses slightly fogged over – his clothes were wet, and he smelled like rain, so Sanji looked to the windows and saw that the dark clouds over the skies had pulled over them once more, pouring down onto the streets with a hard ferocity. He looked back at Rayleigh, unable to voice his next thought.
"This rain…there's just no way to judge his path," Rayleigh said with disappointment. "The mudslide we'd found pushed at least five miles down from the footpath we thought he'd taken, and there's no way to know if he's under there, or if he were lucky enough to have avoided it in the first place. Those he met with in town have said he'd been there in the timeline you were sure of, and left before mid-afternoon. Unfortunately, there's just no trace of him."
Sanji frowned, unsure of what to think at this point. Rayleigh reached over and brushed his hair from his face, patting it gently over his ear and neck.
"Worrying will do nothing," he said firmly. "Life will carry on as normal. I'm pretty sure he'll show up soon, with some grand tale. You need to continue your day to day activities, to stay busy."
"…Right," Sanji said, gripping his blankets with both hands and looking to the other side of the bed. He'd shared a bed with Zeff since he was small, and through the years, it seemed Zeff had drifted further and further away from him. Now, it seemed the man had taken his leave, and Sanji wasn't sure what to feel. If he felt lost, sad, or disappointed that this man had abandoned him.
"Let cook take over, today," Rayleigh said to him. "It's been a long two days. You can stay with me."
Sanji's skin erupted with a crawl, and he felt pressure in his chest at the thought of it. But he nodded, knowing that cook and Ussop could deal with the activities there without him, considering that most of the hunters had taken their leave the night before.
"I'll go tell them. Meanwhile, tend to your fire, it's going out. And…be undressed for me," Rayleigh then added, getting up from the bed. "It's better with skin to skin contact, when warming up from this cold."
"Yes, sir."
After he left, Sanji laid there, feeling ill at the thought of following that order. But since they were to be married anyway, he felt he didn't have much of a choice. It wouldn't be the first time Rayleigh had done this on this principle. He just felt confused at when his childhood had ended for the man, to think he was ready for another man's advances. At seventeen, he was of marriageable age, and there had been women younger than him in the beds of men decades older, so he figured it shouldn't be that shocking.
He got up, tended to the fire and brushed his teeth again, wishing he could have a cigarette. Looking out the windows, he saw that people were already on the streets, moving through their day, fighting the rain, and he pulled the shutters closed so that Rayleigh wouldn't be disturbed in his slumber. He turned to remove his nightgown when something caught his eye. In his cloak near the front door, he spotted what looked to be a piece of paper peeking out from the inside pocket. Curious, he ventured over, straightening his nightgown and retrieved it. It was piece of parchment paper, and his forehead furrowed with puzzlement as he read, 'Zeff is fine. Bring eggs for the birthday cake.'
It wasn't Ussop's handwriting, nor cook's. He twisted it over and over, bewildered as to whom it was from, and why it said nothing more than that. Whose 'birthday' was it? Where was Zeff making this alleged cake? Where was Zeff? It wasn't his handwriting. He figured maybe this was a long ago note, and he'd forgotten about it. Tossing it in the fire, he took off his nightgown and returned to the bed, shivering briefly before making himself comfortable underneath the weight of the blankets.
When Rayleigh came back, he was pleased that Sanji had followed his order. In minutes, he was in the same bed that Sanji shared with Zeff, and Sanji just went along with what he wanted because they were going to be married, anyway.
: :
Later that night, Sanji headed over to the tavern to make sure that cook and Ussop were able to close properly. He walked in through the back, seeing that they were cleaning up, and Sanji was disappointed that he hadn't been included for today's rush. He pulled off his cloak and set it aside, saying to cook, "I'll do the rest."
"It wasn't that busy, today, but I intended on starting meat pies for tomorrow," cook said, removing his apron to take advantage of the early leave. "No word on Zeff, yet, huh?"
"Wherever he is, he's…out there somewhere," Sanji said with a shrug, looking away to start putting dried dishes away, Ussop looking at him with concern.
"See you guys tomorrow!"
"Where were you all day?" Ussop asked, pushing stray hairs from his forehead back underneath his hair wrap.
Sanji shrugged again, not wanting to talk about it. Even after a bath, he could still feel Rayleigh's hands on him. But after the old man's physical exploration of his body, Sanji felt a little discouraged that he hadn't been able to please him. No matter what Rayleigh did to him, Sanji couldn't get hard. He figured he was broken, and felt more apprehension towards their upcoming nuptials, knowing that if he couldn't please the man in bed, the man would be disappointed in him.
"What were the stories today? Anyone get closer to the castle than before?" he asked Ussop, eager to focus on something else other than the day in bed he'd spent with Rayleigh.
"Nah. Zoro came back," Ussop said, snickering. "He got lost, ended up on Cavern Mountain."
"What a loser!"
"So now, it's suggested that he use a guide to take him through the forest, directly to the walls!" Ussop laughed. "All that big talk the other day, and he got lost! I don't understand it, myself. Flower Hill is right in front of us."
"That is funny," Sanji commented, wiping the counters, and moving to the stove to clean that with a souring pad.
Ussop looked back at him with concern. Sanji was often pretty serious and cranky, but today he was downright subdued. He figured that with Zeff missing, he was feeling worried – despite what he said about Zeff, Ussop felt that Sanji was attached to the older man. But after Rayleigh's earlier visit this morning, saying that there was no trace of Zeff anywhere, Ussop had wondered if Zeff had abandoned Sanji; essentially leaving him for Rayleigh to take care of.
Zeff had always been gruff and short with Sanji – to everybody, really – and didn't show any display of fatherly concern for the older teen. But then again, Zeff and Rayleigh were close friends – mysteriously connected from years earlier. While they didn't talk much about their past, the fact that Zeff allowed Rayleigh marriage rites to Sanji told Ussop that perhaps Zeff had trusted his friend with his younger ward. Which still made Ussop uncomfortable, thinking that these two only thought of Sanji as a 'thing'.
"Sanji. Did Rayleigh say anything about your nuptials?" Ussop asked softly.
He saw the man's shoulders stiffen, head lowered briefly before straightening again. "Just that we'd be married by the end of the week."
Ussop winced. While Sanji didn't complain about it, he knew for certain that the older teen didn't like it. It was just another duty for him to cover.
Sanji turned to look at him. At that moment, his expression was uncharacteristically vulnerable, more like his age. "You'll be there, right?"
"Of course!" Ussop said hastily. "Of course, I'll be there. I just…I'll be there for you."
Sanji nodded and looked away without saying anything else. Just continued cleaning, and Ussop felt sad for him. He wondered if Sanji had wanted more for himself, but it seemed like he was already accepting of the situation, prepared to take it on like some other duty.
The door was kicked in from the tavern's main floor, and Zoro barged in, looking pissed, removing the bear fur hooded cape from around his head.
"Hey! I locked those doors!" Ussop exclaimed, Sanji growling as he tossed aside the scouring pad.
"Look, I'm hungry, and I'm not ready to retire, yet," Zoro snapped. Dressed as a typical hunter in water proof clothes, with shin high booths, animal fur cape, he had his swords hanging from his side and a quiver of arrows on his back, bow slung over one arm. Ussop didn't get why he was carrying swords, but he remembered that some of Zoro's background included hunting people, too. Which made him pretty scary in Ussop's book.
"I'm a paying customer, I want to be served. Why does this stupid town close up so early?"
"Fucking asshole! This place isn't yours to command!" Sanji snarled back at him, throwing an empty mug in his direction. "Get the fuck out of here!"
"Ow! Hey!" Zoro protested, Sanji following after him, kicking in his direction with renewed anger. "I just wanted something to eat!"
"We're closed, asshole! Don't come up in this place and start throwing your weight around because you're some fucking big shot hunter! Fuck you! You've done nothing to impress me, or anybody! You just got fucking lost!"
"Hey, in all the rain the paths were washed out!" Zoro complained, blocking his foot every time it shot out at him. Ussop followed with worry, hoping that neither of them destroyed anything as Sanji drove Zoro back towards the front doors. Ussop saw where Zoro had cut through the thick plank that had kept them locked, and frowned, knowing he'd have to cut another plank to replace it, or buy from a woodcutter on short notice, to fix it.
"Why are you so angry all the time?" Zoro asked, catching Sanji's leg as it crashed up against his side. Sanji balanced himself on his supporting leg, and held onto his animal fur cape as Zoro hugged that leg to his side. "Is it because of your old man? He doesn't like you playing with kids your own age?"
"Bastard! Quit bringing it up!"
"No, hell with that - !" Zoro trailed off, and felt Sanji's calf with both hands, a contemplative expression on his face. "For a skinny guy, these sure are hard – almost like my own. Are you a ballerina?"
"Idiot! Let go!"
Zoro pulled him in close, switching his grip from Sanji's calf to his thigh, Sanji pushing against his shoulders with a startled look. Grinning, Zoro asked, "How much of you is as hard as your legs? I'm sure I can find those areas if you let me."
"Ugh, you dirty pig, you're so rotten, let go of me!"
"Pretty sure I'm way more active than an old man," Zoro added, shifting his hold from Sanji's thigh to his back, pulling him up against him while Ussop looked on nervously. Face reddened with the position, Sanji pushed back against his grip, but the man was absolutely stronger than he, and he couldn't get the space necessary to put any force between them.
"Even if I don't scale those walls, I can be satisfied penetrating yours," Zoro added with a randy grin, ignoring Ussop's tentative words nearby.
"You fucking bastard, get your hands off my goddamn walls!" Sanji snapped at him, hands on his face, pushing back before a loud crash of sound from the kitchen caught their attention. Zoro released him, and Sanji caught himself quickly, all of them turning to look through the doorway. Ignoring the earlier tension, Ussop hid behind Sanji as a metal bowl hit the floor, along with some other noises that rang out loudly. There were frustrated voices that hissed at each other, and Sanji hastily moved in that direction, Zoro following curiously. Once inside the kitchen area, Sanji looked around.
The icebox was open, and there were eggs lying on the floor, shattered. Flour covered the bags it was in, and there were canisters of vanilla lying on the table, just below the shelves they were stored in. Bewildered, Sanji looked around himself, seeing that the back door was shut. There was no way anybody could hide in there, and he felt goosebumps rising on his arms as it seemed that the kitchen was crowded with others they could not see.
"What the hell?" Zoro questioned, Ussop shaking as he registered the mess. Sanji walked all the way in, looking into the icebox to see that several eggs were still in the basket he'd brought them in from yesterday. He remembered that note he'd found earlier, looking at the windows, at the closed back door. From all the ingredients lying around, they were definitely for a cake.
…a birthday cake?
Did this mysterious mess have anything to do with Zeff's intentions? And with no one around, did this mean he was a ghost, as well?
He shivered, giving an uncomfortable noise as Ussop's teeth chattered.
Absolutely bewildered, Zoro didn't understand the significance of the mess – he figured a beggar had taken advantage of the chaos in the front and had tried pilfering some food stuffs before making a mess of things.
"Anyway, now that you have to clean stuff up, make me something to eat. I'm starving," he said, walking back out to the front, Sanji glaring after him.
With a sigh, Sanji starting cleaning up, Ussop slowly venturing away from him to investigate the rest of the kitchen. There was nothing to indicate that people had broken in, and the ingredients lying around looked too deliberate. He picked up the broken egg shells, mopped up the yolks, picked up the mixing bowl that had fallen on the floor, not recognizing it – he also swept up the flour as Sanji made something quick for Zoro to eat. Despite his earlier words, Sanji would not let anybody leave the place hungry.
As he fried up bacon and eggs, Sanji looked over at his cloak, spying movement in that direction. He thought he'd see a mouse, maybe a rat with how big the action was, but he only saw his cape moving. He moved away from the stove and strode over, whipping his cloak open to see nothing there. Unsure of what he'd seen, heart racing at the thought of a ghost, he closed it – only to see paper fluttering to the floor.
He picked it up with a startled expression, seeing that it was another piece of parchment paper. All letters were in caps, this time. 'BRING CAKE INGREDIENTS TO CASTLE ! ZEFF SAID BY YOURSELF NOW!'
Sanji's face screwed up with bewilderment. But he noticed that ink was fresh, and it came off his fingers, smearing the words over the parchment paper. He looked around, spying a fallen writing quill nearby. Had that been the thing he'd seen move, earlier? He picked it up, examining the sharp end, seeing that it was colored with fresh ink. He looked over at Ussop, but he was busy cleaning at the other end of the room, and the door was definitely shut where he was standing.
He quickly dropped both paper and pen once he realized the food was burning at the stove, and cursed, attending to it quickly. Once he had a plate made, he shut the stove off and set the plate aside, brushing his ink stained fingers on his apron. He looked over to retrieve the note to show Ussop when he realized both quill and paper was missing from where he'd dropped them.
Baffled, Sanji stared in that direction. He had not been facing anywhere else, so there was no way anybody could have stolen off with those things without him noticing. And Zoro was complaining from the front, so it wasn't him. But the notes had mentioned Zeff – and the castle. Why would Zeff be inside the castle? He had never expressed any interest in the structure atop of Flower Hill, and always thought the ghosts and curses rumor was utter nonsense.
But maybe that was why Rayleigh couldn't find him. Had Zeff been stolen off by ghosts? And who was he making a birthday cake, for?
"By 'myself'?" he repeated with a frown. "Like Rayleigh would ever let that happen. 'ch."
He turned to look for some clean utensils, rummaging through the drawers, and looked back to the tray. Only this time, there was fresh ink written just above the finished plate, the quill lying there mysteriously. 'We got him covered. Hurry up!'
Utterly perplexed, Sanji said nothing as he stared at those words, at the quill that just laid there. There was no one around. His skin broke out into goosebumps, thinking that there was actually truth to the ghost rumors. As he grabbed the plate he'd made for Zoro, and poured some ale into a mug, Ussop looked at him with concern, but Sanji said nothing as he made his way to the hunter that looked at him with a smug grin.
Neither of them saw the quill upright itself, and quickly scribble out the words it had written on its own, muttering darkly to itself.