A/N: Felt like i hadn't worked on this one in forever!

You guys, THANK YOU for all your reviews! It's really quite nice seeing all your comments and thoughts written out loud :D I've been pretty busy lately, so i'm trying to give each story some attention, and this one gets it this week.

10: Expectations

The next morning, Sanji woke and stared up at the ceiling for some time, re-orienting himself to the situation. All he heard was the fireplace, and some voices in the distance. The massive room was so large that he thought he heard his thoughts echo – after living for years in cramped quarters with Zeff, living in a place like this was going to take some time getting used to. He searched himself for any feelings that he had of the situation – he did feel relieved that he wasn't living in the same house as Rayleigh. He did feel relieved that there would be no wedding – but at what price? He was now living in a castle with the Beast and his herd of enchanted items, helping him find True Love to break the spell – it sounded ridiculous, even as he whispered it aloud to himself.

But anything was better than being trapped with Rayleigh. He threw aside the blankets and found some clothes that the sewing machines – seamstresses? – had made for him. Everything was so warm and fitting, and afterward, he stood there, feeling self-conscious in such fine fabrics, when everything he'd worn had been old and shabby. He turned and looked at himself in a full figure mirror, a little astonished to see such finery on his form. For a moment he gaped at himself, plucking at the fabric. The blue really brought out his eyes, showed off his maturing frame – he didn't look like a shabby worker, anymore. Just someone a little high class – maybe someone that worked for a higher class.

Still, he admired himself, turning this way and that, caught up with the feeling of awe. Then he caught himself with an embarrassed fluster, shaking his head. Once he'd brushed his teeth and headed downstairs, he heard a collection of voices coming from a corridor to his left. Even if they were speaking quietly, the sound carried, allowing him to listen from the stairway.

"Look, you assholes, that's just how it works! Why are you so afraid?" Doflamingo was saying, the others murmuring away from him. Sanji wondered if these things could even sleep. "I know Rayleigh makes you uncomfortable, he's a little weird in the head, but we just need to bear it until we regain our human bodies. Frankly, give it some thought – we aren't humans, anymore. Even if Rayleigh made his way in here, that conniving bastard, he can't do much to us. It's Law that we'd have to worry about, because that little brat has the ability to fall under his spell."

"Then we step up security. Or ask Tsuru for help. She was willing to help when he was younger, maybe she'll provide some assistance with this, now," Corazon said. "Keep an eye on that man, because even if he disappeared from the village after what happened, I bet he'll be around to tie up loose ends. Rayleigh was discovered hiding Zeff away by another party unrelated to him, and I'm sure he's not going to be happy that Sanji rejected him."

"Right, well…I just think that even if Law has this idea to get this guy to fall in love with him, it's not something we should rely on," Machvise said gravely. "It's impossible that he would!"

"It's really impossible," most of them agreed.

"I almost feel that Law hates us, and this is his revenge," someone added.

"You'd have to have some wiring wrong if you find yourself thinking of anything affectionate of that brat," Pink muttered.

"Look, you guys, Law is really trying," Jora said. "He doesn't want to be that thing anymore, and it's all Doflamingo's fault - !"

"It's Cora's!"

"You shouldn't have ducked!"

"You should've been in bed!"

"Enough with the blame game, you two! What happened, happened! And Law's doing his best! In order for him to accomplish the plan, we've just got to do what we can to help," Jora continued, huffing. "We have to really work on making him appealing for Sanji. It's going to be hard for Law to even get past the wall that kid made with what pervert Rayleigh's done to him."

"All I'm saying is, I have no confidence in Law accomplishing this at all," Doflamingo muttered. "He's going to mess it up."

"Have more faith in him!"

"I'm still convinced that we should have our plots made."

"We'll have them made, but don't give up on him," Baby begged. "I believe he can do this! After all, he convinced Sanji to stay here. He even had a plan for him to escape Rayleigh – he didn't have to do all those things, but he did."

"So, what, does Law already like him, or is he trying to convince himself that he can?"

"He said it should be easy, considering he's never done it before. He'll fall in love with the concept of it – should be the same."

"He always makes things so technical," Vergo complained. "I bet he's got a list and a plan written out in his room, somewhere."

"I've seen it. It's pretty detailed. He adds notes to it every night. He's going to be a Sanji-expert by the end of it."

Doflamingo sighed heavily. "Fine, I'll sit along with this farce. But I won't get my hopes up."

"No one said you had to," Corazon muttered.

"What are you guys talking about in here? Doffy?"

"Nothing important. Listen, we're discussing our plans – Rayleigh was spotted riding by hours earlier, we needed some assurance that we're doing the right thing in allowing that runaway bride to stay here. These guys are restless, they feel they could fall under his mind control."

"I don't want to start over with anyone else, Doffy," Law complained, his voice carrying from one end to the other, so Sanji imagined him pacing. "It was a real hassle just talking to him. Now that we can address each other amicably, I'm not about to see if I can actually do this with another person."

"I just feel that if you had a chance with an actual woman, who would fall for you if you'd just intimidated her into liking you - !"

"Doffy, that only works for you," Corazon said with a huff.

"First off, the last time I talked to a real girl, I was ten," Law interrupted impatiently. Baby growled from somewhere. "Back then, girls were stupid because they only made fun of me, so I made them cry. Now that I am older, all the girls that I made fun of are now married with tons of children. I have plans to ruin that fucking village and it makes more sense falling in love with a guy than a girl, because then we can team up and really cause trouble without having a ton of kids in the way."

Everyone laughed.

"Haah? What? Am I wrong? The way I see it, two men are better than one! Why are you laughing? I didn't say anything remotely funny! I'm being serious!"

"Oh, Law!" Corazon laughed. "We're going to die! And you're making jokes!"

"Argh, YOU PEOPLE!" Law roared with impatience.

Sanji rolled his eyes at this point but he'd heard enough. He walked back to his room, hearing them jeer and cut Law down for thinking of love between men as such things, and Sanji had to admit, he felt disappointed and irritated. He walked over to the chair near the fireplace and sat down, watching the embers flare. He had known there was something more to Law's efforts. He knew there was too much change in the Beast's behavior towards him.

He felt it was tiresome that yet another person thought only to use him; not to get close to him out of any goodness of their heart. But this time, after overhearing this, he didn't feel too hurt – after all, there was just no way he could fall in love with that childish Beast. Law was a combination of animals with a man's soul inside of it – how the hell could anyone think that it was possible to fall for something as hideous as that creature, with something as childish and unreasonable as his personality? So he couldn't quite take this sort of deception to heart – it was more amusing than anything.

But he sat there, thinking about it with a rue smile to his face.

Not only could he not find himself attracted to the Beast, but Rayleigh had ruined his view on the concept of 'love'. Kisses were disgusting. Touches were enough to make him shiver with disgust. Knowing that the Beast required a True Love's First Kiss made the event even more disgusting, because how was he supposed to kiss a beast? Something with a dog-like muzzle, sharp teeth, and smelled like a wet animal after it rained? Only someone ruined in the head could do something like that.

So, if they were relying on him to break the spell, then they were all sorely mistaken. Sanji had been prepared to help Beast find true love – not become his love. The whole concept of it was ridiculous. They couldn't have chosen a more impossible person.

He snorted, staring at the embers, drawing his hands over his chest. Now that he was aware of their plan, he was a little amused to see how it could happen. He was quite certain that it'd never work – there was no possible way he'd fall in love with a beast.

Later on, after he'd changed back into his own worn clothing, he watched as Law opened up a large book, filled with maps of their world, and slammed it atop of one of the kitchen counters. Sanji was already feeling angry over what he'd heard this morning, and his mood was noticeable to everyone. Most of the kitchen staff had fallen silent after some attempts of talking with him. He saw dried blood around the Beast's muzzle and mane, and looked up at him with disgust. Beast had brambles in his fur, and some pieces of bark clinging to his clothes. Over his pants were streaks of blood and bits of deer fur. He stared at him with utter exasperation – those clowns thought he was supposed to fall in love with this?

"I was thinking," Law said, sitting so that he could flip through the pages. "See here. This is us on this page."

"This is a kitchen, not a fucking library."

"Here is the quarry," Law continued, ignoring Sanji's grumpy mood. He traced over the section of the map with his claw, saying, "over here, I found a field of these weird berries. They taste really good. Couldn't you make a pie out of them?"

"…Yeah."

"Then, you can take those pies down to the Harvest Festival and – "

"What…?"

"And we can trade them for food from other vendors."

Sanji stared at him, pausing in mixing his cake batter. The concept of Law wanting to be involved in the Harvest Festival made him suspicious. "What?"

"See, once we have these items in hand, we can have you then inject poison into them and re-sell them at another stall, or just give them away, and have all of them suffering gastrointestinal distress for days! It's an amazing plan! They'll be shitting in their streets for weeks!" Law then guffawed at the thought of it, panting with delight.

Sanji kicked him in the thigh, causing him to stumble with a startled bark. "No it's not! You don't fuck with food like that! How could you even - ?"

"Admittedly, I've been thinking a lot about revenge, lately," Law said, looking the map over with his tail wagging. "I thought we could become partners in crime. After all, they didn't think to intervene with your marriage arrangements, right?"

"You're going about this all wrong," one of the appliances muttered.

"Shut up! Sanji," Law said, looking at him with a determined expression, "Don't you feel anger for them, too? They knew that this marriage was wrong, right? So why not step in on your behalf when Zeff was missing?"

Sanji stared at him, stirring once more. "But it was an acceptable arrangement in their eyes. It's not rare – there are others in a similar position. Besides, who am I to say otherwise? Without parents of my own to decide what's best for me, the next best thing, Zeff, was the one to speak for me. It's really not that uncommon."

"But shouldn't his word be disregarded once he went missing?" Law asked, pulling the book down and settling on the floor while Sanji walked around him, dumping the batter into a pan. He flipped through the maps, examining each one as Sanji remained busy. "And then your friend Ussop said that he was a mean bastard that doesn't deserve an apology – "

"That's only for me to decide. I get that he has my best interests in his heart, but only I know Zeff's state of mind," Sanji muttered.

Law stretched up a leg to scratch behind his ear, Sanji turning and kicking him away from the food preparation area. Grumbling, Law headed to the corner of the kitchen to finish scratching, and Sanji returned to cooking. When Law returned and settled back into his spot, he said, "I bet you're really curious about Zeff's state of mind right now, aren't you?"

Sanji knew he couldn't lie. He nodded.

"Well, let's go see him. You can ask him for yourself, and get some closure on this mess."

Sanji turned to look at him skeptically. "You'd…let me?"

"You're not a prisoner here," Law said with exasperation, giving him an annoyed look. Sanji had to step over him just to cross the kitchen to complete his task. "If there's something you want to do, within reason, all you have to do is ask. Besides, I'm curious, too."

"Well, it'd mean having to find Ussop and Zoro – "

"We can do without Zoro. He tried to kill me."

"But he's the only one that knows these hills."

"I know them better!"

"Well, admittedly, he doesn't fall easily under Rayleigh's spell," Sanji muttered, turning red. "He might actually come in handy if we run into him."

Law sighed heavily, flopping over the floor, resting his head atop of his front paws. He glared at the tile for some time, tail moving restlessly as Sanji finished putting together his cake. He shoved the pan into the oven, then began cleaning up. As he was doing so, he heard the Beast snoring at that moment, and frowned over at him.

Just like a dog! he thought with exasperation. After drying and putting things away, he swept and mopped, then pulled the finished cake out from the oven. He set that aside to cool, then opened the fridge to look for the icing mixture he'd set there earlier. Checking on it, he set that out as well, and then lightly kicked the Beast awake.

Law stretched as Sanji left the kitchen.

"I'll send someone out to find them, then," Law said, yawning in mid-speech. "But he better not try to kill me."

"I'll make sure of it," Sanji said with a sigh. "I would like some cigarettes."

"It's going to make you smell weird."

"I need them."

"We're going out," Law told the couch. "Where's Doffy?"

"I don't know. Shoveling, I think," Pica answered. His high pitched voice sounded so ridiculous, that Sanji struggled to keep a straight face. "No one's helping him, and he's angry about digging his own grave. I'd keep my distance."

Sanji tried to picture Doffy the wine-opener holding a shovel.

"Where's Baby? Is she done with my letters?"

"I am!" Baby cried, from somewhere on the staircase. She appeared into view within moments, Buffalo right behind her. "I wrote some really amazing things, poured all my heart and soul into seducing a potential lover with an opening introduction alone! The words just flowed right out of me! These secret letters, made to lure my beloved from the shadows, to comfort and make love to only from verbal exploration – ah! Law, you're going to be so proud of me!"

She had the papers tucked into her bristles, so Law pulled them out, reading over them with a thoughtful expression. He then tossed them away with a wretched expression and a light gag, causing her to shriek with dismay.

"You're so mean, daysaun!" Buffalo cried, trying to save them.

"These are stupid, no one talks like this! First of all, Ussop hasn't even come back with a subject - !"

Baby was right up against Law, hitting him with her bristles. He pushed her away impatiently, only to be knocked against the head, attacked while Sanji crouched and gathered up the letters. "I worked hard on this! These are only getting to know you letters, they're not supposed to be specific, you asshole!"

"I would never say half of those things - !"

"They're only so you can get an 'in' with them, stupid!"

Sanji read them over, then nodded, giving a sound of approval.

"These are really good," he commented. Baby was on him immediately, cuddling up against his side as Law looked at him with disgust. "They're very polite, yet obvious. There are no deceptions in the inscriptions here."

"Would you be intrigued by them?" Baby asked, on a near swoon.

"I would be very curious as to who it was that thought of me so nicely," Sanji told her. "I would love to meet them. If they could think of this about me, then surely they're nice people."

"Ah! I should've asked you, first! And not you, you dummy!"

"Whatever, I don't care what happens in those letters, as long as we're successful in the end," Law muttered, ears flicking. "But I don't speak in that manner, so keep that in mind when we're having conversations in the woods."

"She'll write you a script," Sanji told him, re-folding the letters, unsure of how to hand it back. "Anyway, let us go. It might be a long hike. We might end up doing this early in the morning."

"Right, right."

Hours later, Ussop appeared in view in the same spot they'd met the last time, carrying a brown bag. He handed it over to Sanji, who looked through it with a cheered smile, finding his cigarettes. He lit one, inhaling with grateful action as Ussop looked at Law with extreme caution. Law was sitting next to Sanji, just below some low branches of a pine tree, and some thorn bushes that kept him from being seen from anyone coming from the direction Ussop had.

"He won't bite," Sanji assured him, looking through the bag and finding the things he'd requested. "Thank you, Ussop. I'm really appreciative."

'You're welcome. Listen, the town has been gossiping, a lot," Ussop muttered, toeing the soft ground. "It's hard not to respond. But they want to do away with your house – "

"Let them. I've nothing valuable in there," Sanji muttered, setting the bag aside. "I, uh, had a request…"

"To go see Zeff?"

"Yes."

Ussop gave him an uncertain frown. "But what if he already fled with Rayleigh?"

"He would do that?"

"At the time, I had no doubt that he would," Ussop muttered, rubbing his arm uncomfortably. "I also think that it wouldn't be a good idea if he were there. He'd say…some cruel things. I just feel that you should leave it be, Sanji."

"I can't," Sanji insisted. "I…I was with him all these years, since I was a child, I can't just…he was the man that took care of me. For him to behave so oddly, I just…I need to see it for myself."

"He wasn't originally yours to begin with?" Law asked curiously, lifting his head from his paws.

"No. He found me. I…I'm originally from the north, but…I ran away from home."

"That's where I'm from, too. The north."

"How did you get down here?" Sanji asked curiously. "After the fire?"

"Long story."

"I don't want to do this," Ussop said, frowning at the somewhat peaceable nature of the Beast, who looked utterly fearsome. But Sanji was quite comfortable sitting there with him, unafraid of the massive being's sharp teeth, bright eyes – and those horns looked mighty enough to lift a small tree from the roots.

"If you can just show us the way, we'll go on our own," Sanji said, dashing ashes to the side. "Oh, maybe send Zoro to me."

Ussop grimaced, looking at Law dubiously. Then put a hand to his mouth, whispering noisily, "He's going to try and kill this guy!"

Sanji shrugged it off. "They'll work it out. But it appears that Rayleigh's spell doesn't touch him. He seemed to know this of him, and avoided him. Meanwhile, I had no clue until recently what Rayleigh was capable of. It'll be important to have someone without a brain to resist this power."

"Well…that night in the rain, he seemed impervious to Rayleigh's words. Not that he spoke to him directly, but…okay, if that's what you want, but…he's deadset on killing him to get to you. He's been self-medicating all this time," Ussop added.

Law snorted, scratching behind his ear again. Sanji regarded him cautiously, wondering if he had ticks or fleas. "Frankly, he's not done a very impressive show of wooing if Sanji only thinks of him as an errand boy."

"He really hasn't," Sanji admitted. He inhaled thoughtfully of his cigarette, then said, "He isn't that impressive at all. He smells, he's too boastful, and when he tried to kiss me, he smelled like beef."

"He tried to kiss you? Ugh," Law muttered, shaking his head. "I mean, only because he sounds like a whale's dick."

"You're the whale's dick!"

"Haah? How can you say that? I'm quite impressive myself. People run at the sight of me, and I don't have to lift a hand to defend myself. Mostly."

Sanji frowned at him. "You're quite the boastful beast yourself."

"It's not 'boastful', it's confidence!"

"You guys get along really well," Ussop pointed out nervously.

"I somehow manage," Sanji muttered. "He's a ten year old trapped in an man's body, really."

"It's really me that has to do all the work," Law complained. "He's grumpier than a harpy with her tits tied – "

Sanji kicked him, causing him to skulk away, Ussop covering his mouth. Sanji sat back down, flustered. "Ignore that. I want to do this, Ussop. It's pretty important to me. If I can just hear what Zeff has to say about this, I'll be able to move on."

"It's a six hour hike from here," Ussop said reluctantly. "I made sure to map our route because my leader wasn't very good at remembering anything. We will have to camp because it's too dangerous to travel at night, considering the terrain."

"Then we'll meet early in the morning, somewhere near the quarry?"

"Sure…" Ussop looked at Law, who was busy cleaning out some kind of gunk between his claws. "Will…will you be…?"

After a short sneeze and another scratch atop of his head, Law answered, "I have nothing else to do."

"As long as it's within the valley, he can go," Sanji said.

Ussop looked at him with consideration, then said, "You're really okay with this? I mean… I just…I don't think that we should. Considering what Zeff's plans were, and…I don't…feel comfortable doing this, Sanji."

"I have to do this, this is closure for me. Otherwise, I would spend the rest of my life wondering…"

"I understand," Ussop said slowly, frowning at him. "I just…okay. Well, I'll tell Zoro. I, um…you guys can work the details out with your buddy, here."

"I'm not going to be traveling with you guys directly," Law said on a grumble, sitting up. Ussop quickly shifted away, fretting at the thought of being suddenly mauled. "I'll be around. Frankly, it's none of my business what Sanji wants to do, I just know that he'll do it."

Sanji frowned up at him, saying, "Just as long as you stay out of sight, I'm sure we'll be fine. Also, be careful, because Zoro might be a good shot, considering his reputation amongst the other hunters."

"I know this already. He shot at me a few times. But I'm better than him."

"If you get shot and die, then our deal's off."

"I SAID I KNOW!"

"NO NEED TO YELL!"

Ussop covered his ears and glared at them both. "You two! Stop! They can hear us, you know!"

Huffing, Sanji tossed his cigarette to the ground and buried it underneath some mud, using his boots to do so. He looked at Ussop again, Law scowling off to the side. "I'll meet you there, okay? Thank you. I'll bring the meals, too, so don't worry about things like that."

"Right."

As the pair walked off, still arguing between each other, Ussop looked after them with bewilderment. But he was not looking forward to tomorrow's trip.

: :

The next morning, before the sun could rise, he looked around anxiously for any sign of Sanji. Zoro was sitting nearby, yawning noisily over a hot cup of soup that'd taken from the kitchen. Scanning the trees, Ussop hoped he didn't see Law in them – he'd most likely give him away. Minutes later, Sanji hurried up to them, carrying a bag over one shoulder, huffing and puffing.

Zoro abandoned his soup, pushing it into Ussop's hands before he could say anything and in Sanji's face in one smooth movement. "You don't look mauled or savaged," he commented, pulling Sanji's scarf down to examine his neck and chest.

"Why are you molesting me this way? Get off," Sanji snapped, kicking him aside. "I brought some food for the trip, and, um…this. For…your actions that…I am…grateful, for."

He pulled out jackets for Ussop and Zoro, both of them reacting with surprise and awe over the expensive fabric. Zoro examined his skeptically, then removed his bearskin-cape to put the jacket on – he was a little stunned to find it warm and versatile, but he still threw the bearskin back on, a little off balance by the gift. He wasn't expecting that sort of thing from Sanji, so he regarded him suspiciously.

"Zeff had these materials stored in the house, but he won't be needing them," Sanji muttered, blushing over the gesture. "So I had those guys make these for you. It's not much, I'm sorry."

"It's so warm! And I feel like money wearing it! Thank you!" Ussop cried, hugging him tightly.

"You're welcome," Sanji said gruffly, pushing him back.

"What's this for?" Zoro asked him with a surly frown. "What are you kissing ass, for?"

"It's just a gift to express my gratitude, ass. If you don't like it - !"

"I'm not saying I don't, it's just…people don't give gifts for no reason!"

"It's a 'thank you' gift!"

Zoro continued to look sullen about it, shifting his bow uncomfortably while Sanji frowned at him. "Hmf."

Rolling his eyes Sanji then started walking, Ussop joining him. "It's a long hike! Smoking is not advised! You're going to have a difficult time."

"That'll be my own fault," Sanji assured him. "But I'll do my best to keep up."

Zoro followed after them, then scanned the trees around them with narrowed eyes. With the staggered terrain, the heavily wooded area with rock outcroppings and thick undergrowth, it was difficult to tell where Beast was hiding. There were the usual forest noises – birds, wildlife, the rustle of trees, the crackling of branches breaking under pressure; so he couldn't pull out the sound of Beast's footfalls. Ussop had warned him hours ago that the Beast was going to follow them up; which made him absolutely bewildered. What the hell was an enchanted creature doing so freely inserting themselves into someone's business? What sort of relationship was this?

"It's, uh…he's a friend," Sanji said low a couple hours later, when the road was flatter and he was able to catch his breath. The combination of cold, high elevation and his smoking had caused him to slow his step, lagging behind the others. "It's complicated. I'm hoping to get that answered, too. Zeff started the ritual of serving this kid cake for the past four years, and he didn't show up this year. So it was my turn."

Zoro gave him a skeptical look. When he reached over to catch Sanji's arm as he stumbled over some rocks, Sanji straightened and yanked his arm back with an embarrassed look.

"So then after that, he knew about Rayleigh?" Zoro asked as Sanji paused in place, hands on his hips to try and get his breath back. It felt like they were beginning to walk up another incline. He coughed and hacked up the mucus that made breathing difficult. "Maybe you shouldn't smoke, anymore."

"And maybe you should change your face," Sanji returned crankily. He hocked another loogie just to spite Zoro, Zoro just frowning at him. "But yeah, to answer your question, he did. All of them know who Rayleigh is."

"So he was there to break you free of that old guy's clutches, huh? How convenient. What a good friend."

Sanji paused and looked at him suspiciously. "Why do you say it like that?"

"I'm just saying…he was returning the favor, right?"

"…I guess so."

"Then, that's all I'm saying. What's in it for you, in the long run? You're just going to cook for him? Or something?"

Sanji continued walking, adjusting the bag he carried over one shoulder. He shrugged. "For roughly a year."

"Why don't you just leave, if you're free?"

"I promised I'd help him."

"So, you have a chance at freedom, a chance to get away, and you prefer to stay and be unhappy? You know what? I've enver seen you smile," Zoro then added, looking at him from the corner of his eye. "Are you happy?"

"I wouldn't know what happiness is if it bit me in the ass!"

"I could change that, you know."

"You? Make me happy?" Sanji asked him skeptically, not understanding the expression on Zoro's face at that moment.

"No, the biting on – "

"Fat chance of that happening," Sanji interrupted, pushing him aside, "there is no possible way you'd ever make me happy in any form."

"Why are you so angry all the time?" Zoro then complained, regaining his footing. "At this point in your life, you should be excited to explore things. You should be down to see what you're really capable of! You can move to another village, find a woman – not that they're any good, let me tell you, wanting babies and rings and shit, but you can start over."

"I've an obligation to fulfill, and I don't run from my promises, or duties," Sanji muttered bitterly. "If I said I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it."

"I think you just need a good dicking to get all that tension out of you. I'm telling you, I can – "

"What does that mean?" Sanji asked him sharply. "Is that some sort of winning pick up line, for you? You think after all the shit I went through with Rayleigh, I'd want to turn around and do that sort of thing with somebody like you? No! Fuck you!"

"Man, it's like – not all things are bad, all right? Eventually, once you hit bottom, things start looking up! Life isn't always about being angry – there's a lot of stuff out there that you can actually do to make you happy! Why don't you try finding it?"

"I don't have time for that sort of shit," Sanji muttered, walking faster to get away from him, but Zoro was accustomed to this sort of work – he kept up easily to his strides, still talking. "I just want to get this over with so I can move on with my life, and get this obligation out of the way. Maybe after, I'll move on and find some work in another town."

Zoro looked at him impatiently. As Sanji paused once more to cough and spit up more mucus, he said, "Maybe if you stopped smoking – "

"This is the one thing that gives me fucking pleasure, alright?"

"Don't give yourself a heart attack yelling at me. It's not going to do you any good. Hating yourself from the inside out isn't going to make you find happiness any easier."

Sanji rolled his eyes and continued walking. "I don't hate myself. I know what I'm capable of, and what use I can bring to another individual. Being happy about it doesn't matter in the end – what matters is what I can do for someone else."

"See, there's your problem. You're not selfish enough. I'm plenty selfish, and I'm pretty happy. I'm sure Ussop is happy, because he's always joking or laughing about something. When was the last time you laughed, or smiled?"

Sanji thought about it for a moment, then said, "Yesterday morning. But only because the expectations that others have are absolutely fucking retarded and it was probably more of a sneer than a smile."

"Fine, how about something that made you feel happy enough to smile? Not something that made you think it was ridiculous, or…just something from the inside that made you smile?"

Sanji shrugged. "I don't know. Quite honestly, idiot, I can't think of anything that would make me happy enough to smile."

Zoro looked at him for some time, Ussop looking back cautiously to see if things were still fine.

"It's been that hard, huh?" Zoro finally said, holding onto his pack with both hands. "That's all it's been? Work, work, work."

"That's how it is if you want to eat, or have shelter."

"Well, I get by just fine, just so you know. I travel. I kill my own food, I cook my own kill. If I need something, I trade for it, or sell off my kills. If you're not looking for riches, it's actually a satisfying sort of life – "

"I'm not a hunter."

"Look, I'm giving you a chance to experience something different, and – "

"My main goal in life is to work for someone that can rely on me, alright? I don't need this sort of unpredictable road where – "

"So? You need to be pampered and taken care of? I can do that, it's no problem!"

"NO! That's so embarrassing, aren't you mortified by how desperate you are?"

"It's not 'desperation', it's promoting! I'm self-promoting myself to indicate what a good deal I am! You should really consider it. No one else in this world will ever get over that harpy attitude of yours like I can."

"I'm not a fucking harpy!"

Wow, this guy is persistent…Ussop thought with an eye roll. But he wondered if it were a good thing – if Zoro didn't mind Sanji's cantankerous attitude, maybe the hunter was good for his friend. After all, Zoro was a hard worker (he supposed, being a hunter), he was fit (Ussop had seen those muscles on accident), and he was quite stubborn (Sanji might need that, considering how intense he was). Plus, he was quite willing to go out of his way to make Sanji happy(?).

Maybe Sanji needed this sort of man in his life. Someone willing to put him first, that wanted to see him happy – maybe Sanji himself needed to see what other people were able to give him in order to understand what 'happiness' meant. Zeff had him working from sun up to sun down every day, with hardly a break – Sanji had to work for his meals, his shelter, something new. He had never seen Sanji ask for anything, and he often failed to recognize good intentions from others because of Zeff. Zeff had been the one to put suspicions in Sanji's head about it.

'They only want somethin' from ya, they don't genuinely care about ya,' Ussop had heard Zeff grumble. 'You're only good for somethin', not nothin'. Even kitchen boy, here, only nice to ya for his job, nothin' more.'

'That's not true – ' Ussop heard himself deny before Zeff kicked him.

'Ain't nobody good in this world! I'm older than both of you, I know this better than you'll ever know now! Got it?'

Ussop had seen their relationship from the start, and Zeff had only treated Sanji as a worker, not a treasured family member. To hear the things Zeff had to say about him had been terribly painful, because Ussop knew Sanji was more than just an object. To know Sanji wanted to hear it from his own mouth – Ussop knew it was going to be more painful for him than to Sanji.

But if it gave him peace to learn for himself what Zeff truly thought, then Ussop would go with Sanji to give him support.

Please don't have any expectations other than what you know, Ussop thought piteously.

: :

When they finally reached the small cabin, it was Zoro that went ahead first. Ussop and Sanji stayed hidden in the woods, watching the hunter approach. It was a very small house – a shack with a working fire chimney. There were trees that still needed to be cleared away, and a clothesline strung nearby. There was a firewood shelter facing the shack, safe from the rain by a protective roof of animal skins and branches.

Sanji watched Zoro knock on the door, the sound absurdly loud for the enclosed area. It was so desolate, isolated that it seemed impossible for a man at Zeff's age to live here on his own. He felt nervous at the thought of Rayleigh being in the area, waiting to make a move. He felt nervous facing Zeff. On one hand, he felt he knew Zeff's answers to his questions – on the other, he found himself wanting another reaction.

He looked around the heavily wooded area, wondering where Law was. If the Beast was safe, if Rayleigh was actually lying in wait. He felt a little better knowing that he was out there – simply because, if anything happened to Zoro and Ussop because of Rayleigh, then Beast could provide some sort of support.

The door opened, and his nervousness grew. He watched Zeff give Zoro a bewildered look that then turned grouchy. Words were exchanged, too low for him to hear. Then, Zoro turned in their direction and waved them over.

Ussop pushed on Sanji's shoulder to keep him hidden, saying quietly, "Sanji, whatever happens…at least you know. Okay?"

"It'll be fine, Ussop. I know what to expect," Sanji assured him in the same tone. "I just want to be sure."

"I just…well…we're here for you. I guess, all of us," Ussop then said, waving a finger in a circle to include Beast, as well.

Sanji nodded at him wondering why Ussop was making it into a big deal. But he rose from his hiding spot as Ussop moved with him. Together, they walked out from their hiding spot and approached the cabin. A cold wind rustled through the trees, causing leaves to detach, for heavy branches to sway. Somewhere in the distance, a fox called out, sounding lonely.