p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Chapter 3/p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji fluttered his eyes, blinking a few times before adjusting to the light. His vision slowly come into place and he found himself staring on the well-defined jawline of a certain green-haired swordsman./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"He let out a content smile, nuzzling against the other man. The fuzzy feelings that swelled within him made him purred contently like a cat./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"And that is when Sanji felt the throbbing sensation at his throat. He tried to open his mouth to say something, but it ended up being a strange hoarse of mumble, words unknown of. Zoro moved a little at the strange sound, tightening his grip around his slender waist, a smirk forming at his mouth as he whisper into Sanji's ears./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""You were loud yesterday."/p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"That sent a heat bomb to Sanji's face. Embarassed, he brings up his hand to break free from Zoro's embrace, and he didn't hesitate to sent a kick to his side, making sure that he fell over to the other side of the bed. With that big movement, Sanji came to a painful realization that his body ache in every part, it's like his bones had been dislocated and joined back together./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji felt the sore worst at his lower back. He rubbed on it with circles, hoping to ease it a little. Moving slowly out of bed, though he stumbled a little when his feet touched the ground, Sanji had the opportunity to get a look at himself./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"His body covered in marks, be it red or a dark shade of brown. The trail started from his neck, blooming around his clavicles, his chest, his waist. With each steps, he can faintly see the bruises at his inner thigh caused by the other's tight grasp last night, which sunk in the supple flesh. There are also some suspicious white substances trickling down his thigh whenever he moved./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Anger boils within him and he stomped back to the bed, ignoring the discomfort and gave Zoro a good strangle for marking his body like that./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"That morning ended with Zoro on Sanji's mercy. He knew he took it too far but it was so difficult to hold himself back with the blonde so alluring and inviting underneath him. He thought inertly to add more training for self control./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji wasn't actually mad at Zoro, he just wanted to make him remember to not do it again. He huffed and his voice came out coarse, "Next time the same shit happens again and you are banned from the bed for one month."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro cringed at the idea, but he couldn't do anything now except to go along. "Yes yes, I'm sorry, it won't happen again."/p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro took a few long strides and found his place alongside Sanji, wrapping his strong arms around him and rubbed on the sore pressure points. Sanji found himself shifting his weight to lean against the other, it felt more comfortable and the ache eased a little./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji hummed softly at the other's gentle actions. He could get used to this./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"But what surprised Sanji after was when Zoro offered to make breakfast for them. Sanji disagreed at first, thinking that the clumsy marimo will ruined his kitchen, but the other suggested a simple one, like sandwich and boiled eggs that can be done with his instructions./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji soon gave in to the idea, as laziness creeped up to him, not wanting to move with all the body ache. So he sat on the chair, leaning over the table to get a good look at the kitchen top. He would occasionally throw some instructions to Zoro, wanting the breakfast to come out as edible./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"It was warm seeing the muscular build moving around the kitchen to prepare food for him, usually it would be the other way round.. Sanji couldn't suppress his smile at the sight of it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro managed to surprise Sanji for the second time, when he brought over a cup of warm honey lemon aside from the sandwiches for the two./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""I heard honey helped in sore throats, just trying." Zoro rubbed the back of his head, shifting uncomfortable at the way Sanji looked at him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji let out a small laugh, he grabbed Zoro by the collar and dragged him down for a kiss. Zoro had his hand pressed against the table, looming over Sanji who pulled back after a short kiss, now sending a blinding smile towards him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"That morning Sanji got late to work. Not that the owner would mind even a bit, but when she saw Sanji limped slightly into the kitchen, and he even took out a stool to rest on while doing the preparation, she voiced her concerns to him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji stuttered a lot when the lady's cornered him, he felt his face warmed up and he just couldn't look at her eyes. Eventually the owner noticed the marks that shows when he tilted his head, exposing a red hickey that contrast against the pale skin./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The owner eyes widen in a knowing look, she patted Sanji on the shoulder and asked him to take it easy today. It took every ounce of Sanji to not flush against that statement./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The lunch that day was sent over to the doujo by the young girl and one of the waiter who worked part time in the restaurant./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro asked them on Sanji, which the young girl replied. "Mama says Sanji-nii was sick today, so Momo being the nice girl she is, helped to bring lunch over today!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""Sick!? The cook was fine just now in the morning, how would he get sick suddenly?" That got Zoro's full attention. He looked ready to rush out./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The waiter that followed along quickly calm down the worried swordsman. He mentioned Sanji was just feeling a little under the weather as his voice changed slightly and he seems to dress in more clothes, not to mention the slight weakness in his knees that made him limp a little. The owner just sum it up as a sickness for the young girl to understand better./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The girl tilted her head in confusion, "Sanji-nii not sick? But mama told me so."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro had his heart back down with the waiter's explanation. He opened his bento to revealed a nicely prepared meal, the sauce sprawled over the egg forming the word 'I hate you'. His grin widened at the sight of it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""The cook is not sick, just a little sleep-deprived."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"That got the young girl even more confused./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The rest of the days passed as usual, Zoro would spent his daytime in the doujo while Sanji in the restaurant. They both felt something important is approaching, but their minds couldn't really grasp on it. Still trapped in the island's hypnosis, the duo did not realize the one week time span is coming to an end, it wasn't long until the log post is set and the Thousand Sunny ready to set sail./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Today mark the sixth day since they had docked, one day before their promised reunion. Sanji was on his usual, sending bento over to Zoro. He didn't stay long in the doujo, just enough for a short little chat and affection./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji found the young girl and was about to head back to the restaurant, when he heard a loud crash in the forest. The forest was very near to the doujo, as the premise was situated just at the base of the mountain, the backyard just a few feet away from the edge of the forest./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Both Zoro and Sanji snapped to the commotion. There was smoke of sands coming from that direction, it seems that something huge had fallen onto the ground, creating all that ruckus. But what didn't sit well with both of them was the distance of the crash, it was far too near to the doujo for safety./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro eyed the direction with a deep frown, "Again? It's been the third time for the past two days, what's happening…?"/p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The forest had a history of ferocious beast living in it, the worst one was a species that took the shape of a leopard, but with three tails and eight legs. It is deathly with their sharp spider-like jaws at the front, slicing through objects like butter. The people named it Sphincter, and many years ago the people had suffered from the random attacks of the beast. However, the situation got better when the people learnt to build high walls and planting pungent trees to fend off the beast, at least away from the town./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"It was rare for the town to be attacked by Sphincter, though usually they will have one or twice in a year, and that had been young Sphincter who yet to develop their sense of smell./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"But for the past two days, it had been attacks from full-grown Sphincter, it was a tough fight for the people to get through the thick-skinned beast. Zoro had helped to finish it off./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji had an unsettling feeling on this, it was too unusual. "Something is definitely wrong in there."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro agreed with a grunt. He was about to move into the forest, when another loud crash was heard again, this time it was emnearer/em. Before either of them could speak, a loud shriek came piercing through their ears. It was the kids./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Within seconds, Zoro speed towards the sound, eyes widened in surprise when a full-grown Sphincter came into full view. It had sneak past the pungent trees and high wall, it had made it all the way to the base of the mountain, to the backyard of the doujo./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro unsheathed all his three katanas to block the Sphincter's attack, each coming as deathly. He tried to divert the beast's attention from the kids./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji came up a few moments later, carrying one kid in his arms who broke down in horror from the sight of the beast, a few other kids stumbled behind him. He stopped dead in his track when he saw the Sphincter./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro flung another attack, sending the Sphincter back into the forest. He shouted, "Sanji! Bring the kids away!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji hesitated for a moment, he wanted to help fight against the beast. But then his rational got a better of him, there are still kids around here, emhe/em will put them in danger. Biting on his lips, he shouted back, "You better be safe!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji only received a low growl and sounds of clashing in reply. A angry howl from the beast snapped Sanji out of his worry, and he quickly ushers the kids away, to the opposite direction from the forest./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The people were all alarmed at the attack, coming out from the premises and filled the streets. They had been peaceful for centuries, hence the panic was normal with situation like these. Sanji took control and led the crowd away, further from the forest. Once the coast was clear, he gathered a few men to check on other parts of town, ensuring that they are safe from any attack./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The panic lasted whole day, and it still taunt each and every one of them. The town filled with thick tension. Strong men volunteered to stay up and guard the damage part of the high wall, which turned out just behind the doujo. Piles of wood were sharpen and arranged in a defensive manner surrounding the doujo./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji had gone back to their home. He has his own drowning pool of worry, brewing deep within him. Zoro had not came back since afternoon, since he fight the beast./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"He tried to calm himself, to convince himself that the other will be alright, he was a strong swordsman, he trusted him on that. But that didn't wave even a bit of the nasty dropping feeling he had. Sanji heaved a heavy sigh, running a hand through his golden locks. He lit up a cigarette and inhaled deeply, he needed something badly that can divert his attention./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji figured cooking can fill his mind for the time being, as the marimo will definitely appreciate a nice warm meal upon returning. He moved his way around the kitchen, keeping his hands still without shaking./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"A good moments later, Sanji peered down at the pot, his expression not a good one. The color turned out emdifferent/em than what he expected, he made the stew a number of time before -Zoro liked the taste of it- and none of it turned the dark brown color like it is now. It supposed to be an appetizing golden color./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji slapped his hand over his eyes, cursing silently for messing up. He never messed up in the kitchen. But now he is standing here dealing with some food unfit for the table, just because he didn't pay attention to what he was putting into the pot as his head was too occupied with other things./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"He slid down to the floor, siting on the ground hoping to clear his head off. A low murmur left him, "Marimo…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Then, a soft click to the door had Sanji turn his head so fast that it might break. He stared at the door until heavy boots came in and a deep voice saying, "I'm home –"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The sentence unfinished, cut off by something that flung his way. Sanji practically threw himself over the taller one, burying his head deep into him. The other's warmth was the only thing made the him seems real./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""Welcome home, shitty marimo."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro winced a bit at the impact, which it didn't go unnoticed by Sanji. He quickly detachable himself to look into his eyes, then down to his body, voice thick of concern, "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""It's nothing, no need to worry about that. I'm fine."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji couldn't trust Zoro on his sense of pain, it's as hopeless as his sense of direction. True to that, he found a huge gash at his arm, the wound split through the length of his forearm, running from his wrist to the elbow./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji winced at the sight of the open wound, drips of blood still gushing down. He upturned his lips into a stern look and dragged Zoro by the haramaki to sit him down on a chair. He then went into their room to fetch the bandages and oilments, hands set in motion to tend for the wound./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Neither of them spoke a word, the air thick with silence. Zoro stole a few glance at the blonde, eyeing at his expression for anything. He knew he had upset the other. Hesitantly, Zoro reached out./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""It's nothing, it will heal in few days, I've had worst and look, I'm still here."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"That's all it take for Sanji to snap. "Idiot! That's because you were lucky, and what if you were not emlucky, /emwhat if there happens to be something that you can't handle? emWhy/em did you let yourself being hurt!? Do you want more injuries? Do you not had enough?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji shouted at Zoro, eyes burned with anger. However, the outburst very soon died down like fire met with water, when he saw the other's calm eyes. He couldn't take it anymore. Sanji let his stance down and took his place in Zoro's lap, chest to chest. He placed his forehead softly on his shoulder./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" Sanji whispered, "Do you know how worry I was?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The voice didn't go unheard from Zoro. He used his other good hand to rub soothing circles behind his back, trying to calm the slightly shaking figure./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""I'm sorry, there was another one that ambushed me when I tried to push it back into the forest. There will be no next time."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji's head shot up, "Another one? How many was there already, four? We hardly even had one full-grown Sphincter before."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""Seems like they will be coming again, we better prepare."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""…I'm going in there with you next time."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro crunched his face with that statement, he don't like the idea of Sanji being in danger. He knew Sanji is strong, for being able to spar with him. But who knows if he will, you know, being emaccidentally /eminjured like he is now./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"That amused Sanji, where he finally let loose a smile, pressing his forehead against his, "Now who is the one worrying?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro rose his good hand, caressing Sanji's cheek. The blonde leaned in to the touch./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""Please, trust me. I can fight them off."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji stared at him straight in the eyes, he didn't speak for a while. Eventually, Sanji broke of the contact, averting his gaze elsewhere. "Then you have to promise me not to get hurt."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro grinned, "I won't, I promised." He pushed forward and captured his lips in a soft and comforting kiss, connecting their eyes again to send over the message that everything is okay./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"They stayed in the same position, until Zoro caught on some strange smell. He sniffed before asking, "Cook, is something burning? I smelt something weird."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji immediately jumped up, " Oh shit, shit, shit!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro watched at the rushing figure fuss around the kitchen top, trying to save whatever that's bubbling in the pot. He walked over to see what's it all about./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"What he found was something interesting, he never thought Sanji could make anything that look like emthat./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""Cook, you the one who made this?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""WHAT?! You have any problem with that? Dumbass better chuck that all down your stomach and not wasting any."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro had a playful grin on, "Fine, but I'm hurt, I need emhelp/em to eat."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""GET THE HELL AWAY! Your hands are wounded, not freaking broken, and you still have your other hand. Feed your goddamn moss-head yourself!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;" align="center"-TBC-/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji fluttered his eyes, blinking a few times before adjusting to the light. His vision slowly come into place and he found himself staring on the well-defined jawline of a certain green-haired swordsman./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"He let out a content smile, nuzzling against the other man. The fuzzy feelings that swelled within him made him purred contently like a cat./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"And that is when Sanji felt the throbbing sensation at his throat. He tried to open his mouth to say something, but it ended up being a strange hoarse of mumble, words unknown of. Zoro moved a little at the strange sound, tightening his grip around his slender waist, a smirk forming at his mouth as he whisper into Sanji's ears./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""You were loud yesterday."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"That sent a heat bomb to Sanji's face. Embarassed, he brings up his hand to break free from Zoro's embrace, and he didn't hesitate to sent a kick to his side, making sure that he fell over to the other side of the bed. With that big movement, Sanji came to a painful realization that his body ache in every part, it's like his bones had been dislocated and joined back together./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji felt the sore worst at his lower back. He rubbed on it with circles, hoping to ease it a little. Moving slowly out of bed, though he stumbled a little when his feet touched the ground, Sanji had the opportunity to get a look at himself./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"His body covered in marks, be it red or a dark shade of brown. The trail started from his neck, blooming around his clavicles, his chest, his waist. With each steps, he can faintly see the bruises at his inner thigh caused by the other's tight grasp last night, which sunk in the supple flesh. There are also some suspicious white substances trickling down his thigh whenever he moved./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Anger boils within him and he stomped back to the bed, ignoring the discomfort and gave Zoro a good strangle for marking his body like that./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"That morning ended with Zoro on Sanji's mercy. He knew he took it too far but it was so difficult to hold himself back with the blonde so alluring and inviting underneath him. He thought inertly to add more training for self control./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji wasn't actually mad at Zoro, he just wanted to make him remember to not do it again. He huffed and his voice came out coarse, "Next time the same shit happens again and you are banned from the bed for one month."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro cringed at the idea, but he couldn't do anything now except to go along. "Yes yes, I'm sorry, it won't happen again."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro took a few long strides and found his place alongside Sanji, wrapping his strong arms around him and rubbed on the sore pressure points. Sanji found himself shifting his weight to lean against the other, it felt more comfortable and the ache eased a little./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji hummed softly at the other's gentle actions. He could get used to this./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"But what surprised Sanji after was when Zoro offered to make breakfast for them. Sanji disagreed at first, thinking that the clumsy marimo will ruined his kitchen, but the other suggested a simple one, like sandwich and boiled eggs that can be done with his instructions./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji soon gave in to the idea, as laziness creeped up to him, not wanting to move with all the body ache. So he sat on the chair, leaning over the table to get a good look at the kitchen top. He would occasionally throw some instructions to Zoro, wanting the breakfast to come out as edible./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"It was warm seeing the muscular build moving around the kitchen to prepare food for him, usually it would be the other way round.. Sanji couldn't suppress his smile at the sight of it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro managed to surprise Sanji for the second time, when he brought over a cup of warm honey lemon aside from the sandwiches for the two./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""I heard honey helped in sore throats, just trying." Zoro rubbed the back of his head, shifting uncomfortable at the way Sanji looked at him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji let out a small laugh, he grabbed Zoro by the collar and dragged him down for a kiss. Zoro had his hand pressed against the table, looming over Sanji who pulled back after a short kiss, now sending a blinding smile towards him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"That morning Sanji got late to work. Not that the owner would mind even a bit, but when she saw Sanji limped slightly into the kitchen, and he even took out a stool to rest on while doing the preparation, she voiced her concerns to him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji stuttered a lot when the lady's cornered him, he felt his face warmed up and he just couldn't look at her eyes. Eventually the owner noticed the marks that shows when he tilted his head, exposing a red hickey that contrast against the pale skin./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The owner eyes widen in a knowing look, she patted Sanji on the shoulder and asked him to take it easy today. It took every ounce of Sanji to not flush against that statement./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The lunch that day was sent over to the doujo by the young girl and one of the waiter who worked part time in the restaurant./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro asked them on Sanji, which the young girl replied. "Mama says Sanji-nii was sick today, so Momo being the nice girl she is, helped to bring lunch over today!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""Sick!? The cook was fine just now in the morning, how would he get sick suddenly?" That got Zoro's full attention. He looked ready to rush out./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The waiter that followed along quickly calm down the worried swordsman. He mentioned Sanji was just feeling a little under the weather as his voice changed slightly and he seems to dress in more clothes, not to mention the slight weakness in his knees that made him limp a little. The owner just sum it up as a sickness for the young girl to understand better./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The girl tilted her head in confusion, "Sanji-nii not sick? But mama told me so."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro had his heart back down with the waiter's explanation. He opened his bento to revealed a nicely prepared meal, the sauce sprawled over the egg forming the word 'I hate you'. His grin widened at the sight of it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""The cook is not sick, just a little sleep-deprived."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"That got the young girl even more confused./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The rest of the days passed as usual, Zoro would spent his daytime in the doujo while Sanji in the restaurant. They both felt something important is approaching, but their minds couldn't really grasp on it. Still trapped in the island's hypnosis, the duo did not realize the one week time span is coming to an end, it wasn't long until the log post is set and the Thousand Sunny ready to set sail./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Today mark the sixth day since they had docked, one day before their promised reunion. Sanji was on his usual, sending bento over to Zoro. He didn't stay long in the doujo, just enough for a short little chat and affection./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji found the young girl and was about to head back to the restaurant, when he heard a loud crash in the forest. The forest was very near to the doujo, as the premise was situated just at the base of the mountain, the backyard just a few feet away from the edge of the forest./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Both Zoro and Sanji snapped to the commotion. There was smoke of sands coming from that direction, it seems that something huge had fallen onto the ground, creating all that ruckus. But what didn't sit well with both of them was the distance of the crash, it was far too near to the doujo for safety./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro eyed the direction with a deep frown, "Again? It's been the third time for the past two days, what's happening…?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The forest had a history of ferocious beast living in it, the worst one was a species that took the shape of a leopard, but with three tails and eight legs. It is deathly with their sharp spider-like jaws at the front, slicing through objects like butter. The people named it Sphincter, and many years ago the people had suffered from the random attacks of the beast. However, the situation got better when the people learnt to build high walls and planting pungent trees to fend off the beast, at least away from the town./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"It was rare for the town to be attacked by Sphincter, though usually they will have one or twice in a year, and that had been young Sphincter who yet to develop their sense of smell./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"But for the past two days, it had been attacks from full-grown Sphincter, it was a tough fight for the people to get through the thick-skinned beast. Zoro had helped to finish it off./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji had an unsettling feeling on this, it was too unusual. "Something is definitely wrong in there."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro agreed with a grunt. He was about to move into the forest, when another loud crash was heard again, this time it was emnearer/em. Before either of them could speak, a loud shriek came piercing through their ears. It was the kids./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Within seconds, Zoro speed towards the sound, eyes widened in surprise when a full-grown Sphincter came into full view. It had sneak past the pungent trees and high wall, it had made it all the way to the base of the mountain, to the backyard of the doujo./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro unsheathed all his three katanas to block the Sphincter's attack, each coming as deathly. He tried to divert the beast's attention from the kids./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji came up a few moments later, carrying one kid in his arms who broke down in horror from the sight of the beast, a few other kids stumbled behind him. He stopped dead in his track when he saw the Sphincter./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro flung another attack, sending the Sphincter back into the forest. He shouted, "Sanji! Bring the kids away!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji hesitated for a moment, he wanted to help fight against the beast. But then his rational got a better of him, there are still kids around here, emhe/em will put them in danger. Biting on his lips, he shouted back, "You better be safe!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji only received a low growl and sounds of clashing in reply. A angry howl from the beast snapped Sanji out of his worry, and he quickly ushers the kids away, to the opposite direction from the forest./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The people were all alarmed at the attack, coming out from the premises and filled the streets. They had been peaceful for centuries, hence the panic was normal with situation like these. Sanji took control and led the crowd away, further from the forest. Once the coast was clear, he gathered a few men to check on other parts of town, ensuring that they are safe from any attack./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The panic lasted whole day, and it still taunt each and every one of them. The town filled with thick tension. Strong men volunteered to stay up and guard the damage part of the high wall, which turned out just behind the doujo. Piles of wood were sharpen and arranged in a defensive manner surrounding the doujo./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji had gone back to their home. He has his own drowning pool of worry, brewing deep within him. Zoro had not came back since afternoon, since he fight the beast./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"He tried to calm himself, to convince himself that the other will be alright, he was a strong swordsman, he trusted him on that. But that didn't wave even a bit of the nasty dropping feeling he had. Sanji heaved a heavy sigh, running a hand through his golden locks. He lit up a cigarette and inhaled deeply, he needed something badly that can divert his attention./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji figured cooking can fill his mind for the time being, as the marimo will definitely appreciate a nice warm meal upon returning. He moved his way around the kitchen, keeping his hands still without shaking./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"A good moments later, Sanji peered down at the pot, his expression not a good one. The color turned out emdifferent/em than what he expected, he made the stew a number of time before -Zoro liked the taste of it- and none of it turned the dark brown color like it is now. It supposed to be an appetizing golden color./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji slapped his hand over his eyes, cursing silently for messing up. He never messed up in the kitchen. But now he is standing here dealing with some food unfit for the table, just because he didn't pay attention to what he was putting into the pot as his head was too occupied with other things./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"He slid down to the floor, siting on the ground hoping to clear his head off. A low murmur left him, "Marimo…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Then, a soft click to the door had Sanji turn his head so fast that it might break. He stared at the door until heavy boots came in and a deep voice saying, "I'm home –"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The sentence unfinished, cut off by something that flung his way. Sanji practically threw himself over the taller one, burying his head deep into him. The other's warmth was the only thing made the him seems real./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""Welcome home, shitty marimo."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro winced a bit at the impact, which it didn't go unnoticed by Sanji. He quickly detachable himself to look into his eyes, then down to his body, voice thick of concern, "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""It's nothing, no need to worry about that. I'm fine."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji couldn't trust Zoro on his sense of pain, it's as hopeless as his sense of direction. True to that, he found a huge gash at his arm, the wound split through the length of his forearm, running from his wrist to the elbow./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji winced at the sight of the open wound, drips of blood still gushing down. He upturned his lips into a stern look and dragged Zoro by the haramaki to sit him down on a chair. He then went into their room to fetch the bandages and oilments, hands set in motion to tend for the wound./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Neither of them spoke a word, the air thick with silence. Zoro stole a few glance at the blonde, eyeing at his expression for anything. He knew he had upset the other. Hesitantly, Zoro reached out./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""It's nothing, it will heal in few days, I've had worst and look, I'm still here."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"That's all it take for Sanji to snap. "Idiot! That's because you were lucky, and what if you were not emlucky, /emwhat if there happens to be something that you can't handle? emWhy/em did you let yourself being hurt!? Do you want more injuries? Do you not had enough?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji shouted at Zoro, eyes burned with anger. However, the outburst very soon died down like fire met with water, when he saw the other's calm eyes. He couldn't take it anymore. Sanji let his stance down and took his place in Zoro's lap, chest to chest. He placed his forehead softly on his shoulder./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" Sanji whispered, "Do you know how worry I was?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"The voice didn't go unheard from Zoro. He used his other good hand to rub soothing circles behind his back, trying to calm the slightly shaking figure./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""I'm sorry, there was another one that ambushed me when I tried to push it back into the forest. There will be no next time."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji's head shot up, "Another one? How many was there already, four? We hardly even had one full-grown Sphincter before."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""Seems like they will be coming again, we better prepare."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""…I'm going in there with you next time."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro crunched his face with that statement, he don't like the idea of Sanji being in danger. He knew Sanji is strong, for being able to spar with him. But who knows if he will, you know, being emaccidentally /eminjured like he is now./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"That amused Sanji, where he finally let loose a smile, pressing his forehead against his, "Now who is the one worrying?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro rose his good hand, caressing Sanji's cheek. The blonde leaned in to the touch./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""Please, trust me. I can fight them off."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji stared at him straight in the eyes, he didn't speak for a while. Eventually, Sanji broke of the contact, averting his gaze elsewhere. "Then you have to promise me not to get hurt."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro grinned, "I won't, I promised." He pushed forward and captured his lips in a soft and comforting kiss, connecting their eyes again to send over the message that everything is okay./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"They stayed in the same position, until Zoro caught on some strange smell. He sniffed before asking, "Cook, is something burning? I smelt something weird."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Sanji immediately jumped up, " Oh shit, shit, shit!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro watched at the rushing figure fuss around the kitchen top, trying to save whatever that's bubbling in the pot. He walked over to see what's it all about./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"What he found was something interesting, he never thought Sanji could make anything that look like emthat./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""Cook, you the one who made this?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""WHAT?! You have any problem with that? Dumbass better chuck that all down your stomach and not wasting any."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"Zoro had a playful grin on, "Fine, but I'm hurt, I need emhelp/em to eat."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;""GET THE HELL AWAY! Your hands are wounded, not freaking broken, and you still have your other hand. Feed your goddamn moss-head yourself!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;" align="center"-TBC-/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;" /p