Loyalties
By AstroKender
Warnings: Swearing, Blood, Violence, Angst, and incredible amounts of gooey sap.
Notes: Ugh, with these last few chapters it's been so hard to keep it as a general fanfic, and not let my hentai shonen ai thoughts slip in. But hey, that's what sidefics are for, right? grins evilly Yes, I have much to plan after this. Just one chapter left after this, to be written and posted soon, I hope! Please enjoy.
Feedback: there is an annoying button at the bottom of the screen that, like Uragi, is just begging to be punched...
Disclaimers: One Piece belongs to Eichiro Oda, 4kids and various other affiliates. I don't own em, I don't make money off em, I just play with them.
Chapter 19
Luffy stumbled clumsily onto the soggy patch of grass, nearly tripping himself as he struggled to lift one foot and then the other up the slippery bank at the marsh's edge. Safe from the swamp's swallowing clutches; the dark-haired boy collapsed face first into the ground, pulling something large and heavy atop him. Luffy lay there for a long moment --nose pressed against the dew-coated grass-- just struggling to remember what it felt like to allow air into his lungs.
The weight pressing him slowly deeper into the mud reminded him that this was no time to be resting. Like a landed fish, Luffy quickly squirmed around in place, twisting his body so that he was facing his unmoving burden. His red-rimmed eyes scanned the form with anxiously. His cold and water-wrinkled hands trembled as they lifted to lie against a certain figure's cheeks. Blood trickled down in transparent sheets from the Rubber boy's arms, watered down from his recent immersion in the dark waters of the swamp.
Luffy's brow lifted somewhat as he glanced at the hard obstruction enclosing around his right forefinger. He hadn't lost it, and it hadn't broke. Now, if only…
The forehead lying against his own was cool and wet, the body pressed against his still and unmoving. Luffy had no idea of the proper method of checking for a pulse, or of how to return air to a non-breathing victim. He didn't know how to return blood to a body that has been long drained to its limits, or how to purge the toxins invading a body already weakened by battle.
But Luffy knew this: Zoro wasn't going to die. He had forbid it, using that voice.
Zoro always followed his captain's orders. Especially when he used The Voice.
Still, a tendril of worry slithered around the rubber-boy's heart. The last few minutes of battle had been a pain-filled blur. He remembered yanking Zoro back just as the explosion took them. He had stretched his body around the swordsman, wrapping around him like a rubber blanket as the fire swept across them. The force of the blast had mercilessly hurtled them though the warehouse walls and into the frigid waters below, where Luffy's body sank like a stone, carrying the green-haired man, who was unconscious --or dead-- judging by the lack of struggle, with him.
No trees existed on this island strong enough to pull the two from the swamps murky depths. No anchor lay conveniently about for the Luffy's rubbery limbs to grab hold of. Cold, wet darkness surrounded him, blinding him, deafening him. The body in his arms threatened to slip from his grasp at every movement. His lungs were already burning for oxygen.
But the Straw Hat Captain fought on, being responsible not only for his own life, but that of his crewmate. He refused to give up. A swamp was not the ocean. Luffy could still move, even if he could not swim. Plugging both his and his mate's noses, Luffy walked—walked—along the swamp floor, taking them both closer towards the surface with each strained and shallow step. It was a testament to the underlying willpower that was the backbone of Luffy's strength that they had even emerged from the swamp's opaque depths.
But --all the pain and struggling—was it enough? Was his loyalty to his friend going to be enough to save him? Can willpower and sheer stubbornness stave off Death itself? Luffy unwillingly found a tight knot of panic wrapping around his insides. In all his life, only one man had meant as much to him as the one who lay before him. And right now, he would give up a thousand straw hats if it would make this one person better.
"Hey Zoro, come on, wake up." Luffy whispered. No reply came and the dark-haired boy found himself biting his lip painfully, as his eyes began to sting. Things weren't supposed to end this way…. God, why wouldn't Zoro just open his eyes and look at him?
"All right, all right, I'm up." A scratchy voice mumbled. "Stop pulling on my cheeks."
Two bruised lids lifted slowly, revealing a stern gaze belonging to no one else but Luffy's first mate.
"They don't exactly stretch like yours, you know."
"Zoro!"
Luffy's voice was nearly inaudible from the charring effects of the warehouse's explosion. That explosion had really knocked him a good one. His head hurt like crazy and there was this irritating ringing going on in his ears. The rubber-boy suspected that if he didn't get help for Zoro soon, it would be the first mate carrying him back to the ship. But right now, in this instant, none of that seemed to matter.
Staring down at his burnt and singed partner, Zoro frowned. Their faces were only centimeters apart, mostly due to the fact that Zoro didn't have the strength to move off his captain even if he wanted to. But, regardless, it was easy to see the clear tracks of liquid sliding down from Luffy's eyes into his hairline.
"Are you crying?"
Shaking his head furiously, Luffy broke out into a smile so wide it made his face ache. Though, right now, just about anything he did made his body hurt. Zoro's frown lessened and he gave a short nod as he looked away awkwardly.
"Good."
Luffy nodded in return, respectively failing to mention the handful of salty tasting drops that had splashed onto his face. After all, real men don't lay around and cry on each other like babies, did they? And definitely not pirates. Uh uh. No way. An irrational swell of happiness bubbled through Luffy and his grin widened still further as he wrapped his rubbery limbs around his companion in a binding hug that had Zoro moaning in pain.
"Easy, damn it!" he hissed, gracing his captain with a scowl that was largely ignored by the other boy, judging on how Luffy's arms tightened further.
"Should I give you two a few minutes?"
Zoro's head snapped up and he reached down to his sides for swords that were not there. In fact, nothing was there, his brain hastily reminded himself. Except for his soggy bandanna, the swordsman wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing. And here he was sprawled over his captain with Luffy's arms and legs wrapped around him in a position that could definitely be misconstrued.
No wonder Sanji's face looked so red.
"Sanji!" Luffy crowed, his rubbery tentacles loosening from his unwilling captive. "Did you bring meat?"
Sanji huffed and turned his back to them, trying to hide his embarrassment. "It seems as though you've had plenty, though I have to question both your timing and location."
"Get your mind out of the gutter, you stinking pervert." Zoro muttered as he painstakingly rolled off of Luffy. If possible, the blonde's face turned an even deeper shade of crimson. Slipping his jacket off, Sanji threw it in the swordsman's direction, whacking him rudely in the face.
"Cover yourself up, bastard, there are ladies coming!"
Sanji's hands seemed to be shaking as he straightened his tie. That one visible eye seemed just a bit more shiny than usual as he glared down at them. And a slight tick had developed on the right side of the blonde's cheek, as if he were fighting off a smile. Zoro blinked dazedly. Either he was hallucinating, or the shitty cook really was relieved to see them. The mere thought gave him the shivers. Maybe he had already died….
"Nami's coming?" Luffy asked impatiently. "Chopper too?"
Sanji had the grace to look embarrassed. "Well, I don't know actually. I sent Carue to fetch them, but we may end up having to meet them halfway or something." Sanji bristled under Zoro's incredulous stare. "What? I was a bit rushed, okay?" He promptly gave the swordsman the finger, proving that all was indeed right with the world. Zoro allowed his head to drop back onto the ground.
"Shit." he muttered tiredly. "Just when I thought I'd finally get some rest. If it's between dying and having that bitch harping at me…I'd rather die."
"No." Zoro was startled by the firm voice from his right. Luffy's head turned towards him, his eyes serious. "You said you wouldn't." the dark-haired boy accused.
Zoro stared into his captain's unblinking eyes. Here he was, supposedly the up and coming strongest swordsman in the world, and had let the rubber boy save him yet once again. This was seriously becoming an irritating habit. He definitely needed to up his training regimen. Looking into Luffy's dark eyes, Zoro felt his irritation melting away. After all, the swordsman sighed, he supposed he did owe him. One little promise couldn't hurt anything.
"All right." Zoro grumbled reluctantly. "From this point forward, no dying unless you say I can."
"Then Zoro will live forever." Luffy stated firmly. Smiling in satisfaction, the rubber boy closed his eyes, wanting nothing more than to pass out. But a stray ray of light struck him in the eye and he found himself turning his head east in confusion.
The sun was rising.
"Ahh! Shit! The poison!" Luffy exclaimed, bolting upright.
"What?" Sanji shouted, his eyes bugging outward. "Didn't you get the antidote?"
Luffy held up his hand, where a small glass vial was firmly stuck onto his forefinger. "It's right here, but there's not enough!" He waggled his hand for emphasis.
Indeed, only one lonely drop sparkled against the glass bottom, rolling about precariously with the rubber-boy's gyrations. Sanji began to panic. "Stop that!" he ordered. "We need to get to Chopper, quick!" He dropped down to his knees in order to haul Zoro to his feet. But one glance at his comrade stopped the cook cold.
Zoro lay on the wet grass unmoving, his eyes closed against the growing rays of the sun. A peaceful smile curled around his mouth, making him seem much like a fallen statue, frozen in eternity of repose. The swordsman seemed very, very still.
A lump formed in Sanji's throat. "You god damn idiot." He whispered.
"Zoro!" Luffy cried out as he threw himself atop his first mate's body. "You can't die! You promised!"
"Maybe it's not too late," Sanji said desperately. "If we get him to Chopper, maybe—"
"Will you two just shut the hell up?" Zoro growled softly. "I'm trying to enjoy the moment here."
Both Luffy and Sanji fell over in shock.
"You're not dead!" Luffy accused.
"Of course I'm not." Zoro opened one eye irritably.
"But, the poison…." Sanji reminded him.
"Idiots." Zoro huffed. He reluctantly opened both eyes to stare up at his companions. "You think I survived this whole ordeal just to kill off the second you two look away?" Seeing his friend's uncomprehending stares, the swordsman sighed. "I feel like shit, but I'm fairly sure I can last a bit longer. It's been a rough night, so just freaking relax for a couple of minutes, okay? If you don't I swear I'll somehow find the strength to pummel you!" Zoro threatened.
Luffy's answering laugher echoed lightly across the clearing, like the tinkling of a bell. Looking around, he could understand his first mate's reasoning. The light of morning had transformed the hell that had been their battleground into an oasis of life. Each blade of grass seemed to be gleaming vibrantly. The gnarled and twisted trees revealed themselves to be the home of dozens of forms of wildlife. And the swamp that had nearly took their lives glisten like the calmest waters of the ocean.
'When you think about it, it was kind of nice to be alive', Luffy decided to himself. He grinned at his cook conspiratorially. Though it was even better to be alive with your friends with you. Alive too, of course.
"Bah." Sanji muttered as he plucked a twig from the ground and shoved it in his mouth, chewing at it irritably. He didn't know what he needed worse, a cigarette, or a good stiff drink. With a disgusted grunt, he pushed himself to his feet. "Picnics just aren't any fun without lovely ladies and food." He stated with a laziness he did not feel. "Let's go."
"Food!" Luffy bounced to his feet excitedly. Zoro made no move to join them.
The blonde stared down at his rival for a long moment, his expression veiled. A lot of thoughts were going through Sanji's head that the others were not privy to, nor would they ever be, as far as he was concerned. But one thing was for certain; these two idiots could never be counted on to take care of themselves.
Finally, the cook stretched out a single palm towards Zoro. "Do you need a hand?" he mumbled aloofly, as if he were asking about the weather.
"Hell no." Zoro growled, crossing his arms over his chest.
Sanji shrugged indifferently and lowered his hand. Zoro still did not move. The silence slowly began to fill with the awakening cries of the marsh birds as they rose from their nests in search of breakfast. The two stayed in their positions for several more moments as Luffy bounced impatiently around them. Sighing, Sanji had had enough.
"You can't walk, can you?" he demanded.
"Not a chance." Zoro replied matter-of-factly.
Sanji shook his head in disgust as he lead down and physically hauled the other man to his feet. Looping Zoro's arms around his thin shoulders, he hefted the larger man into an awkward sort of piggy pack that left Zoro's feet dragging the ground. Sanji grunted at the twinge of pain that ran up his injured back.
"I did not sign up to pack your lard ass around." The blonde griped. "When we get back to the ship, you are so on half rations."
"Like I'd eat your shitty cooking anyway." Zoro muttered, his eyelids slowly sinking. "Stupid Love Cook." Zoro's head dropped down abruptly onto the blonde's shoulder. Sanji inhaled a swift intake of breath, alarmed by his burden's sudden stillness. But a faint snore quickly reassured him that they hadn't lost their Cabbage Head yet.
"Oiy, Luffy," Sanji tried to glance backwards and failed. "Grab my jacket, will you?" he called back.
"Right!" Luffy answered and he limped over and crouched low to scoop up the discarded garment.
A small noise at the swamp's edge caused the dark haired boy to stiffen. Narrow eyes scoured the bank where he and Zoro had emerged, quickly searching for the source. Suddenly, the rubber-boy's fists clenched.
"Sanji." Luffy called out. "Take Zoro on up ahead. I'll catch up in a minute."
"But—" Sanji halted his protest swiftly, detecting that tone of his captain's voice that brooked no argument. The blonde sighed in resigned frustration as his eyes scoured the entrance to the path that had led him here. "Hurry up, will you? This bastard's heavy."
"Yeah." Luffy said noncommittally, as he rose to his feet and started forward with the slow, deliberate movements of a cat stalking an injured bird.
There, a couple of meters away, at the waters edge and partially hidden by the rushes, lay the bounty hunter Uragi.
Or what was left of him.
The harsh whine of labored breathing had alerted the pirate captain of their hidden foe. But now, looking down on him, Luffy seriously doubted the man was capable of further harm. Most of Uragi's hair and clothing had burned away—what hadn't had melted onto his blistered flesh. The bounty hunter was missing at least one limb; the others were still submerged into the swamp. Uragi stared up at him with one bloodshot eye; the other held nothing but an empty socket.
"…straw hat…" Uragi croaked.
Luffy stared down at him enemy impassively.
Uragi grinned out of a bloody and toothless mouth as he shifted his limited gaze to the ground before him. Following his gaze, Luffy noticed a thin line of black liquid extending from Uragi's cauterized stump of an arm. The trail of liquid ran up the bank and disappeared into the grass, in the exact direction that his two companions had gone.
'You lose.' The bounty hunter mouthed, having lost the ability to speak with his charred vocal cords.
Luffy growled low in his throat and launched himself high into the air. A red haze seemed to cover his vision, but that didn't prevent him from taking careful aim at the speck of a figure below him. Mercy was a foreign concept at this point. Luffy was angry enough to kill.
"Gomu Gomu no Corkscrew!"
Luffy's legs extended down towards the ground in a narrow spiral barreling straight towards the fallen bounty hunter. The rubber-boy's sandaled feet locked around Uragi's head and, with an animalistic roar, Luffy's legs unwound.
The dark-haired boy landed back on solid ground at the exact moment that Uragi's head dropped into the dark waters of the swamp with a sickening plop.
Luffy stared down at Uragi's decapitated body emotionlessly. Perhaps he would regret he decision later, but right now nothing filled the boy's head but a deep sense of satisfaction marred only by the sharp piercing of worry for his friends. Turning on his heels, Luffy ran off without glancing back.
He found Sanji a couple of long minutes later, sitting shirtless on a rotting stump. A wave of relief washed over him, leaving him suddenly weak. The blonde shot a glare at him as he saw the rubber-boy skidding into view.
"What took you so long?" the cook demanded.
Luffy smiled nervously. "Uh…I had trouble finding your jacket." He replied as he tossed the said garment to his comrade.
Sanji raised one curly eyebrow dubiously but declined to comment as he swiftly slipped his arms through his jacket. Zoro lay at the cook's feet, Sanji's dress shirt tied awkwardly around his waist. Sanji vowed to himself to burn it later.
"Is Zoro okay?" Luffy peered at his first mate nervously. Had Uragi's poison reached them after all?
"Do you know what it's like to try to walk with this idiot's 'sword' poking you in the back?" Sanji asked rhetorically.
"No." Luffy stated innocently, wondering what that had to do with Zoro's well being. "Is it hard?"
Sanji, taking Luffy's question in an entirely different way, nearly choked on his own tongue. "Never mind!" he growled out, his face red. "Are we ready?"
Luffy shifted awkwardly.
"What?" Sanji's brow rose.
"Sanji," Luffy voice was unusually meek. "Are you hurt badly?" his finger lifted, indicating the numerous cuts across the blonde's stomach and back.
"Me?" Sanji asked with a bit of surprise. He shrugged. "Nah, its just some scratches."
"Good." Luffy smiled in relief. "Then you won't mind carrying us both. I'm beat."
With that, the Straw Hat Captain promptly passed out.
VVOOOVV