Day 1 - All That Sparkles

The air was muggy and fragrant with flowers as the Merry docked just a short row from a green-capped stretch of beach. It was one of the larger islands in a string of smaller sandy pieces of a sizeable archipelago, perfect for a break and a hopeful spot to replenish some of their larder. The crew took turns shuttling to the shore under a parade of puffy white clouds against a true-blue sky. Sanji and Usopp were the last to make landfall, the cook having needed the extra space to haul his portable barbeque. Usopp helped him carry it across the gentle surf, and they joined the others.

As Sanji set up his equipment on a suitable spot at the break line between the trees and beach, Luffy and Usopp frolicked in the tidal pools, searching for crabs and starfish. Nami unfolded her sturdy beach chair with Robin's help, while Chopper smoothed their large picnic blanket with a doctor's careful precision. Zoro walked the shoreline, eyeing the expanse of trees and rocky rise to the north with interest.

Sanji called to him in his most annoying voice. "Hey, directionless wonder! Don't wander off without an adult!"

Zoro gave him the finger and continued his inspection of the island's rim but did keep the crew within eyesight.

The sun climbed the late morning sky, and the temperature rose at what felt like an exponential rate. As if by unspoken agreement, the Straw Hat crew divested themselves of any unnecessary clothing and took to shade or water. Zoro was just about to lay down for his customary nap when Nami called an impromptu meeting. He rolled over with a groan and wondered if he could just ignore her. Even on a tropical paradise, she found ways to make them work.

"It looks like we have to stay in the vicinity of this archipelago for at least three days to set the log pose," she was saying as he reluctantly strode over. "It's big enough that there's a good chance we can restock a few things, though. Sanji?"

Sanji pointed a pair of metal tongs at each of the group in turn. Naturally, this did not include the women. "I have a list of things for each of you to see if you can find and bring back."

Zoro rolled his eyes.

"Don't want any dinner, then, mosshead? Fine by me. More for the ladies."

"I have a list too!" Chopper chirped up. "These islands have all kinds of useful medicinal plants and flowers, so if you see any…" He showed the group a page from one of his medical books. They all looked the same to him, but Zoro tried to commit at least one or two to memory. He barely glanced at Sanji's list, much to the cook's annoyance.

Sanji pushed his ridiculous sunglasses up over his forehead to better fix Zoro with one baleful blue eye. "I'll make it easy for you, shitty swordsman. Bring back meat. Got it? M. E. A. T."

"Me too, me too!" Luffy yelled enthusiastically.

Sanji nodded. "Fine. You two are on meat patrol. Just…"

Luffy shot off into the trees. Zoro trailed after him at a lazy pace.

"…bring back something edible…"

...

Zoro meandered after his captain, enjoying the cool breeze that played under the canopy of leaves. Even here, sweat rolled down his bare back and neck, but at least it wasn't the same oppressive heat from the beach. The absence of curly-eyebrow-shaped irritations was also a relief. He would do as directed, though. Not because the cook had asked—never that—but because he enjoyed hunting. His eyes roved over the undergrowth as he walked, searching for animal sign. They'd made enough stops of this sort on the Grand Line that he knew what to look for now. If they were lucky, this island would have some crocodile-boar wanies like the last one. Zoro had enjoyed that meal immensely.

Ahead, Luffy's wild swings through the treetops made the prospect of surprising any animals seem like a remote possibility, so Zoro let the gap between them widen. When the hooting laughter had faded somewhat, he closed his eyes and let his gut choose his path. Despite the teasing he often got for his sense of direction, Zoro trusted his instincts absolutely—especially when it came to tracking prey. It didn't hurt that the island wasn't overly large. If worse came to worst, he could just follow the beach back around. He headed north towards the large rocky outcropping he'd seen before.

The ground changed from packed earth into quartz-veined rock as the elevation gradually got steeper. Zoro picked his way around jagged, glossy black slabs of obsidian. He hadn't seen any tracks or hints of wildlife, but it felt like something was nudging him onward. He paused by one of the volcanic slabs and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Under the shade of the leaves no longer, it was beginning to sting his eyes.

An almost inaudible keening sound pricked at his ears. He lowered a hand to the swords at his hip and felt the black blade vibrating under his palm. Sandai Kitetsu was reacting to something. Cautiously, Zoro looked around. He saw nothing, felt no hint of anyone nearby, and had no sense of danger. Whatever the cursed sword was thirsting after wasn't the usual fare. He made his way around a chipped wall of basalt and down into a depressed formation below the overhanging rock. There he found a chest.

Interest well-piqued, Zoro knelt by the mahogany-paneled chest and ran a calloused thumb over the tarnished brass lock. It was old, that much was clear. The leather binding on the lid was rotted and eaten away in places. Interlocking patterns made of ivory decorated the front, but the design was chipped and weather stained. Even the metal joints were so pitted with rust that they fell apart when Zoro gently tried to lift the lid.

With a bit more force, the hinges crumbled and the top yawned open. Zoro craned his neck to peer inside.

Kitetsu's yearning sang in his ears and things went black.

...

"…Hey. Wake up already. Who the hell sleeps standing up, anyway? Hello? Oy, mosshead, nap time's over!"

Zoro blinked and realized with a start that he was standing back amongst the obsidian pillars of rock he'd passed earlier. The sun was high overhead now, and his throat felt unbearably dry. With effort, he concentrated on the moving, yakking shape in front of him. Sanji's blond hair, bleached even lighter by the sun, and irritated face came into focus.

"You awake now? What've you been doing out here? You missed lunch!"

Zoro blinked again and tried to work some spit into his mouth to ease his aching throat.

"Water," he croaked.

Sanji stared at him.

Zoro gestured for the flask on the other man's hip. The cook unhooked and handed it over with a bemused expression.

"Don't tell me you've been here like that the entire time. You'll get sunstroke, you know."

Zoro drank the tepid contents until the burning subsided.

"I'm fine," he rasped and handed back the flask.

Sanji took the now empty container with a raised eyebrow and shook his head. "Didn't I say not to wander off? Luffy came back ages ago and said he hadn't seen you."

"I was exploring."

"More like sleeping on the job," Sanji said with a snort. "You're lucky Usopp caught a few wild pigs. C'mon. I put some lunch aside for you, but there's no telling how long it'll last with Luffy around…"

Sanji turned and began picking his way down the rocky path. Zoro watched the muscles in the lean back bunch and shift as the other man shouldered a basket full of leafy plants and what looked like potatoes. Small scratches and cuts from foraging in the wild undergrowth without a shirt on marked the tanned skin here and there. Droplets of blood seeped from one of the deeper scratches, and Zoro stared transfixed as a small red bead traced a thin arc over a tricep.

Sanji looked back over his shoulder, annoyed. "What the hell are you doing? Let's go! I've wasted enough time already trying to find your stupid ass."

Zoro glared back as he began walking. "Who asked you to, shitty cook?"

"Everyone!" came the sardonic reply.

They returned to camp without incident, and Sanji abandoned him to Luffy's elastic embrace. He spent the afternoon in a pleasant haze, devouring the lunch leftovers with an appetite that made even the usually reserved Robin remark and accepted some of Chopper's homemade sunscreen. He was not so oblivious as to miss Sanji's whispered conversation with Nami, who then kept shoving glasses of water into his hand every time he asked for booze.

The lazy afternoon wore on, and Zoro dozed, but every time he slipped into a deeper sleep his dreams felt choppy and strange. Frustrated and restless, he got up and joined Usopp and Chopper by the fire to watch the cook grilling their dinner. Usopp was in high spirits after his successful hunt and dug him out a bottle of beer from the make-shift cooler they'd made by burying the bottles in the wet sand. Zoro popped the cork with a contented sigh and half-listened to the tall tales spilling from the sniper's mouth.

The sky faded to a soft purple and the glow from the fire picked out the sparkling jewelry dangling from Robin's ears, the brassy buttons on Luffy's vest as he laughed, and the golden highlights of the cook's hair. Zoro drank in these details with a hunger equal to the one he'd felt for lunch. The glimmer, the scintillating way the light played on that lustrous shade of yellow was downright seductive. It was… With a start, he realized the cook was looking at him. The slender hands continued to turn the skewers of meat, but the other man's blue eye was fixed on him now. The slight frown between the curling brows said he'd been caught staring.

Zoro finished his bottle and got up to fetch another one. Instead of returning to his seat, he faced the sea, uncomfortable with the preoccupying thoughts. He wasn't Nami. Gold and treasure had never held his interest that much. And yet…

"All right!" Sanji's voice called. "Dinner's ready!"

The Straw Hats cheered, and half made an unorganized dash to be first. Sanji left the mob of men to serve themselves from the platter and carried over the pre-fixed plates for the ladies. They thanked him, and Zoro watched as he turned back to the grill and began threading more meat on a fresh set of skewers. A hand blossomed by the swordsman's feet and snagged a beer from the sandpit. Several more appeared and passed the beverage down the line until it reached the cook. Sanji accepted it gratefully with a bow in Robin's direction. Zoro watched him drink it with a strange feeling deep in his gut.

...

The next morning was as clear and sparkling blue as the last. Zoro rolled over on his mat—the men had elected to sleep under the stars while the women returned to the ship—and groaned. His head was pounding and there was an ache deep in his limbs as though he'd been fighting half the night. He sat up and stretched, but it provided little relief. Looking out over the calm seas, he decided a bit of training would set him right and stripped down to his briefs. He walked into the surf and began swimming laps to and from the Merry. After the 50th circuit, he felt better and returned to shore intending to have breakfast. He passed Chopper on his way to the grill where Sanji was busily toasting sausages and bread. The little reindeer jogged after him holding up the jar of sunscreen from the previous day.

"Zoro! I made more, so please put some on! You got a lot of sun yesterday and—"

"Don't need it," Zoro growled.

Chopper shrank back from his tone but held up the jar again. "Just a little at least. Sunstroke is—"

"I said, I don't need it!"

"Hey!" There was a bang as Sanji slammed the metal tongs down. "What's your problem, mosshead? Too much to drink last night? Go back and do more laps if you're going to be an ass. Or have some coffee…" He reached down for the steaming pot and froze as a blade appeared at his throat. "Zoro, what the hell—"

Chopper gaped at them.

"Wanna spar, cook?"

"I'm trying to make breakfast, asshole! Go work off your hangover somewhere else!"

Zoro moved the blade a fraction, and Sanji's eye widened. The finest line of red appeared on the taut skin just under his jawline. Zoro smiled.

And then the blade was gone.

"I'm just kidding, eyebrows. You've gotten slow. Maybe you're the one who should do some laps." He turned and walked off towards his mat while Chopper and Sanji stared after him.

Usopp strolled over, jaw cracking wide in a yawn. "Is breakfast ready?" he asked.

Neither Chopper nor Sanji replied.

"What's going… Hey, Sanji. You're bleeding. You cut yourself shaving or something?"

Sanji reached a hand up to his neck and felt the wetness on the tips of his fingers. He followed the swordsman's toned form with narrowed eyes as he dove back into the ocean and began swimming again.

"Yeah, something like that…"

To be continued...