I do not own anything besides these words and the cover art.
"What the fuck happened, Usopp?" Sanji hissed into the phone as he paced the hallways. Even the sight of countless young, fit nurses would not sway his focus as his fists curled into tight rocks.
"I…I don't know. I still can't find her," Usopp hesitantly responded. He was busing himself into a new hideaway, or more specifically, a familiar one as he rolled Nojiko's body into the grand bedroom Kaya once rested in. Her breathing apparatus traveled with her, and Usopp looked at the feeble girl with worry for the sister he could talk to but no longer find.
Sanji was not one to show his frustration so openly, but he could not help but react. His kick launched a trashcan down the hallway. Men and women looked at him in fear and anger, but the chiseled Frenchman simply put an unlit cigarette in his mouth and turned to the windows. He would have been kicked out, however, he was practically a hospital resident now. Since Zoro was admitted, Sanji sulked around the halls like some deathly apparition claiming souls for the afterlife. If he was not on the phone quietly screaming as Usopp, he was outside smoking his body's weight in nicotine. That did not stop the shaking though.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Zoro's body lying in the dark pool. His face almost unrecognizable and his clothed drenched in blood. Sanji had not stopped shaking since gripping his unconscious and unmoving friend until the ambulance ushered them away. Then some tatted doctor had the audacity to pulled Zoro off and suddenly Sanji was some outcast, watching a horror movie play before his eyes. They would not tell him where he was. They would not let him know about his condition. If not Sanji, then who…Zoro did not have anyone else. Sanji screamed that very statement at the attendants that blocked his way every time. Somehow, with his stupid charm and good looks, he managed to make one or two (hundred) female friends who offered kind words and a warm shoulder to cry on.
"Usopp…" Sanji started, but there were no words. Many of their conversations these days were like that. One of them would ask "why" or "how" and the other would offer silence. It made no sense. It terrified them both. Not knowing.
Once Usopp had Nojiko settled, he went to his computers and clicked away, "I still can't find an update on Zoro. As if they are keeping him out of the system."
"Is he even here then? It's been two days!"
"Sanji…" That was their way of comforting each other, it seemed. Neither of them had anyone else to talk to about the damage they both knew of, the horrors, the secrets. They were cast away, both drinking and fighting with no one but themselves over their dearest friends. Their family. Usopp glanced at the beeping machine hooked into Nojiko and felt the angry tears come again, "I fucked up…Sanji. I should have told her to run. I even tried to find what the cops had on her to erase it. I mean…we were always good at running…but she…she always ran away with what she wanted. And she-"
"She wanted him," Sanji spoke quietly. There was no water left in his body for tears. He spent most of it angrily crying for Zoro. He did not have tears for her, too. He should have, it was only right to cry for her…but somewhere deep down in his dark and jealous heart, he blamed her for what happened to Zoro. Sanji knew she played games and acted all okay, but Zoro did the same. It made sense to Sanji why they attracted each other, but Sanji had hoped it would not cost him his friend. It was only until now, while he was tired, hungry, and angry in a hospital, that he understood the lengths to which he would lose Zoro.
The silence between Usopp and Sanji was quiet and painful, but it meant something to each man. To Usopp, it was a connection to the outside world. One he forsook a long time away in fear and anguish. Yet, it was in some strange act of Nami's kindness that kept him in the dark. Sometimes he hated her for it, for locking her sister away, but sometimes Usopp knew his fear of moving on from his own past and pain with Kaya would have been too much. Therefore, he was fine with watching over someone else's past and pain. For Sanji, it was admonishment for his actions. There was no one to yell at him anymore, to tell him he did a very shitty thing. Sanji used these precious moments to scream at himself like his family once did, beating him down and calling him less than nothing. Zeff would not do it, at least not in the hatred that Sanji wanted to inflict on himself. Frankly, Zeff had not seen him for a few days. He called, but Sanji was not ready. Perona even reached out, but he would not leave the hospital until he knew Zoro would be okay.
Just then, a quiet nurse came to Sanji's side and offered him a kind smile. He returned one, with the smallest ounce of chivalry he could squeeze out. She leaned in, handed him a paper, and whispered into his ear, "I think I've found your friend. Apparently, he is not on the official hospital registry since some fancy doctor came in. Don't ask me why-"
She could barely manage another word as Sanji gave her quick peck on the cheek and rushed down the hall. "Usopp," Sanji panted as he ran, "I found him…I found him!"
Usopp smiled and spoke into the phone, "Good for you…" but the anger inside him wanted to scream anything else.
Music Inspiration/Theme: "Go Fuck Yourself" (Two Feet)
Honestly, when I originally thought of my general plot, things moved a lot quicker. However, as I kept writing and things came up or I looked at it, the story revealed itself. And I think my favorite aspect of writing is that no matter what you thought of or how much you planned; the story takes a life of its own. I'll be honest, I love your feedback, but not much has changed based on reviews, so thanks for trusting me to tell this story. I've seen fandoms or fan servicing sway a creator/writer that it ends up hurting the actual story. I really hope that however fictional, this story is still true to the characters it is based off!
Okay, my senile moment of writers praise aside, I do want to thank belnonm for their review and calling me out on Zoro's strategic skillset in the Alabasta Arc! Since I am not currently updated, I try to remember what I most recently saw, which is sad since this story kinda started as they started in the beginning…but yes, Zoro did a lot of planning in Alabasta and it would not be right of me to say that he cannot plan or think for himself. But as the review said, "Zoro can think, he just prefer to follow the flow and luck" and I think I appreciate that so much about Zoro…and I think it complements Nami's way of going about things. She is definitely spontaneous, but she does prefer a plan, a map if I do say so myself…so their pairing always seemed the most fun to watch. To me. Hence this exhausting, painful, long, and yet self-satisfying story.
On that note, there will be a 2-year gap…of some kind, but I do hope everyone knows that this story is not gonna end anytime soon (crossing my fingers that it won't ACTUALLY be a 2-year gap). Gosh, I don't think I could do that anyway…I mean look how long it took me to get just here! Haha. So, my hope is that I do not bore you in the interim because as any shipper dreams, I just want my babies to be okay…and like maybe have babies or whatever. But anywhoo, relationships are work. And this ain't some fairy tale love story. Ya'll gonna struggle with me.
Back to this chapter, my goal was to one…flesh out how everyone was feeling during this whole ordeal. I think Nami and Usopp's relationship is so precious. They have always clung together as "chickens" of the crew in the beginning, but they have really blossomed. And let's face it, Kaya's death - if Usopp had no other friends, could have taken a toll. That coupled with his fears, I don't know if he would have been so ready to go and follow a dream. As for Sanji, he loves Zoro. I think this story makes it more than a bromance, but I truly think Sanji admires Zoro quite a lot, in regards to his anger at Zoro…I think they challenge each other to be better than themselves. Why I used this song? One- felt right, it seemed lethargic and fit into the mood where everything just seemed…slowed and down. Two- I also think Sanji and Usopp have hate and sadness for everyone and everything, so why wouldn't Usopp be mad that Sanji gets to know where his best friend is and Usopp, with all his skills, still cannot find his? Ya know. That stuff hurts. Anyway…
Will Sanji tell Zoro exactly what he knows? Has Zoro woken up yet? What will Law do with Zoro? Will Usopp be able to locate Nami? Where is Nami? All to be continued in the next chapter…
XoXo shipfiend