AN: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you :) I have been waiting to post this chapter since the beginning, so I hope it came out okay! Despite trying to edit it a lot, it still came out nearly two to three times longer than a usual chapter of mine, but I couldn't imagine making it two chapters. Please enjoy!

The straw hat pirates were worried. Zoro lay unconscious on the bed, having been attended to by Chopper. But, it wasn't Zoro that they were worried about. Sanji had been acting extremely strangely after the battle.

The crew knew quite well that Zoro and Sanji were close. A few of them even suspected quite heavily feelings on either one or both sides. But even so, the way Sanji was acting seemed fairly extreme.

It was true that Zoro was badly hurt. More than usual. However, Chopper had announced that she would live. She was extremely tough after all as well, not someone who would let a few near mortal wounds stop her.

Nevertheless.

Sanji wouldn't sleep. He wouldn't eat.

Whenever someone tried to talk to him, he would lash out in anger.

He was jittery and would jump at random sounds.

He wouldn't leave Zoro's side and kept checking her constantly.

Chopper tried to look over the cook to see if there was anything wrong, but the cook brushed him aside.

After two days of this, Luffy called a meeting with the members. They discussed possible reasons and what they could do help the cook.

"Maybe he'll snap out of it when Zoro wakes up. I mean they are pretty close." Usopp suggested as they sat around a table in the next room.

"Yeah maybe, but is he going to start acting like this anytime something happens to Zoro?" Nami questioned.

"I think…" Robin started, "there may be something internally wrong."

"Like his stomach? Maybe he's hungry. He hasn't eaten." Luffy wondered.

"Ahh, psychologically?" Franky asked. Robin nodded.

"Zoro's incident might have triggered this response from him." Robin continued.

"Let's say that's true. If so, what could we do about it? No one here is exactly a psychologist." Nami said, tapping her chin with her finger.

"Maybe we could try talking to him again?" Usopp suggested, shrugging.

"He bites our heads off every time we try." Nami sighed. There was the sound of a chair scraping across the floor and Brook stood up and silently left the room.

"Right… maybe he just needs time then. Let's wait until Zoro wakes up." Franky told them.

Brook entered the infirmary quietly with his guitar and walked over to the bed where Sanji was watching over Zoro. The cook raised a defensive gaze towards the skeleton, but Brook simply sat down across from them and settled his guitar on his lap. Seeing the musician had no intention of getting closer, Sanji turned his attention back to Zoro as Brook started lightly strumming his guitar. This continued for some time, and they simply sat in near silence, only the slow simple tune of the guitar wandering the room.

Slowly, Sanji felt the tension start to release from his body as the melody started to distract him from his thoughts. He concentrated on listening.

Eventually, he found himself feeling exhausted. He slowly laid his head down on his arms on the bed, keeping an eye on the sleeping swordsman. His eyelids drooped. He tried to keep them open but lost the battle and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Sanji awoke with a jolt. Surprised and upset that he had fallen asleep, he quickly looked over Zoro to see her still asleep. He sighed and glanced around. Brook was still sitting but was no longer playing the guitar.

"How long was I out?" Sanji asked, rubbing his face.

"A couple hours." Brook replied.

"Was there any change in Zoro's condition?" Sanji questioned. Brook tilted his head slightly.

"She's been doing the same. But Chopper seems to think she will wake up soon." Brook told him. Sanji nodded, yawning. He watched Zoro's face for a moment before suddenly realizing something.

"Wait… you know?" Sanji asked. Brook shrugged his shoulders.

"As do you, it seems. Our little swordsman can try as she might, but all I can see is woman." Brook replied. Sanji sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"She's an idiot…"

"Perhaps. She has a large burden on her shoulders. As do you, it seems, cook." Brook replied as he started looking over his guitar strings, plucking them one at a time to checking their tuning. Sanji froze for a moment, glancing over at the musician. However, Brook did not push.

Sanji looked back towards Zoro and reached over, putting his hand over her own.

"When I saw her… when I knew that she was suffering… when I saw the blood I just…" Sanji shuddered and shook his head. "It… reminded me of my mother."

Brook finished his tuning and set the guitar down. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his legs, staying silent.

"She… she died a long time ago. When I was a child. It was my fault." Sanji admitted, the grief clear on his face. "She was the only one who ever loved me… the only one who cared." He kept his eyes down, away from the skeleton's face.

"When I saw her take in all that pain, when I saw all the blood, I just… I can't do it… I can't take that pain again." Sanji confessed, gripping Zoro's hand tighter.

"She is very strong." Brook noted, tilting his head towards the swordsman who still lay asleep in the bed between them. Despite the various cuts and bruises, she seemed to be resting soundly. Sanji nodded.

"I know… I know… but then I just remember what happened back then, and even though logically I know its different, I still… couldn't help but panic." Sanji shook his head. There was a pause between them.

"Since when did you know?" Brook inquired curiously. Relieved from the slight change in subject, Sanji stared off into the distance, thinking.

"From the beginning." He replied, thinking back to when he first met the swordsman.

Sanji had been suspicious. However, he'd seen a lot on the seas so when told that Zoro was indeed a man, he had let it go. Who was he to judge if Zoro's frame was a bit more softer than your average male's? And that was that.

Until… Mihawk.

The blood. The cut that spanned across her entire body. He was so concentrated on the blood that he hadn't noticed at first from his prime seat. But it was Mihawk's words that confirmed it.

"…miss swordsman."

The cook stared in shock, wondering if he had heard wrong. He barely heard it as it was. She was bleeding profusely, he couldn't ponder about it now. He rushed to her side as she was struggling to pull her haramaki to cover her partially exposed chest. It looked so bad. He gulped and called for help.

Sanji had put the whole incident out of his head. He had other things to worry about, such as their current fight with the Arlong Pirates.

When she saved him from getting his head chopped off, they had ended up face to face in the battle. He watched her as she panted, blood seeping out of the bandages. Her eyes were still determined however, as if she would fight even if it cost her life.

As her head fell to his shoulder, he wrapped his arm protectively around her. She was wounded from the beginning and these fishmen were taking as much advantage of that as possible, attacking her stomach. He felt a deep burn of anger grow inside himself. She was pushing herself so far to save her crewmembers, to save him. He wouldn't forget that, and he would return the favor.

Sanji frowned down at the swordsman. She was losing too much blood, he needed to do something to stop it. As he reached for it though, Usopp stopped him, sprouting nonsense about some kind of third nipple.

That was her cover story? What an idiot. Sanji gently pushed Usopp aside and applied pressure to her wound. It looked like he was going to have to watch over her more closely than he thought.

It was odd. Sanji loved women. A lot. He was always seeking their approval, their love, their affection. Knowing Zoro was pretending to be a man flipped some sort of switch within the cook. He still wanted to be around her, he still craved her attention. But it was different. He didn't have to put on airs, he didn't have to act, because he knew he couldn't. But, for some reason, that helped them grow closer.

"Are looks the only thing you care about? It's the inside that matters!"

"Well it's too bad you're lacking in both areas, eh moss head?" Sanji saw the hurt in her eyes. He was teasing her, like usual, but it seemed to dig deeper than usual.

He loved spending time with her. She always had a response to whatever he threw at her. But she also looked nervous sometimes. It was…very cute. He found himself trying to press all her buttons just to catch glimpses of a blush here and there.

She was also incredibly strong. He didn't have to worry about something happening to her. She was always the last one standing. True, she might be covered in blood, but that didn't stop her. She was a survivor. He was extremely pleased. She wouldn't die.

Sanji felt safe. Like he could let his guard down.

Zoro was curious about him. His heart leapt when she asked him questions. No one had asked before. She wanted to know about him.

But… sudden fear.

What if he told her? Would she look at him differently? He changed the subject. He couldn't do it. Not yet.

She was such an idiot. What kind of person concealing their gender changes their clothes in front of someone? Sure, he was pretending to sleep… but still. He could hear her removing her clothes and he had to force himself to keep his eyes closed. Deep breathes. In and out. Finally, she was clothed. He continued to fake sleep, until he felt her lean over. He grabbed her wrist.

"If you're going to smother me in my sleep, a pillow would work better." He told her, opening his eyes to stare at her. Her hair was still slightly wet and clung to her face. She looked at him curiously.

"I wasn't—"

"I know, I know." Sanji flashed her a quick smile before wincing and rubbing his head. "Stupid Captain… didn't you get hurt too?"

"A couple scratches." Zoro replied, shrugging.

"Damn tank." Sanji sat up, shivered and pulled off his tie, placing it on the drying rack. He wanted out of these wet clothes. He looked at her and decided to play a little game. How many clothes could he remove before she became uncomfortable? It was true that she lived with the other boys, but she didn't change in front of them nor did she stay in the room while the others were changing.

"Uh... want me to get Nami? She could look at your head…"

"Women like battle wounds… and that wasn't a battle wound." Sanji shook his head and unbuttoned his shirt, slowly. He slid it off his shoulders and tossed it aside on the rack. Zoro immediately averted her eyes and leaned back. Interesting. She was avoiding him. So, she must feel some sort of embarrassment.

"They do?" She asked curiously.

"You really know nothing about women, do you?" Sanji chuckled, grabbing her towel and started ruffling his hair while standing flush in front of her. He saw one of her eyes open and glance at him. He smirked devilishly, having caught her looking.

"You won't find any scars here, I don't go around getting myself cut to pieces." He continued, gesturing to his exposed chest.

"I-I wasn't looking at that!" She replied, flustered.

"Now you on the other hand…" He stalked over toward her chair. This was going to be easier than he thought. Zoro didn't seem to know what to do. He placed one hand on the back of the chair next to her head and leaned over her slightly, reaching out and poking her collarbone.

She let out a sigh of relief. That wasn't the reaction he had been expecting.

"So, does that mean you think this is sexy?" She asked.

Sanji jerked back, shocked at the statement and sudden turn of events.

"Whaaaat? I didn't say that!" Sanji exclaimed, his face burning. Zoro started laughing. Sanji cursed under his breath. She had won.

Sanji was extremely happy to have Vivi join the crew. She was not only beautiful and smart, but she was a princess as well. She was kind and always thankful to everything he did for her. He spent a lot of his time waiting on both her and Nami hand and foot.

Zoro didn't seem to like them. Or, rather, it seemed more like she didn't like Sanji when the other girls were present. She called him a tool. Sanji couldn't understand what made her so upset. What was wrong with being a tool if he was being useful. They liked him because he could make things for them. He had a purpose. Being called a tool frightened him. It made him feel as if he were going to be thrown away. Again.

Sanji felt Zoro's hand slip through his own as the snow crashed into them. He had to stay on top of the snow. He had to find Zoro. He saw a tree not too far away and tried to swim the best he could through the snow. His efforts paid off and he was able to latch onto the tree, securing himself. He climbed as far up the tree as he could and started searching. Where was she?

As the snow started to come to a halt he cautiously dropped to the ground. He had to move fast. If she were trapped under the snow, so many things could happen. She could suffocate, she could freeze to death, she could be crushed.

He started calling her name as loudly as he thought he could risk and trudged through the snow, looking for any sort of indication of life. The snow had pushed him pretty far down the mountain, but if Zoro hadn't been able to grab hold of something she must be much further down.

Sanji pulled off a branch of the tree and trudged through the snow, going a straight line down where they had started. He shivered as he called her name and poked into the snow with the branch, trying to find any sort of sign of her existence.

He was starting to panic when he at last caught sight of what appeared to be a stick coming out of the snow, but upon further inspection was a sword. He rushed over and started digging through the snow with his bare hands until he felt her cold body. He muttered a string of curses under his breath as he dug her out and slung her over his shoulder. He looked around for someplace to set her down and found an outcropping of rocks a bit away. He quickly carried her there and set her down on the ground and covered her in his coat.

He touched her face. It was so cold. Like hers had been. She wasn't breathing.

He immediately started doing chest compressions.

"Zoro.. Zoro wake up!" He blew air into her lungs and pressed again and again. His eyes stung with moisture.

Zoro awoke, coughing.

"Finally…Thank god… geez even getting lost when I practically dragged you up the mountain." Sanji complained, but he was trying to stop his heart from bursting from his chest. She was alive.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong?" Sanji inquired, his forehead wrinkled with worry. Chopper nodded.

"Zoro will be fine. She just needs some rest." Chopper assured, covering the swordsman with another blanket. Sanji raised an eyebrow at the pronoun used. It seemed there was no faking this doctor. Sanji decided not to bring it up though.

"Good…" Sanji sighed and lit another cigarette. He was going through them faster than usual.

"U-um… Sanji. I noticed some bruising on her ribs." Chopper stated. He nodded.

"Yeah… Zoro stopped breathing." He muttered, a bit pale at the thought. Chopper watched the man's reaction and hesitantly reached over and patted his leg.

"You did a good job… you saved her." Chopper told him. Sanji shivered, thinking about how cold and lifeless her body had seemed.

"She's alive." He stated, as if he needed to assure himself it was so. He reached over and slid his fingers through her short hair for a moment before standing and leaving.

She was an idiot. Did she really think the whole crew hadn't realized she wasn't sleeping at night? Did she really think the crew just let her nap through her duties on the ship for no reason? He had talked to Chopper about the situation. Zoro was incredibly stubborn, and he knew she wouldn't think it warranted a sleep aid of any kind. The two decided to do something much simpler, some lavender scented tea. It would relax her body and hopefully lure her into a sleep. So, he borrowed the lavender from Chopper and went about making the tea for her.

He found her outside, training. He watched her from the doorway a moment, taking in the way the moonlight bounced off her swords. She was always training in some capacity. Sanji also knew he couldn't slack off. The cook himself tended to have his own routine bright and early before beginning breakfast. But Zoro took it to another level. She wasn't just trying to stay fit, but she trained like there was something pushing her.

Not wanting the tea to grow cold, he walked over and announced himself.

"Tea?" He asked, his voice a bit rough. He watched as one of her blades stopped a mere inch from his throat. He knew she was aware and knew she wouldn't cut him. Her control was too good. Her eyes were a bit far away though, as if she had been deep in thought.

"Why are you up?" She asked, ignoring the tea he had specifically made for her.

"Couldn't sleep." Sanji lied, shrugging and shoving the cup into her hands forcefully. She was stubborn, but Sanji could be incredibly stubborn as well. Her irregular sleep schedule couldn't help that either.

"Bullshit."

"Believe what you want." Sanji replied, shrugging again. She saw through him, but then again, he didn't really care. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and leaned against the railing of the ship as he stared out over the waters. He glanced over and saw her take a sip of the tea, thankfully.

Honestly, he was also hoping that she would open up to him. That she would tell him what was bothering her. But, he also knew that was impossible. She was hiding herself from them for a reason. Though he wondered how long it would take for the others to find out. He found out her secret the same week her met her, after all. Chopper as well.

He felt her gaze on him.

"If you've got something to say, just say it moss brains." Sanji told her.

"Have you ever trained to be a swordsman?" She asked, out of the blue. His eyes widened. Of course, she would be curious about that. He had slipped up earlier, and she caught on.

It was ironic, how he wanted her to open up about everything, yet he himself had his own secrets. His own scars. Sanji took a deep drag and sighed. He turned towards her, resting his elbow on the railing.

"What's keeping you from sleeping?" He asked, changing the subject. If she was going to be blunt, so was he.

He expected her to shut down. To block him off. After all, she couldn't tell him.

"Well…" Zoro started. She hesitated a moment and looked out at the sea. Sanji watched her, wondering what lie she would weave. Somehow that darkened his mood more. He didn't want to be lied to. Once the lies started… He shouldn't have pushed her back.

"It's my head," She continued, "Uh, not the concussion thing. More… my thoughts."

"Your thoughts?" Sanji asked, surprised at her honesty.

"Yeah… There's something I can't stop thinking about. It's stressing me out. At night it's so quiet that I just keep thinking about it." She admitted, peering at him from the corner of her eye. Something welled up within Sanji. Appreciation. Admiration. Trust.

"My father trained me to wield a sword." Sanji told her, surprising even himself with the confession. He had never told anyone anything about his past before. He couldn't. He had made a promise. His life was on the line. But… he wanted to. He wanted to tell her everything. He wanted to tell her the reason he started cooking. He wanted to tell her where he had come from. He wanted to tell her why he was still scared. He somehow knew that if he told her, it would be okay. He swallowed, staring at her.

Zoro's eyes had brightened at the mention of the sword, but she quickly must have read his face. She watched him in return. It wasn't sympathy. It was understanding.

She smiled at him. The most beautiful smile he had ever seen. He couldn't hold back, and he reached over and slipped his fingers into her hair. His heart was full.

Sanji didn't care much for Ace. He was strong, smart, polite and handsome. Plus, he kept running around showing off his ab muscles.

He also was sitting far too closely with Zoro. And he kept looking at her.

Why did she keep smiling back at him? Was he that charismatic?

Sanji hadn't intentionally found out about the letter. He had simply caught a glimpse of it one night when he had brought her tea. She was reading it over when he came up behind her and looked over her shoulder. He didn't mean to pry on her, but he honestly didn't think it would be a personal letter. They weren't exactly in the type of position to receive letters.

"What the hell is that?" He asked before Zoro jumped in surprise, her head ramming into Sanji's nose. The cook cursed and grabbed his nose.

"D-don't surprise me like that!" Zoro growled at him, her face red. She quickly stuffed the letter into her pants.

"You usually aren't the type to be unaware of your surroundings… who's that love letter from? Where did you get it?" Sanji inquired, his stomach suddenly twisting.

"It's not a love letter! And it's none of your business." She replied, crossing her arms.

"That person said you were the 'sparkling diamond in the rough'! Which is, by the way, horribly cheesy." Sanji accused.

"What does it matter?" She shot back, embarrassed.

"Maybe he's tricking you!" Sanji wildly guessed. Though, he had a sinking feeling that wasn't the case.

"Back off." She commanded with fire in her eyes. She pushed him aside and went back to her training.

Sanji wasn't going to give up that easily. He told himself it was for her own good. That the so-called admirer had bad intentions. He wouldn't admit to himself that it was simply jealously.

So, when he saw Zoro adjust her swords while they were walking in the desert of Alabasta, he took his chance. The letter had simply poked out of her haramaki and she was trying to put it back.

"Why do you keep looking at that thing? Haven't you memorized it already mosshead?" Sanji accused, trying to snatch the letter out of Zoro's hands. Zoro blushed and pushed the cook away.

"It's none of your business, shitty cook!" She replied, sprinting ahead of the group to get away.

"Don't think I won't go in there!" Sanji warned, pouncing on the swordsman, the two tumbling in the sand. He wrestled with her, trying to pin her down onto the hot sand. Looking back, he was being completely inappropriate, but in the moment he didn't care. Maybe the heat was getting to him. He snatched her haramaki and started pulling. Zoro glared and bit his hand harshly, making him let go.

Sanji wasn't going to be defeated that easily, however. Bracing himself on one hand he rolled over her, sitting on her waist and using his knees to pin her arms to her side. She looked incredibly embarrassed and enraged. Sanji reached into her haramaki and pulled out the letter. He hesitated a moment but convinced himself it was for the good of the group and opened the letter.

His eyebrows shot up. It was a different letter that the one he had seen before. His eyes scanned the contents and landed with a full stop at that name. Dracule Mihawk. He recognized that name. His heard thudded in his chest. It was indeed a recruitment letter. It seemed he had let his imagination get the best of him. But, this presented another danger. Mihawk was the best swordsman in the world. Of course Zoro would want to train under him, right?

The others had caught up to them, looking in interest at the letter in Sanji's hands. Either way, there was no need for the others to know about the letter for now. He ripped it up as he watched her pleading eyes. He leaned down so only she could hear and whispered in her ear.

"This isn't over…" He warned. He was officially part of the issue now, and he was going to get her to talk about it as soon as they had some alone time.

It had taken Chopper far too long to get Sanji to leave Zoro's side. After their final battle at Alabasta, the cook had carried her beaten and bloody body into the infirmary with a pale look on his face. Chopper had assured the cook that Zoro would be fine, as long as he left so he could stitch her up. Sanji knew she'd be fine. Zoro had survived everything they'd been through thus far. He also was fully aware that Chopper was simply trying to take care of her without the prying eyes of everyone else to hide her secret. He knew this. But he didn't want to let go of her hand. He felt as if he left her while she was in this state, he wouldn't see her again. It was stupid to think such a way.

She had complimented him. Despite the many daily praises he flung to every woman he saw, he couldn't recall one of them ever complimenting him.

Damn it, he was blushing.

He was going to keep these glasses.

She was the biggest idiot he had ever known. The men's bathhouse? Really? How was she going to get out of this one? He followed Zoro closely as they headed there. Sanji wracked his brain, trying to figure out anything he could do to help her out of this situation.

He noticed Zoro glance over her shoulder at him with wide eyes. Crap, she didn't have any plan at all, did she? Sanji almost felt bad, but at the same time, the little devil inside of him was also a tiny bit curious to what she would do…

"What's wrong? Move it." He told her, watching to see what she'd do. She stepped inside. Sanji's jaw dropped. Oh crap. He hurried in after her.

Well, at least she wasn't goggling at all the men. He covered his mouth, hiding a laugh as he watched her beeline straight towards the wall. What an idiot.

Time for damage control. Sanji saw Luffy walking around naked and kicked him into the pool area, out of view. He saw Chopper waddle over towards Zoro. Assuming that she'd leave soon after, he grabbed a towel and headed into the pool room.

Sanji was stunned speechless when he saw Zoro and Chopper enter the bath. He quickly fastened the towel around his waist and looked around. He groaned. Well, there wasn't really much he could do about the others… what was she thinking? What was Chopper thinking? He rubbed his forehead.

He had to divert everyone's attention somehow. They were all looking at her. Yes, she was wearing a robe. But for how long?

First, control the situation. Sanji jumped into the conversation. It didn't go as he had originally planned. He found himself teasing her instead and trying to see if he could draw her attention instead of the other men in the room.

"Ha! That shitty swordsman couldn't get a chick if he were the last man on earth." Sanji mocked the swordsman.

"Why would I want a woman anyway?!" Zoro looked up and shouted back. He really wasn't helping that much. But… it was all very amusing. He leaned his chin on his hand and studied her. His need to tease her was currently winning over any attempt to save her from the situation.

"Ahh, women not your style, eh cactus head? Well you have plenty of men to choose from here." Sanji gestured to the others, all currently without clothes. Was he pushing it a bit too far? He noticed Zoro blushing. He frowned, regretting that last barb and drawing attention to the others. A spark of jealously was threatening to poke through.

"I never said t-that!" Zoro replied.

"Or perhaps… I'm more your style?" Sanji teased, leaning back to draw her attention. Could he get the same reaction from her?

"As if anyone would like a pervert like you!" She replied fiercely. Sanji deserved that remark, but he faltered a moment before laughing dryly.

The conversation drew away from him and then he got distracted from Chopper's lie about seeing Nami.

When he snapped out of his reverie, he noticed the captain and marksman joining Zoro in her personal pool. He looked around and grabbed the first thing he saw, a bar of soap, and lugged it at his captain. It didn't do much.

So, he knew he had to remedy the situation on his own. He got up and hurried over before the swordsman's identity was revealed from something so idiotic. He grabbed the two and slung him across the room. He sighed and looked down at Zoro. She had sunk even further into the water looking wild eyed.

He contemplated his position. Though normally she wasn't the type to necessarily need protection, she was in quite the vulnerable position. He tried to not exactly think too deeply about that situation right now. He couldn't exactly leave her here and yet just standing there staring at her wasn't helping either.

He settled for sitting on the edge of the pool. They awkwardly glanced at one another, both aware of their lack of clothing.

"What's got you so uptight?" Sanji asked, trying to break the tension. Thankfully she seemed to have taken the bait.

"N-nothing!" Zoro replied, looking away.

"You sure have been weird lately, weirder than usual… You were never this meek before. Sure you didn't damage your head?" Sanji teased, reaching down and flicking some water in her direction.

"I'm not meek!" Zoro replied, glaring at her in a quick change of moods.

"Hmm… guess you getting locked up and all helpless earlier in that prison really humbled you down…" Sanji teased, but then suddenly felt a tight grip on his leg. He gawked at her. With the movement of her arm he definitely caught sight of more of her chest than usual. Nothing important was showing, but it was enough to tell she was a girl. His face turned deep red and he tried to not stare. He held tightly to the edge of the pool.

"Idiot! Do you want me to land on you?" Sanji asked, a bit panicked. The pool wasn't that big. If he fell in at this angle, he wasn't sure he could avoid touching her in some way.

"I'm trying to drown you!" Zoro replied, pulling again. Sanji gripped tighter.

"O-oi! Read the situation you idiot!" Her constant motion rocked the water in the pool a bit, and he could see more and more of that scar of hers crossing down her chest.

"Read? Read what?!" Zoro asked, with one last big tug on his leg. He couldn't stop her strength and he fell into the pool. An added bonus was his towel came off as well. He felt one of his legs brush up against her own as he sunk under the water. Thankfully it only lasted a moment before he was pulled out again by his captain. Feigning unconsciousness, he allowed himself to be removed from the pool and dragged away.

Was she really arguing about her secret with the girls on the deck in front of everyone? Idiot. Well it seemed the girls knew now too.

"Zoro thinks being dirty means being manly. He got hit on at the bar." Nami explained the swordsman's dirty appearance as they had returned from Jaya. Sanji raised his eyebrows at said swordsman. She had been pretty successful, well somewhat, in her attempts to fool everyone into thinking she was a man. But it seemed that she was starting to appear more feminine, even if it was unconsciously done. Well that just wouldn't do.

"By a man?" He asked, reaching over and taking Zoro's face in his hands, looking her over. Her cheeks tinted pink when he touched her. Damn it. She was so cute with her scowl.

"Yeah… two technically." Nami replied. Two men had hit on her? Sanji tried to ignore the roaring jealousy that threatened to rise up into his chest.

"Idiot. You can be clean and manly. Look at me." Sanji told Zoro, "Hmm… lately your hair has gotten longer." He frowned at her hair. Usually it was quite short but recently it covered her ears and her er, larger forehead was covered.

At the suggestion of the ladies, and the help of Robin holding her down, Sanji was given the opportunity to cut Zoro's hair. He wondered if there was a special place in hell for men who purposefully tried to make a woman look bad. It would grow back. And it wasn't like Zoro wanted long hair anyway.

While retrieving the scissors, he also saw his glasses on the counter. Hmmm. He couldn't resist the temptation and put them on before heading back to the deck. He was rewarded with another blush from the swordsman.

He took his time cutting her hair, much longer than actually needed. After he finished trimming her hair, he took her face in his hands once again and looked her over. He had failed, miserably. She was somehow even cuter than before.

His cigarette dropped to the ground as she looked up into his eyes. Enraptured, his breath caught and though his mind kept telling him to back off, he was almost about to lean forward before he was interrupted.

Spin the bottle? How old were they? Sanji knew what they were doing. Nami very clearly knew that Zoro was a girl and was trying to instigate trouble by playing this dangerous game. What if on his turn it landed on the captain or Usopp? That was just weird. Though, if it landed on Zoro… it would give him an excuse to kiss her. His heart leapt. Actually, this was perfect. He could kiss her without giving anything away. It was just a game, right?

He watched the bottle eagerly. His elation took a nosedive when he suddenly realized this meant the other two could kiss Zoro as well.

Something… felt off. He watched as his captain disinterestedly brushed lips with Zoro. He felt sick. Anger and jealousy would be the emotions he expected, but his stomach was turning, and his fear was spiking.

Another turn. Usopp and Zoro kissed.

He felt like he wanted to throw up. He wanted to leave. He didn't want to be here anymore. He wanted to get away from this situation. He didn't want to watch this.

Zoro's turn. Sanji watched as the bottle slowed to a stop. It was going to be Usopp again. Unable to control himself, he slammed his hand down on the bottle, preventing it from moving further.

When the game was called a tie, he was incredibly thankful for an excuse to finally get up. Without a word he headed back to the ship. He was letting his emotions take over him again and needed to calm himself down.

It was okay. She wasn't being taken from him. They were his crewmates. It was a game. It meant nothing.

She wasn't his.

It wasn't until he entered the kitchen that he realized he was being followed. He grit his teeth and started chopping vegetables. Why did she have to follow him? He wasn't thinking straight at the moment. Maybe if he ignored her, she would leave him alone for a while.

"Sanji?" Zoro asked quietly, "Is… everything okay?"

Sanji took a deep breath. Despite her tough exterior she could be extremely kind in her moments of perception. Screw it. He put the knife down.

Before he had realized it, he already was kissing her.

It didn't take long for Sanji to realize he was completely in love with Zoro. She was brave, strong, and they got along extremely well. He also knew very well that he couldn't reveal his feelings, he couldn't act upon them.

"You're early." Sanji noted as Zoro walked into the kitchen one night. Sanji had just put on a pot of water for her tea. Zoro held up her hand. Two of the fingers were taped together.

"Sprained finger, so Chopper made me stop after 100 reps." She told him, sitting down across from him at the bar.

"You mean you ignored him when Chopper told you to rest." Sanji corrected, getting out the lavender and putting it in a little bag. Zoro shrugged. She was watching him and leaning her chin on her hand. There was a comfortable silence for a few moments before she broke it.

"Hey dumbbrows, I have a question." Zoro stated, not meeting the cook's eyes. Sanji raised an eyebrow.

"Shoot." The cook replied, taking the now boiling water off the stove.

"Who was your first kiss?" She asked. Startled, Sanji dropped the pot, cursed and tried to grab it. He succeeded in only burning his fingers though.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" The cook cursed as he shook his hand. Zoro quickly reached over the counter and grabbed his wrist, sticking it under the sink and turning on the water.

"Dumbass." Zoro muttered, holding his hand there. Sanji chuckled.

"Seems so." He agreed, letting the cool water run over his fingers.

"How bad is it?"

"Not that bad, I didn't touch it for long. Should be fine." Sanji replied.

"Was it that bad?" Zoro asked and Sanji looked at her confused for a moment before remembering her question. He laughed and shook his head.

"No, I was just…surprised at the question." He hesitated, "Why do you ask?"

"It's stupid." Zoro shook her head. "Just that Nami was talking about it. I don't really get it. She said it's supposed to be special or something. I dunno, I didn't really notice anything when I kissed the captain." She shrugged.

"You're such an idiot." Sanji replied, smiling. "Don't worry about it. People tend to say that their first kiss is supposed to be a life changing moment or something like that. But realistically its clumsy, awkward and they don't end up being with that person in the end." He took his hand out from the water and looked at it. It was a little pink but it seemed no large harm was done. He turned off the water.

"Yeah, that makes sense. You're right. I don't know why I was even listening to her." Zoro nodded as Sanji put a new pot of water on the stove.

"It'll be different someday. When you meet someone you really like." Sanji told her, moving to stand across from her at the bar.

"I guess. I never really thought about it that much. Whether I am with someone or not, as long as I achieve my goal, I'll be good." Zoro admitted. Sanji stared at her a moment.

"True. Not everyone has to have a partner… but there are advantages as well. No matter how strong we become, it would still be good to have someone to watch our backs, right?" Sanji explained. "Or tell us when we are doing something stupid." He reached over and tapped finger on her bandaged hand. Zoro seemed to think about it a moment, watching his fingers.

"You've got big hands." She remarked. He laughed suddenly.

"Well I am a man after all." He teased and held up his hand to show her.

"I-I'm a man too!" She replied, frowning. She raised her hand and placed it against his. Zoro's fingers were quite long, but Sanji still had her beat by a centimeter.

"Looks like I win." He joked.

"It's not a contest." She replied, almost pouting. Sanji then slipped his fingers between her own and grasped her hand. Confused, Zoro raised an eyebrow at the cook. Sanji pulled her hand toward him and left a quick kiss on the back of her hand. Zoro turned red and immediately pulled her hand away.

"H-hey! What was that for!" She asked. He grinned and shrugged.

"My prize for winning, I suppose."

"You're so weird…"

Sanji watched the swordsman as she slept and slipped his fingers through hers. He brought her bandaged hand to his lips before laying it back down gently.

"I meant, since when did you know you were in love with her." Brook clarified. Sanji was silent for a long time.

"I suppose… it was like hair." Sanji replied.

"Hair?" The musician asked, confused.

"Yeah. You don't realize it's growing until you need a haircut."

AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, where we finally get to see what's going on in Sanji's head! I'm sorry if its a bit disjointed, but I didn't want to just rewrite every chapter, but only include new information. Hopefully it will make sense even if you cannot remember what it's based off of. (And there are a few new scenes too).

Please let me know what you think!