Author's Note: Okay so yeah, this chapter was ... I know Zoro's weird, I'M SORRY! Anyway, I'm working hard on this story and hopefully you won't kill me. Now I know this is far fetched, but do you think it's possible to get 20 reviews for this chapter? I know enough people read this to make it possible, so maybe? MAYBE?! I don't own One Piece. Please don't kill me, I'll see you guys in a week, I've decided to update early.


Speechless

By: Setkia


Full Summary

Sanji is a cook at the Baratie who, for a reason not fully understood by all the other cooks, has not spoken a word in three years. He goes through his life normally, communicating through paper and pen. He hasn't felt the urge to speak since he's decided he would never speak again. Things change though when one day, while taking out the trash, he accidentally runs into the "Demon the Streets".

Roronoa Zoro, the "Demon of the Streets" is a mystery but he's feared by everyone who hears his name. He's on the run from the police with a wanted poster and a big prize if he's found and captured. With an accidental wrong turn, he encounters a strange man with long legs and blond hair. Zoro learnt pretty early on that in his line of work, you don't get attached to people and yet somehow this cook is working his way through his barriers.


PART TWO: GOOD FIGHT

Even in the road blocks (yeah)
Even through the rough spots
When you're feeling you've given all that you've got
I'm with you in the next step
Giving you in the next breath
I'll be the voice saying "You're gonna make it"
When you're out there on your own
You are never alone

-Good Fight, Unspoken

XIX


It's unfathomable to Sanji that Zoro won't even try to fight back. He can't just lie down, Sanji knows it because he knows Zoro, or at least, he likes to think he does. Roronoa Zoro isn't the type of person to just let himself give in and not do anything when in reality, there are so many things he can do.

He sits down next to Zoro and lets his hands fold onto his lap carefully.

"Hello," he says softly. He's started speaking a little bit, small words, not real sentences, just starting to get the hang of it really again. He's still terrified, but he'll suck it up because of the look of surprise and joy on Zoro's face when he does mumble softly.

"Hi," says Zoro softly.

Sanji squirms where he's sitting, his notepad crushing underneath his weight in his pocket. He wants to ask questions, clearly there's something unnerving the man so that he doesn't seem eager to fight back but he's scared it'll cross the fragile line that their relationship balances on.

Sanji decides to ask instead about Zoro and his swords.

Where are they? He writes.

"Damn police took them, what do you think?" Zoro snaps, not even needing to ask what Sanji is referring to. He sighs and runs his hands over his face. "Goddammit, it's so ..."

Sanji stay silent still.

Are you going to fight back?

Zoro sighs and shakes his head. "What can I do? They've taken everything from me, it only makes sense they take away my freedom."

For some reason, Sanji doesn't think Zoro is talking about the police. He gives him a confused look.

"Before I was tried, I wasn't exactly a murderous person, you know. But I did kill someone." Sanji wants to press, but he knows that this is something that Zoro has to take his own time in saying, has to decide when he wants to reveal it all. "I used to compete in kendo before the arrest, that was about six months ago."

Sanji doesn't really keep up with the media, so he supposed it makes sense that he doesn't know who Zoro is.

"Anyway, my girlfriend and I were coming back from a competition when we were attacked. By a gang. They wanted ... God this going to sound so stupid, but they wanted her sword. She was a swordsman too, really good at it, I could never beat her. She had a sword, a white katana named Wado Ichimonji."

Sanji knows that name. He says nothing though.

"The sword's actually a priceless antique, handed down in her family for generations. Its value is over a billion dollars and many people want it and they'll do anything to have it." Here, Zoro sucks in a deep breath. "They ..."

Sanji suddenly doesn't want to know. Leaving it a mystery may be better after all, he can see clearly that this is hurting the swordsman.

"They didn't listen to anything I said ..."

Sanji feels himself become cold. He can feel it, the atmosphere of that day. When the doors were pulled open harshly and all the customers had turned in surprise. The screams...

"They just wanted ..." Zoro shakes his head. "They don't value life at all."

"Say one word kid and the old man gets it!"

Sanji's head hurts, he want to hear it, he can assume what is going to happen in Zoro's story, he can tell. He wants it to stop.

"They had a gun and ..." Zoro's shaking, almost in rhythm to Sanji's unsteady movements. "And they just ..." Zoro stares at his hands, Sanji notices them trembling, a dark look washing over Zoro's eyes. He's haunted.

"It ... It hurts to remember ..."

The pain, the blood, forever stained crimson on his hands, Sanji can feel his grip on reality loosening. He doesn't want to let go, he's sure he's just found the surface of the water, just figured out how to hold on—

"She's just ..."

As long as he can stay anchored, he can help, but these words, these memories, his throat hurts, his tongue burns, his vision becomes fuzzy. His hands reach out slowly, almost as if in a trance.

"Her body just ... Like stone ..."

Pale hands that haven't been properly warmed in years frame the tanned man's face. He flinches slightly at the cool touch, but Sanji doubts he knows what's happening. Tears are streaming down his cheeks, his body's shaking.

"They just ... Killed her."

And then Sanji's lips are on Zoro's because he can't bear to hear anymore and he doesn't want to see that tortured look in Zoro's eyes and even if it's only for a moment, it'll disappear and be gone and he won't have to think about it and oh God, is this what warmth feels like? Is this what human contact feels like? Is this what being alive is?

And then it's over and Zoro raises his head slightly to meet Sanji's eyes and Sanji realizes he's on the floor, kneeling, with Zoro's face in his hands, his lips gently bruised and everything falls into place.

"Fifteen minutes are up!" calls a guard and Sanji stands, unable to speak, unable to utter a word, but he knows he wants to stay longer, he wants to know what Zoro's thinking.

Did he feel it? Was he alive in that moment too?

But all the swordsman gives him is the same blank, dumbfounded expression, no hint at what lies on the inside, of what he's thinking.

Sanji just knows that despite the many things he's done in his life worth regretting, the many mistakes he's made, he knows that kissing Zoro isn't one of them.

He just hopes Zoro sees it the same way.


Author's Note #2: The thank yous!

Ashlielle: You mean Beautiful Disaster? I'm glad you want to try it out, but be warned, these two stories are pretty different from each other. I mean, I both Sanji is traumatized and Zoro's been through hard times, but they're development is different, there are more presence of others and it may be a bit ... I don't know. I don't want to tell you my story's bad, cause it's my story, but it's not for everyone. Just, make use you read the warnings. I like baritones, hearing Sanji and Zoro who both have different forms of a nice baritone, I love it.

ThePoliceLlama (x2): Yes, love his voice in Japanese! He sounds so smooth sometimes! Fun fact: he's the voice actor of Johnny Depp when his movies are translate into Japanese. Sanji the pirate cook is also the drunk private Captain Jack Sparrow. And yeah, I think what I did was kind of cliche, but such is life.

lilcutieprincess: It was kinda a lot of time in silence so that fifteen minutes passed … Yeah, you're right, it was pretty short the time ….

Guest: Okay you're review was actually the first thing I read on my birthday so you made it a pretty good day for me, so thank you so much!

Tamul-chan9090: I hope you're liking Beautiful Disaster, it's like my child and I care for it very much. Wow that sounded creepy. Thank you so much for that comment, I like to try and keep characters very in character (since we love the characters the way they are and not as a warped version some people write them as). I was worried since it was an AU story (as most of my One Piece stories are) I wouldn't be able to keep them in character.

EmperialGem21: Thank you so much! I'm working pretty hard on making this good, so I hope you like where this story is planning on going.

lonewolf: And I can't say anything, for fear of spoling.

nero922: I DON'T LIKE SHORT CHAPTERS, this short chapters are killing me.

KleinXDgirl: Um, tada!

GPEG: It's complicated, I'm working on it.

HollyWoodFix: So I hope you're liking my story Beautiful Disaster!

NaruHinaLuvr(x2): Yeah, I know, in the Funimation dub. And yeah, I put Robin in there.

Tsukino Aisuru - A: Yeah, I'm hoping I didn't screw her up…

My question for you guys: What do you think Zoro's thinking?

And just so you know, everyone seems to like a baritone, not that I can blame them...