FINALLY, I have another update for ya'll! And there was much rejoicing…
I've been working on it on and off for awhile, but today I finally got myself to write the last ten or so pages. Because of that, I feel it's somewhat rushed… and this chapter is supposed to be very emotional, which I don't think I get through properly…
Oh, and I realize that, in this chapter, Sanji is rather… emo. Yes, even more so than last chapter. I'm sorry! I don't know how to make him less so; I mean, he IS trying to murder his closest friends, so…
If you're wondering how long this will be, there're two chapters left after this one. Just a heads up. ^^
Readers Review Corner!!
Abra Cadaverous: I actually think this chapter is shorter… although they're about the same number of pages. Maybe it just feels that way to me. I plan to. ^^ I hate that, really. Ugh. Yes, bad Zoro! *whacks with rolled up newspaper* It's so funny! And according to the wiki, it's happened before. *shrug* Mmm, you're probably right. I perhaps should have written her more angry than distraught. Woo, go Luffy! XD LIKE ALL THE TIME!!! I try to stay consistent, but sometimes I fail. Maaaybeee. ^^ Yowch, that stings. O.O That, and Usopp has an INSANELY high pain tolerance. Haven't you ever noticed that he can get the crap beat out of him and just hop back up? I swear, if Zoro hadn't been able to take Luffy's pain on Thriller Bark (oops, spoiler… XP), then Usopp TOTALLY could have done it! Sorry. And sorry about the review box. Yes, Zoro is a good boy. *gives treat* Usopp is the sniper! And he gets to work the Gaon Cannon and stuff! Which is the fun part. XD I knoooow. TAT Geez, I'm sorry, gosh! XP
Saint Dezzie: Thanks! Haha, good. He is a bit neglected in my stories, isn't he? I can't help it; I don't think up good plotlines for Luffy. I AM NOT ODA-SAN!!! *sob* Zoro is a resourceful guy, ne? XD Haha, she is easily hate-able, isn't she? Hope you enjoy!
Lochrann: Thanks! I try not to get too dark, though granted, this is darker than anything I've written on here so far. Glad you like it!
Amethyst Turtle: Really? They look blue to you? *confused* They look AWFULLY purple to me. Maybe I'm some strange kind of colorblind? My dad is… Well, purple's cooler, anyway. XD Oh dear, I'm sorry about your grades. But I am very happy I was able to help your angst gland! I'm pretty sure I have one, too. XD It's fun! I really want a friend named Robin just so I can say, "Robeeeaaan!!!" when I want something. XP
ChronosNumberVII: Yes! Group hugs! Woo! *joins in hug* Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. ^^
Bells-mannequin: Thanks! Yeah, we're all looking forward to Georgia's demise, which doesn't appear to be anytime soon… He is!! I do love Luffy so (who doesn't?). Yes; a mystery captain! XD Hope you enjoy! ^^
Callosum: Thanks! Sanji has sunk down into a depression in which he hates himself so much, he thinks everyone else must, too, especially Zoro, who doesn't outwardly like him. Don't worry, though; those two don't really hate each other. ^^ Yeah, he's a sacrificial idiot, huh? Yes, that, too. Usopp is cool like that. XD And I always believed Zoro was almost as smart as Luffy when it came to people, so I'm sure that's true, too. ^^ Yup. It's like Luffy's love and haki just break all evilness. ^^ Sanji loves his captain too much to hurt him. Don't they all? Hah, I'm glad you said that (about Luffy being mad) because I had no idea how to start this chapter until you did. XD Thanks again, hope you enjoy!
Reine-des-rythmes: I have to give you a hug!!!! *hugs* Your review was so sweet I actually forwarded it to my mom at work and was like, "Look at this!" XP Thank you so much!!! I'm glad you enjoyed it so. ^^ I'm so flattered that you think that. ^^ Thank you!!! (and I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations)
Eternitybeckons: Thanks! Yeah, Zoro's shneaky. XP Oh yeah. Sanji would have been BAWLING. He cries a lot in this story, actually, but honestly I think it's something he would do in this situation. He is emotional when it counts. She is, isn't she? Dang, that really sucks!!! I seriously feel for you… *hugs*
RedSavent: Glad you liked it. ^^ Haha, oh yeah; Nami does NOT want to be the only rational person on the ship again. Although Robin isn't often very rational herself, but whatever… I love Nami/Robin nakamaship, though, but there's hardly any of it anywhere. Glad you liked that part! Oh, I'm sure she hates the thought of the little Strawhat family breaking up for any reason, so yeah, I get what you're saying. And I'm pretty sure I get what you mean there, too. ^^' Well, she might just win. OAO (Oh who am I kidding? You guys know me better than that… XP)
Sora Tayuya: Thanks!! Yes, Zoro is a good boy. ^^ Well, I guess you'll just have to see. But no, he's not doing so well… Yeah, poor Usopp. He's fairly low on my list of Strawhats (which places him above 98% of all other fictional characters, so it's certainly not like I hate him), but I don't like to see him get hurt any more than Sanji. Well, except for in the G8 filler where the Monster Trio made him use the Impact Dial; that was hilarious! And off the subject… cough… Georgia is an excellent actress. XP Glad you enjoyed! ^^
Izumi-chan: (Yes, you get a nickname now, too. ^^) Haha, calm down, Izumi-chan, it's fine. ^^ I remember reviews were whacky that day, so that probably happened to a lot of people. Glad you liked it! ^^ Yes, and he was very proud to be of help, too. XD Yes, I fear that, if they don't beat her up, all my reviewers will. I don't think there's been a reviewer yet who hasn't mentioned how much they hate her yet. XP Yes! GO SANJI!!! XD Yup, Zoro is a smart cookie. He found the loophole. ^^ Thanks!
Three-days-late: You're so perceptive, three-san. XD Yes it does! Like the Okama Way! (*is enjoying Bon-chan in the anime too much, XP*) Violence toward Usopp, like violence toward Chopper, is almost always unnecessary. I think I hate it most when they get beat up… Don't tell him that, he'll believe you! He doesn't understand the mechanics of sarcasm. O.O' Lol, it sounded awesome in my head too, but just sounded like a bad kids' show when I yelled it out loud. XP Yes, that was perfectly acceptable. XD
Daschel: Me too. ^^ Oh please, like Zozo could do that. XP Hope you enjoy! ^^
-JansenFriedh827-: (btw, I meant to mention this last chapter, but I love your avatar pic; Zexy is smexy. XD) Oh yeah, I did leave "san" off for Vivi's Sanjis, didn't I? It's been so long since I watched an episode with her in it, I forgot she called him Sanji-san. I'll fix it sometime. Thanks for pointing it out! But yes, Nami does say "Sanji-kun" quite often. ^^ That's what happened when my friend sliced her foot open once. We were laughing about the blood trail later and my swim coach is like, "It's not funny!" but we thought it was. XP And who said swimming was a safe sport? (I'm pretty sure no one does, but whatever.) Haha, that's hilarious!!! XD XD Ah, that would have been really lame. I had to do at least ONE more chapter before that happened. XP Aye aye! *salutes*
SmileyDJingles: Thanks!!! ^^
Silverchild of the winds: 1)Haha, sorry. I guess they cheer me up? Or something. Really? What book? 2)Uh, lots of ways. Sorry. 3)Well, technically, he hasn't hurt Zoro yet, either. XP And I just torture Sanji out of love. So far I don't have any other torture fic ideas centered around anyone else. -_-'
Okay, chapter time! I hope you all enjoy!
Kiss Kiss
By Dandy Wonderous
Chapter 5: To Break a Witch's Curse
For the last time you will kiss my lips, now shut up and let me go…
-"Shut Up and Let Me Go," The Ting Tings
"Aah! Zoro!"
Luffy's horrified shout was more than enough to alert the crew. Nami came running to the hold, freezing in the doorway as she took in the scene before her. Luffy, on the ground underneath a completely still Sanji, a knife still clutched in his long fingers, Zoro standing over them both, sword unsheathed. Usopp came up behind her, limping and panting from the exertion.
"Zoro!" Luffy repeated, struggling out from under his cook's dead weight. His eyes were wide in shock. "You killed him!"
Nami felt her blood go cold. She didn't believe it. Zoro couldn't really do such a thing, could he? Next to her, Usopp went rigid.
"No I didn't!" Zoro protested. "He's just unconscious!"
"Huh?" Luffy bent down by Sanji and inspected him. "Oh yeah, he's still breathing."
Nami let out the breath she'd been holding while Usopp chuckled in relief.
"Zoro, that wasn't nice," Luffy chided.
"Are you crazy?" Zoro considered who he was talking to and sighed in resignation. "Never mind."
"What exactly happened?" asked Nami, not wholly sure if she wanted the answer.
"The evil guy in Sanji's head attacked me," Luffy explained. "But Sanji stopped him. And then Zoro," he stressed the name, giving the swordsman a pointed look, and Zoro opened his mouth to protest again, "hit him."
"It was what he wanted," Zoro mumbled. Well, actually, he had wanted worse, but Zoro didn't want to get into that right now.
"Sanji stopped him?" Usopp repeated. "So does that mean he's regaining control?"
"I hope so." Nami looked at him and then jumped back. "Usopp! What happened to you?"
Usopp considered. "The, ah, evil guy in Sanji's head."
"Oh."
Zoro prodded the cook with his foot. "Well, he's out cold for now, but I don't know how long that will last."
"So what do we do?" asked Nami. She was still eyeing Usopp warily, should he suddenly pass out from blood loss or something.
"He said something about the way all good curses are broken," the sniper supplied. "Does that mean anything to any of you?"
Everyone thought for a moment, then shook their heads. "Well, it might have been just to throw me off," Usopp added. "He was possessed at the time."
"I think we should restrain him, until we find who's doing this," said Zoro, looking at Luffy.
Luffy looked slowly from Zoro to Sanji, then nodded. "I guess so." Not taking his eyes off the cook, he added, "He'll be angry."
"About being restrained?" asked Usopp, confused, but Zoro seemed to grasp what his captain was saying.
"Let me handle that," he said, staring at the cook as well. "I'll talk some sense into him."
Nami got that cold, foreboding feeling she'd been having far too much in the last twenty-four hours. Sanji would be angry about something else that had happened… or that hadn't happened.
"Where are we going to put him?" asked Usopp, looking worried about the trance his friends had all seemed to go into.
"We'll tie him to his bunk in our room," Zoro decided. "As long as we tie his legs down, he shouldn't be able to escape."
"I don't like talking about him like he's a prisoner," said Nami quietly.
"He isn't," said Luffy. "This is for his own good." He looked at Nami almost pleadingly.
She nodded. "I know. You're right."
"Alright then." Zoro lifted the blond up and slung him over his shoulder like a potato sack. "Nami, can you go get me some rope?" She nodded, and he started out of the hold. Usopp and she moved aside so he could pass, and as he did he looked at Usopp pointedly. "You should go see Chopper," he said before walking off to their cabin.
"Yeah… Coming, Luffy?"
Luffy was staring at the spot Sanji had been, and he jerked, startled, at Usopp's voice. "Oh, right." He bounded over to them and started to follow the sniper, but stopped to look into Nami's eyes.
"You can help him," was all he said before he followed his friend away.
She gasped and watched him go. Then, with a determined nod, she went to find some rope.
Emerald green eyes flew open, and their owner sat straight up, blood red sheets falling away from her shoulders.
"Mistress Georgia," greeted the young brunette stationed by the bed. She wore a black maid's dress, complete with white hat and apron, and was holding a tea tray. "I did not expect you back so soon."
The woman didn't answer, only pulled herself out of bed and onto the plush rug. She smoothed out her crimson and gold dress with one sweep of her hand, then slipped her feet into a waiting pair of gold stilettos. She ran her hands through her auburn hair and then marched out of her cabin, flinging back the doors with a resounding bang.
The guard standing just outside, a large, bald man with a tattoo of a dragon that began on his scalp and ran down his left cheek, moved aside mechanically, nodding as his boss waltzed past him without a word. She kept her eyes focused on the dragon figurehead, radiating murderous intent. She stopped when she got to the figurehead and then, still without speaking, she pointed randomly at one of the cowed crewmembers standing, head bowed, on deck. The bald man marched over, grabbed him by the collar, and flung him, wailing, out into the sea. The others winced and thanked their lucky stars that it hadn't been them.
"Mistress Georgia," said the maid girl hastily, running up behind her. "Please don't massacre the whole crew; we need them to sail the ship."
For a moment the woman remained unresponsive, but then she nodded. "You are right, Annette. I'm afraid I must keep this motley group alive. At least until we get to port," she added warningly. "Especially those that keep standing around like corpses instead of working!"
The men scrambled over themselves to look busy, and she scoffed. "Fools, the lot of them."
"I take it things did not go well," said Annette, holding the tea tray out in offering.
Georgia took the proffered tea and took a delicate sip, leaving not a touch of lipstick on the rim of the pure white porcelain cup. "No. Not well at all."
"What happened?" the girl asked, using a tone akin to a mother coaxing a young child into telling about a bad day.
For a moment Georgia studied the tea, watching the steam that slowly rose and faded into the warm sea air. "He took back control. Enough to stop me from killing his captain."
Annette seemed shocked. "But no one has ever figured out the secret before!" she cried in protest.
Georgia took another sip of tea. "He hasn't, either."
Annette was even more stunned. "But… then how?"
She had to be patient while her boss slowly finished up her tea. "I have a theory," she said finally, eyes going out to sea as she held the cup out to be refilled.
Annette poured more for her. "And it is?"
"Mmm… We know he managed to break control when I attacked the Demon of Ohara, and I thought it was simply because of his woman worshipping nature. But now I understand; this crew has bonds that transcend normal crewmate dynamics."
"How so?"
"The love and loyalty our dear Blackleg Sanji felt for Strawhat Luffy broke through my control, just enough that he kept me from killing him. Those people have the strongest bonds of nakama. It's almost impossible to break." She smiled around the rim of her cup. "What a challenge. I've never been so excited to break a crew in my life!"
She set the empty cup back on the tray and whirled on her heels. "Men! Prepare to engage the Strawhat crew!" There was a roar of approval. "Full speed ahead! Pull astride the Thousand Sunny, about a hundred yards off her starboard side!" She closed her eyes for a few seconds, then opened them again and smiled. "And man the cannons! I have a slave to release…"
Am I… dead?
Not a speck of light, not a hint of air, just the sensation of floating…
No… not dead. I've been here before.
Unconsciousness. But it had never been this vivid… nor this empty.
That shithead. I told him to kill me. And he didn't listen. Then again, he never listens.
I just wanted one thing of him, though. He never would have had to do me another favor.
Just one thing! He wanted to scream, but he couldn't. There was no sound here, just the feeling of floating along, slowly, endlessly…
I never thought you were this cruel! Don't you get it? I want to DIE!!!
He still wanted to scream. He wanted to cry, too. He was filled with guilt and self-loathing and fury.
I want to die!
The words seemed to echo, even though he couldn't speak them aloud. And suddenly, he was filled with a different feeling.
Fear.
He had been willing to give his life so many times before. Defending the Baratie. Saving Nami and Luffy from the avalanche. Taking that hit from Enel. He had been prepared to die, if that was what it took to save his nakama.
But never once had he wished for death.
And now he was, and it scared him. It was as though he was split into two different people, listening to the total despairing of one side and fearing it. He knew that this absolute hopelessness was going to rip him apart, quickly, irreparably.
Maybe it was a sudden rush of survival instinct, or maybe he was just being selfish, but he found himself wanting desperately for someone to tell him that he didn't deserve death.
Someone, please… tell me why I should keep living.
Empty darkness and cold silence were all that answered him.
Nami watched as Zoro looped the last of the rope around Sanji's legs and tied it tight, the way he would tie down barrels or sails during a hurricane. That was probably necessary.
"Zoro," she said suddenly, surprising even herself. He checked the knot before turning to her, raising an eyebrow. "What is it that he'll be mad about?" And she told herself that her voice definitely hadn't been shaking as she asked.
Zoro managed to keep a straight face, though his eyes showed that he wanted to flee. "He'll be mad that I knocked him out and tied him up. They'll probably hear his cussing back in East Blue when he wakes up-"
"Leave the lying to Usopp," she cut in, folding her arms and glaring at him.
Zoro glared back, but she won the staring contest when he flinched and looked down at his feet. "He wanted me… to kill him. If he attacked anyone else," he added quickly.
Nami sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I should have known, that idiot." She stopped, hand still on her temple, and looked at the still, blond head. "I'm staying here."
"Nami, do you really think-"
"Yes. If he's that broken up, the last thing we should do is let him wake up alone."
"Tch." Zoro knew she was right. "Then I'll stay."
She shook her head. "He'll think we had you stay to stop him if he tried to escape. If he's at all himself when he wakes up…" She trailed off, hoping Zoro understood.
He did. "You're right, I guess. Can't have the moron thinking we're actually scared of him." He glared at the cook with a mix of annoyance and worry before looking at her again. "You sure you'll be okay?"
She smiled cheerfully. "I'll be fine! Besides, if he tries anything, I bet a little Happiness Punch will knock him out again, mind control or no."
"And the sad thing is, you're probably right." He hesitated a second longer, then left, closing the door behind himself with a soft click.
Nami sat down on the bunk next to Sanji's and watched his chest rise and fall. It was hard to believe that he could attack anyone, looking so skinny and harmless splayed across the sheets. She half expected him to wake up, eyes those ridiculous hearts, and wiggle all around her, praising her and offering her all manner of snacks and drinks. She wished that would happen, but he remained unconscious.
It wasn't fair, she thought, that someone would exploit one of her nakama like this. She couldn't even imagine the horror of hurting one of her friends and being unable to do anything about it. Screaming, like she was sure Sanji must be, for this monster in control of her to stop. Wishing for death, thinking it was the only solution.
In sudden terror she reached out and took Sanji's hand in hers. Zoro had said it, hadn't he? Sanji wanted death so that he'd stop attacking them. It reminded her too much of Robin, of that desolate hopelessness she had shown. But she was afraid that, this time, burning a flag wouldn't make him change his mind.
Sanji moaned softly in his sleep, his fingers curling around her hand.
A tear ran unbidden down Nami's cheek as she fell off the bunk and knelt by his head, hand never leaving his. She reached out and ran her fingers gently through his hair, then traced his cheekbone. "It'll be okay," she promised, sniffing softly. "We'll find who's doing this, and then everything will go back to normal. Luffy believes it. I believe it, too. We all do. So now… you just need to believe it, too."
After several minutes watching his still face, she noticed something from the corner of her eye, sticking out of his jacket pocket. It looked like… a piece of paper.
Cautiously, she grabbed the corner between two fingers and pulled it halfway out. It was a page from a book, she realized, and she could read the title on the top.
Sleeping Beauty.
She actually laughed at that. Leave it to Sanji to still read fairytales. She pulled it out of the pocket with a tug, and two small, glittering objects came with it, falling to the floor with soft plinks.
Nami picked up one of the things to find it was a diamond earring. She scowled at it accusingly and with a faint twinge of jealousy; these were the ones Sanji had held so tenderly to his lips what seemed like an eternity ago but was only the night before.
Then her eyes widened in revelation. She knew who was doing this to Sanji. She knew who they were looking for.
She got halfway to her feet before she heard a loud whistling outside. Then there was a horrendous crash and something smashed through the hull, splintering wood and knocking her unconscious.
"WHAT WAS THAT!?!"
Usopp clutched frantically to Franky's arm as the whole ship shook and reverberated like it was falling apart. Several of Chopper's medical supplies crashed into the floor or flew through the air, narrowly missing stabbing the sniper in the head.
"EYAAAA!!!"
Luffy shot through the door at the moment, looking excited. "A cannonball just bashed into Sunny's side! You should have seen the explosion!"
Franky jumped up with a wail and ran to examine the damage while Usopp stared at his captain incredulously. "Why didn't you stop it?" he finally managed.
"It hit lower down. Almost like they were aiming for our room." He shrugged. "It was a mystery cannonball."
Robin sat up in bed, looking concerned and ignoring Chopper's frantic protests as he tittered around her. "Captain-san, you should probably go back out on deck with Swordsman-san and help ward off the enemy attack."
"But they're not attacking," he said, picking his nose in confusion. "They shot the cannonball, and now they're just sitting there."
Robin got out of bed and stood up, looking out the door. "That's ominous, indeed." Usopp and Chopper followed her gaze and shuddered in unison.
"Watch out, sword-bro!!!"
The group jumped as the frantic yell echoed from outside, followed by the sudden sound of fighting.
Exchanging quick glances, the four pirates rushed out onto deck, expecting enemies.
Instead, they found Zoro, fending off violent kicks from none other than Sanji.
"Urgh… what happened?"
Sanji was aware of being horribly stiff and sore, as well as a searing pain in his left leg and a pounding in his head, but otherwise he didn't know where he was or what he was doing. He wanted to sit down and rest, but his body rose up from the rubble that had once been his hammock and the cabin wall.
"Hmm…" Georgia surveyed the scene as he blearily watched, still trying to sort it all out. "Those idiots got a bit too close. Look at the cannonball." She indicated the huge thing, only a few feet away. "It almost killed you. That would have done me no good…"
"What?" Sanji asked groggily.
Georgia gave a long-suffering sigh. "You got tied to your hammock, so I had to get you released somehow. So I used a cannonball to destroy what you were tied to. You should be thanking me, really; otherwise, you'd still be trapped like their little prisoner."
This sentence alone seemed to lift the fog. Sanji shot up and looked over the scene as his eye saw it. "No, damn it, I should have stayed tied down…"
"Hmph. You just don't know how to show gratitude, do you?" She sniffed disdainfully.
Sanji was still looking about the cabin, and his breath hitched in his throat when he saw a slumped form covered in bits of wood, dust and debris turning her vibrant orange hair a dirty brown. "Nami-san…" he whispered.
"Huh?" Georgia turned to see where he was looking and smiled at the sight. "Oh my, if it isn't the little navigator girl. She must have been looking after you, the poor, naive child."
Sanji didn't answer, just stared at her blankly.
"She must have been hit by the cannonball. A shame, really; I did SO want to destroy her myself."
"She isn't dead," Sanji whispered. "She can't be…"
Georgia looked from the image of the girl to Sanji and back again. "Oh, she is; see the way her blood is pooling around her? She's quite gone."
Sanji shook his head furiously. "No… no…"
"Yes," Georgia snapped. "She's dead."
He sank to his knees, head still shaking. "No…"
Georgia walked over and knelt beside him. "It's all your fault, you know. She came to meet you, the other day. She was going to come eat dinner with you."
Sanji's eye widened. "Nami-san came…"
"She was following you. I noticed her as I went to the restaurant." She shook her head disapprovingly. "If only you weren't so selfish, if only you hadn't run off so suddenly, maybe none of you would be in this mess now."
Sanji stared at Nami and remembered how he had felt. Like he needed to be alone, away from his nakama. He had been selfish. The whole time, he wasn't thinking about the crew, just himself. The whole time the attacks were going on, he had been more worried about his own pleasures.
"Everything's my fault," he muttered.
Georgia's smile widened but she said nothing.
"I should have realized what was going on, but I was too busy worrying about seeing you again. I should have been strong enough to fight you off, but instead I just wallowed in self pity. I should have killed myself instead of putting it on Zoro, but I was too afraid to." He put his head in his hands. "Everything's my fault. I did this to them. To her."
"Yes, you did," Georgia agreed. "You're just a depressing specimen of a man, you know."
"I know."
"No one could ever love you after what you've done."
"I know."
"They'll all hate you."
"I know."
"And it will be right for them to, won't it?"
"Yes."
"But you can stop all the agony now, you know."
His head jerked up, tear-filled eyes staring at her with something akin to hope. "How?"
She smiled, snapped her fingers, and a dagger was suddenly hovering before him, handle towards him. "Take it," she offered.
He reached out and curled his fingers around the dagger. It shouldn't have felt so real… this was just his head, right?
"If you want to kill yourself, go ahead," she said softly, temptingly.
He stared at it, skeptical. How would that work if it was just his imagination?
"Think about it," she whispered seductively in his ear.
Sanji stared down at the sharp blade and remembered everything he had done. The self-loathing, guilt, the wish to die from before rose violently in his chest.
He lifted it, to Georgia's glee, but then stopped when he felt the ghost of a hand brush down his cheekbones.
"We'll find who's doing this, and then everything will go back to normal. Luffy believes it. I believe it, too. We all do. So now… you just need to believe it, too."
Nami's voice, clear as a bell, the way it had wafted to him in unconsciousness, though he hadn't remembered until now.
He looked up with a cheeky grin, causing Georgia to gasp in fury. "I'm sorry, Georgia-chan, but there's a lady who's counting on me, and I simply can't disappoint her." He saw that they were out on deck, and his smirk grew. "Oh, look; the marimo."
She barely had time to get one of his legs up before the sword came down.
"Uhng… what?"
Nami slowly sat up, dusting debris and bits of wood off herself. The boys' cabin was a mess of splinters and twisted metal, thanks to, she realized, the cannonball only a few feet away. She shuddered; that had been too close to killing her.
Then she froze.
What if it had come more than close to killing Sanji?
She scrambled to her feet, hardly registering the large gash on her leg or the many cuts on her arms in her search for the blond cook. She found quickly that Sanji was nowhere to be seen amid the rubble.
Her immediate reaction was relief. Sanji was okay, or at least well enough to move. She noticed blood on the planks leading to the door, which meant he was hurt, but at least he wasn't dead.
Of course, if he was up and about, that also meant that the girl from port still had control over him.
What do I do? Nami wondered hopelessly, flopping back to the floor. She was completely at a loss. Who knew who Sanji was attacking now? And she was worried that if he hurt anyone else, nothing they said would stop him from hating himself until…
No. She wouldn't think like that, not while there was still any scrap of hope left.
She spotted a small piece of paper under the splinters where she had just been buried. Remembering what it was, she pulled it out gingerly and dusted off the tattered page.
She stared at the words. She wasn't very familiar with the story (her childhood hadn't allowed for many fairytales), but it seemed that the prince in the story was kissing the princess to wake her from some mystical curse-
Nami's jaw dropped slightly as she clutched the page in her hands.
The way all good curses are broken.
She stood up with new determination. She knew what to do.
The only question was, would she be the right one to do it?
She thought one last time about seeing him, walking away with that slut, pining for her in the lookout, whining to go into town to be with her…
It made her blood boil with rage and, though she never would have admitted it otherwise, jealousy.
Because, though she also never would have admitted this, she loved Sanji, and as more than just her nakama.
According to the story, the one doing the kissing had to be the cursed one's true love.
So would she be the one to do the job?
I better damn well be.
With that, she ran for the deck.
In Zoro's opinion, the shit-cook wasn't doing too good.
He was covered in splinters and dust, scrapes and cuts, and there was a large, fresh cut on his left leg that was quickly turning his slacks from black to crimson. And the way he was throwing kicks like party favors probably wasn't helping it any.
"Sanji!" yelled Luffy admonishingly from the sidelines. "Stop it!"
Zoro said nothing, because he had Wado in his mouth and was using it to block a forceful dress shoe. He twisted his neck and Sanji staggered back just far enough for an opening. The swordsman tried to slam the back of Kitetsu into his side, but the cook moved just in time. Still, his reactions were slower than normal, and Zoro wondered if it was the blood loss or the cook's own fighting with his body.
A flurry of feet and he actually landed a hit on Zoro's side. Some ribs cracked. He sucked in air around Wado's hilt.
Okay, so his reactions weren't that slow.
"Tired yet, shitty marimo?" Sanji's body asked.
Zoro bristled-how dare he imitate the shit-cook so well?-and readied himself for another attack. "No way. I can hold off curlybrow all day."
"I wonder if you can. I don't believe he's ever been this intent on murdering you."
"You should've seen him the day I ate the entire tray of snacks he fixed especially for the girls," Zoro snorted.
Possessed Sanji flipped onto his hands and swung his feet around, and Zoro blocked with his swords. The legs went up and came down at his shoulder, and he blocked again. Sanji flipped onto his feet and scowled.
"Damn, he's really too weak to beat you, isn't he?" Sanji complained.
Zoro gave the cook his most dead serious look. I know you're in there somewhere…
"That guy's strong enough to beat anything he's faced with."
Sanji wasn't in control, but by the scowl that crossed his face, Zoro knew that it was giving him hope and aggravating his possessor.
Then, suddenly, the swordsman caught sight of movement just behind Sanji's back; a form sprinting for him. Sanji caught the shift in attention and whirled automatically, leg swinging in a ferocious, sweeping kick.
A slam, a cry, a thud.
The deck feel still and silent.
Zoro felt the dead weight of sudden dread in his chest. He craned his neck around Sanji's sickeningly relaxed form and caught sight of his newest victim, laying sprawled across the deck. A slender body, familiar silk pajamas, a flash of orange hair.
Luffy broke the silence first. "Nami!"
And then everyone was adding their shouts to the mix.
"Navigator-san!"
"Girly!"
"Nami!"
Zoro didn't speak, watching Sanji. He went abruptly from relaxed to tense, his back suddenly arching as though something had jolted him. Then he turned on his heel and Zoro raised his katana on instinct.
And lowered them again.
The man standing before him was not possessed. His eye was clear, alert, and despairing, sunken with a kind of hopeless guilt that Zoro couldn't imagine and damn sure didn't want to see, not on any of his nakama, not even the cook.
That terrible eye stayed on him for but a second before finding its way to the boy in the straw hat. "Luffy…" he whispered, hoarse.
"Sanji," said Luffy, taking a step forward, looking both concerned and relieved. "You did it. You broke his control."
"No," Sanji replied, voice cracking in anguish. "No I didn't. I failed."
And then his back arched again and he gasped in pain and sank to his knees. Chopper jerked forward instinctively, but Luffy held out a hand to stop him.
Sanji slumped forward, a thin line of blood running from the corner of his mouth. He clutched at his heart for a second.
Then, slowly, he started to get back to his feet.
"NAMI!!!"
"Oh my, that was unexpected. I thought she was unconscious, and here she comes gallivanting about on deck. Quite inconsiderate of her. You people really don't know how to stay down."
Sanji didn't answer from where he bowed on the ground. He had cried so much lately that surely his body must be devoid of water, and yet these were the largest and most bitter tears yet.
Nami had been alive. And he had just kicked her.
It was as bad as when he had beat Robin. No, worse, even. Because as much as he liked Robin, he didn't love her.
Not the way he loved Nami.
"You still have the dagger," said Georgia pleasantly.
Sanji squeezed the handle and considered. Nami had wanted him to believe that things would be alright, and in turn he had believed her. But now he couldn't hold that belief. There was no way he'd ever forgive himself for not saving her. For letting her get hurt at his hands.
No one had given him a reason to live.
It was because he didn't deserve to.
Sanji raised the dagger above his chest.
He hesitated.
"Yes," said Georgia soothingly. "Go ahead, dear Sanji. You'll like it. Everything will fade away into blissful nothingness." She knelt next to him and put comforting hands on his shoulders. "No more guilt. No more sorrow. And your friends will be safe and sound, and none of them will have gotten their hands dirty. It will be easier on them that way. After all, they're going to have to kill you at this point to survive, you know that. So isn't it polite that you can do it yourself. It's a better arrangement for everyone."
Sanji knew everything she said was true. He prepared to plunge the dagger into his heart…
Hesitated again.
"What are you waiting for, dear?" she asked, barely masking the impatience.
"I can't… not until I tell my captain."
She raised an eyebrow, then sighed and shrugged. "Fine. Do what you want."
So Sanji took control. And his message was simple.
"I failed."
And then Sanji plunged the dagger into his heart.
Slowly, Sanji rose. He licked his lips, tasted the blood, and used his sleeve to wipe it away. Then he looked up at the group, bangs casting an eerie shadow over an eye that no longer held a hint of their cook inside.
"Well, now that he's been taken care of, who wants to play next?"
Chapter 5 End
A/N: *big Barbie doll smile* Well, isn't that cute? Eh heh heh heh… PLEASE, NOT THE FACE!!!
"The evil guy in Sanji's head attacked me," Luffy explained.
If you'll think back, Sanji clearly said, "she," in the last chapter. But Luffy is thick and overlooked it. ^^
…slung him over his shoulder like a potato sack.
Okay, if you've never been carried like this, it's fun until you're so tall your gut gets to drape over the person's shoulder, and then it just hurts. My dad could still sling me over his shoulder like that when I was twelve, and it was NOT FUN!!! XP
"You are right, Annette.
My name when we were French gypsies for Halloween. My other friends were Belle, Marie, and something starting with an R that I can't remember right now…
Besides, if he tries anything, I bet a little Happiness Punch will knock him out again, mind control or no."
Oh, tell me you remember what that is! It's when Nami flashes her chest and then charges the guys for it later. XP
"A cannonball just bashed into Sunny's side! You should have seen the explosion!"
Only Luffy would think that was cool. Oh, and if you're wondering why he didn't use Gomu Gomu no Fuusen, with the cannonballs trajectory he would have had to fall too close to the ocean to hit it and would have ended up in the sea. And they really don't need to be jumping after their captain at the moment. Franky will fix it up good as new, though. If they survive, that is. ^^
…and a dagger was suddenly hovering before him, handle towards him.
What's this? A dagger I see before me, handle toward my hand… come, let me clutch thee.
Yes, there was heavy Macbeth influence for that little moment; we just read it in English class.
…familiar silk pajamas…
She woke up after Robin got attacked, and I don't think she's had time to change. Yay pjs! ^^
Uh, climatic chapter when I get it written.
This is Dandy Wonderous, stuffing her face with Christmas chocolate and signing off.