Sorry for the long wait! This chapter just didn't want to end! As always, I hope to do the characters justice. Please enjoy and R&R!

Chapter 6

The Suwaki Gang

"Are you a moron?" Zoro asked with a frown. "That took you a damn long time to figure that out."

Sanji clenched his teeth in anger, but he restrained it long enough to exhale. "So? What did you want to see me about?"

Zoro crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame leading to the outside of the manor. "Well, I was going to ask how you were feeling, but now there are more pressing matters." Zoro gestured to the disaster Sanji made after being sent through the traditional Japanese screen walls like a torpedo by the punch from the black-haired woman. "Due to changes in how things work here, we're running low on money. Do you have any idea how much it'll cost to replace all the damage you've done?"

Sanji turned to look at what his flailing body had done and he swallowed. A lot of money. But he didn't say anything.

"In order to pay back the damages, you'll be working for us," Zoro said with an unreadable expression.

"What?" Sanji was beyond annoyed. "Hell no! You're yakuza! I'm not going to work for lawless, blood-thirsty-!"

"What would you have me do, then?" Suddenly, Zoro's voice was close and Sanji could feel his warm breath on his face. Sanji stood his ground, this time, but the man was tall and overwhelming. "Either work with us to pay off your debt, or…" Sanji's face flushed as a muscular arm snaked around his waist and pulled it against Zoro's. "… you can pay it off with your body. You've got the face and the skin to bring in a lot of cash."

Sanji clenched his teeth together, about ready to attack him, but the sound of a crash caught his attention and he turned his head as he couldn't move his body with Zoro's arm wrapped around him. He saw Tachibana on her knees beside some of the rubble. Sanji used force to shove Zoro off of him and he ran to her side, along with a few other young maids.

"Tachibana-san!" Sanji called as he ran beside her, inspecting the distressed woman. She was holding her ankle with a pained expression on her beautiful face and Sanji instantly worried. "What happened?"

"I… I tripped over some wood when I came to clean it up," she explained, but then forced a smile. "I'll be alright. I just twisted it."

Sanji scrutinized her ankle and found that it had begun to swell and bruise. He was angered at himself for causing her injury and he smiled warmly at her. "Come on, I'll help you." Before she was able to protest, Sanji swept her off her feet and held her in the air like a true princess.

"Sanji-san, really, there's no need to-!"

"I'm glad I'll be able to pay you back for what you did for me," Sanji explained and smiled. However, his smile disappeared when he realized what he had said. He refused to pay Zoro back for something he had done, even after he had saved him twice. He was being a hypocrite.

Sanji turned towards Zoro who had been watching intently. "I'll do it," Sanji complied with a determined, angry look on his face. "I'll work for you guys."

Zoro smirked and shut his eyes calmly. "Make sure to take care of Tachibana, blondie. She'll be teaching you how we get things done around here tomorrow." And then Zoro walked outside and disappeared into the sunlight.

….

Sanji returned to his home that afternoon, after helping Tachibana wrap up her ankle and warn her to stay away from walking for a while. The prince was afraid to go home, as he had not been home since… yesterday morning? Zeff was going to murder him. As if on cue, when Sanji walked into the kitchen, he felt a devilish looming presence. Oddly enough, no one was there. He found a note taped to the refrigerator and he nervously read it:

"Sanji, I have a double shift today at the Baratie. You better warm up those legs of yours because when I get home… Well, let's just say that you should just stay gone.

With unholy love, Zeff"

Yeah, he was mad. He seemed beyond mad, beyond furious, beyond any anger he had ever seen. Sanji took Zeff's advice and retreated from the house, deciding he'd return when Zeff was there and surprise him.

….

Sanji walked through the city streets and found that he had nowhere to go. He couldn't be home and it was Saturday, so school wasn't for two days. Despite this, Sanji still had on his school uniform because of the incident that had happened and he forgot to change when he went home. Around this time of day, the city streets of Grand Line City were like the streets in Tokyo; crowded and hustling and bustling. However, Sanji preferred it to be like this. He enjoyed watching students from his school go out and have fun in the city instead of sitting in a classroom.

Sanji walked along the sidewalk with a calm smile on his face and his hands in his pockets. Cars whizzed by and honked when another car got in their way. It was lively and Sanji didn't enjoy anything better than that, despite being alone. His mind wandered to Nami and Luffy and Usopp. He mused for a second on what they could be doing and pulled out his cell phone to give them a call. However, before he could punch in the numbers, he heard a squeal of happiness and he looked up, somewhat surprised.

"Kyaa~! Sanji-kun!" a girl from his school held her face together with her hands on both cheeks. Next to her were two other girls who each had a similar look. "You look so cute when you're confused!"

I was confused? Sanji exhaled and smiled brilliantly, shutting his phone and placing it back in his pocket. He walked in close to the girl and placed his thumb on her chin and his curled index finger underneath it. He gave her a seductive, intense stare that made her entire face red.

He spoke quietly and with a low voice, "When I saw your face, I became lost. It's only natural that a man loses his way when he is graced with a face as beautiful as yours."

The girl nearly wilted over and died at that moment and Sanji smiled, feeling proud. It had been a while since he acted like a man and he missed it. He removed himself from the scene and continued walking, hearing the embarrassing and jealous cries of the girl's friends. Sanji dug through his pocket again and retrieved his cellphone.

He dialed Nami's number and waited until he heard her voice to speak, "Nami-chan? It's Sanji. Want to hang out today?"

"Sanji?! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Nami's voice was so loud that he had to take it away from his ear as to not get damaged. "WHAT HAPPENED?! LUFFY AND I HAVE BEEN CALLING YOU!"

Sanji looked at his phone and was surprised to find at least ten missed calls from her. Comical tears flowed from his eyes and he gripped the phone tightly. "Nami-SWAN! I'm so happy to know how much you love me!"

"I DON'T LOVE YOU, MORON! Where are you?! Tell me and Luffy what happened!"

….

In the span of only ten minutes, Nami and Luffy were sitting on the opposite end of a table in an ice cream shop, waiting impatiently for answers. However, Luffy seemed more interested in the double school of chocolate and vanilla than to listen to Sanji's tale.

"I can't believe you decided to work for those monsters," Nami said with a concerned look on her face.

Sanji shrugged. "That guy saved me twice. It's only natural that I pay him back, right?"

"I can't believe he's the yakuza boss, too! He's so young!" Nami wrapped her lips around her smoothie's straw and sucked in.

"They aren't all like that?" Sanji asked, crossing his arms and leaning back. "Maybe it's just because they're a new gang."

"Nah, even I've heard of them," Luffy informed the table after licking his ice cream with a semi-interested expression on his face. "I'm pretty sure they've been around for a while. I want to meet them!"

Sanji frowned and mused about the reason why he indeed was so young. He recalled those two guys who captured him talking about how the former boss would still sell sex slaves. Wouldn't that be Zoro's father? Then, what happened to his father? Sanji scoffed and tapped the table impatiently, "Well, I won't be able to find anything out until I get to know more about them."

"Are you sure, Sanji-kun?" Nami asked with a sincere look of worry on her beautiful face. "I've heard awful rumors about them and I don't want you getting mixed up in their business."

Sanji was taken aback by Nami's thoughtfulness, so he smiled and replied, "Don't worry, Nami-san. I'm sure they'll just make me clean up all the screen doors."

….

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Sanji spoke evenly with a gaping mouth and depression lines underneath his visible eye. He was holding cleaning materials in hand, prepared to work his ass off, but what stood before him wasn't the wreck he had last left the Roronoa manor in. It was so clean that everything sparkled and the sliding doors were intact and the scratches on the floor vanished.

"There are a lot of people who helped, Sanji-kun," Tachibana explained with a smile on her beautiful face. "Time means nothing when you have enough thoughtful helping hands."

Sanji could hardly believe his eyes. It was only yesterday that he and that kendo woman destroyed the manor. "I don't even see a lot of people! How many helped?"

Tachibana tapped her chin and looked upwards in thought. "Well, I'd say around six."

"Six?!"

"Yes."

Sanji frowned in frustration. "Then why did that guy say I had to work for them?"

Tachibana tilted her head in confusion. "That guy?" she repeated and raised her eyebrow. Sanji couldn't help but stare at her beauty. He nearly forgot to answer.

"A-Ah, I mean, Z-Zoro…" Sanji said quietly. It felt weird to say his first name with having so much hatred for the guy, but there was no way in hell he was going to call him Young Master.

"Oh!" the head maid smiled in recognition. "You mean the Young Master? I'm sure it's just because he enjoys your company."

Sanji forced the most ridiculous, twitchy smile with depression lines running from the top of his head to his cheeks. That was a dramatic overstatement and Sanji knew it. Tachibana was able to pick up on Sanji's feelings and she opened her eyes solemnly, never losing her smile.

"The Young Master is alone a lot, Sanji-kun," the head maid explained, looking towards the ground, but Sanji could see the sadness in her eyes. "Other than those living in this house, he doesn't have many friends."

The anger quickly drained from Sanji's system, but he wasn't sure if he pitied Roronoa Zoro or simply didn't care. He was the head of a yakuza family. How many friends do you need with that title? Sanji formed his mouth into a tight straight line, unsure of how to reply to her statement. It was obvious Tachibana cared for the marimo, so what would he say without losing his dignity or hurting her feelings?

"Or, it could just be because he'd like to use you as another maid," Tachibana cut into Sanji's thoughts with an innocent, thinking expression on her face. Sanji's mouth dropped to the floor in anger and regret for ever feeling sorry for that bastard. The latter of the choices that marimo had was the likeliest and Sanji simply wouldn't stand for it. Then again, what would happen if he disobeyed a yakuza head? Would the entire gang kill him? It certainly seemed like a bad idea to agree to the ordeal now.

"There's trouble!"

Sanji and Tachibana turned their heads to find the sliding door slam open and a man stumbled in. The man was garbed in traditional yukata clothing and he wore a topknot on his head. The prince was sure he had seen him in the Roronoa manor at some point, deducing that he was part of the Roronoa clan. When he saw him teetering to one side, Sanji immediately went to catch him before he collapsed to the ground.

"Murosaki!" Tachibana cried in worry, trotting to the man whom Sanji lay gently on the floor. Tachibana winced, as the pain in her ankle hadn't disappeared, however, she refused to give up and she kneeled beside the wounded man. Sanji instantly noticed fatal wounds and he swallowed with wide eyes.

"What happened?" Sanji asked with slight fear for the man. Sanji noticed how his hands were soaked in the man's blood.

"The Suwaki gang…" the wounded man coughed, and Tachibana held his trembling hand. Sanji noticed how the head maid tensed at the mention of a different yakuza group. "They took… Kuina."

Sanji watched how Tachibana's eyes trembled in fright and concern and her hands shook madly with Murosaki's grip. Sanji wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but he did know that the man was in dire need of medical assistance.

Sanji stood up and reached into his pocket, pulling out his cellphone. "I'll call an ambulance!"

"No!" Murosaki yelled, grabbing Sanji's pant leg. "You… D-Don't!"

"Murosaki, you'll die," Tachibana said quietly, tears brimming in her eyes. "Please, let us. The Young Master would forgive you. I'm sure he would."

"I-I'd rather… die!" the man replied between clenched, bleeding teeth.

Sanji's heart was pounding so loud he was sure he could hear it in his head and feel it in his chest. He had the chance to save this man, but why didn't he want to be saved? Should Sanji risk it? The prince gripped the phone so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. That was when Sanji realized that he had a single doctor who was skilled enough to save Murosaki and do it quietly.

"Leave this to me!" Sanji beamed at Tachibana, who was sitting confused and worried on the ground beside her fellow yakuza member. Sanji flipped over his cellphone and he did the only thing he could do without having the man wishing he was dead instead.

….

"He's lost a lot of blood, but with rest, he'll be better in no time," Chopper explained with an exhausted look. It was nighttime by then and the only light that lit the room they were in were two lanterns on the wall. Sanji was leaning against the doorframe and somewhat admiring the rain as he halfheartedly listened to the doctor's diagnosis.

"Thank you so much. How can I ever repay you?" Tachibana said with joyous tears in her eyes. She was kneeling beside the sleeping Murosaki in her beautiful kimono and took Chopper's hooves in her delicate hands, thanking him with all her heart.

Sanji frowned and turned away from the scene, staring intensely out the sliding door into the outside world and examined the koi pond and bamboo water spout. The spout was pointed towards the air, filling with water, as Sanji stood up, gathering the attention of the room.

"Those bastards are gonna pay," Sanji said in a low, scornful voice. He tightened his fists in anger. No, he had never met Murosaki, but those assholes from the gang he mentioned made Tachibana cry and Sanji simply wouldn't stand for it.

"Sanji-kun, the Suwaki yakuza are as powerful as us, if not stronger," Tachibana warned with concern.

"Didn't Murosaki say they took someone?" Sanji turned towards Tachibana, who tensed at the question.

The head maid looked down solemnly. "They took Kuina, the Young Master's pre-arranged wife."

"Kuina?" Sanji raised an eyebrow in interest.

"You met her once," Tachibana said as she soaked the small towel in cold water and placed it back on Murosaki's forehead. "She was the one accidentally caused you to wreck the manor."

Sanji widened his eyes in shock. "That was her?" Sanji questioned in disbelief. However, that crazy girl seemed to be a perfect match for Zoro. Sanji felt his chest squeeze uncomfortably and he gripped his shirt, unsure why there was a weird feeling near his heart. Was she a perfect match for him? He recalled Zoro having a somewhat quiet, frightening, strong demeanor. That girl, or Kuina, wasn't at all quiet, but she sure as hell was frightening. Then again, maybe Zoro wasn't quiet. He said a few words and that was all that needed to be said. Each word that spilled out of his lips was as important as the next, because you never knew when he'd clam up again.

"Isn't that right, Sanji-kun?"

Sanji looked up in confusion at hearing his name. "Sorry, what?"

"I was just saying to Doctor Chopper that you've been very helpful since you arrived," Tachibana explained and smiled.

Sanji forced a smile. "A-Anh," Sanji lied, unsure if he had actually done anything yet. The prince turned to face Murosaki, scanning his injured body and thinking about Kuina. She was the marimo's pre-arranged wife? If she was taken by a rival gang… They would treat her terribly. Sanji formed his mouth into a straight line, concerned for her.

Kuina was probably crying, begging for them to release her, so that she could run home and see Sanji. Sure, she was a bit… aggressive, but she was a gorgeous lady and Sanji wasn't about to let all that go to waste.

Sanji turned towards Tachibana with a confident smirk and ran his hand through his blonde hair. "Where's this Suwaki gang's manor?"

He was going to get Kuina back.

To be continued...