Before I say anything else: THANK YOU! Thank you so much for so many wonderful reviews!
I still can't believe it... the first chapter got more reviews than any other I have ever written and you have no idea how happy they made me! Seriously, some had me blushing and giggling like a little schoolgirl with her first crush! XD
So, because of such an awesome response, I have decided to take half a day off to get this out to you. Also, because of me being apparently unable to plan chapters properly, there will be more than three after all. I just wanted to pack too many scenes in one chapter... :/
ANYWAY, I really hope you are going to enjoy this chapter as much as the first.
Enjoy! :D
Note:
About the usage of -san: You will be well aware that it is used like our Mr or Mrs and it implies respect for the person, you're speaking to. However, when you use no honorific and simply say the other person's name (like Luffy always does for example) it can mean either disrespect, ill manners or, for people you are close to, a sign of affection. Couples usually don't use honorifics for their significant other, so when they do... you'll see :)
I don't like having to explain things in notes, because that usually means I don't do a good job describing, but... the story takes place in Japan and having the narrator explain in Sanji's POV what the lack of -san exactly means won't really do. I tried to hint at it, but just in case... :/
Chapter 2: Sanji investigates! Who dared to kiss him in the dark?
Sanji rubbed his burning eyes. A yawn escaped his mouth as he watched the clock's hands move slowly forward, the ticking noise never failing to send him in a trance. He had wrapped up a simple breakfast for himself (fried eggs and toast) and now, back leaning against the kitchen counter, he was waiting desperately for the water to boil.
He hadn't been able to get a wink of sleep the night before, his mind going over and over that damn kiss. The cook felt ridiculous for caring so much, for being unable to forget the feeling of those lips, the taste of that tongue, the way his heart had threatened to burst out of his chest. Sanji didn't even care it had been a man who kissed him... he only knew how much he longed for a repeat, how much he wanted to feel those hot lips again.
When Sanji had been with Kalifa, he thought he had been in love, thought she was the one woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. But now that he had had a taste of what a kiss could do to him, he began to wonder... While he had been happy with Kalifa, he had never felt so excited, so alive before. That one little kiss had put every other experience of him into perspective and he would be damned if he didn't find out who did it!
Brow furrowed, Sanji willed his mind to go over every little detail he still remembered from that moment. The hold of the man had been strong... too strong to fight against. The hands holding up his wrists had been covered in calluses, brushing roughly against his skin as he tried to break free. Both hints were rather useless, though.
Sanji's strength was nearly entirely in his legs, so anyone could have held him up against that wall. And everyone in that elevator had to have calluses from their work... apart from Zoro, they were all shipwrights.
Frowning, Sanji went for what felt like the umpteenth time over the other occupants of the elevator. He was pretty sure Franky and Ace could be ruled out. Franky had Robin and was absolutely smitten with her... even if he would be interested in other men, that guy would never kiss anyone else.
As for Ace... Sanji snorted. If that guy had ever felt any desire to kiss him, he would have done so ages ago. He was just that forthright and wouldn't need to wait for a blackout.
Then there had been Jabra, Kaku and... Zoro. Well, Zoro could clearly be ruled out.
That left Jabra and Kaku.
The chin brushing against him as the man's lips moved had been smooth... Sanji didn't feel a beard scratching him during the kiss, so the person couldn't have been Jabra, which left... Kaku? Did Kaku kiss him?
Sanji nearly jumped when the water reached boiling point and his old-fashioned kettle began to whistle. Absent-mindedly, Sanji filled coffee powder into a mug and dashed it with the hot water. Instant coffee... he hated it with a passion but was too tired to care right now.
His mind wandered back to Kaku as he sipped on the scorching drink in his hands, neither bothering to add milk nor to wait until it had reached a comfortable temperature. His burned tongue was already complaining, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
They did spend a lot of time together, Kaku and him... ever since they had begun to train in the gym. But Kaku had never shown any kind of interest in Sanji... or at least not that Sanji had noticed.
He liked Kaku and all but the guy was rather quiet. Not in a shy way or anything. He was just a sort of down to earth guy... one that was all smiles and happy-go-lucky attitude.
At least Kaku was when he wasn't fighting. When facing an opponent, the long-nosed man's personality always seemed to do a 180 and he became a real beast. He attacked relentlessly and didn't hold back... a trait Sanji was appreciating a lot in his sparring partners. Well, and he had a short temper. Whenever someone insulted him, he instantly snapped... especially when said someone was called Jabra and made fun of his nose. Those two were like fire and water... a bit like Zoro and him.
But could Kaku have kissed Sanji? He might be passionate enough about fighting but Sanji doubted Kaku acted the same way when facing a lover instead of an opponent.
Gaze shifting once again to the clock, the cook realised he had barely an hour left until he had to be at the Baratie. Pushing all thoughts of that amazing kiss to the back of his mind, Sanji gulped down his breakfast and rushed to get dressed.
He would be able to look into the matter when he had his scheduled training session with Kaku later that day.
The midday sun's light shone brightly as Zoro walked down the seemingly endless streets of Water 7. Like a maze, the paths seemed to cross, the high buildings making it near impossible to orientate yourself on known landmarks in the distance. Getting lost was something that happened to Zoro on a daily basis and even twelve years living in the same place did nothing to help his sense of direction.
Brow furrowed, the swordsman looked up to the sky, his eyes and body following a cloud that had moved in the exact same direction his doctor had pointed him to.
Zoro sighed as he realised his ears were still clinging from the lecture, he had just received from one of his dearest friends: Dr. Tony Tony Chopper. While his height normally barely reached Zoro's waist, the small genius doctor always seemed to grow several feet whenever one of his friends got hurt due to carelessness.
Zoro, being the most reckless among all of them (Luffy not counting for that boy had more luck than actual brain and barely ever got hurt), he was the one who had received more lectures than any other... especially as he often chose to refuse his doctor's orders and did horrendous training sessions with injuries other people would be bed-ridden with for days.
The small boy hadn't been amused when he had seen Zoro's makeshift bandages around his head... neither had he been happy to hear how much the swordsman had worked his body the very next day or that he didn't went to see Chopper until over twenty-four hours after he had received the injury.
Chopper, like Sanji, wasn't a real employee from Galley-La. The boy genius, who already was in his last year of medical school despite being only fifteen years old, had lived in the Sunny ever since his adoptive mother and mentor Dr. Kureha went off to join Doctors Without Borders in Africa a year ago. Galley-La employees were rather accident prone, however, and so he often ended up tending to their injuries. He had already signed a contract and would be Galley-La's official doctor once he had finished medical school. Iceburg and Franky had even build him his very own infirmary in the Sunny.
Everyone loved the little brown haired doctor-to-be dearly and kept an eye on him, treating Chopper like their cute little brother. His apartment was next to Usopp's, an arrangement Iceburg began to regret once the explosions on their floor had reached daily occurrence and destroyed not a small amount of furniture.
Sighing, Zoro walked through the streets in what he hoped was the direction of Galley-La's main building. He had been working with Franky again and, after nearly losing consciousness while carrying a ton of lead, he was sent to the hospital where Chopper did his internship right now.
Just when the small, brown-haired boy had finished wrapping Zoro's head in proper bandages, Iceburg had called the swordsman and told him he was in need of a bodyguard to go to a business meeting. Chopper hadn't been amused by Zoro accepting the job, saying he needed at least two days of rest, but Zoro had as always ignored his protests.
While most of his friends were permanently employed at Galley-La, Zoro was the guy for everything, being called in whenever things became tough or Iceburg needed extra protection for an event.
As head of such a big business corporation, Iceburg's life was permanently in danger, making Zoro's services frequently required. His payment was quite good as well and he got to use his swords at times which was the main reason he always took the jobs Iceburg had to offer. While protecting Iceburg and his guests rarely led to interesting fights, it still provided excellent experience in battle and managed to pay his bills.
So now, there he was, following a cloud that had changed direction three times since he had started his way from the hospital... not that Zoro had noticed, of course.
"Roronoa Zoro!"
Zoro froze.
His body fought the instinct to run as he turned around slowly, hoping against hope the voice didn't belong to the person, he thought it did. He groaned when catching a glimpse of pink hair and black clothes.
"Perona... what the fuck do you want?"
Perona, a girl obsessed with cute things and death (a combination that worked surprisingly well for her), stood in front of him, hands on her hips and glaring as if Zoro had just killed her favourite stuffed animal.
"Don't talk to me like that, Roronoa! Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you?"
Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like I care?"
When her glare intensified, Zoro was at once reminded of her uncanny ability to make men grovel in front of her feet and wishing to be a louse... No kidding, he had actually seen a poor guy doing it before.
"Look, I know you're grateful that I saved your life and all, but you don't have to follow me around all the time!" he barked at her.
Perona snorted. "Saving my life? What a joke! I had everything under control!"
"You were surrounded by twenty men with swords and cried your eyes out... how does that count as 'having everything under control'?"
"... that was all part of my plan. And for your information: I'm not following you around because I'm grateful! I'm following you because... you're cute."
Zoro groaned. He knew exactly what she meant. When Perona said someone was 'cute', it didn't have the same meaning as for other girls... she didn't mean handsome or good looking. No, Perona meant it literally: cute as in cuddly, cuddly as in adorable.
Zoro fought down the want to gag.
"I'm. Not. Cute," he said, emphasizing every single word. "In what sense is a guy like me being cute?"
"You just are, alright? And if you've finished your rant, then you can come with me... I have this adorable bear costume I want you to wear at home..."
"I'M NOT GOING TO WEAR A DAMN COSTUME, YOU WEIRD PERVERTED WOMAN!"
Zoro yelled, his face turning red when several people stopped to stare at him.
"Aww! You're blushing! How cute!" Perona exclaimed and Zoro wanted to slap her.
Her costume fetish was another one of her quirks... one she was quite famous for by now. No one will ever forget poor Bepo, a rather weak-willed boy who was unfortunate enough to cross her path. Rumours said something snapped in him when Perona had stuffed him into an ice bear costume, forbid him to speak and used him as her own personal servant. Some said he was still wearing the costume even now and doing a frightening impersonation of Kung Fu Panda.
Zoro shook his head, willing his mind to get back to the matter at hand: getting rid of Perona.
Taking a deep breath, he began to walk forward with a frantic pace, cursing when he heard the clank of boots behind him. "I've got work to do. Fuck off, Perona."
"Work? You mean at Galley-La?"
"Yeah, what of it?"
"You are going the wrong way, peanut brain."
Zoro stopped in his track and cursed again as the cloud, he had been following, changed direction for the fourth time.
This time he noticed.
The Baratie was buzzing with life when, as always, the richer part of town chose to eat lunch at the exquisite restaurant. Waiters rushed around, hurriedly taking orders while Patty welcomed costumers at the door.
"Can I get you anything else, milady?" Sanji asked as he held the hand of a beauty to his lips and brushed her knuckles with a feathered kiss. "Coffee? Tea? A glass of magnificent wine?"
The blond-haired beauty blushed under his intense gaze and Sanji silently applauded himself for another round of successful flirting. Decreasing the space between them even more, he leaned down, his thumb caressing the slightly trembling hand in his as he readied himself for the killer move.
Lips near her ear, he whispered, "You have the most beautif-"
"What the hell are you doing out here, eggplant?"
Sanji's face nearly crushed on the table at the thundering sound of his embarrassing nickname. Glaring, he turned around to look into the eyes of his furious adoptive father Zeff.
"What the fuck, shitty old geezer? Don't scream like that in front of a lady, asshole!"
Several eyes turned to them, the regulars smirking at the familiar scene while new costumers were torn between watching the spectacle with interest and calling the police before someone was killed.
"Is that how you talk to your chef, you shrimp?" Zeff roared, using his tower of a chef's hat to knock Sanji on the head, accentuating his words with every hit. "Your place is in the kitchen! Do your damn job!"
"Tending to the costumers is part of my damn job!" Sanji replied, dodging another attack of the hat and raising his leg for a kick.
Zeff was ready for it and blocked the attack with his peg leg. "Not when you do nothing but flirting with women and ignoring the males!"
They continued to fight, oblivious to the reason for their argument leaving the restaurant quietly before she was expected to pay for her meal and they didn't stop to fight until they heard a quiet and familiar cough.
Their heads turned simultaneously and Sanji felt his heart sink at the sight of the perpetrator of that noise. "K-Kalifa, what can we-" he began but was interrupted by one of Zeff's kicks hitting him straight in the chest and sending Sanji flying on one of the empty tables. It yielded under his weight and with a crash, the cook landed painfully on the ground.
"Not the best time for me to visit, I take it?" Kalifa said, one eyebrow raised as she watched Sanji picking himself off the ground.
"No, no of course not! You're always a sight to behold!" Sanji said while brushing dust and splintered wood off his suit. "I was just teaching this shitty old geezer here a lesson."
Zeff barked a laugh. "You're a hundred years too early to teach me anything, eggplant. Come to the kitchen as soon as you're finished here. Kalifa," he said and nodded his head politely in her direction.
She nodded back, hand as always moving at once to righten her glasses.
"What can I do for you, sweeth-... Kalifa?"
The blond-haired woman raised an eyebrow at Sanji's near slip of tongue, but didn't comment on it. "I'm here to get a bentō for Iceburg-san. He has an important business meeting and won't be able to come for lunch."
"Oh, that's rare... usually he would do anything to eat here. There is nothing wrong with the company, is there?"
"Nothing we can't handle. The bentō, Sanji-san?"
Sanji nearly cringed at her use of honorific, the suddenly formal address feeling like a stab in his heart. "Yes, of course." He turned to Patty who had just finished taking an order from another costumer... a regular seeing as he had stayed calmly in his seat during Sanji and Zeff's quarrel. "One special sushi bentō for Iceburg-san!"
The bulky man, who looked like he would be a better sailor than cook, cringed at Sanji giving an order to him but chose to quietly vanish into the kitchen while grumbling under his breath.
Sanji was sous-chef after all...
"Anything else I can do for you?" Sanji asked, turning back to her.
"Yes," Kalifa said softly. "I would like to talk for a bit, if you don't mind. I think... you've been avoiding me, Sanji-san."
Sanji stared at her until she looked away under his intense gaze. "I-... I understand this isn't easy for you," she continued. "But... it's been a year and I thought we could be... friends."
"You left me," Sanji said, his voice cold enough to shock even himself. Still he went on, "You left me and didn't even give me a reason."
Kalifa's expression was so kind that Sanji would've been tempted to rip it off her face if she hadn't been a lady. It would be so much easier just to hate her...
"I gave you a reason, Sanji," she said and his treacherous heart skipped a beat at the sudden lack of honorific. "I'm not good enough for you."
"That's not a reason!" Sanji yelled, feeling all the pain welling up again at hearing those words. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the floor. "I-... I'm sorry. I shouldn't yell... I know, we've been over this before and I'm over it, but... but... it's still hard to hear. I thought we've been good before, you know?"
"Yes, but it wasn't enough," Kalifa said, her voice still having this damn soft tone. "I knew I wasn't able to return your feelings whole heartedly and if you're really honest with yourself, then you'll see that we weren't meant to be. There is someone better for you out there, Sanji. Someone who loves you more than I ever could."
Sanji looked at her, the memory of that kiss from the night before, resurfacing inside his mind. This and her strange choice of words made a thought suddenly occur to him... a thought so ridiculous that the chef would have laughed at it if it hadn't been so damn serious. "Kalifa..." he began slowly. "That person who could love me, the one you're talking about... does he exist? Is... is that the reason why you left me? Because of him?"
Kalifa didn't say anything but her expression spoke worlds.
"I'm so sorry, Sanji-san," she then said. "I... I noticed how he looked at you when you two fought and... and you always looked so happy. I thought, I might be holding you back, so..."
She looked pleadingly at him and despite all the pain Kalifa had put him through, he just couldn't be angry with her. Sighing, the cook said, "It's alright... that's in the past now."
"But how did you find out that he likes you? Did he finally confess?"
"No, but... he did something," Sanji said, blushing. "I'll tell you later... you have a meeting, don't you? The bentō should be ready now."
After Kalifa nodded, Sanji turned to enter the kitchen with only two thoughts inside his mind:
That Kaku had really kissed him and HOLY FUCK, Kaku had really kissed him!
He kicked Patty just for the heck of it.
"You're late, Zoro," Paulie said sternly as the swordsman finally reached the main building. He had been able to shake Perona off a few streets back but ended up in a completely different neighbourhood.
"Not my fault," he said when he entered the building together with Paulie. "Perona followed me again."
"Perona? That ghost girl? Damn, Zoro... you should be more careful. She is Mihawk's niece, isn't she? It's bad enough that you always beat up his goons but hanging around with that girl... It's dangerous, not to mention inappropriate. You're not even married!"
Zoro scoffed. Paulie had always had a weird conception of what was proper in this day and age. "It's not like I want to be around her. She just follows me everywhere... I don't think Mihawk thinks a whole lot of her, anyway. She had been attacked by his men, Paulie. Not to mention that I want him to find me."
They went through the reception room (Zoro waved at Camie, the receptionist as he passed her desk) and to a large room in the back.
A big man with a haircut that made him look like a bull guarded the door with a bored expression on his face. Blueno, a stoic man of few words and an unusual high voice, nodded to them as he opened the door to let them in.
Iceburg sat on a couch at a small table, a steaming mug of tea in his hand. Kalifa was behind him, reading his schedule from a small piece of paper.
Iceburg looked up as Zoro entered. "Ah, there you are! Good thing I told you to come three hours before the actual meeting... you're nearly on time."
Zoro saw Kalifa smile at him and glared back. He would never forgive her for what she had done... she had been the reason Sanji had drown himself in alcohol that night at Ace's birthday party.
Zoro will never forget his pained expression as he drank one glass of rum after the other...
"Who will we meet?" Zoro asked, pulling his gaze away from her and back at his boss.
"The CEO of Krieg Enterprises, Don Krieg himself."
The swordsman frowned. "Don Krieg? Isn't he dealing in weapons?"
"So the rumours say. And thus the need of your assistance. I don't expect the meeting to be very pleasant... especially seeing as I'm planning to recline any and all work with Krieg," Iceburg explained.
"Want me to get my swords?"
"I don't think that will be necessary. I asked Ace to attend as well. Speaking of which... any word from him, Kalifa?"
"He said he was on his way, Iceburg-san," Kalifa said, pushing up her glasses.
Zoro grinned. "I bet he got lost... that idiot!"
No one commented on that.
"Maaah... I'm not really in mood for this meeting," Iceburg said, sticking his little finger in his ear to clean it. "We really can't cancel it, Kalifa?"
"I'm afraid not, Iceburg-san. Krieg-san is already on his way."
Iceburg sighed. "I hate dealing with that guy..."
The door suddenly opened with a loud bang and a huge man walked in, carrying a dead weight.
"Look what I found on my way in," Tyleston said in his usual loud voice while Ace snored loudly on his massive shoulder. "HAHAHAHAHA! He lay in a flower bed in front of the Sunny."
Zoro slapped a hand on his forehead. Of course Ace had to fall asleep while walking! Sighing, Zoro stepped up to Tyleston and knocked Ace on the head with the side of his hand. "Wake up, you idiot! We got work to do!"
His snot bubble popping at the sudden disturbance, Ace opened his eyes drowsily. Yawning with tear-drops in his eyes, the freckled man looked around, not in the slightest surprised by his surroundings. "Yo, Tyleston! You gave me a lift? Thanks, man!" he said to the man carrying him.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Don't mention it, firefist!" Tyleston roared into his ear before placing him safely on the ground. "Then I'll be off. Gotta get to the port in time."
Iceburg nodded at him. "Tell Franky to come to Shakky's tonight. Kokoro wants to drink with us."
With another loud laugh Tyleston saluted before leaving the room.
"So, what did I miss?" Ace asked, clapping his hands together. "Who will we be meeting? Can we beat someone up? Why doesn't Zoro has his swords with him? Can I beat someone up? What-"
Iceburg held his hand up to stop the storm of questions. "We'll meet Krieg, you aren't supposed to beat anyone up and Zoro and you are more than capable of handling today's meeting without Zoro's swords. I would rather not have weapons present when I'm about to decline his preposition."
Ace made a face. "I wanted a good fight... it has been damn boring lately. No one wants to fight me anymore..."
"Maybe they are scared you'll light their hair on fire," Zoro laughed and Ace grinned back.
Ever since Ace took up fire breathing, there didn't seem to be anything save from his flames. Especially his opponents often ended up with dark red patches on their skin and scorched eyebrows. Not to mention that he was usually the first to arrive at the scene whenever a fire broke out in the Sunny... a coincidence that led Franky to bribe Luffy with meat, so he would follow his brother with a miniature fire extinguisher wherever he went and use it if Ace lit even so much like a match.
The fires in the Sunny lessened from eighteen a week to three afterwards.
"It's not like I would really burn anyone..." Ace said, grinning maniacally. "Maybe singeing a bit, but not burning."
Zoro shook his had at his friend and looked at Iceburg. "When are they supposed to arrive?"
"Any minute now," Iceburg answered and as if on cue, the door opened again with a loud bang.
Krieg, a big and bulky man with the affinity to wear golden armour on his upper body, walked in, flanked by his right and left hand men, Gin and Pearl.
Zoro glared at them, remembering full well the incident in the Baratie when Sanji had gotten hurt as he tried to throw Gin and Pearl out of Zeff's restaurant. Krieg, having no manners at all, had caused havoc when they had asked him to leave after harassing the other costumers.
In the end, the thing had ended in a full-out brawl and it needed Sanji, Luffy and Zoro to finally throw them out.
Gin grinned smugly at him and Zoro's eyes darkened as he remembered the guy's words to Sanji before he had finally left.
"A sexy blonde who can fight, eh? Makes me wonder what else you can do with those long legs... I always liked the feisty ones."
The swordsman's blood boiled at the memory and he gritted his teeth before breathing in deeply to calm himself. He was at work and it wouldn't do to beat up Iceburg's guests for personal reasons.
Krieg sat on the couch opposite Iceburg and laid his feet on the small table in front of him. It creaked under his weight.
"No time for manners, let's get down to business," he said and snapped his fingers.
Pearl handed him a sheet of paper and the meeting began.
"Well, that was intense..." Ace said half an hour later after Krieg had stormed out of the room and told Iceburg he would regret his decision. "Wanna go to the gym for a quick training session?"
"Damn... what's with your blood-lust today?" Zoro asked, grinning. He felt worlds better after Iceburg pissed off Krieg and his men.
Ace pouted. "Marco has a tournament in three weeks and... and... the old man told him..."
"Ah, no sex, eh?" Zoro laughed.
'The old man', Ace talked about, was Edward Newgate, nicknamed Whitebeard, and a giant of a man. While Garp had more or less raised Luffy and Ace, Whitebeard was more of a father figure to Ace and had trained him and Marco for the past six years in hand to hand combat. He was also known to be quite strict.
"How can I survive the next three weeks, eh? It's barely been a day!"
"See it from the bright side: you're going to have a damn great night once the time is over and Marco has won the tournament!"
"I know..." Ace said distractedly and judging by the expression on his face, the man's mind was already in the gutter.
Zoro raised an eyebrow when his friend's eyes glazed over and he mumbled something about 'peanut butter' and 'rope burn'.
Grinning, Zoro led Ace back to the Sunny (the right direction even) and thought a quick brawl in the gym wouldn't hurt.
Sanji dived to his left as one of Kaku's violent kicks was directed at his head. Using his hands as a springboard, he sent a swirl of kicks at the other man. Several were blocked but one hit Kaku's face, sending him flying several feet away.
Panting, Kaku stayed lying on the ground, limbs outstretched in all directions.
"You alright?" Sanji asked after he came back down on his feet.
"Yeah, just give me a minute... Damn, you're becoming better and better, Sanji."
"You aren't so bad yourself... did you train with Jabra?"
Kaku snorted. "I'm fighting with Jabra, not training. That guy gets under my skin."
Sanji grinned. Despite their attitude and steady annoyance with each other, Kaku and Jabra were really the best of friends. He honestly couldn't understand why they didn't see it...
"Want to take a break? We've been going at it for an hour now..." Sanji asked.
When Kaku nodded, the chef went over to him and let himself drop to the floor beside him, looking out of the countless windows.
The main gym consisted of the whole top floor and provided several training areas as well as dozens of weights. Big windows covered the walls, providing a magnificent view of the city.
Often, the Galley-La employees gathered in this place to hold tournaments or have parties together. Luffy, ever the fan of pirates and adventures, referred to it as the 'crow's nest' and it did have the vibe of a lookout.
Enjoying the view, Kaku and Sanji stayed silent for a while, the cook's thoughts once again returning to the elevator. After he had met with Kalifa in the Baratie and she told him more or less that Kaku was in love with him, Sanji had tried to think about ways, he could breach the topic during practice. It was obvious the man was reluctant to confess... he wouldn't have used the moment in the elevator to steal that kiss otherwise. But there had been so much feeling in that touch of lips, so much suppressed desire... it left no room for imagination: he obviously wanted more. So, why the secrecy?
Sanji nearly laughed as the answer to that question was rather obvious. The chef had always had only eyes for the ladies. Not even once did he ever show interest in his own sex.
So, the man clearly had to be scared... scared of a rejection as well as of destroying the friendship they had. Not even Sanji knew if that fear was justified, but he sure as hell wouldn't let things like gender keep him from trying.
Plucking up his courage, Sanji turned to Kaku, "Kaku... there is something I wanted to ask you."
"Shoot," the other man said, grinning, a bead of sweat running down the side of his face.
"Remember that blackout yesterday? When we were in the elevator?"
Kaku laughed. "Of course. I heard it was caused by Luffy and Usopp again. They tried out that robot rabbit... thing, Franky had build... the one Chimney is so smitten with. It had been damaged when she tried to take a bath with it."
"Ah, yeah... Didn't Franky say, he wouldn't be able to work on it until later?"
"Yeah and that's why Chimney asked Usopp for help. He repaired it and well... at least he thought he did because apparently a wire was loose and when Luffy plugged it in: BOOM!" Kaku said.
Sanji raised an eyebrow. "And he is alright?"
"Of course! Sometimes, I think that guy's skin is like rubber... how often did he get electrocuted now?"
"I've lost count," said Sanji, laughing.
"But that aside, you wanted to ask me something?"
"Yeah, well... during that blackout something... happened."
"What happened?" Kaku asked, his face giving nothing away.
"I-... I'm not sure how to ask this, but... Kaku, did you-"
Their heads whipped around when they suddenly heard laughter from the other side of the door.
"So, we were about to fight and then Marco said 'your ass is mine' in that sexy, growling voice, you know? And I was like 'well, of course but we'd better go to the bedroom then' and then he just-" Ace stopped dead when he opened the door and saw the gym wasn't as empty as he thought. "Oh, hey, guys! Didn't expect you to be here... aren't you always training in the afternoon?"
"Hey, Ace!" Sanji said, holding up a hand in greeting. "We had to move practice to the evening because that shitty old geezer keeps giving me the early shifts."
"Oh, he is still doing that? Damn... I would go mad!"
"Yeah, it's damn annoying."
While the two involuntarily celibate men chatted merrily, they were oblivious to the two other occupants of the room glaring daggers at each other.
It had to be like this, didn't it? Zoro couldn't relax for a moment, laugh with one of his best friends and listen to his story how Marco and him had gotten together. No, he had to run into Sanji... the root of all of his problems, of his pain and loneliness. And not only that but he had to be together with him, with Kaku.
Not many knew it, but Kaku had a crush on Sanji... Zoro was certain of that. Not because he had told him (they didn't talk), but because he was looking at Sanji just like he did. His eyes followed the blonde just like Zoro's did, they lit up when Sanji laughed and shone with admiration and pride when he saw him fight.
And Kaku knew about Zoro's feelings as well. It was the only explanation for the loathing, the hatred and jealousy in the other man's eyes whenever Kaku looked at him.
Even now, he was staring at Zoro with such contempt, such hatred... but then Kaku smirked and looked down at Sanji and his hands. Frowning, Zoro followed his gaze and gritted his teeth when he noticed their fingers were touching.
It was unreasonable and stupid to get jealous over such a small thing, but Zoro couldn't help himself. He had always envied Kaku's closeness to Sanji... his ability to make the chef laugh, to chat and joke around with him. And when they had started to train, Zoro had nearly lost it. Fighting with the cook had been his privilege before! It had been his right to go all out against the blonde until he was left all flushed and panting, making noises one wouldn't need a dirty mind for to associate with the bedroom.
Now Kaku had done all that, a trace of red still left on the cook's cheeks while the long-nosed bastard brushed his fingers against the blonde's.
Zoro had to get out.
He had to get out before he did something stupid, out before he ended up wiping that smirk off Kaku's face with his fists.
Mumbling a quick excuse, Zoro ran out of the room.
Ace looked sadly after his friend.
Once he had seen how Kaku and Zoro looked at each other, he knew why the swordsman didn't like the long-nosed shipwright.
"What's wrong with that shitty marimo?" Sanji asked, frowning at the door where Zoro had vanished seconds before. "He is not gonna fight again, is he?"
"I don't think so... he knows better than to upset Chopper any more. He is probably still riled up by our meeting with Krieg," Ace said, knowing it was as good an excuse as any.
"Krieg? That's the guy Iceburg was meeting?" Sanji asked.
"Yeah, how do you know?"
"Kalifa came to the Baratie to get a bentō today. She told me about it."
"I see... hey, can I fight you guys? Zoro wanted to train with me, but..." Ace scratched his head. "He seems to be busy."
"Sure, why not," Sanji said and stood up to be his first opponent.
Kaku stood up as well and turned around to give them some space. "Oh, yeah... what did you want to talk about, Sanji?" he said after dropping down at the sideline.
"Eh, it's not that important... I'll tell you tomorrow."
Ace thought he was missing something but decided he wouldn't care for now. He had a lot of pent up sexual frustration to work out... and he intended to spend no small amount once he faced Kaku on the mat.
The way that guy had tortured his friend hadn't escaped him at all.
Zoro slumped down on his couch, not bothering to turn on the lights.
The darkness was well suited for his mood, the sight of Sanji sitting happily next to Kaku still refusing to leave his mind. Gritting his teeth, he looked up at the dark ceiling and placed an arm over his eyes.
He wasn't weak... he knew he wasn't weak, but damn it was hard. He could live with women catching Sanji's eye... there was no way Zoro could or wanted to compete with a pair of breasts. But once a man made a move on Sanji... the swordsman growled.
In no fucking way could he accept that! Zoro had no right whatsoever to lay claim over Sanji... he didn't have ten years ago and he wouldn't have it now but that wouldn't keep him from selfishly wanting the blonde for himself.
Zoro sucked in a deep breath through his clenched teeth.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a small point of red blinking next to him. Automatically, his hand went to press the play button on his answering machine.
"Zoro, it's Koshiro. I have to go to a kendo tournament next week with some of the students... could you teach the junior class for me? I'll be gone on Thursday and Friday... you would really help me out. Bye!"
Zoro smiled. Koshiro-sensei's voice never failed to calm him.
He remembered the day he had come to Koshiro-sensei as if it had been yesterday.
Zoro had only been six years old when his parents had died in a car crash. Having no other relatives, he had been brought to an orphanage at first. Everyone had treated him like some kind of monster... the children because of his strange coloured hair, the adults because Zoro hadn't cried even once after his parent's death. Then Koshiro had come, saying he was a friend of his father, that he had heard what happened and wanted to take him in.
Zoro looked at the man with big eyes. He took in the kind and gentle expression and the numb feeling he had had after the funeral was gone in an instant.
Shocked, Zoro touched his face, as tears spilled over his cheeks. Ignoring the other adults' startled looks, Koshiro pulled him into a warm embrace, pressing Zoro's head against his chest just like his father always used to do. Zoro cried in earnest then, clutching at the man's yukata as he let go of his pent up feelings... let go of sorrow and despair.
The formalities had been quickly taken care of and Zoro had soon been able to go with Koshiro.
Before leaving his home town, they visited his parents' grave. Koshiro-san stayed back as Zoro laid a bunch of flowers in front of the gravestone, silent tears running down his face as he read their names carved into the stone over and over again.
He looked up when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Koshiro-san smiled warmly, his words soft as he spoke. "You don't have to worry about them, Zoro. They were good people... kind and generous. I'm sure they have found their place in heaven and the angels will watch over them... just as they do over you."
"Angels?" Zoro asked, his voice cracking as it was thick with tears.
"Yes. Angels are watching over all of us, Zoro. I'm sure there is one for you out there as well."
"But then... why did they have to die? Why didn't the angels protect them?"
"Bad things like that happen sometimes... and although it seems cruel and unfair to us, there might be a reason for those things to happen, we just can't seem to see."
Zoro looked back at the grave and bit his lip. "I don't want an angel... if they can't even protect my parents, then I don't want one."
Koshiro-san just smiled kindly at him. "One day, you'll understand."
Then they had driven back to Koshiro's home and Zoro still remembered how he had stared at the big, impressive buildings of Water 7.
"I'm going to live here?" Zoro asked, pressing his hands against the glass of Koshiro-san's car.
"If you want to. I won't force you to do anything, Zoro. It's your decision alone."
"You... you said you have a daughter, right? What if she doesn't like me?"
Koshiro-san laughed at that. "Oh, I'm absolutely sure, she will like you. You're just the kind of boy, Kuina will accept."
Puzzled by his choice of words, Zoro looked back at the city. Just what kinda girl was that 'Kuina' person?
Zoro chuckled at the memory. If only he had known...
"Hiyaaa!"
Zoro heard the cry from behind one of the paper doors, a shadow moving rapidly while several others dropped around it.
"Is that all you can do? Aren't you ashamed?" Zoro heard a voice say. He thought it belonged to a young girl but it sounded much tougher than what he was used to.
The paper door slid open and revealed a girl with short, black hair about Zoro's age. She had a wooden katana in one hand and wiped the sweat from her brow with the other. Looking behind her, Zoro saw several figures on the ground. They looked like teenagers.
The girl frowned when she noticed Zoro standing awkwardly in front of her. "Who are you? Did you get lost?"
"I... my name is Zoro. Ko-Koshiro-san said that-"
He jumped as the girl suddenly swang her wooden katana in his direction. He managed to dodge the attack but just barely.
"What the hell are you doing?" he yelled. Then he stiffened with shock when her face was suddenly inches away from his own.
She looked him up and down, her brow furrowed, her eyes scrutinising. Then she went around him, apparently looking at every part of him closely. Zoro felt his face grow hot at the attention.
Then she came to a stop in front of him. Zoro swallowed at her serious expression, then sighed in relief when she nodded and her face broke into a grin. "Your reflexes are great! Not many people can dodge my sword... your physique looks good as well. I'm Kuina, nice to meet you, Zoro!"
She held out her hand, Zoro shook it and just like that, a circle of seemingly endless fights and defeats began.
Zoro smiled. His first meeting with Sanji had happened only a day later. He always claimed he had been in love with him for ten years, but now that he remembered all these things, Zoro thought that maybe... maybe it had been love at first sight.
"Where are we going?" Zoro asked his new sensei as he led the way across the street.
"To an old friend of mine. He owns a restaurant and makes the best food, you'll ever eat," Koshiro-sensei said with his usual kind smile. "He also has a boy your age. I'm sure you'll get along."
Zoro frowned and turned his head to the place they were approaching. The restaurant looked expensive with its big windows and white marble walls. A big sign on top of it read 'The Baratie' .
"Is it really alright to go there? It looks like it's only for rich people..."
"Zeff never lets anyone go hungry, Zoro. Regardless if they have the money or not. Besides..." Koshiro-sensei rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "... he always threatens to kick me, whenever I try to pay for his meals."
Zoro blinked. "He wants to kick you?"
"You'll see," Koshiro-sensei said as they entered the fancy building.
"Honoured gue-" a big man said happily as he approached them, stopping short when he recognised Koshiro-sensei. His following words were much less enthusiastic. "Oh, it's you. The boss is in the kitchen."
"Thank you, Patty-san." Koshiro-sensei put a hand on Zoro's back and manoeuvred him over to a swinging door. He pushed it open and a huge kitchen with several white clad men rushing around was revealed. A tall, blond man was in the middle, barking orders at the other cooks. Then he moved away from the middle counter and Zoro noticed witch a jolt that he had a peg leg.
"Koshiro! I expected you yesterday! Is that the boy?" the chef asked, shaking Koshiro-san's hand before looking at Zoro. "Hm, he looks strong... not like that little eggplant I have to water."
"I heard that, you shitty old geezer!" Zoro heard a voice behind Zeff.
A boy pushed himself past the tall man and Zoro found himself staring.
Golden hair and bright blue eyes glared at the peg legged man. His lips moved and Zoro was sure they said something but he didn't get the words... he was too busy staring at the boy's shining hair.
"Angel..." Zoro whispered and he felt Koshiro-san looking at him but didn't care.
Then the boy's gaze turned to Zoro, his bright blue eyes squinting at him. "Oi, stop staring at me, asshole! You're creeping me out..."
A leg suddenly came crushing down on the blond boy's head and now Zoro knew exactly what Koshiro-sensei had meant before.
"Don't speak like that to the boy, shitty eggplant. Show some manners, idiot!" Zeff said, while Sanji held his head and glared at him with big teardrops in the corners of his eyes.
Zoro closed his eyes.
That moment was the beginning... the beginning of Sanji starting to hate him. Zoro had found it funny how Zeff told Sanji to show manners with such crude words. He had tried not to laugh but ended up failing and Sanji had thought he was laughing at him and not at the irony of Zeff's words. That day, they had competed against the other for the first time as Sanji challenged Zoro to a fight when the adults weren't looking. It had ended in a draw... exactly like all the other matches they had had and that frustrated Sanji. He had always won against every other boy his age and couldn't accept Zoro to be equally strong. Declaring Zoro to be his rival for life, he had kept challenging him to one ridiculous match after the other.
Zoro hadn't really cared about that. It gave him excuses to be around the blonde and that was all he had ever wanted... up until Kuina's death.
He couldn't believe it... couldn't believe the angels had taken another important person to heaven with them. Refusing to leave his bed for days, Zoro had cried in his pillow, remembering all of the fights he had had with Kuina.
He didn't want to see anyone, refusing to eat or drink. All he wanted was to be alone and this pain to go away.
And then Sanji had come.
His door suddenly flew open, ripped out of its hinges by a powerful kick.
"You shitty marimo! Do you think I'll let you go just like that?"
Zoro jumped up and screamed at him, crying out his pain and frustration. Before he knew it, they began to fight, Zoro with his fists, Sanji with his legs.
Then Zoro's vision began to blur, his body too weak from days without food and barely any water. His knees sank to the floor and panting, he expected a kick that would finally defeat him... finally end even the small bond he had with the blonde.
But nothing came and instead of kicking him, Sanji crouched down to look Zoro in the eyes. "I want a fair fight, moss-head. Don't think I'll let you die before I defeat you for real. You're my rival."
Rival... it was what Kuina had always called him. Would Sanji be as devastated as Zoro was right now, if he died?
"I cooked something for you, marimo. It's a damn honour for such an idiot like you... I won't leave until you eat it. Just try to make me and you'll get a kick in your face, shithead."
He left the room to get a plate from just outside the broken door and a heavenly smell hit Zoro's nostrils. Sanji held out the plate to him and Zoro took it, placing it carefully on the floor. Just when Sanji wanted to complain, Zoro reached out and pulled the blonde down to him, arms clinging to the young cook.
Now half laying on the kneeling boy, Sanji rolled his eyes as he patted Zoro's back. "You big softy... you're so embarrassing," he said but didn't push him away and for the first time after Kuina's death, Zoro smiled.
That had been the moment, Zoro had known he was in love.
He might have been too young to really understand, but the feelings had already been there.
Placing a hand over his heart, broken so often over the years, he was nearly surprised to find it beating steadily against his chest. He looked at the glowing digits of his clock radio and realised with mild surprise that it had been two hours since he had come in.
Holding onto his precious memories, Zoro lay his legs up on the couch and sank at once into a restless sleep.
One floor down, a blonde man lay inside his bed, a small smile playing around his lips as he dreamed of a memory... a crying boy and a warm embrace.
Next time: Kaku's confession! What will Zoro do?