Ch. 6

He tried his best not to freak out, but it was more difficult than it sounded. Okay, no big deal; an expensive Lust Potion just dissapeare from its hiding place, and the only ones who could've taken it were men.

Okay, big deal.

Well, maybe it had just moved around everytime he'd opened the drawer. Pulling out a few towels, he looked around inside. When the vial didn't show, he pulled out some more, and then more until the drawer was empty. Completly.

He took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down and think. Had he moved it to a new location? As soon as the thought entered his mind, he banished it again. How could he have moved if he hadn't thought about it in days, and why? It was safe in the towel drawer, away from snooping eyes and seeking hands.

Or so he'd thought.

He took another deep breath, then another. Who would've taken it? Whoever it was, he had to confront them at once! But what to say?He couldn't tell the truth. The last thing he wanted to do was give his nakama a reason to look at him like her was a huge pervert. Though, if he told them about the old bat pratically forcing him to buy it, they might believe him. But he didn't want to chance it.

Brushing his pants legs off as he rose, he feinged calm-even though his insides were twisted, his heart jack hammered against his ribs, and his brain was flooded with uneeded thoughts. What if the culprit lied about taking it? What if they sniffed it? What if it was one of the guys? He wasn't worried about any rape attempts from his captain or their sniper; he was pretty sure he could hold off Luffy, and positive he could kick the horny out of Usopp, but what about Zoro? The swordsman was stronger than him, more assertive and more agressive. He would definatly be able to overpower Sanji, regardless of whether or not Sanji fought back.

He shook such thoughts from his head, scolding himself. There was no way Zoro would overpower him, because he would never have the chance. Sanji would get that vial back and then he'd disspose of it, toss it overboard, throw it in a fire, anything. He was getting tired of the stress.

He left the kitchen and came upon his nakama dueling with mops, using them as swords. Zoro was, naturally, getting the better of Usopp, while Nami and Luffy were at a draw, staring at each other, either sizing each other up or having a conversation with their eyes. Sanji bet his money on the latter; Luffy didn't know how to judge an enemy's supiriority.

He smiled, wishing he could just forget about the lust potion and have fun with his crewmates...but, no! The lust potion came first, then games! His life-okay, his ino\nocence- depended on it.

"Hey! Sanji!" Luffy exclaimed hqappily as the ex-sou chef drew closer. He left his fight to run at his cook, waving his make shift sowrd wildly. "Sanji! Sanji! Fight me! Fight me! Then you can fight Zoro!"

Sanji looked down at his hyperactive captain's beaming face, wondering how the rubberman would react in this very same situation. He'd probably deal better than Sanji had been.

"Not now Luffy," he told the little raven-haired idiot. Then, adressing the whole crew, he said, "Hey guys, I'm missing something important, Its a little bottle, about this big-" he held up his index finger and thumb apart so the gap was long as the bottle was. "It was in my towel drawer- did any of you take it?"

"What was it?" Nami questioned, lowering her mop. By the genuine interest in her voice, Sanji could tell she hadn't taken it. So only three suspects left.

"A type of fruit concentrate," he lied. Well, it was made with the juice of a fruit, right? So maybe he wasn't lying. "The liquid's pretty thick and shiney, and its a really pale pink color."

"I haven't seen anything like that," the girl said.

"Me either," said Usopp.

Luffy shook his head. "Nope."

Everyone turned to the swordsman.

"Zoro?" Sanji questioned somewhat accusingly, raising his one visible eyebrow. How had he known Zoro had taken it?

"Tch." Zoro turned his head away. "What would I do with fruit concentrate?"

"That's not the point. Did you take it?"

"Of course not."

Sanji glared at him. If the bond between them was still intact, Zoro would feel obligated to tell the truth. Maybe he should conjour up some tears. Those seemed to work well against the marimo's stone heart. But Zoro didn't respond to the glare, and Sanji gave up trying to make him confess.

"Whatever," he sighed, the adressed the whole crew again. "Just watch out for it, kay? And if you find it, don't open it. I want it completly fresh for the birthday cake I'm making Nami next year!"

Zoro and Usopp gave him their usual "you're fucking obsessed" expressions, while Nami thanked him in her usual way. Luffy, however, huffed out an angry sounding breath.

"Don't worry, Sanji!" Usopp suddenly exclaimed, making those closet to him jump. "The great captain Usopp won't let you down! I can find anything and everything once I put my mind to it! In fact, once when I was only four years old, an elderly woman's pet cat went missing for several days! No one could find him, but I never gave up. The cat had actually been taken hostage by a terrible monster!"

Sanji (along with everyone else) tuned out once the story became an outright lie, then left his nakama for deal with the liar.

~~~ZsZsZsZs~~~

Fruit concentrate, huh? What utter bullshit. Zoro didn't know alot, but he knew for damn sure that weird stuff he'd taken from Sanji had not been "fruit concentrate." He was certain it was something much more sinister.

He didn't dare open it and check now. If Sanji found it opened and in his possesion, there's no question about what would come next- an ass whooping. And he had no desire to go up against a master of the Red Leg. He'd seen Sanji fight before, and there was no doubt his swords would be ineffective against the chef's shins of steel.

For now he contented himself with just studying the odd liquid while he was alone. Usopp was still hunting for the very bottle he held in his hand, Sanji was cooking Nami dinner, and Luffy was in said navigator's cabin, obviously getting laid. He was all alone, just himself, his thougts, and the strange vial. He had always been alright with being alone-he'd always been alone. He'd never known his parents, his dojo mates had feared his strength, the one person he'd gotten close to had died, and before the met up close to the Baratie, he hadn't heard a word from Jonny or Yosuku for years. But now, as he hid the vial in his pocket again and settled down for his aftersoon nap, he couldn't help but feel...lonely.

~~~LnLnLnLn~~~

Nami jumped a little at the sudden knocking on her cabin door, but relaxed when she smelled various spices and roasted meat. Sanji had said something about cooking her dinner, but since she'd also wasted food with everyone else, she hadn't taken him seriously. Putting a bookmark between the pages of her novel, she stood, straightening out her blouse.

"Hey, Sanji," she greeted, opening the door for the cook, but jumping again as she registered another man entierly. "Luffy! What are you doing here?"

The rubberman presented the tray he held. "I convinced Sanji to let me bring you your dinner," he said. His voice held a wounded sort of tone, though it would have been undetectible if Nami had not trained herself to notice every change in her captain/boyfriend and know what each change meant.

"Oh. Thank you," Nami said, taking the tray. Sanji had made her a small square of venison on a light green puree, with a thick burgendy sauce and chopped vegitables on the side. Then for dessert he'd given her a frozen yogurt topped with whipped creamed and sliced strawberries. He'd included a bottle of wine, two glasses and two sets of silverware. He'd either added these when he'd given the tray to Luffy, or had expected to share the meal with her himself. She turned back to her boyfriend. "C'mon in," she told him, then closed the door with her hip once he was inside.

As soon as she set the tray down, Luffy grabbed her arm, pulling her into a hard, posessive kiss. She was surpised for the shortest moment by his actions, but then felt the familiar heat build in her stomach and melted into Luffy's embrace, moaning as his fingers ran down her sides and traced her hips. Her own hands rubbed against his upper chest, exploring the already familiar teritory through the thin fabric of his vest.

They kissed until Luffy broke conntact, apparently out of breath.

"What was that for?" Nami gasped. Her lips were throbbing from the intensity of the kiss.

"Just felt like it," he murmured against her mouth, his hands directing her closer.

The naviator smiled, pressing her forehead to his as her hands combed into his hair. "I love it when you're spontanious," she sighed.

"I love you," the captain replied. Her smile grew and she snuggled into his chest, loving how warm he was, how safe she felt wrapped in his arms, how his heart beat against her cheek, pulsig a few seonds before her own...loving him.

"Ditto," Nami purred.

~~~ZsZsZsZs~~~

Well, now he knew for certain...

Luffy loved Nami.

And her was happy for them. He knew Luffy would never hurt the navigator. He was one of those loyal, honerable men who would rather die than hurt a friend. Content with this, Sanji had let the rubberman take Nami her dinner. Knowing they were a couple, he also sent some wine and extra silverware, hoping they'd take the hint and have a romantic meal together.

He let a cloud of smoke out in a long, sad sigh. He wished he could find someone to love. And not the love he had for woman in general, but that passionate love that his friends had found, to hold that person and kiss them, murmur sweet nothings in their ear. Or to be held, hear those pleasing mutterings, wrapped safe and secure in strong arms.

Zoro popped into his mind.

What, he wondered, would the swordsman think of him if he knew Sanji kept picturing them together, sometimes on accident, mostly on purpose? What would he say to him? How would he look at him?

And why was Sanji still so obsessed with him?

He honestly didn't know.

He finsihed with his cigarette, pushing the ashen end into the glass ash tray. If he told the absolute truth, he didn't know what he was doing anymore. He'd changed so much since Zoro had almost died. He wouldn't have gotten so emotional unless it was it was someone really close. And Zoro hadn't been close at all. But, Zoro was probably one of those kind of people now. Some bond had formed ever since they'd talked about Sanji's made up dreams. A bond that Sanji knew would be hard to break.

He ran a hand through his hair, standing up. He couldn't believe he'd just admitted Zoro was important to him. True, the sowrdsman's smiles were his weakness...his pulse seemed to rise everytime one was aimed in his direction. Zoro looked so handsome when he really smiled. Sanji wanted to always see him smile. But the question was, why? He'd seen thousands of people smile, men and women alike...but Zoro's were the only smiles he wanted to protect. Kick the person who took them away's teeth in. Just why was that?

He couldn't even answer his own question.

He decied what he needed was a good night's sleep. Come morning, he'd either forget about what he'd thought about, or he'd have his answers.

Usopp and Luffy were still gone when he entered the men's cabin, but Zoro remained. Figures. The marimo seemed to be asleep, his back against the wall and his arms behind his head. Sanji rolled his eyes; Zoro was so carefree. It was a cold night. It would be a shame if he got sick. Thinking this, he went to Zoro's hammock at the far end of the room, snatched up the blanket that lat crumpled on top, and took it back to where Zoro slept.

He knealt beside the swordsman, studying him in the moonlight as he spread the blanket over him. It amazed him that no matter how many times he'd seen Zoro's face before, the more he looked nowadays, the more he found. Zoro's eyes were closed softly, his brows relaxed with his escape of the waking world, his lips open slightly as he took in breath. His lips... They looked quite soft, much softer than Sanji would've expected. Kissable, too. In fact, they looked so kissable, he found he'd subconsiously leaned foward towards them, his own lips puckered slightly, and didn't realize he had until a large bang broke his trance.

He jumped away from the swordsman as he stirred, trying to look as innocent as possible as he stood. Zoro's eyes fluttered open and he sat up, looking around dazedly and jumping when he saw Sanji. "What's with all the noise?" he demanded, then threw the blanket off and stoof up.

"Wasn't me, dumbass," the chef retorted, annoyed at the instant accusation-and the sudden interuption. Then they both looked towards the door. "Enemy pirates?"

"Could be."

"We should be out there."

"Probably." Zoro grabbed his swords and followed Sanji to the door. Once outside, they stood back to back, looking for any signs of trouble and readying themselves for a fight. What they weren't prepared for was a frantic Usopp running towards them, looking embarassed and a little scared.

"Hey!" Sanji called out to him as he neared, and the snipper slowed to a stop. "What happened?"

Usopp blinked twice, then pointed off in a random direction. "L-Luffy," he stuttered. His cheeks flushed an angry scarlet color.

"Ugh, what did he break this time?" Sanji questioned, hoping it wasn't anything in his kitchen.

"Ummm..." Usopp squirmed, then looked down at his feet. "Nami's, uh, bed."

"He what?" the cook cried out, shocked.

"Doing what?" Zoro ordered/

Sanji slapped a hand over Zoro's mouth as Usopp opened his, shooting the swordsman a look. "Nevermind, we don't want to know!"

~~~ZsZsZsZs~~~

Two days came and went and no one had seen the vial. On the third day, the search for it decreased in importance as the crew found more entertaining things to occupy their time. For example, Nami had told them they were a few days away from a treasure island and everyone was preparing to port there. Though his entire life rested with the whereabouts of the potion, even Sanji was caught up in the excitment, thinking about what kind of fruit the island would have and planning out what to do with them. He'd have to get some baskets to carry them in, and of course he wouldn't be collecting fruit alone; he'd sucker the crew into helping him. Or, more presicly, he'd sucker one moss-headed swordsman into helping. Not only could he maybe get in some close, personal time with Zoro, but he could also hit Zoro up for a confession. Sanji knew he'd taken his potion, but he didn't want to get into a fight about it. Being aqlone in the jungle would give Sanji an edge. It was totally private, and he could work his charms on Zoro. Both kinds.

Looking for the missing vial became second fiddle with packing for the island to do-and Zoro saw this. Not only with Sanji, but with everyone. All he needed was his swords. Of course, Sanji and Luffy only needed their arms and legs, but one was helping his girlfriend pack whislt the other rustled up a few baskets to take. And since Usopp was making some more ammunition for his sling-shot and had to stay outside so he didn't blow the cabin roof off, Zoro was all alone in the men's cabin...just him and the "fruit concentrate."

As he'd noticed earlier, the commotion this little vial had had caused had now passed.

It felt safe to notice it now that Sanji wasn't up in his face about it. He'd been looking around for it alot;in everyone's dirty clothes and drawers and closets, every inch of the ship...Of course, since Zoro kept the vial in his pants and hardly took said pants off, there was no way Sanji could've searched them. He was safe.

He took out the vial, holding it up to the light so a pink beam framed his eyes. What if this stuff really was fruit concentrate? He'd be spoiling the juice, recking Nami's birthday, destroying Sanji's cake dreams. Could he bear the guilt?

Too late. He'd already made up his mind.

Staring at the vial as he would an enemy he would soon conquer, he twisted the cork, broke the sealing wax, and opened the bottle.