I know, I'm late. Blame it on a hectic week and the fact that fights scenes take me forever. I present to you, the part of the story I've been dying to write ever since I started. Hope it was worth the wait.
As for all of you who're still sticking with this fic, you're awesome. Plain and simple! XD Thanks for all the supportive comments! They make my day.
For the second time in his life, Sanji found himself muttering a prayer.
He wasn't even sure if the four short lines looping around in his head came from a prayer but that was the function he had assigned to them ever since he heard them from Zeff's mouth on that small island what now seemed a lifetime ago. Back then, his mentor had used the little rhyme to keep himself sane. Now, as Sanji charged towards the shambling figure in front of him, he was using it to clear his mind and keep the spirit out of his head as much as possible. The effect was quickly ruined by Zoro yelling a battle cry and rushing past him like a sharp green cyclone.
Three swords slashed at the slowly moving shadow knocking it back a couple of steps. The spirit emitted a long guttural croak. Its neck snapped back at an impossible angle and Sanji took that chance to drop to a handstand and slam his leg against the creature's side. A short triumphant laugh escaped his throat as his foot actually connected with something solid.
The wide grin fled from his lips the moment he realized the spirit was still standing.
Aron Fellman's dark form twisted like a marionette controlled by a mad puppeteer. Another kick made it rock on its crooked feet but the creature remained where it stood, its pale empty eyes boring holes through his head. Dumbfounded and enraged Sanji retreated cursing every priest that drew the paper seals that rustled on his clothes. Being able to finally touch the spirit was absolutely useless if all he was going to do is absorb his attacks.
His eyes settled on three deep gashes on the creature's chest left by Zoro's katana. One of them could probably have lopped off its head had it been aimed a little higher. Grey smoke was slowly seeping from the wounds but the damage didn't seem to affect the spirit's speed as it slid towards him with deafening shriek. He swerved to the left, avoiding the arm reaching towards his neck and flung another kick at the spirit taking care that the paper seals came in contact with the cold dry flesh. The shadow hissed at him and tried to close its long bony fingers around his foot. As Sanji side-stepped, a familiar cold wave shot up his leg and quickly spread over the entire left side of his body numbing it to the core. A painful pang in his chest almost made him stumble when he kicked himself free and quickly stepped back to give himself more space for his follow-up kick. Aron Fellman's dead eyes gave him one last empty glance before his lips parted in a psychotic smile and he lunged towards Zoro.
"Not this shit again!"
Sanji felt anger well up inside him as his mind flashed back to the events of two nights ago. He regained his balance and rushed to the swordsman's side who didn't even acknowledge his presence as his swords ripped the monster's flesh. It flew back like a broken doll, croaking and screeching at the touch of the blessed blades. Sanji's fourth kick didn't connect with the spirit but made him come to a sudden halt and change direction. A rough white marble column stopped the retreating shadow as he backed against it like a cornered animal.
He saw Zoro wince and rub his right arm on which the first signs of frostbite were beginning to show. When he finally noticed Sanji, his lips turned up into a slight smirk.
"I told you this was a stupid idea, love cook. Regret your decision yet?"
Sanji shook his head as he pulled the silver chain off his neck. The metal felt slightly warm and a slight tingling sensation crept up his fingers as he held it up. The small wooden tags clattered against one another like a dozen hushed voices.
"I regret nothing, moss-head." He clasped the chain in his fist and thrust it in front of the spirit which was still backed against the column, its gaunt pale face contorted in a mask of rage and desperation. "You know these faces, right? They've been waiting a very long time to meet you again. Come and say hi, asshole!"
The effect was immediate though completely opposite to what he had expected. The spirit squeezed out something between a moan and a croak and stumbled towards Sanji reaching for the portraits with a sinewy arm. The cracked lips moved again and this time the words sounded not like a whisper but more like a strangled cry.
"Give me… give… me."
The spirit's withered fingers were about to close around the silver chain as Sanji snapped out of his stupor, snatched it back and slid it over his neck. He stepped away from the stone pillar, watching the spirit's every move torn between confusion, anger and simple dejection. In his mind, Miriam's relic had been the key to their salvation and he had almost envisioned Aron Fellman screaming in anguish and crumbling into nothing at the mere sight of it. That was how it was supposed to go, that's how it always went in every ghost story ever. He felt cheated out of his happy ending but the feeling quickly vanished as he saw the shadow shift and change.
The spirit's jaw dropped and distended revealing two rows of sharp yellow teeth. His face twitched, its features rearranging themselves to become angular and almost canine. The faded blue eyes acquired a red glow and its body rose a couple of centimeters higher. The twisted fingers seemed to grow a fourth phalange as they crooked into claws and the broken nails became long and sharp.
Sanji felt his shoulders slump as the seals on his clothing flapped like under some invisible gale.
"You… gotta be fucking kidding me."
The monster let out a croak that reverberated in the cavern and sent a chill up his spine. Sanji was still rooted to the spot, staring at the newly morphed creature in front of him like it was some bad dream when it sprang from its position and slashed at his face. Pure instinct made him swerve just in the nick of time to avoid the monster's nails ripping out his eyeballs but not for them to leave three deep scratches on his cheek. He let out a hiss of pain and quickly changed direction to confuse the newly transformed spirit only to discover that he had stopped paying attention to him and had already turned his red, murderous gaze towards the swordsman.
Zoro brandished his swords and faced off the hulking beast running towards him at top speed. His grey eyes caught Sanji's astonished expression and shot him a look of total resignation. .
"Do you regret your decision now?"
Any answer Sanji might have given would have been drowned in a deafening roar when the spirit struck back a long skeletal arm and clawed at Zoro. Three swords crossed one in front of another and clashed against the monster but the sheer impact of the blow made the swordsman stumble a bit and lose his footing. Sanji swore and shot forward feeling the muscles in his left leg finally loosening up.
The air around him buzzed and crackled as he picked up a stone from the floor and hurled it at the spirit only for the rock to bounce off him like a rubber ball. Zoro, still pinned, suddenly swayed to the side, broke the claw's lock and released his blades in a deadly whirlwind. The creature groaned in pain but did not retreat. Its howl turned into a high pitched wail as it turned its head and charged in Sanji's direction. The maw's razor-sharp teeth closed two centimeters away from his shoulder as he ducked under its arm and dove behind a column.
"What the hell was that about?!" Zoro's voice sounded a bit out of breath as he avoided another attack and positioned himself next to him. His eyes locked on the wooden tags clattering around Sanji's neck. "Were you trying to sound heroic or something?"
Sanji felt his face flare up in what he chose to call anger. Another screech from the spirit made him dash to the right as a clawed arm swiped at his neck again.
"Shut up, you are the one who decided to come here without a plan! I'm improvising, okay?"
Zoro just smirked. Kitetsu sank into the spirit's lower torso releasing a few strands of grey smoke.
"Improvise better, shitty cook, or get out of my way."
Sanji rolled his eyes. He wasn't sure which one of them was stupider, Zoro for getting into a pointless argument right in the middle of a battle of himself for actually following through with it. He was about to shoot back an angry remark of his own when the scream hit him.
This time it came accompanied by a wave of pain that made his head reel and his vision blur. In a brief moment of lucidity he managed to catch a glimpse of Zoro clutching at his temples before the world erupted into light and heat. A faraway sound of crashing waves crept into his ears and a second later, he could taste seawater at the back of his throat and sand between his teeth. Panicked, wild hunger assaulted him as he found himself thrashing on a rocky surface, dry heaving in a futile attempt to draw his last breath.
Not again. Shit, not again! Anything but this!
A voice at the back of his mind screamed at him to pull himself together. He felt his lips moving on their own accord, frantically repeating Zeff's short verse as if his life depended on it. As the words rang though his head slowly kicking his thoughts back into gear he finally noticed that the island around him seemed different from the one that haunted his dreams.
Not his sun. Not his endless blue sky.
Not his memories either.
The blurry island swirled and melted into darkness as he furiously blinked the vision back. Through the fog that clouded his eyes he saw the spirit rushing towards him only to be violently thrown to the side when Zoro crashed into him. More grey smoke poured away from the creature as its howl intensified. The swordsman managed one last desperate attack before his knees wobbled and he collapsed, holding his head like it was about to crack in half. Still feeling the world spinning around him Sanji ran towards him and dragged him away from the monster's claws about to dig into his unprotected back.
Zoro groaned and swore as his head hit the stone pillar. A thin trail of blood slowly found its way from the left corner of his mouth. His eyes, however, still regarded Sanji with a mocking expression.
"What…do you think you're doing, idiot cook? Do you have a death wish or something?"
Sanji didn't even bother to acknowledge his insult. His eyes were locked on the monster as it staggered around the cavern looking for their hiding place.
"It caught me by surprise, won't happen again." He shook his head desperately trying to make the splitting pain go away. "You better be careful, he can get into your mind."
Zoro let out a sound halfway between a chuckle and a painful cough. A couple of blood specks landed on his shirt.
"Your mind, maybe. I've trained mine to be an impenetrable fortress. There's no way I'll let him through."
"He doesn't exactly ask for permission, muscle-head!" Sanji almost forgot to keep his voice down as he kept his eyes locked on the wandering spirit. "I'm serious! He's using his memories as a weapon! Either that or…"
The spirit's hellish screech embedded itself in his brain again and this time he was unable to repress a scream. The cavern swam in front of his eyes as a string of images and sensations flashed though his mind. A shaking hand jamming rotting green moss into a mouth covered in sores, a bleeding figure desperately seeking refuge from the unforgiving sun and finding none, thirst strong enough to gulp down seawater. Sanji gritted his teeth, trying in vain to concentrate on the short verse but even the first lines seemed to be escaping his memory. In the blinding succession of images flooding his eyes, he heard the spirit's voice again.
"My island…my people… give me… give me…"
The mantra dissolved into a croak as a clash of metal and bone brought him back to reality. Zoro had abandoned his position behind the stone pillar and was now standing between him and the monster, his legs shaking slightly. The green hair on the right side of his head was thick with blood flowing out of his ear and when the spirit screamed again, Wadou slipped from the swordsman's mouth and clattered to the ground. The dark shadow loomed over him, its maw about to close around Zoro's neck only to find itself in the way of Kitetsu. Yubashiri slashed at the creature's legs making it rock unsteadily right before the two swords ripped into the dead flesh again. The attack threw the spirit to the opposite side of the cavern in a cloud of smoke.
Zoro turned around panting heavily. His pale face bore a triumphant smile but the grey eyes gave him a concerned look.
"You're not keeping up, dartbrow. I may have to just finish this thing myself if I have to wait for you to get your act together."
Sanji gave him a weak smile.
"Keep dreaming, seaweed-head. This guy has officially pissed me off."
He straightened up, feeling the cavern around him careen out of control. A red cloud was spreading further and further along his line of sight giving everything a slightly crimson shade. He quickly wiped his eyes and saw a few drops of blood on his cuffs. A wave of anger and frustration overcame him as he rushed towards the spirit that was slowly creeping towards them changing directions every once in a while, red eyes still fixed on Zoro's blades.
"Hey you!" He met the creature's burning gaze and felt the air around him crackle again. "I know you can hear me! You've been tormenting these people for over thirty years and guess what, asshole! There's nothing for you here! Hell, even if you turn this whole village to stone, nothing will change! You'll still be dead!"
The spirit hissed at him but stopped his advance. For a second, Sanji could read hesitation in his movements and almost allowed himself to hope again. Zoro's mouth dropped open as he gave him an incredulous look.
"You can't be serious! You already tried to pull this shit last night! Don't you ever learn?"
Sanji didn't answer. He took another step towards the dark shadow as he felt warmth flow from silver chain on his neck again. The paper seals on his clothing fluttered ominously.
"Shut up, moss-head, I know he can talk, I've heard him!" He stared into the monster's eyes again to find them no longer red but a faded blue. "You could have turned me back there but you left me alive. Well, I'm here now! Talk to m… AARGH!"
Sudden and merciless pain exploded in the left side of his head making the world swirl into darkness. He could feel blood pooling in the back of his throat as his knees hit the floor and a numb sensation spread over his limbs. A flash of light and heat blinded him momentarily and visions of death and decay inundated his mind again. The voice of the spirit filled his ears but Sanji could no longer decipher the words in that meaningless cacophony. He felt Zoro's fingers tighten around his arm in an iron grip and drag him somewhere away from the spirit. As the cavern slowly came into focus he could feel a familiar sensation of rage rising in his chest.
"SHIT!" He shot up and immediately regretted it as a stab of agony made him sway where he stood. "I've had enough of your bullshit visions! Talk like a normal person, goddamnit! What the hell do you want!?"
Zoro looked at him with a grim expression as he got to his feet unsteadily.
"Give it up, love cook, it's hopeless. The last thing on his mind is talking to us."
Sanji felt the world dropping away from him. For a second he didn't even dare to breathe as he looked at the swordsman like he had just revealed the meaning of life to him. Zoro must have noticed that himself since he suddenly dropped his fighting stance and glared at him in puzzlement and concern.
"Oi, cook... are you all right?"
Sanji ignored the question feeling the tired cogs in his mind slowly beginning to spin again. When he answered, his voice felt small and distant even to himself.
"What… did you just say…?
Zoro just continued to stare at him dumbfounded. His lips moved as if he was about to repeat his last statement but Sanji wasn't listening to him anymore. A mad grin appeared on his lips as he moved away from the column supporting his weight. A new unexpected source of strength coursed through his veins melting away the pain.
The last thing on his mind…
It couldn't be that simple. It simply couldn't. It defied all logic.
But even so, he could never forgive himself if he didn't try.
He looked at the entrance of the cavern quickly calculating the distance between the cave and the Going Merry's docking place.
"How long can you hold him off?"
Zoro gave him a look of utter bewilderment. His eyes opened so wide that they looked ready to pop out of their sockets.
"WHAT?! Are you fucking serious? You gave me all that attitude for leaving you behind just to ditch me now?"
Sanji let out a frustrated grunt.
"Goddamnit, Zoro, how long?!"
"Fifteen minutes. Maybe more…" His voice trailed off as Sanji rotated his ankles on the ground and pulled the silver chain off. "Wait, cook! What the hell are you doing?
Sanji shrugged him off and slid Miriam's relic around the swordsman's neck.
"I'll be back in ten minutes. Will you manage not to die until then?"
Zoro's eyes opened even wider as the wooden tags came to rest against his chest, clattering softly. For a second he seemed struck completely speechless until he scoffed and looked away.
"I've held my own until now, haven't I?" The swordsman's face twisted into a smile as another scream of the spirit pierced the air. "You better not leave me hanging, curly brow. If I die, I'll haunt you for the rest of your life. And I promise you, my ghost will be a much bigger pain in the ass than this guy."
He stepped away from the pillar, picked up Wadou and turned to face Aron Fellman.
"Hey you! Come and get me!"
Sanji felt his heart drop to his feet. He involuntarily took a step towards Zoro as his companion waved his arms in the air attracting the creature's attention.
"Are you nuts?! What are you doing?"
Zoro shot him an annoyed look.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm covering your sorry ass! Run!"
On the other side of the cavern the spirit screeched menacingly and launched itself at the swordsman. With a sinking feeling, Sanji cursed every god he could remember and ran towards the dark tunnel.
Ah, Sanji-kun! There's something immensely cathartic about making you bleed. XDDD I wonder how many of you have already guessed where this is going.
Don't forget to review!