You can shut them out for only so long, the juice is running low on the MP3 player.'
A voice softly speaking in the back of Sano's mind.
He sighs in response, his mind going back the brooding he'd been doing for some time now.
His thoughts were so jumbled, trying to process hundreds of different things in a single moment was making it worse.
'Am I really alive?' his brain asking for the umpteenth time.
'Pain is real...the longing is real...the emotions are real.'
'But does that make me alive?'
It was a new question he hadn't thought of before, 'When did I suddenly become so philosophical?'
Sano's silent question/answer dripping with sarcasm.
'All I know is that I'm still alive after what's happened...alive in the generic sense I guess.'
His body still sore from the wounds he'd received nearly three weeks prior.
Sano was not only wrestling with wondering if this world was real but there was a battle inside himself over a certain raven haired goddess.
Robin peeking through porthole on the heavy door leading to the main deck, 'Good, he hasn't moved at all since earlier.'
Looking down at herself she feels excitement tingling over her body.
'If this doesn't get the ball rolling, I'm going to have to plant my foot in that man's ass.'
With a deep breath she nods her head, 'No turning back.'
Pushing open the door Robin's greeted by a comforting wave of heat, goosebumps forming on her arms from anticipation. Her eyes locked onto the unsuspecting man, her slow gait causing a sudden thought to flair up.
'Like a cat on the prowl.' Robin confidently smiles, catching reactions from the other crew members on deck, she could feel all eyes focus on her, even the insanely stubborn swordsman had forgotten about his weights and nearly dropped them on his foot.
Nami couldn't believe what she was seeing, snatching off the sunglasses and almost falling over the railing her mouth agape.
'Now that is what you call blunt.' Mouthing a silent 'Thank you' to any listening higher being that Sanji wasn't around to throw a monkey wrench into Robin's plan.
But she grinned, 'You get'em girlie.'
Sano could feel slight vibrations through the ground, quickly recognizing the soft purposeful gait of the goddess that constantly tugged at his heart strings. A puff of a breeze flowing over his body confirming his guess. It was so alluring, intoxicating, cherry blossoms with a hint of warm honey. He couldn't resist slowly inhaling her scent, just that alone made his heart beat faster.
The vibrations had stopped, a shadow covering him, sliding up the sunglasses his jaw drops at the sight above him.
The goddess hovering over him, slightly bent at the waist, a baby blue bikini top that barely contained her spilling cleavage, the bottom looking as if it had been made with whatever material was left. Sano's eyes gazing up the creamy flesh of her legs that seemed to stretch forever, his eyes stopping at the flimsy cords at her shapely waist. Oh if he were to just ever so slightly tug at one of the strings...he shakes the thought out.
He meets her azure eyes, noting the mischievous enjoyment sparkling in the depths.
'Oh damn, that woman is gonna be the death of me.'
Robin smiles sliding a hand up to push her raven locks behind an ear, "Mind if I join you?"
Her smooth voice and the ever so slight bounce her bosom from the moving of her hair causing a small jolt run up and down Sano's spine. He could feel his heart hammering away like he ran a 20K marathon in a full sprint.
"O-of course." Barely able to respond, and reminding himself to keep his jaw shut.
She lowered herself down on the soft grass, her legs tucked underneath causing her to naturally lean towards the man.
Sano props himself up with his arms, air catching in his throat at how the blue of the bikini accented her eyes.
'Dear god, this ensemble was purposely chosen.'
"A penny for your thoughts?" Robin tilts her head to observe the man next to her, attempting to ignore the scent he carried.
She watched his expression darken, a frown curving her lips.
"You've been brooding for some time, it's...disheartening."
He pulls up a leg, placing an arm on his knee, Sano lays his chin on his arm.
"Where to start." his voice gruff.
"Anywhere, as long as you say something Sano."
Robin calling him by name wasn't lost on him, he looks over to the woman who affectionately smiles back.
Tearing his eyes away from her azure orbs Sano swallows, using every ounce of his will power to ignore the creamy flesh exposed next to him.
"Have you ever thought about something being, 'real'?"
Robin looking back slightly confused.
Sano sighs, "Well...the wind, let's use that as the example. We feel it, we hear it, we can sometimes taste it, and we can see the effects of wind, but at the same time we can't see it without some form of cause and effect."
Robin nods her head.
"We know it's real though because our senses tell us right?"
"Correct."
"Our senses are nothing more than impulses to the brain, synaptic firings if I remember my biology correctly."
"Yes I believe so."
Sano's fingertips brush against the tips of the grass, "We also know something is real because we are taught so, and also due to the cognitive ability of the human brain, if not taught we learn."
"But does that mean something is actually 'real'?"
Robin frowns unsure of how to answer his question.
"Ah, maybe it's just one of those philosophical loopholes like 'What is life?' or 'Is there something after death?'"
"You're probably right about the loophole thing, and there's likely no true answer to your question...But there has to be something else that made you question reality correct?"
'Damn she's good.'
Robin had read through the philosophical mumbo jumbo and hit the truth of the matter right on the head.
"Maybe...yeah, you're right." Sano choosing to be honest instead of cryptic.
"My world is so different from yours. Your world would be considered a fantasy to us, the devil fruit powers science fiction, the creatures of this world imaginative. Me talking to a gorgeous woman like this would also fall under fantasy."
Robin blushes slightly at the slight compliment.
"Well the last one is more of a personal issue, but it is still part of my reality, I don't even get near beautiful women."
Robin huffs, "And that's probably cause those women are blind or too damn infatuated with themselves to give a damn about a hidden gem like you. But that's their lose."
"Thanks." Sano softly mumbles, a slight tinge of red on his face.
"Then let me ask this."
Sano effectively cut off by a loud bang and a croon, "Nami-swan! Robin-chwan!"
"Fuck, he has the worst possible timing." he mutters.
Robin couldn't agree more but kept the thought to herself.
Sanji had barely turned around tray in hand when he dropped it. Mouth dropping wide enough Sano swore he could fit Chopper inside with room to spare.
"My Robin-chwan!!" Sanji oozing with affection.
Robin looks over at Sano, back into his earlier position. Sunglasses covering his eyes, ears plugged up again, the music device cranked up loud enough that even she could hear.
She grits her teeth in frustration 'Dammit I'm losing him.'
Robin looks past Sanji to see even Nami seething in anger.
"Oh my sweet goddess-" Sanji had barely gotten out the words or made his way over before Nami had practically jumped off the raised deck onto him.
"Oops, sorry Sanji, I tripped."
"Oh my dear Nami-swan." He picks himself off the ground holding out a hand.
Nami stumbles as she's helped up, "Are you okay my angel?" Sanji stabilizing her.
"I may have twisted my ankle." Nami's face scrunched up.
"Allow me to assist you my princess, I shall take away your pain." Sanji picks up the young woman as if to cross the threshold. He takes another look at Robin, obviously torn he wasn't able to get closer in her skimpy bikini.
Nami flashes a thumbs up to Robin as they disappear into the interior.
'I really owe her for that one.' Robin couldn't help grin.
Robin taps the man's shoulder, two extra sets of hands slide up the sunglasses and pull out the ear buds before disappearing in a cloud of cherry blossom petals.
"Thanks." Sano flashes a crooked smile at the woman.
"Now what were you going to ask before that fawning idiot interrupted us?"
Sano's brow furrows for a moment, "Oh yeah."
Sitting back up, "How much do you know about comas?"
"Well, the person is still alive for the most part, some wake up in short order while others may never wake up again."
Sano nods, "Medical technology is more advanced where I'm from. We have machines that can monitor and scan the human body. Some instruments are able to monitor brain waves."
Robin strokes her chin, "Fascinating."
"I'm not sure who had the idea, but some time in medical history someone decided to hook up a comatose patient to one of these machines."
"Mmm-hmm."
"Well the docs discovered that the patients still had brain activity, of course that'd make sense, after all part of your brain functions at an automatic level."
"Makes logical sense."
"Have you ever wondered what might be happening in the mind of that comatose person?"
Robin tilts her head, "Now that is an interesting thought."
"Do they dream? Or is it a dreamless state? If they dream can it be as vivid as if it were real? Can it be a nightmare?"
Sano's question of reality was making perfect sense now, Robin could feel her heart sink.
"You...think this might be some vivid comatose reality?"
"This is a completely different world, much like a Japanese anime or manga, and I've watched and read my fair share as a child." Sano's expression going dark again.
"If our senses are just synaptic firings, then it can be confused or possibly even manipulated. How do we know something is real? When we dream it can feel so real, but at the same time we accept it's just a dream."
"Memories themselves may degrade over time or an event is simply not be remembered. But that certainly doesn't mean our body or subconscious doesn't remember a feeling or a particular sensation.
I've never been cut by a sword before," Sano traces a finger across an angry pink line on his side, "But I have been cut by a knife." He points to the scar bisecting his left eye.
"I've been shot, I've also been hit by shrapnel. Hell, sprain an ankle or break a bone. Been there done that."
"Pain is still pain regardless of what the cause is, physical or mental." Sano sighs. "In a dream it's certainly possible to feel sensations you really aren't feeling. I've had a few of those before myself."
Robin understood his plight, and it tore at her that she couldn't disprove him.
"So that's what's been bothering you." She could feel a lump forming in her throat.
"Yeah..." he runs his hand through his hair, "How do I know if anything is real? What if the moment I accept that this is reality I suddenly wake up, or maybe if I die here I wake up in my world. Or even, what if my world is false and this is reality?"
Robin fights tears threatening to spill, especially when there was no clear cut answer. Especially at his comment about dieing, her theory hadn't been too far off the mark.
She scoots closer, leaning her head against his, shoulder to shoulder.
"I wish I could give you an answer." Her voice husky.
Sano sighs, "Thanks, but I guess there really isn't an answer huh?"
"I for once really don't know."
They sit in silence, Sano enjoying the smooth texture of Robin's skin against his, and her scent gently calming his nerves.
"There are a few things that add to this confusion...or rather, might show some proof I'm not dreaming." Sano softly says.
"Oh?" Robin feeling dread lifting off her.
"The biggest is right here." Sano holds up his MP3 player.
"I love music, but there's simply no way I could ever remember so many songs word for word or in most of the music I listen to note by note. And with as many songs stored on this device there's no way my subconscious could replicate such a thing. Not to mention I've been playing my music in a combination of random sequence, picking out specific ones, and just playing through them one by one."
"Yes, I can see the theory behind it."
"Another is that my last, I'm pretty damn sure, memory was prepping for a patrol, even remembering being in the briefing room getting my orders. And taking point from our landing zone before I 'fell' and woke up here."
"I see."
Sano goes silent stewing over a thought.
"Isn't there one more? You did say 'few' right?"
He grimaces before wiping the expression away, "I have to think about that one a little more..."
Robin wasn't going to pry, she'd already made good progress thus far and she wasn't going to jeopardize it. But, she could still up the ante a little.
"Sano."
"Yes?" He turns, practically nose to nose with the woman.
"Robin?" he voice failing him due to the close proximity.
In the next instant her pouty lips were melded against his, audible gasps coming from the crew still present outside.
'Oh god, his lips feel so good.'
Sano could feel warmth rushing through his whole body, her incredibly soft lips almost causing him to groan in pleasure.
'Damn it's been so long since I've been with a woman.'
Robin had for some time imagined his full lips against hers, to taste his lips, and she certainly wasn't disappointed.
Pulling away, even for a simple kiss Robin's breathing had become heavy, her eyes half lidded, body still tingling from pleasure and the warmth of Sano's lips still on hers.
"Maybe you should consider if you want this reality to be real or not." Robin softly caresses his cheek with her fingertips, tracing his lips lightly.
With a sensuous smile Robin stands, slowly walking away and disappearing behind the door.
'Holy peanut butter on a stick!' It was an expression he hadn't used in over ten years, but it was the only thing his mind could say.
His gaze simply couldn't rip away from the retreating figure of the woman, eyes locked as if someone had lased it and he was a smart bomb on approach.
The sensual sway of her full hips, round pert bottom barely hidden behind the baby blue cloth. Eyes hungrily eating the image, tongue trying to wet his dry mouth as his mind questioned would it would be like to trace his mouth along that perfect waist. Along the slight curve of the small of her back leading to Robin's confident posture. Her creamy unblemished skin glowing in the sinking sun. The slight sway of her breasts that the top struggled to keep in place. A shiver running through his body at the thought of running his fingertips along her lush curves, gliding up and down her slender shapely legs.
Sano softly groans when his imagination took it a step further and envisioned how perfectly those long legs would fit around him and her curves enveloped by his own body.
The closing of the door breaking the spell allowed Sano to take back control of his body and wild running imagination.
"Fuck fuck fuck fuck." he whispers like a mantra, a sudden realization that at this moment it was a particularly inappropriate choice in swears.
Sano clamps a hand over his face attempting his best to clear his mind of the sweet taste of her lips and burning image of her retreating figure, but failing very badly.
Heaving a sigh of defeat Sano traces a finger over his lips, remembering the tingling of her damnably soft lips, the nectarous aftertaste she left, and the smooth glide of her fingertip.
He flops on his back staring into the darkening sky.
'With an incentive like that hanging before my eyes, how could I NOT want to stay in this world?'
Robin's words hanging in his ears, "'Maybe you should consider if you want this reality to be real or not.' huh?"
"If you only knew...if you only knew how much of a pull you have on my heart." Sano whispers to unhearing ears.
But overall it made sense to him, he didn't have anything waiting for him back in his world. Only a job, a dangerous profession, and even then, if it was a case of MIA he could be punished for it.
For the second time he realized he didn't have anything to lose, but this time a look from the opposite end of the spectrum.