A/n: Thank you so much for reading this story up to this point! I know I've taken ages to get this far, but thanks for sticking with me anyway! And thank you for all the wonderful reviews, favorites and follows. Especially Animelover6000, your review made my week and inspired me to make time to write this chapter even though I have exams going on [orz my life]. I'm planning on completing this story soon. Hopefully within 40 chapters, because it's gotten so long lol I didn't even expect that to happen. [Probably my longest story?]

I'm planning on writing a sequel of sorts, like just an added epilogue in a one or two shot. Happening 99.9%, hopefully my writer's block doesn't come visiting anytime soon.

So thanks to everyone who's read this story again and here's the chapter that comes before 30!

Love~

P.s, review, favorite and follow cuzz guyzz yo my inspirashun!

Chapter 29

Sanji lay on his back, staring at the ceiling for a long time. There was no sound in the small room, except for Zoro's soft breathing by his side. As Sanji stared at the weathered ceiling, thinking about everything and nothing, a glimpse of a forgotten memory flashed across his mind. He caught his breath and stared at one spot on the ceiling, concentrating hard, so as to not lose the memory.

It was an image of him sitting against a familiar wooden railing and there was a thin, lanky teenager sitting above him. Sanji took a drag of his cigarette and the boy said something and laughed, patting the strawhat on his head affectionately.

The scene changed. They were standing on a grassy hillock surrounded by tall trees with vertically striped trunks and numbers painted on them. There was commotion all around. A tall man in a yellow pinstriped suit had a leg raised. There was a light glowing at the sole of his feet and it looked like a beam would shoot out of it and through Zoro, who was lying on the ground below. Sanji heard himself scream Zoro's name, the panic obvious in his voice.

The scene shifted again, and he was looking up at a huge man with dark skin, curly shoulder length black hair, a small white hat atop his enormous head and a bible tucked under his arm. He stretched his free arm out, the palm of his hand looked like a paw, reaching toward him... someone screamed his name desperately, but before he could react, the paw had touched him and his body was being pulled and warped, distorted shapes and colors flying around him. Just as he began to feel sick, he lurched forward and he landed face first. He didn't wake up for a long time.

As though he was watching a film reel, his mind floated away from his unconscious body and he could see that he (his body) was lying in a huge paw shaped crater. He began to drift farther and farther away, gathering speed, zooming through memories, till he abruptly jerked to a stop.
He stood for a moment, shaky and disoriented, and as he was trying to take in his surroundings, there was a sound of a door being opened and a familiar voice said behind him, "Oi cook, how much longer? Luffy's starting to chew on his shoes."

As Sanji watched, his body began - or rather continued - to prepare the food in front of him. He ladled a large dollop of sweet smelling something onto a plate and shoved it into the Marimo's hands. "There, that should shut him up for a while."

Zoro sniffed at it suspiciously and raised an eyebrow at the sweet aroma.

"..Apples?"

Sanji nodded without looking at him, already turning back to the meal he was carefully preparing. He waved a hand distractedly, signaling the Marimo to leave. He began to hum as he tossed sliced peppers and shredded cheddar into the large pot simmering on the stove.

"Oi, I don't think this is enough for him."

Sanji sighed and turned around to tell Zoro off, but the sight before him left him stunned.

Zoro's cheeks were stuffed with the apple risotto and the plate was licked so clean, not a single crumb was on it. He had a placidly innocent expression on his face, like his hamster cheeks and the crumbs on his chin weren't enough of a give away. A nerve popped in Sanji's neck, as he snatched the plate and turned his back to Zoro. The swordsman shuffled around and after a moment of scrambling and clinking, the sharp smell of alcohol reached Sanji's nostrils. He bit back a sigh as Zoro chugged down a bottle of sake and then burped contentedly, patting his tummy. He left the half empty bottle on the counter - much to Sanji's chagrin - and walked away. The door opened and the blond finally relaxed his shoulders, glad the annoyance was gone. But Zoro's deep rumble floated toward him, even as once again; his mind slipped away from his body and began drawing away from the scene.

"That apple thing's good, cook." Zoro's voice was foggy and the scene was smoky, but he managed to glimpse the look of surprise and the pleased smirk that split his face at the rare compliment from the other man.

The next scene was of him standing on deck, smoking a cigarette and watching the reflection of the ink blue sky in the churning waters of the ocean. The clear night sky was scattered with billions of stars and as the cloud blocking the moon moved away, he watched the milky reflection of the white orb dance with the silent waves splashing against the side of Sunny. He blew out a string of smoke and sighed contentedly, closing his eyes and enjoying the way the soft breeze caressed his hair. It was one of those peaceful, calm nights on the grand line and he was hoping his watch didn't end. Just as the thought crossed his mind, the trapdoor above creaked open and there was a rustling sound, as Zoro slid down the mast. Soft crunching footsteps drew near him and Sanji placed his head on his arms, hoping the mosshead would take the hint and go away.

No such luck, of course, as Zoro came to stand beside him and leaned against the railing.

"Oi," came the deep rumble of his voice and Sanji sighed again.

"I know, I know, my watch is done and you're taking over. Don't let me bother you."

And so he continued standing at the rail and staring at the ocean. Zoro eyed him for a moment and then shrugging, sat down, leaned against the railing and shut his one good eye. "Wake me up when you decide you're done doing whatever you're doing."

Sanji opened his mouth to reply, but the words never came out, as once again, he became disembodied and floated away.

The next memory was extremely pleasing. He was having an amusing conversation with two absolutely drop-dead gorgeous ladies and he watched as they laughed delightedly at whatever he had said. One of them tossed her vermillion strands over her shoulder and smiled at Sanji, as he placed a fancy cocktail in front of her. "Thank you, Sanji-kun, that looks delicious."

"You're very welcome Nami-swan~" Sanji cooed, his body squiggling and his eyes turning into hearts. There was a soft chuckle from the side, and the blond twirled toward the mysterious beauty in the opposite chair, her eyes twinkling with mirth as a mysterious, yet gentle smile spread across her face. Sanji placed another shimmering drink in front of her, swooned at her softly spoken thanks and was about to ask if the beautiful ladies if he could join them, when an oddly familiar, croaky voice reached his ears.

"Oi, Sanji! Where's my tea—"

"Ahn?!"

"Oi, Usopp! C'mere! Look what Chopper and I caught!"

Both Sanji and Usopp turned to see Luffy dangling an enormous, exotic looking fish and dancing up and down on the narrow railing. Immediately, a familiar sense of foreboding spread through Sanji and both he and the man beside him reacted the same way.

"Oi, Luffy! You're gonna fall over board—"

"Get down from there, you damned idiot—"

Too late, there was a large splash as Luffy dropped the fish, his arms flailing around, while his body bent back at a 45˚ angle, teetering on the edge.

"Ah!"

But luckily for all of them, Zoro caught the raven-haired youth just in time and chucked him onto the grassy deck, where Luffy landed with an 'oomph!'. Usopp and Sanji still had stricken expressions on their faces and Zoro just raised an eyebrow at them, his swords clinking together as he rested his arm on them.

"What're you morons staring at? You look like a bunch of—"

But Sanji never found out what they were, as he was once again pulled from the memory and zigzagged through glimpses of other memories. This time, the transition took much longer than before, and he was starting to wonder whether the drug's effect was wearing off, when he felt something extremely warm drape across his abdomen. The sudden warmth startled him and the scenes whizzing around him began to shimmer and disappear.

There was a low groan beside him and Sanji jerked awake, his heart pounding in his chest and a thin layer of sweat covering his body. He sat up shakily, holding a moist palm to his face and swiping back his damp hair. He exhaled through his teeth and frowned at his knees. Groaning slightly, he rubbed his hands across his face and turned to the sleeping form beside him.

Zoro's sleeping face was so peaceful and devoid of any and all worry, that Sanji had a sudden urge to kick it into the ground. He reached out and shook him roughly by the shoulders. The blond watched with mild satisfaction as Zoro opened his eyes and looked around groggily. When the single gunmetal orb caught sight of the blond, a slow, smug smirk spread across Zoro's face. Sanji stifled his irritation with a sigh and turned away. He began to stand up unsteadily, but a shooting pain through his spine caused him to wince and double over.

"You okay?"

"Does it look like I'm okay?!"

Zoro frowned and scratched his head, as he slowly reached forward and laid a large, warm palm on the small of Sanji's back. "There's no need to snap," he muttered, as he pushed gently, causing the blond to straighten up suddenly. His back cracked loudly and Sanji moaned, rubbing his sore lower back. He turned around to face Zoro, newfound irritation bubbling to the surface.

"You—this is gonna be the last time—mph!"

Zoro effectively cut him off with his own mouth, using the suddenness of the action to pry Sanji's lips open and slip his tongue into the other's mouth. The blond gasped at the unexpected intrusion and his eyelids fluttered, as he laid his palms on Zoro's chest. The other man wrapped one arm around Sanji's petite waist and grabbed a fistful of hair with his free hand. He forced the blond to tilt his head back and grazed his teeth against Sanji's bared throat, eliciting a strangled moan, filled with enough desperation to feed a hungry beast.

And just as things were getting good, there was a minute click behind them and both men froze, cold sweat dripping from their forehead. Luckily for them, Zeher seemed to be a better man than they had given him credit for; as he said, "Oh, would you look at that. The key has gotten stuck in the lock. Which means I'm going to take a minute or two to pry it and the door open, giving the two horny idiots inside more than a moment to save themselves from complete and utter humiliation."
And just as the 'two horny idiots' managed to slip their clothing on, Zeher cracked the door open and slid inside, his neck craned so that he wouldn't see anything unnecessary. "Not that it was necessary," he commented, as though explaining his small acts of chivalry to spare their decency. Zoro snorted and stepped forward, latching his belt buckle just as Diara slipped the door shut behind her.

"What's the verdict?"

Zeher raised his eyebrows at the extremely cliché use of speech, but chose not to comment. He did nod and wave his hand at the door though and said rather dismissively, "Your friends are knocked out and lying at the bottom of an old, musty wine cellar. You should probably find them before they were to wake up, in case they break out and disappear again."

He seemed to have finally noticed the shocked expressions on the duo's faces, because he paused in his pacing and looked at them curiously. "What, you didn't think I left you to your antics to go out and pick daisies, did you?"

Sanji scoffed and turned away, mumbling under his breath, as he passed Zeher. "How many of them did you knock out?"

Zeher made an appreciative sound in his throat and said, "Two," to which Sanji looked back in surprise. The other man only shrugged, tossing his long locks over his shoulder haughtily.

"You can't expect me to do all the work, now, can you?"

Before Sanji could retort back, Zoro tapped him on the shoulder and pulled the door open slowly, shoving the blond gently so he stepped forward.

"Where did you say that cellar was?"

"I didn't."

When Zeher didn't offer any more of an explanation, both men turned back with exasperated expressions, only to see Zeher handing a tiny baby Den Den Mushi to Diara. He nodded towards it and said pompously, "That's your only means of communicating with me, so be sure to keep it close. Oh and be sure to keep those two idiots close as well. I have a feeling you'll lose them sooner than the snail," he added, flicking his wrist toward Zoro and Sanji and turning his back on them.

Sanji ground his teeth and clenched his fists, as he stepped out the door and stuck close to the wall. He inched to the side and stopped at the corner, as Diara and Zoro followed suit. They crept across the docks, sidling behind crates and ducking behind cargo, as they made their way toward the cellar, Diara now in the lead.
They stopped just inside the first line of trees that surrounded the town and Diara stepped around a tree and into a sort of cove, where a small, ruddy wooden motorboat was moored. Zoro stopped abruptly and stared at the boat for a long moment, his brows furrowing together in confusion. Sanji seemed to have noticed that the mosshead wasn't following him, and looked back. When he saw Zoro rooted to the spot, he walked back to him and paused a few feet away.

Zoro jerked his chin toward the boat and said in a disgruntled voice, "I think..I've been here before."

Sanji's eyebrows shot up in surprise, as he turned to look at the object of interest. "You have?"

Zoro nodded slightly and then exhaled shallowly, rubbing his neck slowly, like he was unsure of how to react. Sanji then turned to Zoro and frowned. "You don't remember being here?"

"Eh?"

"Your memory—don't you remember being here?"

Now it was Zoro's turn to look annoyed. "I just told you—"

Sanji shook his head and motioned toward the cove with his hand. "No, you said you thought you've been here. You didn't actually say you remembered being here. There's a difference."

Zoro looked like he had half a mind to argue with Sanji, but he just shrugged and began to walk toward Diara – who had paused several metres away, looking back at them curiously. "Doesn't matter. I just suddenly felt that thing—whatitcalled—that begaju thing—"

"Déjà vu."

"Yeah, that. So I just thought…"

"But, if you've been here before—"

"I'm not sure okay! It was just a weird feeling! Maybe I was wrong!"

Sanji frowned worriedly at Zoro, as the latter huffed in frustration and stomped off. He watched the retreating back before hurrying along, his mind reeling from the abrupt conversation.

Zoro didn't remember being there. And Sanji knew that, because that was where the crew had finally reunited after the two of them fell overboard. It was when they decided to split up once again and where they heard the disembodied voice. So Zoro's weird feeling was spot on, except for the fact that Zoro had called it a 'weird feeling' instead of a forgotten memory. Sanji could feel the hair on the back of his neck standing and a sudden chill passed over him.

Were they walking straight into another trap? Was there something else, completely irrelevant to them and their horrific story going on parallely?

And nobody heard the crackling sound of wheezing laughter echo around a room where a man sat in his armchair, peering into a crystal ball of sorts, that showed a noiseless scene of a frowning Sanji walking into the trees.

A/n: begaju XD OH ZORO YOU FRICKING ADORABLE DUMBASS YOU~ Well anyway, about time, I should say. Right?

Remember when I said I was finally getting around to actually reading this story from the very beginning? Yeah, well I reached Chapter six and just.. I'm editing every single chapter up to say 15 or 16 or even 20, not too sure. There's no changes in the story, only some grammatical changes and maybe change in the construction of certain sentences and direct speech.

And with that, I end this Author's note! [jk lol]

I haven't written one of those sneak peaks in a while right? So here you go~

Zoro and Sanji turn up at the cellar just as a rampaging Luffy breaks down the door, followed by a harassed looking Nami. There's a moment of tension, as the four look at each other, until Luffy finally exclaims and jumps Zoro and Sanji, toppling them to the floor. Nami seems relieved. So four out of nine of the Strawhats seem to have their memories back [Sanji is still dubious about Zoro's faulty memory] and they go in search of Robin and Franky, stealthily making their way to the promised rendezvous point. Will Franky and Robin turn up? Will Sanji figure out what's wrong with Zoro? Will Zoro be able to figure out what's wrong with himself? And what's the evil old man in the armchair up to?

P.s, do you guys want me to conform to the main theme of this story and end it in a very angsty way, or end it in an angsty way, but add a little bit of happy smut? Wait, don't answer that I know how Imma end it. -laughs maniacally-

Review, favorite and follow!

Love~