They all knew that it was not a match made in heaven. But it was a match made in hell, and that was just fine too.
Updated: 06 Oct 2014
DISCLAIMER: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters.
Narrator's Perspective
'Thoughts'
"Speech"
"Attacks/Raised Voices"
Settings- Place and Time
Dreams
A Match Made In Hell
An One Piece original fanfiction
Recollection 2: Fairy Tales for a Feeble Heart
Chopper found himself unable to sleep. He tossed and turned restlessly in his sleep, endlessly haunted by nightmares that relentlessly pounded at his furry little head.
"Cho-pperr…A good doctor always takes responsibility for his patients…," drifted the voice of a zombified Doctor Hiruluk.
Chopper backed away, as far as he could go before his furry back hit the cold wall of the cellar behind him, making him realize where he was. He was in one of Wapol's rotten dungeons! He could feel the stinging cold bite at his skin through the thick fur. His fear grew.
But he couldn't help himself from thinking, perhaps one's surrounding temperature had an effect on their feelings? Maybe he could try to learn more about that…NO! Now was not the time for that! He had to get out of there first, body and mind intact.
Cold bony fingers wrapped in flayed skin and rotting flesh reached out towards him.
Chopper shivered.
'No…Doctor Hiruluk…You were like a father to me…But I killed you.'
'Please, I'm sorry! Please let me live…I have a crew to return to…'
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU STUPID QUACK!" came a booming voice.
Judging by the quality of the voice, Chopper guessed that it must've been a woman. An old woman.
The quasi-reindeer's eyes snapped opened in shock and landed, relieved, upon the welcoming sight of Doctorine.
"YOU IDIOT! I ONLY THOUGHT YOU WERE A POOR EXCUSE FOR A DOCTOR, BUT NOW YOU'RE TRYING TO BECOME A PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A FATHER TOO?!"
Chopper was immensely relieved. Not only that his life was going to be spared, but also that the Doctorine had really loved him all those years, deep down, no matter how harshly she'd treated him. And at least she wasn't out of her mind…
As abruptly as it had come, that relief disappeared as he noticed Doctor Kureha gasping for air, making gurgling noises.
He spotted the sharp glinting tip of an arrow peeking out from underneath the skin of her neck. Wapol cackled from atop his seat at the other end of the cramped dungeon, crossbow in hand.
"NO! DOCTORINE!"
The woman he had looked up to all those years, the one he thought could never fall, had finally fallen.
Chopper half-expected her to spring back up, hands on her hips, and proudly announce the 'secret of her youth' as she always did. But he was no longer the naïve little child he had been before. He was still naïve, yes, but he now knew when his hopes and prayers wouldn't be answered.
Chopper felt his eyes sting and the salty tears fall. Was this all he could do? Cry? Yes, well, he could treat an ill person, but not a dead person. Chopper never thought he'd be struck helpless in fear by anything other than a lapahn.
Suddenly, the ceiling of the dungeon collapsed, and bright sunlight made his eyes tingle in discomfort. Standing atop the rubble, in all his straw hat-wearing glory, was none other than Luffy.
The rest of the crew members ganged up on Wapol, expressions of pure rage on their face.
"Hey, tanuki! I want you to join the crew of the man who will become Pirate King!" Luffy grinned, holding out his hand for Chopper to grab.
It was then that Chopper realized, this would be his newest and last home. If there was anyone that truly deserved the word 'forever' it was this crew.
Before his mind could register what was going on, the surroundings morphed into a flaming, molten, lava-filled wasteland.
He glimpsed his comrades' lifeless bodies strewn across the land.
Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Robin, Franky, Brook. All of them.
Chopper couldn't take it anymore. He fell to the ground, lava or not, and screamed with abandon.
Let his anguish reach out throughout the world! Let it spread, let Akainu feel it!
The half-reindeer's eyes snapped open, holding within them a frenzied madness, brought about by severe grief and anguish.
With tremendous relief, he realized that all his friends were alive.
Looking around, he saw Luffy hanging off the edge of his bed, a snot bubble popping, and his definitely alive mouth forming the word 'meat'.
Sanji was laid out on his bed, elegant as always. He was having a peaceful sleep, save for the occasional twitch of his swirly eyebrows.
Usopp was sprawled carelessly, his arm in the air. Yep, he was definitely dreaming about himself as Captain Usopp.
Franky lay on his large, reinforced bed, its metal frame squeaking with the heaving motions of his body every time he breathed in and out.
Chopper was glad he hadn't woken anyone up due to his nightmare.
Wait a second – where's Zoro?
Chopper felt the panic rise within him again.
'Oh no. Oh no ohnoohnoohno…'
He knew Zoro was probably on night watch today. But he had to be sure. He had to! Especially after that nightmare.
But first, he scurried to the ladies' rooms just to make sure, and was shocked to find only Nami there.
Robin!
He was feeling more panicked by the second.
Chopper ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, to the crow's nest, and climbed up the ladder like his life was on the line.
Throwing the doors open, he let out a heavy sigh of relief – how many times he had done that today, he would never know.
Across the room Zoro and Robin had been sitting just a little while ago, laughing – or in Robin's case, giggling – over stories they shared.
Two confused heads turned in the direction of the reindeer, wearing worried expressions.
"Chopper? What's wrong?" came the motherly voice of Robin, concerned for her little crewmate. Zoro was just as worried, though he would never show it.
Chopper ran into their arms, and hugged them tight, as though he wanted to make sure they were there. That they were still alive, breathing, solid, and not just as figments of his cotton candy-induced imagination.
The two of them looked at him, amused, but hugged him warmly nevertheless.
"I…h-had a n-nightmare…," Chopper admitted timidly, looking down in shame.
Zoro and Robin looked at each other.
"Oi, onna. What d'you do when a kid has nightmares?" Zoro whispered to Robin, making her giggle at his inexpertise at dealing with young kids.
"Usually, one would tell the child bedtime stories to make him go to sleep with nice dreams, Kenshi-san," she replied, eyes twinkling slightly. Maybe it was a trick of the light, maybe it wasn't, Zoro would never know.
All he knew was that the woman's eyes seemed to twinkle mysteriously in his presence. And while she tried her best not to show it, her cheeks would color bashfully every time she giggled.
He turned towards Chopper.
"You like stories about robots, don't you! Right, here we go," Zoro began, but was interrupted by Robin who slapped his thigh playfully.
"Kenshi-san! Children like fairy tales, not robots or anything like that!"
Chopper watched the exchange with interest. Sanji and Usopp had mentioned something similar that humans did...but the words escaped him at the moment.
'What was it called? F-fritling? No, Flitring? Flirting! Yes, that's the word!'
Oblivious to his inner exchange, Robin turned pulled the little reindeer onto her lap, and began her tale.
"Once upon a time, there was a princess called Princess Adri! She had a pet–" Robin was cut off by her curious crewmate.
"Like Princess Vivi and Carue?"
"Yes, Chopper, except that this one was not a duck. It was a Pegasus!"
"What's a Pegasus?"
"A Pegasus is a pure white horse, with large wings like that of an angel," she continued.
Chopper gasped in awe. Usopp had never told him about this strange species called a Pegasus! He listened with rapt attention as she continued to weave her tale out of sparkles and glitter.
Zoro inwardly cringed. He had never thought Robin to be one for fairy tales and sparkly, glittery stuff.
"And one day, the princess got kidnapped by an evil buffalo-man!"
Chopper promptly gasped again, as any good audience should.
"And a human-sized robot rode the unicorn, wielding a neon shield and a laser gun. Together they rode bravely through the dangerous outer space and saved–" interrupted Zoro, but was cut off by Robin.
"Kenshi-san! That is not how a fairy tale is supposed to go!" she frowned, her lips almost forming a pout. Almost. Of course, Robin doesn't ever pout.
"Well, excuse me for trying to spice up your boring fairy tale for Chopper here!"
Chopper giggled at their playful banter.
Drowning out the sounds of their argument, he settled his furry head on Robin's lap.
He didn't need them to tell him a bedtime story, just their presence was enough comfort for him.
Grabbing Zoro's hakama in a hoof, he took in both their scents.
Zoro smelled like sweat, sake, blood and metal, while Robin smelled like jasmine and chocolate. Separately, one would smell too repulsive and the other would exude too strong a smell. But together, it was perfect. Chopper let their play quarrel in the back ground, and their scents lull him to sleep.
His sleep was no longer filled with nightmares of zombies, blood, pain and misery. Rather, this time he dreamed of Zoro and Robin sitting on a neon pink Pegasus, flying through outer space. The both of them were sharing a stick of cotton candy. Of course, any good dream has to have cotton candy.
Chopper couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he couldn't imagine Zoro and Robin separate from each other.
In the real world, Zoro's eyelids twitched upon hearing the words "Zoro", "Robin", "neon-pink" and "Pegasus".
Robin merely giggled.
End
Pride: Yay! I felt much more satisfied with this oneshot than I did with the previous one! Credits to Muffinypowers for the prompt, "Zoro and Robin riding a neon pegasus through space". Hehe told ya, it did work! This chapter had quite a bit of Chopper, but oh well, can't help it. He's too lovable. I don't even know how to categorise this chapter. There was a bit of grief and angst at the beginning, but then there was some humor towards the end. You tell me. More prompts, anyone?
Also, reply to 'Someone' because I can't PM you: Thank you, I'm really glad you liked it. And your wish has been fulfilled, 'cause I've updated about 1 hour (?) after you reviewed. I'm actually proud of myself hehe.
- Yours truly, Pride