Hey everyone!

Another inadvertently long wait between chapters, but we're still hoping to not have as much lag in the future. Here is chapter five of Breath... it's a little longer as an apology for the wait. We hope you enjoy and continue to read as we make our way through this story... And don't worry! We aren't stopping any time soon, even if we end up taking awhile between some chapters. We really wanted to thank everyone who has been reading this story – you have no idea how much your reviews help and make us happy! It's really for everyone who lets us know they're interested that we continue to post and don't just let this sit on our harddrives. So, thank you very much! And also thank you to Griever5 for betaing this chapter for us.

-Karaleyn and Quatrina

Chapter Five – Breath

The days seemed to drift by in a haze. For the most part, they were uneventful, filled with an endless cycle of meals and sleep. Zoro, for the most part, kept to himself, although he seemed peaceful in the company of the childlike prince.

Luffy spent the majority of his time in the room, feeling surprisingly content. Occasionally, he wanted to leave the clinic to look around, but he didn't feel comfortable risking it. Zoro had already been seriously injured once due to him; there was no reason to push it to a second.

He spent the energy he would have used in exploring on willing Zoro to get better, faster. When Zoro was asleep, Luffy sat by the bed and watched his bodyguard intently, sometimes for hours on end. When his mind wandered, he found himself thinking about the current situation, and what he could do to improve it.

Whoever was after him had already involved too many people back in Anchor. When they planted that bomb, they hurt everyone around him in the off chance that they would get the prince as well. For Luffy, that was an act of unforgivable cowardice, and he was determined to beat them the next time they met. If they were so intent on overthrowing the monarchy, they should beat the heir in a fair fight instead of sloppy assassination attempts while hiding behind a prophecy. As far as he knew, the prophecy only foresaw his death and the revolution of Merriana; it said nothing about this improving matters. There was no way, Luffy decided, that such weak people would be able to lead a country anyway. Regardless of what some ancient text said, or how those words were spreading across the country like wildfire, or even how many people would be after his life, Luffy knew that the best thing he could do for his country and family was continue to live as he saw fit, and do his best to get stronger so he could protect them all. And beat down some idiot opponents. That was always a plus.

The clinic had a courtyard, much to Luffy's enjoyment. Zoro went to sit outside sometimes and Luffy loved it when he did; that meant he got to sit in the sun and watch the funny little bugs crawling all over, listen to the music echoing from the open windows and laugh at the birds' antics. Luffy also liked watching the sky, especially when it turned blue like the sea. It reminded him of home, and days spent sneaking away from Coby to splash through the waves. Since Anchor was a seaside Palace, he used to stare out his window while dreaming of a life of adventure on the waves.

But now, they were heading inland, and the sea was nowhere to be found. Luffy couldn't even smell it on the breeze anymore, and that, more than anything, had the power to make him feel a little homesick. It helped to have someone to talk to like Zoro, who wasn't always the best conversationalist but served to mellow Luffy's energy, nonetheless. Now that he understood exactly why Zoro was so worried about him, and the lengths he was willing to go to keep him safe, he felt less rebellious and more content to just rest.

This particular evening, Zoro had walked out into the courtyard once again, his dark eyes watching the sun set over the building. Luffy was sitting beside him, perched on the round edge of a fountain with one hand supporting him behind his back and the other lightly tracing the wet end of a leaf along the stone. He was writing his name, or at least trying to. The leaf didn't make a very good quill, the water not very good ink. The stone wasn't exactly parchment paper either, so it was no wonder that he was largely failing at the task. His fingers on his supporting hand splashed into the water now and then, as he idly kicked his feet into the air. He was quiet, but he was content.

Zoro silently basked in both the setting sun and the secure company of the younger fellow. In fact, that's all he ever really found himself doing as he recovered from his injuries. Before, such constant companionship might have made him feel annoyed or irritated. However, Luffy's steady presence seemed to linger around him in an easy manner, as if he had been by the swordsman's side for years. Sometimes it unnerved Zoro a little, especially during those quiet nights when Luffy would watch him with dark eyes and an amused smile.

Luffy's eyebrows had furrowed down thoughtfully as he stared at his attempt at leaf penmanship. "Hey, Zoro," Luffy said suddenly, looking up. "Do you have a last name?"

"Yes," stated Zoro, his voice having recovered a lot of its strength over the past few days. "You don't remember?"

Luffy looked back down at his writing. "Roronoa?"

"Mm." He nodded. "I'm pretty infamous in some places."

"Oh," Luffy said, though there something in his spreading grin that did not bode well. "Did you know," he looked at Zoro with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "that if your first name had 'noa' on the end, you would be Roronoa Zoronoa?" He laughed, highly amused at the idea.

Zoro gave an odd look, an eyebrow quirking as the query was made. "No," he said after a moment, trying to keep a straight face. "I've never had to do that before."

"You should," Luffy said gravely, managing to look serious for a moment. The effect was rather spoiled by the amused glint of his eyes. "If you did, you could be infamous and sound like a fluffy little dog." He paused, cocking his head and considering Zoro. "Or maybe it sounds like a woman. Or maybe a stuffed animal. Or! Or, it could be a type of food!"

Zoro snorted. "Then maybe I'd better keep it the same," he said after a moment, his voice suddenly a little tired.

Luffy nodded. "Okay." He went back to drawing his name, adding casually, "But if you ever want me to call you Noakins, I can."

"The hell?" Zoro blurted before his face was carefully masked with a neutral expression. "That sounds pretty stupid," he said, looking away. "Don't ever call me that."

Luffy continued with his writing attempts, unfazed. "One time there was a lady who came to, umm, my home," he had learned not to say Anchor aloud, "and she had this little dog. And it just barked the entire time! She kept it in a purse and walked around with it. It was really funny!" He laughed, closing his eyes and moving his leaf-hand up to hold down his straw hat, as he tended to do when he was especially serious or happy. "I thought it was a little stuffed animal, but then it started barking at me and tried to jump out and I was laughing at it and Coby almost fell over from shock. And the lady kept talking to her dog... She put 'kins' on the end of everything. She called the dog 'Puffykins' and when she asked what my name was, she started calling me 'Luffykins.'"

Laughing again, Luffy penned designs onto the ledge as he spoke. "Ace was embarrassed when she called him 'Acekins,' even though he was really polite about it. I just laughed at her, but he got sort of red in the face, and told her that it was an honor to be spoken to so casually by a duchess." He grinned, glancing over at Zoro. "I bet if the lady met you, she'd call you Zorokins. Can you imagine it?" The idea of Zoro having to answer to such a name made him laugh again, enough that he dropped onto his back to relax against the fountain's edge.

Zoro gawked at both Luffy's fits of laughter and the insane story he had just relived aloud. "Luffykins?" he asked, unsure of what he had just heard. "Acekins?" A pause. "Zorokins?" Inwardly hoping that he never met this strange dog-lady, he shook his head, realizing that Luffy had spoken of Ace for the first time since they'd met. He was amazed that the boy was able to speak of the missing man so casually and happily, as if he were safe and close by. But it made the bodyguard strangely satisfied and happy to see Luffy in such a wonderful mood, as if he were drinking from the fountain of his very emotions.

"And," Luffy continued the story while snickering, "her name was Kinilla! Doesn't she sound like a big stupid sea monster from a book? Kinilla and Puffykins, yarr, they came for yer kin and left you with 'kins.'" He shook a lazy fist in the air, his voice dropping to a stereotypical pirate growl before he laughed.

An old man sweeping the floor from the other side of the courtyard paused momentarily to regard the laughing prince with an odd look before resuming his work. Zoro, on the hand, suddenly found Luffy's laughter contagious. Upon hearing the last comment, a snort erupted from his nose, and his own laughter filled the courtyard.

Hearing Zoro join in only made Luffy laugh even harder. Soon, what started as simple snickering grew steadily until there were tears leaking from his eyes and he kicked the air helplessly. His hands rested on his stomach, because it was beginning to hurt from the constant abuse.

The swordsman hunched forward in his seat, his broad shoulders shaking heavily. Tears of mirth sprang from his eyes, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed so hard.

For several long moments, Luffy worked at toning the amusement down to chuckles, and from there to just breathing a little heavier with occasional bouts of snickering. He continued to grin, though, throwing one arm carelessly over his forehead, his other hand playing lightly with the water in the fountain. He stared up at the sky, and noticed that in even that short amount of time it had gotten darker as the sun continued to set. His grin slipped into a content smile, and he said softly, "Zoro?" though he didn't look away from the slowly forming stars.

"Mm?"

Luffy's smile widened as he stared at the sky and whispered, as if it were a dream that should not be spoken too loudly or he would risk waking up. "I like it here... Will we ever get to be like this again?"

Zoro stopped, his voice catching in his throat. He suddenly turned to face him, and his stunned, dark eyes flickered with uncertainty. Had Luffy really meant that? Quiet for a moment, figuring that he hadn't misheard, he took a deep breath. "I took an oath to stay by your side for as long as you need me."

Luffy grinned at the sky, turning his own dark eyes to regard Zoro. "Really?" he asked happily, a little louder. "Great! We can stay together forever then! You make everything more fun than it usually is."

Managing a soft grin, Zoro's gaze fell onto the ground. "Heh, that's good then, I guess."

"Yeah," Luffy readily agreed, flipping over onto his stomach. He was far more coordinated and adept at balancing than his personality would suggest, so he did not even once in the turn look like he was about to fall off his perch. He put his elbows on the fountain's edge, holding his head in his hands and kicking his feet idly into the air as he regarded Zoro with his familiar solemn dark gaze. For a moment, he was content to merely watch his friend.

Zoro felt his gaze piercing into him, and the swordsman was compelled to look up and meet his gaze. "Yeah..." And his voice fell quiet, caught up in his prince's intense stare.

Luffy continued to watch Zoro, kicking his feet back and forth, back and forth... "You know," he said conversationally after being quiet a few moments, "I bet your mom was really happy when you were born. And your dad, too."

Taken slightly aback by the change of subject, Zoro lightly averted his eyes. "I don't know. Maybe they were, maybe not. It's hard to say sometimes."

"No, they were," Luffy said confidently as he shook his head in his hands. He didn't stop watching Zoro. "Kaya says if I die then no one can replace me, even if my mom could have another kid. So it's the same with you! And they would have to be happy, wouldn't they? I'd be happy if I had a kid like you. So I bet they were, too." He smiled at Zoro, his feet still kicking.

"No one could replace you, no," said Zoro softly. "But some people were never supposed to be born."

Luffy raised his eyebrows. "Really? How do you know that? Am I one of them?"

"Probably not." Zoro stared up at the roaming, dark clouds in the sky. "People keep things they want, you know."

Luffy watched Zoro solemnly for several moments before cocking his head slightly. "Do you think my parents want me? Or maybe the people back home?"

"Of course you're wanted." The swordsman regarded the prince with a serious expression. "Why else would everyone be so eager to keep you safe?"

Luffy raised an eyebrow. "But they didn't keep me; they sent me away when they thought I was in danger. If I listened to you, I'd think everyone hated me back home."

"They sent you away in hopes of you returning later," answered Zoro carefully. "That's different from abandoning you."

"But how do you know your parents didn't do the same? Maybe they were afraid. Or maybe they thought something was going to happen to you. They could have sent you away so you could live... Isn't that sort of like it? What if they died and the only way to keep you safe was to send you away? Is that abandoning you?"

Zoro lightly tilted back in his chair, not really liking where the conversation was going. He spoke slowly, his tone holding caution. "...that was different. My parents gave me up to some nomadic tribe that's far away from here without even leaving a proper explanation."

Luffy frowned thoughtfully, looking a little confused. "Maybe they couldn't. What if you're secretly a prince from some other country that they needed to hide? Or maybe they were in danger and they wanted to protect you. And anyway, whatever they did with some tribe or whatever doesn't mean other people didn't want you around. I still say your parents must have loved you, because I like you, and you're not even my kid." He nodded slightly, as if to back up the finality of his conclusion.

The swordsman merely chuckled, shaking his head at how innocent and pure Luffy came across sometimes. "Sure."

Luffy frowned at Zoro; he was pretty sure he didn't believe him and was just pretending he did. But if Zoro wasn't listening to logic, he didn't know how to get his point across.

He watched him a moment, then grew bored with it. Pulling himself closer, he leaned his head against the side of Zoro's chair and idly watched the courtyard. One hand was folded beneath him to support his weight, and the other was resting on the chair for comfort. His arm brushed against Zoro's leg, and the softness of the fabric caught the edge of his attention while he stared at two squirrels fighting across a tree. Without thinking about it, he ran his fingers back and forth across an inch or two of his bodyguard's leg, the feel of the fabric beneath his fingers calming him. It didn't occur to him to give Zoro some sort of warning or explanation of his actions; he just wanted to be closer to his friend, hearing his breath closer like that was somehow calming, and it was warmer than it had been by the fountain.

Startled, Zoro suddenly looked down at Luffy. "H-hey..." But he didn't try to push his hand off, and he silently turned toward the setting sun once more.

Luffy looked up at Zoro as best he could from his position, blinking. "What?" he asked innocently, confused.

"Nothing," he answered, albeit a little stiffly.

Luffy smiled, his fingers slowing slightly but not stopping. The robe the clinic provided Zoro was amazingly soft; no wonder he still wore it around. "Okay," he said easily. He relaxed as he stared at the courtyard and the wind rustling the leaves. More bugs were coming out and it was starting to sound like night, when the darkness was a symphony of songs and sounds, and Luffy wondered what all the insects and animals were saying to each other.

Closing his eyes some, Zoro took in the same noises that Luffy was practically drinking in. He knew they would have a long, long way to go. But that was all right.

Luffy half-heartedly tried to look up at Zoro's face, but it was difficult at his angle from beside the chair, so he decided to just continue watching the courtyard and listening to the bugs. He still lightly rubbed the robe and considered asking if he could get one too.

A long silence lingered between them before the prince yawned hugely. He stretched as best he could in his position, then leaned against the chair and closed his eyes. It was fairly uncomfortable with his face half-pressed into the side of the chair and his arm at an awkward angle, but Luffy didn't seem to notice or care. He was tired enough that he was perfectly ready and willing to go to sleep right there.

Zoro was tempted to doze off himself, but he decided that it was important for him to stay alert and make sure he was safe. Without anyone interrupting his plans and the music of the night to lull him, Luffy was asleep in seconds.

It didn't take too long for pesky bugs to start buzzing around Zoro's ear, and the swordsman was beginning to grow irritated. Deciding that it was about time to go inside, he gently leaned forward and scooped Luffy into his arms. His eyebrow gently twitched as a sort of half wince, and the green-haired man slowly rose from his seat, the prince cradled in his strong arms. Robe flowing behind him, Zoro went inside and easily made his way back to Luffy's bedroom.

Luffy contentedly snuggled closer to the warmth, not waking from sleep or realizing that he was being transported. Gently lowering him onto the bed, Zoro tucked him in beneath the heavy blankets. He stepped back, watching Luffy for a moment, before his gaze made its way over to the window.

At first, Luffy snuggled more into bed, but then he noticed the absence of warmth and weight. He frowned sulkily in his sleep and flopped over to his side, his arms splayed out before him as he made a soft noise of pouting protest.

By the time the swordsman looked over at the prince, Luffy was scowling in his sleep, and he threw himself onto his back abruptly, arms flopping out spread eagle above him as his legs started to get caught in the sheets. He mumbled something to himself, eyes still closed in semi-restless sleep.

Zoro gently eased himself onto the bed, warily watching the boy. Sensing the increase in pressure on the bed, Luffy immediately threw himself in that direction, saying louder in a whine, "Zorooo! Meeeat!" But, soon, his body relaxed again and he settled comfortably onto the sheets, a soft snore emitting from his throat. Lulled by the sound of the prince's quiet snores coupled with the chirping of the outside bugs, it didn't take long for Zoro's eyelids to grow heavy, and his pulse slowed to a nice, even rate.

The curtain rustled in the light wind, and the room was quiet save for the breathing and, in Luffy's case, snoring, of its occupants.

The sound of glass shattering from what seemed to be the other side of the clinic startled Zoro into wakefulness.

A scream tore through the air, and Zoro suddenly sat up, reaching for his swords. What now? As soon as he thought the question, their window was smashed too, sending the curtains billowing into a frenzy and shards of glass onto the floor. "What--!"

Luffy jerked awake at the sudden sound; so quickly, in fact, that he smashed into the headboard and fell back on the mattress, rolling onto his side and holding his head. "Owww," he whined, still half-asleep.

Suddenly reached for Luffy's shoulder, Zoro's eyes widened as he saw a wall of smoke rise from the floor, the edges of flames beginning to devour the curtains of the bed. Luffy, in his half-asleep state, smelled the smoke and immediately thought of—

"Meat?" He straightened up, his eyes flying open as he prepared to throw himself off the bed to rush for the perceived food.

Zoro's strong arms suddenly wrapped around the boy, yanking him close. "Don't--" he hissed, his eyes darting about the room. They really needed to get out of there. And fast.

Luffy stopped as soon as he felt resistance, waking up all the way. He rubbed at his eyes, yawning then choking and coughing when the smoke got caught in his lungs instead of fresh air. Squinting mildly watering eyes, he peered around the room curiously. "What's going on? Did someone forget to go outside before they lit the fireworks?"

Not wasting any time, Zoro pulled Luffy out of the bed and rushed him out of the room. "We have to get out of here now." He looked up and down the hallway in front of them, noticing flames engulfing the elegant curtains of the windows. The white table that rested in front of it was already burning to ash, and the portraits were charred beyond repair. He coughed, but he made sure that he stayed alert.

Stumbled along beside Zoro, Luffy coughed in the heavy smoke, one fist up by his mouth. He peered up and down the hallway, really starting to get confused. "What's happening? Did they find us?" His slow, still mildly sleepy speech suddenly sharpened as he straightened, accidentally inhaling more smoke. After his brief coughing fit to get this new smoke out of his lungs, he turned intently to Zoro. "Is Kaya okay? We need to make sure everyone's okay!"

Zoro gritted his teeth. That'd certainly be the noble thing to do, but it didn't take long to die of smoke inhalation. He grabbed Luffy by the shoulder, pulling him closer to the floor in order to reduce the smoke they took in. "...I dunno..." He cast his eyes about to see if anyone else was about. Noticing a group of patients being ushered past them by a few doctors, his eyes narrowed.

"You two need to get out of here!" cried a hysterical woman.

But Zoro didn't see Kaya.

"Is Kaya out?" Luffy yelled loudly, "Where's Kaya?" His voice snagged on the last syllable and he found himself coughing again, but he refused to give up on someone who had been so helpful to him. Someone who was a friend.

"She's helping with other patients!" cried a doctor.

Zoro's eyes narrowed. It was going to be difficult to find her. He turned to Luffy. "If you go outside, I'll look for her."

Luffy scowled, looking ready to argue his point relentlessly, but he stopped himself. What would Kaya say if, after all that work she went through to protect his identity and life, he got himself killed trying to save her from a fire? Even so, he couldn't help trying. "I want to help," he said firmly.

Zoro knew he couldn't have Luffy die from smoke inhalation. "It's safer outside. Just stick close to one of the doctors."

Luffy stared intently for a moment, his expression set belligerently. But Zoro's own stare was just as strong, and, in this case, slightly more determined. Frowning, he looked away and nodded, crawling after the nearest batch of patients escaping. He knew he could trust Zoro to protect Kaya and himself well enough to get out of the building, so he had to let them trust in Luffy to get himself out as well. Like they said, he was the only heir. Just before he disappeared from view, though, he smiled at Zoro and called, "See you outside!"

Zoro sighed. Now he new he really needed to get out of this alive. He ran through the corridors, eyes roaming about, trying to peer through the smoke. "Kaya!" he called. "Kaya!" The last cry was hindered by coughing, but he continued onward anyway.

Luffy moved with the others, not looking over his shoulder again until he was outside, and that was only out of surprise when one of the bedroom doors collapsed in on itself and the roar of fire greedily lapped at the wood. The staff began pushing the patients urgently away from the danger of smoke or debris, while a small team of doctors had already gathered to the side to check everyone who had escaped. Nurses clustered around the area, checking on patients, talking to doctors, looking worriedly back at the clinic.

Coughing harshly, Luffy tried to get the burning sensation out of his throat then turned to watch with the others as the building burned. It was almost pretty, if he didn't know he had friends inside and it was going to burn down all the trees and bugs. Suddenly, Luffy had a heart-stopping moment when he thought he had lost his straw hat. He threw his hand up to his head, relieved beyond belief to find it still there, if a little covered in soot. Keeping his hand firmly on his hat, he continued to stare at the building intently as he waited for Zoro and Kaya to appear. A doctor came over to check on him, but Luffy ignored the man until, exasperated, he walked off to help other, needier patients first. Luffy didn't even notice when the crowd thinned slightly around him as everyone moved to help the patients now further away. He remained where he was, staring at the burning clinic.

No matter how hard the bodyguard looked, he saw no sign of Kaya, and he was beginning to grow worried. He certainly couldn't leave such a kind woman to go to her death. He almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the loud groans of beams giving way, the roofs of bedrooms sinking to their demise. Moments crawled, and he lightly crouched beneath the smoke, since crawling was too time consuming and wouldn't allow him to get a full view of his surroundings. "Kaya" he cried again, the roar of the flames almost drowning out his voice. He coughed as soon as he spoke, but he continued to call her name again.

But there wasn't even a trace of anyone, now that he thought about it. Although his vision was getting rather foggy...and his lungs were beginning to lag, struggling to get a decent breath of air in...

"Kaya..."

Luffy stared intently at the building, wondering what was taking so long. He was just about to yell for Zoro to hurry up when someone suddenly put a hand on his shoulder. Luffy jumped, completely startled, and was already whipping around to stare at the intruder when he realized the person was talking.

"—end at? Is everything alright?" Kaya was asking him, and Luffy stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Kaya! You got out!" he exclaimed happily, grinning hugely at her and pulling her into an abrupt hug. "I didn't see you! Did you come out the back? Where's Zoro?" He looked eagerly around for his bodyguard to tell him what a great job he had done.

Kaya, startled, was just beginning to hesitantly return the hug when Luffy pulled away to look for his bodyguard. Confused, she looked around too. "You mean he didn't come out with you?" she asked, growing concerned.

Luffy turned to her, confused now himself. "What? Didn't he come out with you?"

They stared at each other for a moment before Luffy realized what happened and Kaya realized something was gravely wrong. She brought her hands to her mouth immediately, gasping with wide eyes. "Oh no!" she said fearfully, and turned immediately to ask the other doctors if they had seen him. She had to see if he had made it out!

Luffy, meanwhile, was certain Zoro was not outside. And, before anyone could stop him, he shoved his straw hat at Kaya, saying quickly, "Protect this!", before he bolted back toward the clinic, shoving past the last group of people now milling just outside the area. He was already yelling Zoro's name loudly as he came crashing through the front door, ignoring the sickening wall of heat and charred green and black smoke rolling across the ceiling, crawling down the walls. Luffy darted around the obstacles in the hallway, in far too much of a hurry to even think of crouching as he ran. He drew in a deep breath, ignoring how the heat seared his throat and the smoke choked his words, and screamed, "Zoro!"

Amidst the roaring of the flames and the choking barriers of smoke that engulfed the room, Zoro couldn't even catch a hint of Luffy's screams. Having discovered a flight of stairs, he vaguely wondered if Kaya was up there. Gripping onto the unbearably hot rail, he stumbled upwards, placing one foot in front of the other. Vision almost completely gone, he knew that the girl had to be up those stairs. She wasn't anywhere else. So she had to be up those stairs. He placed one foot in front of the other, and felt his knees begin to buckle, his brain becoming oxygen starved. ...Kaya was just up those stairs...so he had to keep going...because Luffy was outside waiting for them both...

Meanwhile, Luffy sprinted down the hallway, looking in each room as he passed. But most of the rooms were becoming nothing but concentrated flames. Afraid Zoro was in one of those and burning to death right now, Luffy stopped to pull his singed clothing over his face as well as he could, jumping swiftly in and out of the rooms as he went. He could hardly see and it was becoming harder to think clearly with the swirling in his vision and mind, but he refused to give up. Zoro was in there because of him! He had not even had the chance to fully recover from Luffy's last assassination attempt, and now he may not even make it out of this one alive.

Coughing violently, Luffy stumbled back into the hallway. The building screeched, and he instinctively crouched when part of a beam collapsed into roiling ash and fire behind him. He started to straighten but then he realized he could see and breathe a little better crouched down like that. He began running again, holding his shirt over his face while he breathed but pulling it away every time he screamed Zoro's name as loudly as he could. "Zoro! Zoro! Come back! Zoro!"

By now, he was rapidly running out of clinic to search and he still didn't see his bodyguard. Luffy was certain he would be there, though. If not this step, or the next, or the next, then definitely within the next few after that. He was on his fourth rendition of that thought when he suddenly came upon some stairs. He stumbled into them, but decided that maybe Zoro would be upstairs. If not, then he would look more carefully in the rooms he had already checked. He was stumbling up the stairs, having trouble as it grew hotter and harder to see, and tripped over something heavy partially up. With one hand trailing the wall to lead him and the other trying to hold the top of his shirt in front of his face, Luffy was too startled to catch himself and went crashing into the stairs. Though it was painful and the surrounding stairway groaned alarmingly at the movement, Luffy was ecstatic to realize it was Zoro who was the obstacle.

Excited, Luffy ripped the shirt away from his mouth and yelled over the fire, "Zoro! There you are! Come on! Let's go! Kaya was already outside—isn't that funny?" He was grinning widely despite the surroundings, lightly shaking Zoro's shoulder.

But the swordsman remained still, slumped against the rail, his hand still limply clutching onto it. Another beam fell at the top of the stairs, flaming embers flying every which way.

After a few more times of shaking Zoro, Luffy realized that this just wasn't going to work, and it was Luffy's turn to save Zoro. Frowning, Luffy dropped his hands down to his shirt and ripped part of it away where it was already singed on the side and was easier to tear. Then he carefully tilted Zoro's head back and tied the cloth around his mouth and nose like a bandana. He hoped that made Zoro breathe easier and didn't suffocate him. Luffy decided he probably should just go really fast back out, then, to make sure it couldn't turn into something bad like it did every time he tried helping.

Moving around, he reached for Zoro's hand and tried to pull it off the railing so he could bring his friend with him out to safety. The swordsman's heavy weight fell against him, head lolling off to the side. Luffy would have fallen backwards down the stairs if Zoro's hand had not, even in unconsciousness, refused to let go of the rail. Accounting for the extra weight and getting a better stance, Luffy reached over to awkwardly pry at his fingers. It was slow going – Zoro was far stronger than Luffy was, and he appeared to be holding nothing back, even though he was not awake. Another beam fell at the bottom of the stairs, and Luffy's eyes burned furiously with the heat of the fire and smoke around them.

He started coughing, and had to muffle it in Zoro's shoulder when he realized he was breathing in more fumes each time he tried to recover. "Let go, Zoro," Luffy said impatiently, his voice somewhere near Zoro's ear as he continued to pull at his bodyguard's hand. "I'm here, ok? Just let go."

It took a little more prying, but once his fingers were free, Zoro's hand went completely limp. Despite his stance, Luffy still staggered, and found himself with Zoro's considerable dead weight to navigate down a creaking flight of stairs and out a burning building. The prospect did not really unnerve him, however. In his mind, he had already won. After all, he found Zoro, didn't he? He found him alive, and now they just had to get out so the doctors could look at him, and he would be fine.

Luffy started to drag him down the stairs, wishing he could avoid hurting Zoro's back, but the best he could do at the moment was hold Zoro under his arms and drag him down step by step. His legs flopped as they went, and Luffy tried to hold Zoro away from his body so his back wouldn't get pressed against him. It took him longer than he thought it would to get Zoro back to level ground, and he found himself coughing almost continually by that point after having to inhale so deeply to find the strength to move. He wavered for a moment as his vision began to stagger sideways, like he was tired, falling against the wall or something, and crashing into the ground and everything would turn black. But he was just standing still with Zoro in his arms, his legs still resting on the last step, and Luffy decided that he had just fooled his mind—his mind thought he fell over but he didn't, and so it was showing him what his vision would look like but really he could see fine. That's how he explained the dimming vision, anyway.

Looking back down at Zoro, Luffy started to drag him backwards down the hallway until he could get to a better place to reposition him. It was only his slow movement that saved them from being crushed by a sudden chunk of the wall crashing behind him. He could feel the heat billow against his back and more of his shirt burned away. His skin felt hot and tender and he wondered briefly if he would burst into flame if he kept wandering around inside. Luffy spared a glance behind himself, but the front door down the hallway seemed like forever away and he didn't want his skin to burn or Zoro to suffocate. So he looked at the rooms near him, and was pleased to see that one behind and to his left was not as full of fire as the others yet.

Dragging Zoro as quickly but carefully as he could into the room, Luffy kicked the door open and ignored it as it slammed open then back at him, causing him to stumble slightly. He dragged Zoro a bit into the room, looking around. Although the room had avoided most of the billows of flame from the rest of the building, some had still gotten in. The base of a lamp burned straight through and had tipped over sometime earlier, smashing out part of the window and littering glass across the floor. Frowning, Luffy took in a deep, searing breath, and hefted Zoro up until he got him roughly over his shoulder.

It was slower and a lot harder getting Zoro to the window like that, but at least Zoro was safe from the glass now. Some shards cut through the soles of his shoes, but Luffy paid no mind. He made it to the window, noting with relief that the room faced out of the building and not back into the courtyard, but there was still far too much glass in the frame to avoid cutting Zoro. So, shifting his dead weight to his other shoulder as best he could, Luffy reared back with his hand and punched the excess glass barehanded out of the window frame. Shards of glass splintered into his fingers but he kept hitting it out anyway, ignoring the blood, ignoring the pain and his rapidly dimming vision and how hard it was to breathe and how much it hurt to breathe...

Soon, enough glass was gone that Luffy didn't think Zoro would get hurt. He scraped away more of the shards on one side, then manhandled his bodyguard until he was able to get Zoro over the window, his legs dangling in the room and his head and arms dangling outside the clinic. An explosion of fire and heat rolled into the room suddenly from the hallway, throwing Luffy back a few steps from the shockwave, but Zoro was luckily unscathed.

If he didn't jump out first, the glass he just shoved out would hurt Zoro when he got him outside. So, Luffy pulled himself laboriously through the window, his hands collecting more fragments of glass to be imbedded deep within his bleeding palms, his knees now also getting scratched and cut, and finally his feet as he pulled them up and, bracing for impact, jumped out. He landed on the ground harder than he thought he would and was surprised to find himself falling to his hands and knees. The wind was almost knocked out of him, and for a few panicked, confused seconds, he couldn't seem to breathe correctly. But he could hear the clinic burning furiously behind him and Zoro still wasn't safe, so Luffy, again, ignored it. He forced himself to stand and, waiting first for his dizziness to pass, he ran back over and began pulling Zoro out as carefully as he could. He knew he was still going to be hurting Zoro but he couldn't help that. At least he was going to get him out alive!

Zoro's thighs cleared the window frame, then his knees, which suddenly bent to leave just the ends of his feet caught against the sill. Luffy held Zoro chest to chest, his arms under Zoro's arms and his hands touching Zoro's back as lightly as he could manage. He began to walk backwards, trying to get Zoro's feet out of the window. The building groaned and part of it collapsed in on itself, but Luffy didn't stop. Zoro's feet remained caught for a few more seconds before they gave so abruptly that Luffy overbalanced again and went slamming onto his back, his body breaking Zoro's fall. Winded, Luffy coughed violently and tried to catch his breath, his arms still protectively holding Zoro close. But even though they were out of the building, he knew they still weren't safe.

Slowly, he forced himself to stagger back to his feet. He couldn't let Zoro's poor feet drag on the ground still, so, once again, Luffy manhandled Zoro back up to hang over his shoulders. Most of Zoro's weight went on the almost healed shoulder that had been shot, the weight dredging up vestiges of pain and causing white dots to overcome Luffy's vision for a few heart-quickening moments. But he was stubborn enough that he was able to keep going. Zoro needed him. He couldn't let him get hurt anymore. He had to get him to the doctors.

Grunting, Luffy trudged with his heavy load back around to the front of the building, where he saw a mass of hysterical and worried people watching the building. Someone was screaming, asking if "they" were still inside, and as if to dramatically increase the tension, the clinic chose that moment to groan louder, shudder, and completely collapse on itself. The person screaming was louder, and there were so many voices overlapping each other that Luffy didn't even know who was talking anymore or what they were saying. He just kept walking toward the nearest group of doctors, his vision narrowed onto their singed white coats.

One of the doctors glanced over, and, shocked, started yelling for others to 'stop the search' while he and several of the other doctor ran toward the battered pair. Luffy watched them come then turned to look at the building. Or, what used to be the building. Now it was burning wreckage.

Luffy grinned down at Zoro just as the doctors swarmed around them, hurriedly asking questions and trying to see what they needed to do. The words were like so much white noise to Luffy, though, who found just enough concentration left inside to beam at his bodyguard. Even though Zoro probably couldn't hear him, he croaked, "See that, Zoro? We made it out!"

He paused, then laughed. The laughter soon became coughing that he could barely talk through. "I thought for sure we were gonna die!"

Coughing and unable to catch a proper breath, Luffy found himself sinking into unconsciousness even as the doctors rushed to save their lives.

To be continued...