Never a moment's rest.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 3

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It had been such a pleasant night.

"Tie those crates down! Hurry!"

Sanji was baffled at what made him extend the invitation. A strange sense of obligation, perhaps. He didn't expect to actually sort of like the time he spent in the Marimo's company.

Zoro was amazed at how easily he spent the hours quietly drinking with that blonde idiot. The bottles of sake that he was allowed to open surprised him. It was stuff that he had never seen before. Bottles from Sanji's personal stash.

"That leak below deck has started up again! Usopp!"

"I'm on it!"

Neither of them said much. More than likely as a way to ensure they didn't piss each other off during their unspoken truce. Still, as time wore on, it was proving to be pretty nice. It was almost like they were friends.

"Can we sail out before the storm's on top of us?!"

"The tide's receding too far out, Nami-san!"

"Dammit, that's not good! A big wave must be on its way!"

"Shit! I see it!"

"No choice, it's coming in too fast! Everyone back to shore! We need to get to higher ground!"

It was a pity it had to be cut short.

Their frantic struggle to back to dry land was drowned out by the howling winds that lashed out with a harsh rain. Their retreating forms were pelted mercilessly with the heavy drops and the cutting wind. At a few points they even had to protect themselves from hailstones that suddenly began dropping from the ominous black sky.

It seemed to take forever just to reach the tree line, but they didn't stop once they were under the cover of the green canopy. They moved as fast as they could for the cliff face that they had passed the day before. Dodging the debris that was gradually getting bigger as the winds increased in speed.

Luffy was at the front of their frantic procession. Knocking away any objects that tried to obstruct their path. Zoro was towards the center. Keeping an eye on everyone and making sure everyone was keeping up. Sanji was at the back. He continued to glance over his shoulder towards the coastline. Gauging how much time they had before all hell broke loose.

His blue eyes widened when he saw the towering white capped wave looming straight above the beach. "Shit!" He shot his attention to the front of the group. "Luffy! Grab the girls! We're out of time!" he shouted before scooping Chopper up into his arms.

The captain didn't think to question his cook. Luffy wrapped his left arm around Nami as his right shot out towards the top of the cliff. "Robin!"

Robin made no hesitation in wrapping her arms around her captain's shoulders. The moment her hold was secure, Luffy shot up with the two ladies to the top of the cliff.

"Waaah! We're gonna diiie!!" Usopp cried out as he kept running towards the cliff. "Why do the girls always get saved first?! What about Captain Usopp?!"

Zoro gritted his teeth when the plaintive wail proved even louder than the storm. "Now isn't the time to complain, idiot!"

"Oi! Usopp!"

Usopp looked back when he heard his name, but immediately had the wind knocked out of him when a ball of brown fur collided into him. "Waah! Wait.. Chopper?" He blinked when he saw that he was now holding the little doctor.

Chopper seemed in a daze as well, but he shook out of it to look back at the blonde that threw him. "Sanji! Hurry!"

Jerking his attention back, Zoro locked his eyes on Sanji in time to see the cook kicking away a large uprooted tree that had been about to slam into their group. There was something off, though. The kick didn't seem to have the usual force behind it. 'Wait.. That kick should have broken that tree into splinters..'

When Sanji seemed to stagger once his feet touched back on the ground, Zoro's eyes widened. The blonde's movements were sluggish. Like his reaction time was being weighed down. Something was seriously wrong.

"Sanji! Move your ass!" Zoro called out sharply when the cook had yet to catch up.

The blonde felt his heart pounding in his head for some reason. His vision swam, and for a moment everything around him felt muffled. 'Shit.. I've lost too much blood...'

"Sanji!"

Hearing his name shouted once more, Sanji snapped back to his senses long enough to start moving for the cliff. Ahead of him, the figures waiting at the base of the cliff looked blurred. The longer he looked forward, the more his vision began tunneling. It felt a lot like vertigo. 'Dammit.. Blood loss and drinking don't mix...'

A bit relieved now that the cook was heading towards them, Zoro turned his attention towards the top of the cliff. He knew it would take too long to climb, but he didn't have to worry when he saw a familiar rubbery arm shooting down. He grabbed Usopp by the front of his overalls and jerked him in the path of the reaching hand. "Hold Chopper tight!"

"Wha? Wait! WAAAHHH!!" the sounds of both Usopp and Chopper squealing cut through the sounds of the storm as they were both rocketed up the cliff.

Satisfied they were safe, Zoro turned his attention back towards the blonde that was finally reaching him. "Oi.. You okay..?" he asked on noticing how much paler the cook seemed to be.

Forcing himself not to gasp for breath, Sanji snorted and calmly reached for a cigarette. "Just peachy, Marimo."

Zoro knew that was a lie. He looked closely when that glow lit up the blonde's face. Now he could easily catch the dark circle beneath the visible eye. 'He's exhausted...'

He couldn't make a comment when the sound of a crashing roar began rumbling towards them. The storm surge was tearing through the land heading straight for their direction. Trees were toppling like dominos as the water cut them down. The rate of their falling showed how fast it was moving. All the land around them would be swallowed any minute.

A plume of smoke was blown into Zoro's face and broke him from his thoughts. Zoro immediately glared at the smirk that was on the blonde's face. "What?" he asked on a grunt.

Sanji's smirk turned slow and lazy. He casually tapped the ashes off his cigarette and gave a thoughtful hum. "Never noticed you're kinda cute when you're worried."

A strange feeling coiled around Zoro at the weird look he was getting. "What the hell are you babbling about?"

Without answering, Sanji reached out and took hold of the tan chin. He leaned in close until their noses were almost touching. Until their lips were almost touching. He could feel the rigid tension that fell over the broad frame. It made him smile.

On impulse, he just barely allowed his lips to ghost over Zoro's and across his cheek to the pierced ear. "Zoro..."

Zoro could smell the smoke and lingering scent of alcohol from their drinking session not long ago. The barely there contact sent chills through his spine as his heart pounded through his chest. 'He's just drunk.. That's it.. Light weight can't handle liquor...' he thought in a weak attempt to deny the feelings that were trying to make themselves known. Feelings that twinged a bit stronger when those pale lips brushed over his piercings.

"Zoro.." Sanji breathed out his name like a quiet prayer. "Take care of the others for me."

Dark eyes grew wide an instant before a harsh force plowed into his gut. The air was ripped from his lungs at the sudden blow, but he barely registered it before he was jerked to the side. At that moment he felt a familiar grip clamp onto his shoulder. A quick glance showed him Luffy's hand clutching him tight. On realizing he had been shoved into the hand's path, Zoro instantly shot his gaze to the still smiling cook.

That damn fucking fatalistic smile...

Not even bothering to think, Zoro let out a vicious growl and charged forward before the hand could retract. He was able to grab the front of the blue t-shirt that now hid the cook's wounds. With a jerk forward that startled the blonde, Zoro pulled Sanji hard against his chest. His arms locked tight around the thin form pressed against him just in time for the both of them to be dragged up into the air.

Zoro's eyes were clenched along with his teeth as he kept his death grip on that damn blonde idiot. The air whistled past their ears as they picked up speed until the inevitable release that would send them into the harsh impact they were accustomed to from their spastic captain. The moment he felt the grip gone from his shoulder, Zoro twisted his body in time for his back to collide hard into the trunk of a towering tree. He could hear the wood cracking from the force of the blow, but it proved stronger and held its ground.

Still, Zoro wasn't thrilled about the rough landing. "Dammit... I'm gonna kill that rubber bastard one day." he grunted under his breath.

Another cloud of smoke suddenly blew into his face. Forcing his eyes to open. He was greeted to the site of a half lidded blue eye dangerously close. When he focused on the pale face, he was baffled by the pouting glare that was fixed on him. "Uh.. What are you looking at me like that for..?"

Sanji kept his glare steady as he reached up and flipped the tip of Zoro's nose hard. "Shitty Marimo. You made me waste a perfectly good heroic goodbye. You can't plan that kinda shit." A deep sigh left him as he looked away to take another drag from his cigarette. "Damn kelphead. No sense of dramatic flare."

Zoro watched blankly as the blonde let out a long column of smoke. He couldn't believe what was just said. "You... Are you completely brain dead?! Heroic goodbye?! What the fuck is that shit about?! Are you telling me you wanted to me to let you die?!"

The cook let out a soft hum and casually flicked his spent cigarette away. "So confident that I would die... I'm hurt you have such little faith in me, Marimo." Another slow smirk curled onto the pale lips as he gave a sly look to the moss head. "Here I thought we bonded." he teased with a wide grin.

Nearly balking at the cheesy line, Zoro pushed the blonde away from him. "Asshole! Stop saying weird shit!" When all he got was a low chuckle in reply, Zoro let out a frustrated groan. He pinched at the bridge of his nose for a moment in a weak attempt to calm himself. "What the hell are you trying to do? Why do you keep trying to save me?"

That question seemed to give the cook pause. The grin fell from Sanji's lips as he looked towards the green canopy above them. "I ask myself that same question..."

Silence fell over them as they both were left with unanswered questions. A strange tension followed that kept the both of them quiet as the rain drops filtered through the leaves over head. All of the progress that had been made felt strained. Like the slightest motion could rip it apart and they would revert back to where they started. The way they hesitated to even move spoke enough in itself.

"Dammit, Luffy! Why did you throw them into the woods?!"

"Haha! Sorry! Sorry!"

"Don't bother apologizing if you're going to grin like that!"

"Sanji! Zoro! Are you okay?! Where are you?!"

Zoro glanced back at the direction their nakama's voices came from, but his attention was drawn to the thin figure casually stuffing his hands into his pockets. Suddenly his mind drifted to the sensation of having that confident hand holding his chin. When it finally dawned on him exactly what the cook had done to him, he wasn't sure if he should be pissed or not. "Oi... What was that earlier?"

Sanji glanced back in mild interest. "What was what?"

For some reason that pulled another growl from Zoro. "Bastard.. You know damn well what I'm talking about!"

All he received was a raised curled brow.

Gritting his teeth, Zoro took a step away from the dented tree towards the blonde. "At the bottom of the cliff.. You almost... Before you kicked me..."

Realization suddenly lit up Sanji's visible eye as that smug smirk returned as strong as ever. "Guess neither of us will ever know." He didn't leave Zoro time to respond as he turned for the direction of the voices. "Nami-swan! Robin-chwan! I'm over here, my loves!" he called out before taking off through the trees.

Left alone in the midst of the trees, Zoro felt his frustration quickly rising. "Fuckin curlicue.. Why the hell did I bother saving him.." But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get the memory of those lips out of his head. The path they had taken to his ear still tingled. The sensation had his hand reaching up to trace that path before he knew what he was doing.

"Dammit.." He jerked his hand away from his face a took a deep breath.

He could still smell the smoke that lingered in the air.

"Dammit... What the hell is he doing to me..."

"Zoro! Where are you?!"

Steeling himself, Zoro trudged his way out of the woods.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get that smirk out of his head.

'Shitty demon cook...'

He had a bad feeling the shittiness had only just begun.

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TBC

Such tension.

Later~