Wonder what they'll find.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 5

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When he had suggested the search, Zoro thought of it as the perfect time to get away from a certain volatile blonde cook.

It wasn't that he was pissed at him or anything. It was simply he couldn't get the annoying fucker out of his head. The moment the bastard saved him back at the hotel room, his mind had been marinating in the images that refused to go away.

Now he found himself noticing little things. Not only noticing, but looking for them. He couldn't hear the sound of a match or a lighter striking without looking for that pallid face lit up by flame light. It was proving to be very distracting. Especially those damn hands. Zoro just couldn't get over those hands.

He actually noticed three little scars on the cook's thumb. Why something like that would even register was simply beyond him. Here he was, covered with various scars, but he continued to wonder how those three insignificant scars got onto those perfect hands.

His head just wasn't cooperating with him. Kept focusing on the stupidest things.

Yes. Time apart would be perfect.

"Oi! Keep up, Shit head! We got a lot of ground to cover!"

Of course, the word perfect never seemed possible in Zoro's world.

Traipsing along the sandy beach after the mouthy cook, Zoro was trying his best not to start a fight. "Why the hell were we dumped on the beach to search?" he grumbled while kicking a shell out of his path.

"Will you quit complaining?" Sanji snapped. "Chopper and Robin-chan went into town for supplies. Luffy and Usopp are helping Nami-san sail to the other side of the island since all the storms are coming from the west. We're the only ones left to search, and we can cover more ground faster. That's if you actually help me, Shitty marimo." he added dryly, but made no move to look back at the figure following him.

This situation wasn't helping Sanji's inner conflict either. 'This is so stupid.. This isn't like me.. I take what I want or woo it into submission..' The thought of trying either one towards the towering numbskull made his eye twitch.

It wasn't the fact he was a man. That probably mattered the least. It was just... 'He's Zoro...'

He couldn't even describe it. Which was probably the most irritating thing.

Luckily he was able to push those thoughts out of his head for a moment when he noticed the sunlight glinting off of something buried in the sand. He approached it and saw that it was some sort of yellow glass. His fingers pried it from the sand and he easily noticed the smudged label on the side. "Oi! Found one of Chopper's bottles. Get the list out."

Zoro's eyes narrowed at being ordered around, but he bit his tongue and complied. After fishing out the note from under his haramaki, he glanced through until he found where a yellow bottle had been listed. Marking through it, he looked over what was left. "There are three more bottles missing... Other than your knives and Usopp's goggles, the rest can be easily replaced." he commented before folding the list back up.

"I know, but it would be better if we could find at least a few more things." Sanji walked back to where the swordsman had stopped and stepped behind him to get at the back pack they had been given. He opened up the backpack and carefully placed the glass bottle in a box that Chopper had told them to use.

It was surprising that Zoro wasn't complaining about playing pack mule, but Sanji knew why. He also knew why the moss head was being so subdued to all of his insults. 'He doesn't want to get into a fight... Doesn't want me to get myself injured worse than I already am...' He closed up the backpack and allowed his hands to linger atop the shoulder straps.

They lingered a bit too long.

Feeling the contact stretch out into a full minute, Zoro glanced back only to see that far away gaze on the shadowed face. It was happening more often, and they seemed to grow more intense as the dark circle beneath the blue eye grew darker. A daze that the blonde was drawn into deeper and deeper as time passed.

It made Zoro worry what would happen if he was drawn in too deep.

He had to do something.

"Oi.. You look like shit."

The rude comment had Sanji blink in confusion before that flat glare was back on his face. "You certainly know how to charm a guy, Marimo." He roughly shoved the bastard away from him and trudged back down the beach.

At least he would have if a hand didn't clamp tightly on his wrist.

Sanji looked down at the hand detaining him, then back at the owner of the hand. There was a hard edge to the dark eyes watching him. He wasn't certain if he had ever seen that look before. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he asked as a frown furrowed his brow.

Reminding himself not to do anything to provoke a confrontation, Zoro silenced all the sarcastic thoughts that first popped into his head. He tightened his grip on the thin wrist and steeled himself. "You're exhausted. You haven't rested at all, and you're about to burn yourself out. We agreed with the others to search each day until we find the things that can't be replaced. We don't have to find everything right now." he stated calmly. He was actually proud of himself how he managed to keep his cool.

As was Sanji. Which made him that much more suspicious. "What exactly are you proposing?"

A quick glance around the area of beach they were at let Zoro catch sight of a large tree at the edge of the sand. The broad palm leaves blanketed the area below it in a nice shade. "Under that tree over there. You're going to spend some time resting."

Sanji looked at the tree in question. It didn't look like a bad spot to catch a quick nap, but he still couldn't let go of the little voice telling him to be on guard. He looked back to the swordsman and raised his visible brow. "And if I refuse?"

Zoro's eyes narrowed at being tested. "Then I'll let you wear your retarded ass out and cart you back to the ship before telling Chopper everything you've been keeping from him."

A threat?

No..

More than a threat.

"You fucking bastard... You're blackmailing me!" Sanji accused before jerking his hand away.

The accusation actually stung, but Zoro kept his expression neutral. "You're the only one that sees it that way. I see it as bringing our doctor's attention to a medical problem."

Put so blandly, Sanji knew that the moss head meant it. 'He's right... It's stupid of me to call it blackmailing, but that's still what it boils down to..' Unable to look into those glaring eyes, Sanji turned away and scrubbed at his face in frustration. "Dammit.. Fine. Just stop glaring at me."

Knowing that he had won this time, Zoro decided not to press his luck. He headed for the tree he had pointed out, and listened carefully for the muffled footsteps following not far behind him. Once at the tree, he shrugged off the backpack and sat it down on the sand along with his katana. He waited until the blonde plopped down ungracefully on the white sand before settling down himself. Seated, he watched with a frown at the way the cook automatically buried his face in his hands.

Silence stretched on for a long moment, but the normally brazen cook made no move to leave the slumped posture.

Zoro didn't like this. Where was the fire? The hostility? That explosive personality that drove him up the fuckin wall? 'Where is Sanji..?'

Finally he couldn't take it. He had to know.

"Dammit, what's wrong? Why are you acting like getting help is going to ruin you?" His voice was gruffer than he intended, but he needed to know. Even if he couldn't do anything else, he at least wanted to understand.

Despite everything, Sanji's hands were still like rock when they lowered from his face. He met the irritating swordsman's gaze, but past the anger he clearly saw the concern. Zoro was worried about him. Actually cared. It wasn't something he was used to.

"I'm not used to getting help." he finally stated.

That just seemed too simple. "There's gotta be more than that for you to put yourself through this shit." Zoro pushed none too gently.

Blue eyes narrowed as Sanji propped his elbows on his knees. "Sharks go into a frenzy when they smell blood in the water."

The gruesome analogy caused a bitter taste in Zoro's mouth. "Are you saying they pounced on a weakness back at that restaurant?"

A sarcastic snort left the blonde as he fixed his gaze on the stretch of sand between them. "That's putting it mildly. I was the youngest. I spent the first three years as nothing but a punching bag errand boy. I had to lie, cheat, steal, fuckin everything I could to get to the position I ended at. Asking for help was asking for a kick in the gut." Old memories were being stirred up that he would have preferred forgotten. He wasn't in the right state to deal with it, but it was easier than dealing with that damn glare.

Hearing that readily cleared up a lot for Zoro. But something didn't sound right. "Didn't that old guy look after you?"

Sanji gave a choked laugh and ran his hands through his hair. "He kept me alive, if that's what you mean. Stepped in before I got myself killed when I managed to piss off the wrong person." He let out a deep breath and allowed him to fall back on the soft sand. He didn't care about the pain it caused his back. He was glad of the distraction.

Zoro wanted to snap at him for being so careless with his injury, but that didn't sound like something he would say. 'Then again I haven't really been acting like myself at all.. Not around him...'

"You'll get sand in your wounds if you lay on your back like that." he stated instead. It was a simple fact. No harm in pointing out that.

"What do you suggest I lay on? ..." Sanji suddenly trailed off as a smirk curled his lips. He sat up straight and locked his half lidded eyes on the bemused stare that was fixed on him. 'Heh.. Definitely prefer that clueless stare...'

When the blonde began crawling the distance between them across the sand, Zoro's eyebrows shot up high. "What are you doing..?"

The waver in that deep voice had Sanji's smirk growing. "You told me not to lay on the sand." His hands reached up to the broad shoulders and gave them a firm shove.

Zoro was knocked back to the sand with a grunt. He was about to snap out an indignant growl, but his breath caught in his throat when a warm weight settled on top of him. His gaze shot down in time to see that blonde head resting on his chest. It really didn't register until he felt those strong hands fisting in his shirt. Sanji was.. Laying on him..?

"... What... Do you think you're doing..?" he managed to get out on a somewhat normal tone. This was insane.

Sanji hid his grin by nuzzling his face against the surprisingly soft white shirt the swordsman wore. "I'm getting some rest, like you told me. Now shut the fuck up. I'm trying to sleep here."

His grin shifted into a lazy smirk when he felt those strong arms hesitantly wrap around him. Surprisingly, the sound of Zoro's steady heartbeat did relax him considerably. The warmth around him and the almost bashful embrace was all it took for Sanji's fatigue to finally catch up with him.

As his eyes grew heavy he clutched tighter at the white shirt. "If I didn't know any better... I would start thinking you like me..." he mumbled quietly.

For some reason those words made Zoro tighten his hold on the blonde. "... Seems like it..."

A weak chuckle left the cook as his eyes finally slid shut. "Stupid Marimo... You're not supposed to fall for your rival.."

"Oi, I never said that..." When his complaint went unanswered, Zoro noticed that the blonde was breathing slow and deep. 'He.. He's asleep...'

Now that he wouldn't have to worry about ridicule, Zoro felt his cheeks heat slightly. He couldn't believe that the supposed ladies man would willingly try something like this. With him of all people. It felt so weird. It was too strange to really comprehend.

He glanced around a bit cautiously just in case he suddenly spotted anyone, but he immediately chided himself. 'I'm being paranoid.. What do I care if anyone sees... There.. There's nothing wrong with this...'

The moment his mind said it something seemed to fall into place. Nothing was wrong with it. They were supposed to look after one another. This was just another way to.

Zoro looked down at the head resting on his chest. His eyes followed the way the sun colored strands spilled onto his shirt. That blonde hair always looked so perfect. 'Just.. Just once..'

His right hand lifted up to the blonde locks. Gently, he let his fingers comb through the silky threads. It almost amazed him how soft the golden hair felt to his touch. He couldn't stop himself from continuing running his fingers through it. It was hypnotic watching the blonde hair spill through his fingers.

Everything seemed to slow to a crawl. The waves inched their way to the shore. Whispy white clouds hung in sky. The sounds dulled into nothing more than a hum. Zoro was entranced.

A perfect peaceful moment.

'This isn't good... It's hijacking all of my senses...' Zoro frowned, but it was short lived when he noticed the scent of smoke and a light cologne. It came from the hair he was playing with, so he craned his head forward to bury his face in the blonde silk. He took a deep breath in and held it. Committing that scent to memory.

On releasing the breath, Zoro let his head fall back carelessly to the sand. "Fuck... Something's happening here..."

What that was, he couldn't really say.

He didn't want to say.

'Still... This feels good..'

For the moment, that's all that mattered.

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He wasn't sure what stirred him from his sleep, but Sanji immediately recognized the snore that rumbled beneath him.

'What the hell..?'

His eyes snapped open and immediately took in his surroundings. He recognized the beach that stretched out in front of him, but the warmth that was wrapped around was something foreign to him. It was different than what he was used to. It was heavy, firm and hot. It felt like he was sleeping on top of a giant loaf of fresh baked bread.

'It feels kinda nice...'

The snore occurred again and had Sanji tilting his head up. Blue eyes grew wide the moment they saw the tan face of a familiar marimo. 'Z.. Zoro..?'

Balking at the position he was in, Sanji bit his lip hard to keep from shouting. 'What the hell am I doing here...?! Think think think!'

After a tense and frantic search of his memory, Sanji soon recalled being forced to rest by the blackmailing asshole. He also recalled who instigated their current position. When he finally remembered, Sanji let out a mental groan and buried his face in the white shirt.

'Dammit.. I forgot how impulsive I get when I'm fatigued...' It used to get him into a lot of trouble when he was younger, but he had managed to keep himself in check for a good while. The fact that he was in this situation now only proved to him how strung out he was getting.

After his heart finally slowed to normal, Sanji risked another glance up. Seeing the moss head sleeping this close was a bit weird. As was being in his grasp. Still, he couldn't deny that the position was comfy.

'And from the position of the shadows, we've been here for a good two hours... We should probably get up soon...'

Even though that's what he was thinking, Sanji made no move to leave his perch. He didn't really want to. 'Heh.. I must be crazy. Liking such an idiot marimo...' If he was really honest with himself, he would admit that he had always like the bastard. Not in the sense he was hinting towards now, but he always respected that bull headed moron.

With how Zoro was currently holding him, it was a bit apparent that Sanji meant at least something to him. Then again, they were nakama. They were supposed to mean at least something to one another.

'Meh... this is too complicated to worry about. Whatever happens happens. As long as he doesn't go all alpha male on me, I won't be forced to kill him.' Sanji mused as he allowed himself to relax against the body beneath him.

His eyes lazily lingered over the somewhat romantic scenery that surrounded him. Blue sky above. White sand that stretched out to the gentle waves lapping at the shore. Sound of the ocean mingling with the distant call of sea birds. The scent of tropical wild flowers dancing along the cool breeze. The feel of a warm body beneath his own.

This definitely appealed to his romantic side.

'Heh.. Just like marimo to do something that he is completely clueless of. Everything's just about perfect... If it wasn't for that black thing floating on the water, the view would be perfect.'

When his eyes followed the little black blob floating on the water, he noticed that it actually had a dark green sheen to it when the light hit it. 'Hm.. Kinda looks like cloth...'

'Cloth?!'

Blue eyes shot wide open when it looked as if the cloth was sinking into the water. "No... No!"

Hearing the shout immediately woke Zoro, but the feel of the form ripped from his arms had him sitting up abruptly. His guard was high as he immediately looked for any threats, but he soon locked on the blonde running for the water. "Sanji..?"

His eyes widened when the black shoes were kicked off before the cook began running into the surf. "Sanji! What the hell are you doing?!" he called out while scrambling to his feet.

By the time he ran to the water's edge, Sanji had already dove in. "Sanji!" Zoro's first impulse was to dive in after him and drag his ass back to land. But he stopped himself. There was a purposeful edge to the blonde's movements. Like he was after something in the water.

"Maybe.. He spotted something.." he mumbled to himself as he waited.

His concern spiked higher the further Sanji swam out. It took all of his restraint to stay put when the cook eventually went under the water. Seconds ticked by agonizingly slow to the point Zoro was struggling not to dive in. After a full minute passed, Zoro's teeth were clenched tightly along with his trembling fists.

'I'll give him ten more seconds..'

Luckily the full ten weren't needed when that blonde head finally breached the water. Zoro could hear the gasp Sanji took for air and watched closely as that thin form began swimming back for shore.

He waited with a scowl on his face until the idiot cook was on his feet walking through the surf towards him. "What the fuck was all that for? You just ruined your bandages. What was so important it couldn't wait two fucking minutes to wake me up for?" he asked flatly. He couldn't stand it anymore. That damn curlicue was just taking too many careless risks.

Sanji came to a stop a few feet in from of the glaring man. The waves were still lapping at his bare feet as the water dripped off of his body. He glanced down at his right pants pocket and reached inside. "It was sinking too fast. If I had waited, the undercurrent would have swept it away before I could tell you."

Zoro was about to demand what when a familiar piece of cloth was slowly pulled out of the pocket. 'My... Bandana...' He had given up on ever finding it, but now it was being held out to him by the pale hands that commanded his attention. The astonishment was written on his face as he reached out to take the soaked bandana. Once it was in his grasp, it could only stare at it for a moment before looking back at his comrade.

For some reason that blonde head was bowed, causing the dripping locks to hide his eyes. The sight had Zoro frowning. "Why did you go to the trouble?" he asked quietly.

The soaked head lifted to show a confused frown creasing the pale brow. "Why..? Because it's important to you. I couldn't let sink without at least trying to get it back."

It was the last thing Zoro expected to hear. Seeing the open honesty in that single blue eye tugged at something deep inside his chest. He didn't even attempt to resist the urge to brush the dripping curtain of bangs aside so he could see all of that beautiful face. 'Yeah.. He is beautiful.. I can admit that..' he mused to himself.

His hand moved to carefully cup the damp face. He allowed his thumb to trace the curve of Sanji's cheek. That skin was so smooth. Flawless. And those pale lips. They looked soft.

Sanji allowed the contact, to his own surprise. He was making his own observations, but it was all things he had seen before. He liked the caramel color of Zoro's skin. The strong angles of his face. That calm gleam in the dark eyes. 'No.. There's something different in those eyes...'

He didn't have long to ponder the difference when he noticed the space between them was no longer there. The dark eyes were filling his vision as a soft touch pressed against his lips. Although the contact startled him, Sanji didn't pull away. Instead he allowed his eyes to close as his lips returned the gentle pressure.

It was a chaste kiss. Simple, but more than adequate. Neither of them pressed for anything further than the tender contact, but they both lingered for several moments. Taking in the warmth they felt from the other's presence.

Zoro was the first to break the kiss, but he didn't pull away. His hand raised up to tangle in the wet locks as he pressed their foreheads together. There he merely held on for a few seconds until a deep breath finally left him. "Thank you, Sanji..." he mumbled quietly.

Sanji kept his eyes closed, but a smile curled his lips. "Stupid Marimo.. I told you that you shouldn't be falling for me."

The playful hint in those words pulled a soft chuckle from Zoro. "I'm trying not to. You being a curly brained nut job. I'd go crazy dealing with all your spastic shit."

"Like you're any better. All you do is eat, sleep, growl and piss me off." Sanji's eyes finally cracked open. The first thing that greeted him was a barely there smile that ghosted over both the dark lips and the eyes locked onto him. There was a gentleness in that expression that Sanji had never seen before. A gentleness that he didn't think was possible.

His smile turned into an exasperated smirk as he let his own hand raise up to run through that strange green hair. It was thick, but soft. 'Heh... It feels like clover...' After threading his fingers through the green strands, Sanji let out a restless sigh. "Dammit.. Why do you always surprise me?"

An amused hum left Zoro at the frustrated question. "I believe I'm giving what I get." On some strange impulse, Zoro took up his bandana and began tying it around Sanji's head.

Sanji blinked at the strange act, but he stayed still until the wet fabric was tied secure at the back of his head. It felt weird, but he was soon smirking at his companion. "What? I don't look like enough of a pirate for you?" he teased, his hand dropping down to rest on the green haramaki.

Secretly admiring the way his bandana looked on the blonde, Zoro gave a light snort. "Actually, I always thought you looked like an overpriced hitman for some crime syndicate."

"Overpriced, huh? I'm slightly insulted." Sanji gave a shove to the wall of muscle and wandered away to where he had kicked off his shoes.

Zoro watched that slender figure bend over to collect his shoes. He could see the lines of the bandages beneath the soaked shirt, but a little sadistic part of his mind was glad. This meant that the blonde would need his aid again. Twisted, yes, but the thought of Sanji needing him did something to him.

He followed the cook back to where he had left his katana and the backpack in the shade of the palm tree. There the blonde snatched up the backpack and rummaged through its various pockets. Soon he pulled out his black cigarette case and a lighter.

Again he was left staring as the damp face was lit up after a strike of the lighter.

Sanji took a drag off of his fresh cigarette and held it in deep. That blissful feeling relaxed him as his eyes closed. After a drawn out moment he let out the smoke in a long stream until his lungs were empty. "Mm... Answer a question for me, Marimo."

An eyebrow lifted at the mellow tone, but Zoro decided to play along. "Sure."

Instead of asking his question, Sanji first took another drag. His eyes were still closed as he attempted to put his thoughts into words. After a moment he let out the smoke and spoke. "Are you getting closer to me because you want to be closer..." His eyes cracked open and locked on the swordsman. "Or are you trying to honor some sense of obligation because I was wounded when I saved you?"

The question made a heavy weight fall to the pit of Zoro's stomach. He wasn't sure how to answer. Having those cool blue eyes fixed on him made it all the more difficult to string his words together. 'Dammit.. I.. I don't want to piss him off...'

When the normally blunt man hesitated, another smirk twitched over Sanji's features. It was a strange smirk. Strained. "I see. That's fine." Shoes safely tucked away in the crook of his right arm, the cook calmly turned and walked with a casual stride barefoot across the warm sand. "Do what you have to do, Zoro. I won't stop you." he called out with wave of his hand.

The sudden departure startled Zoro. "Oi... Sanji, wait!" When the blonde kept walking, he growled to himself as he gathered up the backpack and his katana. The moment he had everything he moved quickly to catch up. 'He really doesn't seem angry.. Or disappointed.. It's like he already knew my answer...' For some reason that only made his building guilt grow.

Guilt was what made him want to tend to the idiot. 'Dammit.. No wonder he's walking away from me... He's thinking I'm only being nice because I owe him...' It was part of the reason, but Zoro was finding it was more than that.

He...

Liked Sanji.

'I guess now I have to prove it.'

Somehow that sounded like a potentially deadly task.

'Heh.. Might be fun.'

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TBC

You can do it, Zoro!

Maybe.

Later~