REWRITTEN!

A HUGE THANKS to Mari-chan (Skriblerier) And Mei-chan (Silvey115) for Beta-reading this chapter! I owe you two big! ^o^

Enjoy!

Taste of bittersweet Disaster

-A One Piece fan fiction

By Crystal Blue Fox

You're like a star on the sky;

So clear and shining…

So close, that you can almost be held in my hand,

Yet so far so that I can't even touch you…

Are these feelings good or bad?

And what is it?

8. Chapter

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Gazing upon a single Star

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The stars are beautiful tonight on this cloud-free evening. Oliver stares up at them with a childish amazement, legs crossed, hands wrapped around thin ankles, before his gaze falls on the plate before him. He'd made his favourite dish; roasted bacon-wrapped rabbit with roasted potatoes glazed with red wine sauce. Nothing but finger food, the kid loved to dip both the meat and potatoes in the sauce and savour the taste, before chewing it down. Like now, Nicki realises, as he watches the kid hum a tone of satisfaction.

"This is SO GOOD!" Oliver exclaims and shows one up to Nicki "You HAVE to taste some!" Nicki chuckles, snuffs his cigarette to hide the rest in his pack of smokes, and steps up to take the offered meat. How'd you got on this idea? It's SO great!" Oliver continues and keeps on while digging into his dish.

They'd said he'd gotten a concussion there led to an amnesia. He didn't even remember his own name, and this obliviousness almost made him a whole other joyful person. He hadn't been treated the way like their shipmate in the infirmary, who now fought against a high fever, thank God. Chopper had checked, though he'd gotten a strange look from Oliver at the request to make an intensive examination. He'd been beaten, yes, but not… that.

Nicki takes a seat right next to his friend. He looks at the glazed rabbit leg he was offered, smells to it and then bites. Yes, it tastes just like his.

"You know, this might sound strange," the kid says watching the sky above them, as Nicki cleans the tender meat from the bone "But this somehow feels familiar."

Nicki looks at him surprised, then smiles fondly as he lays the licked bone amongst the others on the now clean plate.

"Neh?" Oliver turns his way. A star is shining in his bright blue eyes. He wants to reach out to grab that star and hold it close, for never to let it go again.

-TOBD- TOBD- TOBD—

He's in pain again, wrenching his body in the bed as he clenches his teeth, trying to bite the aching. Yet another attack. Chopper says something incoherent, as he gives him yet another dose of sedation, a higher dose than last time. Apparently the cook somehow has grown resistant to low dosed medicine. Not waiting for the medicine to take fully effect, the small doctor once again cleans his hooves, for then to continue patching, as he called it, the complex wounds.

They were all gathered, inside and outside the infirmary. Yet another sniffle comes from Nami, as she stands close to a comforting Robin and a very silent Usopp. Brook and Franky is at the door, only the whisper of the crying violin is to be heard, playing the tune of feelings they all feel.

And then there is Luffy. Zoro doesn't need to look to know, that the thick antagonism hanging in the air comes mostly from him, and himself. Ever since the cook started breathing again and got that oxygen mask over his face, the captain had barely spoken a word.

"I've never seen anything this complex, even Zoro's wounds are a child's play compared to this." Chopper sighs, as he switchs to another tool and grabs the needle with the thread there would dissolve after a couple of weeks. "I can sew the muscles back together, but there's barely any layer of skin to close the wounds up with so it can heal faster."

No one says anything, only the atmosphere gets graver at those words.

As he sighs and stretches in his full high, Chopper is finally done with the upper torso, the arms and the back…now he only needs to check down there. Zoro tightens his grip on his arm, as he stands in the corner arms crossed, watching every movement with high intensity, and it doesn't help his mood either, whenever the wench jabs about how it's all her fault. Her fault? They were all at fault at accusing the blond for something he hadn't even control over, no less his own fault. He should know the cook well enough to know the man could hold his alcohol, and if getting too much, he'd mostly just sit quietly and smile his stupid smile while giving compliments to everyone with boobs and long legs, before finally falling asleep. Never anything near like that evening.

The cook gulps and hisses, as Chopper carefully touches the leg there were bent in an inhuman way. Just looking at it hurts. Chopper only hesitates for a moment, before he lays both hooves over it and feels it up. The cook goes three shades paler, while Chopper's expression goes three shades darker.

"It's not only broken, it's completely twisted out of its socket." he informs them "I have to make an operation on his leg as well. I pray that none of his ligaments are torn, if so…" He looks at them all before he speaks again "it will crave a miracle for Sanji to be able to walk again."

A sniff is heard outside the door, the violin almost halts.

"Can you fix it?"

"Huh?" Chopper looks confused at Zoro, even Luffy blinks at him, apparently taken the words out of his mouth.

"Can you fix it?" he repeats.

"Uh, ungh!" The little reindeer answers and nods. "It will take some time, but…" he trails of and looks pleadingly up at the archaeologist who nods knowingly.

"Come here, Navigator-san, I think it will do us good to get some sleep, that way we can be more of help if Chopper needs us." She says, as she guides a broken Nami out of the room. Brook catches on fast, Franky as well, who reaches in to close the door, but halts and looks at Usopp to follow. Usopp drops his gaze and then looks at their fever-stricken cook, panting in the bed. He's about to protest, as Zoro lays a hand on his shoulder. He looks almost pleadingly up at him, but knows that there's nothing to say, and sighs in defeat and nods. As he's at the door, he looks at Luffy, whose gaze are fixed on the blond in the sickbay. Then he turns and Franky closes the door after him.

"When the anaesthesia starts to work in a few minutes, I need you to hold his leg." Chopper says, as he places a now empty needle aside, and looks at Zoro. He says nothing but does as told. As Chopper gives him the sign, Zoro takes hold, while the doctor grabs the broken leg, makes sure one last time that the local anaesthesia is working by prodding to the knee, nothing, and then with a scalpel he cuts the knee open. The blond hiss and groans in discomfort.

"Oi,"

"It'll never be able to work a hundred percent when it has something to do with the nerve system, therefore, make sure you have a good hold in him now, this'll hurt!" Chopper explains and takes a deep breathe. "Hold tight!" He repeats, as he grows into his monstrous human form and pulls some more fitting gloves on. He grabs around the shin tightly, holds his breath and with a finger he presses it into the wound and forces the bone out of its socket, while twisting it back in its proper place. Sanji doesn't scream, he screeches in pain. Chopper has already given him a high dose sedative, painkillers and whatsoever, if he gave him anymore, he'll kill him instead. The choice between plague or cholera, so to say.

Zoro winces, just the look of it, and those sounds make it coil inside of him and scrape against his bones. "Don't let go!" Chopper orders and presses the kneecap back into place. The blond lets out a moan of pain and shudders, as Chopper keeps his finger in the wound. "I need to work through the ligaments to test their sturdiness." He explains, as if he can read his mind, and frowns. "This isn't good. It's not cut all the way through, but close." He mumbles to himself, so that only Zoro hears him.

"Chopper?" Luffy asks worried, more than he already is, nails close to tearing through the skin of his own arms.

"It's only held together with a very thin string. I have to be careful with this, very careful. Luffy, please help me. Wash your hands and give me a needle and the threat over there." Luffy is already at the sink, before he can finish his sentence, happy to finally be able to do something other than just stand and watch, and gives Chopper what he need, who with high carefulness pulls his finger back out and begins closing the muscles back together, before closing the wound. Luffy grabs whatever their doctor needs, while Zoro keeps his hold at the trembling leg. Then they both gets ordered to hold the broken leg carefully and instructed where to hold, while Chopper carefully lays gypsum around it. The whole leg gets packed in. Zoro watches the reindeer's eyes as he works, and he sees it, the worry of not whether it'll heal or not, but if Sanji ever will be able to walk after this.

As Chopper finishes his work, he doesn't hesitate to begin with the next "project", even though it's clear how tired he is, no wonder, he's been working first on that kid who'd lost his memories, and right onto Sanji. That's more than eight hours. But breaks can be fatal, he'd told them that once before, back when Zoro needed a heavy patch up after a nasty wound were inflicted on him after a fight with some marines.

Chopper lifts the bedsheet enough to take a peek, then gasps and pales.

"Chopper," Luffy says, dangerously low "tell us the truth. Have they… have he been…" He knows it, or at least he has a flight suspicious about it.

Chopper nods sadly. "Yes, I'm afraid so, and pretty badly as well."

Zoro groans and can't hold back anymore. He lets out his frustration on the wall, he doesn't even hear Franky complain about it. For the first time not caring if he should punch a hole right through it.

Chopper pushes the cook's other leg so it bends – the other already supported up with ropes so it can heal properly, without stressing the knee too much as well – to get a better look and work more freely. He doesn't like the grave frown on the reindeer, as he spreads the cook's legs carefully further apart. Whatever else he did, made the blond flinch and cry out in his drugged sleep, his body trembling and twisting to get away from his touch. Chopper swallows hard. "His… they hurt him pretty bad, both places." He says.

"How bad?" Zoro asks this time. Chopper looks at him, he barely has to say it.

"Really bad," Chopper sighs and turns back into his smaller form "to tell you the truth, it'll be a miracle if I can patch him properly up in there." He looks up at the cook's pain strained face, and then looks back down. "They've been pretty rough with him, in more than one way. It's clearly that Sanji have fought his fight to avoid the inevitable." His hooves trembles and he clearly does his best to keep his tears at bay.

"Those bastards…!" Zoro hisses.

"Chopper, do your best," Luffy says, clearly trying his best to keep his rage under control "And what we've seen or talked about in here, stays within us three."

No need to tell it twice.

The small doctor goes around to find what he needs, then returns with a bottle of some salve, that he smears around on the outside and the inside of Sanji's anus. The cook sighs and seems to relax, as the medicine starts to work. Five minutes pasts, exactly, Chopper are even watching the clock over the door, before he starts to operate.

Minutes pasts, both Luffy and Zoro keeps their distance as the reindeer had asked them to do – this was too private for Sanji, they both knew and respected this. Sanji though, had finally fallen asleep. As Chopper were done, he once again took a blood sample and checked it up for the third time.

"Zoro, back when you found him in that building, you never told us what happened. may I ask; what did you see?" Chopper finally says, and Zoro suddenly feels very guilty. If he only had used his head properly and acted fast, the cook wouldn't be in such a state as now. "Did they drug him? And that wound on his chest,"

"He broke his ribs and pulled his heart out." Zoro finally admits, practically spits it out in spite. He doesn't have to look to know their horrified expressions. "Don't ask me how he survived that, but that Hunter-guy gave him some kind of blood-thickening medicine," he recalls, the scene back then as clear, as had it only happened yesterday. Chopper nods with a hum. "And, I'm not sure, but there was a time where I had the feeling that the cook couldn't see me, or anything at all, and panicked."

"How did his eyes look like? Any kind of description; was the pupil large, small, did they look white, red or normal colour?"

Zoro shakes his head. "I don't know for sure, I didn't get that close to him, but I think that they were normal coloured, after what I could see at his one eye." Zoro points to his own eye.

"Some kind of a drug that goes in and irritates the nerves in the eyes, and therefore disturbs the sight and vision of it... Not knowing how it works like, it's hard to give an antidote against it, like; is the vision blurred, white, sharp, watering or completely black. Lucky it seems to be out of his system by now since he could see Lu-"

"I didn't say that he could see me," the captain protests, not looking up from the cook's face. "I said that he responded when he heard me."

"Oh," Chopper says disappointed and goes utter quiet after that.

It's almost four o'clock in the morning before Chopper finally are done, and almost collapse as he sighs in satisfaction. Luffy grabs him before he hits the floor and holds him in his arms.

"You did great, Chopper," he praises and gives him a proud smile. "Sleep tight." Chopper mumbles some incoherent words, before he's fast asleep seconds later. Luffy smiles calmly and walks to sit next to Zoro on the floor, arms around Chopper as if he's a comforting teddy bear. Zoro keeps his act as if sleeping and hears the rubbery arm stretch, before a feeling of a blanket being tucked around him. Quirking a barely visible smile, he waits, until he hears the undefinable sound of soft snoring from both of his nakama, before opening his eyes. He looks at the sleeping cook, turning in his fever-stricken dreams, mumbling incoherent words.

"Hey Whoa! What the fuck? Stop freaking touching my ass all the time, grass-head!"

The memories of the last day before disappearing keeps returning back. They fought, argued as per usual, but only afterwards has he realised how angry the blond had been, when he thought Zoro had been touching him, almost panicked.

"The hell, cook?!"

"Stop fucking touch me all the time, you damn pervert!"

"I wouldn't even want to touch someone like you anyways with a fire poker!"

Those words had perhaps been to cross the line, 'cause Sanji had suddenly silenced. Instead of starting a fuss over it, or even a bloody fight, he just walked off after kicking the table. Had those words made him walk in the opposite direction of the ship?

Zoro rarely regretted anything, but this, saying those words, accusing the blond for his stupid drunken behaviour. He had been blind, hadn't thought straight, hadn't given it a single thought of Sanji's behaviour being more than unusual, even out of character. The cook wasn't like that, he reminded himself again. It was actually the only time he was tolerable being around without all that cursing and nagging to fight. He was nice to be with, it was the only time Zoro and Sanji could have a normal conversation, without biting each other's heads off, if he wasn't fast asleep for that matter.

The memory of Hunter standing with the cook's beating heart in his hand, resurfaces, as he squeezed, sending a choking jolt through Sanji's naked body.

And then that expression of giving up the want to live, instead wishing for anything to end the horrible pain, an expression there didn't belong to the shit-cook that he knew so well. Normally, even in the most horrible of times, he fought, kept pushing, kept burning with that dangerous fire of his. Sanji is a fighter, to see a strong person like that, slowly dissolving before him, hurt deep inside of him.

Zoro wakes from his deep thoughts, as he hears a wet splat. The wet cloth to cool the cook's feverish head now lays on the floor. He's gasping, wrenches in his sleep, fingers working in the sheets, seemingly having a nightmare, hopefully it won't lead to another attack.

Zoro rises from the floor, careful not to wake the two others, they need their sleep, and walks up to the sickbay. He collects the wet cloth from the floor, cleans it in cold water from the faucet, before replacing it back on the cook's temple.

He halts. An urge to move the sweat covered bangs aside from the cook's face overwhelms him. His right hand is already moving up to it, while his mind debates whether or not to do it, and moves underneath the golden bangs, carefully running his fingers lightly over the hidden part of the face.

He freezes as a hand shoots up and grabs his wrist.

Sanji looks at him with a tired painful expression. Even as drained as the cook is, he still has strength in those fingers.

"Dho…" the cook pants "don't… don't touch me, please, don't…" The grasp around his wrist loosens, before a single blue eye rolls back in his head. "…please…" the cook begs, breathing even faster than before "…don't…" Even so, Zoro can't help it and dares to move a finger to touch the skin underneath the bangs. Then he understands, as he feels the gnawed flesh of a scar, running from the hairline, over the closed eyelid and only stopping right before touching the chin. This scar isn't new.

He wants to see it. Even though the cook told him no, he now, more than ever, wants to see it with his own eyes. But for the cook's sake, he kills his curiosity and places the wet cloth there instead. He needs this privacy, needs to know that he has it, though, the wisp of curiosity still wants to prod about its history.

Zoro's about to grab himself a chair, but he's stopped as the hand still hasn't released him. It's trembling, as if afraid to let go, yet not knowing for sure if holding on is okay either. He's looking at him, yet can't meet his eyes. His proudness of a man has been crushed. Being… treated like that, it's horrible enough being a woman and be treated like that, but as a man being treated like that… because they couldn't talk about it, their pride didn't allow them to talk about it, and in these times, if it came out that a man had… that, then they were taken for nothing but a weakling, not a man, even less than the dirt they stepped on. A man was supposed to be strong, to protect themselves, was the world's twisted sight on humanity. Idiotic. Man or woman, it didn't mean anything, it was just as horrible for both parts, why is it worse for a man than a woman? It didn't make them less human.

Zoro kneels next to the sickbay, allowing the cook to feel that safety, knowing that he's there for him, that he doesn't think less of him, never will, none of them will. Closing his eyes, he listens as small sobs breaks the silence, the hand trembles and reluctantly almost apologetic pulls away. Zoro sighs and lays his own hand atop the cook's and pats it. Sanji halts, a blue orb looks his way, yet, it is as if there's no recognition in them. Then he sees it, the milky membrane.

"Oi, cook?" he starts, careful not to wake the two others, the blond shakes his head, a sob escapes his lips, his breathing increasing. Zoro squeezes his hand, as he tries to swallow the growing lump in his throat. Seeing the cook like this, hurts, this… what is this weird feeling? "Oi, shit-cook, it's me."

Sanji shakes his head. "No… no s'not, possible. You're not… him…"

"Why the hell shouldn't I be me?" Zoro blurts out and mentally slaps himself.

"You're not… he's, Zoro's…"

"What am I? An Idiot? Yeah, I know but-"

"…dead…!"

Zoro widens his eyes. "Huh? Shit-head, I'm not dead!"

"He's dead… he's dead…"

"I'm not dead god damn it!" Zoro growls - what the fuck had they been telling him?

"He's dead… I saw it… he killed, him…" Sanji pants, clearly still in a lot pain.

"No, look! Cook, look at me! Look at me, Sanji!"

"Zoro, no!" Chopper suddenly squeals, apparently waken from his loud talking, as Zoro grabs the blond's head, and forces him to face him.

"Look! Look at me! I'm not dead! Come on, cook! Don't be that stupid! Look!"

"I, I can't – "

"Yes, you can!"

"No, I mean, I can't… I can't see, really."

Zoro sighs. That's what he feared. Chopper tries to say something, but he ignores him.

Sanji gasps, as if suddenly going into panic, and tries to pull away from him.

"No, listen to my voice," he says and grabs his wrist, bringing the hand up to his face, it takes a while before the hand gets it and dares to touch, his jaw, his chin, the corner of his eye, his hair. Zoro swallows. "Can you tell?" he says and releases his hand fully, giving the blond full access to explore and recognise. The other hand came up, following his jaw, feeling at his cheekbones, his nose, Zoro closes his eyes as trembling lean fingers brushes over them, feels out the structure of his face. He can't help the growing feeling inside of him, the unknown warmth as long fingers meet short soft hair once again. He's aware of the beating of his heart increasing, his mouth drying out, the desire to lick his lips.

'The heck, pull yourself together, Roronoa!'

Suddenly Sanji freezes as realisation apparently hits him.

"I'm not dead, cook!" He says, and carefully opens his eyes "Whatever those fuckers said or did, it was a lie." Sanji immediately retreats his hands, and immediately Zoro grabs them before they get too far and replaces them on his face. "I'm not dead!"

Zoro winces as nails digs into his cheeks. The blond looks up and now, there's a change again, the milky membrane is gone, that blue orb has its deep ocean colour again and looks directly at him, carefully calculating as if it's really real, then it widens and blinks.

"Ma… Mari - mo?"

He barely gets to sigh in relief, as that same eye suddenly rolls back into his head and suddenly it's as if he's in agony.

"Shit-cook! Oi, cook! Sanji!" Zoro shakes his shoulders, but Sanji does not respond, a jolt, and abruptly he screams. Zoro are suddenly forced to the side by an over-sized teddy bear, as Chopper, now in his human form, steps in to aid the cook.

"His temperature has increased. His pulse is too high." Chopper says. Damn it!

"Another attack?" they hear a drowsy Luffy ask, as he rubs his tired eyes from sleep. Chopper nods.

"I'm afraid so. I can't give him any medicine yet, it's to close to the previous dose, he could be intoxicated if I did."

"Then why is he hurting?" Zoro asks. Chopper looks at him.

"There is even pain that not even medicine can cure," he says and sighs. "We can only hope for the best."

-TOBD- TOBD- TOBD—

"I can't believe I let this happen."

Someone says, the voice somewhere near him. Who is it? Kelp-head? The beat of his heart drums loudly in his ears. It feels, as if he's boiling from the inside. Is he having a fever?

A soothingly cold hand takes hold of his hand, the touch makes him relax both mentally and physically. He tries to open his eyes, but he can't, he feels too exhausted, and honestly, he almost didn't care. Because, who would really care if he woke up again or not? If it really is his nakamas, how would they react when they find out what he is? A fucking faggot-whore! Such things are normal not acceptable on any ships on the sea, if caught, the captain would banish such kind of people, or in some occasions, executethem!

He loves women, he adores ladies… but… twenty men or so had… with him… then what did that make him?

How would Luffy react if he knew? How would Nami-san and Robin-chan react?

Zoro would properly kill him as soon as he finds out.

Swallowing, he can still taste blood… and that! He can feel a sob scratching its way out of his chest. Fuck, he's pathetic.

"…ji…" someone's speaks again. "…San…ji…"

No, he can't let the marimo see him like this, no one can.

"Open your eyes, Shit-cook!"

No, he knows, doesn't he? Can he see it? Sense it? Smell it? Sanji tries to move, but his body feels heavy and every muscle hurts.

"Open your shitty eyes, damn Curl-brow!"

Sanji shudders.

He knows!

"…Roronoa? You need to eat…!" another voice interrupts, one he hasn't heard before, or somehow he has.

"Get the hell out of here, Copycat!" Who? A sound of something being placed on a table is heard.

"…the hell you always after me? Just eat… you haven't eaten in five days…"

Zoro growls annoyed. "Haven't been eating in three weeks before… can handle this as well…!"

"And what if he won't wake u-"

Sanji flinches as a chair clatters to the floor, a loud bang is heard. The voice there speaks, runs like icy water down his spine. He can't really make out the words, but the marimo definitely sounds pissed. What if he didn't wake up? Wouldn't he? Did he want to wake up?

"…you almost talk as if he's your lo-"

"One more word from your pathetic excuse of a mouth, and I'll rip your tongue out with my own hands!" Zoro sneers angrily. Who is that idiot to spit idiocy out like that? "Got that, Copycat?"

Then nothing, or, there is something, a mumble, but he can't figure out what's being said. Curiosity getting the better of him, Sanji moves and makes it to open an eye. He sees the back of Zoro, holding someone against the wall at the throat, someone who looks like… him?

A single blue eye looks surprised at him from a curtain of blond hair, mouth agape.

"Wha-?" is all Sanji gets to say, before a jolt of pain spears right through him, all the way through his spine. He screams, he can't hear it, can't hear anything beside that rapid drumming of his heart, but he can feel it tear out of his throat.

His leg hurts, his chest hurts, his head, his throat, his eyes, his back…

Someone yells something, he can't really hear it, it is, as if they're yelling under water. Then someone comes to hold him down, to hold him still, and he panics. He lunches at whoever is near, whoever he can hit and apparently hits someone by the feel of it.

A prick to the arm, something gets injected into him, and, after what feels like hours, the pain finally subsides, and finally he can relax… and sleep…

-TOBD- TOBD- TOBD—

"Damn shit-head! Look what you've done!"

"It wasn't my damn fault! It's just you who has some kind of problem with me!"

"Just stay the hell away from me, you freaking copycat!"

"STOP IT!" Two heads turn his way, anger radiating from him. "Stop this, damn it! It's enough!" he tells the blond and the green-haired man, both looks surprised at him. Luffy throws a fast glance towards Chopper, who've given Sanji some kind of medicine there made him relax. But he seems a bit too relaxed and Chopper… Chopper seems a bit too panicked.

"Chopper? What's with… Sanji?"

"He's not, he's not breathing anymore. Suddenly, he just stopped!" their small reindeer doctor whimpers.

He sees the horrified reaction in Zoro, who stares blankly at the wall behind Nicki, before both relaxes fully and looks at the still blond in the sickbay.

Luffy steps up to Sanji in two long strides and grabs his shoulders. "Sanji, no, not again! Don't do this again!"

"Oi cook!"

"Don't." He hears Nicki say, "He can't keep on waking up every time this happens."

"Get your fucking hands off me!" Zoro growls and rips his arm apparently out of Nicki's hold, as he steps up to them. Just as he's right behind him, and he shakes Sanji for the umpteenth time, Sanji suddenly starts to breathe again. Luffy sighs in relief.

"Good, Sanji, don't do that towards us again." He says, just as he hears his first mate mumble something alike, a hand to his heart, as Luffy lays Sanji back down onto the mattress and watches the rise and fall of his chest. Zoro lays a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"He'll be okay." The first mate reassures, though it's not to say if he says this to him or himself.

"Sanji'll be fine soon, right Chopper?" Luffy says, plastering his best smile he can gather to calm his friends. Chopper seems conflicted at first, but then nods and returns the smile.

"You see, Nicki?" Zoro then says, as he turns to look at the stunned blond, still standing against the wall. The mention of his name for the very first time on the first mate's lips, made him almost gape in disbelieve. "We don't give up on our friends. As long as we breathe, we'll fight for those we care for, because we know they'll do the same, you get that?"

Nicki nods verily, but can't seem to gather anything coherent to say in return, other than:

"Touché."

To be continued