Chapter 14: Near Attack Test
*_+_*
When the rain stopped the next day and the sun shone brightly, the group of four were setting things up and waited for the other two to arrive.
"Let's see…" Nami said as she looked at the area. "Far away from anyone else that would do anything funny, weather is perfect, and best of all it's perfectly relaxing!"
"Oi!" Luffy called as he and Zoro made it to the picnic area.
"Hey Luffy!" Usopp called as we waved them over. "Over here!"
"Jeeze guys, you picked a hard spot for us to find you." Luffy said as he placed his hands on his hips. "I mean, seriously! Who has a picnic on the other side of the hill, just a few feet from the cemetery?" He pointed out to the said gated cemetery.
Zoro looked at the cemetery and wondered about the arrangement himself.
"Well…" Vivi started. "We wanted to find a spot that wasn't going to be too much activity for Zoro's well being."
"Oh… This okay with you, Zoro?"
"I was planning on napping, but then this is okay."
'Napping?' The four thought. 'This is for us to get to know him.'
Once they settled down, there was an awkward silence between the four and Zoro while Luffy was enjoying the food.
"So… Zoro, do you do anything?" Vivi asked.
"I donate blood and being the thorn to my doctor and landlord's side." He said.
"Oh, how often do you donate blood?"
"Twice a month."
"Oh… But, isn't that dangerous?"
"I have a lot of blood for the normal human." He said. "I would bleed for a day or two without feeling dizzy or sick. But if I do I just sleep it off."
"Isn't that just as worse?"
"Not to me."
"So… what do you and Luffy do?" Nami asked to get away from that topic.
"We hang out, walk around the park, cook, but we mostly talk."
"Have you ever seen how Luffy works in his job?" Usopp asked.
"Once and I enjoyed spending some time there."
"That's good to hear." Nami said.
"You're okay with the kids going around everywhere?" Sanji asked.
"They're not bad kids." He said. "Didn't you see them?"
"He doesn't like kids." The three said without missing a beat.
"Oi! It's not that I don't like kids, I just don't how they get to everything."
"Like Luffy?" Zoro said as he pointed to the other, who just about cleaned out the food from the picnic basket.
"Luffy!" The four said in unison as they went over to stop him from eating everything.
Zoro just grinned as he took a pill out and swallowed one.
_/\/\/\_
The rest of the day they were just enjoying the nice relaxing day as Zoro and Luffy napped under a tree.
"So, guys… What do you think of Zoro?" Nami asked.
"He seems to be very kind to Luffy and he was actually easy to talk to once we start discussing other things that don't relate to him." Vivi said.
"Well I think he's difficult to talk to because he has that look that doesn't want anyone to talk to him." Usopp said.
"I think he was reasonable with all of us being here and asking him the questions we did. And he seems okay with Luffy being around even." Sanji said.
"I think he's okay with all of us too." Nami said with a nod as she looked over to see the two sleeping figures.
Luffy was leaning against the other and he turned and wrapped an arm around the sleeping man's waist.
Zoro opened one eye, looked to see the other, and closed it to continue sleeping.
"What is he? A lion?" Sanji asked.
"Sounds about right." Vivi said with a giggle.
"Anyone who can handle Luffy is good in our book." Nami said. "With some exceptions."
"Oi!" Usopp said as Sanji was in a depressed corner.
"He still isn't over that?"
"Nope."
_/\/\/\_
Later that day Luffy and Zoro were making dinner for the group, who decided to check out Zoro's apartment.
"So you and the kids painted the living room?" Usopp asked as he looked at the paint job on the walls.
"Yep! Thought it needed some character!" Luffy said with a laugh.
"And you were okay with it, Zoro-san?"
"Yeah, I thought it was original." Zoro said as he finished stirring something in the wok.
Sanji looked at the wall and couldn't help but feel a bit envious. 'If Luffy would've pulled something like this, I would've been furious, with or without condition. But this guy likes it.' He thought as dinner was being served.
"This is so different." Vivi said. "I was usually Sanji doing the cooking and the serving."
"Well, yeah, but since we split and I wanted to thank Zoro for everything I took up cooking." Luffy said. "Then Zoro took up cooking after I did just to see just how his cooking ability is compared to me."
"Oi, that's not why I took up cooking!" Zoro said, not even trying to hide a grin.
"Keep telling yourself that!"
"Well, well! Is there a party going on?" Dr. K said as she allowed herself in. "Why wasn't I invited."
"Oh, hi evil landlord doctor lady!" Luffy said with that childish look.
"Oi! Is that anyway you talk to a lady!" She said as she brought out a scalpel and threw it, missing Luffy by an inch.
"Dr. K!" Zoro called as he got up quickly, only to momentarily pause any movement.
"Ah crap."
"What?" Luffy asked.
"He's going into an attack, grab one of his meds." She ordered as she went over. "Out of the way, I have to look at him!"
The group got up and stayed out of the way as they watched as the doctor steadied the other down to the floor, back onto the ground, Luffy went over and handed the medicines he'd seen before.
"Good. Now I'm going to need boiling hot water, a measuring cup of some form and a grinder."
Luffy hopped to it as he got the measuring cup and the grinder, and the water was up to a boil for what they were going to make later but this was more important, and brought that over in a thermostat canteen.
She went to work by grinding two of the pills, added some of her own powder into the mix, put it into the measuring cup, and added hot water in it, stirred it so that it looked like tea. "Lift him up." She commanded and he did. She took out a tube and opened the man's jaw. "Oh good, I don't have to shove the tube down your throat."
"Bitch…" Zoro managed to say as he panted.
"Say 'ahh'." She said as she opened the man's mouth and poured the tea-like substance down his throat. Once the contents were gone, she looked at Luffy. "Keep him upright for the next half hour, and don't even think about moving him."
Luffy nodded as he went behind the other and he became a back support for the other. "Are you okay?"
"I'll live…"
"Just barely."
"You started it."
"Well your friend should have better manners."
"Old habits die hard right?" He said as he managed a grin. "Why are you my doctor again?"
"Because you're a pain in the ass." She said as she got up. "He'll be okay, that was just a small attack, nothing life threatening."
"Scared me." Usopp said.
"It should. Because it could've gotten a lot worse." She said as she stole a plate. "I'm taking this with me."
When she left, everything was at a pause as they waited for Zoro to recover. When the estimated time was over, Zoro got up and looked at the others.
"Sorry you had to see that."
They shook their heads.
"We're just glad you're okay." Vivi said.
"For now." Zoro said, the atmosphere changed dramatically from lively to down casted.
"Uh… We have work tomorrow so we better get going." Usopp said.
"Hai… It was wonderful meeting you anyway." Nami said as she and the others left.
Sanji took a glance at the man and felt sorry for the guy. 'Shit… I can't even imagine living like that.' He thought as he noticed that Luffy wasn't leaving, but standing by the other's side. He saw the man looked at the other before a small smile was seen on him. 'Luffy is the only one who can handle this.' He saw Luffy smile widely as he started talking lively about finishing up dinner before he joined up with the others.
"What took you?" Usopp asked.
"Just seeing how Luffy handled the after math."
"And?" Vivi asked.
"He's solid as a rock that baka. All he had to do was stand next to him and he starts smiling, and then he smiles and continues what was left off."
"Luffy is quite an amazing guy." Nami said as she looked up at the windows. "I don't know if I could handle something like he did and just go on like it never happened."
"Well he can't always do that." Dr. K said.
"That was a dangerous thing you did earlier." Vivi said. "You could've hurt Luffy! And you nearly killed your patient!"
"Pipe down, girlie. It was for me to know just how serious that numbskull is about my patient."
"Huh? You were testing Luffy?" Usopp said.
"It was risky, but he proved that he can handle helping that idiot patient of mine better than anyone else that's just assigned to care for him." She said as she took a sake bottle to her lips and took a few gulps before smiling and crackling like a witch. "That makes my job easier." She walked back inside. "Don't worry, this friendship cheraid will end soon."
"Cheraid?" Sanji said.
"What do you mean?" Nami asked.
Dr. K turned and looked evil at that moment. "Would you bet your life to know?"
"No, no! We'll find out on our own." Usopp said as he was scared of the doctor.
She laughed like a witch as she went inside.
"What did she mean by that?" Vivi said.
"Hm…" Nami contemplated before waving it off. "I'm tired! Let's just go home."
"But…"
"We'll worry about it some other time, but right now it's late and it's been a long day."
"Right…" With that everyone left.
_/\/\/\_
Back in Zoro's apartment, they were washing dishes from their dinner.
"I'm sorry that happened." He said.
"It's okay, Zoro."
"It's not, Luffy, and you know it."
"You're okay, that's all that matters to me." He said as he dried the dishes.
"What if it was worse?"
"Then I wouldn't leave your side until I know you're in good hands." He said as he looked at the other. "No matter what I won't leave even if you try to hurt me."
"Luffy…" He tried to find the words to explain the situation, but ended up not finding it and handed the last dish to be dried. "It was pointless to even try to get rid of you."
Luffy smiled as he grabbed the soaked dish. "Yep! So stop trying and let it be."
"Sometimes you can be such a pain."
"So are you, but then who isn't?"
Zoro grinned as he headed over to the couch. "I'm going to take a nap."
"Okay." He said as he placed the last dish in the cabinet and looked to see the dishwasher was still running with the pots and silverware, before sitting down on the ground, the couch behind him, and turned on the television and lowered the volume.
Luffy ended up staying that night as he fell asleep from watching an old program that was usually on late at night.
Of course Zoro wouldn't let his friend sleep on the ground, so he got off from the couch and placed the other on that, grabbed a blanket and covered the other before going to his own room to sleep the rest of the night.