A/N: I am starting to have the plot develop in this chapter. Once more the generic disclaimer applies. Don't own... Don't sue. thanks for the alerts, reviews and all that, it helps me know that I am not the only one that likes this story, or if you don't like it, let me know that too...
Luffy and Usopp were once more the first ones into the cafeteria at six o'clock. Each one piling heaps of food on their trays.
They had just sat down when a perturbed voice reached them, "Was it just me, or did someone scream through the night loud enough to wake Zoro up?" Nami said to Vivi.
Glancing at the door, Luffy smiled and said, "Sorry…"
"Someone screamed last night?" Zoro seemed confused.
"Idiot…" Nami mumbled, "It was Luffy. Not me, so stop looking at me."
Zoro just shrugged his shoulders and proceeded to get his food. Sitting down across from Luffy, he said, "So you had nightmares?"
Luffy nodded his head, leaving it at that.
All Zoro did was nod once before he too let the subject drop.
"So what were the nightmares about?" Sanji asked as he ignored Zoro who had sat where he had wanted to, resulting in having to sit on the other side of Usopp.
"Just leave him alone." Zoro said.
Luffy looked grateful at Zoro before digging into his own food. He did not really want to talk about it; it was all too fresh in his memory.
"So other than the nightmares," Chopper said to no one in particular, "did everyone sleep well?"
"You're going to make a good doctor someday," Nami smiled at the youth.
"I am not happy you said that Nami." Chopper said while blushing and grinning from ear to ear.
"Oi, Chopper," Luffy interrupted, "Is it my imagination, or is your nose even bluer?"
Everyone looked at the young boy and nodded in agreement. "Are you okay Chopper?" Nami asked as she felt his forehead with the back of her palm.
Chopper looked down and barely loud enough for the others to hear, said; "I think that I have a skin disorder."
"I think it looks neat," Luffy said, "Can you turn my nose blue too?"
Chopper looked at Luffy as if he were seeing him for the first time. "You like it?"
"Yeah!" Luffy nodded his head.
"It does set you apart from everyone," Vivi added, "Distinguished."
"You are starting a new fashion statement." Nami smiled at the blue nosed boy.
Chopper started to blush from all the compliments his odd nose was causing; even Sanji said it highlighted Chopper's eyes. Making them seem to glow.
The talk soon led to various things, Nami and Vivi talking quietly so the others couldn't hear, occasionally glancing at Luffy or Usopp, making Luffy think he had something on his nose, so he kept rubbing it.
"You wanna turn your nose red Luffy?" Usopp joked when he once more saw Luffy wipe at his nose. "I get it, you are jealous of Chopper."
"Do I have a burger hanging out?" Luffy asked loudly, to which he heard the others all laugh.
"Idiot," Sanji said, "If you had a burger hanging out, we would tell you. So stop picking your nose."
Now that he had been told that, Luffy proceeded to pick it.
"The power of suggestion." Usopp laughed.
"Why are boys so disgusting?" Nami asked Vivi.
"You gotta love us though." Usopp said before Vivi could reply.
"Humph…" Nami got up and walked out, absently tossing her empty tray into the trash, which Sanji got out and put it where it went.
"What is her problem?" Usopp wondered.
"Girls are the ones that are idiots." Zoro commented.
"I bet you don't have a girlfriend." Sanji said as he rejoined them.
"Hell no," Zoro looked mildly disgusted.
"I have one." Usopp said.
"I don't believe you." Sanji dryly stated.
"I do, her name is Kaya. She is the smartest, richest and prettiest girl in town."
"And she likes you?" Sanji snorted, "Shouldn't she be in here then?"
Usopp proceeded to swat at the blond, and added, "She lost her parents a few years ago, her strange uncle takes care of her now."
"Why doesn't she ever visit you?" Sanji reasoned.
"You know how far I live from here?" Usopp stated, "It's not like we can travel here every day, she will probably come see me when she gets a chance, her uncle is pretty strict."
"What about you Luffy?" Sanji wanted to know, "Do you have a girlfriend or will your sister even let you have one?"
Luffy chuckled, "If I wanted one, she would probably let me. Boa is pretty possessive though, so I would have to make sure it was someone she approves of."
"Which means no one." Sanji commented.
"How did you know that is how Boa is?" Luffy said, amazement in his voice, "Are you espn thingy?"
"Don't you mean pms?" Zoro said under his breath.
"Yeah," Luffy said, "Are you a pms thingy?"
Sanji, Usopp and Chopper all looked at Luffy like he was loony, well considering he was in a loony hospital, Sanji thought, it all made sense now; why the hell would he be pms? What the hell was that idiot thinking?
"Uh… Luffy," Usopp said after a moment of silence, "I think you mean ESP."
"What can you expect Usopp, an idiot told an idiot to say pms." Sanji snorted.
Luffy just laughed and got up, "Whatever." He was just happy that these other teens were able to take his mind off of the dreams.
He smiled as he walked down the hall, Usopp running to catch up with him. "Luffy," the long nosed teen called after him, "wait up will ya?"
Deliberately, Luffy went slower, and soon Usopp had caught up with him, followed closely by Zoro and Chopper. Sanji had stayed in the cafeteria to start cleaning up. The four of them went into the room together, and when they went in, Luffy would have groaned, only a few seats were left, and none of them were by each other. Picking a spot by Law, Luffy didn't notice a certain blue haired girl sigh with exasperation as Zoro sat next to her.
Robin smiled as she walked into the room; she had been informed of the events from the night before. "Good morning."
Before she had even sat down, the door behind her swung open once more and in walked Sanji, he held a steaming cup of coffee for Robin. "Here you go, Robin, you forgot your coffee."
"Why thank you Sanji." She said as she took the coffee.
"Idiot love cook." Zoro said under his breath, the only ones who heard were Vivi and Nami; the former chuckled under her breath, and the latter glaring at the green haired teen.
Sanji sat down on the other side of Law and glared at Zoro for being lucky enough to sit between the two lovely ladies.
"Please, think of a flower, and tell me what it is." Robin stated as she sat in her seat. "Nami, you can start."
"Iris." Nami said.
"Very good, now what about the Iris do you like?"
Nami snorted, "I guess it just reminds me of my mom."
"Very good." Robin smiled, "Okay Zoro, tell me what flower are you thinking of?"
"Dandelion."
"Good, what about it do you like?" Robin interrupted the snort that came out of Sanji's mouth.
Zoro just shrugged his shoulders. Then as if a thought came to him he said, "I like to blow on it when it changes."
"Good reply Zoro. Vivi, what flower are you thinking of?"
"Boronia." A sigh escaped her as she thought of the Australian shrub that she loved.
"Wow," Robin nodded her head with approval, "you chose a unique one, can you tell us what it is you like? And how you came to know about it."
"It's a western Australia native that is beautiful in the spring; on one of our many trips to there, my father saw that I really liked it so he had some sent home so that it would bloom for me in the spring, it blooms with bright pink bell shaped flowers that I just love." Vivi smiled as she said this.
Robin nodded her head and added, "I love the fragrant smell of the flower. Okay, Chopper you are next."
"Sakura." Chopper's voice was small and timid as he admitted what his favorite flower was.
"The cherry blossom." Robin nodded her head with a smile just for the young boy. "What is it that you like about it?"
"It reminds me of my grandpa, he swears that they cured him of some mysterious disease as a young man. He had a lot of the trees as I grew up, and every spring we would go out and watch them bloom."
"Very good detail in your description Chopper." She looked next to Chopper and said, "Law, what about you?"
"Tulip," Law said with a sigh, "I picked it because it was the first flower I could think of."
Robin nodded her head at him, "Luffy? What about you?"
"Thumper."
"Thumper?" Robin asked, all the others eyed him like he was crazy. Zoro just smiled though.
"Yeah, the rabbit from Bambi." He said it so serious that everyone's jaws dropped.
Chuckling lightly, Robin cleared her throat before saying, "Could you please think of a flower instead?"
Deep in thought, Luffy finally said, "A thistle, the only flower that made Boa upset with me, because when she stepped on it in the garden, I laughed. She didn't like it. Plus I think they are awesome, all pointy and prickly."
Robin nodded her head as she tried to hide her smile, "Okay then Sanji your turn to tell us what flower you are thinking of."
Sanji got down on one knee in front of Robin and held out his hand to her, "A rose by any other name would still smell the same. And you are as lovely as a rose."
Zoro snorted while Nami and Vivi oohed and aahed. Usopp tried to stifle his laughter, yet that right after Luffy's thistle got him laughing.
Luffy looked at Sanji, wondering what it was about a rose that looked like Robin, "I don't get it," he blurted out, "Why do people always like rose's?"
Sanji gave Luffy a look that said he was thinking that the younger teen was an idiot, however he replied with a smile and said, "The way they look is more lovely than words can describe them, the elegance, the beauty all of it combined to captivate you and speak of romance."
"Love sick cook," Zoro mumbled, "all you think about is the opposite sex."
Sanji snorted at Zoro as he got back in his seat, "I think all you think about is the same sex."
"Whatever," Zoro let the complaint roll off him.
Before this conversation could get out of hand, Robin cleared her throat, affectively regaining Sanji's attention. "Koby, would you please continue?"
The light pink haired boy shyly smiled and said, "Orchid, the colors of it is amazing."
"Very good." Robin smiled at him.
Helmeppo put his arm on the shoulders of Koby and patted his head, "I like the Begonia. I just like the way they seem so delicate."
"So do I." Robin smiled at him, "Usopp, what about you?"
Usopp cleared his voice and said, "The one that you usually put with roses and such, something like baby's head or whatever they are called. I got some of those for my mom when she was sick."
"Baby's breath is what you mean Usopp." Sanji said.
"Oh yeah, those." Usopp nodded his head.
The few remaining people listed all sorts of flowers that Luffy had never heard of before. Some were exotic sounding names that he wondered where they originated from; others were ones that were vaguely familiar.
When Robin said they could leave, Luffy stretched his arms above his head and slowly walked out of the room; Usopp and Chopper hurrying to catch up with him. "What was all that flower crap about anyway?" Zoro said as they all headed to the common room.
"It wasn't crap." Sanji defended Robin.
"What was it then?" Zoro still wanted to know why they had to list dumb flowers.
"Enlightening." Sanji said matter of factly.
"That is bull shit," Zoro said as they walked into the brightly lit room.
"We all now know what everyone's favorite flower is," Sanji went to kick Zoro, the green haired teen easily sidestepped and pulled out his three wooden swords. "What are you going to do with those? Bludgeon me to death?"
"If you want." He put one in his mouth and got into a stance that had Luffy watching in awe.
"Break it up you two." A deep authoritive voice called from the door.
Looking over, Luffy saw it was those same two that had been in the room after breakfast the day before, Kaku and Lucci, if he recalled correctly.
Everyone seemed to be motionless as they headed into the room, wearily keeping an eye on them.
"Chopper," the one called Lucci said, "Come with us please."
"Why are you taking him again?" Zoro wanted to know.
"It's none of your concern." The dark haired man just glared at Zoro.
Chopper looked forlorn as he followed them out the door and down the hall. Curious, Luffy looked down the hall to see where he was being led to. The three of them went to a door that had a swipe card access and went through once Lucci had swiped his card and punched in some numbers, the door itself was unremarkable, yet Luffy could see the camera fixed on it.
"Why so much security for one door?" he asked.
Zoro shrugged his shoulders. Usopp pulled Luffy away from the door and said, "I think they are doing things that are illegal in there."
"Then why are we just standing here letting them do it to Chopper?" Even as he asked it, he knew that the others wouldn't reply.
The remaining of the time in the common room had everyone lost in their own thoughts. Even when they went to lunch, Chopper still hadn't returned, resulting in the others all keeping silent. Luffy went through the motions of eating, for the first time in a long time he was unsure what to do. He wanted to help the blue nosed boy, yet he didn't know what it was that he should be doing.
The rest of the day none of them seemed to want to communicate with the others, all of them kept looking around waiting for the return of Chopper.
Even Boa couldn't get Luffy to really open up, when she visited, he was just nodding his head in agreement with whatever she said, lost in thought about the missing boy. After she was gone, he saw Iceburg and was given a sleeping pill, which he hesitantly took. Then he was led back to his room and fell asleep almost instantly.