Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Chapter Sixteen

Do you know where you love is? Did you think that you lost it?

You felt it so strong, but nothing's turned out how you want it

-OneRepublic, "Say (All I Need)"

xxx

"So, what do you wanna show me?"

"You'll love it, I promise," Sanji checked the cheese in the frying pan before turning around and digging a bottle of brandy out of a shopping bag. He stuck a cigarette in his mouth and was about to light it when he found a lighter held in front of the tip, and he leaned forward until the cigarette caught. "And keep that handy."

"Sure…" Ace looked a little apprehensive, but he kept the lighter out and glanced over Sanji's shoulder. "It looks like cheese."

"It is cheese. But since the old geezer wants me to cook Mediterranean food for him I need to practice," the blonde replied, noting that the butter around the cheese had begun to broil and removing it from the heat. He picked up a lemon in his free hand and glanced at the ceiling, hoping the fire detector didn't go off.

"Come here," he pointed to the bottle of brandy. "Pour some of that in and then hold your lighter to it. And hurry."

Ace still had a somewhat scared look on his face, but he did as he was told and nearly jumped back when the alcohol ignited, sending a stream of flames toward the ceiling. A second later, however, his eyes started to glow and a huge grin stretched across his face. "That is so awesome."

"I know, right?" Sanji squeezed the lemon over the cheese to douse the flames and put it on a trivet. "Enjoy."

"You know that if you serve that I'll come in every night, don't you?" Ace was still grinning like mad.

"Pyro-freak," Sanji sighed. "I knew you'd like it for that. I mean, c'mon Ace, you carry around a lighter all the time and you don't even smoke. One day you're gonna get charged for arson or something."

"Nah, I know what's legal and what isn't," Ace looked unconcerned. "Can I eat it?"

"Go ahead."

"What's it called?"

"Saganaki. It's Greek."

"You'd better eat something, too," Ace pointed out as he dug into the cheese.

"I'm making souvlaki," Sanji replied. "It'll be done in like fifteen minutes, and then after I eat I have to get to work."

"You work too much."

"Yes, well, I do have a career to look forward to," Sanji replied snappily, taking a slow drag from his cigarette. "Thanks for letting me stay here, by the way." Zoro was putting in some extra time at the University's weight room, and it was either watch him sweat for two hours or hang out with Ace. The choice, naturally, was obvious.

"Anytime, babe," Ace grinned. "So, you gonna tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Sanji asked in a rather off-hand way, although he had a pretty good idea he knew what the answer would be.

"You know…" Ace wiggled his eyebrows. "About…"

"Yes?"

"Oh, don't play dumb, Sanji! You and Zoro!" Ace groaned.

"What about us?"

"What did you guys do the other night?" the freckled man asked, leaning forward eagerly.

"I don't see why that's any of your business, Mr. Portgas," Sanji snorted.

"As your ex-lover, everything regarding your sex life is my business," Ace announced smugly, continuing to eat.

"We didn't do anything serious. Got each other off," Sanji waved a hand vaguely. "Weren't naked or anything."

"Oh, so you haven't seen him yet," Ace nodded. "How was it?"

"Not bad, considering," Sanji admitted, hopping up to sit on the counter. "He's so virginal, though…"

"Bet you like that, though."

"I'm not a pervert, Ace."

"I object."

"Object all you want," Sanji stubbed his cigarette butt out in an empty mug. "But the last thing I want to do is scare him off by moving too quickly. I already feel like I'm pushing it."

"I'm sure he'll live. He's a big boy," Ace chuckled, glancing up when a knock came at the door. "Wonder who that could be?" He walked over and peered through the peephole before opening it. "Kalifa! Didn't expect to see you here!"

"There's been a slight change of plans," the older woman briskly brushed past him and entered the kitchen. "Sanji, you're off work for tonight."

"What? Why?" Sanji leant forward.

"Blueno and Lucci were in the coffee shop and spotted some of Krieg's men skulking around. They're watching the restaurant," she said.

"Great. Just when I come up with some new recipes…"

"They'll wait, I'm sure," she responded dryly.

"Yeah," Sanji sighed. "Would you like any supper, my dear? I made extra food…I was practicing."

"As if any sane person could turn down an offer of your food," she adjusted her glasses and tucked a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear before sitting at the table and crossing her legs.

"How'd you find the place anyway?" Ace asked as she dug through her bag, obviously looking for something.

"Zoro."

"I'm surprised he knew where it was," Sanji muttered.

"Oh, he knows where things are. He just can't get to them," Ace held up his lighter for Sanji again as the younger man lit up another cigarette.

"You don't mind, then?" Kalifa dug out a pack of smokes and took one out.

"Have to live with him doing it all the time," Ace offered her the flame and she nodded her thanks. "He's gonna die young it he keeps that up."

"Nah," Sanji shrugged. "I've got people out to get me anyway, so it's only a matter of time."

"Babe, don't joke about that," Ace looked at him with haunted eyes and Sanji took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "If you…if you ever…"

"I won't, Ace. I've got the best guards, remember?" he smiled at Kalifa, who nodded slowly. "Stop worrying."

"So tell me, Sanji," Kalifa started rather mildly, "What's been going on between you and Zoro?"

"Nothing important," Sanji assured her. "And nothing a lovely woman like yourself would wish to hear…"

"I beg to differ," her smile turned somewhat predatory. "After all, it's hardly news to either of us," her eyes flicked to Ace for a second, who gave her a blank stare before his own eyes widened. "So it's unlikely that you'll embarrass yourself."

"Wait…how does she…"

"A little birdie told me," she smiled.

"A little birdie with a baseball cap and a long nose, no doubt," Ace rolled his eyes.

"Hey, you mouthed off to everyone else," Sanji reminded him. "I'm sure he got it from Zoro anyway."

"Probably," Ace nodded his agreement. "But you and Kalifa…"

"In Japan," Sanji shrugged. "Long story, and you don't need to know all of it."

"Fascinating though, isn't it?" Kalifa was still smiling. "Oh, and by the way, Mr. Portgas…"

Ace glanced from Sanji back to Kalifa and a grin appeared on his face to match hers. "Yes, Miss Kalifa?"

"I wonder if Zoro has had the pleasure of hearing that yet," she said tapping some ash off of her cigarette.

"Oh, yes. That."

"Ace, stop it," Sanji was blushing as he checked on the souvlaki.

"I'm just commenting on it, Sanji. You must admit that it is a very unique sound," she looked altogether too innocent for the words that were coming from her mouth.

"Very unique," Ace echoed the blonde woman, sitting himself down at the table and turning his dark eyes on Sanji.

"In fact…what would you call it, Ace?" she looked at the freckled man, who appeared to be deep in thought.

"A very good question," Ace tapped his chin. "It's somewhat hard to describe, but if I had to…"

"Yes?" Kalifa leant forward, looking altogether too interested.

"Oi, shut up already," Sanji muttered, but of course they merely ignored him.

"If I had to," Ace repeated. "I would almost call it a…"

"Whine," they both said together, identical and rather sadistic grins on their faces.

Sanji tried his best to ignore them as he started to make a salad, although it was hard to when they were trying so hard to irritate him.

"Sounds kind of like an animal," Ace was saying now. "Starts out real low in his throat so that you can barely hear it and just kind of gets louder…"

"Did it work the same way for you, then?" Kalifa asked. "Did it more or less reach its peak just as he was about to c…"

"Dinner!" Sanji really didn't want to hear the end of her sentence and turned around with the plates. "And you're lucky you're getting any," he said to Ace. "Kalifa, my dear, don't let him coerce you into dirtying your lovely mouth with that kind of vulgar talk."

"Oh, don't worry yourself over it," she assured him. "It's really quite endearing, the sounds you make. It's rare to find a man so vocal in the bedroom."

"Yes, I can certainly attest to that," he finally relaxed when he realized that all of the teasing was really just in good fun. "Ace wasn't bad, per say, but Zoro sounds like a bull or something. He just grunts."

"And you haven't even done it yet. Not properly," Ace had to add.

"Hey, he's had no experience; I told you that already."

"Well, you're going to have a lot of fun, aren't you?" Kalifa put in.

"Someday, maybe. When this mess is cleared up," Sanji replied. "But who knows when that'll be."

"We're making as much progress as we can," Kalifa assured him. "As long as Lucci and Blueno can get a good look at the men hanging around the restaurant, we should be able to identify them."

"That's good news at least," Ace looked relieved. "I think it's hard for all of us knowing what Sanji's going through."

"And you're all so good at reminding me about it, too!" Sanji said, with fake enthusiasm and an even faker smile.

"Oh, don't be sardonic," Kalifa berated him. "And how's that food coming?"

"Fine enough," Sanji checked the souvlaki one last time before removing it from the oven and bringing it over to the table, glad that at least Kalifa and Ace were apparently not resuming their discussion on 'the noises Sanji makes when he's having sex,' but of course it was too good to last.

"Oh, by the way, Ace," Kalifa said about halfway through the meal, "What did you find the most sensitive part of his body to be?"

Sanji groaned and covered his ears, really not wanting to hear Ace's answer. He made a mental note to never let Ace and Kalifa be alone with him in the same room ever again, and tried to ignore the rather descriptive conversation as he loaded up his plate with more salad. Dinner was going to take a long time.

000

Zoro, he decided, was too fast a learner for his own good. It was a free afternoon for both of them a couple of days later, and when sitting around the apartment became too boring they had decided to turn their attention to…other things.

Of course, he thought absently, if the other man could hold a sword in his mouth and still talk normally he had to have some talent in that area. Too much, seemingly, if the feelings shooting through his body now were any indication. He vaguely remembered Ace and Kalifa's statements about how vocal he was when he was aroused, but decided against doing anything about it when it was so much easier to just moan. Which he was doing a lot of. He was continually amazed at how bold Zoro was becoming in such a short time, but he figured the fact that he was so obviously turned on by Zoro probably didn't hurt the younger man's self-esteem.

But Zoro was torturing him. He had already proven that he could restrain Sanji's wrists with one hand, and with nearly all of his weight pinning the cook's legs Sanji was rendered nearly immobile. The most he could do was move his head from side to side, and when he was arching his neck just to give Zoro better access to it he knew he was far gone. "Stop teasing me, Marimo," he managed to gasp out. "And just get on with it."

Zoro glanced at him and gave him a rather demonic smirk, and for his part he was rather enjoying this whole experience. The truth was that, of course, he was still completely unsure of what he was doing, but he decided to let his own instinct guide him and it seemed to be working. Especially since last time Sanji had been utterly in control and so darn smug about it, to see him completely vulnerable and at Zoro's mercy was a rather welcome change.

Besides, it wasn't like Zoro was going to listen to him. He pressed a light kiss to Sanji's lips before letting his mouth trail down the cook's jaw and to his pale, graceful neck, nipping lightly at the flesh as Sanji sucked in a breath and turned his head more to the side, letting the swordsman lick his way down to his chest and along the ridge of his prominent collarbone. There was something about how defined they were, Zoro thought, that while any other man could wander around completely shirtless and he wouldn't spare them a second glance, somehow whenever Sanji wore a shirt low enough to expose his collar it made Zoro's stomach twist. And hardly unpleasantly, although he'd never admit to Sanji that his snug-fitting shirts were in any way attractive on him.

Sanji had stopped struggling by this point, although Zoro could have cared less one way or the other because it was far too obvious that had been enjoying this from the start. Taking encouragement from the fact that he was at least doing something right, he brought up his hand in order to run his thumb over the bud of one rosy pink nipple, and Sanji hissed in pleasure and tried to buck his hips, a groan breaking from his mouth when Zoro flicked the other one with his tongue before closing his mouth around the hard nub and sucking, inwardly amazed that such a simple action could cause such wanton pleasure.

Sanji was beautiful, he supposed, although once again it was something he'd never say aloud. But his skin was nearly flawless, such a pure shade of ivory and yet not pale enough that he looked morbidly unhealthy. Especially not now, as his cheeks were beginning to acquire an obvious flush that was spreading down his chest, and the tell-tale hardness against his thigh only attested to the fact that the man currently at his mercy was nothing short of very healthy.

Letting his mouth press sloppy kisses down Sanji's chest and stomach, his eyes were drawn to the thin trail of golden hair that led from the blonde's navel to the waistband of his jeans, and without really thinking he was undoing and button and the fly, sliding the jeans down Sanji's legs and off while he finally released the cook's wrists and pulled back, a sliver of uncertainty beginning to show in his motions. Sanji noticed, although with how far gone he was it was rather hard to wrap his brain around the fact that Zoro was stopping, and, completely unwilling to give up the wonderful sensations currently assaulting his body, he attempted to rectify the situation.

"Oi, what's…what's the matter?"

Zoro glanced up at the older man, noting the all-too-obvious lust burning in his visible eye and shook his head. "I…I just…"

He was still too close; Sanji could feel the heat radiating off of him like a furnace, and if he didn't do something right now there were going to be serious repercussions. "Just…just do it, Marimo," he knew it wouldn't take long either way, and as his own hands came up to tweak and rub his nipples he stared into Zoro's eyes, minute spasms of pleasure crossing his face every few seconds. "Do something," he groaned when Zoro made no move to resume his earlier position, and he moved one hand long enough to grip his boxers and yank them down, letting out a breathy sob of relief as the restrictive material was disposed of.

Zoro wouldn't look down. He wouldn't. He…paused as Sanji grabbed his wrist and guided his hand, feeling the smooth skin on Sanji's thigh as he unwittingly caressed it, hand gliding up even as he told himself to stop before he…his fingers froze, silky skin under his fingertips as he met the blonde's eyes. "Okay. It's okay," Sanji sat up and gently caressed Zoro's cheek. "I'm sorry. I…"

"Don't apologize again," Zoro still hadn't moved his hand and still refused to look, keeping his eyes locked with Sanji's blue ones as he steeled his will and slid his fingers up, trying not to think about what he was touching. It was just skin, he kept telling himself, just like any other skin he'd ever touched. Except it was too hot for normal skin and fit just so in his hand and…he focussed on what he was doing. It wasn't like him to ever question himself; unlike Sanji who was moved and influenced by his emotions, Zoro lived almost solely by intuition and impulse. But admittedly this was new to him, and the continual fear that he was going to make some horrible mistake added some depth to his normally instinctive actions.

He had never touched himself in that way. He'd always considered it somewhat of a weakness that a man was so consumed by lust that he had to find pleasure in his own hand. The truth was that he had never experienced anything like what Sanji had done to him the other day, and was genuinely surprised that he had enjoyed the strange and almost overwhelming sensation of reaching his climax. He had tried through it all to keep his face impassive and he was quite sure that Sanji didn't know exactly how virginal he had been, but now he feared that his inexperience would be woefully noticeable.

Keeping his eyes riveted on Sanji's face he let his fingers give a small stroke, watching Sanji's mouth fall open as a gasp broke from his lips. Taking encouragement he began to move his hand faster as the blonde's vocalizations got louder, his hips beginning to buck into Zoro's hand in time with the swordsman's strokes. Pushing himself back up, Zoro caught the cook's lips and Sanji kissed him back feverishly, his hands wrapping around Zoro's neck and holding him in place while he writhed underneath him.

For his part, Sanji couldn't believe that Zoro was doing this. He had expected the younger man to run out of the room when he'd taken off his boxers, but this…Zoro's hands were rough from continual training and gripping katana handles, but somehow the added texture only enhanced the feeling on his sensitive skin. He didn't even care that Zoro was so completely in control; didn't care that he was stark naked while the swordsman was still fully clothed. He just wanted more of the feeling; more of the friction and the heat and with a thought to rectify the clothing problem he grabbed the hem of Zoro's t-shirt and yanked, pulling over up and over his head as Zoro started to stroke him faster, hands becoming more confident as their mouths reconnected.

"Zoro…Zoro, off," he finally gasped, pushing the green-haired man away when he knew he was teetering on the brink of orgasm. To his amazement, Zoro listened and backed off, and Sanji reached to take himself in his hand, unwilling to do something so base as to dirty Zoro's clothing. The other man may have accepted a lot about their relationship, but there were some things that took a little getting used to. One hand pleasuring himself while the other returned to stroking and pulling a peaked nipple, he glanced up once and met Zoro's dark, lust-filled eyes, and the sight sent him over the edge with a drawn-out moan and a gasp of something that might have been Zoro's name.

He came down from his high slowly, surprised to find Zoro's fingers in his hair and a mouth covering his again even as his hips continued to twitch with tiny aftershocks. Zoro had graciously used the blonde's own underwear to clean him off, and Sanji flopped back on the bed with a smile on his face. "Never thought you'd do that, Marimo."

"Neither did I," Zoro grunted, his face contorting a bit.

Sanji cocked his head to the side as his smile widened, and he palmed Zoro's crotch experimentally, the hiss it produced evidence enough that the swordsman was noticeably aroused. "You want me to take care of that for you?"

"I…" Zoro swallowed and finally nodded. "It's only fair…after what you let me do…"

"Believe me, if I hadn't wanted it, you wouldn't have been doing it," Sanji chuckled, pushing himself up so that he could remove Zoro's pants. "But Zoro, only if you're sure. If you want to keep your underwear on, it's fine."

Zoro could tell just from the tone of his voice that the cook wasn't trying to demean him. He was honestly just thinking about his comfort level, and if Zoro had to admit it to himself, the truth was that he wasn't ready for what he had just done to Sanji to happen to him. Not that his thin white boxer-briefs hid much of anything, but the extra layer of fabric gave him a sense of security; made him feel less vulnerable.

Sanji gave him a gentle kiss before his talented fingers got to work, knowing that he was one step closer to getting Zoro to truly accept what the two of them were. He knew it would take time, and he knew that it would try his patience, but in the end he was sure it was going to be worth it.

000

The sound of the door clicking open made Sanji bolt out of bed, scrambling for a clean pair of underwear and eventually giving up and just sliding on low-slung sweats as he dashed into the living room to find Usopp quickly latching the door behind him. "Usopp!"

"Sanji!" Usopp turned, took one look at the blonde and blushed a deep shade of red. "I…that is, I…"

"Usopp, what are you doing here?" Sanji wouldn't get mad at the younger man, but you didn't just go bursting into people's apartments in the middle of the afternoon.

"I…I…I…thereweresomeweirdmenoutsideandIwantedtocomeinand…"

"Oi, breathe," Sanji clapped him on the back and led him farther into the room. "Now tell me what happened."

"Outside the front doors," Usopp took a deep breath. "There's these guys…I think I saw guns, Sanji, and…" he started shaking and Sanji let out a long breath through his nose.

"Hey, it's okay," he grabbed the younger man in a tight hug. "They can't get in; we have security measures."

"Sanji, they have guns! You think a little glass door is going to stop them?!"

"Look, Usopp, calm down," Sanji rubbed his back. "It's fine; we just won't leave until they go away."

Usopp leaned against him, still shivering, and Sanji chanced a look out the window. They were up on the third floor, but he could see a strange car parked in the parking lot and as he shifted them closer could clearly make out the figures of three men prowling about. "There's no guarantee that they're Krieg's men, but…"

"W-w-what can we do?" Usopp was having mild reservations about being held by a man wearing no shirt and absolutely reeking of sex, but right now he decided comfort was more important than anything and stayed close to Sanji.

"I'm going to make a phone call…once I find Zoro's phone," Sanji amended. "You might want to stay out here."

"He's not…naked, is he?" Usopp squeaked.

"You think he'd let me go that far yet? No," Sanji shook his head and hurried into the bedroom, coming back out with a cell phone in his hand.

"You want him to, though," the long-nosed man pointed out.

"It's no big deal. I knew it'd take a while," Sanji sighed, running a hand through his golden hair. "I wouldn't be nearly as bold as I am if I was that inexperienced either, so I shouldn't be expecting too much. Zoro may be relatively unashamed of himself and his actions, but…"

"You think it's because of his dream?"

"Beating Mihawk? Why?" Sanji looked confused.

"Well, it's just that…" Usopp sat down on the couch and Sanji joined him, still glancing at him quizzically. "I get the feeling that part of the reason he's never had a sexual relationship with anyone is because he's afraid it'll take him away from his goal. It's like he can't take the risk that anything can distract him, and so he doesn't let anything into his life that could jeopardize his focus."

"You're surprisingly insightful," Sanji regarded his friend with a smile. "That's decent reasoning, Usopp," he continued as he lit up a cigarette. "Now I just have to figure out how to get him over that. I'm hardly clingy, so I'd never ask him to give up his goals for me…he should know that by now."

"Probably, but that doesn't mean he believes it," Usopp countered.

"Stupid Marimo," Sanji muttered around his smoke, putting an arm around Usopp and giving him an appraising look. "Sorry about this, by the way."

"It's…fine," Usopp swallowed and admitted. He had no worries that Sanji would make a move on him, of course, and it was times like this when the blonde was so relaxed and genuinely open about his thoughts that made the engineering student feel a little awed. It was as if he was seeing a side of Sanji that nobody else, not even his precious ladies, were privy to, and although it had been that way almost since the day they met sometimes it was hard to imagine what made him the one to be able to be allowed past the suave front the cook always put up.

"Oi, you look like you're thinking too hard," Sanji berated him gently before his fingers closed over the phone again. "I've gotta make a call, though, so hang tight. Oh, before I do…how did you get into the building without going through the entrance?" Sanji looked puzzled. '

"There's a skywalk between the buildings," Usopp pointed up. "Up on the roof. When I saw them I decided to come that way."

"Good to know," Sanji had flipped open the phone and started dialling, and Usopp found himself sidling closer to the window once more to keep an eye on the men below.

000

There was a light rapping on the balcony door and Usopp nearly jumped out of his skin, although Sanji merely chuckled and went to open it. "Can't you enter a room like a normal person?"

"Couldn't very well go through the front door, could I?" Kaku brushed off his pants and walked into the apartment. "The roof's so much more convenient, besides."

"For you, maybe."

"Regardless, where are these men?"

Sanji led him over to the window with the best view of the entrance and Kaku peered out, his eyes narrowing at the sight. "They're Krieg's, all right. I think the only thing to do is wait for them to go away."

"But how did they find this place?" Usopp's voice was getting higher in register.

"There's no guarantee that they did," Kaku mused, glancing at Sanji properly for the first time and raising an eyebrow at his state of rather dishevelled undress. "Zoro's in the bedroom, then?"

"Ah…yeah," Sanji was blushing. "Sorry about…you know…"

"It's okay," Kaku shook his head. "There's nothing to apologize for, Sanji. I…I know that my love life is kind of in shambles right now but…that is hardly a reason for…"

Sanji seemed to forget whatever reservations he had and yanked Kaku to him, resting their foreheads together. "He'll come back to you; you know that, right? Just keep working on him."

"I try," Kaku chuckled ruefully.

"Who? Lucci?" Usopp asked, glancing at the two men.

"Who else?" Zoro came out of the bedroom, thankfully dressed. "Heard voices. What's up?"

"Some of Krieg's men are hanging around the entrance," Sanji grunted.

Zoro's eyes narrowed and he chanced a peek through the window. "What are we gonna do about it?"

"Don't worry," Kaku pushed himself away from Sanji and leant back against the wall. "We've been tracking them for a few days and it seems like they're shadowing every apartment complex close to the University. If we just lay low until they leave they'll be none the wiser."

"But I'm supposed to be in Richmond!" Sanji protested. "That's what…" he closed his mouth, aware that he was already revealing too much.

Kaku's eyes flicked to him again and he nodded, but Zoro of course had to break in. "What is it, cook? Are you hiding something from me again?" His eyes were narrowed and he looked fairly irritated.

"That day after I worked brunch I didn't have to stay and cook for Zeff," Sanji sighed. "I was out for coffee. With Gin."

"Krieg's second?!" Usopp nearly screeched. "W-w-what were you doing with him, Sanji?!"

"Darn it, cook, whose side are you on?" Zoro gripped his arm rather painfully.

"Let go, Zoro," Sanji's voice was low, and Zoro chose to ignore him. "I said, 'let go.'" His voice stayed even, but his blue eyes were blazing as he wrenched his arm from the swordsman's grasp. "I can explain."

"Then do it."

"He's an old friend. I had no idea he was part of a gang until last week," Sanji said briskly. "He let me know that he's tipped off the rest of the gang that I'm living in Richmond. That's it."

"And you trust him?"

"He owes me his life and he knows it," Sanji said, his body still tensed in anger. "Believe me, he's not going to backstab me."

"What other secrets are you keeping?" Zoro had the same look on his face that he had had the night after they had met at Vivi's.

"I…nothing," Sanji let out a defeated sigh. "There's nothing, Zoro. I promise."

"You really promise? You know that you can tell me anything, cook. I won't judge you," Zoro assured him, although he was still frowning.

"That's it," Sanji shrugged. "There's nothing else."

"Think hard."

"Don't patronize me, moss-head," Sanji muttered.

"Wouldn't dream of it," a smirk found its way onto Zoro's face. "Alright, I believe you," he finally admitted. "Can we move on now?"

"You won't be moving anywhere until those men leave," Kaku was perched in the windowsill, his hat held loosely in one hand as he glanced at the street. "If you desperately need anything from outside, I can always take the balcony route once more."

"You're just looking for an excuse to climb onto the roof again," Sanji muttered.

"You can always come to my place, too," Usopp offered.

"We know," Zoro assured him. "And thank you, but the less we move around…even if it's inside…the less chance they'll have of finding us."

"Zoro's right," Sanji admitted. "But yeah, thanks for offering, Usopp."

"Anytime," the younger man assured them. "How long do you think they'll stay out there?"

"Not long," Kaku kept glancing out the window every few seconds. "I'd give it another hour and they should be gone."

"Well, as long as they don't come back," Sanji joined him at the window.

"I highly doubt they will if they feel it's a dead lead," Kaku said pointedly. "I'm quite confident that you'll never see them again."

Sanji nodded, just hoping that he was right.

Notes:

1. So. Back from holidays; back from RENT; I'm tired; it's late; and I thought I'd post this for you all :D

2. I hate this chapter . Except for like the last third, but luckily next chapter (at least, in my opinion) things start to pick up and get interesting again. Bear with me, please.

3. That's…it! My continued thanks to everyone for reading (100 reviews! Woohoo!).