Me: SpiritedObession, Water snakes don't stand a chance with the ladies! They love a desert snake's tan LOL. And I know you're not sorry you little spoiled sport!
Mid: We still own nothing…except Bill and Yudo.
Me: You mean Bob, right?
Mid: Fuck, does it even matter?
Me: God, does the plot still have your panties in a bunch?
Mid: I just…I FEEL FOR ZENNY ToT
Me: (`_`*) Zenny's fine, remember? It's just a plot change.
Mid: But…isn't he technically still alone?
Me: SHHH SHHH! Nobody wants to hear that!
Brotherly Vengeance
"...y brother certainly had his work cut out for him, didn't he? Yokyokyok."
Zoro wearily opened his eyes, instantly greeted by a shooting pain in the back of his skull. He was back in the forest gain, but this time, in what appeared to be a shallow wet cave. Pressure on his shoulder and a mountain of blonde informed him that Sanji was there, too, and by the steady breathing on his skin, the cook was apparently alive. Something hugged his arms to his sides, along with Sanji's torso pressed tightly against his own. It didn't appear to be snake-skin; only regular coarse rope. Zoro could probably break out if he had enough room to move without hurting the unconscious cook. Being tied up in a secluded place with an obnoxious headache and finding his lover unconscious should have surprised or at least worried him, but instead Zoro felt beyond pissed. He's had enough of this kidnapping shit for today. Who the hell could it possibly be this time?
"I see you're awake," a high-pitched voice spoke with bitterness. The swordsman could tell in was a male, although the tone sounded awfully feminine. Also, he's never heard this person in his life. What did Zoro do to deserve to be bound and hit across the head with what he assumed to be a metal pipe?
"You said that you were guilty of killing my brother earlier," the man growled lowly.
Well, yes, a metal pipe would be justifiable.
"I didn't say I wasguilty, I said I felt guilty. Besides that bastard got what was coming to him. He shouldn't have been going around violating people," Zoro defended.
A sudden pain engulfed the back of the swordsman's neck, similar to a rough, careless injection. He cried out, shifting forward to try to escape from it, which, unfortunately, was inevitable. The man chuckled in a sadistic manner as the pain subsided, strolling over to tower in front of Zoro. Smirking, he grabbed a fistful of Zoro's hair and tugged his head back, forcing the annoyed swordsman's gaze on only him. Zoro hissed.
"He did nothing, you murderer! I refuse to believe my sweet brother would go as far as that! Don't you dare even accuse Yudo of it! And now he's-he's...because of you! All because of you!" The man's stature slowly grew rigid and he shook with violent anger. Zoro was very surprised that he wasn't punched or slapped or something along those lines in the other's moment of hatred. Sanji stirred, straining a groan from his throat and lulling his head off of the swordsman. Blood clung to his blonde fringe of hair, and he seemed to have noticed as immediately as Zoro did. Immense pain shot down his spine, beginning at his lower back. "Oi…?" he croaked dryly.
"C-Cook! You're up already?" the swordsman droned, "Aw, I would've thought that I'd have enough time to kill this guy first…"
The man paled slightly; why the hell was he so confident? "Y-You will do nothing of the sort! I used enough rope to immobile a baby elephant. You two aren't going anywhere, let alone killing me."
Zoro smirked idly, "Well, then maybe you should have used enough for a full-grown elephant." The bluff was only known to him; he couldn't do shit right now if he wanted. Besides Sanji being too close to tear free, Zoro's body felt very weak. What did this guy do to him? Since when did Roronoa Zoro consider himself weak? Even for a moment? Zoro tried squirming to loosen the ropes around his ankles, but it proved to be useless movement. The man chuckled, slowly walking away from the swordsman, much to Zoro's relief (he smelled like Usopp's socks).
"It's futile to fight my poison," the man claimed smugly. Zoro's breath hitched in surprise and a little fear (for Sanji, of course) in the man's words. He actually poisoned them? Again, kind of justifiable for killing his brother. The swordsman huffed in irritation, and he could feel Sanji shift uncomfortably. "The name's Bob; I ate the Sasori Sasori Fruit, meaning I am the most powerful, most dangerous, most—"
"Yeah, yeah," the cook coughed, "You're a fucking scorpionman. It's not that big of a deal."
"Oh, but it is. At least, for you. You see, my poison has a very precise time limit. You will die in exactly three minutes, no more no less. The process will be extremely painful; so much so that you'll wish to be dead already. My poison has killed the strongest of men, the strongest of beasts; it has broken the will of the brave, turning them cowardly and shame filled! It has—" As Bob rambled on about his special ability, Sanji couldn't help but feel déjà vu. Where the hell had he seen and heard this before? The blinding over confidence, though the bastard's legs wobbled and shook, his expression holding determination, but beads of sweat trailing down his forehead. He nudged Zoro with his body as Bob continued on, not even paying them much attention anymore.
"Does this…sound familiar to you? Like shitty longnose familiar?" he asked. The swordsman's eyes widened slightly; Bob was lying after all. He should have known! Someone as scrawny and unscathed as him couldn't have taken down "the strongest of men". There was no doubt that there wasn't poison in their veins. Zoro could feel it, along with the nausea and drowsiness. So was he possibly lying about the strength of it, or the time limit? It's already been at least two minutes, but Zoro's sense of time was as good as his sense of direction. Hell, it could have been an hour. The cook relieved him of his thinking duties, fortunately.
"It's been about four minutes. Why isn't the poison killing us, shithead?" the blonde spat.
Bob snapped out of his fake heroic speech and sneered at the other, "You dare doubt my power?! I'm mightier than the both of you combined! Weakling like you just can't wait to die, can you?"
Zoro twitched at being called a weakling, and even more so as his ego took a large blow. All he wanted to do was slice the lying asshole in half. In fact…"Oi, where are my katana?" he casually questioned. Sanji gave him an incredulous look, as if the swordsman had grown a third ear. Seriously, was now the best time to be worrying about your weapons? Bob, as confused and dumbfounded as the cook was, hesitantly pointed towards the cave opening. "Uh, right over there?"
"Can you push them towards me?"
"What the hell? No! What for?"
"The fuck do you mean 'what for'? So I can shove them down your goddamn throat."
"I'm not stupid," Bob hissed, a long black coiled tail unraveling behind him. The end of it dripped a green liquid onto the floor, making the stone ground dissolve as fast as lightning. Zoro paled visibly. Fuck, that was inside of their bodies? Running freely through their veins? How the hell were they still alive? The tail flicked in front of the swordsman's face, causing a drop of the acidic substance to land on his chest. It burned badly, but it didn't appear to melt through his body.
"On human skin, the poison is similar to poison ivy, but inside," Bob trailed his tail over the burning drop, painfully smearing it across Zoro's belly button, "it slowly breaks down your body functions. The only feeling it leaves you with is agony."
"Get your dirty, deformed bee stinger off of him," Sanji barked angrily. How dare he touch his Zoro with something so deadly and vile? His leg muscles tensed, aching to kick Bob in his gross smug face. Even if he wasn't bound, Sanji didn't think he'd have enough strength to lift his leg. His organs and limbs were sore, and the burning/hot sensation throughout his body flared tenfold. His lungs started throbbing, and he could hardly get any air in them. Zoro began leaning more and more of his weight on him, telling him that he also didn't have much time. Was this the end? Would poison really be what killed him and not some crazy, gigantic monster trying to harm Nami and Robin? He wouldn't die a hero, like he always thought he would? Most importantly, what was he going to tell Zeff when the old geezer's time came? 'Oh, hey, old man, I failed you and let you down because I got poisoned'? Zeff probably would have kicked him back to life.
Zoro's breathing started to slow and his eyes drooped lowly. With his head against the cook's, Zoro came to the conclusion that this was it for him. No more training to fight Mihawk, no more keeping his promise to Kuina, no more happy life with Sanji. Honestly, the latter made him the most depressed. After years of pretending to hate the cook, and finally having him all to himself, he goes and dies? Not even getting a proper day in their own time together? Zoro never got to see everyone's shocked faces, which he really wanted to; especially the sea witch's.
Bob tapped his blunt fingernails on the stone wall impatiently as the cook and swordsman still remained conscious, as well as alive. "Damn it, when the hell are you gonna die?"
They didn't bother in answering. The burning became too painful to speak. Zoro opened his eyes, but the air around him was still pitch black. This was it. He was going to die; his life was pointless. "S…Sanji," he rasped quietly enough for only the cook to hear.
"Yeah?"
"I…I lo…"
Zoro couldn't form words anymore. Darkness, pain, and the knowledge of knowing what was happening, Zoro finally gave in.
XVX
He heard voices. Very familiar tones and pitches that he never thought he would have the pleasure of hearing again. Chopper's hectic yelling and ranting about a type of antidote for the poison stood out more than any of the rest. Suddenly, a soothing baritone invaded his ears, and he immediately shot upwards, startling the young doctor, navigator, and captain. He hurt his bruises and neck in the process, but he could hardly care about that now. Everyone stared at him, and Zoro stared back with wide, questioning eyes. Luffy…was wearing his red cardigan, along with the yellow sash. Nami's hair had gotten considerably longer, and Chopper…well, the little reindeer was wearing his white striped shirt. Finally, Zoro blinked after what felt like an eternity.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Springing up like that! Do I have to chain you to the bed again?" Chopper practically shouted. The swordsman was left speechless. He couldn't believe that he was home, and luckily before he died. Realization hit hard as he searched the Sick Bay for that soothing baritone, finding Sanji in the bed across from his own. The cook's neck was bandaged, but other than that seemed fine, and definitely not dead. Sanji smiled at him as he stood, ignoring Chopper's complaints, and sat down on the edge of the mattress. A smile began curling at Zoro's lips, but all happy thoughts were pounded out of his mind when Sanji angrily grabbed his nose and pulled roughly.
"OW! Oi…?" Zoro said nasally.
"Stupid shitty marimo! Lay back down," the blonde hissed, shoving the swordsman back. Zoro fell limply, the pain making itself well-known after all the fast movements. He cried out when his neck bent slightly; Chopper probably didn't give him any anesthesia or painkillers yet.
"How the hell did we get home?" Zoro managed.
"Funny thing, actually," Sanji chuckled, "When you blacked out, your bottom half vanished. The bastard got scared and called you a ghost before running away literally with his tail between his legs. After that, I just remember waking up in here." The cook grinned brightly at the ceiling, much to Zoro's confusion. "Supposedly, we were on the Sunny's figurehead hand in hand. Adorable, huh?"
"Ero-cook," Zoro scoffed while Chopper re-stitched his broken neck skin. Nami stood from her seat in the corner to stand between the two beds, hands on her hips and a frown on her features.
"It was weird," she stated, "Like knowing where you two were, but at the same time hoping we weren't losing our minds. We were scared the day you guys just disappeared, until Robin suggested that it was the end of the Time Time Fruit's cycle. I'm glad you both made it back safely."
"OH IT WARMS MY HEART THAT NAMI-SWAN CARES SO MUCH~!" Sanji sighed dramatically and wiggled whatever parts of his body didn't ache. Nami raised an eyebrow at him; that was unexpected. Luffy and the small doctor panicked, quickly flailing about the infirmary claiming that the cook was delirious and sick. Chopper rested his hoove on Sanji's forehead, confusing the blonde. What was happening and why did they think he was insane or something? "Uh, guys?" he asked.
"Sanji-kun, are you feeling alright? Should I get you some water?" Nami cautiously offered.
"Your delicate hands shouldn't be subjected to such trivial labor~!"
"AH! HE DID IT AGAIN! Chopper, help him!"
"Maybe it's brain damage, or something more serious! Don't worry, Sanji, I'll get you fixed up in no time!" Chopper dug threw his medical cabinets and pulled out a large needle filled with clear liquid. Sanji shrunk back onto the mattress as Zoro gulped for him. The swordsman wasn't to keen on injections, despite his luck on frequently getting stabbed in brutal fights. For a few seconds, the cook fumbled around for words besides 'shit' and 'wait'. "T-Tell me what's wrong before you kebab me!"
Luffy clasped his hands on the sides of his head with wide eyes. "You haven't made gooey eyes at Nami for years! Not since you started kissing Zoro!"
Nami's fist collided with the captains' dome, sending him to the floor twitching and slightly swollen. "He means dating," she clarified. Zoro blushed bright red. Well, sure, the crew was bound to find out sooner or later over the years. Zoro just didn't think it could be said so bluntly. He was a man, damn it. No prideful man wants everyone to know his business, especially his love life. Sanji, however, didn't seem affected, but relieved at something as simple as that. He didn't need the shot after all. One thing floated through his mind, though. Why didn't he have any new memories?
Robin appeared in the doorway, smiling lightly as she waved. Sanji returned the gesture casually, since everyone wanted to diagnose him with a case of the crazies. Zoro grunted in an animalistic way at her, which earned him a glare from the cook. "SO, how did you enjoy it?" she questioned.
"Let's just say I'll fucking kill dartbrow if he shoves a foreign food in my mouth again," Zoro growled. Amused at his answer, Robin chuckled, pointing over to Chopper's desk. Wado, Shusui, and Kitetsu were laying on it peacefully, much to the swordsman's alert and relief. He hadn't asked about his katana; he was only worrying over Sanji. How were they here if he didn't grab them? Robin noticed his shocked exterior and decided to shed some light on the situation.
"When said person eats a Time Time Fruit, you come back with everything you left with, hence the explanation of Time Time Fruits not allowing the future to be drastically altered. Judging from your act of surprise, I assume your swords were not on you at the returning point?"
Thank goodness; Zoro would have been royally fucked if he had forgotten them. His luck was pushing itself, giving him heart attacks like that! He nodded at her in thanks, and turned as best as he could with Chopper stitching him up to face Sanji. The blonde looked content with knowing that Zoro still had his swords. Were his weapons really that important to the cook too?
As Robin turned to leave, she dismissively waved her hand as she giggled sadistically. Puzzled, the cook and first mate stared after her, wondering why she was enjoying herself. "I'm sorry I forgot to mention earlier about your memories," she said sincerely, "You'll receive them after the blackout, occurring right about now."
Nami scoffed. She didn't believe the two would just pass out because Robin said so. It wasn't logical or possible that the archaeologist would know this much about the fruit…Zoro and Sanji weren't moving anymore, and their eyes simultaneously shut closed. Robin gave a cheery smug smile as she departed, leaved the navigator baffled and the rubber captain in gaping amazement. Chopper smiled, stitching would be easier with them unresponsive. Luffy babbled on about how he didn't know Robin was a magician while Nami irritably struck him once more, demanding that he take it outside and pester Usopp. Luffy obeyed, screaming at the top of his lungs for Usopp to learn from the older woman.
"I was really worried," Chopper said suddenly, his smile never leaving his snout. "I knew where they were, but I couldn't be sure. I thought that it was just my imagination, or that I was just telling myself that for reassurance. I'm…really happy their back, Nami." A tear of happiness slid down his furry cheek, and the navigator patted his top hat lovingly. She understood completely. Now, the crew didn't need to worry anymore.