I'm so sorry for the delay! The day after I was almost done, my life became 134% more difficult! D: Color Guard practice before school starts, basically all day and takes up my attention for the rest! It stinks, because I was only a few lines away from completing this part!

A quick thank you to those supporters! A few of you mentioned it's kind of strange to see Luffy's POV when his thoughts are rarely if not ever displayed in the manga or anime. I can see where you guys are coming from, and I can definitely relate. I did it this way because of THIS chapter in particular and so forth! This one gives Luffy's POV more purpose and is easier for me to write this way. Sorry if it's too bothersome!

Well, that's enough blathering and stalling. Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Falling

I felt...wrong. I wasn't sure what it was, but it didn't feel normal. And food, surprisingly, didn't do much at all. So I figured I'd ask the ship doctor we recently got, Chopper.

"So, Luffy, what symptoms do you have?" I found him and Sanji talking in the storage room where he decided to look me over.

"Hmm...well, my face feels really really hot…" Chopper mumbled the possibility of a fever. "And...my stomach hurts, and my chest, too…"

Our doctor hopped down from a box and climbed cautiously onto my lap to place a hoof on my forehead. "Well, you're not warm right now."

"Well, yeah, it only happens sometimes."

Sanji stood up and shuffled from his corner in the room to ours with his eyes locked on mine.

"When does it happen?"

"Hmm...I don't know. It just kinda does."

"Well...You should come back when the symptoms do, so I can give a proper analysis. Right now I could say it's a number of things, like dehydration, anxiety, your bowel system could be irritated…" He gasped with wide eyes and gripped my shoulders tightly. "You could have Supraventricular Tachycardia!"

"...Super tacky what?"

"Oh, this is bad! The symptoms match up, especially since the rapid heartbeat comes and goes at random times. Oh, this could be caused by almost anything! Oh god, someone get a doctor!"

"You are a doctor, Chopper."

Something about the deep, soothing voice traveling across the room made my entire body stiff. I could feel my face grow hot and my heart beat a million miles an hour. My head turned itself to let my eyes rest on the tanned face of our green haired swordsman.

"Oh, right! Thanks, Zoro. Ah! Luffy, your face is burning up!"

The blood pumping in my ears was drowning out everything Chopper was screaming about and the bickering between the other two. My eyes subconsciously traced the angry features of Zoro's face directed to Sanji, a kind of face he never directed towards me. He always looked at me with understanding or momentary annoyance. My thoughts were filled with the hope he would just look at me with those kind eyes…

Crap. He looked at me.

I changed my direction to my hands nervously tugging at my shorts.

"Luffy, what's wrong?" He sounded so concerned, and it made me so much worse.

"N-No no, it's nothing," I tried reassuring him with a forced smile in his direction. "My...stomach just hurts, that's all."

He sighed and sat beside me, scratching the back of his head while I reluctantly tensed up as his other shoulder brushed mine. "You probably caught what Nami had. Or sitting outside in the snow with nothing but...that."

"Wh-What?! I haven't been sick a day in my life!" I sat up straight in my defense and whipped around to face him directly. My pride almost instantly vanished when I saw how close we really were, and the extra few inches that made all the difference. I could feel his warm breath down on my nose, his probing green eyes on mine. I didn't realize I was shaking until Chopper mentioned it.

"Hey, marimo," Sanji spoke up to bring Zoro's eyes from mine, bringing me out of my trance. "Get out of here, all this body heat won't lower his temperature."

"I'm concerned for our captain, you shitty cook." I smiled lightly. "If he's sick, what'll he do?" They began bickering a little before Chopper had to break them up.

"Zoro, I need you to go get some water for Luffy. It can't be seawater, of course, and Nami knows how to get it. Can you go get some please?"

Zoro tsked and stood up to oblige to his order. I watched him all the way out the door and as he told me to take care. My heart rate decreased almost immediately and my arms relaxed.

"Hey, Luffy." Sanji caught my attention while lighting his cigarette. "Your fever went down, right? All the symptoms you mentioned came and left just now?"

I blinked at him and nodded eagerly. "Yeah! It's just like that, what I mentioned and stuff. Still don't know why it happens, though…" I scratched my head with my finger and squeezed my eyes closed tightly.

"Tsk. I figured that's what it was, but I didn't know it was like that…"

"Eh? What are you talking about, Sanji?"

"Oh, it's nothing, Chopper. Hey, why don't you go help that dumbass marimo? He probably got lost or something. I'll take care of Luffy in the meantime."

"Oh! Yeah, that's probably true. I'll be back!" Chopper hopped off my lap and dashed out the door, calling for Zoro. Sanji sat across from me and sighed deeply, nothing being said for a while.

"Hey, Luffy...you ever been in love?" I looked at him with complete confusion, and he scoffed with a shake of his head. "That was a stupid question. You don't even know what it is."

"Love? Like meat?"

"No, no...that was a stupid question on my part…"

"Sanji, you're acting weird. Did you eat today?

"Food isn't the answer every time, Luffy." Sanji was getting visibly irritated and began speaking again before I could intervene. "Luffy, you're not sick at all."

"Really? Phew, that's a relief! I'd never been sick a day in my life!" I laughed and pulled my feet into a cross. "Hey, then what's up with how I was? Sure felt weird. Hey, Sanji, are you listening to me?!"

"I can hear you fine, idiot," he mumbled under his breath. "Hell, I think I may be sick just thinking about it…"

"Eh?! Sanji, you can't be sick! Who's gonna make all the food?! None of us know how! I don't, Nami doesn't, Z...Zoro do-"

"Luffy, you god damned idiot! You're in love with that...that...shitty, green-haired…"

"Wait...you mean...Zoro?"

Sanji huffed a shaky "yes" through his smoke, but I barely registered it. I...I was in love with...Zoro?

Aaand there you have it! I'm so glad to finally have this up. And, yes, I got the potential disease from WebMD xP