Title: Of The Sky

Author: auspizien

Pairing: Zoro x Sanji

Rating: NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. All of it's characters, plot and witty humour belongs to Eiichiro Oda.

Summary: AU Set in modern-day. ZoroXwinged!Sanji, For the past four years Sanji has been stuck in the bottom of Impel. He'd been tested on, experimented with, and tortured in every way he thought possible. But when he escapes and runs into a certain green-haired man he finds that the evil of Impel runs deeper than he could possibly imagine...

"You may not know where you are going,

but know that so long as you spread your wings,

the winds will carry you."

- C. JoyBell C.

The terrible scraping of a metal tray being slid into his cell woke both sleeping man and child. Apis stood and grabbed her pills in one hand and the cup with the other before coming back to sit next to Sanji. She popped the pills into her mouth without hesitation before taking a small sip of the water, shuddering at its taste.

"Are you going to have yours?" Apis asked, gazing over Sanji's own tray.

"I will in a moment," Sanji reassured, "But I'm comfortable right now."

"Ah," Apis nodded. "Alright."

"You okay?" Sanji whispered quietly, shifting as best as he could to keep his wing comfortably around her through the cell bars.

Apis nodded once and took another sip from the tin cup, her tiny body jerking as it shuddered from the horrible taste of the muddy water. She stuck her tongue out and made a 'yuck' sound before setting the cup down and pushing it away.

"So," Apis ventured quietly, a hand coming up to run through his feathers, "This is what they did to you?"

Sanji nodded, and paused with his mouth open. Even though she was in this horrible place there was no need to scare her with the truth of what happened. Nor tell her about all the injections he'd been given. He supposed she had her far share of needles, but he decided he needed to keep her as innocent as possible.

"Yeah," Sanji stalled, trying to come up with a kid friendly way of saying what had happened, "They made me drink something funny."

Apis nodded thoughtfully, "I thought so. You were asleep for so long, and then those weird pods started growing on your back. I was scared you were dead."

"Oh yeah. How long was I asleep for?"

The girl's face scrunched up and she looked down at her hands, muttering to herself as she folded down her fingers. She paused once, and seemed to back track and then looked up at Sanji, "Nineteen days."

"What?!"

That couldn't be right. It had felt like a night's worth of sleep for all he knew. Nearly three weeks unconscious? It certainly would explain how fast the wings had grown on his back; and it would definitely account for all the energy he had upon waking up.

Apis seemed to sense Sanji's rhetorical question and instead said, "I like them though. Your wings."

"Thanks." Sanji muttered, "I'm still not quite sure if I like them yet or not."

"Why not?" Wide brown eyes blinked up at him in confusion, "They're so pretty. You could fly away from here with them."

Sanji sighed and shifted, bringing his knees up to his chest, "They're too much of a reminder of this place. If I ever got out; I'd get them removed immediately."

"If they remind you of something bad, then you just have to find something else that they remind you of. Something happy." Apis stroked the feathers gently, "The people here are bad, but that doesn't mean the gift you get is."

Sanji watched the little girl in shock, the whole time he had been wanting to protect this innocent child, but in reality this place had made her adapt and mature much faster than she should of had to. Regardless, her words were wise and Sanji respected them.

"So you have a 'gift'?"

Apis glanced around quickly before leaning in and whispering conspiratorially, "I can hear animals. I can understand what they say. They talk to me."

"Is that what the bad men did to you?" Sanji asked quietly.

Apis nodded, glancing out to the hallway, "But it's not so bad. The animals they let me see are really nice."

"Oh, yeah?" Sanji raised a brow as he let a tiny grin through.

"Mmhm." Apis smiled brightly, "There's a really nice eagle and dog that they let me play with. And some ducks." She made a small sound, "And a camel. He's really weird though."

"A camel?" Sanji asked skeptically.

Apis giggled, "Ah ha, and sometimes –"

A sound drew their attention, a Blugory stood impatiently outside her cell; cuffs and wand in hand. Apis stiffened slightly, shying away as the guard unlocked the door and took a step inside. Sanji could hear Apis swallow nervously as she seemed to be trying to get her shaking knees under her so she could stand.

"I'll be here when you get back, okay?" Sanji reassured her, giving her hand a quick squeeze. "I'll be sitting right here."

She nodded before bravely standing up and walking over to the door and let herself be cuffed and dragged off. Sanji watched her go and smiled brightly when she looked back, the small bit of encouragement seemed enough to make her able to continue down the hallway. Sanji felt something akin to a parent watching their child being taken away. He bit his lip before slowly turning to lay on his wing like a makeshift bed, waiting for the Blugory that would come by soon to take him.

~X~

Sanji returned to his cell, worn and beaten, and cast a glance at Apis' cell – only to find it empty. At least he hadn't broken his promise; he'd be here when she returned. Although he was slightly worried. He'd been in the gymnasium for a couple hours and had assumed she'd definitely be back by now.

He dropped to his knees, before collapsing onto the ground and just allowed his tired body and wings take a moment to recover. Indigo was becoming more ruthless. The shocks were delivered more frequently, and his impatience grew with every failed attempt. Indigo finally let him return to his cell when he had been able to master gliding. Tomorrow he'd probably raise the bar and beat Sanji even more for failing.

Sanji shifted and flapped his wings lightly. He had to admit though, flying – gliding – had felt pretty amazing. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, and it had felt liberating. Being up in the air, in control of his motions; he was free. Like a bird soaring high in the clouds – it was having no restrictions. If he could actually learn to fully fly, he'd take off and never return to this place. He'd never touch ground again – he'd just fly and fly and fly...

"No. No, please. Let me go." A terrified voiced echoed down the hall.

No movement could be seen, nor a sound heard as the rest of the captives shied away to the corners of the cells, merely grateful that it wasn't them being dragged off to be tested on. Sanji slowly pushed himself up off the floor as the panicked voice neared.

The Blugory came into view, dragging a young woman behind him who was doing all she could to resist, but cuffs on her hands and feet made it almost impossible. He had a hand wrapped up in her purple hair, gripping tight as he led her down the hall. Her cheeks were streaked with tears which ran paths through the dirt that covered her face.

Sanji darted forward, gripping the bars of his cell, the guard stopping right outside his cage, raising an eyebrow as he watched him. The girl looked at Sanji desperately, her eyes first settling on the wings before meeting Sanji's eyes, silently pleading for his help.

"Let her go." Sanji snarled, hands tightening on the metal.

The Blugory snorted, "Make me."

Sanji shook the bars fiercely, "She's a woman!"

The guard smirked, his hand coming up to unabashedly grope her breast, "I'm quite aware."

The girl jerked way from him, trying her best to break his grip, but he only tightened it and hauled her back to him. Tears broke out anew, staining her cheeks, and her sobs echoed down the hallway, reaching the other patrons. All of them most likely curling in on themselves in fear, knowing they would one day be in the same position.

The guard dismissed Sanji and began off down the hall, dragging the girl with him. Sanji shook the bars desperately, "I'll kill you, you sick bastard! I won't die until I see you fucking dead! You sick motherfucker, let her go!"

Sanji's throat was raw from yelling, it had been ages since he had had water; the last liquid he'd ingested was a cup of silty solution that he had that morning to choke down his medication. He let his head fall forward to rest on the bars in defeat, the woman and guard long since out of sight.

He swallowed, gently trying to soothe this pained throat. Banging his head softly against the bars as he slid to his knees mumbling, "Let her go..."

Sanji closed his eyes and was once more met with the usual disturbing sounds of the prison. Screams from above mixing with the sobs from below, both pained noises mingling. The cacophony only broken by the click of the door at the far end of the hall and footsteps of a guard coming to claim another victim.

He could see the men in the opposite cells, stiffen and huddle closer to the wall, hoping – wishing – that they would not be chosen. Sanji sighed, it was the only good thing about his development; he no longer had to worry about anymore tests or experiments. All he had to look forward to now was his visits to the gymnasium.

The guard stopped outside the cell to Sanji's left and he turned abruptly to see the old man stand without any issue and walk toward the guard. His hands were cuffed without a fight and he calmly followed the man out of his cell without any guidance, or need to be pushed along.

Before he set off down the hall he turned to Sanji with a friendly smile, "You too, take flight."

Ray gave a nod, and something in his eyes seemed to twinkle before he turned and set off down the hall after the guard, humming a happy tune. Sanji remained on his knees watching the peculiar man walking away, utterly confused by what he had said.

~X~

The sirens wailed loudly, giving a signal that someone had broken protocol and was now trying to leave the premises. Heads lifted from huddled forms, curious about who was lucky enough to break away from the guards. Sanji frowned and wondered which lucky bastard had managed to find the right timing to run.

When Ray was not returned to his cell that night Sanji's curiosity peaked and he wondered if that old man was the one that attempted to escape. Sanji frowned and curled further into his wings, that old man looked far too old and frail to have been able to fight off hundreds of guards and run miles from the Blugory that would undoubtedly be sent to chase after him through whatever terrain lay above. Whether it was sea, desert, or forest; any escapee would be endlessly chased.

But as the hours passed and the cell remained empty; Sanji began to question if maybe Ray had been lucky enough to get out, or if maybe the poor old man had been killed in some sort of experiment. When the cell was filled with a new prisoner – a young man with blond hair, mechanical legs, and a haunted expression on his face that made him look utterly demented – Sanji knew that Ray was not returning.

You too, take flight.

Ray's words echoed in his mind and he stared wide-eyed off down the hallway. Had that old man seriously been the one who tried to escape? And did he succeed? He must have; they wouldn't waste a perfectly good test subject by just mindlessly killing him.

Was Ray being literal? Had he been trying to encourage Sanji not to give up? Or had he actually escaped and wanted Sanji to follow? Could Sanji actually do it? Could he break out and perhaps run away from this place? He wasn't quite able to fly yet, but whatever medication they had given him had rejuvenated his body. He could probably take most of the Blugory in a fight and possibly win.

Sanji glanced at the blond who now had his face pressed against the bars to Sanji's cell, his hands extended grasping for Sanji as he muttered something about flamingos.

Sanji abruptly looked away, and resolved that he might as well try to escape. Sitting for eternity next to this lunatic was only giving him incentive to get away. Plus the benefits if he succeeded were completely beyond comprehension. And if he failed...?

He supposed the worst that would happen is that they'd kill him. And honestly, that'd be bliss compared to Impel.

But...

Sanji glanced at Apis' empty cell. He had made promise; not only to a girl, but to a child. When Apis returned she would be expecting Sanji to be sitting in his cell waiting for her. What if she returned and found Sanji's cell filled with some deranged person like the blond in Ray's old cell?

Sanji sighed heavily; he'd wait.

Without a doubt he was going to try and escape, but he owed Apis an explanation. Maybe if he got out he could get help and come back and get her? But while he waited for Apis he figured these next couple days would not be in vain. He would master flying so that when he attempted to flee he wouldn't be like a sitting duck.

~X~

Indigo grinned broadly, "I have to say your sudden progression is very promising."

Sanji didn't say anything, he knew he wasn't expected to.

"I'm satisfied for now," Indigo motioned for a Blugory to come get Sanji, "Tomorrow I expect you to have better landing capabilities. No net."

Sanji nodded lightly before he allowed himself to be led off. He kept quiet but his eyes and ears were busy taking in every detail of the path that he followed every day. Which levels had a heavy flow of traffic on the elevator, which doors had constant commotion behind them – whether it be the grinding of machines or the screaming of a human – and which hallways were almost always deserted. He would need to have perfect timing if wanted his escape to work.

The elevator doors screeched open and Sanji stepped inside, followed closely by the Blugory. The guard inserted a plastic card into a slot and pressed for level 145; a jerk and a whine set the lift into motion. Sanji watched out of his peripheral as the Blugory then slipped the card back into his breast pocket.

He yawned casually and looked up as he feigned boredom. There were nine meticulously placed tiles on the ceiling; the corner ones each had a light in their centre and the middle one had hinges on its right side. Interesting. There was a sharp ding and Sanji let his head drop to watched the doors open at his level.

Sanji walked out onto his floor, the Blugory followed along almost lazily behind Sanji; knowing the blond wouldn't dare run. As Sanji neared his cell he felt his stomach drop as a shape came into view in Apis' cell that was definitely not the little girl he had comforted that morning a week ago. A man with red hair lay face down on the stone, unconscious but still breathing.

Apis' cell had been empty for several days, and while he had refused to believe that she was dead he had begun to doubt his resolve. The last couple steps Sanji took into his cell were numb and barely registered. He slumped down against the back wall of the cell and his legs sprawled out in front of himself. The grief hurt more than any electrical burn and all he could do was sit and regret the fact that he hadn't been able to keep her safe.

His eyes burnt from unshed tears, his body much too dehydrated to produce something so essential as water. But inside he wept. Both companions were now gone and Sanji felt that small ray of hope that had begun to shine obliterated by the cold and dark of Impel. The pain in his chest was a mixture of sadness and hatred. Apis had barely had a start at life and then Impel had taken away everything. What about her parents? Did they just wake up one day to find their baby gone? Would she be missed?

A Blugory stalked past his cell making his way to collect another victim and the hatred inside him began to burn to the point he was amazed he wouldn't catch on fire. He wanted to torture every single one of the them; ever fucking scientist, guard and janitor in this god forsaken hell. Make them suffer and feel only the fraction of the pain that every innocent person in here had felt. And then – only then – would he let them all die and suffer forever in hell.

Sanji's hands clenched at his sides and his nails bit into his palm. There was no longer any reason keeping him here; the one person he felt responsible for was now dead. The best he could do was avenge her. He wasn't going to try to escape; he was going to escape, and get his revenge on this place.

~X~

Sanji walked along silently, hands cuffed as usual and the strange electrical device as always shoved warningly against his throat. He'd been oddly compliant that last few days, and at first the Blugory had been suspicious; giving him warning shocks, shoving him into doors, ripping out his feathers. But now they just seemed bored with his lack of response and seemed to think that he'd finally broken mentally.

The grip on the electrical wand was slack, and if he timed it right he could probably knock it completely from the guards hand before knocking him unconscious. With only two guards it was going to be almost too easy, but he planned for trouble on the upper levels.

Sanji wasn't a fool. If he was going to try and escape he was going to do it perfectly; make no mistakes, and especially not end up back in Impel. He had taken the last few days to survey the route to the training facility and figure out the exact spot to start his break away. The hallway they were coming to was perfect. It was almost always deserted; no cells, and within a quick sprint of the elevator. And thanks to Indigo and all the other scientist he now had some very handy tools to get out of this place.

They rounded the corner and Sanji took a calming breath as began a silent countdown in his head to begin his assault.

3... 2... 1!

He turned and slammed his head into the man on his left, effectively knocking him against the wall to fall to his knees holding his blood coated face. Sanji abruptly turned, wing slicing and the crown hitting the other man directly in the throat knocking him down the hallway to land in an unconscious heap several meters away.

The man with the bloody nose stood and launched toward Sanji, his electrical wand gone missing in the struggle. Sanji flapped his wings hard – as much as the narrow hallway would allow – bringing himself up and above the other man. He dropped forward, slamming the heel of his foot into the man's face and sent him crashing into the floor.

Both unconscious, Sanji grabbed the plastic card key hanging from the Blugory's breast pocket, the ring of keys on his belt and took off sprinting down the hallway. Hopefully no one had heard the scuffle; he only had so much time until he would certainly be found out. Maybe he'd make it far enough that he'd actually be able to escape.

As Sanji pushed the button for the elevator he could feel the blood begin to pump faster and he could hear it pulsing in his ears. If anyone was in the elevator coming down he'd be royally screwed. When the doors slid open and the small lift was empty Sanji's optimism doubled. Maybe he could do this.

Once in the elevator, he slammed the grated doors shut, put the key in the proper slot and pounded his thumb repeatedly against the glowing '1' on the panel of floor choices. With a jerk, and a horrible grinding the lift began to rise and with it Sanji's nervousness.

Keeping an eye on the glowing lights of the floor levels he quickly set to work testing each key in the lock on his wrists. The floors passed one at a time – 125, 124, 123 – how could this place possibly have so many floors? A promising click resounded and the metal cuffs fell to the floor with a heavy clang. Sanji immediately jumped up and punched the middle tile on the ceiling, hinges squeaking as the little door opened. He grabbed hold of the edge and brought his wings as close into his body as possible before pulling himself up onto the roof of the elevator.

Sanji kept the latch open and watched as the levels clicked by on the button board. Each time it neared a floor Sanji's heart would jump into his chest, and each time it passed the floor Sanji would swallow thickly – 54, 53, 52 – why was no one getting on by this point? – 36, 35, 34. Ding!

The lift came to a stop and Sanji quickly slammed the latch shut, crouching low on the roof of the lift as he listened to the voices of the people getting on the lift. From the gruff voices he guessed the were Blugory; that was lucky, they were far too dim to notice anything amiss. The lift began moving again, continuing its journey up.

Sanji glanced up the long elevator shaft trying to see the top but only able to identify the large 'I' beams and millions of cables running along the walls – 17, 16, 15 – Sanji mentally counted the floors as he passed them – 8, 7, 6. Ding!

The lift stopped at Floor 6 and Sanji could hear the Blugory get off at their stop. Sanji glanced up and saw just a few floors above – the Ground Floor level – beams of light shone through the grated doors and Sanji had to stamp down his excitement before it would overcome his rational. He smirked and jumped up, flying the short distance. Perching his toes on the edge of the platform, he wrenched the doors open and launched himself outside into the world.

He stood in a small courtyard, the entire area was boxed in with high walls and guns positioned at adequate intervals. Barbed wire twisted itself along the railings and at least a hundred Blugory were stationed along the top. Most seemed totally oblivious to his presence.

The two Blugory standing guard by the entrance seemed frozen for a moment, looking at Sanji and probably wondering what he was doing on the upper levels. Sanji took their momentary shock to his advantage and crouched low, expanding his wings fully. He jumped as hard as he could, launching himself up and into the air, beating his wings once, twice, before finding an air current and letting it carry himself up further. He beat his wings furiously, trying to get himself farther away.

Sanji didn't dare look back, all he knew was that the ground was steadily getting further and he was getting higher and he was free. Shouts and pandemonium broke lose below him as he cleared the walls and sirens began wailing much as they had when presumingly Ray had went missing.

Small black objects darted past him and he could hear the sound of gunfire. Already they had begun firing on him – the sound of the successive blasts echoing out across the empty sky. Whether they were shooting to kill or stun was yet to be seen.

Another loud round was fired and pain lanced through Sanji's right wing. A quick glance confirmed he was hit – a small needle had pierced his wing – a sedation needle. Shit! Already he could feel the numbing effects spreading down his wings and nearing his body. All the testing Impel had done on their own relaxants certainty paid off. Sanji wasn't going to last long, he knew it was only a matter of time before his entire body would be completely numb.

Impel sat in the middle of a large valley – not many places that Sanji could hide himself – the mountains were too far off but the forest below seemed adequate. Sanji noticed a small clearing in the sea of trees below him – it was a long shot, but much better than keeping airborne and risking a crash into the tree tops.

Sanji angled himself toward the forest and brought his wings into his body, bulleting down to the ground. He dropped right through the gap he'd been aiming for, the ground began to come uncomfortably near and he spread his numb wings as much as they could to parachute and try and slow his body down for the inevitable impact.

His feet hit the ground hard and he immediately tumbled over from the force of his landing. Rolling several feet before finally falling face first, cushioned by the somewhat soft ground and the mud he had landed in.

He could faintly hear an engine of some vehicle run by somewhere, far enough though that the driver hadn't seen him. Face down – still in the mud – he lay quietly for a few moments as he tried to catch his breath and remain still so he wouldn't attract the attention of anymore nearby Blugory out on the hunt for him.

Sanji heard the crunch of a branch in front of him and gritted his teeth in frustration, tears threatening to spill onto his cheeks. He had gotten this far only to be captured again. Maybe the Blugory would be merciful and kill him for trying to flee. Death would be better than returning to that place.

When a few moments passed with neither a rough hand wrapped in his hair to pull him to his feet, or a electrical wand being pushed against the back of his skull, he took a steadying breath, and then looked up defiantly to accept his fate. But it wasn't a blue, ape-like guard sent to return him back to Impel Down.

The man stood before him, tall and proud, dressed in rugged travelling gear. Army boots laced up tight with black combat pants tucked into them, and a ratty white shirt concealed under a leather jacket. A large rucksack hung from his shoulder, and a toque was pulled down low enough to mostly conceal his eyes.

He watched Sanji steadily and Sanji just stared back, he couldn't read the look in the man's eyes, but whatever it was – it wasn't hostile. A wave of relief washed over him.

A human. A real human being. Who wouldn't prod him with electrical zappers, eject him with needles and weird serums, or strap him down and beat him like an animal. Sanji dragged one of his hands out the muck, the sticky substance seemed like it was holding his arm down. Breaking it free he raised it out toward the man, hand stretching desperately.

It seemed like an eternity, and just before Sanji's head dropped forward as he lost consciousness, he felt a gloved hand grip his tightly.

TBC...

A/N: I should be listening to my Econ prof, but seriously? Zosan is more important than our economy...