I sat up and stretched. "Oh! You're awake," a giddy voice squealed… Chopper, if I remembered correctly. "Luffy! Wake up! She's awake!" He screamed so loud that the whole crew heard and gathered outside the door.
"Oh! You're up!" he repeated as Chooper told me I could take the bandages off.
As I started to take them off I realized, with growing excitement, that I could see perfectly again. For the first time since 8 years ago, I smiled a real smile. I kept looking around, taking in my surroundings with feverish excitement. Until my eyes landed on the blonde… He looks so familiar. Where have I seen him.
Apparently he was thinking the same thing.
"Umm… I'm Sanji… Have I met you before?" He had the same expression I had, one of confusion, and of hope. The people now gathered in my room, due to my recent awakening, fell silent and stared at the blond man, looking at him with blatant curiosity.
"I'm surprised you haven't showered this girl with your pervertedness, ero-cook, " A green-haired, muscular swordsman deadpanned and continued on, saying, "I'm Zoro, by the way." I nodded, my eyes never leaving the blonde called Sanji. He looked so familiar, the hair style, the suit. I was sure that I had seen the eyebrow before.
The blonde folded his arms and looked away, deciding apparently to not respond to Zoro's statement.
An awkward silence ensued as the people surrounding me stared at the blonde guy, waiting apparently for him to flare up and yell at Zoro - if some incredulous whispers were anything to go by. The silence was soon broken by a curly haired teen who stepped up from behind Zoro, "I introduced myself before, but you couldn't see me. I'm -"
I cut him off. "Usopp, you should learn that I never forget a voice."
"What's you're name?" Luffy and Chopper asked excitedly.
"Alidar." I said, barely noticing Sanji walk up to me and kneel in front of me, and gasped as I was suddenly enveloped in the blond man's arms.
"I've missed you so much," He whispered. One of his hands on the back of my head, pulling me closer. "Everyone at Baratie thought you were dead! I'm so glad that I've found you."
The crew was in shock. So was I. I didn't remember him. "Sanji, you know her?!" The crew asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Sanji replied. "We were best friends, until she and her family disappeared eight years ago. We weren't sure what happened to her, they never sent a message. Then a year later, we saw Arlong's wanted poster, naming that he had destroyed and took over the island she was from. We figured she was dead." His arms grew increasingly tighter around me.
My mind was working over drive, trying to remember my life before the incident without dragging up bad memories. I took a step back from the blonde and stared hard at his face...the cigarrete dangling from his lips, the defiant look in his eyes, and his oddly shaped eyebrows. A second look at those eyebrows and I finally remembered. Of all our good times of playing and cooking together. I smiled widely and hugged him back.
"I've missed you too." I whispered, when I was suddenly turned around, facing away from the others. He was lifting up my shirt. I twisted back around, horror in my eyes, as I put the back of my shirt into its rightful place. He must have noticed the tattoo sticking out above the hem.
His eyes widened and he asked curiously, "A tattoo? You never seemed the type." I cringed at his words and shrunk back, clutching my stomach as I looked at anywhere but him. The thought of him finding out what the tattoo was hiding made my mouth go dry. He decided not to ask further, but the curiosity in his eyes deepened as he looked at me.
"A lot of things happened to me in the time since we last saw eachother. You wouldn't understand." He just stared at me, then dragged me up from the ground, pushing me out of the room.
"Where are you going?" someone asked. I had forgotten the rest of the crew was there, getting caught up in the memories.
"I'm taking her to the dorm," He kept dragging me along. "Don't follow, I need to talk to her in private. And DO NOT EAVESDROP!" I finally stopped struggling when I saw the look that was beyond worry in his eyes. The rest of the crew fell silent, all thinking, Whats going on between them and He's never sounded that angry before.
He sat me down on the sofa and said, "Tell me if anyone starts listening outside the door." I nodded. He stood up, walking over to the door. He closed it, and locked it so that no one disturbed us. He came back over to me, placing his lips on my forehead, lifting up my shirt. I immediately pulled his hands away from me. He looked back up. "Alidar…" He started laughing, "Thats not what I was going for. I wanted to see if the seal was still in tact." I sighed and let him lake my shirt off. His eyes went right to my stomach, not flinching at my mostly bare chest. He'd seen me naked before, when we were kids, we were practically family. I was drawn out of my thoughts when he clenched his teeth.
"What's wrong?" I asked suddenly worried.
"The seal… is severely weakened…" He stared looking at the rest of my bare body. He gasped as he saw all the scars on my stomach and arms. He took off my pants too. Noticing every scar on my body. "What the hell happened to you while you were gone?" I stayed silent and turned away. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" He screamed, his face showing more worry than before. He thought of me as his little sister back then, now that he knows I'm alive, those feelings must have become more protective in the last ten minutes.
I let more blood lust roll off me, letting him know not to ask. "Just fix the damn seal." I said quietly.
Someone broke down the door, "THA HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?!" I barely reacted quickly enough to drape a blanket over my exposed body.
"Zoro, I told you not to disturb us." The rest of the crew was crowded behind him.
"I heard yelling and sensed blood lust. I thought she was gonna kill you." He looked from Sanji to me. His serious demeanor turned to one of amusement as he looked back at his rival. "Oh, is that what was going on here?" Sanji looked back over to me, his face flushed when he realized that I didn't have my clothes on.
"N-no!" He stuttered, "Thats not it at all!" He looked back at me, mouthing 'I'm going to tell them.' I looked at him in horror. He came over to me, "I have to, Chopper will be able to help."
"Can you just tell Chopper, and not the rest of them?" I whispered, "They barely know me, I don't want them to fear me right off the bat." He nodded.
He turned back to the rest of the group, "It's a medical condition, I was helping her with the physical therapy."
The the crew looked suspicious, except Luffy - of course - who walked away pretending not to be interested in what was going on...he always was the best at reading situations. The rest of the group wandered off, not seeing much of a problem. Except Zorro and Chopper, the doctor, who was staying to help with the medication. Zorro stepped in closing the door and locking it.
"Tell us the truth." Zoro muttered, with his arms folded, he was the protector of the crew and while his captain my not care about people's pasts, he was going to make sure she wasn't dangerous.
"I can only tell you if Alidar allows it." Sanji said calmly. He handed me my pants, never taking his eyes off me. I nodded.
After I put on my pants, I cast the blanket to the side, letting them see my stomach. They both cringed. "What… is that?" Zoro asked, curiosity peeking through his otherwise stoic tone.
Chopper was stunned silent, staring at the unnatural 'thing' on my stomach. It looked like a tattoo, but it was unleashing a steady flow of hatred, blood lust - even if it wasn't alive. "A seal."
"I thought seals were animals?" Zoro questioned, genuine confusion crossing his face.
"Not that kind of seal, shitty swordsman." Sanji deadpanned, kicking him lightly at the crown of his head. "Now be quiet," He looked back up at me. "I'm going to tighten it now." I nodded.
"Tighten it?" Chopper asked. Sanji sent a look at the doctor, silencing him.
I was nervous, "You do remember what you're doing… right?" He looked up to give my a cheery nod. His look conveyed everything; worry, and happiness. He grabbed me into another hug, "Everything will be alright."
"Just get it over with." I hissed at him. With that, he went to work. Cutting the palm of his hand and placing it over the seal. HIs fingers were absorbed by the ink covered skin, he started whispering a chant in another language, an ancient language. He twisted his hand, the circular seal started to shrink. My back arched. The pain was inhuman. He started another chant. Finally ending with, "Stop your complaining, you damn beast!" I was out of breath, coughing up blood again. Chopper ran up to me, "Are you - " Sanji cut him off. "When was the last time you got it tightened?" He stared at me as I caught my breath.
"8 years ago. The last time I was at Baratie." I closed my eyes, blood all over. Sanji put my shirt back on me and took me to the infirmary. Chopper was right behind, thinking of medicines to stop the bleeding. "You've been like this for 8 years?" Chopper asked.
I replied weakly, "It was worse before the seal. This isn't nearly as bad." I laughed. He looked even more worried, the thought of something worse than what he was seeing was enough to make him blanch.
When we reached the infirmary again, Chopper rushed inside to get some pain killers. "Take these." He said. I shook my head. He shoved them into my hand.
Sanji explained, "Pain killers weaken the seal. Plus, she has to get used to the pain again. I have to tighten it every week." Chopper stared at me and gulped, worried for what I had to go through and not being able to help.
"Can't you remove whatever's inside of you?" I shook my head, too much blood in my throat to speak. Sanji sat down at the end of the bed, ruffling my hair.
"Why not?" he attempted to ask again. I slapped Sanji's hand aside, the feeling annoying…yet oddly comforting. Mostly annoying.
"We can take it out… but then she'll die, as will the rest of the world." Sanji replied.
Silence filled the room. Deafening silence.
Luffy then bounded into the room, "Sanji! MESHI!" He looked around the room. He finally noticed all the blood on my hands and around my mouth. His eyes grew wide, "What happened to you?!" All three of us ignored him. Sanji got up to leave, "I'll bring your food in here, okay?"
Chopper came over to give me a towel, "You should probably take a shower. Get cleaned up before you talk to everyone again." He led me to the shower, then left without a word. To scared by what he had seen to utter anything.
XX..o..XX
So, second chapter... stuff happened. Tada! She knows Sanji!
Some people wanted me to update, so here it is. I don't really like the way this turned out, but if you have any suggestions on things that coulf happen next or ways I could improve my writing- tell me!