So, what did Zoro feel after leaving the blond's place?

He felt confused, perhaps honored? But most of all, peeved. Why couldn't that damn cook control his feelings? And why did he have to shove it at my face?

As an honorable swordsman, he knew he shouldn't be blaming others, but if the blond hadn't acted upon his damn impulse their friendship wouldn't have broken. The friendship that Zoro actually valued, especially after hearing about Sanji's past. And staying with the cook would've been wrong, for moral reasons. It would be selfish on Zoro's part. Back when he and Kuina were young and hadn't yet to confess to one another, that one-sided love was torturous, being with her but unable to touch or kiss her, having to restrain from the person he loved felt like the ultimate sacrifice.

But... this separation, it also hurt Zoro.

All for that terribly annoying, hot-tempered, charismatic, inscrutable blond.

He was up for another night of drowning himself with alcohol, so he headed to the usual place, Blueno's Bar, to remorse in peace. He needed to cloud up his thoughts, because no matter what, he couldn't get rid of Sanji's expression after the rejection. Those dejected eyes (or eye) and that vacant smile, taken back, petrified, a look a man that strong shouldn't be having.

Why?

He asked for stronger alcohol from the bartender, wanting to get drunk, fast.

First cup, second cup, tenth cup, twentieth cup. Refill to the top each time. Over and over.

The kiss. Damn, he was still thinking. Why did I kiss back? Was I that desperate? No, he loved Kuina.

So, why?

Was there some type of attraction he felt for the cook? Was that it? In reality, he had enjoyed the kiss. There, he said it, or thought it. Even when he pushed Sanji away, he secretly wanted more, perhaps something further than a kiss. Maybe the reason he left wasn't to protect the blond but because he didn't want that attraction to grow into another level.

He downed another cup.

Why was he trying to betray Kuina? But why didn't he take the chance with the blond? He was a man of actions, of course, not thoughts, but he usually acted in accord with his impulse, not care and compassion.

Kuina was the one meant for Zoro, the only person who completely understood him. She was a part of him— past, present, and perhaps future— because not only do they walk along the same path, chasing a dream that might seem impossible for others, but they're externally the same person, except she's a woman and he isn't. A strong woman at that, a very admirable character.

But he had to give some credit to Sanji, one who tried to understand, something that was new for someone like Zoro. He asked questions, quite intrusive questions, but an interest in the swordsman; and he told Zoro about himself, about his fears, his past, and it connected the two to a certain extent. The moment they shared, the trust that was being given, it was all new.

"Hey, Zoro!"

The green haired man's eyes were unfocused, but he saw those familiar raven hair strands and wide smile, "Ace?"

"No, it's Luffy! What are you doing here all by yourself?" Luffy asked with his usual enthusiasm as he pulled a seat next to Zoro.

"What are you doing here all by yourself," he countered, slurred a bit.

Luffy's features became focused, more distinct from his brother's. His eyes were concentrated on Zoro's face. "I'm waiting for someone, I promised to meet her here."

He was drunk but that sentence still sounded a bit strange. "You have a girlfriend, Luffy?" he asked, perhaps rudely.

The young male smiled, bigger, showing teeth, "She's not my girlfriend, shishishi, I like her though." He told Zoro, bluntly, with laughter in between his words.

"Luffy!" A fierce woman's voice called out behind them. "What are you telling Zoro!" The swordsman turned to see Nami marching towards them in angry strides, fists clenched, stomping her heels on the wooden ground. She brought a harsh fist on top of Luffy's head.

"I'm sowwy!" Luffy apologized as Nami ruthless conked him on the head again, like the true monster she was.

Zoro shivered.

After the merciless beating of Luffy, Nami took a seat next to Zoro and smiled innocently with a twine of her fingers, "I thought you were with Sanji today, what happened, Zoro?"

"I hung out with him earlier," he told her with another down of alcohol.

"Did anything happen?" she asked again, persistently.

Luffy poked the woman's arm with a pout, how truly fearless, Zoro thought. "Nami!" he whined. "That hurt!"

The red haired woman shushed him with her index finger, "Luffy, I'm asking Zoro something important." She turned back to Zoro, "So what happened with Sanji?"

If this had been a normal occasion, Zoro would have pushed her away, saying, "It's none of your business, witch," but it must have been the alcohol in his system because he could not stop talking about every detail that occurred between him and the blond tonight. He only had enough sense to retain the newly acquired information about himself, about the slight attraction he felt towards Sanji.

After the finish of his story, Luffy appeared confused, with his head tilted, "Zoro, why did you push Sanji away?"

The red haired woman answered for him, frowning, "That's because Zoro doesn't like Sanji."

The boy with a straw hat slammed his fists on the marble surface, surprising them and the other customers, "Yes he does, he likes Sanji! I'm just wondering why he pushed him away like that! You're being a coward for pushing Sanji away!" He was shouting, angrily, and his usual childish demeanor melted off, leaving someone respectably older behind.

It seemed that Nami never saw this side of Luffy before because she tried to calm him down with weak words to counter, "Luffy, I'm sure he doesn't like Sanji like that. He has Kuina, remember?" She glanced at Zoro, who had been stunned by the accuracy of Luffy's words. "Oh, my god," the woman gasped. "So it's true... That's great! For Sanji, I mean."

Zoro glared at her, "No, it's not. I'm going to avoid him until both of our feelings pass because I can't ruin something I already have for that cook."

And it was clear that Luffy was angry again because his grip on the table tightened so much that his knuckles began to whiten, "I never thought I would be calling you a coward, Zoro, but because you are, someone has to pay now..."

As much as he respected Luffy, it was frustrating that he wasn't seeing from his perspective. "But Kuina will pay if I leave her for Sanji, and I can't do that to her, Luffy."

Being called by a coward (twice) by a man he respected hurt like a bitch.

He was an instinctual man, someone who charged into battles when clearly outnumbered, fought without any hesitation, protected those he cared about and cut down anyone who was in between him and his goals, so why was Luffy calling him a coward?

This time in a more earnest manner, Luffy told him, "I didn't mean Sanji or Kuina, I meant that you had to pay the price for not knowing your own feelings."

Nami spoke, "We support you and Sanji, it's you and his happiness that matter to us." She grinned, almost as wide as Luffy's.

The conversation was beginning to give him a headache, it made his head throb with a beating pulse. He groaned, "I'm going to go home now."

"Yosh," Luffy said, and his expression loosened back to his usual friendliness. "I'll see you later, Zoro!"

"Bye," Nami said, casually, with a wave of her hand.

Despite the fact that three months have passed, Zoro had done nothing related to Sanji, except think about him, a lot. He hung out with his friends during evenings, though Ace had changed their usual club to a more upbeat one; and during after hours, he worked his night shift with Law. But most importantly, during afternoons, he spent time with Kuina.

Being with Kuina alleviated that sense of guilt with Sanji, for rejecting the man. Being with her made him think that this was how it was supposed to be, that nothing in contrast could be better; but during the days and nights when he was alone, when he had no more distractions to turn his thoughts away, only regret and guilt mounted, and much heavier than before.

However, tonight was not the time to be disrupted by his feelings because his contract with the organization had finally come to an end.

He approached the office he rarely visited, then knocked on it with his hard knuckles.

He heard a command, "Come in," from inside.

With the intent of attaining the information about Dracule Mihawk, he pushed the heavy doors open and entered the vast aquarium of a room, with unnaturally large crocodiles behind the translucent walls, or glass.

"Ah, Mr. 1, I can guess why you're here today," Crocodile looked up, eyes wide open as though he was actually surprised to see Zoro standing in front of him. "About Dracule Mihawk, I presume?"

"My part of the deal is complete, Crocodile, now finish your part," he demanded, in a challenging tone of voice.

The man threw his fur coat over his shoulders and walked around, grinned, as he closed the gap between him and Zoro. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, but I find you too valuable, Mr.1. Why should I let you go?"

Anger brewed within the swordsman.

He had predicted this, knew that Crocodile wasn't the sort of man to keep his words. "Crocodile, keep your part of the deal or you will regret it," he growled, and luckily he had brought all three of his swords.

Crocodile hummed, "Will I, Roronoa? You see, there are ranks in my organization and you are certainly one of the stronger ones, but do not believe that you are the strongest. I have many who can kill even you if you dare to wrong me."

The cold threat hung around the swordsman, wrapped around his throat like a hand.

"Tell me where I can find Mihawk," he demanded again, with more intensity behind his words this time. "Unless... you have lied to me since the beginning." His thumb swirled around the handle of his swords, ready to withdraw the bloodthirsty weapons at any time.

Crocodile stepped closer, brought his golden hook to Zoro's neck and slid it lower to his collarbones, "You think I lied?"

The swordsman kept his grip on his three swords.

Crocodile grinned, wickedly, "I'll tell you a little secret, Mr.1, since you've been hardworking for the past two years." He pulled back his golden hook. "I have agreed to meet Dracule Mihawk in a few months, as members of the government. You should know, it's all over the media, how we're acquaintances and friendly with one another, Mr. 1."

Zoro's pulse quickened, "Where? When?" Perhaps his years weren't so wasted, after all. "Tell me!"

The man's mouth drew back into a nasty grin, as he held up two fingers in front of him. "Two years, work for me for that much longer."

"No," the swordsman answered.

Fuck this man, he thought. He wanted to wipe that all-knowing, malicious expression off his face, cut it in half, because he abhorred it that much. As much as he was desperate, he wasn't that much of a fool, not enough to waste another two years of his lifetime.

"Alright, Mr. 1, or Roronoa, nice doing business with you."

And with that, Zoro was dismissed.

He was pissed off as hell, past seeing the red in his eyes, past the veins throbbing on his forehead. He wanted to cut the man's head off, rip it off his torso, and feed to one of his pet crocodiles, but he couldn't because he was only one man against the millions and billions of his followers. He had expected this, of course, because who could trust such a shady man? But he had hoped for some type of information about Dracule Mihawk, something that made it all worthwhile, but now he had to start from scratch.

He had this foul taste in his mouth, something that wouldn't dissolve just like the heavy drop in his stomach.

Zoro wished someone was there with him, someone that was a cook and an idiot, someone who always managed to keep his mind off of things. He ruffled his short green locks, felt terrible for thinking of someone else when he was still together with Kuina.

However, no matter how much he cleared his mind by meditating, distracted himself with others, or drowned himself with alcohol, the cook's face would not leave his mind. There was always the faint but distinct picture of him in the back of his mind, it drove him fucking insane.

A swing, powerful enough to knock down a grown man, struck.

Zoro slid across the blue mat on his back and was unable to get back up, appeared pathetic in his crouched form. He grumbled as he gripped the spot where the bamboo sword had struck, where there were traces of bruises scattered across his dark skin.

Although it was Kuina's win, she felt dissatisfied.

Lately, it had always been like this. Zoro's sudden drop in skill and focus, as though he no longer cared about his dream and honing his abilities as a swordsman, as though he no longer cared about her, Kuina, and it left her to feel weak inside, angry but also sad. She didn't want to lose him, but being with him felt like dragging a life-sized doll everywhere.

Zoro remained on the floor, sprawled out like he had been completely defeated, his three bamboo swords abandoned next to his body. He stared at the ceiling of the room, dazed by something, perhaps his thoughts?

Kuina was aggravated, she wanted to smack that face off until those eyes were staring at her again, and only her.

"I guess it's my win again, Zoro, you need to step it up," she teased as she pulled him up.

The swordsman didn't look at her. Instead, while looking to the side, with a monotone voice he said, "I'm going to take a shower now." Cold, everything about him was cold, like his voice and actions, the way his body language was around her, it pained her chest.

She loved Zoro, hopelessly had fallen in love with him when they were little.

When she was young, she loathed her slender body, the curves that made her a woman, because it prevented her from being the best swordsman. Her father once told her there were no such things as a best swordswoman because females were not as capable as men, it was the natural law, he said, so perhaps she should pursue a dream that was more practical, be a teacher or something. It was her fate to be the underling because a female lacked the mental and physical strength, whereas a man had more stamina with those type of things. It would only be right to allow Zoro to go on his way without any further intervention from her, because a far-fetched dream like that could only be attained by a man.

But, as they were growing up, Zoro gave her strength by telling her that she was his goal and that she shouldn't be giving up. It had been childishly worded at the time, but because it held such profound meaning, she fell hard for him. She became thankful that she had been born a girl, because it was one of the few reasons why Zoro loved her back.

Of course, that was until the blond stumbled across their lives.

It wasn't so that she disliked the blond, no that wasn't it. She actually loved his outgoing personality and talent in cooking, his fierce personality that left a mark in people's hearts, and how he was such good friends with Zoro.

No, she didn't dislike him, at all.

The swordsman liked him too, really liked him, she could tell, he talked about Sanji like they were lifetime friends, he showed an array of emotions at the mention of the blond cook's name— anger, excitement, joviality— a lively personality that Kuina had never seen, or brought forth, from Zoro before. There was a distinct attraction between the two men, it was clear that they both felt emotions beyond the line of friendship, but something was preventing Zoro from it, and it was clear who it was.

She didn't want to let him go, it was selfish and she knew it. But it was so fucking unfair, how at the end she had lost Zoro to a man and not another woman. How fucking cruel the situation was.

"Do you need to shower?" Zoro asked, when he came out of the shower half naked, a towel in his hand.

It frustrated her that he refused to even look at her, who stared at the floor instead as though the floor was more interesting to look at than her.

"No, it's alright," she replied. In a composed tone of voice, she continued, "Do you want to train a little more?" After all, that was the only thing holding the two of them together.

"I don't feel like doing anything," Zoro replied as he laid on his back again, the towel covering his eyes. "I'm tired."

Like a mundane cycle, all he'd been doing lately was sleep, eat, train half-assedly, then repeat.

"Then, I'll just train with the dummies, I can't have my skills rusting," she snapped, annoyed by the indifferent attitude the swordsman was displaying.

As she walked away, Wado Ichimonji by her side felt heavier than ever.

A pale hand softly grazed the side of Zoro's face and nuzzled his cheek with a rub of his thumb.

Sanji, he thought when he saw a head full of blond and a piercing set of blue eyes, with a cigarette hanging low from his lips.

"Hey, marimo."

Zoro twitched, "Who are you calling a marimo, perverted dartboard."

The blond smirked, "Idiot."

"Asshole cook."

"Shitty swordsman."

With each insult, Sanji stepped closer, wrapped his arms around Zoro's neck, and pulled them together until their noses touched and breaths mingled. His cigarette had dropped on the floor, and all that was left was the the strong scent of tobacco and jalapeno pepper in his mouth, something that Zoro had always smelt from the cook.

"You dipshit, don't get lost again, you hear?" the blond warned him, whispered it to him since they were so close.

Zoro smiled, "Just stay with me and I won't mind getting lost."

Sanji's face reddened, a scarlet streak that ran from ear to ear. "Y-you idiot, saying something like that," he sputtered, as he rested his forehead on Zoro's shoulder so the swordsman wouldn't be able to see his face.

"Ero-cook, pull your head up."

Zoro had never been a fan of blue eyes, thought they were too cold of a color in contrast of brown and hazel. They were simply just too poetic, too dolly, too unfriendly and too aesthetically pleasing, not really suitable to his liking. But Sanji's was different. It didn't capture you like a picture, wasn't captivating or whatever, it wasn't pretty (okay, a little bit); it instead burned like a fire, lit passion in your chest, and left you feeling hot and bothered. It wasn't poetic, yet they reminded Zoro of the sea, such unwavering gaze that held crashes of waves behind them, it caught the swordsman's breath because they were beautiful, but not in the most obvious way.

As the cook raised his head, the swordsman grabbed his chin, leaned forward to meet those desirable lips, closed his eyes and waited for the taste of tobacco. But they never came, along with those lips of his.

The swordsman woke up.

He covered his eyes with his hands as he tried to recover the fleeting image of the cook.

"Hello?" Kuina answered her phone, felt her sweat sticking to the cool glass surface.

"Kuina! I called Zoro again but he's not picking up!"

Kuina raised an eyebrow, "Ace, why are you calling me?" She hardly talked to the man, even though he and Zoro were practically best friends, they only exchanged a few sentences at the bar when they were in a large group.

"I was getting to that," he retorted, impatiently. "Just earlier, we saw Dracu-"

"WHAT!" Kuina shouted, with her jaw snapped open.

"Sanji and I are watching him right now, he's inside a bar with this red haired man, I think they're going to be in there for awhile. Hurry up and bring Zoro." There was a mechanical beep. "Shit! My phone is dying, come to Whiskey Peak, the bar next to that pizza shop we went-"

The phone call ended.

And Kuina was left with excitement reverberating and trembling down her spine, with Wado Ichimonji tightly clutched in her hand.

Zoro heard the shout of Kuina's from outside, wondered when the hell Ace and her got so friendly with each other; but most importantly, wondered what they were talking about that got Kuina so riled up.

The woman was in a hurry, her feet shuffling against the floor, repeatedly, dashing around the room.

"Kuina?" he asked.

"What?" Kuina snapped, peeved until she saw the swordsman's face. "Oh, Zoro! I forgot to tell you!" She was practically beaming, happiness oozing out of her wide smile and crinkled eyes, "Ace called me and told me that Dracule Mihawk is here!"

Zoro froze.

The man he had been searching for these past years somehow found him first, without any notice. He should have been ecstatic about the fact that he finally got a hold on Mihawk, but he was still pissed off at Crocodile for wasting two years of his life.

In an aggressive manner, he snapped at Kuina, "You tried to leave without me, Kuina."

The cheery personality wavered, "What?" She sounded confused and slightly hurt. "I mean, I admit that I forgot about you for a second, but that was because I was too excited. You know that I want either one of us to be the best swordsman," she smiled, gently, as she cupped the man's face.

"No, I don't know," he told her.

But he did, he did know, he just wasn't telling the truth.

Her eye twitched in annoyance as her patience finally drew, "Zoro, I don't have time for this bullshit." She withdrew her hand and crossed her arms across her chest. "I should be the one mad at you! You've been sulking and being moody like a bitch, and I can't take your shit anymore!" Aggravated, she stomped her foot. "You're such a bastard!" she screamed until her voice echoed throughout the house, and it was a good thing that her dad was away at the moment. "God, I can't believe myself for falling in love with such a piece of shit like you! Why do I- Why do I-" she paused to look up at him, interlocking his gaze to hers. "-still love you?"

Then she leaned forward and kissed him, achingly slow, a kiss without either one of their tongues, a mere engagement of their lips. An innocent affection.

"I'm still mad at you," she told him when they broke apart from each other. Zoro smirked, curve of his lips full of his usual arrogance and confidence. "I can't believe that you think this is funny, Zoro! You're such a bastard, you know that? An idiot!"

"Still, at least I'm your idiot, Kuina," he spoke, softly, with such affection that it left the woman feeling dumbfounded.

She blinked furiously, pushed herself away from the man, before stuttering, "I-I'm going to go on ahead, okay? Hurry up and catch up with me, we'll be at Whiskey Peak."

He nodded and leaned forward to kiss her cheek, "Alright, I'll catch up."

"Don't get lost, Zoro," she warned, a final advice, before she dashed outside, her white sword swinging by her waist.

Zoro was relieved that things were still alright between the two of them, almost like the blond had never happened in their lives. It was perfect, it was normal. He grabbed his swords off the floor, threw on a shirt, and felt his pockets to check off his usual items.

Wallet, check.

Car keys, check.

Phone...

He patted down his pockets and made sure that it wasn't hidden deep inside his pants. He searched the floor, underneath the mats, on the counters, but it wasn't anywhere in the training room.

He scratched his head, irritated.

Fuck it, a phone's not worth missing this chance.

Then, from the bathroom, a very faint, barely audible sound rang. He realized that he had left it beneath the stacked folds of clothes and towels, which explains why the sound had been muffled when it rang.

He quickly unlocked it to see who had called just now.

Missed Call from Sanji

AN: Revised~

Sorry for making Zoro a drama queen on certain parts, but i think frustration can make anyone act out, to be honest.

Okay, for those who are actually reading this part (I give you creds since I'm that douchebag who skims over the author's note), let me let you in on a secret. Crocodile is the organization boss for Zoro and Sanji's parents, the bastard who starved Sanji. I have a hate and love relationship with that brilliant villain. Over the years, as Sanji and Zoro were growing up, he'd gained power and money and trust from a lot of people. So if Zoro killed him, he would've been in a whole lot of deep shit, which is why he was so pissed off that he couldn't do anything.

And yes, at the beginning of this chapter I'm hinting LuNa. Sorry for those who don't ship it, I'm not going to go into details about it later, just an underline ship behind Zosan. I just think they're cute.

Again, thank you everyone for supporting my fic. Leave a review, I'll try my best to answer it!