Hey check it out! Another chapter! Haha I knew I wouldn't make the deadline on time but I'm cool with that. This story has been so much fun to write :D
Title: Hide-and-Seek
Pairing: Zoro and Sanji
Disclaimer: One Piece will never belong to me... ever...
Summary: Just after leaving Water 7, the Straw-hat crew stumbles across a rather pesky obstacle.
The straw-hat pirates stood in a circle inside the kitchen. Anticipation and nervousness spreading through them like wild fire. Usopp was shaking uncontrollably while Chopper stood behind his leg, much in the same position. The poor reindeer was terrified.
"D-D-Do we have to do this?" he stuttered. In response, Luffy nodded his head. "It's the only way, Chopper." He smiled reassuringly at him. "It's going to be alright. If anyone tries to harm my nakama, I'll kick their ass!"
"M-M-M-Me too!" The sharp-shooter declared.
"As will I," Robin added. The rest of the crew nodded their heads, accompanied with grunts, in agreement. "The directions we have received do not signify the loss of a soul or a possession taking place. I suggest we not worry about it." Usopp and chopper seemed to relax a little at that.
"Alright," the captain began. "On my mark,"
Everybody tensed.
"Get set,"
Zoro smirked at Sanji. The cook grinned in return.
"NOW!"
…
"Did... Did it start yet?" Usopp asked, visibly nerve-wracked. The other crew members looked around. Nothing seemed out of place. "Ha... ha ha ha... Looks like it was just a myth after all!" Usopp began to seem relieved.
"How is our ship not moving then?" Nami spoke up. Suddenly, the lights turned off. Nami, Usopp, and Chopper yelped.
"Wh-Why'd it get so dark!?" The small doctor exclaimed. Right after, a thud was heard. The crew gasped.
"Hey! Cook!" Zoro knew the shitty-cook was standing right next to him, making it easy for himself to identify that Sanji had been the one to fall to the galley floor. The lights were back on in an instant, and everyone gathered around the unconscious chef.
"No, no, no, no, no," Usopp chanted. "This isn't happening, this IS NOT HAPPENING!"
"Pull yourself together!" Nami slapped him across the cheek. He calmed down.
"Zoro, check for a pulse. Maybe he just passed out?" As much as Zoro disliked being bossed around by the witch, this case was an exception. He crouched down and gently turned Sanji's head to the side. He then placed two fingers on the side of the blond's neck in order to feel a pulse. Of course, it would have helped if a pulse ever came.
Which it didn't.
It was at this point the crew realized something was horribly wrong, especially through the intense look on the swordsman's face. He gritted his teeth.
"There's no pulse," He muttered. "Wh-What?" Nami's hand hovered her mouth. Zoro abruptly stood up and glided a hand over his white katana. It was clear murderous intent was written all over his face. "I said... There's no pulse. Now are we just gonna stand here or get moving!?" The crew snapped to attention at that. Robin was the first to act.
"His soul must be hidden on the ship, I propose we go in separate areas to investigate and decrease the risk of wasting time." She pulled a watch from her back pocket. "It is exactly 8:05. We have until 10:05 to find him."
Nami stepped up. "Franky, search below deck! Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp go search the first floor! Robin and I will stay on this floor. Zoro take the upper deck and don't forget the crow's nest!"
The crew nodded in agreement. There was no time for complaints. The clock was ticking. They scattered out of the kitchen like lightening.
It was unfortunate they couldn't stick around for an extra minute or two.
"Tsk tsk..."
…...
"Ugh," Sanji slowly opened his eyes, holding his head in the process. "I feel like my body just got ripped in half." Upon further inspection, he realized that he had, indeed, been ripped apart from his actual body. He shot up in astonishment and patted his body which seemed to give off a faint glow.
"SHIT!" The blond shouted, not that anyone would hear him of course. He gripped his gold locks and breathed in deeply for a moment. After that, he went to grab a cigarette from his jacket pocket, only to find that there wasn't anything in there.
Well, shit. There went his only source of comfort for the time being.
Deciding panicking would only make things worse, the cook opted to take a good look where he was. Judging by the fact there were numerous weapons placed among the side of the room, Sanji could easily guess where he was hidden.
"The weapon development room, huh?" He walked towards the stairs and made his way up them. "What good is hiding someone if they're easily able to walk from their hiding spot?" He came to an abrupt halt as a horrific screech echoed throughout the ship. Sanji's nostrils flared with anger.
"NAMI SWAAAN!" He dashed to the second floor.
…...
The crew hadn't given it much thought when their chef had suddenly fell to the ground. Their main concern was to just find Sanji within the time limit. Robin had even dismissed the possibility of possession taking place aboard the Thousand Sunny.
She felt foolish for not having a member stay with the body.
Sanji was the first to make his way to the girls' dorm. Upon entering the room, he could see his precious mellorine kneeling on the floor, her right hand covering a horrendous gash upon her left shoulder. Robin knelt beside her comrade in an attempt to comfort her.
"Nami swan! Robin chwan!" Sanji ran to be beside his nakama.
They couldn't even see he was there. Robin raised her voice. "Doctor san!" Within seconds, Chopper was already bursting through the door, Usopp and Luffy following suite. His eyes widened. "Gyah!" He ran for his medical supplies. By the time he returned, Franky and Zoro had gathered around as well.
Luffy stood still and tightened his fists at his sides. "Who did this?" he asked. Nami glanced around their group for a minute while allowing their doctor to patch her up. She scowled.
"It was Sanji kun," she stated. The rest of the group looked in shock. Robin frowned.
"I knew it," she began. "After we discovered no signs of life from cook san's body, I assumed all we would need to do is find his other half, his soul. How foolish of me not to have someone stay with the body in the off chance of this occurring." She hung her head. "My apologies, everybody."
"Robin chan..." Sanji said softly. He reached out to hold her shoulder, but his hand only went through. She shivered at the touch. Dammit, Sanji grimaced. How the hell were they going to find him if they couldn't even see or hear him!? His face softened when he noticed a bronze hand pat the archeologist's shoulder.
"It's alright, Robin. This isn't your fault," he reassured her. Another hand laid upon her opposite shoulder. "None of us had thought about it! Don't blame yourself!" Robin looked up at Franky and then to Zoro. She smiled genuinely at them both.
She was so happy to have found people she could truly call her family. She was glad she was alive.
"Thank you. All of you." She gestured to the group surrounding her.
"Alright!" Nami's voice peeked in. "Zoro, Franky, go find that imposter! The rest of us will take care of things from here. If we run into him, we'll call for you."
"What about your arm?" The doctor worried. "This? Don't worry about it. What's important is that we beat this game."The red-head patted the reindeer's head. "Thanks for patching me up. You're the best."
Chopper wiggled excitedly. "N-No I'm not, you bastard!" He blushed.
"Alright, let's go!" Luffy cheered.
…...
8:45 pm
"How dare that imposter hurt my Nami swan!" Sanji stormed out of the girls' dorm, hands balled into fists at his sides. Damn, did he need a cigarette right now! As much as he wanted to go beat the imposter to a pulp himself, he knew it'd be a better idea to follow one of the guys. After all, it wasn't like he'd be able to do anything to the bastard like this anyway. Damn, Sanji suddenly thought. He probably used one of my good cutting knives! He would make him pay... somehow.
It was at this point in time he had realized that, while in a fit of rage, he had already been through the same room twice.
"Where the hell is this guy?" the swordsman muttered to himself. "Damn curly eyebrow."
Of course.
Sanji face palmed. It was no wonder why he was going through the same places twice! "Hey, idiot, I'm over here!"
Of course, his words fell on deaf ears.
"Fucking prick. Going and getting his damn body possessed. Now we've got a killer on the ship."
"I CAN HEAR YOU!"
Zoro paused at that moment. Sanji's heart nearly leaped in his throat. Was the moss-head actually able to hear him? Before he could say anything else, the green-haired man placed a pinkie in his left ear and twisted it. "Damn cook." He flicked a piece of wax off his finger.
Disgusting. Sanji grimaced. Did he really sleep with that!?
"Ugh!" Sanji groaned. This was getting them nowhere! He had to think of a way to find this dude and more importantly, a way for his nakama to see him! Okay, think. What can I do to make myself noticed? After thinking for a bit, he had realized something small yet important that happened earlier.
Robin had gotten a chill when he tried touching her.
He snapped his fingers at the memory. "That's it!"
…
He really needed to stop talking to himself like that.
By the time Sanji had come out of his thoughts, Zoro was gone. Figures. Sanji ran out of the room after him.
…...
The lean blond chef sauntered his way through the ship. A beautiful carving knife gracing his pale hand. Only... this wasn't Sanji. He whistled a tune unfamiliar to him.
Or maybe it was.
It's been so long, he couldn't even remember if he had known that song or not. It sounded right, so he just kept whistling it. He twirled the knife in his hand with practiced skill he didn't even know he had. He held it up to his soft pink lips and smiled.
"A shame I couldn't finish my meal. Damn woman and her stupid baton." The man scowled for a brief second. His tongue darted out to lick the underside of the blade, a smile placed back on his face. "Been a long time since I've gotten any action... too long."
He continued whistling on his way to the aquarium.
…...
9:15
It was about time he found the lost fool. He managed to catch him as he was going up the ladder to the crow's nest. Sanji went to climb the mast himself, only to discover he couldn't touch it without his hands passing through it. Well, damn. What was he supposed to do? Fly?
His question was answered when he started to float upwards. Guess that was a yes. "Heh," he chuckled. "I can get used to this." he made his way into the gym. The blonde spotted Zoro standing in the center, scratching his head in the process.
"Shit," the swordsman growled. "Where the hell are you?"
"I'm right here, dumb-ass," Sanji replied with no real bite to his words. He tried to nudge Zoro with his foot but failed to do so. The other man rubbed his arm.
"Damn, it's not even that cold out and I've been freezing," Zoro complained as he sat on the gym's bench. He just needed to think for a bit and clear his head. "...Are you even on this ship?" He whispered to himself.
"Of course I am." Sanji walked over to him. If touching Robin made her feel something than maybe doing the same to Zoro will too.
He pulled his right leg back and kicked him straight in the gut.
Nothing happened.
He tried again, this time aiming for that fool's thick skull.
Still nothing.
Again, again, and again, the blond tried but to no avail. Now he was starting to get pissed.
"You-idiot! Why-can't-you-find-me!?" He yelled in between kicks. Out of breath, he sunk himself down on the bench next to his companion. "I could really go for a cigarette right about now." He could already feel some withdrawal symptoms kicking in. The cook took a deep long breath. He looked over to Zoro, who wasn't hiding any kind of emotion given his current state of being alone. Sanji's heart sank.
"Don't make that face, idiot, I'm right here." He said sadly.
He leaned in and placed his lips over Zoro's. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the first mate sprang to his feet. The swordsman placed a hand to his mouth in shock. Sanji looked just as surprised as Zoro. Did he just-?
"GYAAAAAAAAH~!"
"Shit!" Zoro hauled ass down to the deck. Sanji followed suite.
Upon entering the aquarium, the two could see the silhouette of a figure lying on the floor.
It was Usopp.
The marksman lay pitifully on the ground by the giant tank. Blood was smeared along the glass. Sanji had assumed the bloodied hand prints belonged to Usopp. Whe he and Zoro analyzed him, however, his hands were clean. The blond place a hand over the glass.
That bastard will PAY for hurting his nakama AGAIN!
He ran after him.
