-Color of the Setting Sun-

Zoro scampered down the hot sand, each step causing his legs to leap higher as he and Luffy raced towards the ocean. Somehow Luffy kept a smile on his face, ignoring the heated ground and surpassing Zoro as he made his first steps on the moistened beach sand. Zoro slowed down as soon as he heard Luffy cheer over his victory and let himself rest, lifting his legs up one at a time to put his sandals back on.

"No Zoro, we're not done yet," Luffy whined.

Zoro jeered Luffy with a sarcastic roll of the eyes. "My feet are burning!" He bent over and wiped his lower legs clinging with crushed shells and minerals.

"Lets run a few miles," Luffy suggested. "We still have an hour and thirty before the movie starts."

Luffy wanted to see a movie at the dollar theatre today. It seemed like a good idea, and with nothing else planned for the day Zoro decided to spend his day relaxing with his close friend. Rather than go to one closest to their apartment, Luffy reasoned it would be a better idea to find one (the lack of a decent Wi-Fi connection made it hard to look one up) by the ocean. Though Luffy was an excellent drowner Zoro went along with the plan.

Sanji left right around the time Luffy had arrived home. Zoro had asked him to stay a while, but the blonde insisted that he leave, only promising to arrive later that night. Without Sanji's intimate company to assure him extra needed attention Zoro felt somewhat unsure of what was currently happening. His open relationship was becoming all the more confusing. Mihawk wasn't sending him any messages, and without the knowledge of his safety Zoro felt worried and in the dark. The more he thought about it the more he couldn't help but think about Sanji as well. The blonde showered him with attention, was willing to flirt with him, and even listened to his lesser interesting conversations. Zoro suspected this was nothing more than a summer honeymoon between the two of them, and after a month one of them would tire of the other, but it did make Zoro realize that something was missing in his relationship with Mihawk.

"Zoro?" he heard Luffy run up to him, his feet smacking against the tide. "Do you want to run?" he asked him.

"Not really," Zoro muttered. "I'm just gonna save my energy."

"For that long?"

"It's just an hour," Zoro said. "I don't want us to be late this time."

Luffy laughed. "Good luck with that!" He looked ahead to the pier that was several hundred feet away. "Wait here!" Luffy said, slapping his hand against Zoro's shoulder. "I'll run there and back in less than five minutes!"

"Have fun," Zoro said. "And stay away from the water!" Luffy dashed ahead of Zoro leaving him along to continue pondering. He pulled his phone and checked the time. Six-forty. When would he see Sanji again? Yes, later tonight. But when would he see Mihawk again?

Zoro shoved his hands deep into his pockets, his fingers outstretched in the cramped space while he tried his best to not groan out loud. All of this waiting was frustrating. He was sure no other relationship worked this way. None of this was normal. Why on earth did he remain with Mihawk again?

The color. White. Even know just thinking about it made Zoro calm. It was a comforting color. But why? Did it make him smile because he associated it with positive traits, or was it because he associated it with Mihawk?

Zoro heard his phone buzz and pulled it out, flipping it open and checking the name on the top of the screen. He pulled the phone to his ear and answered; "Nami?"

"Hey, where are you?" Nami asked.

"Well, good evening to you too," Zoro said. "I'm fine, how about you? And Luffy and I are at the beach."

"Ugh, whatever," Nami moaned. Zoro had to pull the phone away from his ear. "Look, I was wondering if you'd two like to come over my place later and hang out. My friends will be leaving soon. Just some dinner and maybe a movie."

"O-oh," Zoro said. He unconsciously placed his free hand on his forehead. "Sanji's leaving?"

"He's staying," Nami said. "I thought he told you?"

"Told me what?" Zoro asked.

"He's planning on enrolling at a community college around here," Nami said. "My sister and I are letting him stay at our place during the semester, assuming he gets in of course."

This was the first Zoro had heard of this. But it all made sense now. Why would Sanji be so interested in Zoro in the first place if he were only staying for the summer? The blonde was planning to make this a more permanent thing, even after Zoro had made a point in telling him nothing would ever come of it.

"I had no idea," Zoro said. Why keep a secret like this from him? Didn't Sanji realize he would have found out sooner or later? It was foolish planning on his part. Sanji was keeping a terrible lie that was about to be uncovered, and through the phone, of all devices.

"I'm surprised," Nami said. "I mean…I figured he'd tell you or Luffy, seeing that you hang out with him the most…I thought you might be interested in him."

Zoro was thankful Nami wasn't around to see the blush appearing on his face.

"I guess he's still upset about what's happened," Nami said.

"What are you talking about?" Zoro asked. "You mean there's even more to this I don't know about?"

"Woah there, I didn't say anything," Nami said. "You ask him, after all…all he ever does is talk about you. He'll probably tell you if you pester him a bit."

"Nami…" he was still blushing, even more so now knowing he was leaving quite the impression on the blonde.

"I swear, this is legit," Nami said. "He's not trying to sabotage you or whatever the hell you think people like him do to people like you? What color did you say he was? Blue? Damn those Blues!"

"Yeah, well...Luffy and I are going to see a movie, and chances are he'll want something heavy when it's done."

"Hey! Zoro!" Zoro turned and Saw Luffy running to him, almost out of breath as he sloshed through a foot worth of beach water.

"Is that Luffy?" Nami asked. "Give him the phone."

"I said stay out–never mind," Zoro shook his head and handed the phone to Luffy. "It's Nami," he said.

"Cool," Luffy said. He got out of the water and grabbed the phone from Zoro, shaking his legs of seawater while happily chatting away with Nami. In the meantime Zoro found himself all the more curious about Sanji's current situation.

He hadn't thought about it much, but he did remember Nami mentioning that she and Sanji didn't attend the same college. She met him out side of the classes, under different circumstances. With what Nami had just said before, Zoro couldn't help but wonder if Sanji might have been in trouble at one point, and him moving to the west coast was his way of starting fresh? Nami must have pushed the idea on him, promising him a place to stay, new friends, and a single green headed man who would see things in colors. Yes, this was starting to make sense now, though in a very strange way. Even if he was far from the truth, Nami told him that all he had to do was ask Sanji, which was more than what he had with Mihawk. He couldn't ask Mihawk about anything…it was so unfair…so–

And why did his mind continue to wander back to Mihawk?

"Zoro," Luffy said. Zoro retracted his last thought and turned his attention back to Luffy. "Here's your phone," his friend said, handing the cell back to him with a slight wave of the hand.

"What did she say," Zoro asked.

"She wants us to hang out, but I told her the two of us are going to see the movie instead," Luffy said. "I want us to hang out together, just best friends."

Zoro smiled. "Great. I'd like that."

"You've been out of it recently," Luffy said. "Last few days have been nice, but right now you seem a little dazed."

Zoro continued with his smile, but did allow a slight nod. "Yeah, I just finished thinking about something really big." He crossed his arms, the phone still resting in his hand. "and Nami's really got me thinking about it…I can't help but wonder if I might be wrong about something."

"We're all wrong at least once, right?" Luffy suggested. The words seemed to fit well with Zoro. He hated being wrong about something, but now seemed all right so long as it was just this once. His eyes lowered on the phone resting in his right hand. How long could he play this waiting game with Mihawk? Was it worth being with the man, or was Nami right just once about his ability to pick lovers? He was young, and Sanji was young…even if it didn't work out he still had his whole life ahead of him.

"Zoro? Are you ok?"

Zoro suddenly realized that his breathing was getting rushed and noisy. He could feel his arms shake with goosebumps. It was a fear he hadn't experienced before, but knew white well what it was. Just thinking about opening his phone and calling was making his throat hurt.

"Luffy, can I ask you a question?"

"You know you can ask me anything," Luffy said. He placed his hand on Zoro's arm, the warmth traveling up him and making Zoro feel just a little bit better.

Red. Red was always…no. No, he couldn't keep doing this.

Zoro stared lost at Luffy. He knew Luffy would keep anything a secret if he asked, but admitting weakness was difficult for him to do.

"I think…I think I made a mistake with Mihawk," Zoro said with a long sigh. His chest felt like it would turn inside out when the name was uttered. Zoro was sure that Mihawk had somehow heard this and would call him right away, but his phone stayed situated in his shaking palm. "I think I might need to break up with him."

"For…Sanji, right?" Luffy asked.

"That fucking obvious?" Zoro asked.

"You're really easy to read," Luffy responded. He looked around the beach and proceeded to walk away from the ocean and towards the town center. "Come on, let's talk and walk."

"I just need your honest, unbiased opinion," Zoro added, following right behind Luffy. "I know you don't exactly support the relationship I have with Mihawk, and right now things are just too difficult–"

"I think you're making it quite obvious what you want to hear," Luffy said. He about faced and smiled at Zoro. "You know what you want to do, Zoro. It's not my relationship. I don't even know what kind of guy Mihawk is."

"You don't," Zoro said. He felt a pinch of guilt when he remembered how much he had kept from Luffy about him and Mihawk. "You never really met him."

"No," Luffy answered. "But you cared about him, so I assumed things would be ok. I know you're smart enough to realize when things weren't working out."

"Still, I had to keep secrets from you," Zoro said. "That's…not good." Zoro continued to contemplate what he was feeling when he once again looked down on his phone. What would happen if he called Mihawk right now and made demands to change the way things currently were? Mihawk didn't meet the standards that Sanji had raised in the past few days and, selfishness aside, Zoro didn't think it was fair that he ask the older man to suddenly provide him with more attention. Mihawk had a life before him, and once Zoro did decide to leave, Mihawk would have a life after him.

"Do you think Sanji will be better?" Luffy asked.

"Well, it would be different, that's for sure."

"But will it be better?" Luffy asked, this time more persistent on getting a real answer from Zoro.

Sanji was a puzzle. Zoro wished he had asked the young man more questions about his personal life, rather than allow all their conversation to revolve around him. There was actually very little he knew about Sanji, and it bothered him that he had let it happen. But based upon what he did know already, Zoro could guess things would be an improvement if he did choose Sanji over Mihawk. Blue over White? No, he couldn't keep thinking this way. Nami was right. This wasn't the right way to look at things.

But wasn't it true? Blue was solid, perhaps more solid than white. What was white exactly? Could a White provide a secure structure, or did it lack the capacity to, after all: white was a color that lacked color. White was the lack of color, essentially a void. Perhaps the color of freshly fallen snow, the white dress, the flowing clouds: all of it had somehow obstructed the real scenery. Mihawk was white; but he wasn't a White. No, he was a person with flaws. Mihawk got jealous. He would get upset and frustrated when he couldn't understand Zoro. He performed duties that were so shady they had to be kept a secret. And Sanji? Just because Zoro saw blue didn't mean it was a Blue person. Sanji was flawed too. He was just beginning to see it now.

"Maybe," Zoro final answered. "I think I'm getting an idea of what it might mean."

"What does it mean?"

"The way I see things," Zoro said. "I'm beginning to wonder if the colors I see mean anything at all."

"What?" Luffy asked. "That's silly. They always were right before."

"I don't know, Luffy," Zoro said. A frightening thought entered his mind as he spoke. There were more than 7 billion people on the planet, and he was only capable of seeing the world in so many shades. How could anyone define a person by a shade? How could everyone be unique when he was limited by colors visible to the human eyes? 7 billion people, and he relied on only a thousand different shades, the intensity of each shade being the only discrepancy between them all. It felt like a miniature panic attack. His whole body shaking in the sad, sudden epiphany that he had denied himself for so many years. Zoro was "seeing the light," and he wanted nothing to do with it.

"Well, either way you'll need to come up with a decision." Luffy brought himself closer to Zoro and tried to cheer him up with a warm smile. "I'll be there when you do. No matter what happens."

"Thanks," Zoro said. "That really makes me feel a lot better."

Vvvvvrrrr! Vvvvvrrrr!

Zoro lifted his phone up and stared at the name appearing before him. He felt compelled to simply ignore it, or, better yet, to toss the phone right into the ocean and forget everything he had just said a few moments ago. Instead a smile appeared on his face and the doubt that had taken hold of him was gone.

"He's calling," Zoro said. "He finally called."

Luffy said nothing. He merely stood in front of Zoro, his face free of any biased appearance. Without looking further into Luffy, Zoro answered the call and hurriedly brought the phone to his ears, eager to hear the familiar voice welcome him after the break.

"Where the hell are you?"

To say the words were unexpected would have been an extreme exaggeration of what Zoro had felt when he heard Mihawk's first sentence to him in days. The usual stoic voice was changed into an angered accusation, for what reason Zoro couldn't understand.

"What?" Zoro asked.

"Are you lost?" Mihawk asked. His voice was still harsh and unwelcoming. It didn't suite well with Zoro. Where was Mihawk right now if he was asking him where he currently was?

"Zoro, what did he say?" Luffy stepped forward and eyes the phone with mild suspicion. Zoro stared at Luffy, incapable of properly answering him. If he knew what Mihawk was asking him then he would have given an answer, but now it appeared the man was being more cryptic than ever.

"Roronoa?" Mihawk said through the phone.

"Yes?" Zoro stammered. He couldn't believe he hadn't said anything into the phone since Luffy spoke. He was sure Mihawk would only be more upset than before.

"What exactly is going on?" Mihawk asked.

Zoro thought for a moment and then quickly answered Mihawk, "I don't know." He took a deep breath, deep and loud enough for Mihawk to hear across the line and then added, "but I don't think it's working out."

"Excuse me?" Mihawk said. Out of all the words he had said in the conversation so far, these last were probably the least threatening in tone.

"I need to break up with you," Zoro spoke; his mind and body racing faster than the words could exit his mouth.

Instead of a response, Zoro was rewarded with silence and then, after several seconds of waiting desperately for Mihawk to respond, the sound of a soft 'click' of the call being dropped from Mihawk's side.

"Zoro?"

"He hung up," Zoro muttered to himself. His grasp on the phone slipped, causing it to land on a soft pile of sand. Zoro didn't seem to care much as he brought both his hands to his forehead. He couldn't believe this was Mihawk's response.

"You broke up with him," Luffy said. He kneeled down and picked the phone up.

"Yeah, I did," Zoro said, still quite stunned.

"But you did it on the phone," Luffy said, peering up at Zoro while carefully wiping away stray particles from the cell hone. "Not a smart move."

"I wasn't really thinking about that," Zoro answered. "I know I should have waited. But for some reason, I don't know, I just said it out loud."

"Well, I guess that answers the questions that were bothering you before," Luffy said. "At least some of them."

"Maybe I'm a lot more wrong than I figured."

Zoro felt Luffy's rough hand rest against his. In it he could feel his cell phone. Zoro could see that shimmer of a strong, solid red. Zoro squint his eyes and tried his best to see something else, just the hands and the phone, but no matter how hard he struggled to see past it the red was still there, not leaving his mind until he took the phone from Luffy.

"Is there something in your eye?" Luffy asked.

Zoro grumbled. "No."

"Are you upset?"

Zoro sighed and shook his head. Then he sighed again and gave a short, quick nod. "Well, actually…a little," he confessed. "I think I just did something really stupid."

"It'll be alright," Luffy said.

"I really hope so," Zoro muttered to himself.

The two friends made their way back to the parking structure where dusted themselves off. The thought of breaking up with Mihawk continued to linger in Zoro's mind when he and Luffy hurried into the Town Center by the pier. It didn't bother him as much as he had thought it would, and the he thought about it, the less bothered he became. Being hung up on sucked, but everything else felt like a distant memory that he could hardly remember. White. What did it mean really? Outside the country it represented other things, perhaps fullness being a trait. Emptiness. Or maybe it was just a random color he saw whenever he made physical contact with Mihawk. And blue–

"Come on Zoro," Luffy yelled. "You're going the wrong way."

Zoro groaned aloud and made a quick turn. He raced across the street just behind Luffy. How was it that they were always late to these sorts of things? The two of them would never see the beginning of a movie so long as they lived. Luffy and Zoro hurried inside the small theatre and handed their tickets in. Zoro followed Luffy and made sure to keep an eye on him and not get lost. They finally slowed down once they found the right theatre room. Just as Zoro was about to walk in his phone went off again. Luffy didn't notice and went ahead of him to find the perfect seats. Zoro pulled out his phone, hesitant to see who had sent him a message.

He was relieved to find Sanji's number instead of Mihawk's.

Hey. Nami said you were going to be out late tonight? –Sanji

Zoro walked through the double door, but stopped before getting into the main area. He could feel his face prickle with warmth. So Sanji was looking for a new start, he wondered. He went though his contact list and scrolled down till he reached Mihawk's name. Was it really over, he asked himself?

He pressed Mihawk's name and stared at the ten numbers glowing on the screen.

–What about blue? It was just a color, like white. Nothing special, right?

He'd start over with Sanji starting tomorrow. He'd talk to him and ask him all the questions he should have asked the morning after they met. He'd listen like Sanji had listened before. Zoro went back to the message board and responded to Sanji's last message.

I'll be home by eleven. You can come over if you still want to.

Luffy will be there. -Sanji

Zoro stared at the final message before once again going back to his long contact list. He knew Luffy was wondering where he was: Zoro had to be quick about this.

He stared at Mihawk's number and let his finger hover over the edit option. But when it came time to do it, for some reason Zoro couldn't delete the number from his contacts. He went back to the messages and responded again, lying to himself that something beyond Mihawk was stopping him from removing his name from the phone.

I know. He knows.

Really? -Sanji

Yeah.

He'd find the time to delete the number later. Zoro crammed the phone back into his pocket and walked up the flight of stairs till he found the row Luffy was in. As usual he had missed the first several minutes of the film, and he doubted Luffy would do a decent job explaining what had gone on. Before he could get settled his phone went off again. Zoro grabbed the phone while it was still sheathed and tried to smother the sound. He carefully pulled the phone out and checked to see what Sanji had sent him.

I'll see you tonight. -Sanji