Chapter 11 - Let Your Tears Fall

Still running, Sanji finally makes it to the hospital. Unfortunately for the blond, as soon as he gets in through the front door he bumps into the one person he definitely does not want to see, Trafalgar Law.

"Sanji? Are you okay? Why are you-?"

"I'm not here to see you if that's what you're thinking. Where's Zoro?"

"Zoro?"

"He got transferred down here. The idiot got Hawk-Eyes to duel with him when he went out for that tournament thing."

"Shit, he fought the world's greatest swordsman?"

An uncomfortable silence surrounds them and Sanji glances around anxiously, wondering which way to go. The lifts would probably be a good start...

"... Look, Sanji, I'm really sorry about what happened between us, please can-"

"I don't have time for this. I need to see Zoro. And no, I won't get back with you."

"That wasn't what I was going to ask..."

"Well either way, I'm not interested."

Walking away, the blond gets stopped with a light grip to his wrist by the doctor.

"Just leave me alone, Law. I need to see Zoro."

"Do you know where he is?"

"...No."

"Then let me ask for you. Wait here."

Sanji closes his eyes tightly as the slim fingers wrapped around his wrist slowly remove themselves. He stays exactly where he is while Law goes over to the front desk. As the older man comes back, he opens his eyes but refuses to look at Law.

"He's on the third floor, ward ten, side room four. Shall I come with you?"

"No. I can find it by myself."

Sanji leaves the man at the front of the hospital and sprints towards the lifts, getting inside and heading straight up to the third floor. Once he's out, he follows the signs to ward ten, and then asks one of the nurses where side room four is. Sanji is led to the right room, and outside of the door he sees Luffy, Usopp, Nami, Chopper, and Nojiko.

"Sanji!" Chopper wails as he rushes over to the blond and hugs him tightly.

"You're here? What about your exam?"

"Its fine Nami my dear, the exam has already finished…. Can I go in?"

"Of course you can. Zoro's not awake yet though…. Robin said that she will come over with Brook and Franky once school has finished…."

Sanji nods, and stands staring at the door which will lead him to Zoro. He wants to go in, needs to, but his legs and feet won't move.

"Sanji… It's ok. We'll be right out here if you need us. Zoro will be fine. They operated on him at the other hospital and stitched him up. He's covered in bandages but that's nothing to worry about. He'll wake up soon. I know he will," Luffy says as he gently places his hand on Sanji's shoulder comfortingly.

He smiles slightly to the younger teen then makes his way past the others and into the side room, turning around to face the door as he closes it. Sanji takes a deep breath and shuts his eyes before turning around to face the bed. Opening his eyes, they focus on the blob of green hair sticking out from under the bed covers. The blond bites his lip as he walks around to Zoro's side and sits on the chair provided. He can see Zoro's face clearly from here. There are scratches on his cheeks, and Sanji pulls back the covers to take a peek at the bandages which are wrapped around the swordsman's torso and shoulders. He gulps when he sees that the white strips are stained with dry blood, and he quickly covers Zoro back up so he doesn't have to look.

"You shitty swordsman, you should have just given up when you knew you couldn't win. What's the point in trying when it means that you're risking your own life?"

"Shit-cook…?" a croaky voice asks, Sanji's eyes widening when he realises that Zoro is awake and looking straight at him.

"O-oi, don't speak. Here…. Drink this."

Sanji grabs the glass provided in the room on the rolling adjustable table, and takes the jug, pouring Zoro a glass of water. He then helps the swordsman sit up, and sip on the drink until it's finished.

"Ever since I've decided to become the world's greatest swordsman, I threw away my attachment to life. I thought you knew that."

"…..You still shouldn't have fought him like that…"

"…. I'm sorry…. For worrying you…"

"W-what? I wasn't worried….," Sanji replies, his eyes widening when he sees tears fall from Zoro's eyes, "Z-Zoro? Are you crying?"

"…. I'm sorry…. I know… that if I don't become the world's strongest swordsman, it will only embarrass you and the others….!"

"Embarrass? What the hell are you talking about?! Of course it won't embarrass us!"

Zoro doesn't seem to be hearing him as he cries, holding back a sob and breaking down in front of Sanji. The blond is certain that with the level that Zoro is shouting at, that the others just outside the door can hear everything the swordsman is saying.

"I swear that I'm never going to lose again! Until the day I fight him and win… I swear! To never lose again!"

Sanji has no idea what to do in this situation, so on instinct, he slides his fingers through Zoro's hair and gently massages Zoro's scalp, using his free hand to grab onto Zoro's hand tightly, looking away as the swordsman cries. He keeps running his fingers through Zoro's hair as the tears slowly stop and Zoro settles down.

"I'm sorry Zoro, about what I said to you, a few weeks ago. I shouldn't have said those hurtful things, and I should have believed you when you told me about Law…. I know it wasn't your fault about what happened to Kuina."

"Of course it was. I was the one who started the duel that night, with real katana. If I hadn't had done that….."

"You didn't know she was going to fall down the stairs Zoro. That wasn't your fault and I shouldn't have used that as a way to get back at you."

"And I shouldn't have said that I wished I'd never met you, because you know that's not true, right? And I don't hate you either… well I do sometimes," Zoro ends with a playful smirk, causing the blond to chuckle.

"Yeah, same to you too."

A few months later it is finally the day, for those who had taken them, to get their exam results, and Zoro has already fully healed from his duel with Mihawk. Zeff drives Zoro and Sanji down to the school early morning to collect their results. They won't tell each other what they've got yet, as Luffy has made everyone promise not to share their results until everyone is at his place so that they can tell everyone at the same time and celebrate.

Sanji's father waits in his car in the car park while he and Zoro go into the school hall to find their sixth form tutor and get their results. Stepping in through the double door, the hall is packed with other students like themselves, a mixture of those there for their A level results, and those there for their GCSE exam results. Sanji spots their friends Usopp and Nami amongst the crowd, and his eyes turn to hearts when he sees Robin standing behind a table with a sign for his and Zoro's sixth form class.

"Ms. Nico~, it's so great to see you again~."

"It's great to see you too Sanji, and you Zoro. Your form tutor is ill so I'm filling in for her today. She wishes she could be here to see how well you've done," Robin replies, and smiles as she finds the correct brown envelopes, handing over their results, "I can't wait to find out tonight how you've both done."

"You'll be joining us tonight~?" Sanji asks.

"Yes. Brook and Franky will be joining us too."

Zoro and Sanji chat with Robin for a while, until students from their form turn up, and they need to leave so that they don't hold up the line. Heading back outside, the suspense is too much for Sanji so he opens his envelope and quickly reads his results while Zoro gets lost in the car park trying to find Zeff's car.

The blond is happy to find that he has passed all of his exams with A's and B's, including an A* in food technology. Sanji has also been accepted into the local universities for the culinary art courses that he applied for. What has him stunned is that there is a letter from one of the top universities renowned for their culinary art courses and degrees. Quickly scanning through the letter, he finds that the university is offering him a place with them. The only problem is that this university is over 8 hours away from home, and Sanji was planning on staying here to get his degree. Having a degree from one of the top universities would look great on his CV, but there are the extra expenses, and he wouldn't be able to see his friends…. or Zoro. Sanji knows that taking an offer from a university he didn't even apply for, as well as the fact that the offer is from one of the top universities in the country, is an amazing opportunity for him and he'd be an idiot not to take it. Then again, the local universities are just as great, and this way he'd be able to see his friends. Sanji is unsure of what to do. He remembers what Zoro said about his own dream, and if he isn't willing to take a risk, which yes will probably land him in a lot more debt, then can he really say that he'd give it his all to reach his dream?

Sanji is snapped out of his thoughts when he hears a car horn and his father's angry shouts to Zoro about how he can't even find the only silver car still in the car park, and he chuckles as he hurries over before Zeff's language gets even worse and they get into trouble for it. He'll make a decision about the university offer later.