Holy shit, it's fic!

[moe81]

Title: A picture is worth a thousand words... but it still needs an explanation

Rating: PG

Pairing: None but then again...

A/N: And here we thank the disturbingly horrifying spoilers for destroying our innocent minds by having us believe that Zoro had lost an arm.

  

Heavy boots thumped on the deck and the ship swayed a little at the action. There was a change in the air – a silent breath of air snaked down Sanji’s spine and the atmosphere thickened with intensity. The loud yell from his captain signified what he already knew.

 

Zoro was back.

 

He lit a cigarette and took a deep breath, sucking the nicotine into his lungs and left the heat of the galley.

 

He stepped out in time to see Luffy launch himself across the deck and wrap around the swordsman. Laughter and happiness encompassed the two of them and Sanji ignored the little pang of jealousy, just as he always had. The air surrounding the ship lightened several degrees, at least until Luffy stopped moving and he stared down at Zoro. Sanji watched his captain’s profile as the smile left and a concerned look replaced it. It took several moments before Luffy nodded, grave but accepting.

 

Chopper came running as fast as his hooves would let him and he squealed Zoro's name. The marimo smiled at the little reindeer and Chopper faltered, his eyes widening and his happiness replaced by horror.

 

Sanji couldn't understand what was wrong with them and Chopper had started shouting incoherently at the swordsman. Luffy let Zoro go and Sanji could see everything clear as day. He felt bile rise in his throat as he stared at the empty sleeve adorning the left side of his nakama.

 

The guilt rose in his chest until it felt like it was trying to choke him from the inside. It made his stomach clench until he thought he would throw up his breakfast and he tried his damndest to ignore the stabbing pain around his heart. What the hell had happened and why the fuck hadn't he been there to stop it?

 

He had a sudden flashback to the little rock in the middle of an ocean and the feeling he'd had after finding Zeff as nothing more than a skeleton and missing a limb, all because a little kid had been washed overboard.

 

He felt a stare burning through him and he raised his eyes, colliding with liquid gold and he flinched at the unfathomable trust directed at him. The swordsman understood all too well just what he was thinking.

 

He crushed his cigarette and went back inside, dragging the heavy air with him and leaving his nakama to their reunion. He should be joining them; he was sure he was going to get yelled at or pouted at later for not being there.

 

He doubled over and sucked in a breath, the anger that coalesced in his mind all directed at himself and then he thought about it and sent some to the idiot green headed fucktard who'd managed to lose a fucking limb. What the fuck had the moron been thinking? He grabbed his knife and sent it down hard through the vegetables. If it had been caused by some stupid shitty logic, he was so getting his ass kicked.

 

Sanji's guilt and frustration moved past any rational point and he threw his knife. It embedded in the door as it opened, narrowly missing Zoro's head. The marimo gave him a wary look and Sanji grit his teeth and stared at his chopping board. He tensed as the swordsman stepped up beside him and he flicked his gaze over the scar marring the tanned face.

 

Zoro leaned a hip against the counter and Sanji felt a surge of anger - it was anger dammit, and why the hell did he still feel like he wanted to be sick - when it wasn't followed by the casual crossing of arms.

 

Even their non-verbal communication had dropped well below its usual standard. Hell, they had passed communicating and were into the realm of projecting emotions. A cold chill crept through Sanji's veins and why was he beating himself up so hard over this? It wasn't his fault he hadn't been there and it certainly wasn't his fault that the idiot had done something so remarkably stupid.

 

He'd just left his nakama with his back wide open and unable to defend himself.

 

The anger blindsided him and when Zoro's knuckles brushed over his cheek, he jumped and spun, his leg automatically flying around in a turning kick that stopped just short of the swordsman’s head. And there was that sick feeling again.

 

He fumbled for his cigarette packet and was a little more composed when Zoro ran his hand over Sanji's hair, awkward in his attempt to push the fringe out the way. He didn’t flinch and he watched Zoro carefully for what he would do next.

 

The swordsman frowned and flicked his eye to Sanji's, to his hair and back again. If he held out, he wondered if Zoro would say please. Slim fingers carded through blond and pushed back, exposing his entire face. Zoro stared for several beats before his lips twitched.

 

He let his hair fall back into place and he growled at the swordsman, "Shut up, bastard."

 

He gave a pointed look at the scar where Zoro's eye had once been and the shitty green-haired idiot just shrugged and pointed out the obvious. "Just means I'll be watching from your right side so your skinny ass doesn't get killed."

 

Confident that all had been resolved, Zoro stepped past him and headed for the alcohol cupboard. Sanji snapped. He grabbed Zoro by the arm and pinned him against the wall. Standing chest to chest, his other hand hovered over the empty space on Zoro's left. Several emotions flittered over Sanji's face before he settled with frustrated remorse. "Fuck," he muttered.

 

Zoro watched in bemusement as Sanji continued to beat himself up. "Dumbass ero-cook."

 

Sanji's glare would have cut a lesser man to pieces. "What the hell did you do?"

 

"Trained."  The bastard shrugged again. He was so calm, as if he expected Sanji to understand that hard training overcame everything and the loss of a limb was completely expected.

 

Sanji dropped his head to his chest and started muttering. "I should have been there. Maybe then your brainless ass wouldn't have done something so stupid. I should have been backing you up. What the hell did you fight to lose a FUCKING ARM?"

 

Zoro rolled his eyes. "Would have been pointless, cook." Blue eyes flared in anger. "Didn't you get stronger too?"

 

Sanji clenched his teeth and slammed his palms into Zoro's chest, the swordsman releasing a puff of air at the impact. "Idiot." He paused for a much needed breath. "What about your dream?" He punched Zoro on the shoulder and the swordsman tried to catch his hand. Sanji shrugged out of the hold. "Santōryū was supposed to take you all the way." Sanji wasn't sure, but he thought his voice may have cracked a little.

 

Zoro shrugged and Sanji felt another rush of fury blaze through him. "Nitōryū has its uses."

 

"Dumbass!" He punched him again and he wondered when he was going to get sick of his lame attempt at beating the other man.

 

Zoro grinned at him. "Missed you too."

 

Sanji slammed a hand into his face and went back to his cooking, leaving Zoro to ponder the intricacies of a spinning ceiling.
 

Comments

[poutergeist.livejournal.com]

just a little correction. jealously = jealous ayt?

now that's done....
asdfsjfkdjb :( Sanji :(
moe is so good, mixing sad things and sweet things just enough to inspire a tear and a smile <3

[moe81.livejournal.com]

Corrected, and thanks.

Ah~ Mixed emotions makes me happy. Even if I do like making people cry rivers most of the time. XD

[so-tchan.livejournal.com]

The hell yeah. This how it would be, if that terrible thing would happen. And I was really shocked and even wanted to stop reading One Piece(((((
Thanks!!!

[lucynaribola.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad this was just everybody being panicky about the timeskip :p Great fic!

[moe81.livejournal.com]

Thank you~~ X3

I think I had a stroke and then proceeded with an epic spaz fit when I was shown the spoilers.

[elliotshoe.livejournal.com]

FIC! FIC! FIC!

... Now they've gotten so much stronger physically, imagine how intense other things are going to be :>

[moe81.livejournal.com]

Mmm intense~

Talking about their fights of course, not anything they may possibly do somewhere else away from an audience but then again their fighting is foreplay and they let everyone watch and any point I had to this is completely gone. XD

Must post that other one... later.

[elliotshoe.livejournal.com]

What are you saying? Of course I was talking about the fights! :O

Mmmm later~

[anyjen.livejournal.com]

*wibble*

Seriously, if Zoro had lost an arm together with his eye... I would be a very unhappy camper, indeed.