Memories Chapter 24
Yes, there is another chapter. It's all plot. Plot, plot, plot. But I like it so hah!
I've kind of picked up a rhythm again finally with this fic, so I don't think the chapters are going to come as slowly anymore. I've already started on chapter 25. Hopefully I can keep it up. I'm not going to be a review whore and ask for reviews or anything, but come on, we all know they help. I likes to know peeps are reading and liking. x)
Enjoy!
Title: Memories
Paring: Zoro/Sanji/Zoro
Rating: Mature to NC-17
Warnings: Spoilers, Language
Summary: AU Sanji's been in a coma for eleven months, but he's lost his memory of the past two years. What is Zoro going to do when he finds Sanji doesn't know him?
Beta: liralen Thank you! xDD *hugs*
Ace slipped out the front door of the diner with Luffy’s happy laughter ringing in his ears. How his brother could get along with such a weird guy was beyond him. At that moment, the clown/cop, whatever he was, was balancing a spoon on his nose and banging the tune to ‘Jingle Bells’ on their water glasses.
Well, whatever. It wasn’t like Luffy couldn’t take care of himself. This new friendship would probably prove to be profitable in the near future anyway.
The older Portgus brother pulled out his cell phone as he made himself comfortable on the outside tables. He punched in the number Smoker had given him, and leaned back as Back in Black by AC/DC played in his ear. Tired from his long night, and with the soothing sounds of a good rock song in his head, Ace started to nod off.
He awoke abruptly when a deep voice came through the receiver. “Organized Crime Department, this is Captain Drum.”
Blinking fatigue out of his eyes, Ace cleared his throat. “Uh yeah, hello, my name is Ace Portgus. I’m the Fire Chief of the North Seattle Fire and Rescue department. Do you have an officer there, goes by the name Dalton?”
“Yeah, that’s me.” The Captain on the other end seemed curt and unfriendly, but Ace pressed on. Smoker seemed that way at first pass too, so he would give this Dalton a chance.
“Oh, good.” Ace sat up to clear his head a bit. “I’m calling ‘cause I was referred to you by Seattle Police Chief Smoker?”
Dalton was silent for a moment, but Ace could hear the sound of people chatting and other telephones ringing in the background. A door closed and the noise ceased.
“What did you say your name was?” Dalton asked. “Portgus? Like, Ace and Luffy Portgus?
“Yeah, that’s me,” Ace replied, a smile tugging at his lips. He had long ago gotten used to people he had never heard of knowing his name. “I know this is kind of out of the blue, but I need some help.”
“No, no.” Dalton’s voice had softened, and a much more friendly nature came through as he spoke. “It’s okay. I’ve heard a lot about you and your brother from Smoker. He talks about you guys like you guys were his own kids. But I’m the head of the Organized Crime division. What could I possibly help you with?”
Ace chuckled thinking about how this was going to sound to an outsider; even one that dealt with these kinds of people on a daily basis. “It’s, well… kind of a long story. I don’t want to take up all your time if you’re busy.”
“It’s perfectly fine,” Dalton said, and Ace could hear the smile in his words. “Any friend of Smoker’s is a friend of mine. And besides, I was about to go crazy with all the BS I’ve had to deal with today. This will be a nice break.”
Ace laughed out loud. “I don’t know if this will be much of a break, man. Better get some coffee and settle in, this is a real fucked up story.”
X x X x X
Sanji huddled close to Zoro on the bench as the swordsman punched a phone number into his cell phone. The blond rested his head on his lover’s shoulder and sighed. He felt drained from everything that was happening to them. The constant stress of shock and revelation had worn his nerves down to thin fibers. Zoro had been essential to him the last hour, just by being close and supportive in his silence. Sanji was sure if his green-haired lover had not been there, he would have fallen apart.
“Hey, Kaku, it’s me,” Zoro said into his phone. “Where are you right now?”
Zoro’s arm came around Sanji’s shoulders as the blond listened to their friend’s soft voice through the receiver. Sanji nuzzled into Zoro’s warmth and closed his eyes.
“Well, if it’s not too much trouble,” Zoro continued, “Sanji and I are down at the pier and we need a ride to the club… Yes, right now. We need to talk to Lucci… Yeah, just down by the docks, you’ll see us… Thanks, bro.”
Sanji felt Zoro shove the phone into his pocket and then shift position to get both arms around his shoulders. The cook slipped one arm inside the swordsman’s jacket and held onto his lover like his life depended on it.
“Sanji…” Zoro whispered into his hair. “You okay?”
Sanji let out a breath slowly. “Zoro, what if…”
Zoro nuzzled his hair. “What?”
“What if, um…” Sanji swallowed and forced his fears past his lips, “what if all this is my fault?”
Zoro’s arms released the cook’s body and his hands gripped Sanji’s biceps. The swordsman gently pushed back so he could frown questioningly into his lover’s face.
“I’m sorry?”
Sanji sighed. “Let’s just be realistic here: I know me, you obviously know me. Can you see me learning all that shit about Kaya and how someone was threatening Usopp, and then just promising to lay low for a few days? I mean… I’ve never laid low in my entire life! That thing about me promising not to tell anyone--that whole story is so completely bull shit!”
Zoro ran his thumbs over the muscles in Sanji’s arms, wanting to soothe, but feeling his own instincts starting to fire up. Sanji was making sense; something about the story Pell had told them didn’t add up.
“So… what do you think you did?”
“I don’t know.” Sanji shrugged, defeated. “I’m just…” He trailed off and let his eyes fall to his lap. He didn’t want to voice his thoughts, as if saying them aloud would give them tangibility.
Zoro raised a hand and ran his thumb over Sanji’s lower lip. “You’re just what?”
Sanji leaned forward, nuzzling into Zoro’s collar. He didn’t want the swordsman to see his weakness written so plainly on his face.
“I um…” The cook’s fingers tightened their grip on the leather of Zoro’s sleeves. “I don’t know. I’m just scared. I hate the missing pieces. I hate not knowing what’s happening or what happened to me--what I did…”
Zoro kissed the top of Sanji’s head. “Don’t worry, I’ve already braced myself for hearing that you did something crazy-stupid. It’s just what you do.”
Sanji pushed away, laughing and punching at Zoro’s jaw and chest.
“You son of a bitch! I’m all trying to be serious, and you’re being a dick! What the fuck?!”
Zoro laughed as he blocked Sanji’s playful attacks with wrists and forearms. The cook got in a few good hits, but the swordsman managed to come out with his face still in one piece.
“Seriously though, Zoro,” Sanji said after their play had ceased. He took the swordsman’s hands in his own and gripped them tightly in his lap. “I’m… I’m already really… attached to you even though it’s only been a few weeks--for me. So if we find out I did something stupid, or I did something that--”
“It doesn’t matter, Sanji,” Zoro growled.
“Let me finish.” Sanji glared and Zoro relented.
“If we find out I did something stupid in those two days between talking to Kaya and our accident... and that maybe I’m the reason for all this shit that’s happened to us… Just promise you won’t…”
“Won’t what?” Zoro asked, his eyes wide.
Sanji sighed. He was going to sound like a complete pussy, but whatever.
“Just promise you won’t hate me. I can’t… The way I am now, I can’t lose you. I’m not strong like that. Like you.”
The swordsman brought his lips close to Sanji’s and pulled his hands free of the cook’s grip. He slid his touch underneath Sanji’s jacket and held the slender man’s hips.
“You are strong, Sanji. I wouldn’t love you as much as I do if you weren’t. You’ve been through hell, and come out better than I ever could. But, even so, I promise I’ll never hate you. I could never hate you.”
Sanji watched the swordsman’s dark eyes and tilted his chin to kiss his lover’s jaw. He was about to lift his lips to Zoro’s cheeks, when a car horn sounded from the top of the pier. The two men turned to see Kaku’s Lexus rolling through the parking lot towards them. They stood and met their friend as he turned into the turn-around.
“So,” Kaku asked and smiled as Sanji opened the passenger side door, “what in blue blazes?”
Zoro slid into the back seat and slammed the door behind him.
“It’s way too fucking long of a story to tell in the car. Just take us to Lucci and you’ll hear everything.”
X x X x X
Ace sat quietly, letting the information settle on Dalton. It was a lot, even for someone who lived and breathed that world. The dark-haired man sipped on the coke he had just ordered, and pulled a small pill bottle from his jacket pocket. He was getting more fatigued by the minute, and if his meds didn’t kick in quickly, he was going to konk out right there in front of the café.
“Okay,” Dalton growled through the receiver. Ace heard the clicking of a keyboard, and papers rustling. “This actually makes a lot of sense.”
Ace almost choked. “Excuse me?”
There was more clicking, and Dalton shouting to someone on his end, “Sanchez! Get me my files on Seattle!” His voice returned to the phone and lost its drill sergeant’s edge. “Okay, I got an undercover guy working the scene down here. Let me get a message to him about all this-probably nothing he doesn’t already know- but I’ll brief him anyway. He can get himself up to you guys at the latest… tomorrow morning. He’ll be much more help to you there than I could ever be to you over the phone.”
Ace couldn’t think of anything to say besides, “Uh… thanks…”
“It’s no problem.” Dalton chuckled. “Law’s one of my best guys. He’s a little strung out doing this undercover thing for the last few years, but he’s good. I trust him. He’s made it big in that world, and he carries some serious clout. Lucci can vouch for your guys, but another boss coming in from another family is artillery to be envied.”
“That’s really awesome of you, man,” Ace said. “I don’t know how to th-”
“No need for thanks,” Dalton said gently. “You’re like family to my best friend.”
Ace rubbed at his eyes. He could tell Dalton was a stand up guy, someone that Ace and his friends would get along with. He would probably fit right in at barbeques and poker nights, talking politics with Smoker and Chopper, and swooning over the food Sanji would make, right along with everyone else.
“You should take a vacation sometime, Dalton. Come up here, have a few beers.”
Dalton chuckled again softly. “I really can’t express how good that sounds right now. I’d love to see Smoker, been too long away from home.”
“You from here?” Ace asked.
“Born and raised. But the wife grew up in LA and wanted to be close to family when the kids were born.”
“You have kids?”
“Two, they’re a couple hands full.”
Ace laughed. “Well, whenever you get time off, we’ll put you up.”
“Thank you for that.” Dalton sighed. “Not sure that’ll happen any time soon, I got a lot of… stuff to deal with here. But… thank you.”
“Any time.” Ace heard the sadness in the officer’s voice, but didn’t press. He was going to get on Smoker to get this guy up to Seattle, but that was a trial for another time.
“So where are we going to meet this guy? You said his name was Law?”
“Yup.” Dalton returned to typing a storm on the keyboard. “He’ll probably fly in early tomorrow, and if this is your cell number you calling from, I’ll just give him that. He’ll contact you.”
“Got it.” Ace drained the rest of his coke and stood.
“Oh, and Ace?”
“Yeah.”
Dalton lowered his voice. “Law is a good guy, I meant that. But he never goes anywhere without his right hand guy. He’s made for real--not a cop, so be careful. Law trusts him, and he’s always come through… but the getting there…”
“We’ll be careful,” Ace said, completely understanding. The Portgus brothers had plenty of shady friends they trusted with their lives. “What’s the guy’s name?”
“His name’s Kidd,” Dalton answered. “And just… be wary. He’s one mean son of a bitch.”
X x X x X
Zoro had never been to the third floor of the club. He had been invited up to the second with Sanji back when they had first joined CP9, but it was only that one time for drinks. Only the club owner and a few select members were allowed up those forbidding stairs into Crocodile’s office and living quarters.
The place had an old time Italian feel to it. Imported rugs, crystal ware, and expensive looking art were the least of the lavish décor. A giant wooden desk that was clean of papers and other clutter sat in front of the impressive double windows. Silhouetted by the light of the mid afternoon sun, dressed in his usual black from head to toe, was none other than their captain, Lucci. Zoro had a moment to wonder where Crocodile was, but then Kaku was moving passed them and through the next set of doors.
Lucci said nothing as Zoro and Sanji followed Kaku past the office, and into a sitting room. Tuscan furniture and an over-the-top wall mount fireplace made Zoro start to wonder exactly where the money Sanji and him were making in their fights was going.
“Just have a seat wherever.” Kaku was his usual friendly self. But, as Zoro knew, that meant nothing. Kaku trampled fighters in the pit every night with the nicest, most friendly smile on his face you would ever see. He could have been planning their demise at that very moment, but they would never know.
Sanji sat warily as Kaku moved to the fully stocked bar against the far wall. He pulled out a bottle of St. Michelle Merlot and two glasses. After setting down the glasses, he bent to reach into a fridge under the counter. Straightening, he tossed a bottle of Heineken to Zoro.
“Thanks,” Zoro said, trying to remember that Kaku--that all of CP9, despite their connections, were actually their friends. There really was no reason to be on his toes around them like he was now. Kaku had stood beside Zoro through a lot of the bad times last year. It would be kind of a shitty thing to do if he didn’t believe in him at least a little.
“So,” Kaku started as he brought the glasses and bottle of Merlot to the couch. He filled one glass and offered it to Sanji, who readily took it and downed a long swallow. “I got an inkling that you two aren’t here about nothin’ fun.”
“We need to talk to Lucci,” Sanji said quietly.
Kaku smiled and poured himself a glass. “Well, that can be arranged, but if you’re here to talk to him about club matters, it won’t do you no good. Lucci don’t pay any attention to the club unless it’s one of CP9 raising our ranking.”
Zoro moved to the chair across from Sanji, taking his usual place as the blond's backup.
“Now…” Kaku set the bottle on the coffee table and leaned back, rolling the red liquid around in his glass like Zoro had seen Sanji do a million times. “If you two are here to talk business business… then I’m your man. No one talks to Lucci without talking to me first.”
Zoro sat confused, but Sanji seemed to understand immediately. The blond looked at Kaku through his eyelashes and smiled softly.
“You’re the underboss.”
Kaku raised his glass. “Always knew you were a quick one, Sanji. Been wonderin’ how to get you made for a long time.”
Sanji raised his hands. “No, no. We’re not looking to get made. We just… need some help.”
Kaku nodded. “I know, your little friends--that princess and her mechanic lover with the nose. We already had this discussion. You forget or somethin’?”
Sanji put a hand over his eyes and sighed heavily. “Uh, well… yeah.”
“Sanji…” Zoro growled.
Sanji looked up at him and gestured with his wine glass. “What am I supposed to say, Zoro? We need their help, and I can’t get it if we keep lying to them.”
“Lying?” Kaku sat forward. “Lying about what?”
Sanji downed the rest of his wine and set the glass on the table. “Uh, okay… this is kind of embarrassing, so work with me.”
X x X x X
Chopper awoke to darkness and searing pain. His head felt as if it had been split open, and all its contents stirred roughly with a wooden spoon. He wasn’t sure why the image of a wooden spoon was so prominent in his mind’s eye, but that’s what he was sure had mucked up his brains.
He slowly rolled to the side, carefully feeling for any tenderness in his abdomen and ribs. Internal bleeding would just be icing on a very icky cake. Judging that his insides were okay, he moved his hips and wiggled his toes, making sure nothing of his lower half was broken.
His leg brushed up against something solid and warm. The little doctor froze when he realized there was someone in the dark beside him, and he was no doubt injured. Chopper sat up abruptly, trying to ignore the pounding of his head, and reached out in the darkness. His hands found an arm and a chest, his fingers probed for the person’s neck to locate a pulse.
When slender hands gripped his wrists, Chopper almost screamed. He pulled, trying to free himself, but succeeded in nothing but helping his captor to an upright position.
“Let me go!” Chopper yelped. “Let me go! Let me go!”
Chopper was so hysterical he hadn’t noticed his name had been called out several times. When the other person pushed him to the ground and covered his mouth, Chopper finally heard him and stopped struggling.
“Chopper, it’s me! It’s Usopp! Stop flailing, you’re gonna kick my nuts!”
The smaller man froze again. Tears welled in his eyes, and he hated himself once again for breaking down at the drop if a hat. Chopper slipped out of Usopp’s grasp and threw his arms around his best friend’s neck.
“I’m sorry,” he sobbed. “I didn’t know it was you! I’m sorry!”
“It’s okay… It’s okay, Chopper.” Usopp hugged him back and let himself fall backward against the wall. Chopper came with him into his lap, and the two sat in darkness, not moving for what could have been hours.
“Where are we?” Chopper finally asked into Usopp’s t-shirt.
“I don’t know,” Usopp replied, his voice high and frightened. “I have no idea.”
“What are we going to do?”
Usopp just shook his head. “I don’t think we can do anything…”
Chopper felt Usopp trembling against him, and couldn’t help but shake right along with him. “Luffy will save us though, right? Zoro and Sanji and Ace--someone will come. Right?”
“I’m…” Usopp swallowed thickly. “I’m sure they will, Chopper. I’m sure they’ll come soon.”
Chopper held his friend tighter, wishing for the first time in his life that his friend was a better liar.
X x X x X
Kaku stared at Sanji over his long nose. He had removed his cap, and his red hair stuck up in interesting--almost super-saiyan ways. To his credit, Kaku had taken their story the best out of everyone they had told so far. He looked as if he was contemplating a very minor business exchange. No surprise, no anger or fear, just quietly thinking.
“So…” he finally said, “that first night you came back to the club… you didn’t actually remember me?”
Sanji shook his head. “I’d never seen you before in my life-according to me.”
“And… Zoro…” Kaku pointed to the swordsman and glanced his way out the corner of his eye. “You didn’t really know him either?”
“Uh.” Sanji shifted uncomfortably. “No, I knew him. Just not… the same way as before… like, uh…”
“You didn’t remember being with him,” Kaku finished, turning back to Sanji with eyes wide. “You didn’t know any of us, and you were pretending to be with Zoro, when you didn’t even know you were gay yet?”
Sanji sighed and ran a hand over his eyes. “Yeah, remember the whole ‘this is embarrassing’ part?”
Kaku stood abruptly, slipping past the coffee table to pace the floor. Zoro held his beer bottle tight in case the other man decided to attack him or Sanji. Zoro had not the faintest clue how Kaku was taking all this. The man’s face betrayed nothing but wonder as he moved from one end of the room to another.
Suddenly, Kaku stopped. He turned to Sanji, and Zoro braced himself for launching out of his chair to defend the blond.
“Damn…” Kaku breathed. “Damn, Sanji. You’re the best darn conman I ever come across!”
Sanji’s eyes widened. His shoulder’s relaxed, and he slumped in his seat.
“I-I am?”
Zoro backed down, nothing in Kaku’s manner said he was planning on fighting.
“You had every one of us fooled, brother!” Kaku continued merrily. “They way you talked to the other members, watching you all squirrely while Zoro was fightin’! Never would have guessed that was all acting!”
Sanji blushed and rung his hands absently. “Uh… well, it wasn’t all acting.”
Kaku laughed and stuck his head out into the office. “Lucci! Lucci, you hear this, man? Sanji got one over on you good!”
“I heard him.” Lucci’s deep voice sounded just outside the door. “But I’m more interested in the part about how he’s forgotten about his situation.”
Zoro’s skin crawled. His situation? The phrase rolled off Lucci’s tongue like a death sentence. What did he mean by that? What situation had Sanji gotten himself into?
“Why don’t you come in, Lucci?” Kaku motioned with his hand as he came back across the room and plopped back down on the couch. “Take a breather, sit for a while. Let’s re-inform our cook friend with everything he’s forgot.”
Lucci stepped over the threshold and closed the door gently behind him. Zoro’s hackles rose on instinct. He still did not feel threatened by anyone here, but he knew it was probably a good idea to be on his guard at all times anyway.
The tall dark-haired man pulled a cigar from his inside pocket and lit up. He handed the lighter to Sanji, who followed suit with a cigarette.
“So I assume the situation is still the same as it was last year, when you came to us before.”
Sanji looked at Lucci, horrified at the large man’s words. “Came to you before? When did I come to you before?”
“Not even a day before your accident,” Lucci explained. “It was late at night. You came in bleeding, but not severely injured. You said that after leaving a friend’s house, some men had attacked you--”
“What!?” Zoro’s insides ignited.
“Please calm yourself, Zoro.” Lucci held up a hand. “He was going to tell you, but circumstances made it impossible. I told him to wait.”
Zoro stood, rage making him see nothing but red. “Why does everyone think that keeping shit from me is going to help? I am so fucking tired of hearing that fucked up stuff’s going down with my friends, and my family, but nobody’s saying shit! What good am I if I can’t protect the people I love because I don’t know what’s going on!?”
Lucci stood and came face to face with Zoro. He held the swordsman’s gaze with his midnight black eyes and swallowed the shorter man in his foreboding and intensely frightening presence.
“Maybe you should sit and listen to the rest of the story.” Lucci growled. “If you can get over yourself for one minute, you will see that your family was protected. At no small cost to mine, I might add.”
Zoro swallowed. He wasn’t sure if he could take Lucci. Not without a sword and with Kaku standing right there. Even with Sanji’s help, the two of them might not make it back out of the office, so he reined in his rage and slowly sank back into his chair.
Kaku wasted no time. “Sanji came to us because he’d just learned about your princess friend’s situation first hand. The house where he had been was bugged, not surprising considering the guy is-what’s her name? Kaya?” Lucci nodded at him. “Kaya’s brother. They’ve been watching her whole family for a long time.”
Zoro glanced at Sanji. The blond looked drained. His skin was pale and his eyes were tired and worn. The cook looked up at him but quickly looked away. Zoro suddenly felt shame for his outburst a moment ago. They had just talked about how Zoro would react, no matter what the blond had done, and then he immediately went and freaked out without even hearing the whole story.
“So, what’s the Cugine’s name, Lucci?” Kaku asked. “One, or Won or something?”
“Real name is Bones,” Lucci answered.
“Oh yeah,” Kaku scratched at his head. “Guy’s a real bastard. But, what can you expect; he’s working for a bastard. Anywho, the house was bugged and the guys sittin’ out across the street listening in, jump Sanji, and our favorite blondie feeds ‘em some concrete. He comes straight here, asking for Croc-which is real funny by the way ‘cause old man Crocodile got nothin’ to do with the scene anymore. We like people to think he does though, keeps the heat off us.” Kaku laughed then, his face still seemingly kind and friendly. It was beginning to creep Zoro out.
“Stay with the story, Kaku,”Lucci muttered.
“Ah, my apologies.” Kaku cleared his throat and sat forward. “So he comes here, bashes in the door to the office, three-four guys trying to hold him down, but can’t. Sanji’s on a rampage. I get a call, come up here, and he’s all red in the face, telling me if I don’t get Crocodile I’m gonna feel his foot so far up my ass, it’ll be in my throat.”
Zoro couldn’t stop his smile, there was no way. That story was so classic Sanji that the swordsman almost had to bite his lip.
“He told me what happened,” Kaku continued, “I told him we could help, but there was no way we could make a move right away.”
“Why not?” Sanji asked.
Lucci continued. “We’ve known about this little renegade faction for a while. Supposedly Blackbeard wants total control of everything, and is planning on taking out the Head Boss sometime. It’s been said he’s gonna give Bones this area when he takes over.”
“Like, your area?” Sanji asked, looking confused for the first time.
Lucci laughed. “I think you misunderstand. I am not the area Capo, I am just the Consigliere. I work as the Capo’s right hand.”
Sanji scratched his chin. “Oh…”
“So what does that have to do with this?” Zoro asked.
“Well…” Kaku lifted his arms to the back of the couch. He reclined and placed his feet on the coffee table. “Since Blackbeard’s little group has been under our radar for a while, we already knew who they were watchin’; who they were followin’. You know how Kaya’s brother’s house was bugged and under surveillance?”
Zoro and Sanji both nodded.
Kaku smiled, and this time it was cruel. “His house ain’t the only one that got bugged.”
Zoro blinked. What did that mean? He looked at Sanji, confused. The blond stared back at him, the gears turning in his head.
“Wait, wait.” Sanji put up a hand. “You’re not telling us what I think you’re telling us, are you?”
Kaku’s smile widened. “Oh, yeah.”
Sanji’s manner changed abruptly. His killing intent suddenly burst forth and filled the room with electricity. Zoro felt goose bumps break out over his arms and down his back.
Then it hit the swordsman as well.
“Woah! Wait a minute! What the fuck--”
“Oh ho, there they go!” Kaku laughed. Zoro had just enough presence of mind to glance at Lucci. The dark-haired man was shaking his head and even though there was no outward show of emotion, Zoro knew he was laughing at them as well.
“You have got to be fucking kidding,” Zoro said. “This is fucking crazy.”
“Crazy doesn’t begin to describe this cluster-fuck!” Sanji snarled.
Kaku’s laugh died down and he motioned for them to sit. He leaned forward and refilled Sanji’s wine glass. When the cook took it and emptied half the contents, the long-nosed man snickered.
“Better slow down, Champ. You don’t got the tolerance for tossin’ them back like that.”
“Shut up,” Sanji growled. “I’m gonna start breaking all your nice shit if I don’t.”
“You really must sit and listen to the rest.” Kaku motioned to the chairs again.
“There’s more?” Cold dread started to eat away at Zoro’s insides.
“Of course,” Lucci said as he sat back and laced his fingers together under his chin. “You think a tap on your apartment would be sufficient to stop Monsieur Cook?”
Zoro wanted to leave. He wanted to take Sanji and go far far away where no one could hurt them, or bring up more stories of things his lover could not remember. He saw this exchange was eating Sanji alive. He knew the blond hated being in the dark. He hated the unknown, and this situation was no doubt wearing the cook’s nerves down to almost non-existent fibers.
Despite his anger, the swordsman sat, trying to catch Sanji’s eye and let him know that they would make it through all this. Zoro wasn’t going anywhere and they were going to get past all this shit together.
Sanji pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut. He sighed heavily and spoke softly and carefully. “So, just get to the point. What were these guys doing, or what had they started that stopped me from grabbing Zoro and just heading out to fuck some shit up?”
“Well,” Lucci said quietly, still sitting back comfortably in the large armchair. “You understand how Blackbeard’s men manipulated Kaya to do what they wanted by threatening Usopp?”
Sanji nodded.
“Well, what they did with you was similar.” Lucci sat forward. “The reason you came here, and not straight home that night, was because the men who attacked you threatened you like they did with Kaya. They told you if you made a move, if you talked, if you so much as breathed a word of what was happening to anyone, they would kill one of your friends.”
Zoro’s heart started to pound. Sweat started to trickle down the back of his neck as he watched Sanji’s reaction.
“Who… who did they say they were going to kill?” the cook’s voice cracked.
“That little doctor friend of yours,” Kaku stated.
Zoro swallowed a thick thump in his throat. “Ch… Chopper?”
Lucci turned to him and nodded. “They had his place wired like nothing I’ve ever seen before. They had people outside, people holed up in the apartment next door… it was crazy. They knew, of everyone connected to you two, he was the best bet to get you to cooperate.”
A tug on the back of Zoro’s mind distracted him. As he watched Sanji turn and start pacing the room slowly, the tug became an itch, and the itch grew to slowly start gnawing at his insides. Something felt wrong. Something bad was happening, or was going to happen soon, and the swordsman didn’t know where or what it was. The feeling ate at him nevertheless, and he found himself slipping his hand in his pocket for his cell phone.
“Hey, Zoro,” Sanji said from the window.
Zoro glanced up and studied the back of Sanji’s head. “Yeah?”
“Can you, um…” the cook’s stance was anxious, which in turn, caused Zoro to feel even less at ease.
“Can you call Chopper, please?”
Deciding to put the fact that he and Sanji had the exact same thought at the same time away for contemplating later, Zoro pulled out his cell and scrolled down the list of contacts.
“No problem.”
“Should be fine now,” Kaku said, sipping the rest of Sanji’s wine. “We went through his house after your guy’s accident. Should be clear.”
“Should…” Zoro repeated. “But it was a year ago.”
He let the phone ring until the call waiting picked up. Then he hung up and tried again, this time leaving a message when their friend didn’t answer.
“Chopper, this is Zoro. Give me a call when you get this, it’s important.”
When he flipped the phone closed, he looked up to see Sanji staring at him with frightened eyes.
“Zoro…” he said quietly. “You think meeting that guy in the park…?”
Lucci unfolded his arms and gripped the arms of the chair. “Guy? You met a guy in the park? What guy?”
“One of your guys.” Sanji turned to him. “I don’t think you’d know him though.”
“Wrong,” Kaku muttered, sing-song. “We know all our guys.”
“He’s just one of your dealers,” Sanji said. “He calls himself Buggy.”
Lucci and Kaku exchanged a brief look before Lucci frowned and turned to Zoro.
“Your friend, Chopper, he’s working right now?”
Zoro nodded, and was already dialing the number for the hospital before Lucci could tell him to do it.
The receptionist that answered the phone was friendly and worked fast. Zoro was on hold for less than a minute before she returned and told him that Dr. Charlton had not shown up for his shift that morning. Zoro thanked her, and hung up.
“Oh shit.” He looked at Sanji, and the cook’s eyes were a reflection of his own fear.
Kaku slumped on the couch, propping his feet back up on the coffee table.
“You might want to go check out your friend’s place.”
“Uh… yeah,” Sanji choked out before Zoro stood, and the two of them moved quickly to the doors.
“We’ll be here if you need us,” Lucci said over his shoulder.
“Thank you,” Sanji said as they slipped out.
The drive to Chopper’s apartment was the longest Zoro had ever experienced--except for maybe the drive in the ambulance after the crash as he held a dying Sanji’s hand. But his mind had been a little foggy back then and his sense of time had been skewed.
“Shit… mother fucking shit…” Sanji cursed as he drove. “I don’t want to admit it, but it all makes sense, kind of. If I had Chopper’s safety hanging over my head… that would be the one thing that would keep my mouth shut for a bit… I could stand down, even from you, for a day or two if it meant keeping Chopper safe.”
“I can’t even think of…” Zoro’s heart pounded and his chest felt excruciatingly tight. “Jesus, Sanji… what are we going to do if he’s not there?”
“Call Usopp.” Sanji pointed to Zoro’s phone.
Zoro did, but again, there was no answer.
“Oh my fucking god,” Zoro breathed. “Sanji… oh my god…”
“Shut up.” Sanji’s hands were shaking as he turned down Chopper’s street. “Don’t say anything until we get there.”
They burst through the doors and bypassed the elevator. They scrambled up the stairs and sprinted down the long hallway to Chopper’s door.
“Chopper!” Sanji pounded on the solid wood, not caring who he disturbed from the other residences. “Chopper, if you’re there answer me, buddy!”
Zoro fished out his keys and frantically searched for the familiar, oval head. He felt his lungs were going to collapse as he pushed the key into the lock and shoved the door open. Sanji was on his heels as he stormed through the entry.
“Chopper!” Zoro called out, so horrified that he was close to tears.
Sanji, on the other hand, was a storm of anger. He pushed passed the swordsman and into the living room. He paused at the doorway as Zoro started up the stairs.
“Zoro…” Sanji’s voice made him freeze; his heart stopped, his blood ran cold.
“Don’t tell me,” Zoro growled. “If he’s in there don’t tell me.”
“He’s not,” Sanji said softly. “He’s not here, Zoro. They got him. They got Usopp too.”
“How--?” Zoro turned around and moved to stand with his lover in the doorway. The sight before him made him burn with anger, and he felt the heated touch of Sanji’s hand on his arm.
The living room was in shambles. Whoever had taken Chopper had left nothing untouched. Furniture was in pieces and spread across the room, the window was broken, books, files and papers were scattered everywhere.
And scrawled across the walls in black marker were the words:
We have them. Back off or they’re dead.
“Zoro…” Sanji’s voice had taken on an almost dazed quality. “Is that… is that blood?”
Zoro looked at the carpet before Sanji’s feet and felt what was left of his battered heart drop into the pit of his gut. He felt nauseous as his eyes took in the brown stain the size of his hand. There was no telling whose blood it was, but the thought that it might be Chopper’s made Zoro want to toss everything he had in his stomach.
“Yeah,” he rasped. “It’s blood.”
Sanji turned to him then and grabbed at his jacket.
“Zoro… Zoro… they’re gonna…” The cook was speaking into his chest. “Fuck… fuck… I’m gonna get them killed--we’re gonna get them killed…”
Zoro looked at Sanji then, and the sight of the blond holding onto him, clinging desperately to him like he needed Zoro to survive, awakened the swordsman, and brought him back from that dangerous edge he had been peering over.
He took the cook’s cheeks in his hands and forced Sanji to look at him.
“Sanji…” he said firmly.
Sanji’s clouded eyes found him then, and cleared when their gazes met. The blond’s hands found his own and Sanji took a deep breath.
“I’m here,” he said simply.
Zoro nodded. “So am I.” He kissed Sanji’s forehead and slid his hands to the back of the cook’s neck. He spoke to reassure himself as much as he did for the blond. “We’re gonna find them. We’re gonna find them, I promise. We’ll get them back and--”
“I know… I know…” Sanji looked close to tears as well. The blond slid his arms around Zoro’s neck and held the larger man close. “Oh my God, Zoro, I hope they’re okay.”
Zoro put his arms around Sanji, needing to give the comfort as much as give it. “They better be okay…”
Sanji sniffed. “I’m not gonna be able to handle it if something happens to them. I can’t… not when this is because of us.” The cook let out a soft sob and held Zoro desperately tight. “This is so fucking stupid… so stupid… God damnit, I can’t believe this… shit… shit…”
Zoro studied the black letters on the wall as Sanji broke down against him. He knew the cook was beyond strained. He had been pulled in a thousand different ways in the last few weeks, and now the weight of everything being put on their shoulders was more than anyone could take without some kind of collapse. Zoro himself wanted to curl up in a hole with his lover and just sleep away the outside world for years.
But Zoro also knew that this wasn’t permanent. Sanji would bounce back, like he always did, to stand beside him and take back what was theirs. The swordsman would give him this moment. He would let Sanji be broken and weak, and not just because the cook needed it. He would let Sanji have this now because it also showed just how much Sanji had come to trust him. The Sanji of two weeks ago would have rather died than lay himself open like this to the swordsman.
Besides, being there and being a rock for Sanji healed Zoro in its own way. Being needed and trusted like this pieced back together parts of Zoro he had forgotten he had lost. He steadied himself by steadying Sanji, and braced his mind and heart for what lay ahead.
Sanji’s breathing slowed, and he pushed gently away to wipe at his eyes. Zoro noticed he did not apologize, and that little gesture meant as much to him as Sanji’s opening up.
“I’m okay now…” Sanji said quietly.
Zoro nodded, rubbing circles into Sanji’s arms. “What now?”
Sanji looked up at him then, and saw the readiness in the swordsman’s eyes. He studied his lover for a long moment, but then the smallest of smiles tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“I love you, Zoro,” he whispered.
Zoro, caught off guard, blinked and stammered a reply. “I love you too.”
Sanji took a step back and straightened his collar. He smoothed out his shirt and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Now…” he stated, and Zoro thrilled at the calm assurance that had come back into his voice, “we retaliate.”
Zoro cocked an eyebrow. “How?”
“Call Ace.”
TBC
Previous chapters here.
xD
I've kind of picked up a rhythm again finally with this fic, so I don't think the chapters are going to come as slowly anymore. I've already started on chapter 25. Hopefully I can keep it up. I'm not going to be a review whore and ask for reviews or anything, but come on, we all know they help. I likes to know peeps are reading and liking. x)
Enjoy!
Title: Memories
Paring: Zoro/Sanji/Zoro
Rating: Mature to NC-17
Warnings: Spoilers, Language
Summary: AU Sanji's been in a coma for eleven months, but he's lost his memory of the past two years. What is Zoro going to do when he finds Sanji doesn't know him?
Beta: liralen Thank you! xDD *hugs*
Ace slipped out the front door of the diner with Luffy’s happy laughter ringing in his ears. How his brother could get along with such a weird guy was beyond him. At that moment, the clown/cop, whatever he was, was balancing a spoon on his nose and banging the tune to ‘Jingle Bells’ on their water glasses.
Well, whatever. It wasn’t like Luffy couldn’t take care of himself. This new friendship would probably prove to be profitable in the near future anyway.
The older Portgus brother pulled out his cell phone as he made himself comfortable on the outside tables. He punched in the number Smoker had given him, and leaned back as Back in Black by AC/DC played in his ear. Tired from his long night, and with the soothing sounds of a good rock song in his head, Ace started to nod off.
He awoke abruptly when a deep voice came through the receiver. “Organized Crime Department, this is Captain Drum.”
Blinking fatigue out of his eyes, Ace cleared his throat. “Uh yeah, hello, my name is Ace Portgus. I’m the Fire Chief of the North Seattle Fire and Rescue department. Do you have an officer there, goes by the name Dalton?”
“Yeah, that’s me.” The Captain on the other end seemed curt and unfriendly, but Ace pressed on. Smoker seemed that way at first pass too, so he would give this Dalton a chance.
“Oh, good.” Ace sat up to clear his head a bit. “I’m calling ‘cause I was referred to you by Seattle Police Chief Smoker?”
Dalton was silent for a moment, but Ace could hear the sound of people chatting and other telephones ringing in the background. A door closed and the noise ceased.
“What did you say your name was?” Dalton asked. “Portgus? Like, Ace and Luffy Portgus?
“Yeah, that’s me,” Ace replied, a smile tugging at his lips. He had long ago gotten used to people he had never heard of knowing his name. “I know this is kind of out of the blue, but I need some help.”
“No, no.” Dalton’s voice had softened, and a much more friendly nature came through as he spoke. “It’s okay. I’ve heard a lot about you and your brother from Smoker. He talks about you guys like you guys were his own kids. But I’m the head of the Organized Crime division. What could I possibly help you with?”
Ace chuckled thinking about how this was going to sound to an outsider; even one that dealt with these kinds of people on a daily basis. “It’s, well… kind of a long story. I don’t want to take up all your time if you’re busy.”
“It’s perfectly fine,” Dalton said, and Ace could hear the smile in his words. “Any friend of Smoker’s is a friend of mine. And besides, I was about to go crazy with all the BS I’ve had to deal with today. This will be a nice break.”
Ace laughed out loud. “I don’t know if this will be much of a break, man. Better get some coffee and settle in, this is a real fucked up story.”
X x X x X
Sanji huddled close to Zoro on the bench as the swordsman punched a phone number into his cell phone. The blond rested his head on his lover’s shoulder and sighed. He felt drained from everything that was happening to them. The constant stress of shock and revelation had worn his nerves down to thin fibers. Zoro had been essential to him the last hour, just by being close and supportive in his silence. Sanji was sure if his green-haired lover had not been there, he would have fallen apart.
“Hey, Kaku, it’s me,” Zoro said into his phone. “Where are you right now?”
Zoro’s arm came around Sanji’s shoulders as the blond listened to their friend’s soft voice through the receiver. Sanji nuzzled into Zoro’s warmth and closed his eyes.
“Well, if it’s not too much trouble,” Zoro continued, “Sanji and I are down at the pier and we need a ride to the club… Yes, right now. We need to talk to Lucci… Yeah, just down by the docks, you’ll see us… Thanks, bro.”
Sanji felt Zoro shove the phone into his pocket and then shift position to get both arms around his shoulders. The cook slipped one arm inside the swordsman’s jacket and held onto his lover like his life depended on it.
“Sanji…” Zoro whispered into his hair. “You okay?”
Sanji let out a breath slowly. “Zoro, what if…”
Zoro nuzzled his hair. “What?”
“What if, um…” Sanji swallowed and forced his fears past his lips, “what if all this is my fault?”
Zoro’s arms released the cook’s body and his hands gripped Sanji’s biceps. The swordsman gently pushed back so he could frown questioningly into his lover’s face.
“I’m sorry?”
Sanji sighed. “Let’s just be realistic here: I know me, you obviously know me. Can you see me learning all that shit about Kaya and how someone was threatening Usopp, and then just promising to lay low for a few days? I mean… I’ve never laid low in my entire life! That thing about me promising not to tell anyone--that whole story is so completely bull shit!”
Zoro ran his thumbs over the muscles in Sanji’s arms, wanting to soothe, but feeling his own instincts starting to fire up. Sanji was making sense; something about the story Pell had told them didn’t add up.
“So… what do you think you did?”
“I don’t know.” Sanji shrugged, defeated. “I’m just…” He trailed off and let his eyes fall to his lap. He didn’t want to voice his thoughts, as if saying them aloud would give them tangibility.
Zoro raised a hand and ran his thumb over Sanji’s lower lip. “You’re just what?”
Sanji leaned forward, nuzzling into Zoro’s collar. He didn’t want the swordsman to see his weakness written so plainly on his face.
“I um…” The cook’s fingers tightened their grip on the leather of Zoro’s sleeves. “I don’t know. I’m just scared. I hate the missing pieces. I hate not knowing what’s happening or what happened to me--what I did…”
Zoro kissed the top of Sanji’s head. “Don’t worry, I’ve already braced myself for hearing that you did something crazy-stupid. It’s just what you do.”
Sanji pushed away, laughing and punching at Zoro’s jaw and chest.
“You son of a bitch! I’m all trying to be serious, and you’re being a dick! What the fuck?!”
Zoro laughed as he blocked Sanji’s playful attacks with wrists and forearms. The cook got in a few good hits, but the swordsman managed to come out with his face still in one piece.
“Seriously though, Zoro,” Sanji said after their play had ceased. He took the swordsman’s hands in his own and gripped them tightly in his lap. “I’m… I’m already really… attached to you even though it’s only been a few weeks--for me. So if we find out I did something stupid, or I did something that--”
“It doesn’t matter, Sanji,” Zoro growled.
“Let me finish.” Sanji glared and Zoro relented.
“If we find out I did something stupid in those two days between talking to Kaya and our accident... and that maybe I’m the reason for all this shit that’s happened to us… Just promise you won’t…”
“Won’t what?” Zoro asked, his eyes wide.
Sanji sighed. He was going to sound like a complete pussy, but whatever.
“Just promise you won’t hate me. I can’t… The way I am now, I can’t lose you. I’m not strong like that. Like you.”
The swordsman brought his lips close to Sanji’s and pulled his hands free of the cook’s grip. He slid his touch underneath Sanji’s jacket and held the slender man’s hips.
“You are strong, Sanji. I wouldn’t love you as much as I do if you weren’t. You’ve been through hell, and come out better than I ever could. But, even so, I promise I’ll never hate you. I could never hate you.”
Sanji watched the swordsman’s dark eyes and tilted his chin to kiss his lover’s jaw. He was about to lift his lips to Zoro’s cheeks, when a car horn sounded from the top of the pier. The two men turned to see Kaku’s Lexus rolling through the parking lot towards them. They stood and met their friend as he turned into the turn-around.
“So,” Kaku asked and smiled as Sanji opened the passenger side door, “what in blue blazes?”
Zoro slid into the back seat and slammed the door behind him.
“It’s way too fucking long of a story to tell in the car. Just take us to Lucci and you’ll hear everything.”
X x X x X
Ace sat quietly, letting the information settle on Dalton. It was a lot, even for someone who lived and breathed that world. The dark-haired man sipped on the coke he had just ordered, and pulled a small pill bottle from his jacket pocket. He was getting more fatigued by the minute, and if his meds didn’t kick in quickly, he was going to konk out right there in front of the café.
“Okay,” Dalton growled through the receiver. Ace heard the clicking of a keyboard, and papers rustling. “This actually makes a lot of sense.”
Ace almost choked. “Excuse me?”
There was more clicking, and Dalton shouting to someone on his end, “Sanchez! Get me my files on Seattle!” His voice returned to the phone and lost its drill sergeant’s edge. “Okay, I got an undercover guy working the scene down here. Let me get a message to him about all this-probably nothing he doesn’t already know- but I’ll brief him anyway. He can get himself up to you guys at the latest… tomorrow morning. He’ll be much more help to you there than I could ever be to you over the phone.”
Ace couldn’t think of anything to say besides, “Uh… thanks…”
“It’s no problem.” Dalton chuckled. “Law’s one of my best guys. He’s a little strung out doing this undercover thing for the last few years, but he’s good. I trust him. He’s made it big in that world, and he carries some serious clout. Lucci can vouch for your guys, but another boss coming in from another family is artillery to be envied.”
“That’s really awesome of you, man,” Ace said. “I don’t know how to th-”
“No need for thanks,” Dalton said gently. “You’re like family to my best friend.”
Ace rubbed at his eyes. He could tell Dalton was a stand up guy, someone that Ace and his friends would get along with. He would probably fit right in at barbeques and poker nights, talking politics with Smoker and Chopper, and swooning over the food Sanji would make, right along with everyone else.
“You should take a vacation sometime, Dalton. Come up here, have a few beers.”
Dalton chuckled again softly. “I really can’t express how good that sounds right now. I’d love to see Smoker, been too long away from home.”
“You from here?” Ace asked.
“Born and raised. But the wife grew up in LA and wanted to be close to family when the kids were born.”
“You have kids?”
“Two, they’re a couple hands full.”
Ace laughed. “Well, whenever you get time off, we’ll put you up.”
“Thank you for that.” Dalton sighed. “Not sure that’ll happen any time soon, I got a lot of… stuff to deal with here. But… thank you.”
“Any time.” Ace heard the sadness in the officer’s voice, but didn’t press. He was going to get on Smoker to get this guy up to Seattle, but that was a trial for another time.
“So where are we going to meet this guy? You said his name was Law?”
“Yup.” Dalton returned to typing a storm on the keyboard. “He’ll probably fly in early tomorrow, and if this is your cell number you calling from, I’ll just give him that. He’ll contact you.”
“Got it.” Ace drained the rest of his coke and stood.
“Oh, and Ace?”
“Yeah.”
Dalton lowered his voice. “Law is a good guy, I meant that. But he never goes anywhere without his right hand guy. He’s made for real--not a cop, so be careful. Law trusts him, and he’s always come through… but the getting there…”
“We’ll be careful,” Ace said, completely understanding. The Portgus brothers had plenty of shady friends they trusted with their lives. “What’s the guy’s name?”
“His name’s Kidd,” Dalton answered. “And just… be wary. He’s one mean son of a bitch.”
X x X x X
Zoro had never been to the third floor of the club. He had been invited up to the second with Sanji back when they had first joined CP9, but it was only that one time for drinks. Only the club owner and a few select members were allowed up those forbidding stairs into Crocodile’s office and living quarters.
The place had an old time Italian feel to it. Imported rugs, crystal ware, and expensive looking art were the least of the lavish décor. A giant wooden desk that was clean of papers and other clutter sat in front of the impressive double windows. Silhouetted by the light of the mid afternoon sun, dressed in his usual black from head to toe, was none other than their captain, Lucci. Zoro had a moment to wonder where Crocodile was, but then Kaku was moving passed them and through the next set of doors.
Lucci said nothing as Zoro and Sanji followed Kaku past the office, and into a sitting room. Tuscan furniture and an over-the-top wall mount fireplace made Zoro start to wonder exactly where the money Sanji and him were making in their fights was going.
“Just have a seat wherever.” Kaku was his usual friendly self. But, as Zoro knew, that meant nothing. Kaku trampled fighters in the pit every night with the nicest, most friendly smile on his face you would ever see. He could have been planning their demise at that very moment, but they would never know.
Sanji sat warily as Kaku moved to the fully stocked bar against the far wall. He pulled out a bottle of St. Michelle Merlot and two glasses. After setting down the glasses, he bent to reach into a fridge under the counter. Straightening, he tossed a bottle of Heineken to Zoro.
“Thanks,” Zoro said, trying to remember that Kaku--that all of CP9, despite their connections, were actually their friends. There really was no reason to be on his toes around them like he was now. Kaku had stood beside Zoro through a lot of the bad times last year. It would be kind of a shitty thing to do if he didn’t believe in him at least a little.
“So,” Kaku started as he brought the glasses and bottle of Merlot to the couch. He filled one glass and offered it to Sanji, who readily took it and downed a long swallow. “I got an inkling that you two aren’t here about nothin’ fun.”
“We need to talk to Lucci,” Sanji said quietly.
Kaku smiled and poured himself a glass. “Well, that can be arranged, but if you’re here to talk to him about club matters, it won’t do you no good. Lucci don’t pay any attention to the club unless it’s one of CP9 raising our ranking.”
Zoro moved to the chair across from Sanji, taking his usual place as the blond's backup.
“Now…” Kaku set the bottle on the coffee table and leaned back, rolling the red liquid around in his glass like Zoro had seen Sanji do a million times. “If you two are here to talk business business… then I’m your man. No one talks to Lucci without talking to me first.”
Zoro sat confused, but Sanji seemed to understand immediately. The blond looked at Kaku through his eyelashes and smiled softly.
“You’re the underboss.”
Kaku raised his glass. “Always knew you were a quick one, Sanji. Been wonderin’ how to get you made for a long time.”
Sanji raised his hands. “No, no. We’re not looking to get made. We just… need some help.”
Kaku nodded. “I know, your little friends--that princess and her mechanic lover with the nose. We already had this discussion. You forget or somethin’?”
Sanji put a hand over his eyes and sighed heavily. “Uh, well… yeah.”
“Sanji…” Zoro growled.
Sanji looked up at him and gestured with his wine glass. “What am I supposed to say, Zoro? We need their help, and I can’t get it if we keep lying to them.”
“Lying?” Kaku sat forward. “Lying about what?”
Sanji downed the rest of his wine and set the glass on the table. “Uh, okay… this is kind of embarrassing, so work with me.”
X x X x X
Chopper awoke to darkness and searing pain. His head felt as if it had been split open, and all its contents stirred roughly with a wooden spoon. He wasn’t sure why the image of a wooden spoon was so prominent in his mind’s eye, but that’s what he was sure had mucked up his brains.
He slowly rolled to the side, carefully feeling for any tenderness in his abdomen and ribs. Internal bleeding would just be icing on a very icky cake. Judging that his insides were okay, he moved his hips and wiggled his toes, making sure nothing of his lower half was broken.
His leg brushed up against something solid and warm. The little doctor froze when he realized there was someone in the dark beside him, and he was no doubt injured. Chopper sat up abruptly, trying to ignore the pounding of his head, and reached out in the darkness. His hands found an arm and a chest, his fingers probed for the person’s neck to locate a pulse.
When slender hands gripped his wrists, Chopper almost screamed. He pulled, trying to free himself, but succeeded in nothing but helping his captor to an upright position.
“Let me go!” Chopper yelped. “Let me go! Let me go!”
Chopper was so hysterical he hadn’t noticed his name had been called out several times. When the other person pushed him to the ground and covered his mouth, Chopper finally heard him and stopped struggling.
“Chopper, it’s me! It’s Usopp! Stop flailing, you’re gonna kick my nuts!”
The smaller man froze again. Tears welled in his eyes, and he hated himself once again for breaking down at the drop if a hat. Chopper slipped out of Usopp’s grasp and threw his arms around his best friend’s neck.
“I’m sorry,” he sobbed. “I didn’t know it was you! I’m sorry!”
“It’s okay… It’s okay, Chopper.” Usopp hugged him back and let himself fall backward against the wall. Chopper came with him into his lap, and the two sat in darkness, not moving for what could have been hours.
“Where are we?” Chopper finally asked into Usopp’s t-shirt.
“I don’t know,” Usopp replied, his voice high and frightened. “I have no idea.”
“What are we going to do?”
Usopp just shook his head. “I don’t think we can do anything…”
Chopper felt Usopp trembling against him, and couldn’t help but shake right along with him. “Luffy will save us though, right? Zoro and Sanji and Ace--someone will come. Right?”
“I’m…” Usopp swallowed thickly. “I’m sure they will, Chopper. I’m sure they’ll come soon.”
Chopper held his friend tighter, wishing for the first time in his life that his friend was a better liar.
X x X x X
Kaku stared at Sanji over his long nose. He had removed his cap, and his red hair stuck up in interesting--almost super-saiyan ways. To his credit, Kaku had taken their story the best out of everyone they had told so far. He looked as if he was contemplating a very minor business exchange. No surprise, no anger or fear, just quietly thinking.
“So…” he finally said, “that first night you came back to the club… you didn’t actually remember me?”
Sanji shook his head. “I’d never seen you before in my life-according to me.”
“And… Zoro…” Kaku pointed to the swordsman and glanced his way out the corner of his eye. “You didn’t really know him either?”
“Uh.” Sanji shifted uncomfortably. “No, I knew him. Just not… the same way as before… like, uh…”
“You didn’t remember being with him,” Kaku finished, turning back to Sanji with eyes wide. “You didn’t know any of us, and you were pretending to be with Zoro, when you didn’t even know you were gay yet?”
Sanji sighed and ran a hand over his eyes. “Yeah, remember the whole ‘this is embarrassing’ part?”
Kaku stood abruptly, slipping past the coffee table to pace the floor. Zoro held his beer bottle tight in case the other man decided to attack him or Sanji. Zoro had not the faintest clue how Kaku was taking all this. The man’s face betrayed nothing but wonder as he moved from one end of the room to another.
Suddenly, Kaku stopped. He turned to Sanji, and Zoro braced himself for launching out of his chair to defend the blond.
“Damn…” Kaku breathed. “Damn, Sanji. You’re the best darn conman I ever come across!”
Sanji’s eyes widened. His shoulder’s relaxed, and he slumped in his seat.
“I-I am?”
Zoro backed down, nothing in Kaku’s manner said he was planning on fighting.
“You had every one of us fooled, brother!” Kaku continued merrily. “They way you talked to the other members, watching you all squirrely while Zoro was fightin’! Never would have guessed that was all acting!”
Sanji blushed and rung his hands absently. “Uh… well, it wasn’t all acting.”
Kaku laughed and stuck his head out into the office. “Lucci! Lucci, you hear this, man? Sanji got one over on you good!”
“I heard him.” Lucci’s deep voice sounded just outside the door. “But I’m more interested in the part about how he’s forgotten about his situation.”
Zoro’s skin crawled. His situation? The phrase rolled off Lucci’s tongue like a death sentence. What did he mean by that? What situation had Sanji gotten himself into?
“Why don’t you come in, Lucci?” Kaku motioned with his hand as he came back across the room and plopped back down on the couch. “Take a breather, sit for a while. Let’s re-inform our cook friend with everything he’s forgot.”
Lucci stepped over the threshold and closed the door gently behind him. Zoro’s hackles rose on instinct. He still did not feel threatened by anyone here, but he knew it was probably a good idea to be on his guard at all times anyway.
The tall dark-haired man pulled a cigar from his inside pocket and lit up. He handed the lighter to Sanji, who followed suit with a cigarette.
“So I assume the situation is still the same as it was last year, when you came to us before.”
Sanji looked at Lucci, horrified at the large man’s words. “Came to you before? When did I come to you before?”
“Not even a day before your accident,” Lucci explained. “It was late at night. You came in bleeding, but not severely injured. You said that after leaving a friend’s house, some men had attacked you--”
“What!?” Zoro’s insides ignited.
“Please calm yourself, Zoro.” Lucci held up a hand. “He was going to tell you, but circumstances made it impossible. I told him to wait.”
Zoro stood, rage making him see nothing but red. “Why does everyone think that keeping shit from me is going to help? I am so fucking tired of hearing that fucked up stuff’s going down with my friends, and my family, but nobody’s saying shit! What good am I if I can’t protect the people I love because I don’t know what’s going on!?”
Lucci stood and came face to face with Zoro. He held the swordsman’s gaze with his midnight black eyes and swallowed the shorter man in his foreboding and intensely frightening presence.
“Maybe you should sit and listen to the rest of the story.” Lucci growled. “If you can get over yourself for one minute, you will see that your family was protected. At no small cost to mine, I might add.”
Zoro swallowed. He wasn’t sure if he could take Lucci. Not without a sword and with Kaku standing right there. Even with Sanji’s help, the two of them might not make it back out of the office, so he reined in his rage and slowly sank back into his chair.
Kaku wasted no time. “Sanji came to us because he’d just learned about your princess friend’s situation first hand. The house where he had been was bugged, not surprising considering the guy is-what’s her name? Kaya?” Lucci nodded at him. “Kaya’s brother. They’ve been watching her whole family for a long time.”
Zoro glanced at Sanji. The blond looked drained. His skin was pale and his eyes were tired and worn. The cook looked up at him but quickly looked away. Zoro suddenly felt shame for his outburst a moment ago. They had just talked about how Zoro would react, no matter what the blond had done, and then he immediately went and freaked out without even hearing the whole story.
“So, what’s the Cugine’s name, Lucci?” Kaku asked. “One, or Won or something?”
“Real name is Bones,” Lucci answered.
“Oh yeah,” Kaku scratched at his head. “Guy’s a real bastard. But, what can you expect; he’s working for a bastard. Anywho, the house was bugged and the guys sittin’ out across the street listening in, jump Sanji, and our favorite blondie feeds ‘em some concrete. He comes straight here, asking for Croc-which is real funny by the way ‘cause old man Crocodile got nothin’ to do with the scene anymore. We like people to think he does though, keeps the heat off us.” Kaku laughed then, his face still seemingly kind and friendly. It was beginning to creep Zoro out.
“Stay with the story, Kaku,”Lucci muttered.
“Ah, my apologies.” Kaku cleared his throat and sat forward. “So he comes here, bashes in the door to the office, three-four guys trying to hold him down, but can’t. Sanji’s on a rampage. I get a call, come up here, and he’s all red in the face, telling me if I don’t get Crocodile I’m gonna feel his foot so far up my ass, it’ll be in my throat.”
Zoro couldn’t stop his smile, there was no way. That story was so classic Sanji that the swordsman almost had to bite his lip.
“He told me what happened,” Kaku continued, “I told him we could help, but there was no way we could make a move right away.”
“Why not?” Sanji asked.
Lucci continued. “We’ve known about this little renegade faction for a while. Supposedly Blackbeard wants total control of everything, and is planning on taking out the Head Boss sometime. It’s been said he’s gonna give Bones this area when he takes over.”
“Like, your area?” Sanji asked, looking confused for the first time.
Lucci laughed. “I think you misunderstand. I am not the area Capo, I am just the Consigliere. I work as the Capo’s right hand.”
Sanji scratched his chin. “Oh…”
“So what does that have to do with this?” Zoro asked.
“Well…” Kaku lifted his arms to the back of the couch. He reclined and placed his feet on the coffee table. “Since Blackbeard’s little group has been under our radar for a while, we already knew who they were watchin’; who they were followin’. You know how Kaya’s brother’s house was bugged and under surveillance?”
Zoro and Sanji both nodded.
Kaku smiled, and this time it was cruel. “His house ain’t the only one that got bugged.”
Zoro blinked. What did that mean? He looked at Sanji, confused. The blond stared back at him, the gears turning in his head.
“Wait, wait.” Sanji put up a hand. “You’re not telling us what I think you’re telling us, are you?”
Kaku’s smile widened. “Oh, yeah.”
Sanji’s manner changed abruptly. His killing intent suddenly burst forth and filled the room with electricity. Zoro felt goose bumps break out over his arms and down his back.
Then it hit the swordsman as well.
“Woah! Wait a minute! What the fuck--”
“Oh ho, there they go!” Kaku laughed. Zoro had just enough presence of mind to glance at Lucci. The dark-haired man was shaking his head and even though there was no outward show of emotion, Zoro knew he was laughing at them as well.
“You have got to be fucking kidding,” Zoro said. “This is fucking crazy.”
“Crazy doesn’t begin to describe this cluster-fuck!” Sanji snarled.
Kaku’s laugh died down and he motioned for them to sit. He leaned forward and refilled Sanji’s wine glass. When the cook took it and emptied half the contents, the long-nosed man snickered.
“Better slow down, Champ. You don’t got the tolerance for tossin’ them back like that.”
“Shut up,” Sanji growled. “I’m gonna start breaking all your nice shit if I don’t.”
“You really must sit and listen to the rest.” Kaku motioned to the chairs again.
“There’s more?” Cold dread started to eat away at Zoro’s insides.
“Of course,” Lucci said as he sat back and laced his fingers together under his chin. “You think a tap on your apartment would be sufficient to stop Monsieur Cook?”
Zoro wanted to leave. He wanted to take Sanji and go far far away where no one could hurt them, or bring up more stories of things his lover could not remember. He saw this exchange was eating Sanji alive. He knew the blond hated being in the dark. He hated the unknown, and this situation was no doubt wearing the cook’s nerves down to almost non-existent fibers.
Despite his anger, the swordsman sat, trying to catch Sanji’s eye and let him know that they would make it through all this. Zoro wasn’t going anywhere and they were going to get past all this shit together.
Sanji pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut. He sighed heavily and spoke softly and carefully. “So, just get to the point. What were these guys doing, or what had they started that stopped me from grabbing Zoro and just heading out to fuck some shit up?”
“Well,” Lucci said quietly, still sitting back comfortably in the large armchair. “You understand how Blackbeard’s men manipulated Kaya to do what they wanted by threatening Usopp?”
Sanji nodded.
“Well, what they did with you was similar.” Lucci sat forward. “The reason you came here, and not straight home that night, was because the men who attacked you threatened you like they did with Kaya. They told you if you made a move, if you talked, if you so much as breathed a word of what was happening to anyone, they would kill one of your friends.”
Zoro’s heart started to pound. Sweat started to trickle down the back of his neck as he watched Sanji’s reaction.
“Who… who did they say they were going to kill?” the cook’s voice cracked.
“That little doctor friend of yours,” Kaku stated.
Zoro swallowed a thick thump in his throat. “Ch… Chopper?”
Lucci turned to him and nodded. “They had his place wired like nothing I’ve ever seen before. They had people outside, people holed up in the apartment next door… it was crazy. They knew, of everyone connected to you two, he was the best bet to get you to cooperate.”
A tug on the back of Zoro’s mind distracted him. As he watched Sanji turn and start pacing the room slowly, the tug became an itch, and the itch grew to slowly start gnawing at his insides. Something felt wrong. Something bad was happening, or was going to happen soon, and the swordsman didn’t know where or what it was. The feeling ate at him nevertheless, and he found himself slipping his hand in his pocket for his cell phone.
“Hey, Zoro,” Sanji said from the window.
Zoro glanced up and studied the back of Sanji’s head. “Yeah?”
“Can you, um…” the cook’s stance was anxious, which in turn, caused Zoro to feel even less at ease.
“Can you call Chopper, please?”
Deciding to put the fact that he and Sanji had the exact same thought at the same time away for contemplating later, Zoro pulled out his cell and scrolled down the list of contacts.
“No problem.”
“Should be fine now,” Kaku said, sipping the rest of Sanji’s wine. “We went through his house after your guy’s accident. Should be clear.”
“Should…” Zoro repeated. “But it was a year ago.”
He let the phone ring until the call waiting picked up. Then he hung up and tried again, this time leaving a message when their friend didn’t answer.
“Chopper, this is Zoro. Give me a call when you get this, it’s important.”
When he flipped the phone closed, he looked up to see Sanji staring at him with frightened eyes.
“Zoro…” he said quietly. “You think meeting that guy in the park…?”
Lucci unfolded his arms and gripped the arms of the chair. “Guy? You met a guy in the park? What guy?”
“One of your guys.” Sanji turned to him. “I don’t think you’d know him though.”
“Wrong,” Kaku muttered, sing-song. “We know all our guys.”
“He’s just one of your dealers,” Sanji said. “He calls himself Buggy.”
Lucci and Kaku exchanged a brief look before Lucci frowned and turned to Zoro.
“Your friend, Chopper, he’s working right now?”
Zoro nodded, and was already dialing the number for the hospital before Lucci could tell him to do it.
The receptionist that answered the phone was friendly and worked fast. Zoro was on hold for less than a minute before she returned and told him that Dr. Charlton had not shown up for his shift that morning. Zoro thanked her, and hung up.
“Oh shit.” He looked at Sanji, and the cook’s eyes were a reflection of his own fear.
Kaku slumped on the couch, propping his feet back up on the coffee table.
“You might want to go check out your friend’s place.”
“Uh… yeah,” Sanji choked out before Zoro stood, and the two of them moved quickly to the doors.
“We’ll be here if you need us,” Lucci said over his shoulder.
“Thank you,” Sanji said as they slipped out.
The drive to Chopper’s apartment was the longest Zoro had ever experienced--except for maybe the drive in the ambulance after the crash as he held a dying Sanji’s hand. But his mind had been a little foggy back then and his sense of time had been skewed.
“Shit… mother fucking shit…” Sanji cursed as he drove. “I don’t want to admit it, but it all makes sense, kind of. If I had Chopper’s safety hanging over my head… that would be the one thing that would keep my mouth shut for a bit… I could stand down, even from you, for a day or two if it meant keeping Chopper safe.”
“I can’t even think of…” Zoro’s heart pounded and his chest felt excruciatingly tight. “Jesus, Sanji… what are we going to do if he’s not there?”
“Call Usopp.” Sanji pointed to Zoro’s phone.
Zoro did, but again, there was no answer.
“Oh my fucking god,” Zoro breathed. “Sanji… oh my god…”
“Shut up.” Sanji’s hands were shaking as he turned down Chopper’s street. “Don’t say anything until we get there.”
They burst through the doors and bypassed the elevator. They scrambled up the stairs and sprinted down the long hallway to Chopper’s door.
“Chopper!” Sanji pounded on the solid wood, not caring who he disturbed from the other residences. “Chopper, if you’re there answer me, buddy!”
Zoro fished out his keys and frantically searched for the familiar, oval head. He felt his lungs were going to collapse as he pushed the key into the lock and shoved the door open. Sanji was on his heels as he stormed through the entry.
“Chopper!” Zoro called out, so horrified that he was close to tears.
Sanji, on the other hand, was a storm of anger. He pushed passed the swordsman and into the living room. He paused at the doorway as Zoro started up the stairs.
“Zoro…” Sanji’s voice made him freeze; his heart stopped, his blood ran cold.
“Don’t tell me,” Zoro growled. “If he’s in there don’t tell me.”
“He’s not,” Sanji said softly. “He’s not here, Zoro. They got him. They got Usopp too.”
“How--?” Zoro turned around and moved to stand with his lover in the doorway. The sight before him made him burn with anger, and he felt the heated touch of Sanji’s hand on his arm.
The living room was in shambles. Whoever had taken Chopper had left nothing untouched. Furniture was in pieces and spread across the room, the window was broken, books, files and papers were scattered everywhere.
And scrawled across the walls in black marker were the words:
We have them. Back off or they’re dead.
“Zoro…” Sanji’s voice had taken on an almost dazed quality. “Is that… is that blood?”
Zoro looked at the carpet before Sanji’s feet and felt what was left of his battered heart drop into the pit of his gut. He felt nauseous as his eyes took in the brown stain the size of his hand. There was no telling whose blood it was, but the thought that it might be Chopper’s made Zoro want to toss everything he had in his stomach.
“Yeah,” he rasped. “It’s blood.”
Sanji turned to him then and grabbed at his jacket.
“Zoro… Zoro… they’re gonna…” The cook was speaking into his chest. “Fuck… fuck… I’m gonna get them killed--we’re gonna get them killed…”
Zoro looked at Sanji then, and the sight of the blond holding onto him, clinging desperately to him like he needed Zoro to survive, awakened the swordsman, and brought him back from that dangerous edge he had been peering over.
He took the cook’s cheeks in his hands and forced Sanji to look at him.
“Sanji…” he said firmly.
Sanji’s clouded eyes found him then, and cleared when their gazes met. The blond’s hands found his own and Sanji took a deep breath.
“I’m here,” he said simply.
Zoro nodded. “So am I.” He kissed Sanji’s forehead and slid his hands to the back of the cook’s neck. He spoke to reassure himself as much as he did for the blond. “We’re gonna find them. We’re gonna find them, I promise. We’ll get them back and--”
“I know… I know…” Sanji looked close to tears as well. The blond slid his arms around Zoro’s neck and held the larger man close. “Oh my God, Zoro, I hope they’re okay.”
Zoro put his arms around Sanji, needing to give the comfort as much as give it. “They better be okay…”
Sanji sniffed. “I’m not gonna be able to handle it if something happens to them. I can’t… not when this is because of us.” The cook let out a soft sob and held Zoro desperately tight. “This is so fucking stupid… so stupid… God damnit, I can’t believe this… shit… shit…”
Zoro studied the black letters on the wall as Sanji broke down against him. He knew the cook was beyond strained. He had been pulled in a thousand different ways in the last few weeks, and now the weight of everything being put on their shoulders was more than anyone could take without some kind of collapse. Zoro himself wanted to curl up in a hole with his lover and just sleep away the outside world for years.
But Zoro also knew that this wasn’t permanent. Sanji would bounce back, like he always did, to stand beside him and take back what was theirs. The swordsman would give him this moment. He would let Sanji be broken and weak, and not just because the cook needed it. He would let Sanji have this now because it also showed just how much Sanji had come to trust him. The Sanji of two weeks ago would have rather died than lay himself open like this to the swordsman.
Besides, being there and being a rock for Sanji healed Zoro in its own way. Being needed and trusted like this pieced back together parts of Zoro he had forgotten he had lost. He steadied himself by steadying Sanji, and braced his mind and heart for what lay ahead.
Sanji’s breathing slowed, and he pushed gently away to wipe at his eyes. Zoro noticed he did not apologize, and that little gesture meant as much to him as Sanji’s opening up.
“I’m okay now…” Sanji said quietly.
Zoro nodded, rubbing circles into Sanji’s arms. “What now?”
Sanji looked up at him then, and saw the readiness in the swordsman’s eyes. He studied his lover for a long moment, but then the smallest of smiles tugged at the corners of his mouth.
“I love you, Zoro,” he whispered.
Zoro, caught off guard, blinked and stammered a reply. “I love you too.”
Sanji took a step back and straightened his collar. He smoothed out his shirt and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Now…” he stated, and Zoro thrilled at the calm assurance that had come back into his voice, “we retaliate.”
Zoro cocked an eyebrow. “How?”
“Call Ace.”
TBC
Previous chapters here.
xD