Rapt ch13 ZoSan

*procrasts* Hey, look, time for an update!

Ch. 13

There were no prizes given for guessing whether or not Sanji had trouble getting to sleep after that. He stayed awake for along time, rest eluding him as he tossed and turned in his makeshift bed. He was sleeping in the galley tonight. It had felt stuffy and awkward when he'd stepped into the men's bunk. The others had already fallen alseep, oblivous to his problems, not a care in the world. Its just didn't feel right sleeping in there that night. So he had pulled out the cot he kept in his kitchen and lied down, intending to fall asleep in seconds and not worry about anything until morning.

However, his mind had other plans, and refused to let his body shut down. Every so often his leg would twitch, or his back would itch, of he'd get the sensation of a thousand tiny spiders slowly crawling up his body. It was as if the commanding muscle wanted to torture him with tim to think, and would go to any length, even play dirty, to keep him up.

He growled softly into his pillow as he rolled into a new position. He was tired as hell, but now he was getting angry. All these itches and rolling around was getting annoying.

But even more so than that was the track his mind was taking. He tried hard not to think about Zoro, think of calming things instead, but somehow images of the All Blue kept melting into that infuriating swordsman, and recipes for his favorite dishes would turn into the onslaught of slander Zoro had hit him with. It was stupid, and he knew it, but he couldn't stop thinking about Zoro. The bastard was almost ruling his life now. He couldn't even finish a sentence without wondering what Zoro would think about it.

And it was pissing him off. He felt like a stupid teenage girl with a fragile, fickle heart. Every move he made was made with Zoro in mind, some kind of subconsious thought of Will Zoro hate me more is I do this? or Will he like me again? It made him feel weak an crippled. He'd always been indepentdant, but now one man seemed to own his life? Perish the thought!

If only things were that easy. An hour later, Sanji was still tossing and turning in the galley on that little cot, trying very hard not to think of the swordsman but being very unsuccesful. All the moving around was making him hot, and his joints and the back of his neck were covered in a thin layer of sweat. He let the blanket fall to the floor sometime ago, but even without it he was still uncomfortable as hell.

Why? He had to ask the world, the universe, in general. Why do you hate me so much? The gods must have dipised him to let him suffer so much.

Then again, one night of no sleep? Sanji could live with that. He had gone much longer before he started working at the Baratie. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise. Maybe whatever higher power was out there wanted him to stop and think and not do anyting reckless again.

But still, why deprive a human of a well deserved luxery like this?

Deciding he might as well start the day anyway since he wouldn't be able to get to sleep anytime tonight, he rolled off the cot and stood up. He ran a hand through his hand, tugging out knot after not and combing his bangs into the appropriete style. His hair felt damp and greasy, and his skin was sticking to itself. He' have to take a shower, but later, so he wouldn't disturb his nakama's rest.

He dressed quickly, slapping on his shirt and slacks from the day before. He fished out his cigarettes and lighter from his pocket and lit one up, breathing in the soothing taste of tar. Sometimes a good cigarette was all he needed to get his head back on straight. But not this time. Even as he was pushing the butt into the ashtray he felt no change.

He pulled his bottom lip into his mouth, trying to remember when life had gotten so hectic. Had it been when Zeff took away everything he had but spared him his life? Or when he left the Baratie to become a pirate? Maybe it had been when Luffy had defeated Arlong and brought the wrath of the marines and every bounty hunter in the East Blue down on their heads. Well, no matter what had happened in the past, he couldn't remember when -or if- he'd ever been this stressed before. Not being able to sleep was unusual in itself, but not calming down after a smoke was just too strange. Was his strained relationship with Zoro that important to him? Was he really loosing sleep over something so trivial? Crying over a guy he'd never even liked?

He turned his gaze out the window, up to the silhouetted crow's nest and the man sitting in it. A small smile broke out across his lips.

Guess so.

That didn't make sleep deprivation any less annoying.

~~~ZsZsZsZs~~~

Nami sighed contently, brushing her bangs from her face as a warm breeze stirred up. She loved days like this. It was now mid-October, but it was warm out, with a subdued glow from the sun that wasn't too harsh nor too weak. The wind blew in from the east, filling their sails and bringing with it the smell of the sea and the cry of the seagull. There were plenty of clouds to decorate the vast canvas of deep blue sky, but not so many that they blocked out the sun. Yes, she loved days like this, for it was these kinds of days that made all her nakama unsually calm, and she could lay own and rela without worrying about any screwball antis they could all be involved in.

Her lips curled into a smile as she stretched her arms over her head. Right now she was reclining on deck in her favorite lawn chair, feet up and a good book in hand. It was too peaceful a day not to enjoy it, even though she needed to complete a map before the end of the week. But everyone needed a break now and then.

She reached over and grabbed her lemonade, not taking her eyes from her book as she brought the curly-cue straw to her lips. She took a sip, but what met her taste buds was no the sweetly-chilled lemony goodness Sanji had brought out for her earlier. All it was now was a few drops of lemon water and some sugar crystals that hadn't dissolved all the way. She looked down into the glass, tilting her hands so the ice cubes spun around the bottom. Then she looked around for Sanji. She thought it odd that he wasn't already refilling her glass- since he seemed to have a built in sensor for these kinds of things and everything-but she set her glass down and didn't think too much about it until the ice was almost completly melted.

She lowered her book and looked towards the galley, where Sanji should've been barging out of in a flourish, crying her name and waving around some kind of snack. But he was nowhere to be found.

Maybe it was because she had grown so used to Sanji spoling her, or maybe because she was just that shallow, but for whatever reason she was more worried about her drink than she was for Sanji. Afterall, Sanji could defend himself against bands of rouge pirates. A glass of lemonade, however, could not.

Starting to get fed up--and thirsty--she put down her book and grabbed her glass, starting towards the kitchen to fill it up herself. She knew there was a large pitcher of lemonade in the fridge, since Sanji always felt the need to make extra of whatever it was she wanted to drink, just in case she wanted more. Whatever was left was given to the crew at the next meal.

She turned the doorknob and nudged the door open with her shoulder, looking around for the chef as she walked in. She found him almost imediatly, over by the sink, chopping up carrots and onions and other vegitables for dinner. He held the knife rather awkwardly, though, and his eyes were almost closed. He looked like he was half asleep, and his head was dropping to his chest at a steady pace.

"Hey Sanji," she said loudly, and the chef jerked into an upright position. His eyes were blury for a second, but then he smiled warmly.

"Hello, Nami," he greeted. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I just came to get more lemonade...You sound a little hoarse. Are you feeling alright?"

"Of course, Nami-swan, now that you're here. You're like a single brightly lit candal piercing the darkness in a world of shadow!" the chef proclaimed, the usual sing-song note going flat with a lack of enthusiasm. Even his noodle dance seemed forced.

"Are you sure?" she persisted. Was it horrible of her not to really care about him as a person, but rather, as the ship's cook? Because, really, who would cook if Sanji was sick? Nami was the only on with any sort of cooking talent, and she was sure as hell not going to be cooking for her nakama.

"Now that you mention it, I do feel a little tired." He rubbed his eye with the heel of his palm. "I couldn't fall asleep last night and didn't get any sleep at all."

"Why's that? What were you doing?"

He pulled out and lit a cigarette before responding. When he spoke, his eyes were dead. "Just...thinking."

Curiosity was digging its claws into her. "Oh...About what?" she inquired casually, trying not to let her unease into her voice. This was the first ever time she and Sanji had ever talked like this, and while he probably didn't mind if she pried-he was probably waiting for the right moment to into her chest- she didn't want to seem to pushy nor too interested.

Sanji made a sound of disgust. "Name it." His eye was dark and blank. He didn't look her straight at her, rather turning his interest to the vegitables on the chopping block.

Nami paused. "Zoro."

Sanji twitched.

She guessed that meant she hit the nail right on the head. But she wasn't all that surprised-everyone knew they were fighting again. Oh, well, she was a girl. She's offer sympathy and in return, he'd give her details.

"What happened to you two? You were so close, but now you're being really hostile towards each other again."

His gaze turned to her for a second, but then it was back to watching the chopped celery. "He woke up."

Nami wasn't exactly sure what that meant, so she just kept asking questions. "Did you have a fight?"

"You could say that."

"Was it bad?"

"Horrible."

She furrowed her brows, distressed by his answer. Zoro and Sanji fought a lot, even more so now-a-days, but neither of them had ever lost sleep over it, or stayed up all night thinking about the other. Well, until now. It worried Nami a little bit. If this was how Sanji behaved after a fight, what about Zoro?He was their second strongest fighter, after Luffy and all. What if he spaced out and was killed during a fight? Or what if he was protecting someone, and they were killed because of his inability to focus? Of course, there was still Luffy and Usopp, but Luffy always went off after the big shots and Usopp was...Well, Usopp. Who would protect her if they were all busy soul searching or whatever? She was a weak, defenseless sneak-theif. What if she was attacked? That's it. Everyone needed to focus.

"Is there any chance you'll get back together?"

Of course, them being together might be as dangerous, if not more, than being apart. They'd be worried about each other through the whole thing, and they'd want to protect each other. If one of them got hurt, the other would want to rush to their aid, or be so distracted the enemy would over power them and take them down.

Sanji blew out a puff of smoke. "No chance in hell."

"...I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he said, his reassuring smile not quite reaching that one sad, blue eye. His lip quivered and his vision swam, and for one terrifyingly slow-passing second nami though he was going to cry. But he pulled himseld together with a long drag from his cigarette, and one nicotine-laced exhale later, he was pouring his heart out.

"I don't even like him that much. He's annoying, and lazy. Pigheaded, not to mention violent. He had bad higene, and no manners to save his life or-" He stopped talkig when he noticed Nami's smile. Her eyes helf a dreamy, far-off look. "What?"

"Nothing. Its just kind of cute how you probably know the most about him is all."

Sanji grunted and went back to chopping vegitables. "No, I don't. I don't know anything about his past or where he came from, or anything like that."

"But you know his quirks and peeves, and probably some of his kinks." She laughed at the face Sanji showed her then. "And then you know his favorite hobbies and past times, food and drink, what he wants to do with his life."

Sanji's gaze got dark again. "But that's nothing. You all know all that, too."

Nami held up her finger teacher-style. "Ah, but you're closer to him than all of us. You've connected with him--mentally," she added when he raised an eyebrow. "I've seen you two fight-against each other and the enemy- and its like youknow each other's moves before you make them."

"That's just something a skilled fighter needs to know how to do."

"Maybe so, but not everyone can do that. Not with Zoro."

"That's a weak argument."

"But it's an argument nonetheless." She smiled brightly at him, raising her shoulders. He pouted at her, and she pat his shoulder good-naturedly. "Tell you what, Sanji. Come back here tonight around seven and I'll talk with you some more. Kay?"

Sanji averted his gaze hesitantly. "Okay."

Nami flashed him one last smile amd left, leaving her lemonade glass where she'd set it.

She hadn't known going in there would've hatched a plan like this, but she smiled anyway as she looked for a flash of green.


~~~ZsZsZsZs~~~

It's a nice day...Perfect day for a nap, Zoro concluded as he watched a thin, wispy cloud crawl slowly infront of the sun, succesfully creating a small shadow over a short stretch of sea but not completly blocking out the giant star. He was about due for a nap anyway. He hadn't gotten much sleep lately, and he was behind. It was time to catch up.

Laying his swords down beside him, he stretched out spread eagle across the wooden deck, crossing his arms behind his head for maximum comfort. He was going to get settled in and fall into a deep, deep sleep. Into such a deep sleep he would dream of things he'd never dreamt about before. Things he might dream of one night and found he actually liked.

The shit-cook had left him feeling pissed off and angry with himself the other night, not to mention stupid and lonely. He fell asleep thinking of how much he had hurt Sanji these past few days, and how great it would be to go back to that fake hate relationship they had before this incident occured. As a result, Zoro had a dream about the two of them. Its had started out with a perfectly normal day, not much unlike this one. Zoro and Sanji were talking smack to each other, per usual, and with each insult one said, he would take a step forward, until the two were almost nose to nose, forhead to forhead. They glared into each other's eye(s) for a moment, grinding their teeth and growling. But then Sanji's snarl dropped and he grinned instead. Zoro followed suit. They grabbed each other and started kissing, and what happened next led to the best sex dream Zoro had ever had. He woke with sticky pants and a throbbing hard on that practically screamed Sanji's name. He was getting hard just thinking about it now.

And so he closed his eyes and welcomed sleep, trying to urge another dream like that to surface and play for him. He dismissed the fact that Sanji was a guy, even in his dreams. It amazed him that he didn't freak out about that, what with his reaction to waking up next to the bastard. But it wasn't like he wanted to renact his dream or anything. He just liked the feeling of supiriority he held over the blonde as Sanji writhed against him and whimpered his name.

Okay, so maybe he did want to renact the dream. Was that so evil? Was itreally so bad to be turned on by qanother man, especially when the name was as slender and cute as Sanji was? He didn't see anything wrong with that. Its not like he loved Sanji or anything.

And yet his chest tightened whenever he thought that way.

He shook his head, clearing his mind of all stupid girly thoughts. He focused his mind on Sanji...those rosey lips, those powerful legs, his smooth, pale skin, those deep blue eyes that blended with the very sea they sailed on. He imagined the chef with his hip cocked, talented hands slowly loosening his tie, expert fingers unbuttoning each button. Halfway through, one hand left the other to slide down his flat stomach, into his pants. Mouth open in a moan, he let his head fall back against the wall he leaned on, hand starting to work himself, slowly building up rhythm.

"Zoro! Found you!"

Zoro jerked into a sitting position, startled from his reverie by Nami's high-pitched voice calling his name. His face felt hot. It was probably beat red with embarassment and pleasure. Hopefully the navigator would just think he was super-tired and angry about being disturbed or somehting.

"What do you want?" he demanded gruffly, glaring at her just so she'd know how angry he was at her.

"Whoa, chill. I just came here to ask you a favor." she crouched beside him, folding her arms on her knees as she gave him her signature "I own you" smile. "Think you can help me?"

He snarled distastefully, assuming his previous position. "What I gotta do?' he asked in a horribly inaccurate hitman voice.

"Just come to the galley at seven tonight."

"Seven? Why?"

"Cause Sanji wants to make a feast of my favorite dishes tomorrow night and I want to root around in his ingrediants to make sure he has everything he needs."

"Why can't you do it with him?"

"Because he's always doing everything for me. I wanna give him a break. Besides, he's looking really depressd to me, and I don't want to over work him."

Guilt flaired up in Zoro's stomach. Was it Zoro's fault? He wasn't even sure he could picture Sanji acting all emo and mopey. Unless Nami was killed or something. But other than that, hardly anything brought him down. Was Zoro really being such an ass that it was actually getting to him?

...

Impossible.

Right?

"Ask Usopp or Luffy."

"I'm asking you. Please, Zoro?"

"No."

Nami moved her face over him so that her head blocked out the sun. "I'll cut your debt by a third if you show up."

Zoro looked at her for any trace of a trick. While her face did seem sincere enough, he wasn't sure about it. It sounded way too good to be true, but way too tempting to pass up. "A third, you say?"

"A half if you do a good job."

"A half? Hell yeah, I'll do it." Anything to get his huge debt down even a little.

"Thanks a bunch, Zoro." Her smile was blinding; he had to look away.

"Yeah yeah, just don't forget your part."

The girl stood and nudged his ribs with the tip of her boot. "Don't forget yours." And she walked away, smug smile on her pretty, dangerous face.

Zoro wiggled a bit, trying to ger comfortable again. This must be his lucky day. Next time they made port he could work a few odd jobs and pay off half of what he now owed. He could do that, right?

Proud  of himself and his decision, he snuggled back onto the deck and closed his eyes, willing the four hours sepearating now and the moment his debt was slashed to pass quickly.

~~~ZsZsZsZs~~~

You wouldn't exactly say Zoro was excited to work--apprehensive described what he felt about Nami's mysterious job way better. But he was excited in one way or another- for the decresion of his debt, but that and only that. He didn't want to give up precious sleeping or training time to work a job he knew nothing about, and wouldn't have said yes if not for the that little slash. That's what drove him on to the galley now, when his feet felt like lead and his skin was clamy.

He wasn't afraid of any pain that sadistic sea witch could dish out, as he knew he could handle it all. He wasn't unnerved about going to the kitchen to root through the drawers, which was exactly what landed him here in the first place. Was he afraid of finding another weird potion? Well, yes, a little, but that's not what weighed him down now.

Was it Sanji?

Now that he thought of it, maybe he was afraid of Sanji. Not in the normal sense, of course; they were evenly matched in every fight they'd ever fought. Maybe one of them would get a few lucky blows in there now and then, but it was almost always perfectly balanced. So maybe it was just a fear of seeing Sanji.Of hurting him even more, of him knowing about what he dreamed in secret.

That thought made him stop in his tracks. Maybe he wanted Sanji to know, let him see his desires. Maybe he'd even want to renact them with him.

He shook hi head. Yeah, like that'd ever happen. Even if the cook liked him like that, he was way too stubborn and proud to admit it, just like Zoro.

He saw the shado of the navigator standing not far from him, leaning against the galley wall with her arms crossed. Oh yeah, time to lower his debt! Resisting the urge to skip like a fag he broke into a job, and three or four leaps later he was standing infront of her.

"Hey, give him a cookie, he showed up!" Was her sarcastic greeting.

"As soon as I'm done here, I'm leaving." Was his reply.

"Of course," the girl smiled.

Zoro looked at her suspiciously. He had the feeling she was plotting something sinister, but he couldn't think of what it could be. She had her usuall air of evil radiating from her, but it was stronger tonight. It was making him feel uneasy.

"Ready?"

He turned to her. Her smile was starting to creep him out.

"What is there to be ready for? Let's just hurry up and get done with this crap."

He reached out and turned the knob, but hesitated when he felt a strange tingle go up his spine.

"What?" Nami asked, looking at him worriedly. "You see a ghost?"

He gave her a weird look. "No."

He pushed the door open and stepped inside. It was dark in the galley except for a single lit candal on the table and a small floating orange circle just outside the reach of the candal's flame. He thought it strange, and took another step inside to get a better look, but as soon as he put his foot down, the door slammed shut behind him.

"What the hell?" he cried, jumping around to look at the door. Nami had been kidding about that ghost, right? They're weren't really ghosts on the Merry Go, right?

"Why the hell are you here, marimo?" a voice growled from the far corner of the room. Zoro tensed, turning around slowly, ready to see a transparent monster floating over the table, blood dripping from a knife in its distorted hand, lathering spit forming at the corner of the grotesque slit that would be its mouth. Instead, a dark figure moved in the corner of the room. Whatever it was, it was moving closer. The candal light washed over the figure, illuminating blonde hair, a sharp black suit and an angry cobalt eye.

"Sanji," he gasped. That was a relief...until he remembered he wanted to avoid Sanji. Oh, crap.

"I said, what the hell are you doing here, mairmo?" Sanji said, growled, again, his voice rougher and angrier now. The cigarette he was busy smoking was being chewed in half. His face was all in shadow, but his eye seemed to glow with malicious intent. His legs were tense-not doubt both wanted to kick his face in.

Nami better as hell lower his debt by half.