True Desire: A One Piece Fanfiction

Chapter 9: Don't Think About Anything Else!

Everyone else was busy doing their own jobs except Zoro. The swordsman had languidly stretched out under the shade of a tangerine tree. Hands beneath his head and eyes shut, the others thought him to be sleeping as usual. In reality however, the swordsman was deep in thought.

Zoro's POV:

'I don't feel right! There's this constant blunt pain in my chest since this morning that's not showing any sign of stopping! And yet I don't feel like talking about it with Chopper.'

'It's all that "Love Cook's" fault!'

'Why did he have that expression when he woke me up this morning? It wasn't my fault we were together in that position!' (Zoro remembers Sanji's blushing face and his own become hot and red. He turned on his side and continued thinking.)

'One moment he's going "Onii san! Onii san!" and sticking to me like nails to a magnet and the next he's cursing and kicking me ......and making that weird face!'(He once more recalled the cook's embarrassed expression. His averted eyes, crimson cheeks and the tear drops sparkling at the corners of his eyes........These images swirled before his eyes in a whirlpool. The swordsman covered his eyes with his right arm as he laid on his back once more in an attempt to stop the barrage of images.)

'Sh*t!', the swordsman cursed under his breath.

'Would it kill him to behave five percent as nicely as he does when he's a child. Is it impossible for him to like me even a bit when he's grown up?'

The swordsman smiled to himself.

'Nope! It's not that! Even I can understand that behaving nicely isn't the problem!'

'Even cursing and fighting was okay as long as he would just talk to me! But ever since the morning he has been ignoring me!'

'I intentionally brushed my hand against the shitty cook when he was passing the ketchup at breakfast. It spilled on his shirt. I did it just to make him angry....... just so that he would curse at me!'

'Yet he just ignored me and continued talking with the others. As if I didn't exist! As if he couldn't see me!'

'That's when I felt a sharp pain in my chest! And even now it hasn't died down!'

'F**k! Just get angry dammit!'

'Kick me! Scream at me like you usually do! Just ...... Just don't ignore me altogether....' (Zoro bit his lower lip as he clenched a tuft of grass in his left hand)

'Is he angry at me? Did I do something wrong?'

'I shouldn't have let him go this morning!'

'I should have made him face me ........ I should have cupped his cheeks in my hands ...........should have ..........looked in his...........ey-'

'Oi Marimo! Come with me for a bit!'

The swordsman was pulled out of his thoughts at the familiar sound of the cook's voice.

The handsome man was wearing a blue striped shirt and black trousers. He lit a cigarette with his golden lighter. He was standing sideways on the uppermost stair as he took a long whiff and released the smoke in concentric rings. The wind gently blew his golden bangs revealing his curly eyebrow.

Zoro got up looking at the radiant figure of the cook against the sunlight. It both mesmerised and beckoned him.

Without waiting for the swordsman's reply the cook started to descend the stairs.

Zoro followed the cook down the stairs to the deck without a word as if in a trance.

Sanji: 'Nami san tonight's the festival and tomorrow we'll be leaving, so I'll be going to stock up on supplies now.'

Nami: 'Ok. Take care on your way.'

The two men left.

Chopper: 'Nami was it okay for Sanji to go in this state?'

Nami: 'It's Ok. He didn't turn into a child even after looking at me and Robin at breakfast. Besides he just talked to me and he's still ok. Also Zoro's with him so other then getting lost we don't have to worry about anything else.'

Zoro and Sanji were walking through the streets of the market. Neither had spoken a word.

Sanji: (suddenly) 'Thanks for taking care of the chibi!'

Zoro: (caught off guard at this mumbles something incoherent) 'W-wh – I-I mean.....so......so why did you bring me with you now? You're not the chibi now......are ......are you beginning to l-like me a-'

Sanji: (angry; makes a WTF face) 'Huh! What the hell do you mean? I just brought you as insurance in case I turned back to a child!'

Zoro: (disheartened) 'Oh!'

Sanji felt guilty after looking at Zoro's expression. (He looked like a kicked puppy.)

'Tch!', Sanji said and turned about.

They kept walking for a bit when suddenly Sanji stopped in his tracks.

Sanji: 'Excuse me my lady......huh......wait!'

A young girl a little ahead of them had started running the moment she saw Sanji.

Sanji grabbed hold of Zoro's hand all of a sudden and started running behind the young woman in a green shirt and white skirt.

Zoro: (confused) 'Oi! What's wrong?'

Sanji: (speaking as they ran without looking back at him) 'I can't explain but she may know something about my condition.'

The swordsman was confused but he grabbed the cook's hand holding his own, in a tight grip and followed.

They had almost caught up to the girl when she suddenly turned about caught hold of another young girl passing by and pushed her onto Sanji. The cook fell down the girl on top of him.

The cook lay on the ground face flushed. The girl on top of him got up in confusion and left. There was no trace of the girl they were pursuing.

Zoro helped Sanji to sit up. He realized the cook was trembling and his face was flushed.

Zoro: (suddenly embraces Sanji in a tight grip, his hand on the cook's head and shouts) 'Don't think about anything else! Think only about me! Fill your thoughts only with me!'

Sanji stopped trembling. He forgot to breathe for a moment. He felt his heart loudly beat in his chest so much so that he was scared Zoro would hear. His lips trembled and he bit down on his lower lip.

Zoro felt his embrace loosening as the man he held in his arms changed into the form of a small child. He tightened his embrace around the child as he buried his face into the child's tiny shoulder and cursed under his breath, 'Damn!'