(Untitled)
Who: Roronoa Zoro (threesword), Sanji (baratiesbest), Umi Ryuuzaki (embracethewaves)
Where: Outside the Northern Lights
When: August 11th, During the party at the lights
Rating: PG-13 at least :|
Summary: Things finally reach their breaking point between the two Straw Hats.
the log: ( We can only go on like this for so long )
Where: Outside the Northern Lights
When: August 11th, During the party at the lights
Rating: PG-13 at least :|
Summary: Things finally reach their breaking point between the two Straw Hats.
the log: ( We can only go on like this for so long )
Maybe he was. Maybe he really didn't know what the hell he was doing or why. Things had been so much easier back on the Grand Line. Well - in some ways. Sure, the constant struggles, the battles... and navigating the Grand Line itself weren't easy. But this? Things like this didn't happen.
Back home, there was one goal - to become the greatest swordsman. Everything Zoro had done up until coming to Discedo entailed things that would ultimately help him achieve that goal. There were no ifs, and or buts about it.
But Discedo... it had been different. The goal was... almost pushed aside, in a sense. He could still train to achieve it, but it wasn't the same. And just the entire way the city worked - the way death was worthless (unless of course, it happened to you), and how there was a certain intimacy that you never had on the Grand Line.
It had really screwed with Zoro's priorities. At home, there was never the distraction of falling for a woman. That wasn't to say it wasn't possible, but. He was a pirate. A swordsman. He was young. There would be time for these other things later, if he chose to walk away from his piracy to pursue these things.
He'd never expected to fall for Umi, but now that he had, it was hard to remember what things were like before. She'd infiltrated his priorities inadvertantly. It started with banter, and spars. And then the friendship followed. And then everything changed.
At this point, he barely knew how to deal with it.
Zoro shifted slightly, still gripping the sword tightly.
"What the hell have I done to be insane, you idiot?"
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To call this travesty of a conversation frustrating would be a gross understatement - Sanji for one couldn't stay still anymore, hands shaking with equal amounts rage and restlessness. The afterglow from the meeting with Anemone was starting to disappear and the relaxed bliss was giving way to restrained tension.
They were just going around in circles at this point. Name calling in all honor but it really didn't get them anywhere closer to a solution - hell, by now Sanji wasn't even entirely sure what the problem was. He had made a mistake. Zoro was being an idiot about it. And, like always, everything had to do with that one amazing girl they both had fallen so completely for.
Something had to change. No more avoiding the problem, no more holding back or walking on eggshells. They had to settle this. Here. Now.
"What the hell do you want from me? Huh?"
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There was no way that Sanji could be this oblivious to what he meant. Either the cook was going to pursue Umi or he wasn't. It was clear he wanted to. But yet all he'd done was his normal routine.
Maybe that was a part of why it all pissed Zoro off so much. Zoro had never wanted to put Umi through anything unnecessary while in Discedo. He hadn't planned on telling her his feelings because it seemed pointless. If she felt the same, then what would happen if they left? Would one or both of them forget and it would be all for naught? Or would they remember and hate the fact that they had to be separated despite it?
There was already a lingering dread of knowing that when he left, he wouldn't see her. Friends... or more, it wasn't something he liked. She was practically a part of the crew.
Zoro didn't know what he wanted. And it wasn't that he didn't want to pursue the feelings either. But he didn't want to go through something like that here.
Confusion was definitely something that was coursing through him. All of it was too foreign for his liking and dealing with it was growing more and more difficult.
What would Sanji do in the situation? Would he pursue it? Would he even tell her how he felt in a way that wasn't just typical, ignorable banter?
For a moment, his eyes closed and he sighed. His tone was still serious. "If you like her, you need to do something about it. That isn't going to hurt her."
Like sleeping with other girls. Because if she did like Sanji, that would surely become a problem.
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Surreal, that was the word he was looking for. He had never imagined a day when Roronoa Zoro would be giving him a lecture on proper behavior when it came to dealing with women. The guy was practically asexual, had never shown the slightest interest in a girl before. And here he was telling Sanji what to do? Fucking hell.
The blonde was getting antsy though. Under normal circumstances the argument would have evolved into a full-blown brawl by now, effectively ridding them of all this tension and solving the problem at hand in the process. But this... so mature. So reasonable. It wasn't like them and he was almost itching for some sort of physical response by now. Motions still restrained he took a couple of steps in Zoro's direction, eyes dark with defiance.
"I like her. I haven't gone after her out of consideration for your sorry ass, but since that doesn't seem to be an issue anymore... I'll just go ahead and take her."
Talking about women like this (a woman he cared for deeply at that) left a bad taste in the cooks mouth, but he was so sick of holding back that it didn't matter. Give him five minutes to cool off and the shame of it all would be enough to kill him. Right now though... he was seeing red.
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If there was one thing Zoro wasn't going to accept, it was that Sanji backed off as some sort of.. pity. Sanji could call it consideration all he wanted, but it sure as hell felt more like a pity statement.
And here was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Without even a second thought, his arm shot up, raising Wadou Ichimonji to Sanji's throat.
It wasn't as if he was giving up all hope on Umi, and treating it as such wasn't something he was going to accept either. They would settle this like they settled everything else - the perpetual cock-measuring.
"Who the hell says it's 'not an issue anymore'?"
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So much for being considerate, so much for going out of his way, so much for not messing with Zoro for once. It had taken a lot of energy and all he got for it was shit in return - no more of that. He liked Umi, a lot. If the stupid fucking moron couldn't take a chance when it was basically handed to him on a silver platter then Sanji was definitely not going to hold back anymore.
"Sounds just like you're giving me the go-ahead here. Giving up, shitty marimo?"
A shift in his stance, hands shoved deep into his pockets. The cook didn't have a bandanna to tie or a strawhat to keep safe, but the way he moved right now signified just how serious he was about the upcoming fight.
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No. If there was one thing Zoro wasn't going to do, it was give up. He'd rather die... again than quit. It went against absolutely everything he stood for.
In a near instantaneous motion, all three swords had been drawn as he took his ready stance. His head lifted slightly, his eyes glowering in the shadows.
It all boiled down to one thing at this moment.
"I'll die before that happens."
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This was it. Nothing left to say, no excuses or apologies good enough to stop the inevitable battle. Those three swords signified that Zoro was just as serious about this fight as he was - there was bound to be bloodshed and if they didn't watch their step someone could very well end up dead.
It didn't matter though. It had to be done. Discarding the burnt down cigarette butt with one smooth flick Sanji attacked, a fast, low sweeping motion aimed at the swordsmans legs. The snow made the street slippery and if he could keep his own balance while knocking that green-haired moron on his ass he'd get the upper hand in no time.
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But Zoro had anticipated it. He had been ready for anything at this point. He made a quick, but slight dodge. It was enough not to take him out, but still left him close enough to Sanji to go in for a quick attack.
Normally, there was one warmup move he would have started with - but today was a different story.
The two swords in his hands raised, going just over the third sword as he lunched forward. "Tora Gari!"
He was out for blood, and starting with his normal, more signature move seemed out of the question.
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There wasn't a scrap of hesitation in the cooks movements. In their previous fights he had always been holding back a little out of respect for their status as nakama, but those days seemed so far away now. This was about honor, setting the record straight, picking a winner. Where their spars had been fun and friendly there was nothing but blood thirst - from both of them.
He'd show that shitty marimo that there was more than one demon in that clan.
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However, as he went down, he moved both arms swiftly and kept the sword in his mouth clenched tightly between his teeth. At the very least, he would make his attempt to nick Sanji in the process.
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Backing up a few steps Sanji smirked, a feral grin without a hint of pain or defeat. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve. Wiping his hand clean from blood he straightened himself up and prepared for the next attack.
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No fucking way.
He used those few seconds he had to come up with a semi-cohesive plan. There were a couple of new techniques he had in his reserves should he need them - but he was hoping he'd be able to suffice with what he had in store.
But it was the chef's move, so he took a defensive stance. He knew what his next move would be when that time came.
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Even if he didn't hit or cause any significant damage it should at the very least wear the shithead down. Right now Sanji was fairly sure that he was the stronger of the two, not just because of the time difference but also because the constant lack of food in Discedo hadn't gotten to him yet.
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Zoro did as much as he could, using his swords to block the majority of the kicks. A few slipped by, and while they hadn't been enough to completely take him down, he could feel the effect of them. He wasn't down for the count though, eventually crossing his swords in the right place in order to push the chef away from him.
He wasn't holding back. Not that he was in the first place - but this time, he meant business. He held his swords in front of him, beginning to spin them at a furious pace - he was sure he wouldn't even have to say the name. Tatsu Maki spoke for itself.
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Coughing he backed up, tried to regain his balance and assess the damage. It hurt like a bitch and for a moment he felt just about ready to pass out from the sudden shock of being injured. Not that he would let something shitty like this take him down. Oh no.
It did look like he needed to bring out the big guns though. He had only used this particular attack in battle once before but that should be more than enough preparation. Gritting his teeth against the pain Sanji glared at the shitty moss head before crouching down. This required excellent timing and with the slippery ground he had to be extremely careful.
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