ZoSanZo Holiday (not really) Fic Part 10
Yeah, this one's short, but I have the next one partially done already. Action is coming, promise.
There were a lot of questions again this time, but I think I answered them all already individually. If you're confused about something, don't hesitate to ask, I don't mind.
Thank you again for all the wonderful reviews. Thank you so much! Enjoy!
Title: Eye of the Storm
Paring: Zoro/Sanji/Zoro
Rating: R for language, violence, gore, and sexual content.
Summary: In the aftermath of catastrophe, two like souls meet in what can only be described as fate. Now they will both learn to trust again, and keep each other alive in more ways than one.
<< Chapter 9
Chapter 10
The group road through the late afternoon and into the evening before the truck turned off the highway and climbed a third of the way up a ridge. Luffy hopped off his bike and signaled for the men to cut their engines before he went the rest of the way to the top on foot. Kidd pulled a bag from the passenger side of the truck and signaled with a jerk of his head for Sanji and Zoro to follow.
Sanji made his way up but slowed just as he neared the brow. The sun was setting behind the mountains on the other side of the valley, and the last golden rays of sunlight were trickling down through the trees. Large parts of the landscape were slowly being blanketed in shadow, but that seemed to only make the sunlit surfaces shine that much brighter. The cook took a moment to take in the sight. He let the fading warmth of the sun’s rays settle on his skin and pulled the clean mountain air deep into his lungs.
He felt Zoro at his side, and even though it was more likely that the swordsman was also watching the scenery before them, Sanji was fairly sure Zoro was watching him instead. The cook felt a strong urge to reach out his hand and brush his fingertips over Zoro’s, just the barest of touches would show that he was thinking of the swordsman. Sanji knew that Zoro would respond, he would take his hand. The cook was sure of it.
“Damn, it’s up and running now.”
Kidd’s voice pulled Sanji from his thoughts and effectively broke any kind of spell that had been cast by the beautiful morning. He turned to Zoro but the swordsman was already looking to where Drake was pointing.
In the valley below them, spread out over a square mile, was an industrial complex. Large portable buildings were connected by wide dirt roads that had once accommodated large vehicles. Smoke poured from several of the large chimneys that lined the central building and piles of steel and lumber were organized and stacked high in several places, but Sanji could see that none of it was actually being used.
Nami took the pair of binoculars Kidd had pulled from the bag, and moved to stand beside Luffy. “Yeah, the machinery is back on, but they’re not using the steel mill.”
“What does that mean?” Kidd asked.
Shrugging, Nami murmured, “It could mean a lot of things.”
“Can I see?” Zoro asked.
Nami tossed the swordsman the binoculars and turned to Sanji. “We call this place the Red Line.” When the cook looked at her funny she shrugged, “Luffy misread where it was on the map and thought it was the subway system in Portland.”
Zoro snorted from behind the binoculars, “I can understand that.”
“Anyway,” Nami continued, “this place was taken over by one of our rival gangs a few months back. We’re not sure what they do with it, but there’s been a lot of nasty looking groups coming through here lately.”
They stockpiling? Trading? Sanji asked.
“We think so,” Nami said, “something like that anyway. They come in with trucks filled with supplies, crates, and some other stuff every couple of weeks. They’ve raided everything from here and north, cities, houses, farms, you name it.”
You know how many there are?
“No.”
Oh good, Sanji sighed, Well, at least now I understand what Luffy meant about starting a war.
“We would always try and negotiate.”
Right.
“What’s he saying?” Kidd asked.
As Nami explained, Sanji turned to Zoro, who happened to be in the middle of a quiet conversation with Luffy. They stood close together, speaking in low tones, something Sanji had never actually heard Luffy do before. It was a little endearing seeing the two of them conspiring together, but at the same time, it sent a pang of regret through Sanji’s heart. This was one more thing that Luffy could give Zoro on a regular basis that Sanji could not: adventure.
Pulling out his notepad, Sanji scribbled a few words and plastered a smirk on his face as he showed his friends his thoughts.
I have a feeling we’re not negotiating, are we?
Zoro looked at him and shook his head. His teeth flashed white against his dark skin as he answered,
“No, we’re not.”
* * *
Their timing was ideal. The sun slipped behind the mountains as the group made their way down the east side of the ridge. Darkness came around them slowly, effectively concealing their movements. Sanji followed Bartolomeo as the pierced man sprinted across old train tracks and a wide, dirt road. Zoro and Hawkins were right behind him as they rounded a building and pressed up against its metal walls.
“Does this feel off to anyone else?” Hawkins asked.
“Which part?” Zoro asked, “Attacking a large camp with less than forty people? Or that their security is shit?”
Hawkin’s sharp eyes turned to the swordsman and narrowed. “It’s too loud here to be so quiet.”
Sanji tried not to laugh at the look that passed over Zoro’s face.
“What?” the swordsman deadpanned.
“This place isn’t exactly inconspicuous, you can hear it for miles. But, when is the last time we saw a Deadie? There are towns surrounding this valley, and a large city just to the north. Where are all the walking dead?”
“Holy shit, Hawkins,” Batolomeo growled, “shut the fuck up. Who the fuck cares?”
“It’s a legitimate question.”
Bartolomeo turned and leaned over Sanji to get in Hawkin’s face. “My boot shoved up your ass is a legitimate question too, but you don’t see me doing that shit while we’re on Luffy’s mission, now do ya?”
Sanji put a hand on Bartolomeo’s chest just as Zoro came between the two gang members.
“Okay, now’s not the time for this,” the swordsman said softly. “Yeah, it’s weird that there’re no Deadies around, but we can chalk that up to this group clearing them out. Maybe we should just take that as some good luck and get on with this.”
Sanji watched the muscles in Zoro’s jaw flex as he eyed Bartolomeo. His gaze was cold and dark, menacing in a way the cook had never seen before. When Hawkin’s shifted at his side, Zoro’s grip tightened on the hilt of the blade he held in his left hand.
The tension was broken however, when Bartolomeo sniffed and spit on the ground at Zoro’s feet.
“Man, I should ’a taken a shit before we left.”
With that, he turned and peered around the corner, signaling to another group down the street.
Zoro glanced at Sanji and rolled his eyes. The cook smirked, thinking how great Zoro was going to fit in with this group. He not only could hold his own with the rest of them, but he could keep them under control. That was not something that just anyone could do.
When Zoro moved to glance down the street, Sanji turned to Hawkins and signed, OK?
Those strange, mahogany eyes rolled towards the cook, and Hawkins shook his head.
“This is not a lucky day for us. There’s no such thing as ‘no Deadies around’.”
TBC
:]
There were a lot of questions again this time, but I think I answered them all already individually. If you're confused about something, don't hesitate to ask, I don't mind.
Thank you again for all the wonderful reviews. Thank you so much! Enjoy!
Title: Eye of the Storm
Paring: Zoro/Sanji/Zoro
Rating: R for language, violence, gore, and sexual content.
Summary: In the aftermath of catastrophe, two like souls meet in what can only be described as fate. Now they will both learn to trust again, and keep each other alive in more ways than one.
<< Chapter 9
Chapter 10
The group road through the late afternoon and into the evening before the truck turned off the highway and climbed a third of the way up a ridge. Luffy hopped off his bike and signaled for the men to cut their engines before he went the rest of the way to the top on foot. Kidd pulled a bag from the passenger side of the truck and signaled with a jerk of his head for Sanji and Zoro to follow.
Sanji made his way up but slowed just as he neared the brow. The sun was setting behind the mountains on the other side of the valley, and the last golden rays of sunlight were trickling down through the trees. Large parts of the landscape were slowly being blanketed in shadow, but that seemed to only make the sunlit surfaces shine that much brighter. The cook took a moment to take in the sight. He let the fading warmth of the sun’s rays settle on his skin and pulled the clean mountain air deep into his lungs.
He felt Zoro at his side, and even though it was more likely that the swordsman was also watching the scenery before them, Sanji was fairly sure Zoro was watching him instead. The cook felt a strong urge to reach out his hand and brush his fingertips over Zoro’s, just the barest of touches would show that he was thinking of the swordsman. Sanji knew that Zoro would respond, he would take his hand. The cook was sure of it.
“Damn, it’s up and running now.”
Kidd’s voice pulled Sanji from his thoughts and effectively broke any kind of spell that had been cast by the beautiful morning. He turned to Zoro but the swordsman was already looking to where Drake was pointing.
In the valley below them, spread out over a square mile, was an industrial complex. Large portable buildings were connected by wide dirt roads that had once accommodated large vehicles. Smoke poured from several of the large chimneys that lined the central building and piles of steel and lumber were organized and stacked high in several places, but Sanji could see that none of it was actually being used.
Nami took the pair of binoculars Kidd had pulled from the bag, and moved to stand beside Luffy. “Yeah, the machinery is back on, but they’re not using the steel mill.”
“What does that mean?” Kidd asked.
Shrugging, Nami murmured, “It could mean a lot of things.”
“Can I see?” Zoro asked.
Nami tossed the swordsman the binoculars and turned to Sanji. “We call this place the Red Line.” When the cook looked at her funny she shrugged, “Luffy misread where it was on the map and thought it was the subway system in Portland.”
Zoro snorted from behind the binoculars, “I can understand that.”
“Anyway,” Nami continued, “this place was taken over by one of our rival gangs a few months back. We’re not sure what they do with it, but there’s been a lot of nasty looking groups coming through here lately.”
They stockpiling? Trading? Sanji asked.
“We think so,” Nami said, “something like that anyway. They come in with trucks filled with supplies, crates, and some other stuff every couple of weeks. They’ve raided everything from here and north, cities, houses, farms, you name it.”
You know how many there are?
“No.”
Oh good, Sanji sighed, Well, at least now I understand what Luffy meant about starting a war.
“We would always try and negotiate.”
Right.
“What’s he saying?” Kidd asked.
As Nami explained, Sanji turned to Zoro, who happened to be in the middle of a quiet conversation with Luffy. They stood close together, speaking in low tones, something Sanji had never actually heard Luffy do before. It was a little endearing seeing the two of them conspiring together, but at the same time, it sent a pang of regret through Sanji’s heart. This was one more thing that Luffy could give Zoro on a regular basis that Sanji could not: adventure.
Pulling out his notepad, Sanji scribbled a few words and plastered a smirk on his face as he showed his friends his thoughts.
I have a feeling we’re not negotiating, are we?
Zoro looked at him and shook his head. His teeth flashed white against his dark skin as he answered,
“No, we’re not.”
* * *
Their timing was ideal. The sun slipped behind the mountains as the group made their way down the east side of the ridge. Darkness came around them slowly, effectively concealing their movements. Sanji followed Bartolomeo as the pierced man sprinted across old train tracks and a wide, dirt road. Zoro and Hawkins were right behind him as they rounded a building and pressed up against its metal walls.
“Does this feel off to anyone else?” Hawkins asked.
“Which part?” Zoro asked, “Attacking a large camp with less than forty people? Or that their security is shit?”
Hawkin’s sharp eyes turned to the swordsman and narrowed. “It’s too loud here to be so quiet.”
Sanji tried not to laugh at the look that passed over Zoro’s face.
“What?” the swordsman deadpanned.
“This place isn’t exactly inconspicuous, you can hear it for miles. But, when is the last time we saw a Deadie? There are towns surrounding this valley, and a large city just to the north. Where are all the walking dead?”
“Holy shit, Hawkins,” Batolomeo growled, “shut the fuck up. Who the fuck cares?”
“It’s a legitimate question.”
Bartolomeo turned and leaned over Sanji to get in Hawkin’s face. “My boot shoved up your ass is a legitimate question too, but you don’t see me doing that shit while we’re on Luffy’s mission, now do ya?”
Sanji put a hand on Bartolomeo’s chest just as Zoro came between the two gang members.
“Okay, now’s not the time for this,” the swordsman said softly. “Yeah, it’s weird that there’re no Deadies around, but we can chalk that up to this group clearing them out. Maybe we should just take that as some good luck and get on with this.”
Sanji watched the muscles in Zoro’s jaw flex as he eyed Bartolomeo. His gaze was cold and dark, menacing in a way the cook had never seen before. When Hawkin’s shifted at his side, Zoro’s grip tightened on the hilt of the blade he held in his left hand.
The tension was broken however, when Bartolomeo sniffed and spit on the ground at Zoro’s feet.
“Man, I should ’a taken a shit before we left.”
With that, he turned and peered around the corner, signaling to another group down the street.
Zoro glanced at Sanji and rolled his eyes. The cook smirked, thinking how great Zoro was going to fit in with this group. He not only could hold his own with the rest of them, but he could keep them under control. That was not something that just anyone could do.
When Zoro moved to glance down the street, Sanji turned to Hawkins and signed, OK?
Those strange, mahogany eyes rolled towards the cook, and Hawkins shook his head.
“This is not a lucky day for us. There’s no such thing as ‘no Deadies around’.”
TBC
:]