Untitled Death Fic
oh man... now you can see why i spent far too much time in the counselor's office during my high school days... damn nosy teachers... it's because of stuff like this that i had to learn how to write backwards to avoid disturbing those who'd casually glance my way.
Universe: One piece
Word Count: 1771
Dated: Jun. 2007
Genre: Death and maybe a *little* gory...
Rating: PG-13... no - maybe closer to R....
Pairing: None
Disclaimer: .... yeah - One Piece would be a lot shorter if i owned it...
Warnings: Death.. the guy sitting next to as i type had to raise an eyebrow in response to the detail i kept trying to add..
Oh god.. it's 4 damn pages!!! it wasn't suppose to be this long, really...
Despite the fact it sounds like there will be more to it - there will not. this is all I'm going to write for this ... I can't writing anymore without killing it...
The most strongest of men tended to be brought down by the most smallest of things. After all, ‘twas but a stone in a sling that slew the giant Goliath. Even in his own personal life did this ring true - the strongest person he’d ever know was felled by a flight of stairs. It was a constant worry in the back of his mind, and it proved to be a small thing that ailed him in the end too.
These pirates had hardly been anything to worry greatly about in the beginning; their fighters’ not all that strong - not really that quick. The problem with them though was that their captain was smarter than he lead on, and their marksmen of the truest aim.
The cook and he had moved forward during the battle, much like they typically did, moving away from the protection of nakama into a dead-man’s territory. And it was just as the fighters where finished being laid flat that he found himself suddenly unable to breath.
It was a new feeling, asphyxiation, one that he’d never experienced outside of the water, and he wasn’t sure how to respond.
His first reaction was to shrug it off, but he quickly found that that wouldn’t work, and he noted with dim disgust that his left hand refused to retain its grip, and Kitetsu fell to the deck with a clatter - one all to loud in his ears.. He could feel the cook turning to look then, but he shoved the questioning voice from his thoughts as he free hand now reached softly to his throat.
He had an inkling on what he’d find, and a twist in his stomach when he felt the hole in he neck confirmed it.
Last he could think of was how the deck was rushing up to embrace him, and his vision hazed out… Sounds muted around him, and he still couldn’t breathe.
***
Sanji had kicked that last of the men away, leaving an opening for them to return to their ship, when a clanking behind him stopped his heart cold.
Zoro faced away from him, his back stained in vibrant red blood, the life of many running freely down his being. But this time, as the red sword rolled across the deck, he watched the owner stagger - something he’d not seen from the man since their first fight together, long ago against Arlong.
Before he could utter an insult, the man pitched to the side, falling harshly to the ground, and making no attempts to rise again.
Sanji was aware that he was screaming for Chopper even before he started moving, rushing to kneel at the swordsmen side. He rolled Zoro over, sick in his stomach that there was no fight to the action, just a limp body.
Before he saw it, he could hear it, the wet, thick, bubbling gasps for air - air that wasn’t making it to the lungs. Zoro’s throat had been shot straight though, ragged flesh letting blood bubble at its edges as the air escaped. His lips already tinted blue, Sanji could hear himself yelling for Chopper again, as he pressed a hand to the wound, already knowing it wouldn’t help.
He felt the man try to talk - could feel the vibrations, even though no sound made it out. “Just hold on..” he found himself muttering, daring to look at the face, to look in the eyes, trying to read there what the other had to say.
The man’s sight was distant, staring at a spot far away from Sanji, not able to focus - “Sa….ji…” the voice tried again, and the cook swore up and down the Grand Line as he tried not to cry. “be…nd… you…”
His eyebrows knitted in confusion, and he turned to look. Whatever was there - the images never had a chance to process in his head - he was dead before he could see what he saw.
***
It was not uncommon for Zoro to disappear after a battle. More often than not, he got lost on his way back, or didn’t bother heading back at all, falling asleep where ever the battle had ended. Sanji on the other hand, never dillydallied, and even if he’d not been seen once the whole battle, never failed to arrive in a flourish at battle’s end.
But neither had yet to be found, and as Luffy stood on deck, watching the last of the pirates flee - the ache in his heart suggested that somehow, he had been the one to loose today.
***
Usopp found them in the end, a discovery that shook his very being so hard that he had to backtrack so he wouldn’t get sick on the scene. Even as he knelt hunched over, several feet away, he couldn’t bring himself to look back - his own vomit more appealing for his attention that his nakama.
When he finally stopped shaking long enough to look over, he felt his stomach twist painfully, as Sanji’s surprised and soulless gaze stared back in an unblinking stare. It called him into action finally, and he reached forward, and resting a hand over the cook’s eyes, closing them from staring at him any more. The stare of a dead man was more unnerving than any death glare one could cast.
Once closed, Usopp drew his hand away like he’d been bitten, scrambling away from the bodies as his stomach made to heave again. From where he’d fallen away, he couldn’t see past Sanji, couldn’t see past the neat hole in the cook’s forehead, couldn’t stop his imagination from informing him what the back of the blonde’s head would be looking like - had to grasp fistfuls of his own hair to tear his mind away from what he could be seeing if he dared to look.
He wanted to get up and run - wanted to run all the way back to Luffy - no he wanted to run all the way to yesterday - to go hide there where none of this had happened yet.
He stood up finally, looking past Sanji to Zoro. His heart was in his throat as he stood a little higher, seeing no short crop of green hair in sight. The blood pool was in clear sight, shining sadistically beyond Sanji’s body, and even when he was standing all the way up, he still couldn’t see Zoro’s head.
He made an aborted step forward, before violently reeling backwards to heave more to the pile behind him.
He couldn’t see it because it wasn’t there.
***
The rest of the group had found him almost half an hour later - huddled against himself, staring at the bodies of his nakama. At first, they’d been unaware of what had happened, blissfully unaware that things had so drastically changed.
Robin caught on first, long before they’d come in clear sight, and she stopped, halting Chopper with her. Nami had slowed, turning back to pin a look of confusion on the older woman. Luffy continued on ahead.
The captain skidded to a halt, his heart stopping in his chest as he took in the sight. Usopp had long since run out of energy to sob, and was silently crying off to the side, looking at Luffy with an uncompressing gaze.
Luffy refused to believe it, even as he saw the lifeless bodies first hand, recoiling away from the sight, hands reaching to grab either side of his straw hat - pulling the sides down around his ears, a voiceless cry escaping from him.
Mutters of “no-no-no-no-no” fell from his lips as he fell to his knees, clutching his hat, pulling at the weave under his fingers. He sat gasping for air, rocking over the bodies. Nami finally approached him, not able to look at the boys, and knelt next to him, taking his hands in hers, ‘fore he ripped Boshi in two.
He stared at her, a wild lost look in his face, before looking back to his crew. His hands wrenched away, out of Nami’s grip and he pulled Sanji up to his chest, fingers futile in their search for a pulse.
Nami sat back on her heals as she blinked back tears, and Luffy hugged Sanji to him, openly bawling, calling out the cooks name, begging him to open his eyes “captain’s order” he cried out. Nami pulled Luffy to her chest, hugging him in his tears.
He pulled away, other arm circling Zoro mutilated body, bawling starting anew. More desperate pleas, and still no response.
Nami embraced him from behind, pulling his hat away, and stroking his hair, “Shh…” she’d murmur, blinking back her own tears and she held her captain. She could hear Chopper crying, could hear Usspp comforting him; could hear Robin comforting them both. She herself wanted nothing to do but cry as well, as she pulled Luffy close to her, letting him cling to her and bawl, but she heart just seemed to stop, and the tears to heavy to form, much less fall.
***
Sanji was send into the sea first, Sent with a prayer that the ocean would be kind, would take him to his All Blue - even if only in death. Nami’d held on tight to his cigarettes and lighter, and his silk tie wrapped around the articles to keep them together - Usopp said his make a case for the kitchen to put them in for safe keeping.
Luffy stared over at the body of Zoro, fingers clenched tight around the lone earring Usopp’d found when they gathered them up to rest “we’re gonna go get the rest of you back” he promised, eyes down cast, and jaw tight, heart aching as his first mate was lowered into the ocean as well.
***
Sanji swore at the migraine thundering in his head as he slowly blinked, letting the world come into focus.
He had to blink several times, frowning as the sky remained a hazy fog. He sat up, looking around - the whole world was swallowed in it.
To his side he saw Zoro, one armed having been curled to pillow Sanji’s head. The other boy himself using someone as a pillow, a girl that Sanji felt he should know, but could only frown and shake his head - it was unlike him to forget a woman’s name.
“Where are we?” He asked her, watching as she gently ran her fingers though Zoro’s hair. He supposed he should feel jealous, except that he wasn’t… “Who are you?”
“This is the place where those who value dreams more than life go when they fail…” She smiled sadly at him. “My name is Kuina.”
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