New Life

Title: New Life: Chapter 16
Author: Genuinelie(s)
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine.

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Chapter Sixteen
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"I wasn't sure Luffy sent the message in time," Ana said, voice warm. "Welcome back, Sanji."

He looked at her stupidly. A grin tugged at his mouth.

"Zoro's alive," he pointed out unnecessarily.

Ana smiled at him. "Yes, he is."

He looked back at the sleeping man. He looked like death, except for the steady rise and fall of his chest. There was crusted blood on his clothing and skin, his green hair was far longer than Sanji had ever seen it and his entire body was covered with a thick coat of grime. Not to mention the hollows of his cheeks, or the ribs Sanji saw denting his thin clothing. Ana was busy peeling back cloth from a more serious cut on his shoulder.

“The marines don’t normally treat their prisoners this way,” Sanji said.

Ana nodded. “I suspect he forced them to.”

If Zoro hadn’t gone willingly, the marines would have had to use force on him. Being Zoro, Sanji was sure that was what had happened. He felt a strange sense of pride that the man was still fighting, even after a year of rotting in a cell. He eyed Zoro’s prone form warily. One hand had fallen off the bed and it was dangling motionless, palm up.

“He’s alive?” Sanji asked, suddenly less certain.

Ana smiled at him, looking deep into his eyes and fixing them there. “Yes.” She turned back to her patient.

The grin spread across his face, so big it hurt. He knew he had gone insane or, more probably, died, but he didn't care.

“Maybe you should sit down,” the doctor suggested.

Yeah, maybe he should.

Suddenly, the door swung open. “Oi! Asshole, what are you doing? Where's Zoro? I'm a doctor! I can help him!"

A small cloaked form rushed into the room, nearly colliding with Sanji's legs. The child who was with the redhead.

Nami. Sanji suddenly realized. Nami was here, now, on the same ship with him. Then who -

Chopper.

The little reindeer threw off the cloak, hooves on hips. "I'm a doctor," he declared at Ana, glaring.

Ana just laughed benignly at him. "I know. You told me when we met."

Chopper opened his mouth, then caught sight of Sanji.

"Sanji!" The reindeer's eyes were huge and glistening.

Sanji's smile widened, if that were possible. "Chopper!" He bent over and yanked the deer-man into his arms, hugging him hard. He made a satisfying armful of warm fuzz.

After a moment Chopper began to struggle impatiently. "Ok, ok." He was blushing through his fur. "You're going to crush it!"

For a second, Sanji was confused. Then he realized he still clutched Luffy's hat in his left hand, so hard the rim was bending. He loosened his fist sheepishly.

Sanji gave Chopper one last squeeze and set him down. Chopper grinned up at him. "It's good to see you again, Sanji," he said.

Sanji nodded. The deer hadn't changed a bit, silly hat and everything. He didn't even look any older, and briefly Sanji wondered if he ever would.

"Oh!" Chopper exclaimed, eyes widening as he stared past Sanji. "Zoro!" He hustled over to the side of the bed, glaring angrily at Luffy's doctor.

"It's ok, Chopper," Sanji said. "Ana saved my life, did you know that?"

He shook his head at him, eyes big.

"She did." He affirmed. "Zoro is in good hands."

Ana gave him a smile of thanks.

"Well, ok, then," Chopper said, scuffling a hoof, "Can I help? He's still nakama. Right?"

"Yes." Sanji said. It came out a little stronger than he'd intended.

Ana smiled at the little deer. "You sure can."

"Sanji! Zoro! HAT!"

The door to the doctor's quarters swung open violently, creaked once on its hinges then gave up the fight, falling to the floor with a clatter. Luffy barreled into the room, followed by Nami and Usopp.

"Usopp?" Sanji asked incredulously.

Everyone. Everyone was there.

He had to look like a complete fool. His lips felt like they were stretching to his ears. He shook himself out of it and planted the hat firmly on Luffy's black mop, feeling like a knight crowning a king. In a way he supposed he was.

Dreamer.

Luffy grinned hugely up at him. "You found my hat, Sanji."

Sanji shook his head at him. "Zoro had it."

Luffy's mouth formed an "o", looking at the sleeping man. "All this time, huh?" Suddenly his eyes looked far too old for his young face. Almost to himself, the captain murmured, "He's a good first mate."

Luffy had changed, Sanji mused.

He supposed having your best friend die on you twice would do that.

"How is he?" Nami actually looked worried for the green-haired man on the bed, which was a first if Sanji's memory still served him.

Now he knew he was dreaming.

"Fine, but all of you out." Ana snapped at them finally. She had obviously been biting her tongue up until this point, but her face was adopting a purplish tinge. "Except Chopper. He can help." She shooed them out the door.

Sanji lingered for a moment, his eyes on Zoro's slack face. He looked incredibly vulnerable lying there like that. Even after Mihawk, the swordsman had been able to rouse himself enough to fight.

Sanji suddenly felt like throwing up.

"Out, Sanji." Ana said gently. "He's not going anywhere. He's just starved." She gestured to the door. "Your nakama are out there."

His nakama.

Sanji swallowed thickly. "Are- are you-"

"He won't die if you leave." She said. Her eyes softened for a moment. "Cook some soup for him, would you?"

Sanji felt like kicking himself. For the first time in his entire life, Sanji had forgotten his calling. "Yes!" he cried, and bolted from the room.

The crew followed Sanji into the kitchen, and although they were somewhat in his way he found he didn't care. Luffy could be stealing food - which, Sanji realized, chagrined, he was - or fighting with Usopp or anything at all and he wouldn't mind a bit. Robin and Nami were chatting happily with one another, but they kept getting interrupted by Luffy’s stretching arms as he rooted through the cupboards.

His kitchen. Exactly as it had always been.

Home. The thought struck him suddenly, stayed with him, lodged an ache deep within his chest. He pulled out his kitchen utensils, rooted through the cupboards for ingredients, movements he could have done asleep. Everything was where it should be.

Everyone... he corrected himself.

It was almost as if he had dozed off for a moment, all those years ago.

The deck outside, however, was still empty.

Sanji sighed, and suddenly the room behind him went quiet. Feeling eyes on his back, he set the soup to simmer and turned, leaning nonchalantly back on the counter as he lit a cigarette. He waved it at the room, not trusting himself to look at his former nakama straight on.

It had been a long time.

“So -” Sanji started.

“We were on our way to get you!” Luffy cut him off suddenly. Sanji’s head jerked up. The kid’s eyes were huge and earnest, as always. Sanji was surprised to find the others watching him carefully as well, an embarrassed heat spreading up his neck to his cheeks under the scrutiny. Luffy continued, “I figured Nami and Usopp and Chopper wanted to see your restaurant, like they promised before we split up.” The others nodded their agreement. “So I went and got them. But then Ace ran into us.”

Sanji’s eyebrows raised. “Ace?”

Luffy nodded, then frowned, thinking. "About three weeks ago. Ace told us that the marines had Zoro." There was a pause as Luffy jammed his cheeks with fruit. "Anf mff marfs engg."

Sanji narrowed his eyes. "Chew, Luffy."

Luffy swallowed and grinned. "I said, I thought he was dead, so at first I thought Ace had been lied to. But Ace said his marine doesn't do that."

"How did Ace know about Zoro?" Sanji frowned, confused as Luffy’s words caught up with him, echoing, “’His marine?’”

Luffy shrugged. "Ace has a friend in the marines. At least that's what he told me."

The rest of the crew were sharing similar looks, but didn't comment. Sanji followed suit. He really didn’t want to know.

"So what's this about a message?"

"Oh!" Luffy exclaimed. "That's why you came, isn't it? As soon as we heard I sent a message so you could come and rescue him with us."

Sanji frowned. "How did you send it?"

"By bird."

Sanji groaned inwardly. Poor bird. "No bird can make it through that storm, Luffy."

Luffy frowned, his face dropping. "Oh."

"So why did you come, Sanji?" Usopp asked.

Sanji swallowed, embarrassed, stirring the broth in front of him. "Customers in the restaurant said they'd heard the 'greatest swordsman in the world' had been captured by the marines. I thought they meant Mihawk."

"Mihawk?" Usopp exclaimed. "Why would you rescue him?"

But Nami and Luffy were nodding.

"That makes sense. I would have done that too." Luffy said.

"Makes sense?" Usopp squeaked. "That man almost killed Zoro. Several times."

"He was important to him," Sanji said softly, not sure if the others heard him or not.

Nami and Usopp looked confused. Robin kept her small, knowing smile in place. Luffy just regarded him with understanding.

“You really thought he was dead all that time?” Nami asked.

For the first time in his memory, Sanji had forgotten about the redhead’s presence. Appalled, he turned a full-watt smile on her. He couldn’t help himself. Even if he didn’t much feel like smiling, there was something about the woman. “One year, ten months, eight days.” Three hours. But Sanji didn’t want to freak them out.

Too late. Nami’s pretty face was stuck between incredulous and bewildered. Usopp just looked blank.

“Three hours,” Luffy added softly.

Nami recovered quicker than Usopp. “You kept count?” Luffy opened his mouth in defense, but she waved him off. “No no, not you Luffy. But Sanji?” Her face was perplexed.

“Yeah, Sanji,” Usopp interjected. “Since when do you care? I mean, I know he’s nakama, but you guys fought all the time, and now you know down to the day? Right off the top your head? I never -”

Sanji turned his back on them abruptly, stubbing out his cigarette with shaking fingers.

His soup was done.

“Usopp -” Robin started, her voice quiet.

“Well really!” Usopp continued, oblivious. “I didn’t think you’d care that much, honestly, Sanji!”

Suddenly, Sanji felt the time that had passed between them. How long had it been? Four years? Five?

They didn’t know.

A wave of longing hit him, strangely, for Luffy’s second crew. Accepting and fresh, no notions of the relationship Zoro and Sanji had had prior to their first reunion. No expectations. He wasn’t sure how his old nakama would take the change.

He grabbed a bowl from the cupboard, feeling suddenly awkward and out of place. Without turning, he said, “Luffy, what happened to the others?”

“They’re still here, Sanji.” By his tone, Luffy understood. “I think they’re out back. They wanted to give us time to catch up.”

Sanji nodded without turning, and practically fled the galley. As he closed the door, he heard Nami ask, “What was that about?”

After a moment he heard Luffy reply, “He’ll have to tell you, Nami. A lot’s happened since you guys left.”

Sanji let out a breath and went to give Zoro his soup.

*****

Zoro was awake.

Sanji hovered in the doorway, Ana’s and Chopper’s backs to him, and watched the swordsman as he frowned in characteristic irritation. He hadn’t yet caught sight of the cook, all his attention focused on the little reindeer as he bandaged his scraped-up wrists.

One year, ten months, eight days. Three hours.

A sudden wave of trepidation washed over him. It had been a long time. More than enough time for Zoro to get over him. For their relationship to change. For Zoro to hate Sanji, because he left him there, abandoned him to the marines while he maintained his pointless dream in All Blue.

In his mind, their reunion had always been filled with kisses and hugs and less innocent activities, with words Zoro spoke once and Sanji had never been able to say aloud. But watching Zoro, thin as he was, changed as he was -

“Sanji?” Zoro asked softly. Sanji started badly, almost dropping the soup. His voice was rough and dry, but still Zoro’s. Exactly as he remembered. He focused and found Zoro’s dark eyes trained on Sanji’s own, full of questions and disbelief, underneath the dull layer of weariness. Sanji prevented himself from looking past those few superficial layers, deathly afraid of what he’d find.

“Oh, good,” Ana said, turning. “The soup’s done.” She smiled widely at Sanji. “See? He’s doing just fine.”

“I -” Sanji started, not taking his eyes off of Zoro. The swordsman was staring intently at him, his eyes hooded.

Panicked welled up, overwhelmed him. He thrust the soup into Ana's hands.

Sanji turned and fled.

*****