Broken Only to Heal Again

AN: Enjoy guys.

Chapter 22

The dark cloud of sadness that hung over the Going Merry seemed to almost weigh the ship down and slow their speed. The outline of the Sanguine Blade was still visible to the two men standing on the deck. Sanji and Zoro stood several feet apart mulling over what had happened, and what it would mean to their futures. Several times, Zoro looked to the blonde and started to speak, only closing his mouth when the cook would bow his head and look away. In a huff, Zoro stomped away and hurried up to the crow’s nest, refusing to speak with anyone aside from a quick word with his son.

Sanji had to be blaming him for what happened. That was the only reason that Zoro could think of that the normally outspoken man would keep quiet. What else could there be? He should have known better than to think that he could have happiness again. His life was full of heartache. His parents, Kuina, Saya the first time, Takuya, Saya again, and now, just when he started to release the barrier around his heart, Sanji. The cook hated him now, not even being able to stand the sight of him. Zoro groaned in frustration and looked up at the sky. Maybe he should talk to Luffy about leaving and find another ship to sail on.

Zoro watched as Nami and Luffy flirted with each other across the deck. Luffy’s happy grin answering each of the navigator’s coy smiles. It made him sick to see them so much in love. As the captain pulled her in for a kiss, Zoro forced himself to turn away and found Sanji watching the same sight. Sanji’s hands shook slightly as he placed the cigarette between his lips. The unsteady movement would not be noticed by anyone except Zoro and Luffy. His entire stance screamed of his broken heart as he watched the woman he fawned over for the last few years melt into the embrace of another.

This wouldn’t do at all. Zoro felt the internal walls he had erected to suppress his emotions starting to rebuild themselves and the cold embrace his heart once more. Things were much better when he loved no one, cared for no one, needed no one. He would continue his duty on this ship for now, but the first chance he had, he and Teki would leave. Fate had shown him that love was not a kind mistress, and Zoro decided to forsake her above all else. From this point on, his only focus was his training and his son. Seeing Teki was occupied with another story from Usopp, training became forefront in his mind. Zoro jumped down from the crows nest and headed for his weights. Mindless repetitions were what he needed to clear his thoughts and refocus on what his goals were.

Teki came and joined Zoro somewhere around his thousandth repetition and watched in awe as his father’s stance never faltered. Zoro picked up the lightest weight he had and found it still too heavy for the child. Laughing, Teki told him not to worry, he could use other things to act as weights until he was big enough to use the real ones. An idea came to mind and Zoro got down on the deck in a push-up position. He had Teki climb on and sit across his back while he finished his workout. Squeals of laughter rang out across the deck. Everything was perfect until Teki asked Zoro if he thought that Saya would be proud of him.

“Tousan? Will I remember her forever?” Teki leaned down and was basically laying across Zoro’s back as he continued to count out each press. “I miss her, still.”

Zoro stopped, wondering if he should speak or not, and sighed heavily. “It took me a long time to stop missing her before, but I never forgot her. Neither will you.”

Satisfied with the answer, Teki squeezed Zoro’s neck tightly and slid off his back. He sat down in front of his father so he could look him in the eyes each time he came back up from the deck. Teki began counting again and only reached 80 when the call for dinner was announced. Still, Sanji refused to meet Zoro’s stare and it was pissing the swordsman off. When the meal was over, Teki took his place at the sink and Zoro followed Luffy outside.

“Oi, Captain.”

Luffy turned to look back at his First Mate and knew something was wrong. He followed Zoro to the upper deck and sat next to him under one of Nami’s trees. It took a few minutes of uncomfortable silence before Zoro began.

“I want your permission to leave the Merry.”

“HAHA! That was funny Zoro!” Luffy laughed at what he thought was a joke.

“Damn it you idiot! I’m serious.”

“No.” Luffy’s answer was still slightly amused, but also weary, wondering what could have prompted his First Mate to ask such a thing.

“Hear me out.” Zoro tried again.

“I don’t care. You promised to fight at my side while I become King of the Pirates and I promised to not get in the way of you becoming the best swordsman. We haven’t found One Piece, and you haven’t fought Mihawk again. The answer is no.” Luffy stood to leave, but Zoro’s words caused his step to falter when walking away.

“He hates me now. All this pain I’ve caused him. He won’t even look at me.” The swordsman’s voice was strained and it was evident that he had a hard time finding the right words. “I won’t be able to focus on my training if all I do is think about him.”

Luffy was quiet for several minutes. It was rare that he held still and quiet for that long, so Zoro knew he was thinking hard. “If staying on this ship is preventing you from achieving your goal, then I have no choice to but to let you go.”

“Arigato, we’ll leave at the next island.” Zoro stood and brushed off his pants, then bent and picked up his swords. “Don’t inform the others yet. I need to speak with Muteki first.”

Zoro went to speak with his son, only to find him asleep at the kitchen table with no cook in sight. Zoro picked him up carefully and carried him down to the couch, amazed that he was so light. After covering him in a blanket, Zoro took his place on the floor next to him and stared at the empty hammock where his cook should be sleeping soon. Unable to keep his eyes open any longer, the swordsman fell into a fitful sleep. His dreams plagued with screams and blood, pale skin and blue eyes, and the inability to discern which of them he held dead in his arms.

TBB,OTHA

Sanji couldn’t help but shrink away each time Zoro opened his mouth to say something. No words ever came, but he feared them all the same. He couldn’t blame the man either. Who wouldn’t be upset if they were faced with the person who caused the death of their loved one? ‘He must hate me,’ Sanji though. The cook wanted to cry when Zoro stomped angrily off and hid away in the crow’s nest. He prepared a light lunch, setting aside a portion for the missing swordsman, and did his best to fawn over the women at least a little. When the food was gone, he shooed Teki away and finished cleaning up himself.

Walking out to the deck after he was done, he pulled a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lit it while watching Nami and Luffy. It still hurt that they were together, but now the hurt was something new. It was somewhere between longing and jealousy. He wanted to find what they had and now it seemed that his chance at it was gone. Sure, there was still Robin, but she was a much older woman and also not interested in him. He could always find a woman at each port like he had done in the past, but after what happened with Christine he wasn’t sure if he wanted to take the chance or not.

What was the point anyway? The only person he wanted was the one he could no longer have a chance in hell with. Sanji lived, Saya died and Zoro was pissed. What clearer message was there? Had he been stronger, he would have been able to save her, and then at least Zoro would be happy. Really, that was all it boiled down to. He wanted to see a smile on his swordsman’s face again. Would he ever be forgiven? He wondered if Zoro would even let him be around Teki again after this. Sanji had made a promise to Saya that he would keep the boy safe and love him. Would Zoro take that away? It would hurt to lose Teki as much as it was hurting to have lost Zoro right now.

Sanji jumped when Zoro’s boots hit the deck. He watched the man storm off and pick up his weights, losing himself in the repetitive action. Sanji could see him becoming cold again and he worried. Zoro had opened up to them so much over their time together, and now it was all for naught. They were losing him, and it was all Sanji’s fault. The cook hung his head and drug his feet to the kitchen to begin working on dinner.

Sanji called out to everyone that dinner was ready, and attempted to flirt with Nami and Robin as they entered the room. Everyone could see how strained it was and did their best to keep arguments from erupting. Sanji continued to avoid looking at Zoro, unwilling to see the accusations and anger he was sure the swordsman felt. He ate his dinner standing by the sink, leaving more room for everyone, or so he said. This time he readily accepted Teki’s offer to help with dishes in fear of Zoro wanting to return to his old job. If they were alone together, there’s no telling what would happen. Sanji felt he needed to avoid that situation at all costs. He was startled out of his thoughts by a small concerned voice.

“Kasan? Are you really ok?” Teki’s eyes were full of worry. “I can do this all by myself if you need to sit down.”

Sanji winced at the thought of sitting, and Teki mistook it for a current pain. The child hurriedly grabbed the blonde’s hand and pulled him over to the bench.

“Here, you sit down. I’ll go get Tousan. We can finish up.”

Before Sanji could argue, Teki was out the door. Quickly, the cook finished washing the remaining pots and set them to dry on the rack. He had to get out of here fast, before Zoro arrived. Opening the door he was met face to face with a concerned redhead.

“Nami-swan, my beautiful flower, is there something else I can get for you this evening?” Sanji let out a large breath he was holding and scrambled to regain his composure. He stepped aside and watched her take a seat at the clean table.

“Sanji, sit down, please. I need to talk to you.” Nami reached out and gestured for him to take a seat across from her. She watched as he eased himself down and tried to find a way to sit that was somewhat comfortable. Things began to click in her mind as she took in the minor details of his appearance. “I want to know what happened in that room. It was something more than just a fight, and it has torn you and Zoro apart. I’m sure that whatever it was, we can fix it. It wasn’t yours or his fault.”

“But it was. It was my fault that she died. If I hadn’t been so weak… She died trying to protect me. Me! Why did she do that?” Sanji covered his face, hissing at the sting of his hands over his bruised left side. “All I could do was lie there as she died in his arms. I’ve never seen him cry like that. When he looked at me he was so angry, and he would barely even touch me. I don’t know how we will get a long now, not that we ever really got a long.” The cook let out a harsh bark of a laugh.

“Have you sat down and talked to him yet? It might help.” Nami squeezed his arm in assurance.

Sanji shook his head and stood up. “Why? That muscle head won’t listen anyway. You don’t know what I’ve done.”

Nami resisted the urge to bash his head in, hoping that Luffy was having better luck with the swordsman than she was having here. Teki barged back in the room and skidded to a stop just before knocking down the startled cook.

“Gomen, Kasan. I found Tousan, but he was busy so Usopp-san is going to help me.” Teki beamed proudly as a panting Usopp came dragging through the doorway.

“Wha? Sanji looks fine to me. You said he was in pain and we needed to finish cleaning for him. He doesn’t look in pain to me.” Usopp gave both of them an annoyed look.

“Hai, Usopp, Sanji-kun does need to go rest. It would be appreciated if you would help Teki-kun finish up in here. I’d ask Luffy, but you know he just breaks everything.” Nami smiled sweetly at the marksman and hoped that he would cave in without too much trouble.

Fortunately Teki didn’t give him much choice and the two began to work; tales of ludicrous proportions being told all the while. Sanji knew that he couldn’t go against Nami’s wishes and gave her a small smile as he stepped outside to enjoy a smoke in the cool night air. He looked around at Zoro’s normal napping spot and didn’t see the swordsman anywhere. Maybe Nami was right and he should talk to him, but what would he do if Zoro actually laid the blame of Saya’s death on him. Sanji wasn’t sure if he could live with that guilt on his shoulders. Leaning against the rail, he let his mind go blank and just stared off into the night, not even noticing when Usopp had finished cleaning and left the galley.

Snubbing out his last cigarette, Sanji decided it was time to call it a night. He checked on the galley, finding it in acceptable, but not perfect condition, and headed down to the men’s quarters for some sleep. He could see the outline of Zoro beside the couch where Teki slept, both of them looking so peaceful after the hardships they had endured lately. Slipping off his shoes, Sanji walked silently over to them. He placed a soft kiss on Muteki’s head and smiled as the boy sighed in his sleep. Hesitantly, Sanji reached out and pulled Zoro’s blanket back over top of the snoring man, letting his fingers brush lightly against Zoro’s arm. A mumbled ‘Saaa..’ was all he received before the snoring resumed. Angry with himself for daring to hope, Sanji crawled into his hammock and pulled his blanket tight.

“At least you can still dream about her.” Sanji whispered through his tears. Sleep came slowly and brought with it nightmares of pain and suffering.

TBB,OTHA

The next morning Sanji was up bright and early, working hard in the galley to get a decent breakfast put out. He made all the special touches to the ladies food as always, and called everyone to eat. When he again refused to sit with everyone, Chopper insisted that he needed to come help the doctor with something after the meal, silently ordering the cook to go along or he would spill everything. Sanji nodded and assured the small reindeer that he would be there as soon as dishes were done. A glance to the side caught the dark expression on Zoro’s face as the swordsman studied him intently. Thinking that it was just the anger that he was able to be treated by Chopper and Saya wasn’t, Sanji quickly looked away and focused on the plate in his hands. Nami and Luffy both paid close attention to each of their actions.

Zoro stood to help Sanji with the dishes after they were done, thinking that maybe they could have a talk. When the cook almost ran out of the room, insisting that he needed to go help Chopper and Teki would be helping his father, the scowl on Zoro’s face deepened and he reaffirmed his decision to leave the ship as soon as possible. Teki noticed the strain between the two of them and decided that they needed to be cheered up. He spent the rest of the morning with Zoro, training and playing, making sure to be on his best behavior. He would spend the afternoon with his kasan and see if he could him to smile again.

Every time Sanji and Zoro were in the same space, the cook would avoid all eye contact and even try to find a reason to leave the room. This would only cause the cloud hanging over Zoro to darken, and the swordsman’s cold and uncaring ways began to resurface at heartbreaking speed. It was two days later that Zoro was able to finally talk to Teki.

“Teki, I’ve come to a decision and I want you to listen.” Zoro had brought his son with him up to the crow’s nest for watch that evening. He knew it would one of the few places he could go and not be overheard. “When we reach the island tomorrow, you and I are going to go off on our own for a while.”

“Just us? What about Kasan?” Teki was confused.

“You and I both need to train and get stronger. It’s not something we can do aboard the ship right now. I’ve already talked to Luffy about this, and I told him we needed to go train. He understood, and I need you to as well.” Zoro knelt down in front of the boy and looked him in the eyes. He couldn’t bear to tell him the entire truth; it would devastate him and most of it he wouldn’t understand anyway.

“But, I don’t want to leave! I just got a family! I want to stay here with Kasan, and Luffy-san and Chopper and everyone! NO! I’m not going!” Teki tried to pull away from Zoro and climb out of the small space. He hit and kicked at his father as he cried, not wanting to believe that this was happening. “It isn’t fair! I don’t want to!”

Zoro pulled him close and tried his best to comfort him. “I know, but one day we can come back. I made a promise to Luffy after all, and I want to be able to keep it somehow. For now though, we need to train. I have a goal that I want to accomplish myself. Your Okasan knew about this, and she supported it completely. Can you do that for me?”

“Okasan? She did?” Teki sniffled and wiped his face on Zoro’s shirt.

“Hai, very much. It was one of the reasons I fell in love with her.” Zoro said softly. He remembered how excited Saya had been when he told her what he wanted to accomplish. He had even told her the entire story behind Kuina, and it made her vow to support him even more.

“OK. But we can come back one day, right?” Teki pleaded.

“I need to find my dream first. But when you are strong enough, I’ll let you make that decision on your own, even if I’m not able to join you.”

Sighing in defeat, Teki snuggled back into his father’s arms and breathed in the heavy musky smell of the man. It was comforting, welcoming, and it made him feel safe. He wondered if Sanji-kasan had felt this way when being held.

“Tousan? Do you hate Sanji-kasan now? Is that why we’re leaving?”

Zoro stiffened at the accusation of his feelings towards the blonde. How could Teki even think that? He loved the cook more than anyone other than his son. It was Sanji who hated him.

“No, I don’t hate him. We just…” Zoro hesitated, trying to word it so that someone so young might understand. “Things don’t always work out the way you want them to. He would never stand in the way of my dream, and I would never keep him from his. He has to stay on the ship with Luffy to find what he is looking for. We need to leave so we can train. That’s just how it goes sometimes.”

Teki was silent for a few more minutes. “Will he still be my Kasan?”

“If that is what he wishes, yes. Your okasan and I have already approved that,” Zoro thought bitterly. It was bothering him that he was taking Teki away from Sanji, but it couldn’t be helped. He had to go, or risk screwing up in a battle, or worse, failing to beat Mihawk when the time came. Maybe in time Sanji would come to forgive him, and they could try again.

“Arigato, Tousan. I love you.” Teki said sleepily.

“And I you, my son.” Zoro tightened his arms around the small form and held him as he slept. The night was peaceful and quiet, Zoro’s body warmth enough to keep Teki comfortable as the swordsman watched the empty sea for danger, awaiting the dawn that would bring change to their lives.

TBB,OTHA

The next morning brought forth a mixture of gloom and cheer, though the only ones who understood the gloom were the Captain and the two green-haired nakama. Everyone else was full of excitement because the next island was in sight. After a solemn breakfast, covered only by Usopp’s stories and Chopper’s enthrallment, Zoro and Teki went down to pack their things. It wasn’t much to begin with since they never made it to the store to buy clothes for Teki or Zoro back in Somerton. Luffy had assured them that Nami would give them a little travel money so they could fix that. When Zoro removed Saya’s swords he sat down and motioned Teki over to him.

“Do you remember these?” Zoro smiled at the boy’s slow nod.

“Okasan liked the dragons. She always called me her little ryu.”

“She said that she wanted you to have them.”

“But she told me they were yours.” Teki was confused. He was sure that his mother told him that these dragon swords belonged to his real father. “Why would she tell you to give them to me?”

Zoro laughed. “Maybe because I already have three and you have none?” He noticed the perplexed look and decided to approach it from a different angle. He held up the swords and smiled. “This is a Tachi, or a long sword and this is a Kodachi or short sword. How about we share? I’ll keep the large one and you get the smaller. One day you’ll be able to use them both.”

Teki bounced with joy as Zoro fixed the belt over Teki’s shoulder so that he could carry the sword on his back. For now Zoro wrapped the other back up with the bokken and tied a rope on it so he could carry it on his back as well. It wouldn’t do to try and carry four swords at his hip and he didn’t have another way to keep it safe. The rest of his meager belongings were stuffed into a bag and thrown over his shoulder as well. Nami called down to them to get their sorry asses up on deck because they were landing, and they scrambled to comply.

They had pulled up to the coast side of a dense jungle, wondering what might await them in the town on the other side. Not wanting to attract any more attention, Nami had decided not to just burst right into town and proceed with a bit of caution. Sanji offered to stay with the ship, saying he could go and get the supplies he needed when the others got back. They stood on the ground reading to leave, making sure that he didn’t need anything at that time. He had noticed the extra baggage that Zoro was carrying, but couldn’t bring himself to say anything. Besides, Sanji was having a hard enough time trying not to get upset at the sight of Teki with a familiar sword strapped to his back. The blonde was brought back into the present with a firm tug on his pants.

“Kasan, I have to go now. I will always love you.” Teki wrapped his arms around Sanji’s legs and squeezed hard.

“I…I love… wait… what do you mean you’ll always? What’s going on?” Sanji bent down and picked the sad little boy up. “Are you leaving us?”

“What? Why?” The questions were echoed by the other clueless nakama.

“Luffy, what is going on?” Nami looked to her lover and could tell he knew something just by the saddened look on his face. “You knew didn’t you? They’re leaving and you didn’t tell us?!”

“You’re leaving?” Chopper cried and flung himself on Zoro and began sobbing. “You can’t leave us! Please!”

Teki buried his face in Sanji’s chest, muffling his words as he told his kasan what was going on. “We need to train. Tousan says when I’m strong enough I can come back. You’ll still be my Kasan then right? And you’ll teach me how to cook and fight like you too?” Teki pulled back to look up into Sanji’s shocked face. He was afraid that the man would push him away and not want anything to do with him anymore.

“I’ll always be your kasan, but I wish you didn’t have to go. I guess I’ll just have to make Usopp help with the dishes now.” Sanji tried to make the conversation light, but inside he was dying. His worst fears were coming true, he had lost them both.

Happy that Sanji was taking this so well, Teki immediately perked up. “He’ll do ok, but you’ll have to make sure he works. Sometimes he starts talking and forgets what he’s doing.”

“I will. You be good for your otousan and hurry back.” Sanji gave him one last squeeze and sat him down next to Luffy. He quickly turned his back to Zoro to hide his tears from the stoic man, not even paying attention to the rest of the conversations that went on around him.

Chopper pealed himself away from Zoro’s legs enough to yell at Luffy. “Tell him he can’t leave. You’re the Captain. Order him to stay. Tell him he can’t go!” the little reindeer wailed.

“Come back as soon as you finish.” Luffy looked at the very first member of his crew and grinned.

“Don’t worry, Captain. You’ll find another First Mate in the mean time.” Zoro clasped hands with his friend while they both laughed.

“Nah, I could never replace you. Besides, why would I get someone else when you promised to come back?” Luffy cocked his head to the side and looked up at Zoro with a knowing grin.

Nami and Usopp gasped in shock, while Robin frowned. She could tell something was off with everything and decided to do a bit of investigating. Everything seemed to center around Zoro and Sanji and she was sure that if the two of them just talked they could figure it out. Men could be so stubborn.

Chopper continued to cry as Zoro pried him off of his legs, begging for them to stay and not leave. Usopp came forward and helped remove the reindeer and forced his voice to work.

“Zoro, you’re not leaving because we couldn’t save her, are you?” Usopp prayed that he wasn’t the reason for their swordsman’s decision to part from the ship.

“No, Usopp, it’s not that. Teki and I need to focus on our training right now. With the bounties on our heads, it’ll be rough out there for him. I want him to be stronger before he sets out to sea. He needs to be able to fend for himself before we go out again. This way I can also choose when I meet Mihawk, and not just stumble on him one day.” Zoro clasped the marksman’s shoulder. “Thank you for keeping him safe for me. If you hadn’t done what you did, I would have lost them both. Saya fought just like we all do every day, and she died fighting for her dream. Don’t begrudge her the honor in that by blaming yourself.”

Usopp began crying and attempted to hug the tall man, thanking him profusely through his tears. Zoro fought to keep him off and Teki giggled at the scene. He laughed when Luffy picked him up and gave him a big hug.

“Make sure he doesn’t get lost for us ok? Work hard and come back soon.” Luffy passed him over to Nami who had come up beside them.

“I’ll just have to put Zoro’s loan on hold, and of course add this to it.” She handed Teki a small bag of money and kissed him on the cheek. “Take care, Teki-kun. We’ll miss you.”

Robin took him from Nami and tossed him in the air, catching him in a net of arms and smiling at his enjoyment. She sat him down and he was immediately attacked by Chopper and Usopp. Both of the ‘men’ were crying and blubbering like idiots while Teki laughed and reassured they would meet again.

Robin held Zoro’s gaze for a moment as she tried to decide if he was doing this out of need or guilt. Not able to read him, she nodded sadly as she said her silent goodbye. They watched as the two walked away, noticing the pained look in Zoro’s face as he looked for any reaction from Sanji. The cook refused to turn and look at them, choosing to climb back onto the ship and disappearing into the galley.

TBB,OTHA

Nighttime came and finally, Zoro and Teki drug themselves to an inn. They had spent the afternoon shopping for new clothing for both of them and Zoro was happily dressed in his white shirt and green haramaki again. All of the shirts that Teki had picked out had a dragon of some sort on them. He said it was in memory of his mother that he wore the image, and Zoro praised him for the choice saying she would be honored. It wasn’t until they readied for bed that problems began.

“Kasan was sad that we left. Why didn’t you say good bye to him?” Teki held up his arms as Zoro struggled to help him out of his clothes so he could wash up. “I thought you said that you weren’t mad at him.”

“I’m not mad at that baka-cook. He’s the one that’s upset, and he has reason to be.” Zoro tossed the shirt over into the dirty pile and started removing his own clothes. “Look, Teki. Lots of things happened that you don’t know about. Sa… Your kasan got hurt and it was my fault. It’s him who hates me. If I had taken care of that fucking bastard back then, none of you would have been hurt by him.”

“I don’t think he hates you. Did you ask him?” Innocent eyes looked up at Zoro from a now clean face. Teki placed the rag on the edge of the basin of water he had used to clean up with. “Don’t you still love him?”

Zoro took the cloth and began to clean up himself while thinking about the questions his son just posed. Did he ever get the chance to talk to him? No, something kept stopping him. Did he love the blonde? Of course. “Hai, I love him, but it doesn’t matter now. He won’t even look at me or speak to me. I’ll make sure you get trained so you can go back, but I don’t think he wants to ever see me again.”

Teki pulled on a clean pair of underwear and watched as Zoro finished washing. He looked at all the scars on his father’s chest, and the lines of the whip marks on his back that were still raw and pink. The fresh wounds on his shoulder and thigh were healing nicely, but would serve as a reminder for a very long time. Nothing made sense to the boy anymore. If his otousan loved his okasan, then why were they not talking? Did that mean that Sanji really did hate Zoro? Teki couldn’t accept that answer, and decided to find out for himself. He waited for his father to get into bed and climbed in with him. When Zoro’s snoring evened out, he snuck out of bed and put his clothes back on, grabbing his sword as well. Timing it so the door opened at the loudest point of the snore, he slipped out into the hallway.

Unlike his sleeping father, Teki had an impeccable sense of direction. He made his way quickly through the town, keeping to the shadows and avoiding any of the rundown areas. The last thing he needed was to be captured again. It took him an hour, but he finally made it to the edge of the wilderness and began picking out a path that should take him to the beach where the ship was anchored. Not knowing if anyone was still up, he quietly climbed up the rope ladder and pulled himself over the rail, only to be met by a very startled blonde.

“Teki? What’s wrong? Are you ok? Is Zoro ok? Did something happen?” Sanji panicked and began checking the child over for any injury.

“Shhh, Kasan, you’ll wake everybody up. I’m ok. I… I just…” Teki stumbled with what he wanted to say. He didn’t want anyone to be mad at him, but he had to know for sure. He began crying and the panic that had begun to fade in Sanji returned with double the force.

“Teki-kun, calm down and tell me what’s going on.” The cook picked him up and cuddled him close trying to calm his fears.

“Why do you hate him? He says you don’t want him anymore! Why? I thought you loved him!” Teki wailed into Sanji’s shoulder. “You can’t hate him. He needs you! He told me he loves you still. You have to love him!”

TBB,OTHA

Zoro woke up to a tapping on his forehead from an arm sticking out of his chest. He looked around and saw that Teki was absent from the room. Whatever was going on, Robin knew something, so he got dressed and hurried out the door. The Archeologist wasn’t waiting outside but he was greeted by a single arm holding a note.

“What the fuck?” Zoro grabbed the note and read.

Your son left alone so I have followed him. He has headed back to the ship. I will lead the way.

Zoro looked in the direction the hand was pointing and could make out a few others along the path. With a loud curse, he took off running, being pulled back on path every so often by a randomly sprouted arm. He reached the clearing before the ship only to hear his son shouting at someone. Zoro slowed down to a walk as he listened in.

TBB,OTHA

“You can’t hate him. He needs you! He told me he loves you still. You have to love him!” Teki’s crying could be heard as he argued with the cook.

“What are you talking about? Of course I love him.” Sanji stopped to think about what he had just shouted out loud. Teki’s crying softened to a few whimpers and sniffling and the cook continued in a softer voice. “I love him more than I could have ever imagined. He’s the one who’s gotten all cold since it happened. He can’t even look at me without getting angry. I figured that he was pissed because she died protecting me. She fought that fucking monster for me and all I could do was lay there. Kami, why would he love someone as pathetic as me? It’s my fault she…”

“Oi, ero-cook. That’s enough.”

Sanji almost dropped Teki as he spun around to look at Zoro climbing over the railing.