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RUMBLE!	By : TreeStar Category: +M to R > One Piece Views: 7990 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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RUMBLE!

30

Broken

Zoro trudged out of the storage room wearing a small frown. By all rights he felt that he should at least feel some sense of triumph because the battle he�d just fought had not been an easy one. That bathroom was so cramped with a bench and a toilet and a bunch of other things that got in the way that it was a miracle his knees weren�t broken after the short but frantic chase with a small, fast centipede. Usopp hadn�t helped, either, jumping up and down to cheer him on half the time and then rearing back with a mighty shriek at inconvenient and startling intervals.

As he walked, Zoro contemplated his position.

What is it about me that makes these three think that I�ll help with all their problems? �Zoro, take me potty in the dark woods,� �Zoro, take a bath with me in case I slip and fall in,� �Zoro, kill the spider,� �Zoro, taste my food in case the natives poisoned it�. Why always me and never that stupid cook? he thought, even though he secretly loved it.

He headed up the steps, vaguely looking up to see if he couldn�t find land in the two random directions he glanced in. He only saw ocean, and it never occurred to him that since they were sailing toward this island, it was likely that any patch of land would be spotted in front of the ship instead of off to the side of it someplace.

In any case, he made for the kitchen door with a sigh, relieved that his lasted particular chase was over. Now he had to figure out what to do with a captain who didn�t particularly want to be around him anymore.

----------------------

"Hellooo! Hellllooooo!" Luffy whispered creepily into the jug.

After he had learned that only the faint smell of coffee remained even for his amplified senses, and knowing that he didn�t have much time to waste before the boiling coffee was released from above him and came pouring down, he had reached up and heaved a little more of himself into the hole, knowing he had to make the most of it because it was his only shot.

His whispers echoed around in the jug and Luffy found the effect haunting and unique.

It would scare Usopp so bad if our room echoed like this! Luffy thought with a soft laugh that bounced back to him.

He leaned in a little more and whispered again. Then he decided to add a little of his voice to the mix and listen to it come back.

It startled him when the enclosed space raised the volume and hurt his ears, and he slid forward in his surprise. His hand slipped from the button that was holding the little door open and the door slid shut hard and suddenly on his waist. This kept him from falling in completely and getting sealed up, but also clenched his rubber middle into a thin line and made him howl in pain. He felt like a wasp with his upper half intact on one side and his legs intact and dangling helplessly on the other with only a small bit connecting the them, and it was almost impossible to breathe. Little spots danced in his eyes as he reached back out through the tiny crack in the door that his body had managed to maintain and tried to get to the button to let himself loose again, but found that with his body in this shape he couldn�t get enough energy and control to apply enough pressure to open the door up enough to slide through. He fixed his feet on the side of the jug and started trying to yank himself out of the hole, but he abandoned that quickly as it hurt and wasn�t working.

He focused solely on his breathing and on the scent of the coffee that was getting steadily stronger. It was getting really hot inside.

Luffy reached back again to try for the button.

Then the galley door opened and he could make out Zoro walking into the room when he looked up through the sheets of glass in between the bronze.

The part of his mind that clung to consciousness filled with trepidation. On the one hand, he needed to get out of this contraption before he got scalded alive, which would happen any minute now. On he other hand, he wasn�t sure getting free would be much better than staying put when Zoro was giving him those disappointed looks that Luffy hated so much.

Of course there was really only one choice he had, though, and when Zoro called his name, he struggled to answer.

----------------------

Zoro looked around the room in avid confusion.

Where did he-- Oh hell�s bells, I was only gone for two minutes!

�Luffy,� he called.

He didn�t hear an answer.

Suddenly Zoro�s theory on why Luffy had elected not to join him to fight the Creature Behind The Toilet. Was he hiding like he had the other day? Why would he do that? Was he really that upset? Zoro didn�t know what take (if any) Luffy had on the night before, so he didn�t know what to expect.

Still, that didn�t add up right because Luffy was still scared of the ship to an extent and had insane attacks and there was just no way he would run off knowing that.

�Luffy?�

There was a scuffling noise over by the coffeemaker, and it clicked. I should have known, Zoro smiled with a shake of his head.

�Luuuffyyyy,� he sing-songed.

�Whaaaatieeee?� Luffy sang back in the same tone but with more nervousness. His voice was really muffled, making Zoro quirk an eyebrow.

�What are you doing?� he asked suspiciously. Had Luffy. . . ?

�Nothiiiiing�� Luffy answered again, his voice still very strained, but ringing hollow.

�Why didn�t you wait till I got back to do �nothing�?�

�Because�� Luffy trailed off trying to think of something, then repeated, �Because� with an �I-decided-so� note in his punctuation.

Zoro had walked around the table to the coffeemaker and stood in front of it. He could hear Luffy standing behind it doing whatever he was doing, and frowned.

�Whatever it is you�re doing, stop and come out here before that thing starts to pour,� he said.

�I�d love to,� said Luffy, defeated, �but I can�t.�

�You can�t,� Zoro repeated.

�I can�t,� Luffy confirmed. �I�m stuck.�

The scent of coffee was getting stronger and Luffy�s head was spinning in circles. This wasn�t supposed to happen! He had only been playing!

Zoro was trying to lean around the machine and find out what the hell Luffy had gotten himself into. When he saw Luffy�s butt sticking out of a hole in the back of the coffeemaker, his first reaction was to roll his eyes and snap at him, but that was quickly overrun by the second reaction--disbelief--when it registered that the coffeemaker was ON and Luffy was stuck half-in half-out of it.

�What the hell did you do?!� Zoro launched at him, even though the answer was pretty obvious.

He tried to reach around and push the button he knew would release the boy from being all but split in two pieces.

Unfortunately, while Robin�s power made her quite adept at managing every aspect of the machine, Zoro�s hands were too big to fit back in the narrow space, and as he realized this, his annoyance was replaced by fear. He couldn�t help Luffy when the little pirate was less than a foot out of reach! And of course the damn thing HAD to be bolted to the counter!

The scent was getting stronger, but more relevant to the immediate future was that the upper beaker was almost ready to make that whistle noise it made that meant the water was boiling and would be spilling down into the lower basin that Luffy was trapped in.

Luffy, who had since abandoned his nerves and started shouting to Zoro for help no matter how it hurt his ears, was enveloped with the same wave of panic Zoro was when they both realized he was well and truly stuck. He began flailing it arms and kicking his legs violently, shouting out in real terror. He reached out behind him again, except instead of reaching for the button, he instinctively tried to reach for Zoro�s hand only to find that his panic and made him lightheaded and he couldn�t make it all the way.

The scent became overpowering and his own shouts hurt his head unbelievably. The pinch of his abdomen had cut off a great deal of the blood flow to his legs, rendering them numb and useless.

Left with no other choice, Zoro grabbed the coffeemaker by the bars around it and started pulling when Luffy�s shouts quickly died out and stopped altogether. Legs growing weak, Zoro stooped down to look through the slats of glass between the bronze to see why Luffy had grown quiet and confirmed his fears. If Luffy was still conscious, it wouldn�t be for long. He hadn�t known before how much pressure had been on Luffy�s body, but what the overpowering scent of coffee hadn�t had the chance to do, the extreme pain and absence of regular breathing had done for it: Luffy was completely at fate�s mercy once again.

The boiling water came trickling down into the center of the lower basin, filling it quickly toward where Luffy�s body dangled just above the bottom, and Zoro did the only thing he could do.

Damning the consequences and hoping that his plan didn�t backfire on him, he grabbed hold of the bars again and jerked. The water inside sloshed back and forth and Zoro rocked faster to keep it from getting to Luffy before he got him out. Then, with one last pull, he wrenched the machine from the counter, bolts and all, and watched it fall to the floor with a crash as all the glass shattered upon contact and blew across the floor dramatically. The water splashed over the boards and Zoro was on his knees opening the door and yanking Luffy quickly from the wreckage.

As soon as the door opened Luffy gasped loudly for air and his arms clenched his chest in pain as he fought to replenish his system with oxygen. His skin had managed to avoid getting scalded, but breathing was the biggest issue of the moment and his fingers scrabbled wildly at his clothes as he gulped air like he�d been drowning moments before.

Then he was beside the cold water jetting from the faucet. The hands held him close to the stream that was making it easier to get air and eradicating the scent of spilt coffee. The pair stayed like that for a short eternity.

Zoro watched him soundlessly. There were a trillion emotions whirling through him, but not even one could conform into words.

After his breathing had somewhat regulated, Luffy started to say something. �Z-Zoro--�

�ZORO!�

�Zoro!�

�Luffy!�

Voices rang out behind them as people flooded into the room, attracted by the smashing glass and crashing mass.

Robin was quickest to address the problem, and got down to clean up the spilt coffee from the floor.

Luffy barely registered their presences. He was looking into Zoro�s eyes in confusion. There was disappointment and pain there, more so than Luffy had ever seen in Zoro, but it was the look of betrayal that stole Luffy�s breath away.

This wasn�t right! He could explain�!

�Z-Zoro. . .� he gasped again. �. . . Are you . . . I didn�t mean . . . It was--�

�Don�t force yourself,� Zoro said as he turned around toward where Nami, Sanji, and Robin stood watching them anxiously. He walked closer to them and looked at Nami purposefully.

Surprised and unsure, the navigator raised her hands to accept her captain when he was passed to her without a word.

�Zoro?� Luffy choked out, arms flailing weakly to get a grip on his first mate�s thumb before the pass could be completed. But he wasn�t fast enough.

�I can�t do this anymore,� Zoro said, sounding sad, but looking just as lost as Luffy had moments ago. It appeared that he had lost his way; something he�d believed in had backfired on him, and he felt betrayed.

Letting the little pirate go, Zoro moved forward between Nami and Sanji and went outside without no further words of explanation.

The only words of protest came from Luffy, who called after him as desperately as he could manage, but they weren�t as convincing as he would have hoped them to be, and Zoro ignored them, turning the corner and vanishing from sight.

Luffy couldn�t believe it. He tried to force himself up to follow Zoro out of the room, knowing his attempts were futile, but struggling against Nami anyway.

She began to speak soothingly to him, and her voice had a calming effect on him despite how he fought it. His eyes stung with tears as he finally collapsed into Nami�s hands, unable to support himself anymore. His chest still burned with every inhale. He�d pushed Zoro too far. He�d broken his promise. Not on purpose, of course, never on purpose! But Zoro had come back to find Luffy in danger once again, and no one else had put him there.

He should have waited! Why had something like a coffeemaker been such an irresistible draw anyway? Now it was lying in pieces on the floor in front of Robin who looked like she knew not what to make of it, Luffy was lying depleted and half-conscious in Nami�s hands, and Zoro was gone.

-------------

Zoro leaned on the railing of the Aft deck and looked unfocusedly down at the black surface of the ocean. The waves were lapping at the hull a little faster than they normally would, their current trying to tow the Merry Go off course, but the little caravel held true to her navigator�s wishes.

Zoro took none of this in, though. His thoughts were playing Anywhere But Here, and staying on one track was difficult.

He made me think that he� just so he could� how could he� does he want to hurt me? Is he that upset about last night? I didn�t mean to make him pull away from me! Or was he really just� How did it come to this?

He�d been there for a good share of minutes before he felt someone walking up to stand almost beside him. The walk told him that it was Sanji, and he frowned. Perhaps the last person he would desire to speak with after that particular turn of events was that nosy, assuming, poncey nance of a cook. But Sanji wasn�t going to leave, and Zoro couldn�t completely hate him for that, because Sanji knew Luffy�s condition, and that was something Zoro needed reassurance of.

�How is he?� Zoro finally asked without looking up from the water.

�He�d be better if you hadn�t run out on him,� Sanji answered disapprovingly, but Zoro could also detect understanding in his voice.

Sanji put his hands in his pockets and walked up beside the swordsman to look at the water with him. �He�s sleeping. Passed out just after you left. Nami-san knows how to take care of him, though. That�s why you gave him to her, isn�t it?�

Zoro�s silence answered his question, and Sanji took his hands out of his pockets to lean against them on the railing.

�You could have handled that better.�

Zoro�s eyes closed and he nodded despite himself. �Yeah,� he sighed.

�So� what happened?�

�Moron got stuck in the coffeemaker.�

For a second Sanji looked like he wanted to laugh, but he covered it up quickly and said, �Unbelievable� well, that explains the machine, I guess, but that�s not what I was referring to.�

Zoro pushed up off the railing and turned around to lean his back against it and look at the ship. �He made me a promise this morning.�

Sanji looked up in interest as Zoro continued, �You heard about what he did last night, right?�

Sanji bit his lip. �Ahhh� yeah. Sorry about last night Zoro. I never thought he would ha--�

�It doesn�t matter. It�s not your fault. But he was a wreck by the time he got up the mast.�

Sanji rocked on his heels. That never should have happened. Not even Sanji had expected Luffy�s desires for Zoro to go that far.

�He could have died,� Zoro said.

Sanji nodded, expression unreadable.

�So this morning I asked him, and he promised me that he wouldn�t do anything to put himself in danger like that again. He just walked right into it last night. No thought whatsoever toward repercussions--!�

�But that�s what makes Luffy who he is,� Sanji defended. �I mean, if he stopped being whimsical and impulsive, he wouldn�t really be our captain anymore, and we would all hate to lose him. Over the last twenty four hours he�s started reaching for the sky again. He hadn�t been doing that before. I�m more encouraged by his restored reckless behaviour than worried about it.�

Zoro clenched his fists. �I know that! But--�

�You know what I think?�

�I don�t care what you think.�

�Tough shit. Listen anyway. You�re a greedy bastard.�

Of all the things Sanji could have said, Zoro hadn�t expected that (though perhaps he should have). �What the fuck do I have to do wi--�

�You�re upset because he�s started reaching for adventure again whereas before he was only reaching for you. And before any of this started he didn�t reach for you at all. But then he started clinging to you, and you got all crazy in the head wanting to protect him, even though you know his spirit is stronger than yours. And now he�s reaching for something else again and you�re acting all jealous.�

�I AM NO--�

�Oh, you are too.� Sanji interrupted. �You stupid crap-guy, what the hell was with that crap-promise you made him give you? He can�t endanger himself? Have you forgotten what he does for a living? That�s the most asininely sentimental thing you could have done. And impossible. He can�t just stop being himself because you�re worried about him. Honestly. And you don�t want that either. You just didn�t think deeper down the well than you could see, which is hardly surprising. You�ve gotten all worked up over the delusion that he�ll decide he doesn�t need you around like he does now, you stupid git, and that everything�s going to go completely back to how it was before. But haven�t you noticed? Luffy�s changed a lot since we set sail. Like the rest of us, he grows with each experience he has. He never walks away from anything and pretends it never happened. He was screaming for you when you walked out, jackass. Now after five days, doesn�t that tell you anything? You couldn�t ascertain any sense of permanence from that?�

Zoro didn�t look at him, but he didn�t argue either, so Sanji assumed he wanted clarification because he was so stupid.

�He�s striving for adventure again, yeah, but he hasn�t stopped reaching for you. And if you think he�s going to stop just because he gets big again, you�re in for a surprise. He�s young and naïve, but not as innocent as you think. He�s been through more than most adults have and he�s handled it all better than anyone could have hoped, but that�s because he holds a lot inside and we all know it. Since this has started he�s really learned to confide in you, and I doubt he�ll want to lose that. He needs that, Mosshead. He�s not just gonna forget. So don�t you run away from him just because it gets a little hard for you.�

Sanji reached for his shirt pocket out of habit for one of those smokes he so desired and almost kicked the railing over when they weren�t there, but then he forced himself to calm down and said, �Being close to someone means you don�t get the luxury of running out on them when things start to get rocky. You think I quit smoking for me?�

Zoro smirked at that. �I knew it.�

�Shuddup. The point is that you�re not off the hook yet, but he�ll be okay enough soon. And you needn�t be so paranoid that he won�t want you around afterward.�

Zoro scoffed. �I�ll keep that in mind if I�m ever paranoid about something so retarded.�

Sanji ignored this and spoke as if Zoro hadn�t said anything. �If there�s one thing Luffy�s not, it�s easily embarrassed.�

Easy for you to say, Zoro thought. But he�d stopped arguing aloud. Sanji had just touched on something important, though he hadn�t meant to. Probably. So why was the swordsman being so quick to assume that Luffy was upset? When Luffy was upset, he didn�t hide it.

Luffy wouldn�t break a promise on purpose. Ever. So how had this happened?

�I need to talk to him.�

Sanji nodded. �You should.�

He shot Zoro a look, and Zoro sighed in� something that was NOT defeat, because he would NEVER lose to Sanji.

�Damn it, stop agreeing with me. You�re making my ideas look bad,� Zoro grumbled, and the two headed back for the kitchen.

------------

Zoro and Sanji entered the kitchen and, unwittingly, the middle of a conversation.

�--entries keep getting stranger with each passing day, I swear,� Nami was telling Robin. She spared Zoro a glance as he sat down, but didn�t stop talking. �I could publish our log books and make a fortune as a comedy adventure novelist. That would be a great retirement fund, and it wouldn�t make my writing them pointless. But then I don�t know who�d publish them, as soon they�ll have nothing but a ton of accounts of the three biggest morons on earth trying to massacre the galley,� she added dryly, looking at the part of the countertop that used to be whole. �I could title it �Fifty Unique Ways to Destroy a Room in One Week: An Instruction Manual for the Incompetent�.

Sanji glared at the countertop and then at Zoro, who snorted a laugh at Nami�s words.

Robin looked politely curious. �You think you would be able to get away with publishing the log books?�

Nami looked confused. ��Be able to�? Why not?�

Robin smiled at her and indicated towards Luffy. �I don�t think he�d be thrilled with having the logs published for the world.�

Nami blew her words off. �Are you kidding? He�d probably get all excited about it. Besides, Luffy has never even looked at the log books.�

Robin smiled mysteriously. �Hasn�t he?�

Nami�s smile faded some at Robin�s tone. ��No. No way. He�s not that kind of captain. He wouldn�t care if I never wrote another word in them.�

�Wouldn�t he?�

Nami�s brow creased. �Robin, what do you know?�

Robin shrugged. �Only that I�m used to observing more than the rest of you are, and that there are times now and then in which we all leave the ship to go shopping and he hangs behind for a few extra minutes.�

Nami looked surprised for a moment and looked back down at her sleeping captain. �That doesn�t mean�I mean�he doesn�t stay for long enough to�Does he?�

She had never dared to hope that Luffy appreciated and took some form of interest in the work she did. She stole another glance at Zoro to find him smiling a lot like Robin (unbeknownst to him) and watching Luffy sleep in her hands.

Robin tilted her head. �I don�t know what he�s doing at those times. He has the right to privacy as much as the rest of us. But I have also noticed that on some occasional night that Sencho-san takes both watches, there will be a space open on the bookshelf where a log should be, and it�s always filled by morning. So take what you want to from that.�

�I think Luffy�s aware of more than you realize, Nami,� Zoro spoke. Then he frowned. How did Robin know all that stuff? Why was she paying such close attention to Luffy?

Luffy�s business isn�t her business, Zoro thought, hypocritically. It�s mine.

Nami was shaking her head in bafflement now. �But why does he wait until� Why wouldn�t he just say something?�

Sanji smirked. �Luffy�s a little unorthodox. Why does he do any of the things he does?�

Nami sighed, but then her lips quirked up in a small smile. �Well�it�s not as though anyone would take them seriously anyway� And there are loads of ways to get rich as a pirate.�

She turned to Zoro as If he hadn�t been sitting there for the last seven minutes and said, �So what happened?�

Zoro, looking ambushed, automatically answered, �Nothing.�

Robin was looking down at her coffeemaker again with a resigned frown on her face. It somewhat easier to let things go when you never brought anything on board expecting it to last more than a month.

�Oh.� Zoro said, catching a clue. �That. Luffy broke it.�

�That�s nice, Zoro. Blame it on the coma patient. Real mature.�

Usopp walked into the room and stopped abruptly upon seeing the new décor. �What the hell happened in here?�

�Luffy broke it,� Zoro repeated, pointing at Nami�s hands.

�Marimo was practicing sword ballet and kicked it down,� Sanji contradicted for the sake of being difficult.

Usopp looked at Zoro. �You do ballet?�

�Okay, okay, okay!� Nami stood up, and the two men that had been gearing up to fight sat back down. Usopp sagged with relief and fetched a mallet from the closet so he could get out of there.

�Seriously this time,� Nami said.

Zoro recounted what happened to the best of his knowledge. As he spoke, Nami passed Luffy back over to him, and Zoro took him without pause, lowering his thumb over his body and smiling despite himself when he felt Luffy respond to his touch in his sleep.

He was interrupted just one time, to be asked why he had left their inquisitive captain alone in the kitchen, and Zoro got around that with a simple �captain�s orders� which they all blustered and made a big deal about, calling Luffy�s sanity into account, but then Zoro was allowed to proceed without further comment.

�So,� Zoro finished, �now that you all know what happened, and that I�ll get this mess cleaned up, it would be a good thing for the rest of you to get back to packing up the ship for the storm before we reach the island.�

Nami looked tired and resigned to the fact that she sailed with blithering idiots, and Sanji was absently sanding down part of the remaining counter top (it wasn�t really THAT bad�). It was Robin who made the first move to get up and head for the door again.

�We do have our orders, after all,� she reasoned to the rest of them.

Nami nodded absently and looked back at the rubber Lilliputian. �Just make sure to get all the glass, alright? That�s the last thing we�ll need when we�re all running about later. And you�ll pay for this, too, Zoro.�

�What?� Zoro looked scandalized. �Luffy broke it!�

�That�s not what I heard,� she said as she followed Robin out the door. She was followed, in turn, by Sanji, who was declaring how glorious she was when she imparted selective hearing.

Once they had gone, Zoro crossed the room and crouched down to scrutinize the mess on the floor for the first time. It wouldn�t be hard to clean up, as it was all in one piece still, save for the broken glass. What interested Zoro was the catch in the back. He was trying to figure out what gave Luffy the inane idea to go inside that thing, on or off.

�I wasn�t trying to climb in all the way. I was just looking before.�

Zoro looked at his captain, surprised to find him awake and watching his swordsman in shame.

�I didn�t mean it to happen like that,� the captain said again.

Zoro looked back at the mutilated remains on the floor. �How long have you been awake?�

Luffy shrugged. �Not long. . . .Are you okay?�

Zoro could have laughed, but his heart wouldn�t have been in it. �I think so. Are you?�

Luffy nodded. �Sorry,� he whispered.

Zoro absently started gathering pieces of glass into the black bag sanji had left for him. �So am I.�

�. . .You came back.� Luffy was talking very softly, for him, and Zoro realized that there would be no point in pursuing what had happened with the coffeemaker. Luffy felt guilty enough without Zoro needing to say a word. The captain had put himself on eggshells.

Zoro cleared his throat. �Yeah. It wasn�t really fair for me to do that to you. Or to make you promise earlier to stay safe. It�s a lot to ask, for a pirate captain. You�re not used to avoiding danger��

�Why did you?�

�Why did I what? Why did I make you promise, or why did I come back?�

�Both.�

Zoro fidgeted a little. There was only one answer really, but he couldn�t just go all out right here in the galley and put his heart on display.

Could he?

He moved to the table and sat down, not sure how to start explaining himself. �I asked you to make me that promise because I was worried about you�I am worried about you.�

�I�m not made out of glass, Zoro.� There was nothing condescending in his tone. On the contrary, Luffy just sounded hurt, and that made Zoro feel bad, but the swordsman had to plea his case.

�I know. You�re made of rubber, which is so much more durable,� he quipped, trying to keep the sarcasm to a minimum.

Zoro had been hoping this would get a rise out of the boy, but Luffy didn�t respond.

He sighed and tried to fix it. �Luffy� I�m worried. I�m scared sick, to be honest, alright? So yes, I wanted you to try and stay safe. I�d do just about anything at this point for all this to be over and you to just be better. �And thinking about that was why I left. No! No, I didn�t mean it like that! Listen to me, okay? Just listen.�

And Luffy wondered what expression must have crossed his features to make Zoro wear the one he had on.

�I was upset before when I left. I didn�t mean to do that, I just needed to think.�

��About what?� Luffy asked quietly.

�About� this. About us.�

Luffy looked up at Zoro so fast his neck hurt. �Us?� he asked. The one word filled him with dread and excitement�

Zoro was encouraged by this reaction. Was that hope in Luffy�s eyes?

He took a deep breath and nodded.

�Yeah� us,� he said again. �We�ve� gotten a lot closer since this� whole thing-� he waved his hand absently �-started, and�� He took another deep breath and let it out. This was so stupid. Talking to Luffy wasn�t supposed to be this difficult!

In his hand, Luffy leaned forward and nodded for him to continue. �We have gotten closer,� he agreed as encouragingly as he could. He began tracing nervous patterns across Zoro�s palm, something he knew he hadn�t done before �this whole thing� started.

Nodding more to himself than to Luffy, Zoro persisted. �You�re going to get big again really soon. Could happen any minute now, really. And then� you won�t need me to be with you so much anymore� like we are now. And before that happens, I just wanted to�that is��

He trailed off because Luffy was shaking his head faintly now, and he thought the captain would say something. Luffy didn�t. His toes curled up in what was now fearful anticipation, and Zoro thought that� maybe, if he was interpreting these signals correctly and not just seeing what he wanted to see� Maybe Luffy didn�t like the thought of the pair of them going back to the way they were any more than Zoro did.

Maybe he could do this after all. Maybe--

The galley door swung open, making the occupants jump two feet. �You guys have GOT to see this island!� Usopp declared as he came in to wash his hands. �It�s so funky looking!�

Zoro blushed and looked at Luffy, who was equally red, but looking curiously toward the door. He didn�t seem upset by the interruption, and Zoro knew they�d been interrupted at the worst possible moment. Based on what his last words had been, he knew that Luffy had gotten the wrong idea, the exact opposite of what Zoro had been going for, actually, but the moment was gone.

Usopp was in the room, Chopper following a second later, and the knowledge of a new island on the bow had killed his chance.

As much as he hated to, Zoro knew he had to let it go for now. He just hoped he would get another chance to say what he needed to say before Luffy changed back.
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RUMBLE!