I was cleaning up the kitchen of Gina's restaurant watching people as they came and went. When we left Robin on that island Zoro and I separated too. He didn't speak a word to me though out our journey here and I didn't feel like saying anything either.
He only said goodbye once we reached this island in the North Blue and I had said nothing to him. I hated being back here because the chances of meeting my family were high but, it's where we told Robin we were going in case she wanted to follow.
Robin, I did miss her and still do but, I understand why she wanted to stay where she was. I don't think I'll ever understand how much she suffered being the last of us to survive then having to face the back lash of the entire crews families. She is strong though, always has been but, I wish she waited for us or at least expressed how she felt after everything happened, better yet, I wish she cried.
Anyway, it's all in the past I suppose. I check the newspaper everyday to make sure she isn't caught or had died but, there is no way of ever being sure of that is there? Communicating with each other is out of question. We've been in hiding for 23 years now and even though we want to check up on her, it isn't worth the risk of being tracked.
Ah yes, I said we. Zoro and I reunited after the initial 12 years of separation. I found him drinking in the woods near an abandoned house I'd made my home and he moved in. We didn't speak for the first two months but, I eventually asked him how he was doing and in his drunken state, told me to mind my own business. We fought, like we used to but this time, he was holding back… just like I was. We were both aware of the other's injuries and after an hour of back and forth, we stopped.
We both sat on the floor, panting harshly as the last 12 years hadn't been kind on us and it wasn't until Zoro put his hand on my back that I realised I was crying. Silent tears fell down my cheeks and I was confused as I had already mourned my crew long ago but, if I were to guess, I'd say I cried that night because I finally met up with someone from my past.
"Thank you for today Sanji" Miss Gina said making me smile
"Not a problem Miss Gina, I'll see you tomorrow" I said making the older woman nod as I walked out her restaurant and up the mountain to our house. I enjoyed these silent walks as it kept me sane for one but, I also got to appreciate the night sky.
I bet you're wondering about Miss Gina and why she hadn't turned me in to the marines yet right? Well, she was a really big fan of our crew back then. We'd apparently saved her and her sister's village from the Blackbeard pirates back then. She had later moved to the North Blue, as she was born here before being taken into slavery, and when she heard about what happened to us, she was devastated. She saw me and gave me a job as a 'thank you' of sorts. I'm the only cook in the restaurant and no one is permitted to enter there.
I may have lost my hand but, my love for cooking still remains. Zoro was actually the one who encouraged me to continue cooking as a way of coping. My hand had become my biggest insecurity but he showed me otherwise. Anyway, Miss Gina found me 10 years ago trying to buy spices from the market and offered me a job after informing me of who she was. When I told her about Zoro, she introduced him to her husband and now he works as a blacksmith.
"I'm back" Zoro said as I continued making dinner
"Hey" I said smiling at him before kissing him
"Hi" he replied kissing my cheek and sitting down
"I might just quit drinking"
"You? What? Why?" I asked staring at him in shock making him chuckle
"I can live without drinking you know" he said with a soft sweet smile but I didn't believe him and I guess my face said the exact same thing because he laughed
"What happened?" I asked when he's laughter died down
"I saw a strange ship earlier on in the day but then it just, disappeared" he said as I raised an eyebrow
"Ships don't just disappear into nothing love" I said making him smile and nod
"Which is why I said I might just quit drinking"
"Well, I don't care what the reason is, I'll celebrate you no longer drinking anymore. Oh, I should probably throw all the sake out" I said walking toward the cabinet but my hand was caught and I was held against him body
"I said might quit, might, love"
"And you claim you'd be able to live without it" I mumbles out but, that only made him bite my ear. Confused? I bet, let's rewind back to 12 years ago when I found him drinking in the woods.
Two days after the night of me crying, he started talking to me. He told me how everything had affected him and how he couldn't stop drinking. He had stolen all the sake he had been drinking over the years but that not the point, the point is, that Zoro opened up to me. He talked about how much he hated how weak he was, how he couldn't protect everyone, how he failed his crew even with the title of the strongest swordsman in the world under his belt.
It was the first time I had seen Zoro cry and the first time I had hugged him. I cried with him, reassuring him that he was enough and how none of us saw anything that happened coming. We were in the woods where we had fought a few days ago when he lifted his head from my shoulder and just stared at me. I still believe he did it because he was drunk but, Zoro kissed me. I was mind boggled when it happened but when my brain finally caught up, I kissed him back.
I avoid him like the plague after that but, after two weeks of avoiding him, I was pinned down to my bed while trying to leave the house early like I had every morning since that night. He told me I couldn't avoid him forever and how he may have been drunk but, he knew what he was doing. He apologised for making me uncomfortable and told me he wouldn't leave or deny what happened because I kissed him back.
Things went down hill fast from there, or should I say up hill? We kissed everyday, every time we saw each other, any time the other was in the same room. It was a lot to take in but, neither one of us asked why it happened because we both didn't want it to end. It was awkward the first time we tired having sex because who would bottom? I was willing to swallow my pride and offered myself making him smirk and kiss me before he thanked me. I was confused as to why he was thanking me but, then he offered to bottom first and I had zero complaints…he didn't speak to me for two days after that night because I was too rough then he got his revenge and we've been fucking ever since.
"…I heard you have a large order to deal with" I said watching Zoro wash our dishes
"Mmh, Iron is cursing everyday because they keep requesting changes with every compete batch of swords" he said making me chuckle
"How red did his face become?" I asked making him chuckle too
"Redder than Gina's when she blushes" he said as we both laughed. We moved outside to watch the stars like we did every night with me on his lap while he drank. His is drinking significantly less than he was when we first met but, the man still loves his sake and I still smoke like crazy.
"How do you think Robins doing?"
"You ask that every night love, and I still don't know but, I do know she's too stubborn to go down without a fight so, I know she's perfectly fine" Zoro said making me hum as we enjoyed the silence
"Oh, she's fine"
"…"
"…"
"Trust me"
"Who the fuck are you?"
"How'd you find us?"
"One question at a time boys but damn, I didn't expect you two to be this close with each other" the woman said but that wasn't my concern right now. My concern was that neither one of us noticed her presence.
"I'm nobody special and as to how I found you, someone told me"
"Told you? No one knows we're here"
"Oh contraire moss head, there is one person who knows" she said and I snorted at the nick name and I haven't heard in years
"Robin told you? Why? Where is she?" Zoro asked bring me back to reality
"Yes she told me your location, because she wanted you to be part of my harem and she's on her way here" she said making us stare at her
"She wanted us to talk first before gracing us with her gorgeous presence"
"Talk about what exactly and what is this harem business?" I asked making her smirk
"Oh, my apologies. My name is Amartey D Sheikh and I'm about to change your world" she said smirking at us making me chuckle
"And how exactly are you going to change the world of two old men?" Zoro asked making her smirk even wider
"Seeing is believing" she said before standing up
"Robin is inside your house, how about we join her?"
"How could you travel this far with her without being discovered?" Zoro asked but was ignored as the woman walked into the house leaving both of us outside
"Should we?" I asked him making him sigh
"Better than having unanswered questions" he said as we walked back to the house. I opened the door and dropped the bottle of sake I was holding as right there, in Zoro's favourite napping chair sat Robin
[Pic Of Robin]
"Robin?" Zoro asked making her smile
"It's been a while" she said making my eyes widen
"How are you-how is this possible?" I asked making her giggle and stare at the woman we saw earlier
"Ready to talk now?"