The Curse of the Sword

Sanji

It was scary. To feel it. The warm touch. Was it really warm? Maybe was just his imagination. He just wanted him to be warm. Not cold like the last months before his death. His skin was soft. Softer than before. It didn't have this yellowish color, which Zoro remembered clearly. And thank God, his face wasn't hollowed. He looked just the same, as the time he stepped for the first time on Going Mary. Was it still there? That little scar over his shoulder on his back, left from the would that Absalom made back on Thriller Bark. He looked so real, yet, just a mirrage.

"Zoro..."

"Stop calling my name. I don't like it." The swordsman said and released his hand from Sanji's grip. Again this raspy voice. It was just not real.

"But, I came home!" he said. From that hurted even worse.

"You know what. Go to the others, tell them that you're ok, but I want you to leave me. It's hard anyway, so please." Zoro turned his back to the mirage and went on his favourite spot. Exalcly the back of the ship.

"They are not here." Sanji said behind him. "Why are you like this? You believe in possessions over bodies, but don't believe in me? Where is the fucking point?" Zoro stopped for a while and then turned his face toward the other. He was there, yes. But he was dead. If Nami didn't told him about the mirage sea, by now this thing in front of him would have been laying on the floor with his neck cut. How was this possible? He hated the thought of someone taking Sanji's face and using his words. That's why he pulled out his white katana and put it on the others shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"I want you to take off that face." Zoro said, his voice shaking. The edge of the sword had cut the skin, and now was bleeding. "I don't want some miserable creature to walk around with Sanji's face."

"What if I tell you everything? Everything that happens after the incident till my death?"

"Shut up!" The swordsman hissed angrily. "I don't want to hear this from you!" His had was shaking. He didn't want to go through that again. Zoro was trying desperately to fight those memories. Why? Why have something changed him so much? Why have something like this fucked up his personality? It looked like some disgusting joke.

"You brought me back here. You cryed. You confessed to me..."

"Stop..."

"You took care of me. You saved me. You promised me..."

"I don't want to believe you!" Zoro said. "Because everything is fading away. And as soon as we leave this sea, you'll disappear!" It hurted. It hurted him more that this thing wanted him to believe that he is real. And then would disappear without a word.

"Niaga evil, evol, eid." Sanji said. That was the sentence that was writen on the cursed sword. Why did he knew about this. More than a year, till now, the whole crew was trying to find out the meaning of the fucking sentence.

"You know what this means?"

"Already, yes." He saw the curiosity in Zoro's eyes. He had to do it. Now or never. He had this only chanse. He looked at the swordsman and smiled. "I hope that you'll be able to make me remember." This left Zoro dumbfaced to a few seconds. Was that the meaning?

"What?"

"You have to read it from the back, to the begining." From the back? The four words? That was the thing they had to do? And no one knew this simple answer. So then, the right sentence was... He was cut by Sanji's soft lips, pressing against his. The cooks hands grabbed Zoro's neck, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss. The swordsman froze for a second.. He couldn't keep his overwhelming emotions and kissed back, pushing the tounge inside Sanji's mouth, exploring every inch of it. The cook tried to pull away from the kiss, but Zoro didn't let him on the moment. He was scared to let him go, scared that after this he'll disappear. When they parted, Sanj looked at the other boy with tearly eyes and said:

"Die, love, live again." said Sanji. And then fell on his knees, his hand pressing against his heart. His face changed. Till now calm and peaceful, now was showing fear. He was frightened, his body was trembling. The boy tryed to say something, but couldnt find his words. And at last: "He- he sta-stabbed me... he... I thought I would die!" He started crying. Zoro kneed next to him in shock. Just, what happened. Was that an instant memory loss? What was the meaning? Sanji grabedd Zoro's shirt, gripping it. Something was off.

"LUFFY!!" The swordsman sreamed. The fog was starting to disappear. But the boy before him was still crying. He heard fast steps and then showed the Captain, followed by Robin. The two of them couldn't believe their eyes. They saw their dead crewmate. For Zoro everything that happened after saying the sentence was off, as if the cook turned back to the point where he was stabbed by Kazuwa. Then, maybe everything that he said till now had faded from his memory. ' I hope that you'll be able to make me remember.' To make him remember? So then, he knew nothing about those two years. His memories started when Kazuwa attacked him. And the most scary thing was that he was breathing again, he was warm, his eyes glowing, lips trembling... He was back? Zoro wanted to smile, but he was afraid that everything will fade away.