Thanks for the reviews everyone! It's heartening to see that readers are enjoying this story. Thanks for giving me motivation to write on! (smile) One thing I'm worried about though, is Aiko coming across as a Mary-Sue? (shudder) I hope not, but do tell me what you think.

My apologies in advance but this chapter is a bit long…anyway, here it is.

Strange Disappearances

It was late in the morning when Zoro finally awoke.

He squinted at the sun already well above the horizon. Sunlight was beating down on the exposed beach with cheery determination, turning the white foamy tops of the tossing waves into gold. It looked like the start to a hot sweltering day, he thought as he shut his eyes momentarily against the glare.

The sand shifted and felt warm under his palm as he pushed himself up and looked around groggily. The camp was just stirring, all similarly sleepy-eyed from the lively party of the previous night. Scratching the back of his head idly, he yawned widely as he absently looked his companions over, habitually checking to make sure that nothing was amiss.

His gaze went automatically to Aiko first, satisfied when he found her to be exactly where he expected her to be, kneeling at the spot beside the fire where she had slept, folding her blanket up neatly.

A picture of utter harmless domesticity.

Usopp was shaking sand out of his boots, grumbling as he pulled them on. He gave the still snoring Luffy a friendly wake-up kick as he passed him on the way to the barrel where they kept water for washing, trying to smooth down his wiry hair as he went. Only Robin appeared to be her usual immaculate alert self, sitting at the little foldable table Sanji had set up for her, surveying the small personal morning rituals of her awaking crewmates with amused eyes.

The relaxed, lazy mood of his friends set his mind at ease. He listened to the sea lap at the shore with soothing regularity. In the bright light of morning, the forest looked less sinister, the lush vegetation and faint sound of birds amongst the leaves high above made it seem peaceful and full of life.

Zoro stretched and rolled his shoulders back in contentment, combing a hand back through his cropped green hair carelessly. The night had passed in safety, his nakama were rested and happy, nothing as far as he could tell suggested danger.

It all made it very easy to ignore the buzz of unease still nagging at the back of his mind.

"Hey, has anyone seen Chopper?" Usopp sat down beside the fire, rubbing a towel at his damp hair.

Sanji spared him a glance and shrugged. The fire had died down during the night and the cook sat on his heels by it, trying to coax the smoldering embers into flames. "He told me he needed to relieve himself and went into the forest a while ago."

"And he's still not back?" Aiko's voice was sharp. Zoro studied her with narrowed eyes, the tension returning to his body in a rush.

"Oh don't worry about it, Aiko-chan." Sanji sang out as he balanced the skillet over the now blazing fire and started laying out strips of bacon onto the hot metal. The fat sizzled merrily. "Chopper may look all cute and cuddly like the little fur-ball he is, but he's strong. He can take care of himself."

"I know, but…"

"Ah, and knowing Chopper, he's probably spotted some medicinal plant or something and forgot all about the time examining it." Usopp added.

"Sure, but I think…"

"They're right, you know." Nami cut in, sitting down beside their passenger. She acknowledged the enthusiastic morning greeting from Sanji with a nod, one hand toying idly with the necklace of small shells the cook had made for her the night before that still hung around her neck. "There's really no need to worry. Even if Chopper got lost, he can smell his way back to camp." She rolled her eyes with a sly smile. "He's not Zoro, you know."

Zoro flushed with silent anger and his crewmates burst into loud laughter at the long-standing private joke about their crewmate's poor sense of direction. Aiko looked from one chuckling pirate to another around her, bewildered and anxious. She bit her lip and fell silent, casting one last nervous look at the forest before starting to pick at her breakfast.

However, their general mood of optimism dampened down a little as the pancakes and eggs were all eaten, with Luffy managing to snatch the last piece of bacon even before it could be taken off the pan-

-and there was still no sign of Chopper.

"Well, I suppose we should just set out and meet him on the way?" Sanji said, standing up and dusting off the seat of his pants. He spoke casually, but Zoro caught the undertone of worry in his voice and looked up abruptly, frowning. The cook ignored him, dousing the fire and turned an inquiring eye to Luffy instead. "Captain?"

"Ngnhnn…" Luffy pouted mournfully at the obvious signs that the morning meal had ended. Then he perked up at the thought of exploring, his face lighting up with a huge eager grin as he clamped his straw hat firmly down on his head. "Yeah! Let's! Maybe Chopper's met some huge interesting monster…I want to see too!"

"Mon-mon-monster?" Came Usopp's predictable quaking. "Er guys…you all better go ahead…I think…I'm allergic to forests…Wait! I say wait! No…LUFFY…!" He wailed as his captain dashed towards the trees, happily dragging him behind.

From the corner of his eye, Zoro saw Aiko's face turn chalk pale, her eyes wide and fearful.

Then, she took a deep breath as if to calm herself, her lips pressing together into a thin hard line. After a brief touch to the largest knife she used in her woodwork that hung from her belt, she stalked after them towards the forest as well, her green eyes glittering with a strange determination.

Zoro stared thoughtfully after her, glowering darkly. He had a really bad feeling about this.

He glanced around to see if anyone else had seen Aiko's odd reaction but Nami was selecting some simple cartography tools to take along and Sanji was busy simpering beside her like a fool.

A delicate cough made him turn around to meet Robin's steady gaze. There was a calculative look in those dark intelligent eyes as she nodded solemnly at him before letting her lips spread into a slow meaningful smile.

She's noticed it as well… Zoro watched as the tall archaeologist pick her way gracefully across the sand, mentally relaxing just the tiniest bit as she caught up with Aiko, falling into step innocently beside her.

It was considerably darker once they moved into the trees. The leafy branches were thick above, blocking out most of the sunlight and cast small random spots of ever-shifting brightness on the ground. Zoro trudged grimly through the woods, all senses keen and alert. The unsettling feeling was stronger in the shadowy dimness of the forest. The hair on the back of his neck prickled and he found himself fighting the urge to draw one of his swords. He settled instead for wrapping his hand tight around Wadou as his walked, tensed and watchful.

Around him, he could hear the rest similarly trampling about, dispersed in the general vicinity and looking for their doctor though in much better spirits. Blocked by the closely spaced trees and dense bushes he couldn't see his crewmates but he could hear them shouting for the reindeer in a merry cacophony of voices, interspersed with lighthearted laughter.

"Che! Idiots." He muttered. The ground was spongy beneath his boots as he walked deeper into forest, a combination of loose earth and moss. The hot humid weather of the island was even more unbearable in the depths of the jungle. Although out of direct sunlight, the air in the forest was still and musty. With no wind to stir the leaves, it was heavy with a sickeningly oppressive feel, smelling strongly of earth and rot; so saturated with moisture, the leaves glistened wetly with dew and clung to him like a clammy hand.

A couple of minutes into the search and sweat already drenched his brow and spotted his thin shirt. Wiping the side of his face with his sleeve, Zoro ducked under a low branch and swore as a vine smacked him in the face. He brushed the offending bit of vegetation away, then slapped at some insect buzzing near his ear irritably, getting more and more annoyed by the minute with this stupid forest, this stupid island, this stupid…oh where the hell was Chopper?

Standing for a moment to catch his breath, he glared at his surroundings. "Chopper!" He cupped one hand to the side of his mouth and yelled. "Come out! We haven't got time for games!"

He was about to turn away and move on when he spotted a small splash of colour amidst the grey shadows and green bushes. Bending down, he snatched it up and his eyes went wide when he saw what it was.

It was Chopper's pink top hat, except half its brim was gone and one side had caved in as if crushed by a great force. An angry tear sliced through the white cross at the front neatly.

Zoro swallowed hard. The vague apprehension of the past week coalesced in one shining moment into a terrible certainty in his mind. Dread fell like a ton of lead straight down to the pit of his stomach. His fist trembled as his grip tightened around the soft felt of the hat.

I need to find the others! Warn them before-

A piercing scream of raw unadulterated terror knifed through the air before he could finish the thought.

That's Aiko! He spun around wildly, sword flashing from its sheath and then he was off, running as fast as he could towards the sound.

The scream had died off, leaving an ominous silence in its wake. But Zoro continued to dash doggedly through the forest in its direction, weaving between the trees and crashing through the bushes, slashing with his sword when the undergrowth grew too thick for him to pass. It was then he became aware that the forest had changed.

The woods were too quiet. He had been bothered with the oppressive heat and distracted with the search for Chopper that he had not noticed it earlier, but now it was only too apparent. The noisy twittering of the birds in the canopy had faded to silence. Even the ever present low hum of pesky insects that filled the humid air was gone. The forest was dead, eerily silent with tense anticipation, as if the trees themselves waited with baited breath for inevitable calamity.

There was something hostile in the air-something powerful and very, very dangerous.

Zoro cursed as he ran faster, the sound of his heartbeat thundering in his ears.

Bursting through another patch of dense shrub, he collided straight into someone and was almost knocked to the ground. He had drawn his other sword and was prepared to attack when he recognized the sparkling eyes and the messy toss of black hair beneath a familiar straw hat. A small movement to his left turned out to be the trembling tip of Usopp's nose protruding from behind a tree.

"Zoro!" Luffy grinned from where he had fallen on the ground. "You gave me a scare!" He got up, rubbing his behind and called to the sharpshooter. "Hey Usopp! You don't have to hide, it's only Zoro."

"I wasn't hi-hiding." Usopp poked his head out from behind the gnarled trunk tentatively, eyes darting warily everywhere. After making sure there was indeed no threat, he swaggered out from his cover confidently and hooked his thumbs into the straps of his coveralls, striking up an exaggerated pose. "I was battling this flesh-eating flower that was trying to swallow me whole. But I, the Great Captain Usopp-"

Zoro growled and silenced him with a curt gesture. He had no time for one of Usopp's elaborate lies. "Did you hear the scream? Where are the others?"

Before either of his companions could answer, a faint noise of activity wafted over the still air. Sanji's distinctive smooth baritone, low and urgent but nevertheless gentle with concern, sounded somewhere to their left. "Aiko-chan! What happened? Are you all right?"

Zoro glanced at his crewmates and jerked his head towards the voice. They pushed their way through the bushes to finally arrive at the scene.

The young woman cowered beneath a large tree. She was shaking, one hand pressed to her mouth as if to stifle her own screams. Her large green eyes were enormous in her ashen face, wide and staring with unspeakable horror.

"It's alright. Tell us what's wrong." Nami had her arm around the distraught girl, rubbing her back soothingly, trying to ease the whittling knife from her tense grip with little success. Aiko didn't seem to hear her; she appeared to be lost in shock, her small brown hands were clasped around her knife so tight the knuckles were white.

Sanji hovered fretfully over the ladies, chewing on his lower lip anxiously; his exposed blue eye was serious and troubled. Catching Nami's despairing glance, he nodded and knelt down in front of Aiko.

"Aiko-chan?" He folded his long-fingered hands gently around her smaller ones, quietly urging her to look at him. "It's us. We're here. Don't be afraid."

She blinked, finally meeting his gaze. "S-Sanji-san?" Her lower lip trembled and tears filled her eyes. The knife slipped from her grasp and fell noiselessly onto the loamy ground. "I…I'm…"

"Where's Robin?" Zoro asked suddenly.

Her eyes shot up to stare at him, as if just noticing his presence, recoiling a little as if staggered by the question. Terror flickered briefly through her eyes once more and her face darkened with unmistakable guilt before she looked away hastily.

"I don't know…I didn't see…" She stammered, pulling her hands away from the cook's comforting grip and wrung them together uneasily in her lap. "We were walking together, talking. Then, something…something must have attacked her because when I turned around, she was just…well…gone!"

"And I suppose you have absolutely nothing to do with it." Zoro sheathed his sword and folded his arms across his chest, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You bastard! Are you out of your mind?" Sanji rose fluidly to his feet, his face tight with anger as he strode over. "Are you actually blaming her for this? How dare you! Can't you see how distressed she already is?"

"Oh, I'm not blaming her just for Robin's disappearance." Zoro muttered darkly, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on their stowaway. With a flick of his hand, he tossed the battered remains of Chopper's hat onto the ground for all to see. "I'm saying she's got something to do with this too."

A collective gasp went up as the Straw-hats froze, and then rushed forward as one to huddle in a circle around the precious item of their crewmate.

"Chopper…" Nami reached out with a tentative hand, tracing the length of the gaping slash gingerly. "Where did you find this?"

"Among some bushes that way." He answered, jerking a thumb over his shoulder, still watching Aiko intensely. "What have you done with them?" He demanded.

Aiko had buried her face in her hands but she looked up abruptly at his accusing tone. She held her head high, almost regally as she glared back at him defiantly. Her green eyes met his steadily, suddenly burning with a fierce light.

"I did not do anything." She spoke through clenched teeth, stressing each word to make the meaning of her statement clear. "There's something out here in the forest. It must have attacked and taken them."

"What is this thing then?" He challenged.

"I-I…It's…" She faltered.

Zoro's eyes narrowed into slits. "I knew you were trouble the first time I saw you. You'd better tell me what you've done," He growled, one hand touching his sword in warning. "or else I assure you, you'll be very sorry you had even thought of boarding our ship."

She faced his threat unflinchingly. "I'll tell you one more time, I have nothing to do with this!"

"Oi, shithead! How dare you speak to a lady in that way!" A foot came flying his way as the irate blond lashed out at him.

He dodged the cook's blow and turned to Sanji, grinned tightly in anticipation of the fight. The stress of the situation was getting to him; he desperately needed an outlet. His sword found its way easily into his hand and he held it up, ready to attack.

"Ack! Zoro! Sanji! Stop, stop! Listen, now's not the time for this…" Usopp rushed between them, flapping his hand about like a distressed turkey as he tried to keep them apart and failing miserably.

A loud laugh rang out suddenly and made them pause, mid-fight.

They both turned, with Zoro's hand still fisted around Sanji's tie and the cook's shoe mashed against the side of his face, and looked at Luffy. Their captain broke into another peal of boyish chuckles. "Man, you guys are funny…" He grinned confidently, completely unaffected by the grim circumstances. "There's nothing to worry about!"

With one last venomous glare at one another, they released their hold simultaneously and broke apart.

"This is serious, Luffy. Chopper and Robin are missing, probably in danger somewhere."

"Yeah, captain. What are we going to do?" Sanji echoed Zoro tersely, for once in agreement with the swordsman. He adjusted his tie and stuck a fresh cigarette between his lips; his shoulders hunched sullenly as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "I'm very worried for Robin-chan."

"It's okay, you guys!" Luffy nodded fervently, the full strength of his faith shining in his smile. "Robin and Chopper are strong. They'll be alright."

Zoro frowned. His friends were indeed capable and could take care of themselves. Besides, it was absurd to think that a skilled, resourceful woman such as Robin could be incapacitated by a simple country girl like Aiko. But he couldn't help but still be bothered by his suspicious about Aiko; she was more than she seemed and he wasn't sure if she was telling them all that she knew.

"Still," Nami spoke up, slipping the three segments of the Clima Tact from her thigh holster and assembling the weapon with a sharp click. "let's search and meet up with them before going on to Aiko's village. They may be in need of our help." She fingered Chopper's ruined hat thoughtfully before fastening it to her side for safekeeping.

"Of course! Let's find them!" Luffy crowed, dashing off into the trees with delight, probably taking Nami's suggestion to be a hide-and-seek game.

Nami sighed and slapped a resigned hand over her face. Mumbling tersely about idiotic captains, she headed off in the opposite direction to start her search.

"Nami-san is so wise!" Sanji trailed after her, his whole demeanor was one of dreamy devotion. But Zoro saw the sober and watchful look in the cook's eye. There was a guarded rigidity in the taunt line of his shoulders as he sidled up beside the navigator, keeping protectively close as they walked.

"I think I'll stay with you, Zoro. With your bad direction sense, you'll need my super-duper, better-than-a-log-pose senses to-" Usopp took one look at the demonic glare the swordsman was giving Aiko and gulped. "-or maybe not."

"Er…hehehe…you two enjoy yourselves. I'll just…ummm…go and…er…" He backed away nervously, before turning and breaking into a run after their captain. "Luffy…!"

The hush of the forest filled the air once more as Usopp's cries faded into the distance. Left alone, they stood in a strained silence for a moment.

"Still won't tell what you've done with them?"

"I've done nothing!" Aiko snapped self-righteously. "There's something in these woods and I'm telling you, it's taken them."

"So if you want your friends back, I suggest you'd better start looking for this creature and plan on how to kill it." She stated flatly. Then, as if it was her final say on the matter, she turned her back on him and started walking away.

"Oh no, you don't." Zoro caught her arm roughly and tightened his grip when she tried to twist away. "You are with me." He smirked at her indignant expression, his eyes narrowed threateningly. "And you'd better not to be up to anymore tricks."

She huffed angrily and rolled her eyes but kept silent. Together, they moved off, plunging back into the jungle once more.