CHAPTER 3

The next morning dawned with spring in the air. Of course, it did that every morning, but Zoro was feeling particularly pleased with himself.

He wandered into the dining room, where the rest of the crew had already gathered for breakfast. The dining room table was covered in breads and fruits, with piles of eggs and meat disappearing into Luffy's mouth at an alarming rate.

"There you are," Usopp said from his position opposite Luffy, shaking his head. "All you do is sleep anymore, Zoro. Why can't you do something useful?"

Zoro arched at brow at Usopp but refused to be baited. Luffy took Usopp's distraction as an opportunity to take his meat. Usopp saw him out of the corner of his eyes, and rounded on him. "AH!! LUFFY!! Give that back!!"

"Look," Nami cried as she strode in, grinning to split her head. "I found a map!"

"That'll help," Robin said, pausing with her fork in the air.

"What's going on," Zoro asked as he took a seat, avoiding Usopp's lunge at Luffy.

"We're going to find the ruins," Luffy shouted, shoving Usopp into the table with one hand and pumping the meat in the air.

"Not interested," Zoro said, picking up his coffee and swallowing it in one draught.

Robin smiled secretively, and took a bite of her eggs.

"Aren't you curious," Chopper asked, his mouth full of fruit.

Zoro dug into his plate of fried eggs and bacon with his fork, and shook his head. "Not in the least."

"Well, we're going to find treasure," Nami grinned, bellies in her eyes.

"Adventure! Adventure!" Luffy hollered, hopping up and down, mouth full of food, and a piece of meat on the bone in each hand.

Zoro fluidly stood and whacked him outside the head, knocking him face first into the floor. "Not in here," he snapped, as Luffy picked himself up with a confused expression on his face.

"Oi, Zoro! I almost dropped my meat on the ground," Luffy snapped, nearly falling again as Usopp tackled him from behind.

"You found a map, Nami-san," Sakura said, wandering in. Her face was pale and she looked like she hadn't slept well. She wore a delicate kimono of embroidered black silk over a soft white underdress. She had pulled her hair back so that it was held by one golden ring, and it moved with the breeze. Zoro paused in his eating to gaze at her, blushed abruptly, and got back to his food.

"Yes, but…" Nami frowned at Sakura. "Are you okay? You don't look well."

Sakura smile faintly. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Oh, you look like you have a fever," Chopper said, moving to touch her forehead.

Sakura caught his hand. Chopper, she thought at him, please, let it go.

Startled, he nodded and backed up. She smiled brighter and said, "Chopper-san, can I just hold you for a moment. You're so cute and I think that would make me feel much better."

Zoro's eyes narrowed, while Chopper blushed and nodded.

"Oh, lucky deer," said Usopp, laughing.

"Who's luck… WHAT!!" Sanji came in carrying two knapsacks. His eye grew wide and, dropping the sacks, he whined, "Ohime-sama!! Why are you holding and petting that deer!" He grinned and straightened his lapels. "You should hold and pet me," he said lasciviously.

"Womanizer," Zoro muttered.

Sakura laughed, and held the blushing Chopper closer. "But you're just not as adorable as this little deer," Sakura answered, rubbing her cheek again the top of his head.

"I want to be a deer," said Sanji in awe.

"Sanji-kun, we've got business to attend to," said Nami in irritation.

Sanji grinned at her, lighting a cigarette. "Don't worry, Nami-san. You're still my favorite."

"Whatever," she said, unrolling the map on the table. It was on a thick vellum of a yellowish-brown color, the markings on it done in a primitive black ink that looked like it had been soaked into the paper. "Look at this."

Sakura eyed the map with a frown. "That map…" she said.

"Yes," said Nami eagerly.

"It's very old," Sakura ended. Nami fell over.

"Well, we can see that," Robin said, spreading it out more, using cups to hold it in place. "What is this parchment?" She rubbed her fingers together and shot a look of comprehension at Sakura.

Sakura nodded slowly. "Yes. It is human skin."

Multiple jaws dropped and Nami squealed. "Disgusting," she groaned, wiping her hand on her napkin furiously.

Sakura laughed. "It's not like we killed him for it," she said.

Robin examined the map. "The cuts are very neat. He must already been dead."

Sakura nodded. "He had the map tattooed on his back, and asked us to keep it after he died."

Nami moved forward and touched it again. "So it's not cursed."

Sakura shook her head and chuckled. "Not even remotely. But it IS an old map. Over a thousand years old."

She pointed at it vaguely. "The island has changed a lot since it was drawn, but I'm pretty sure it's the only existing map."

"Oh." Nami picked it up and ran a finger over the island's borders. "There's not much on it."

Sakura smiled, scratching Chopper's ears. "You may just consider it a guideline." She put out her hand. "Here, hand it to me and I'll make it useful."

Nami handed it to Sakura carefully, and Sakura picked up her knife. She glared at its tip until it began to glow red, and then white. She grinned at the gaping crewmembers, and swiftly marked a circle with an X in the center of the map and scratched in a long jagged line, cutting off a quarter of the island.

"GAH! You just marked on an antiquity," Nami hollered. "It might have been worth something!"

Sakura laughed. "Well, it's worth more to you now. It has the location of this temple and where the island splits."

Nami looked at it again. "The island splits?"

"About 300 years ago, there was a massive earthquake. The island was split into two, with all the fertile farm land on this side." She pointed to the part where the temple sat. "And all the wilds on that side. That's why this side of the island is so tame. Most of the violent creatures were either left on that side or killed on this side. Before that, there was a lot of room for everyone, but," she shrugged, "the cliff that the original temple was built on had eroded too much over time, and the earthquake was the final straw. We abandoned it rather quickly." She leaned over and took the cup of tea Sanji set for her. "There are many, many things left in that ruin, if you dare explore it."

"Well, that doesn't matter," Robin said, getting up. "We should be on our way soon."

"Before you go, let me give you some advice," Sakura said, waving Robin back down. "The tamed forest is called the Green lands. When you reach an area covered in red, the Red fields, you'll know you've hit the borders of the Green lands and are entering the Deep Woods."

She stroked Chopper's head, smiling. "At the end of the Deep Woods, you'll reach the island boundaries, and the crevice that divides it. There's only one way across, and that's the rope bridge here." She pointed to a spot on the map on the jagged line.

"Once you cross that bridge, you'll be on the other side of the island. You'll have to deal with Ratfors, Puercos, and Kohlahbras."

"Wha-at are th-those," Usopp asked, trembling.

Sakura smiled and kissed the top of Chopper's head, making him turn brick red. Sanji protested hotly, but only Robin noticed Zoro's bending his fork in half with one hand and leaving. She smiled into her coffee cup.

"Ratfors are giant rats that are as intelligent as men. Don't underestimate them," she said. "Puercos are huge boars that live in the forest and have strong territorial boundaries that they will protect to the point of death. They are smart enough to know that to allow you to leave alive will make them seem weak, so they are literally honor bound to kill you. The problem is, if you even get grazed by a Puerco's tusk, you may die from poison."

Usopp moaned and cowered behind Sanji. "Kohlahbras are giant pythons with amazingly strong jaws. They aren't poisonous, but they may take off your head with one bite."

Luffy's eyes got shiny. "Wow… I wanna see them!! They sound interesting!!"

The crew sighed.

"But I'm not worried about these guys," Sakura said, putting Chopper down and pulling a cloth sack out. "I'm more worried about the Cello spiders."

"Cello spiders," Nami repeated, paling. "Spiders? As in eight legs?"

"Spiders," echoed Sanji, also paling, "As in spinning webs?"

Sakura nodded. They groaned.

"Why does it have to be-" started Nami.

"Spiders," moaned Sanji.

"Spiders are okay, you guys," Usopp said. "They're kind of fun, if you know how to use them."

"These spiders are not, Usopp-san," Sakura said slowly, holding the cloth sack in her lap. She plucked a grape from the bunch that Sanji had presented her, and held it up. "They are about this size," she said, staring intently at them, and rolling the grape gently between her fingertips. "And they have a painless bite that induces death in less than ten minutes."

"TEN MINUTES!!" The chorus blew back Sakura's hair and she cringed.

"Within three, it's hard to walk. In five, it's hard to breathe. In eight, it's hard to move. In ten, your heart generally stops," she said.

They gaped at her.

"They're not hard to spot, since they are a shiny black with a bright green mark on their back that looks like a cello." She smiled slightly. "But, because you are going out there, I'm giving you this."

She pulled several small red pouches out of the cloth sack. "There's an antidote," she said. She handed one to everyone, smiling. "There is enough antidote for 15 bites," she said, while their jaws dropped.

"Wh-why do we n-need 15…" Usopp spluttered.

Sakura shook her head. "It's just in case," she said, "I wanted to make sure that if you get split up, if you hit a nest, if you lose one… there's enough to go around."

Chopper pulled one of the pills out and examined it. It was tiny and round, the size of a pinhead. "Wow, these are small! Will they work?"

"Chopper! Don't insult ohime-sama," Sanji threatened from across the table.

Nami and Robin also opened the bags and examined them. "Will just one work?"

Sakura laughed, gathering Chopper into her arms again. "So cute! Of course it will work. It's tiny because, if you are in the second stage, swallowing is hard." She frowned. "Whatever you do, do not move after being bitten!"

"Why not," Luffy asked, shaking his pouch.

"You help the poison spread," Chopper answered, earning another delighted hug. Everyone ignored Sanji's jealous sigh.

"Is there any thing else you need," Sakura asked.

Nami, Robin, and Sanji put their heads together and discussed it.

Chopper was eyeing Sakura strangely, and she flushed slightly under his scrutiny.

You smell different, he thought, a slight suspicion in his eyes.

She bit her lip, and shook her head slightly. Please Chopper, I know I do. Don't say anything.

Chopper frowned back and nodded sharply. She smiled pure joy at him, and he blushed so hard he nearly fainted. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear, dropping another kiss on his head.

"Ohime-sama," Sanji crooned, "When is it my turn?"

"Sanji-kun," Nami called in a dulcet voice, "We're leaving. Come on or I'll get angry."

"HAI, Nami-sawn!" Sanji frog walked towards her, while she and Robin walked on ahead, ignoring him.

Sakura walked them to the doorway, and watched them wave to her as they entered the tamed woods. She sighed heavily and swayed against the doorframe. Her head felt hot and she felt a bit drained. This, she thought, is ridiculous. I didn't use THAT much energy. What's going on…?

She pushed herself up off the doorframe. "I think I'd better go to bed," she muttered, wondering if she had the strength to walk there. She took a step, felt her knees wobble, and shook her head. No, no way. She considered her options but she hated them. No help for it, she thought. If I do it, I'll use up more energy. If I don't, well, I'll just collapse here any way. She summoned up her energy and diluted it through her body. " Secret Technique: Sakura Wind!"

She disappeared in a swirl of cherry blossoms, reappearing over her bed. She fell into the soft white covers with a muffled thump, asleep as soon as her head touched the pillows.

Outside, Zoro was leaning against the well, staring at the blue sky. He was thinking about Kuina and his promises to her. He was thinking about emotions he had locked up to save himself pain. Although being with the crew made him feel like he had a family, having a lover was a new one. He was no virgin, but having one of the girls that threw herself at you at a pub and a girl who gave everything including her virginity was a new one to him. Maybe, he thought randomly, maybe if she were alive, I would have had this with Kuina…? He grew angry with himself, because he had promised himself and her that he would never look back with regret. He would take what memories he had with her and move forward. He gripped wado possessively, unaware that he had picked it out of the pile without looking, and was holding it against his chest. He stood up, and slipped wado into its place at his side with practiced ease, adding the other two without trouble.

"I wonder where everyone is," he muttered, stretching. "I hope they didn't get lost."

He stretched out his neck muscles as he walked back towards the temple, thankful for the clearly marked path, and briskly rotated his shoulders. He didn't know where Sakura was, or any one else for that matter. He remembered that the others were going to go adventuring, and he considered trying to find them. Common sense kicked in and reminded him that he couldn't find his way out of a one-door pub without someone leading the way and arrows pointing him in the right direction. He flushed with embarrassment, annoyed with his inability. Magic eyebrow liked to tease him about it, and that it gave Sanji any ammunition was further reason to be pissed off.

"Damned womanizing cook," he grumbled, and yawned as he stepped through the dining room doors. The dishes were all still out, and everyone was gone. He wandered around the table a bit, frowning. "Strange. I wonder where everyone is?"

He decided to look for Sakura, mostly because he wanted to talk to her, but also because he figured she'd be the only one left.

He stepped back outside, and thought about it, flushing again as he realized he had no idea where she might be. That the dishes weren't picked up made him think that she had urgent business elsewhere, but she hadn't been feeling well. Maybe she went to bed?

He strolled around the temple, trying to look out for signs of life. A couple of deer watched him from across the courtyard, but none approached him. He was about to let loose a frustrated string of obscenities when a splinter of light caught his eye. He looked towards a small grove of cherry trees and he noticed that the wind seemed to move between and inside them. Curious, he walked to the other end of the courtyard and near the forest entrance. The last clump of cultivated cherry trees swayed to their own beat as he approached, eerily looking as if they were whispering to each other. Zoro arched a brow and moved forward, slightly spooked when they seemed to move out of his way. Feeling that he was on the right track, Zoro continued into the grove, and found the spark of light had been the sun glinting off a set of open doors. Soft white curtains murmured back and forth to the cherry grove's breath, and led the way into a hidden room. Intrigued, Zoro stepped inside, trying not to crush cherry blossoms under his booted feet. This, he realized, is impossible. The cherry wood floor was carpeted with cherry blossoms from the grove. Instead of trying to avoid crushing the delicate petals, he removed his boots, placing them outside the door.

This is her bedroom, he thought, staring at it. The floor, where he could see it, was polished cherry wood, glowing heartbeat red in the softly muted sunlight that filtered through the grove and the small paneled windows with more soft white curtains. A large canopy bed with more dancing white curtains, a dresser, and a small desk occupied the room, and he wandered to the desk without thinking. On top were a small mirror, a brush, a pen and a book with a piece of paper sticking out. Just visible at the top edge, he could see the words "the green-haired swordsman," and, curious, he opened the notebook.

I dreamt of him again, the green-haired swordsman. Is this the love of my lifetime? I've always known who would be my lover, in each and every life, but this is the first time I am excited by the prospect. He's so handsome and fierce! He'll come with many friends, and, in the end, I'll be glad for that. I can see him… see him strong and proud. Oh, how I'll love him, I'm sure! And I know, somewhere in his heart, he'll love me, even if he thinks he can't show it. He'll worry for me, and he'll think I'll be hurt. But I know this man in my heart, no, my soul remembers him. I feel that he and his friends will arrive in less than a month now, but the future is never to be trusted. Things change… still, I must be prepared. It's been a long, long time since I've had guests, and the row house still needs work. Vaguely embarrassed, Zoro closed the notebook, feeling perverted for having read her diary. She had been waiting for him? He looked across the room to the bed, where he could sense her presence, warm and inviting. There was no malice in her, no hate. She loved purely, and that also made him feel dirty. Had he really sullied such a delicate and perfect girl?

He heard her stir slightly, and he padded to the bed. She was curled on top of the covers, her yukata falling around her shoulders, and revealing a great deal of chest and leg. Her hair was barely being held in place by the gold ring, and it escaped to fall in enticing strands across her throat and chest. He looked down at the delicate girl and desire thrilled through him. He wanted to own her, ride her, and make her his again. She moaned slightly and opened her eyes, sensing his presence, his desire. The sleepiness of her face, the soft slackness, made him think of other times her face had been soft and open, and he leaned down, gently moving her hair out of her face. "Sleepy, huh?"

She smiled sleepily, and nodded, rolling over slightly to hold out a hand. "Come sleep with me," she murmured, rolling over more, and pulling him with her onto the bed. He allowed himself to be dragged, and, when he stiffly got settled, she snuggled in next to him. She could sense his desire, and she smiled secretly, a very knowing smile. But sleep pulled her under again, and she fell sleep to the feel of his warmth by her side.

Holding her, he was reminded of how fragile she was yet so strong. He sighed and leaned back, staring at the top of the bed. The smell of her hair was soft and citrus, like oranges ripening in the sun. Her cheeks were tinted pink, looking much healthier than they had this morning, and her lashes looked like Chinese black fans against them. She's right, he thought mildly, as sleep overcame him, her warmth lulling him into its embrace. I might love her, but I can never keep her.

With that thought, he fell asleep.

While Zoro was sleeping in the arms of the woman who loved him, Luffy was striding ahead of the group, grinning and repeating "Adventure! Adventure! Where are you, adventure!?"

"Luffy," hissed Nami, hands fisted at her sides, a knot of annoyance beating at her forehead. "Shut up!! We're trying to figure it out!"

Sanji smoked quietly while Nami and Robin discussed the map, and Usopp told Chopper exaggerated stories about his adventures. "There was this time, when I was seven, that a giant tried to attack our village…"

"Well, I suppose we should go west from here," Nami said, pointed at the line. "I guess we'll know these Red fields when we see them."

Robin nodded. "Yes, I think that's a good idea, Ms. Navigator."

Sanji realized someone was missing, and he asked, "Oi! Where's Zoro?"

Robin and Nami looked up from the map, and Luffy strode back, picking his nose. "Yeh," he said, flicking a booger into the trees, "Where is he?"

Robin smiled. "He didn't want to come."

Nami nodded. "I think he wanted to challenge Sakura again."

Sanji looked appalled. "I have to save her from that damned brute!" He turned to run back to the temple, when arms popped out of the ground and grabbed his legs, and more out of his hips to wrap around his chest and arms.

"Robin!" Nami looked at her, and looked back at Sanji. "Sanji-kun, I think it'll be okay if we leave him alone with her. She can take care of herself."

Robin's bland smile belied her thoughts on what those two might be doing. "Cook-san, I agree with Miss Navigator. I think that kenshi-san will be okay alone with Sakura-san."

Sanji raised his eyebrow at Robin, who continued to smile blandly, and a small understanding seemed to creep into his brain. "Ooh," he muttered. Damn that marimo head anyway! How dare he get lucky before me…!! If that's the case, he mentally amended.

Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper stared at them one after another, until Luffy asked Usopp, "Do you understand what's going on?"

Usopp shook his head and looked down at Chopper. "Do you understand what's going on?" Chopper shook his head, and all three of them stared at the bright red Sanji, the frowning Nami, and the smiling Robin. "Nothing important," Robin said, crossing her arms. The arms around Sanji disappeared.

The boys shrugged, and Nami sighed. "So easygoing," she muttered.

Robin shook her head. "Shall we continue, Miss Navigator?"

They headed west, Luffy still hyper and leading the way. When they stopped again for lunch, they all sat down with a small sigh of relief.

"I didn't realize this island was so big," Nami said, scratching some notes into a notebook. "There's a lot of forest."

They ate the sandwiches Sanji had prepared (Luffy also had rice balls, a huge bento box with extra meat, three apples, and a gallon of juice), and relaxed in their own thoughts.

"Eh – " said Chopper suddenly, as the wind shifted slightly. "Do you smell that?"

They stuck their noses in the air and tried to smell what he was talking about. "I don't smell anything," Luffy said around a loaf of bread he had stolen under Sanji's nose.

"Luffy!! TEMAE!" Sanji snarled, whacking Luffy outside the head. "How did you get that? You're going to eat all of our supplies!"

"Ah, but I'm hungry," Luffy whined, stuffing the rest into his mouth to Sanji's horror. "This isn't gonna fill me up."

"I'll stuff and fry you up," Sanji growled, kicking Luffy into a tree hard enough for him to bounce. A large round lump appeared on Luffy's head where he had hit the tree.

"Um, I'll be right back," Chopper said, turning into his deer-form and leaping into the woods.

"I wonder what that's about," Sanji asked around his cigarette. Usopp shook his head and shrugged. "It's hard to say with these Devil Fruit types…"

"What's hard to tell," Robin asked sweetly. Usopp smiled weakly and shook his head again, "Nothing, nothing! Heh heh…"

"AH! Where's Chopper at?" Nami was tapping her foot impatiently.

"I'm sure he had a reason to check out the smell," Usopp said reasonably.

Nami shot him a look, and he hid behind Sanji. "I'm just saying," he muttered.

"And I'm just saying he'd better hurry up," she snapped impatiently, her foot tapping get a touch more insistent.

"Oh, the impatient Nami-sawn is so lovely," Sanji purred, heart of love beaming.

Luffy, completely recovered, was sitting on a rock, looking at the trees, when he noticed something. "Hey, it's really quiet!"

"Except for you," Sanji murmured.

"Wait a moment," Robin said from the edge of the temporary camp, "I think sencho-san is right. If you listen, it's really quiet out there."

Nami, Sanji, and Usopp stopped moving and listened intently. The forest was very quiet with the rustling of leaves the only sound.

"He's right," Nami said softly. "Where are all the animals?"

With everyone listening so intently, it was no surprise that Chopper's sudden leap into the clearing made Usopp and Nami fall over in terror.

"Everyone! There's a problem!" He shifted to his chibi-form and pulled a red flower out from under his hat. "Look at this!"

They all looked and Nami said, "Oh, what a pretty flower!"

Chopper snatched it away before she could touch it and said, "Be careful!"

Sanji looked at the flower a little more closely. "Wait a second. Chopper, is that a poppy?"

Chopper nodded and held it away from himself. "It's worse. It's the Fire Poppy."

"Fire… poppy," Usopp asked, slipping on his goggles to eye it better. "What's that," he said, leaning in.

Chopper hit him on the head, making him fall on his face. "I told you to be careful," he shouted. "The Fire Poppy is the King-version poppy! It makes you sleepy to just smell it!"

"Oh," Sanji said, leaning back a little, "I've heard of this. The old man used to talk about pirates who had wandered into fields of the stuff by accident and never come back."

Chopper nodded. "It makes you fall asleep and you stay asleep if you don't get away from the smell."

"Well," Nami said, sighing. "That explains why there's no birds or animals."

"Yes, but how do we get around it," Robin asked slowly. She pushed back her hat a little. "Chopper, how many were there?"

Chopper shook his head. "A huge field."

"Ah, impossible," Usopp said, backing up. "We can't get across it."

"We can't just run," Luffy asked.

Nami hit him outside the head, eyes white with fury. "What are you thinking? Of COURSE we can't run across it!"

"Uh, why not?" Luffy rubbed his head. "Oi, it can't be that big!"

Nami pulled out the map. "Look Luffy, if this map is even remotely close to being accurate, we are barely here." She pointed to a mid-point between the jagged edge and the temple. "That means that there is a LOT of area to cover between where we are and the edge of the forests!"

Robin sighed. "Well, there must be something we can do."

Usopp glared resentfully at all of them. "I guess it's up to me," he mutter, rummaging through his bag. "I always have to save your asses." He pulled out what looked like a set of green cups and held them out. "Here."

Sanji took one and stared at it, as did Nami, Chopper, and Robin. Luffy grabbed one and beamed. "Oh, what is this? A cup?" He put it on his head and tried to balance it.

"Oi! Luffy!" Usopp snatched it off his head and handed it back. "Don't play with that! Ah, don't you remember when we went to the caves?"

Luffy cocked his head. "Um, yeh. We found a lot of funny machines… bats… bugs… um… glowy moss… and some old paintings."

The others stared.

"You did," Nami asked.

Luffy grinned. "They were neat! But Usopp wanted to play with the machines," he ended sullenly.

"That's because they were making strange things like these," Usopp said holding up the cup. "At first, I didn't know what they were for, then I thought it was for the smell of bat shit." He pulled a disgusted face at the thought. "There was a LOT of bat shit." He held it up, "But, now, I'm thinking that maybe it's for things like this too!"

Robin was turning hers over in her hand. "It's clever. There's these paper filters and then there's this little metal protector."

Sanji put it over his nose. "Well, you can breathe through it," he said, his voice muffled by the filter.

Nami shook it. "But how do we get it to stay?"

Usopp opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, and closed it and shrugged. "I didn't get that far," he said laughing.

Robin opened her backpack and pulled out some string. "It's silk so it shouldn't snag anything," she said, pulling out a few lengths.

"Uh, Robin, not that I'm not grateful," Nami said, tying her filter mask on, "but why do you have this type of thread?'

Robin paused in her threading of Chopper's filter and smiled slowly at Nami. "You never know when it's going to come in handy."

Usopp, who wasn't paying attention and missed the fear that shook Nami, asked, "For what?"

Robin chuckled and bent over to help Chopper tie it on. "What I do best, of course. Assassination."

Usopp stopped moving as terror trilled through him, and Sanji and Luffy stared at Robin.

In the silence, however, Sanji threw up his hands and crowed, "AH, the dangerous Robin-chan is still beautiful!"

"Yeh, say that when you're dead, moron," Usopp said, adjusting his mask. It didn't want to fit right over his nose.

"Oi, how does this thing work?" Luffy had managed to drape the mask over his ear and was trying to pull it around to his nose. That his ear stretched nearly to his nose looked both comic and disgusting, and Nami sighed. "Luffy, I'll help you."

While Nami adjusted Luffy's mask, Sanji and Usopp picked up the rest of the camp. "These things are hot," Sanji complained vaguely, packing the pots away.

"Don't complain," Usopp snapped hollowly through the mask. "At least you aren't going to have bent nose when we're done."

Sanji laughed.

"There," Nami said, hands on hips, examining her work. "Luffy, remember not to pull on that."

Luffy laughed through the mask. "Hee hee hee!! Okay!"

Sanji handed Luffy a pack, having already put on his own, and sighed. "How long do I have to wear this? I can't smoke like this."

Robin replied, "Well, if you were unconscious, you wouldn't be able to smoke either."

Sanji grabbed his chin for a moment and then quickly undid his mask. "Better get it now," he said, lighting up.

Nami shook her head. "If you pass out, Sanji-kun, then Luffy or Chopper are going to have to carry you." She shrugged, waving one hand. "Well, I suppose the boys carrying you won't bother you, right?"

Sanji paused, his eye getting huge in his face. He carefully smashed out the cigarette cherry and put the cigarette in his tobacco pouch. "Right," he said, tying on the mask. "I'm ready to go."

Luffy started laughing. "I could have carried you Sanji!"

Sanji turned blue. "That's what I'm worried about..."

"It's this way," Chopper said, pointing northwest.

They followed Chopper, but they didn't have to walk long. About ten minutes later, they discovered the Red fields.

"Wow…" murmured Luffy, "AMAZING!!"

He proceeded to leap up and down as they all stared at the Red fields. "It's amazing," whispered Nami incredulously.

"I didn't think she meant this," Robin said slowly.

The field of flowers that Chopper had warned them about and that Sakura called "the Red fields" was really a field of poppies as far as the eye could see. The vague scent of flowers seeped into the masks, and Nami said, "I don't know how long we're going to be able to deal with this!"

Sanji sighed. "Well, we'd better hurry across it. Is there any indication of where it stops on the map?"

Nami shook her head, ignoring the leaping Luffy. "No, not at all. It might be that Sakura doesn't know."

Robin frowned slightly. "I find that hard to believe."

Luffy stared across the field. "Let's just go. What happens, happens." He started walking, ignoring Nami's squeal of outrage.

"Why does he always do that," she snarled.

Usopp sighed. "We'd better follow. Who knows what trouble he'll get into by himself?"

Chopper tapped his mask. "I'm gonna guess this mask is only going to last an hour before we have to change the filter."

"How do you figure," asked Usopp, crouching to stare the deer in the eyes. "These were hand made by me!"

Chopper said, "Because, I can still faintly smell the flowers. It's going to end up seeping into our systems more slowly, but it still will get into our bloodstream."

"Which means we'll pass out," Nami said.

Chopper nodded.

"We'd better hurry, then," Sanji said, "Luffy's getting a lead on us!"

"Dumbass," Usopp muttered. "And where is Zoro when we need him. Lazy bastard."

Zoro sat up and sneezed, rubbing his nose violently. "Eh.. someone's talking about me," he muttered, sniffling.

"Oh, you're awake," said a familiar voice, and he looked up to find Sakura smiling down at him, a tray with a sandwich and what smelled like coffee on it. "I thought you might be hungry," she said, a faint flush across her cheeks.

He eyed her for a moment and then grinned. "I just wasn't expecting you to wait on me."

She put the tray down on the small nightstand, pushing a small pile of books to one side, and moving the small lamp back. She brushed back a strand of hair that had escaped from her loose ponytail with the back of one hand and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Are you okay?"

Zoro snorted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I should be asking you that question. You looked pretty ragged this morning."

The slight flush on her cheeks bloomed into bright red spots and she said, "Ah.. that... I...uh.. suspect it's from all the energy I used to heal you."

Zoro arched a brow at her and peered into her beet red face. "Why do I think you're lying?"

She avoided his eyes and quickly stood up, turning her face away. "Um... if you're not hungry, I'm going to take this back to the kitchen."

She missed the mischievous grin that flashed over his face has he reached over and grabbed her around the waist, easily pulling her over himself onto the bed. He kept rolling until he was looking down at her still red face, her breath stolen by his impetuous move, the white canopy spinning slightly as she recovered. He grinned harder and said, "Maybe I'm not hungry for food?"

If possible, Sakura's face got hotter and she stuttered, "Zo-zoro-sa-m-ma... I don't--"

He started laughing hard, head tucked into his chest, and she started lightly slapping at him. "What's so funny?"

Still grinning, he leaned down, just a hair's breathe away from her lips and said, "You. You weren't this bashful yesterday."

She felt the blush from her toes to the roots of her hair. She squirmed beneath him, managing in the process to bury herself deeper in the soft white comforter. "Hidoi! That was yest--"

She was surprised by his kiss this time. Before, it had been rough and demanding. This time, he was gentle and warm, teasing her lips into surrender.

Her embarrassment slowly fell away under his kind softness, and the razor-edges of his desire no longer wanted to break or devour her, proving who was master, but instead wanted to taste her heart as a woman. In his kiss, this time, she tasted the potential for love.

She opened herself to him with a sigh, and his large hands crept inside her yukata, brushing her ribs gently before finding her breast. She gasped as he lightly squeezed, playing the nipple with his thumb. "Zoro," she said in a strangled voice.

He grinned in a knowing way, and chuckled deep in his chest.

"No rush, no emergencies this time," he said into the curve of her throat, nibbling the thin barrier between him and heavy pulse of her heart.

I don't care, she thought, as he kissed her deeply, I don't care what tomorrow brings. He'll always be with me in one way or another... and I'll love him into eternity.