This story is a sequel to "Trainwreck on Kamabakka." It will also be 8 chapters long, although the chapters will be longer.

Summary: Sanji learns something as he and Zoro hitchhike across the Grand Line: the best way to learn is to teach. SanjixZoro, rampant OCs with Issues

Standard Disclaimer: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda, but he is such a good person he lets us fangirls have our wicked way with it.

Third-person subjective. ZoroxSanji

RelationShipwreck

A One Piece Fanfiction by Tyigra

Chapter 1: Wishing For a Breath of Air

Sanji was bored.

The kitchen of the Seeking Sea King, the two-masted schooner that he and Zoro were currently hitching a ride on, was adequate for everyday use, but lacked the tools for some of the fancier treats he liked to whip up between meals. But then again, there were no women on the vessel, the last one having given up the wandering life of a sailor to get married long before Sanji came on board. There was no point in cooking delicacies for a bunch of men.

Which was why Sanji found himself sitting on a barrel, chin upon his arms on the railing, watching the water flow by. Bored.

Oh, how I miss having Nami and Robin to cook for. Or Usopp for some crazy tales to listen to. Or Luffy to cause some mayhem. If Brook were here there'd at least be some music. Franky… Chopper… I miss you guys…

It wasn't that the crewmen of the merchant ship were dull, exactly. Sanji was just used to much livelier fare.

And then there was Zoro. The annoying bastard had the ability to be perfectly content no matter where he was, even if his present location was a sailboat on an ocean with no wind. The musclebrain was currently on his n-hundredth rep of swinging-his-swords-around-like-a-crazy-person, as if he would somehow lose his edge if he ever paused for a break. Just hearing him made Sanji irritated, completely ruining whatever relaxation he might have gotten from watching the soothing waves.

His patience snapping, Sanji got up from his seat and stomped over to where Zoro stood, shirtless and drenched in sweat. The swordsman paused his movements, apparently noticing the menacing waves of doom radiating off his back like a dark sun, and turned to cast an eye over the source.

"What?" he asked, brazenly unapologetic. Sanji couldn't find the words to properly express his anger so he settled for sneering in silence, body tense as a bristling cat.

Zoro casually sheathed his swords and located his towel, wiping the sweat from his face before it could drip into his eyes, which never strayed far from his interrupter. As if finally noticing the weather for the first time, he whipped the towel around the back of his neck and remarked, "Wow. It's really calm today, isn't it?"

Hatehatehatehatehate—

"At this rate it's going to be weeks before we reach the next island."

HateHateHateHateHate—

"Huh. Well. I guess that means I've got plenty of time to lift some weights, then."

As soon as he began turning away Sanji struck, a flying kick aimed straight for his head. Zoro met the thick boot heel with the flat of his blade and it was on. Heads peered out from open doors and around sails to see what all the racket was, only to shake in amusement. Some of the sailors went back to what they were doing, but most stayed to enjoy the show. After all, watching two people as amazingly skilled as their hitchhikers fight never got boring.

Even if this was the fifth time today.

* * *

Zoro was having a blast.

The wounds from his two altercations with Bartholomew Kuma were as good as healed by now, and he was determined to make up for lost time. Truth be told, he'd been rather poor company since he began his solitary journey back to the archipelago. Worry over the state of his companions gnawed at him, along with the ever-present guilt that perhaps everything was his fault. He hadn't been strong enough, and after recovering from his injuries he felt even weaker. Healing had taken a toll on his body, and he would have to train twice as hard just to catch up to where he'd been, much less surpass it.

And while he was willing to do nothing but practice the basics and train his muscles until the crew was reunited once more, it was a lot more helpful and fun to have a worthy sparing partner. He doubted Sanji would fulfill such a roll if asked, just to spite him, but fortunately he didn't have to. The cook was running even more hot and cold than usual; when he wasn't pretending Zoro didn't exist, he was seeking him out to vent his frustrations.

He had reason to be irritable. Despite Zoro's badgering of any witnesses, he could not escape the obvious. Sanji had joined the crew while the ship was docked at Kamabakka Kingdom. Conclusions were going to be drawn. And the longer they were stuck in the middle of the ocean, the more prying questions he had to endure before he and Zoro could hitch a new ride.

Which was why Zoro was currently fending off a veritable whirlwind of feet. If the cook attacked him any faster, the guy was going to be filling the empty sails by his own power. A strike toward his head was parried with a blade, his counterattack dodged by a nimble weave which flowed into a spin, which he blocked just before the heel could collide with his ribs. Sanji pushed off the blade, using the momentum to flip backwards onto his hands and whirl his feet around, so that his whole body spun barely a foot off the ground as he aimed for Zoro's feet. The swordsman leaped into the air even as he swung two swords straight down, which Sanji slid right between with a handspring straight into the air. He struck out in the middle of his flip, narrowly missing Zoro's face when he jerked backwards. Landing on his hands once more, Sanji propelled himself into the broader man's chest, hoping to knock him down while he was still off balance. Zoro toppled over backwards, but used his momentum to turn the fall into a backwards somersault, taking the blond with him. Landing on his stomach, Sanji rolled to dislodge the swordsman from his legs and sprang backwards, breathing hard.

Zoro climbed to his feet, lungs heaving as well. They eyed each other as they paused to catch their breath, still ready to fly into action at the slightest twitch. The hair that usually framed Sanji's face was damp with sweat, tangled and clinging to his skin. Still no breeze stirred from the ocean to cool their blood, and the fairer man's skin was flush from his exertions under the heat of the day. Zoro found his concentration wavering as he watched a bead of sweat trail over the glowing skin, trickling down the neck and pausing to rest on a sharp collarbone.

--Sanji unresisting in his embrace as he nuzzled into the crook of that pale neck, enveloped in the scent of nicotine and alcohol--

Zoro twitched in astonishment at the image that suddenly popped into his head. What the hell was that? Have I been in the sun too long?

That's not a… memory… is it?

Suddenly Sanji was right in front of him, and just as suddenly Zoro was on the deck, staring up at the sky. Sanji smirked down at his stunned expression.

"I hope you don't go around navel gazing on the battlefield, Marimo. Care to enlighten me on what's so much more interesting then our fight?"

"Nothing," Zoro responded too quickly, averting his gaze. Sanji narrowed his eyes. "Must be a pretty big 'nothing,' if you can't even look me in the face."

"Shouldn't you be in the kitchen?"

"It's not time to start dinner yet. Don't change the subject."

"What about all your stupid snacks?"

"For this lot? And don't insult my cooking, crap-for-brains."

"You could try to make friends with them, you know."

"Like you have?"

"That's different."

"How?"

"You're the friendly type. It's easy for you."

Sanji blinked in surprise. Sitting on his haunches beside him, he peered down into Zoro's face. "Does this have anything to do with your drunken ramblings?"

"What…what ramblings? What did I say?"

"Nothing," Sanji replied, copying him perfectly. Zoro growled. Somehow the conversation had come full circle, right back to the same uncomfortable subject. They glared at each other, Zoro sitting back up and folding his legs without breaking eye contact, both waiting for the other to blink.

Their staring contest probably would have lasted until Sanji had to leave to prepare dinner, if not for the fact that a young sailor suddenly fell from the boom above them and landed on his back a few feet away with a loud thud.

Once again I have a highly misleading summary. Also, I liked the poem chapter titles so much I decided to do the same thing for this story too. Hopefully I won't lose all my readers thanks to the shift from humor to drama, and the addition of OCs. It's hard to sail a large boat with only two characters. :P

So... have I jumped the shark?