One Piece Fan Fiction ❯ Broken, Only to Heal Again ❯ Forbidden Touches and A Bedtime Story ( Chapter 14 )

Chapter 14

 

Luffy sat on his special seat aboard Merry. He stared out at the horizon and thought about all that had happened during the past few days. He now had a new crewmate. Granted he was only as tall as Chopper, but he had great potential. Teki was the son of his First Mate, the man who would one day be the greatest swordsman in the world. The thought made him think about what it would be like to have a child of his own. He had asked Sanji earlier about how it happened and got lots of information.

 

*flashback*

 

“Sanji, what is sex?” The innocent captain asked the cook.

 

“What? You mean no one ever told you?” Sanji almost took off his own finger as he slipped in cutting the vegetables on the counter. He received a sad no and Sanji searched his pockets for cigarettes. He may have been swayed by Teki's comments but he was going to need them to get thru this nightmare. He was about to refuse an answer when he caught the disappointed look on the younger man's face. “Sit down. I'll get the alcohol.”

 

“But you know I don't like to drink.”

 

“It's not for you, it's for me.” Sanji sat down at the table and pushed aside the unpeeled potatoes. He lit up the first of many smokes and thought back to Zoro's earlier comment about a talk with the childish man. He poured a stout shot and finished it quickly. “I know you and Marimo spoke earlier, so what did he tell you?”

 

“Well, I'm not supposed to tell you what we did but I guess I could tell you what he said.” Luffy scratched his head and thought back to what the swordsman told him about kissing. “He said that I should ask you about it. But he told me about kissing. He's really good at it.” Luffy beamed with pride at the thought of his First Mate's ability to kiss.

 

“Is he now? I guess he told you that you have to take what you want by force, huh. And how do you know he's a good kisser?” The cook had a small inkling in his mind of how the Captain knew, but there was no way that would ever happen. Right?

 

“Nope. He said that most girls like to be kissed softly, and it just takes practice. He showed me how to do it. He was a great teacher, even thought he said I didn't need to learn in the first place. I guess he was right. Nami seemed to like it.” Luffy smiled at the memory of his first real kiss with the Navigator. He hoped he could do that a lot more in the future.

 

Sanji was in shock. The way Luffy was talking, he and Zoro might have kissed. Why would they have done that? He suddenly grew very jealous of the Straw Hat Captain. “Well, since he taught you so much, why are you coming to me?” Sanji's voice was bitter. He finished his first cigarette and lit another.

 

“Well, we ran out of time. I asked him about other things, but we got interrupted. Besides, you are always around women. I bet you know lots more. That and he's asleep downstairs with Muteki. I want to know now.” Luffy looked over the table at him with wide innocent eyes.

 

He was torn between jealousy and flattery. The fact that he knew more about women than the green-haired brute was obvious. Until recently, Sanji had thought the man a virgin. The presence of a child on the ship proved that theory completely wrong.

 

“OK. You tell me what went on in the holding cell and I tell you about the pleasures of a woman's body.”

 

“Deal!”

 

Over the next few hours, Sanji learned that Zoro had rough lips and liked to use his teeth. He tasted like alcohol and mint. Luffy learned just why Mr. Pee Pee grew, and what he was supposed to do with it when it did. Apparently the nights Luffy had relieved himself in the men's room, he had been asleep and unaware. He acted purely on instinct. Sanji prayed that Nami would forgive him if Luffy screwed up. It still pained him to think of her with someone other than himself, but knowing it was his Captain helped him cope. Besides, he had a pair of firm lips and a set of strong teeth to occupy his mind right now.

 

*end flashback*

 

Luffy thought back to all of Nami's odd actions over the last few months. The difference in her routine, the little touches, the way she spoke to him, and even the fact that she was letting her hair grow long. He really liked her hair. Sometimes she would stand close to him on the deck and the wind would carry the scent of her special soaps. He wondered if she smelled that way all over. He could feel himself starting to get hard. Sanji said that the best way to get rid of it was to think of bad thoughts or jump into cold water. Well the water thing was out, so he had to think of something disgusting.

 

Nami watched the different expressions cross Luffy's face. First it was his normal `thinking' expression. Next he looked amused, then wistful, and finally uncertain. She couldn't help but think back to the kiss earlier. Everything happened so fast. It was exactly what she wanted, but now that it happened, what were they to do? Did she want a risk a relationship with him? He was, after all, planning on becoming the King of the Pirates. Would he even want to think of settling down with anyone? How could that work under these circumstances? She should have thought this through before she fell for him. Who would want to start a family out here, especially with her? A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. Before she could wipe it away, a hand brushed her face, taking the lonely tear with it.

 

Luffy was sitting there trying to think of something bad when he caught a whiff of her floral scent. Seeing the tears well up in her eyes had to be the worst thing in the world for him. He feared he had done something wrong again. He was always doing something wrong according to her. He stretched out his arm and wiped the tear away. His head hung at the pained look in her eyes. He just knew it was because of him.

 

Nami grabbed his hand as he started to pull away. She held it tight as she walked toward him. When she reached the figurehead she stopped and looked up at Luffy.

 

“Luffy, I hope you're not upset about the kiss earlier. I've just wanted to do that for so long that I didn't think about how you might feel. I'm sure you don't want me like that. It was just an emotional response to finding your hat. If you don't want to, we won't do that again. We can pretend it neverrraahhh…”

 

Nami found herself being yanked into the air. Strong arms wrapped around her and she landed on her butt in front of a laughing Captain. He pulled her up tight against his chest and buried his nose in her hair.

 

“You're so silly. Of course I want to do it again. I really liked it. I just don't understand why you didn't just do it earlier. If this was what you wanted, why didn't you tell me? Then we could have been doing it all along.” Luffy stated this matter-of-factly. He wondered how long he had missed out on her kisses. He felt her relax and lean back into his chest.

 

“I didn't think you looked at me like that. You never showed any interest in a girl, so I didn't know what to do. I thought maybe you were like Zoro.” Nami was shocked. She couldn't believe he was upset because it didn't happen earlier. Oh how much time they had wasted. She wondered what else he was ready for. Maybe they could convert one of the store rooms into a private sleeping room. He was the captain after all. He needed his own room. She giggled as she realized he did have a personal room. It's just that she took it over when she joined and was currently residing in it with the only other female aboard the ship.

 

“What do you mean? What's Zoro like?”

 

“You know, he likes men instead of… Wait, you mean you didn't know? Oh please don't tell him I said anything. He doesn't realize we figured it out.” Nami turned to look at him. Luffy couldn't keep a secret to save his life, so she had to figure out a way to keep him quiet. Kissing was the first thing to come to mind. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his just as he started to comment. He immediately shut up and deepened the kiss. Just as Zoro had done to him, he nibbled at her lower lip. She gasped at the forward action, and moaned when Luffy slid his tongue into her mouth. How could he be such an idiot and also such a great kisser at the same time? She eagerly met his tongue with her own.

 

The need for air made her pull back from his embrace. They smiled at each other and all their previous worries melted away. Luffy pulled her close against him again and together they sat in his special seat watching the sun set.

 

“I like kissing you much better than Zoro. Your lips are much softer, and you smell better too.”

 

If Luffy hadn't been holding her, Nami would have fallen off the ship. Here she had just begun to wonder if Zoro liked men, and Luffy had already kissed him. She always prided herself in being able to read people, and now the man she had fallen in love with was turning out to be something she didn't know. Did this mean that Luffy was bi?

 

“Um, Luffy, why were you kissing Zoro? Were you two seeing each other?”

 

“What? Oh. No, he just agreed to teach me how to kiss. I wanted to make sure I did it right if you ever wanted to kiss me. So was I ok? He said I didn't need any more practice.”

 

Nami couldn't decide if she was jealous that Zoro kissed Luffy first, or if she was just upset that she didn't get to see it. Her hopes that she could get the stoic swordsman and the flirtatious love-cook together just skyrocketed. She couldn't wait to tell Robin. There were so many things that they could do now that their suspicions were confirmed on Zoro's part. Now, they just had to work on Sanji. She brought her mouth to Luffy's in a quick, but deep kiss.

 

“Does that answer your question?” She laughed at his victorious nod. She kissed him on the nose, and hopped down to the deck. Shyly she turned back around to face him. “Luffy. I love you.”

 

They both blushed and she turned away to go find Robin. They had much to discuss.

 

The Captain's joyous shouts could be heard for miles. Zoro and Teki stirred in their sleep down in the men's quarters. Usopp and Chopper were working on a new exploding powder on deck. They dropped one of the glass containers and scrambled as black smoke filled the air. Sanji, who had been watching them cuddle, walked back into the galley with a sad cloud hanging over his head.

 

Depression was setting in for the Going Merry's Ero-Cook. His mood was reflected in his cooking. Dinner, while still better than most restaurants, seemed a bit bland. His blue eyes didn't shine as much as before when he served his two favorite ladies their portions first. Even his shoulders seemed to sag. He tried to focus his attention on the only free woman left. His hand would linger slightly longer than necessary on her hand as he handed her a drink, or her dessert. Her glass was always full, and her every wish was met immediately. Even Chopper noticed the unusually forced actions of the blonde.

 

Luffy sat at the head of the table as always. Nami sat to his right with Robin at her side. Usopp was to his left, where Zoro normally sat. Chopper sat next to the Marksman watching the cook intently. Everyone could tell that Nami's new relationship with the Captain was affecting him. The new couple tried to keep their flirting to a minimum in his presence. Every so often, Robin would lean in and say something. Nami would look to Sanji and nod in agreement. Toward the end of dinner, Usopp brought up their newest crewmate.

 

“So Teki is really his son, huh?” The long-nose pirate was still in shock about the discovery. If he had seen the boy's hair this morning he might have thought to ask him if they were related. To think of the unforgiving swordsman as a father was a hard feat.

 

“Yah, Sanji and I saw pictures of his mom back at the island. She was beautiful. I wonder what happened to her. Takuya never said she died, but he never said where she was either.” Chopper sat there looking pensive as he remembered the exotic woman.

 

“A woman like that with a buffoon like him… it just doesn't make any sense to me. What in the world did she ever see in him?” Sanji scoffed at the image it brought to mind.

 

Luffy cocked his head to the side and sat for a moment in thought. Finally he came to a decision. “Oi, Sanji. Where is Teki? I thought he was helping you in the kitchen. Did he eat all the food too? I know that's why you won't let me help anymore.”

 

Sanji shook his head and began to gather the empty dishes. “Chopper gave him the go ahead to see Marimo. My guess is that he woke up and they're talking. That or he has the moron's sense of direction and got lost or fell overboard.” Everyone paused and then rushed out of the room in search of the missing boy.

 

Luffy searched the decks and Robin took the Crow's Nest. Nami headed to her quarters while Chopper and Usopp took the hold and store rooms. This left Sanji to head to the last place he wanted to be right now. The men's quarters. The first thing that struck him odd was that the room was quiet. Usually Zoro's snores could rattle the rafters, but tonight there was nothing. A small lamp was lit in the corner casting shadows everywhere. Even in the dim light, the shape of a body could be made out on the old worn couch.

 

Zoro lay on his side, back against the cushions of the couch. Teki was using his large bicep as a pillow and had his face buried in the white bindings covering the large man's torso. Zoro's other arm was securely wrapped around the boy, keeping him from falling to the floor. The peaceful expression on Zoro's face made him look like a totally different person. He no longer looked like a rough warrior with all the worries of the world on his shoulders. Lying on the couch now was a young father, affectionately taking a nap with his son.

 

Sanji approached the sleeping pair silently. As if in a trance, he kneeled down, reached out and touched his nakama's face. Zoro sighed in his sleep, and turned his head into the cook's hand. Sanji stilled, afraid he had woken the man up. Seeing his even breathing and still closed eyes, the blonde took liberty with the forbidden contact. He caressed the high cheekbones and ran his thumb over the rough chapped lips. He followed the strong jaw line up to the his ear and traced the shell lightly. The touch must have tickled, because the swordsman grunted and shifted away. Sanji continued his exploration a little more cautious this time. He ran his fingers through the short locks. He assumed they would be rough like straw because of the lack of hygiene the ill-mannered brute displayed. Oddly, his hair was almost soft. He imagined it would be like silk right after it was washed.

 

His gaze drifted to the sleeping child. A pair of bright blue eyes stared back at him, wide and curious. Sanji jumped back and landed ungracefully on his ass. He blushed furiously in embarrassment at being caught in such an intimate act with the man. Teki giggled and put a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture. He eased himself out of the cocoon of blankets and arms, and stood before the very red cook.

 

Teki had opened his eyes the moment Sanji had kneeled beside him. He saw the look on the man's face as he touched his father in what could only be thought of as a loving way. Sanji must care for his father very much. He knew they were best friends, but he had no idea that they were more than that. His mother explained to him a long time ago, that it didn't matter what gender you were when your heart was concerned. He never really understood it until now. This man before him loved his father. Now he had to figure out if his father loved him back.

 

Teki knew that his mother had hurt the swordsman. She said that he would probably never forgive her for the very bad things she did. She would always love him, but he knew that they would never be together. She was married to that evil man, anyway. You couldn't be with anyone else when you were married. His Jii-chan had taught him that. But then, Jii-chan also said that only a man and a woman could get married. Did that mean that he would never have another mother? He thought that Sanji would make a great Mom. He was strict, but kind. He was an awesome cook and he cared about his father. He did look a little like a woman, too with always fixing his hair and clothes. This made Teki giggle again, louder than before.

 

Zoro groaned and rolled over to his stomach. They froze, thinking they had woke him up. When a loud snore echoed in the room they relaxed. Teki reached out a hand in order to help the cook up, and together they left the room.

 

Sanji was mortified. He had just been caught fondling the boy's father, and here they were walking hand in hand back to the galley. He wondered what the boy thought of him now. What if he misunderstood? What if he understood too much? What if he told? Oh, shit. That was a problem. If he said anything to the green-haired bastard, he would be needing more stitches than Chopper had ever given previously. Zoro would definitely run him through with all three swords… several times.

 

“Sorry for waking you up. I just came down to check on you since you never came up for dinner.” Sanji figured if he distracted him, maybe he would forget. “Are you hungry?”

 

“Hai, very much. That's why I woke up. I thought I smelled food. Did Captain Luffy eat it all? Usopp-san said that he eats a lot, and you have to fight him for food. But I never know when he's telling the truth. Does he always lie?”

 

Sanji laughed whole heartedly at this. “We don't know, Teki. We really don't know. Usopp was right about having to fight Luffy. Don't worry about food, though. If that bottomless pit of a Captain did eat it all, I'll make you something else. No one goes hungry on my ship.”

 

Teki's eyes grew as he tried to imagine fighting the man for his dinner. He wondered if everyone had to do that. The sounds of a heated discussion reached their ears as they approached the galley door. Nami and Usopp were yelling while Luffy was laughing joyously.

 

“That's not true! I just can't believe it! You're making it up.” The long-nose member of the ship was practically standing in his seat pointing at their redheaded navigator.

 

“You wanna make a bet? How about 500 beli I'm telling the truth?” Nami yelled back at him.

 

“Teki! We thought you got lost! I'm so glad you're safe.” The little reindeer ran up and threw his arms around his new friend. Teki gave him a big hug in return.

 

“Oi, what's going on here?” Sanji grabbed Usopp by the back of his coveralls and shoved him back onto the bench.

 

“Nami just bet Usopp that Zoro's gmmphhh.” Luffy was tackled by Nami with her hand over his mouth. He looked up at her completely confused.

 

“Don't worry about it, Sanji-kun. Just a little wager between friends. Nothing you'd want to get in on.” She looked up at him with her charming smile. Instantly Sanji was swooning over her, more so out of habit than anything. Nami made the mistake of letting her hand slip from Luffy's very loud mouth.

 

“But you said that he and Sanji would bmmpphh.” Luffy's mouth was yet again covered. A mischievous thought came to mind and he licked her palm.

 

“Aaahhh! What was that for?” Nami pulled her hand back and wiped it on his red vest. Chopper, Usopp and Teki were having fits of laughter. Even Sanji had cracked a smile at the goofy Captain's antics. Teki's stomach let out a loud growl and immediately the cook sprang into action. He eyed the mess on the table, verifying that all the food had been eaten. Cupboards were opened and ingredients began to gather on the counter. From somewhere in a hidden compartment in the icebox, a slab of meat was brought out and sliced. Luffy drooled in anticipation of an after dinner snack.

 

With a kick to the head, the Captain was reminded that he already had his turn. The whimpering man begged and pleaded with the Cook, but failed. Teki hurried to eat everything, remembering that he might have to fight for it if the straw hat pirate got around the blonde. With an appreciative belch, he pushed away his empty plate. He received an annoyed look from both Nami and Robin, while the others just grinned.

 

“Gomen. Thank you for the meal, Sanji-san.” Teki stood and bowed politely to the pleased cook.

 

“It's my pleasure, Teki-kun. Now let's get this place cleaned up. You get to be dishwasher now. Usually your father does it, but his hands are a bit tied up right now.” Sanji winked at the boy, emphasizing the joke by wiggling his fingers. The atmosphere on board the Merry was light and happy. The previous misfortunes in the day were forgotten.

 

Down in the hold, Zoro lay with his eyes wide open. The swordsman had been awake for a while now. The sound of the hatch opening had alerted him that someone was entering the room. The smell of nicotine confirmed their identity. His body had reacted on its own and leaned into the touch as he felt the caresses from the cook. Shocked, he pretended to sleep. No one had touched him like that in years. Why would the cook do it now? They hated each other, right? For some reason, Teki had it in his head that they were close friends, but Zoro didn't know if that was true. Sure they were nakama and watched each other's backs in a fight. But it stopped there didn't it? There was no affection between the two, only competitive rivalries. Sure, there were nights on watch that he pictured the blonde's mouth holding more than that measly cigarette. He'd even woken up hard from erotic dreams with the blasted man's name on his lips. On those nights he took a swim in the cold water surrounding the Merry.

 

But, Sanji was different than him. Sanji liked women and things of beauty. The way he practically killed himself to wait on the two female members of the crew made the swordsman sick. He heard Sanji a few times pleasuring himself in the dark confines of the room. He wasn't silent, but definitely much quieter than the other two. Usually, Nami's name was on his lips as he climaxed. Every so often, another mumbled and distorted name would fall. Because of this, Zoro refused to believe the Ero-Cook had any romantic feelings for him at all. Besides, a barbaric swordsman like himself didn't stand a chance with a refined gentleman such as him. Zoro decided to just stick to the docks when they ported and fuck the first willing blonde he came across. That should get the idea of having the Cook out of his system.

 

Zoro groaned and put a cloth covered hand over his eyes. He forgot about Muteki being with him now. Well that threw the idea of sex out the window. He needed to spend as much time with his son as possible. He had six years to make up for. First they would get the bokken. After that, they would find their way back to the beach to begin training. Though he hated to admit it, Zoro knew he had a warped sense of direction. He hoped that Teki got his navigating skills from his mother.

 

There was no way he'd get any more sleep tonight. He might as well train. Zoro looked at his hands and tried to decide just what he would be able to do. With a shrug he cleared out a small area and began to do push-ups. Other calisthenics would follow. If he was lucky, Chopper would never know.

 

When the crew decided to retire for the night, the found a very tired swordsman passed out, asleep on the floor. His bandages on his torso and head were soaked with sweat and the ones on his hands were torn and showing signs of blood. Chopper ran to tend to his aggravated wounds as they all decided to just leave the smelly man on the floor where he lay. The poor Doctor's sensitive nose twitched constantly as he rewrapped the damaged hands. Teki was given the couch while the others took their normal hammocks. Robin had the first watch, with Usopp relieving her at midnight. Exhaustion took over and soon all that could be heard was the inconsistent snores of the male crew.

 

******BOTHA*******

 

The Sanguine Blade clipped through the waters with ease. She was one of the fastest ships in the Marine fleet. In his personal quarters, the Vice-Admiral sat at his desk reviewing sea charts. He tried to plot out the most likely course the Straw Hats would take. They were short on provisions according to the information gathered in the market. This meant that they would not be able to go far. After the damage they caused today, they would be trying to keep a low profile for a while. That left out the large ports. Only one island seemed to be fit for their needs. He signaled for his runner to take a note to the helm.

 

When he was alone, he brought out a picture. He touched their face reverently. His normally blank and stoic features were pulled into a sad smile.

 

“My love. How I miss you. Our revenge is close at hand. I have taken his heart and crushed it to pieces. The woman he loves is at my mercy. He has even brought the death of her father at his own hands. Now all we have to do is wait. Soon he will be in my grasp. I will take his son and make him watch as I drain every ounce of his blood from that boy's pathetic little body. Then, when he is completely broken, I can fully make him pay for all he has done to us.” He brought the frame to his face and placed a kiss over the lips of the person pictured.

 

Saya shivered as a deathly chill ran down her spine. There was a foreboding air about the ship. The men were walking on eggshells everywhere they went. With the death of her father, she felt her chances of returning to her former life slip even further from her grasp. Her son was in the hands of a man she no longer knew, but somehow still had complete faith in. She heard all the stories the Marines had told about the “evil” Straw Hat Pirates. Then she also heard the stories from all the villagers. These told of heroic men and women who fought for the rights of the people and against the tyranny of the military.

 

Yumi had told her that one of the men had already taken Teki to the crew and promised to protect him. He must be a wonderful man to have stepped up and done that for a complete stranger. Was he important to Zoro? Maybe he was a good friend, or just nakama looking out for each other. Whoever he was, she owed him a large debt of gratitude. The Straw Hats were known for keeping their promises. Her last meeting with Commodore Smoker proved that. He was the only Marine that told her things like they were. He personally hated the Straw Hat crew, but he would sometimes grudgingly admit the good they had done here and there. He was still sore about getting the credit for taking down Crocodile when Straw Hat had done the work.

 

Saya stood looking at a picture of her father and son. She missed them greatly. It had been so long since she had seen them that it felt like they both were dead in a way. As the sun set over the water, she pictured herself getting the happy little boy ready for bed. She would help him take a bath and change into nightclothes. Then she would lie beside him on the bed and tell him their story. Saya began to recite the words quietly.

 

High on the hill, the young samurai sat. He was cold and alone. A beautiful young girl came upon him in the night as the moon reached its highest point. The man was uncertain of her, thinking she was an angel. Looking in her eyes, he felt hope for the first time in many years. She took him in her arms and his loneliness melted away.

 

As their love grew, so did the samurai's strength and skill. Pleased with his accomplishments, the angel decided to go give him a gift. A baby. Before she could tell him the joyous news, a terrible evil threatened their home. In order to protect the one she loved, the beautiful woman made the ultimate betrayal. She agreed to marry another.

 

Sadly, the samurai left, unknowing of the sacrifice his angel had made for him. He wanders the world cold and untrusting toward others. His only goal in life is to be the greatest warrior in all the lands.

 

Soon, the babe arrived. The beautiful woman, now a mother, wept in fear. Her samurai, for whom the gift was conceived, was gone. She did her best raising the baby boy around the evil she married, but longed for the child's true father to return.

 

As the boy grew, he began to look more and more like the young samurai. Everyday, they would pray to the gods that the samurai would come back, stronger and willing to fight. The mother's betrayal had hurt him deeply, but they had hope. Maybe, one day, he would learn the truth and return… Broken, only to heal again.