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Sanji kicked a small rock as he strolled along the trail. He was beginning to lose his patience. Honestly, why was he always stuck with the dumbass? It had to have been some sort of sick joke pulled by the others. He could never be stuck with either of the girls. Hell, he would even take pairing up with Chopper over Zoro. At least Chopper knew how to follow a trail. Literally the bare minimum he could ask.
It was quite impressive when he thought about it. It had to have been some sort of skill to get lost walking in a straight line with something to follow at that. The cook gazed in either direction as he walked, looking for any signs of the idiot. There was nothing. He was very tempted to say screw it and head back to the ship without him. Surely he could find the way back on his own eventually. Zoro wasn’t a child; he didn’t need someone to babysit him. Well, maybe he did sometimes, but Sanji would be damned if he would be that person.
They’ve already spent long enough on that island as it were and he wasn’t up for staying any longer. Nothing wrong with the place, they had just been there for a few days already and there really wasn’t much to the place. Just your run of the mill island with friendly enough folk.
Blowing out a thin stream of smoke, Sanji continued down the trail with his usual, quicker pace. The island was actually quite pleasant when you really took a look around. Small and quaint; quite homey. Sanji listened to the birds chirping and the light breeze through the leaves and closed his eyes, taking it all in.
His eyes snapped back open and his head swiveled to the side. That was definitely a scream he heard and not the whistle of the wind. His cigarette nearly dropped from his mouth when he heard it again. No doubt about it, that was the cry of a woman.
Without giving it a second thought, Sanji took off towards it. That was no normal scream, it was desperate, a sound of true terror.
Sanji reached her in no time, skidding to a stop right in front of her.
“What’s wrong!?” he demanded, slightly out of breath.
She peeled her hands away from her face, tears streaming down her cheeks as she struggled to compose herself long enough to reply. In what should have been a glorious moment was damn near wrenching when the woman practically threw herself at him, burying her face against his chest. Her fingers wound into his jacket.
“P-Please,” she begged, tugging on his clothes as her legs gave out. Sanji was quick to grab her on either arm, keeping her from collapsing right there on the spot. “You h-have to help. It’s m-my son. He ran into the old mines! Please, it’s too d-dangerous in there!”
“Old mines?” Sanji echoed, eyes drifting before finding the place in question. It was so overgrown, he almost completely overlooked it.
“It’s been out of commission for years,” she explained through the sobs. “I-I tried calling to him and I l-looked for him, b-but I can’t find him! What if … what if he…” She wailed harder, pulling roughly on Sanji’s jacket.
“Hey, hey,” he said softly, crouching down to wrap his fingers around her wrists. “Don’t worry, I’ll find him and bring him back, alright? He’ll be fine, so just wait right here and don’t worry about it.”
He gently released his hold and rose to his feet, straightening out his suit. There was extra confidence in his walk as he headed towards the entrance. It was odd, like nature itself quieted the closer he drew to it. There was a strong breeze, a sense that the mines were trying to suck him in. And damn was it dark. He questioned why the hell any child would willingly run in there.
Fishing his lighter out, he flicked it on before stepping inside. It was a good ten degrees cooler inside at least, maybe even more. A shiver ran down his spine.
He stared into the abyss, and all he could see was a gentle decline into darkness as far as his eyes could see. At least it was a straight shot. Well, for the most part anyway. But, if she couldn’t find him, then Sanji was sure it had to have split at some point. He walked quickly, wasting no time. As he journeyed deeper, he was vaguely aware of dirt and splinters from aged supports sprinkling down on him. This place really was ancient. Certainly not a playground for some child.
As expected, after a bit of walking, he came across the fork. He paused for only a second before deciding. There was nothing to go off of, no way of knowing which was the right way. So, he just went with the left. He could always retrace his steps and try the other side. One thing was for sure, though, he was not leaving without that kid.
His pace slowed once he deviated, keeping a sharper look out and listening a lot more closely for anything. It was so quiet he could hear his own blood rushing through his ears.
“Hey!” he called out. “Hey … kid! Where are you?” He probably should have asked what the name was in advance. Oh well, he supposed it really didn’t matter all that much. He would just ask when he found him. “Where are you! Hey!”
Nothing but his own voice answered him.
“Dammit,” he muttered, sliding down another slope, this one a bit steeper. Dirt tumbled around his feet when he reached the bottom. It was easy enough for him to traverse, but he couldn’t imagine it being quite as easy going for a child.
Sanji dusted himself off and took a look around, eyes widening. Ok, this was no longer the mines. It was a whole cave system. He swore under his breath. At that rate, there was no telling where the kid was. This was going to take a little longer than he thought it would. And the longer he searched, the more worry started to settle deep in his chest. As much as he didn’t want to, he couldn’t stop thinking about the absolute worst scenarios.
He quickened his pace, calling out almost nonstop, his own voice deafening as it bounced back off the cavern walls. He shuddered as another breeze rushed around him. Again, he wondered why a kid would willingly run in there. He was perfectly capable of defending himself and even he was put off by the eerie atmosphere.
There was a clatter off to his right somewhere and swiveled towards the sound. It was so loud it actually managed to startle him.
It sounded like rocks falling. And instantly, he was in motion, praying it wasn’t what he was thinking. He knew it was a ridiculous thought, but he couldn’t help it. That place was doing it to him. With half of his senses useless, it was really starting to get to his head. It took no time for him to reach the source of the sound.
Just a pile of rubble with a few still dropping down. No signs of anything else. Just rocks. Sanji let out a soft, relieved sigh. He was way more on edge than he should have been and he cursed himself for it.
“Just calm down,” he told himself, taking a long drag off his cigarette. Sanji tugged at his collar; it was getting a little warm down there. He was a little suspicious that the ceiling chose then to crumble a bit, and he was sure it didn’t do so on its own. Something had to have caused it, he assumed. Sanji leaned his head back and stared into the new hole in the ceiling.
No better way to know for sure other than checking it out himself. Jaw set, the chef kicked off the ground and hopped through to the next level up. He landed as lightly as he could, careful not to disturb any more of the fragile structure.
He was back in the mines.
Sanji crouched and listened. That time, he was slightly successful and turned back at the sound of some echoed shuffling. It was getting farther away - running, he assumed. There was definitely something there. He didn’t hesitate for a second before chasing after it.
“Hey!” He called out. “Hey, wait!” He swore under his breath as he turned the corner, sliding on the unstable ground. It was a bit concerning how little stone there was between the mines and the cavern. He could only guess that was the reason for its abandonment. The place was a death trap.
Sanji slid to a stop when he rounded another bend and had the child in his sights. He raised his hands in mock surrender and crouched slightly.
“Hey, I’m not trying to hurt you or anything, alright? Your mom is worried sick about you. I just want to make sure you get back safely, yeah?” He waited until the kid nodded slowly.
Sanji nodded back. “Ok, good. Just, stay right there. Do not move an inch.” Honestly, all that running and stomping, he was amazed everything held up as well as it did. He inched over the ground, one hand outstretched until the kid was able to reach out and grab hold. With the boy secure, Sanji pulled him over before scooping him up and holding on tightly. It was hard enough to find, no way he was letting him slip away.
“So, what’s your name?” Sanji asked, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.
“Mako,” the kid said softly, head turned away.
Sanji hummed. “Well, my name is Sanji, a pleasure to meet you.” He stepped slowly around the gaping hole in the ground. “What the hell were you thinking coming in here?”
There was a shift as Mako shrugged. “I was just curious,” he mumbled. “All the other kids say it’s haunted but that’s just stupid. So they dared me to go in. I … got a little lost,” he admitted.
“That’s not the only stupid thing,” Sanji added under his breath. It was never a shock just how reckless kids could be. “How long we-” He froze as a small shudder shook up his legs. Holding his breath, he tried to wait it out. A few seconds ticked by and the ground continued to tremble, more and more violently.
Definitely not good. He tightened his grasp on Mako and made a run for it. Small pebbles and dirt pelted him as he sprinted. But, it seemed no matter how fast he ran, the rumbling grew louder and stronger until eventually, it threw him from his feet. Mid-fall, Sanji twisted himself in order to wrap his arms around Mako and curl up around him.
The ground itself crumbled the moment he hit it and in an instant he was falling again. Sanji flipped himself around, ready to kick out for a safe landing. The moment his leg was drawn up, seconds away from springing down, light sparked behind his eyes. The white dimmed, being overtaken quickly by blackness. The last thing he heard was Mako screaming before that, too, faded into the back of his mind.
-------
Drip.
…
Drip.
Sanji’s eye twitched. He had a splitting headache and the incessant dripping was incredibly grating. Even worse than the drops of water striking his face was the muffled crying.
Wait…
Shit !
That was right, Mako, the cave and the mines. The cave in. The moment Sanji opened his eyes, a stabbing pain assaulted his head, forcing him to squeeze them right back shut with a pinched gasp. One hand raised to explore the area. Fingers danced along his hairline and soon tapped over something warm and tacky. Blood, no doubt. That explained the splitting headache.
But there was something more pressing to be concerned about.
Placing a hand against his head, Sanji slowly, very slowly , cracked his eyes open. He could see nothing; it was pitch black without the soft light of his lighter. That was fine, he could manage well enough in the dark. Though, with the way his head was swirling, it might be a bit more of a challenge than usual.
Nothing he couldn’t handle, he was sure.
Gritting his teeth, the cook sat up, cradling his head in one hand and trying his damnedest to ignore the twisting of his insides with the small movement. He didn't need to see to know how bad everything was tilting. All he could do was shove aside his discomfort and make sure Mako was fine.
“M-Mako?” Sanji called out. His own voice spiked straight through his head, eliciting a wince. Shit that hurt. “Are you alright?”
There was a short pause as the kid sniffed and took a deep breath. “Yeah,” he replied, thankfully softly. As if he knew about Sanji’s ailment.
“Good.” As carefully as he could, he sat up, pressing his hand hard against his head. His other explored along the floor, searching desperately for his lighter. With how intensely everything was shifting, he might need it after all. He felt around for about a minute before his fingers brushed over the cool metallic surface. With shaky fingers, he flicked it and instantly flinched as even the dim flame was a bit too bright for his aching head.
Sanji turned away from it and slowly reintroduced his eyes to the light. When he was sure he could handle it, he looked right to Mako. As stated, other than a few scrapes and bruises, the kid was fine.
He looked beyond him and scanned the cavern. It was definitely the same one he was in earlier, but with everything crumbled around them, he had no idea where exactly in the cave they were. Well, they would get nowhere by sitting around.
“You’re bleeding.”
The comment pulled Sanji from his thoughts and he snapped his attention back to his charge.
“Uh, yeah. A little,” he muttered, peeling his hand away from his head. His skin pricked with the slow, fresh flow of blood. “I’ll be fine,” he assured, “just a little bump.” Placing his dirtied hand on the wall, he oh so gently climbed his way to his feet. The moment he was upright, he turned and placed his back against the rock to keep his body from swaying. Not so easy when he had to bow his head to keep the encroaching darkness at bay. To think, out of everything he’d been through, it was a damn rock nearly doing him in. Embarrassing is what it was. If Zoro knew about that, he’d never hear the end of it.
“Alright, let’s get … get out of here.”
He waved Mako along. As much as he wanted to make sure the kid wouldn’t stray. He wasn’t sure he had the steadiness to do so. Hell, he barely had enough to stand without assistance of his own.
With all of his concentration, Sanji took the first step and nearly lost his footing. He caught himself on the wall with one trembling hand. Based on that, he wasn’t sure he was going to be going anywhere. Dizziness was swiftly swarming around him again and he sagged against the stone, letting his head rest against it.
He needed to sit down or he was going to pass out. One hand supporting him the whole time, he eased himself down and leaned back, resting his head back.
Despite the dire situation, he fished around in his pocket until he procured a cigarette and lit it. Maybe that would help settle his frayed nerves. He took a deep breath and shakily let it back out. Yup, that didn’t help in the slightest.
“Are we going to die here?”
The question completely caught him off guard. The kid thought they were going to die down there? Of course they weren’t going to die. Not if he could help it. And he would be damned if he could. Steeling himself once more, he decided to give the walking thing another go. With twice the resolution, he hauled himself back up, keeping his breaths as steady as he could until he was upright again.
So far, so good. At least it was a lot more successful than the first go round. His balance was a little better, but he was sure that was due to determination alone as his head still throbbed furiously. Every pound through his skull was damn near debilitating. He swore he could see his own pulse. He blinked until it was easier to ignore.
“We’re not dying here,” he proclaimed, straightening his tie and smoothing out his jacket. They were getting out of there one way or another, even if he had to drag himself out. “Come on, we’re finding a way out.”
He held out his hand for Mako to take. Holding as tightly as he could, he began walking. Unsteady at first, but soon enough, he was getting the hang of it. There were times when he would falter or need to pause for a moment, but he was stubbornly staying upright.
There was no way of telling how much ground they covered and he was putting no effort into keeping track. As long as they weren’t going in circles, then he figured they were on the right track.
Even though their pace had been favorable, he knew he couldn’t keep it up forever. Already, his feet were dragging and his eyelids were growing heavy. His breath hitched a few times and he was starting to get tripped up over minor bumps along the ground.
“I … I think we needta stop for a moment,” Sanji said after about ten minutes of aimless wandering.
Breaths heaving, Sanji nearly dropped to his knees, head drooping forward. There were a few drips as a couple specks of blood appeared on the stone below him. His fingers explored his hairline once again. Well, it was starting to dry, at least. It wasn’t bleeding as quickly. That was a good sign. Or, a much better sign.
However, the pain in his head wasn’t improving any. And his vision was getting worse as well as the dizziness. He feared if he closed his eyes for too long then he may not be able to open them again. He had to keep them open; had to stay awake. If not for his sake, then for Mako’s. He almost dared not to even blink if he could help it.
He tried his best, but it was getting increasingly harder and harder as everything warped and blurred. Everything was turning to the side and he was clearly getting delirious. For a split second there, he was sure he saw something green among the fuzzy blotches.
Sanji blinked, but the green blob grew larger until it was a mere few inches away. There was a touch on his head, right below the wound.
“M’fine,” he assured Mako. “Jus…j’st gimme a minute.”
“You’re not fine, dumbass.”
Dumbass…
That was quite the vocabulary for a child. The only person to really call him that was,
“Z’ro?” he slurred, brow creasing. That wasn’t right, Zoro wasn’t there. He must have been a bit worse off than he thought if he was seeing and hearing things. And feeling things. No, that wasn’t right. You couldn’t feel hallucinations.
He blinked until he could finally make out more of the swordsman. And sure enough, that was no trick of his mind.
“Th’hell are you doin’ here?” Sanji asked, trying to swat the man’s hand away with little to no force behind it. His hand more or less flopped to the side. More importantly, he wanted to know how he managed to find them, but he had a feeling he already knew. Zoro could always manage to get lost and still end up where he needed to be.
“Can you stand?”
Sanji scoffed. “Stand? F’course I can stand!” he declared, pushing himself up quickly. Too quickly. He never made it all the way upright before instantly dropping to the side. He readied himself for the impact, shocked when it never came and instead an arm looped around his waist and held firm.
Damn. That was more humiliating than almost being killed by a rock. Before he could retaliate, he was hefted up and draped over Zoro’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes. As if things couldn’t get any worse. And he was in no place to fight it. With that, Zoro began walking. Each step carried him farther from consciousness. It was a prospect he didn’t know he welcomed until it crept close enough that it was inevitable.
Zoro returned Mako to his mother, who thanked him repeatedly and even offered to let them go by her house to tend to his friend.
“He’s not my friend,” Zoro had informed before ensuring they had a doctor. He left out the part that their doctor was probably much more well-equipped than she was.
The trip back to the ship was a short and quick one thanks to her guidance. He promised to give her thanks to Sanji when he was awake again as well before she bid her farewell. Zoro climbed on board just as the chef started to stir, letting out a soft moan.
“Yeah yeah, shut up,” the swordsman muttered, rolling his eyes. He practically kicked open the infirmary door and didn’t wait for an invitation before dropping Sanji on the bed.
“Zoro what are y- Sanji!?” Chopper shrieked, jumping from his desk. He hopped right over just as Sanji’s eyes started to flutter open. “What happened?” he demanded, pushing the chef’s hair back. It was completely matted with dried blood.
“I’m guessing he hit it in the caves during a collapse. Think he has a concussion. He passed out soon after I found him.” And he didn’t need to be a doctor to figure that much out. The man had been muttering incoherently almost the whole way back.
Chopper nodded along, already getting to work. “Sanji? Sanji, keep your eyes open. Try to stay awake.” Zoro was certainly right, Sanji no doubt had a concussion if the unevenness of his eyes was anything to go by. And the way he seemed to struggle to focus on anything for more than a second before his gaze became vacant. “Sanji!” Chopper snapped, getting the man to open his eyes back up when they began to slip shut.
He made quick work of the wound itself. That was the easy part. The hard part was to come: the recovery part.
“You’ll live,” the doctor assured. “But I’d still like you to stay here so I can keep an eye on you. The hit was enough to knock you unconscious and you fainted afterwards as well. That’s definitely not good.” He sat back, satisfied with his work. “You’re lucky Zoro found you.”
Lucky … yeah right. This had to single handedly be the worst day of his life. To be saved by the likes of him, and from something so laughable. He let out a low groan.
“I might have something for the pain,” Chopper said, digging through his supplies.
Sanji was so close to telling him it wasn’t from the pain, but thought batter against it. Maybe it was better that was what they believed. Better for his ego. He barely felt the small prick from the shot and he had to admit, it really did ease the thumping through his skull. With that, he found he could finally relax a bit.
He let his head sink deep into the pillow. This was going to be a long road to recover. Especially since Chopper forbade him from doing any of his daily tasks. Including cooking. And a certain someone was put in charge of making sure he did absolutely nothing. And as Zoro sat in the corner, staring at him like some sort of sentry, he knew this was going to be a long road indeed.