The sun glaring at the centre of the sky blinded Sanji as he squinted upwards, trying to battle against the strain building behind his eyes, just so he could stare longer at that burning orb. He heard the wind stirring the waves of the ocean, sending them crashing to the shore. Gulls circled above his head, sqwaking and calling back and forth to each other.

A rough hand shoved him from behind, snapping him from his trance. He blinked furiously and glared at the tall, stocky man stood before him. Wrinkled face, stern grey eyes and that greying, braided beard, Zeff returned the little boy's glare with equal ferocity.

"We've only got three hours here before we set sail," his voice was rough and rugged. "You wanna waste time staring at sky?"

The old man didn't wait for Sanji's reply, and started hobbling away down the busy street, pushing past crowds of sailors, travellers and dockers. Sanji jogged to keep up with Zeff, listening out for the irregular thumps of his wooden leg on the cracked, cobbled ground.

Amaris was only a small port town on the south side of the world. But it had one thing that drew travellers there. Sanji's round eyes widened into saucers as he stared up at the tall metal railings that circled the area. The top of the iron gate was twisted to form intricate letters that spelt out 'Zoo'. Just below it, hung a wooden plaque. The paint of the letters on the sign was flaking away at the edges but it was still readable.

"Welcome to The Zoo," Sanji read the sign slowly, as he tried to make the letters form words in his mind. "Witness the last wonders of the Earth."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get in here!" Zeff called from the other side of the gate.

Sanji ran to his side, dodging other visitors, as the two began to explore the small plot of land filled with cages and enclosures of different sizes. Sanji had been sailing with Zeff on the S.S Baratie for two years now. Even before the old man took him in, Sanji couldn't remember a time when he wasn't on a ship.

For all he knew, he had spent all nine years of his life on the sea. The only animals he'd seen were the endless types of fish, the seagulls, and the meat delivered to them in the kitchens, which, he was informed, once came from an animal. So he was mystified when, prior to their arrival at Amaris, Zeff told him that the town had a zoo: a place where specimens of the last few animals left in the world were kept.

Of course, Sanji didn't miss a beat when agreeing to go there with Zeff. And despite the old man's complaints that the zoo looked smaller from the last time he'd visited, the young boy was still in awe. With the backdrop of the sea's waves and seagulls' caws, the pair wandered from enclosure to enclosure. Sanji stared wide-eyed at each creature.

A tall, yellow and brown spotted creature that resembled a giant horse with a long neck. Giraffe. A family of four wild dogs with grey fur and yellow eyes. Wolves. A whole cage full of colourful and noisy birds. Parrots. Each creature bigger, better and brighter than the little boy could have ever imagined.

"There are creatures like these everywhere on land?" Sanji asked as they moved away from an enclosure containing one, lonely rhino.

"Not really everywhere," answered Zeff. "Not anymore. Here's probably the only place where you'd find this many of them."

They stopped at a large enclosure full of red dirt and rocks. It was empty.

Zeff clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "I guess we missed the Elephants. Shame. You would've liked them."

Sanji squinted at the faded sign by the railing and mouthed the word 'Elephant' that was written on it. Below was a picture of a grey creature with a long nose and large floppy ears.

Sanji giggled. "They look funny." The little boy glanced up when he noticed Zeff move on. He followed the old man to the next enclosure. It was completely different, filled with thick green plants and tall trees. A wide river flowed across the mossy and overgrown ground. Sanji squinted into the enclosure.

"This one's empty too."

Zeff was quiet for a moment, staring deep into the dense foliage. "This one was my favourite," he murmured with a sigh.

Sanji joined Zeff in silence and stared into the enclosure. Just as he was about to give up and walk away, he caught sight of the ferns rustling. A large paw extended out of the green. Sanji's breath snagged at his throat, building an uncomfortable lump as he watched the beast rise out of the jungle.

She was beautiful. Four, long and strong paws, large roiling muscles, covered from ear to tail in bright orange fur, striped with black. The beast prowled slowly to the edge of river, before stooping low and lapping gently at the surface of the water.

"The last tiger in the world."

Sanji just about took in Zeff's words. The sound of crashing waves and seagulls were louder in his ear. The tiger's eyes flickered from the water to Sanji, hooking him in with an amber gaze. Everything around him dissolved. Nothing but the thick jungle, the river and the beast stood before him.

Her eyes gleamed like fire. Strong. Burning. Wild.

"Take a good look at her, Sanji," he heard Zeff's voice, quiet and forlorn among the noises of the sea. "This may be the last time you'll see one."

A short, loud beep pierced through the air.


Sanji shuddered awake. The familiar warmth of his bed dissipated the lingering images and senses of his dream. The soft sounds of waves lapping against the shore and the faint calls of seagulls clung to the air. Sanji blinked back sleep as another beep broke the tranquillity of the sounds.

It was the transponder. The young man groaned, shifting under the covers to lie on his back and stretched his slender arms over his head. The beep resounded again. Sanji sighed and propped himself up on his elbows, running a hand through the tangles of his blonde strands and down to scratch the stubble under his chin. He glanced out to his left, watching a wide stretch of ocean rolling on into a horizon of eternal blue, whilst lapping gently against the shore. In the sky, almost the same shade as the sea, two small dots circled in the air, loud gull calls carrying faintly to the shore.

After another beep Sanji placed a palm over the cold glass of the bedside table. The scenery flickered off, plunging Sanji into a dim room surrounded by painfully white walls and silence. Shoving himself off the bed, he pulled a jumper over his head and ambled out of his bedroom.

His flat was a spacious place. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, everything off-white, granite and metallic. It was good, but the best part for Sanji would always be the kitchen. Of all the places the Company offered him, this one had the biggest kitchen. Sanji could live in a hole in the ground for all he cared, so long as he had a decent sized stove, a gas oven, and two separate compartments for fridge and freezer. It wasn't too much to ask, was it?

Reaching the island counters, Sanji pressed the grey button on the transponder just as it issued another beep.

"Yo," a smooth, velvet voice greeted him from the other end.

Sanji rolled his eyes as he flicked the kettle on in the kitchen. "What do you want, Law?"

The man on the other line chuckled. "Did I wake you, princess?"

"Yes you did, you shitty doctor."

"That's too bad. Since your up, make me breakfast. I've been working all night and I'm starving."

"You can order straight from the kitchens, you know. Why do I have to make your meals personally?" Despite his words, Sanji found himself reaching for ingredients from the fridge.

There was a pause on Law's end, and Sanji heard the mewling of a passing creature and a muttered exchange between Law and one of his co-workers.

"That's because you're the best cook in the Company," Law teased, turning back to the transponder. "I won't eat anyone else's food."

Sanji laughed, placing a pan on the stove with a clang. "You've complimented me so many times your words have lost meaning now."

"That or you're just that heartless," said Law. "Speaking of heartlessness, did you give that lady a call?"

Sanji winced and leaned over the transponder. "Breakfast will be ready in half an hour. Talk to you when I get down there." He blurted out in one breath and clicked the transponder off before Law could say anything more.

The blonde took a deep breath, staring out into his empty living room. Small, orange fish in the low tank illuminating the centre of the room swam in lazy circles, reminding him that he was staring at an actual, three dimensional room and not just a still picture. There were times where Sanji appreciated the silence and still air of his home. And times like today, in which he was reminded of how easy it was to find oneself lonely.

A quieter, high-pitched beep snapped him out of his daydream. He moved to turn the knobs on the stove before fiddling with the thick, silver bangle around his wrist. He pressed the yellow button above his pulse and the screen projected a message in glowing green letters into the air an inch above his hand.

'You didn't call her at all, did you?' –TL

After cracking some eggs unto the side of the pan with more force than necessary, Sanji pressed a second button on the bangle.

"I'll be done in a minute," he said out loud. "See you soon."

His message illuminated in the air above the bangle before shrinking into the thin screen and disappearing all together.

"Goddamned nosy bastard," he muttered, deciding to finish up breakfast quickly and leave the flat.

Donning a slate grey pullover, dark jeans, a pair of worn leather shoes and a navy jacket he called his 'casual blazer', Sanji grabbed his key-cards and the plastic bag of food he'd left on the counter before he got dressed.

His bangle beeped again. This time to the tune of a short, three-note melody.

'8:00 am!' The numbers scrolled across the narrow screen in green letters. 'Wednesday, 15th of August, 2053. Today's weather is dry but chilly, with some mist that should fade later in the day. Highs of about seven deg-'

Another beep interrupted the notices. Sanji brought his hand up to see another message illuminated in the air.

'What was wrong with this one?' –TL

The blonde dropped his hand to his side and the bangle screen flicked off, hanging loose and lifeless on his wrist. Footsteps echoing down the empty hallways of his apartment, Sanji made for the lift. The chrome and white doors parted as he pressed the call button and slinked inside before they slid to a close behind him. As the metal cylinder sank to the lobby, Sanji watched the bare trees on the walls, hidden in a thick veil of mist rising from the grass towards an orange autumn dawn. Even the speakers were playing quiet, morning birdcalls to accompany the scenery.

Sanji sighed and leaned back, head thudding lightly onto the wall behind him. It was always the same scene of open country and a few trees on the foreground, but updated every now and again to match the season, the time of day and the weather. There was no getting away from it, and Sanji didn't believe, that the condition of their environment was the same as the ones outside the Company walls.

He closed his eyes, tried to picture the ambience he'd left behind in his room. The wide, blue ocean lapping at the shore, inviting him into the deep waters. As he sank further into his subconscious, his mind lingered back towards the dream he had. The large tiger, bright orange streaked with jet black. In his mind, she prowled above the vast ocean, like fire on water. Burning fur, burning eyes…

The lift slowed to a stop and dinged as the doors opened. Sanji willed himself to move again, feeling as though he'd woken up for the second time that day. He crossed the lobby in strides. Cindry, the ever-present receptionist, beamed at him with a metallic smile and glass eyes that lit up to life as he walked into the range of her sensor.

"Good-morning, Mr. Black!" She announced her rehearsed and recorded lines. "What a cold day."

"Always is," he answered, but smiled and bowed to her in greeting anyway. Let it be said that Sanji Black was always a gentleman, to all ladies, human or otherwise.

The receptionist raised her hand and waved to Sanji. He could hear the wires and cogs that made up her being whir as she moved. "Have a great day, Mr. Black. Wrap up warm!"

Sanji nodded and pushed through the glass entryway of the apartments. The cold air greeted him with a bite, and he shrugged his jacket tighter around himself, watching his breath come out in thin wisps from his lips. He took five strides, before he got to the tracks that cut across the front of the living quarters. Just in time too, as the tracks started to buzz with life and from the east side came a long, metallic tube that slowed to a stop before Sanji.

He waited for the few passengers to get off. The unlucky night shift, all yawning, stretching stiff muscles and popping joints. After they'd passed him, Sanji boarded the empty tube and stood by the doors as they slid to a close with a small hiss. He watched as they peeled away from apartments, picking up speed and passing an empty stretch of grass, before disappearing into a tunnel. The soft hum of electricity below the tube almost lulled Sanji into another state of near sleep. Resting his forehead on the glass of the doors, he watched with heavy lidded eyes as they emerged from the tunnel and into the work district.

A long, flower shaped building glinted in the sunlight in the distance, before disappearing behind a tall tower block made of metal and glass. Despite the speed of the tube, Sanji could spot silhouettes of figures sat in office desks behind the windows. People hard at work already. The tube passed a few more offices and workplaces, before circling one made of old-fashioned red brick, and finally slowing to a stop before a flat, off-grey building with small, tinted windows.

"Companion Development and Research Facility," chimed a feminine, electronic voice as the tube doors slid open, and Sanji stepped out into the cold again.

Despite it being early, the grounds above the lab were littered with people coming or going or simply loitering and delaying having to get to work so soon. Sanji was walking towards a tall, blonde lady with red-rimmed glasses and her lab coat pressed tight around her curves. She met his glance, and he beamed at her with the best charming smile he could muster this early in the morning. She frowned, turned her nose up and walked by briskly.

Sanji shrugged as he continued towards the doors to the lab, scanning a dark blue key-card into the slot of the lift inside. Ah well, he thought, as the lift doors closed him off from the rest of the world and began to descend. Not like you would've taken it anywhere.