A/N: Hi there! This is the first fic I've ever written, so please read and review; every compliment and critique really helps!
I would also like to give a big shout out to the person who beta'd this for me: Blackat-greneys. She put a lot of work into this and she's awesome. She also came up with the title, so all of the credit for that belongs to her! Thanks so much!
Sanji vaguely felt his numb feet hit the blankness with every step he took. His teeth chattered in the cold as he rubbed his arms to conjour up warmth for his chilled and shivering body.
His blue eyes darted around the endless landscape of white in which he was standing. There was no sky, no ground, no ceiling, and no floor, just a huge expanse of solid white. Sanji glanced behind himself for an exit, but there was none, just more white. He turned back around, unsure of what to do. How did he get here? Was this a dream?
He looked down at his feet and took another step, unable to see what he was walking upon. His head swirled and he felt instantly nauseated. Sanji decided to sit down. That would clear his head, he hoped.
Suddenly, he heard a familiar, long-forgotten sound. It was the sound of swirling water, of waves crashing against the shore, and of home. For a moment, Sanji closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, smelling the sea air and tasting the salty tang of the ocean. He felt the pounding of the ocean waves echoing in his mind, the sound growing with each breath he took.
Growing. The waves were growing closer.
Sanji's eyes snapped open as he turned his head upward towards the sound. His breath caught in his throat as he stared upward at the massive amount of water coming straight at him. The water was moving slowly, but it was going to reach him soon.
Sanji felt his knees begin to shake. He whipped his head around the expanse of white, desperately looking for an exit that he knew didn't exist. Even if there was one, he wasn't going to be able to reach it before the ocean overtook him.
So...was this a dream? If so, was it one where if he died here, he would die in real life? There was so much he wanted to do- no; that was ridiculous, there are no such things as dreams like that. Such things only happen in books and movies. But what if it really was one of those?
Softly huffing, Sanji tapped his chin. He looked around again for anything that might be able to take him out of his dream and back into the real world, but there was nothing. There was no way to leave. There was nothing he could do to stop the waves. He couldn't get away, and he knew that. Standing straight, Sanji raised his arms while his blue eyes looked directly into the ocean of matching color. He accepted his fate.
There was so much that he wanted to do. He wanted to get a wife and have a child, start a family, and become as great of a father as Zeff was. He wanted to prove to everyone that he could accomplish everything. But there was no way out of here; there was nothing he could do. He may as well go down without a fight.
Suddenly, Sanji heard a groan coming from his right. He lowered his arms and slowly turned his head towards the sound, eyes widening in shock when he saw a shirtless green haired man standing not too far from him.
Another person? This was his dream, there couldn't be another person here. What the hell was going on?
Sanji's eyes widened as he looked at the man who hadn't seen him yet. Sanji stood still, unable to move as he stared at the man.
If this was a dream where he died, where he was crushed by the sea-
Sanji looked up at the oncoming waters, then back towards the oblivious man, who was now looking up at the incoming wave with a shocked look on his face. His eyes were widened and his jaw was slack. He also seemed tense, as if he was rooted to the spot.
-Then this man, this complete stranger, will also die. All because Sanji had dreamt this dream. It would all be his fault.
Sanji's head snapped up again, eyes narrowing as he took one step towards the man, then another and then yet another. He shakily raised his arms and nervously cleared his throat. He had another life in his hands; they had to get out of here.
"HEY!" Sanji yelled, as he began to run towards the man, "Hey, look out!"
The man instantly turned to face Sanji, the expression of shock on his face growing until his eyes looked like they would pop out of his head. Three golden earrings clinked together as his head turned, the gold lightly touched his short, scruffy green hair.
It was just then, as Sanji was running, that he saw the man's scar. It ran from just below his left shoulder to just above his right hip.
That scar... it was almost as if he was sliced in half. The cut must have reached bone; how the hell was he still alive?! Maybe... maybe he was just a figment of Sanji's imagination. Maybe his mind made him up for some reason.
The man lifted his black eyes and they locked onto Sanji's blue ones with an intensity that Sanji couldn't explain. A chill ran down his spine at the weight that the man carried in his eyes. There was no way this man had been created by his own mind.
Sanji suddenly heard the sound of the waves growing louder and he stopped running for a moment and stood to look up at the ocean. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the green-haired man do the same. The water was coming more quickly now; it was going to reach them in mere moments.
Sanji, in desperation, turned back to the man and took one more long step while the green haired man did the same. They both reached their arms out to one other, fingertips almost touching, and Sanji caught a quick glance of something flash across the man's face.
What was that? Fear? No... Desperation? Need?
Sanji didn't have another second to think. The ocean was almost there.
He barely got out a strangled "No!" Before the sea washed over the man, and he was gone.
Less than a millisecond later, those same waves crashed down upon Sanji, and he was gone from the white landscape. The waves, and the place itself vanished as Sanji awoke.
Sanji woke up in his apartment in a cold sweat, one arm still reaching out in front of him him as he lay on his bed. His breath caught in his throat as he gasped while trying to breathe in. His legs were complicatedly tangled in his sheets as he lowered his arm. As he groggily attempted to raise himself up on his arms, his left elbow hit nothing but air, and he fell out of his bed, landing roughly on the floor, sheets pulled against the mattress as they wrapped around him.
After a few minutes of trying to draw in one deep, successful breath, Sanji disentangled himself from his sheets, and stood up on shaky legs. He felt bile began to rise in his throat as he was overcome with nausea. Walking over to the half-open window, he pushed his head out and breathed the chilled air into his lungs. Sanji's nausea faded, and the fuzzy feeling in his head disappeared, allowing him to summon up clear thoughts.
That man...
Sanji shook his head to clear the last bit of cloudiness from his mind and he sharply pulled his head back up, a small groan passing Sanji's lips as his head spun. After a few moments holding his head in pain, intelligible thoughts began to resurface.
That man! He had thought that they were going to die. But Sanji was alive; did that mean that the green haired man was alive also? As he rubbed his head, Sanji remembered the fierce determined look he had seen in the man's eyes, and the chill that had crept down his spine at the sight. Sanji had never dreamed much, and if he was dreaming , he was always alone. There was never anybody else with him,. Why was there someone like that man in the dream he had just had?
As he silently thought some more, Sanji realized something. The man in his dream was real. He knew that it seemed preposterous, but the look in the eyes of the green haired man didn't speak of falseness. That look could only be possessed by a living breathing person, and there was only one other person that Sanji knew who could give it: his father, Zeff.
Sanji's thoughts once again returned to the man he had dreamed about. He didn't even know where he lived, and...shit. Sanji didn't even know his name. How the hell was he supposed to find him if he didn't even know his name?! But wait... why did he even want to know?
The last question lingered in Sanji's mind as he felt the rush of nausea return in full force. Holding his stomach, he ran to his bathroom, accidentally hitting his right shoulder against the wooden doorframe. Sliding on the floor in his haste, he knelt and began vomitting all of the contents of his stomach into the porcelain toilet until he was left dry-heaving.
After a few minutes of panting over his toilet, Sanji stood up and flushed the toilet, turning away as the contents swirled down the drain. He then washed his hands and arms once, twice, and splashed cold water on his face to wake himself up and hopefully snap himself out of his daze.
After drying his face off with a towel, Sanji was fully awake. Seeing no point in going back to sleep to be a part of another horrifying dream, he pulled on a pair of comfortable black slacks and a light blue t-shirt, ready to start the day.
Sanji looked up at the clock hanging on wall: 7:21. Sunday. It was breakfast time. Sanji decided to whip up something nice to start his day off with.
He then walked into his fully equipped kitchen, the handles of his knives gleaming brightly in their block. Once again he washed his hands, and as he dried them he pulled a shining knife out, twirling it in his fingers before laying it down on the granite counter.
Something complicated, something complicated... he needed to take his mind off of things so he would make... eggs Benedict sounded good. Sanji decided to make eggs Benedict.
He strode over to the fully stocked fridge and pulled out 4 eggs, a lemon, unsalted butter, English muffins, ham, seasoning, and various other ingredients including vinegar and parsley. As he pulled out the English muffins, he saw that he was running low on bread. He would need to pick some up later, he noted.
He heated the butter up until it was fully melted and then got to work vigorously whisking the egg yolks and lemon juice for the Hollandaise sauce in a bowl until the mixture thickened and doubled in volume while the egg whites were set apart. He then whisked in some cayenne and salt, and, setting the bowl aside, poured some water into a saucepan and brought it to a gentle simmer. He continued to whisk the egg yolks until they doubled once more.
Sanji then covered the bowl and set it in a warm spot in the kitchen where the morning sunlight could be seen spilling in through the window.
He then got to work browning the bacon in a skillet and toasting the English muffins. Lightly singing a tune, Sanji filled another skillet with water and after adding white vinegar, he gently put the egg whites into the lightly simmering water. Finally, he removed the eggs with a slotted spoon and assembled the eggs Benedict.
He got out a clean white plate and put the halved English muffins on then placed a slice of ham on the muffin followed by the poached eggs which he promptly seasoned with salt and pepper. After spooning all of the Hollandaise sauce over the eggs, he garnished them with fresh chopped parsley and lay the bacon on the side.
He scooped the plate up and, wiping his finger through a little dot of sauce, he popped his finger in his mouth and waltzed over to his small table while grabbing a napkin and putting the plate down. He sat down with a sigh, grabbed the fork and knife laying beside his plate, and dug in.
Sanji allowed the warm buttery taste of the Hollandaise sauce to coat his mouth. Humming in satisfaction, he bit into a piece of bacon before cutting further into his meal.
A sudden thought stopped him before he could further enjoy his meal. Leaning back in his chair, he ran a hand through his hair and twirled his finger around a golden strand.
That man... where was he now? He was surely a real person, but Sanji didn't think that he had seen him before. He was sure that he would've remembered meeting someone like him, with that green hair and everything.
Sanji sighed and took another bite of his breakfast. Struggling to push the thoughts of the green-haired man aside, quietly finished and then washed the dishes.
Looking out of the window, he gazed upon the blue sky and green leaves of early spring. A few birds chirped in a tree just outside his apartment, causing a smile to break out across his face,The mother bird's four little eggs had just hatched, and he was greeted by their twittering every morning.
The day was nice, so he decided to take a walk and pick up some bread. That might help to take his mind off of things.
Stepping away from the window, Sanji pulled on a sylish light gray pinstripe jacket and snapped a silver watch onto his right hand. Arranging his hair in the mirror, he walked into the kitchen-dining area and grabbed his keys hanging on a small hook next to the light switch. He stepped into the small hallway and paused. Breathing in to clear his head of the dream and focus on the nice day he was going to have, he put his hand to the scratched silver doorknob and turned it, firmly locking the door behind him.
Stepping out onto the landing, he walked over to the 5th floor elevator and pressed the down button. Hearing a cheery ding, Sanji stepped into the open doors and pressed the ground floor. Putting his hands in his pockets, he grimaced at the horrible cheesy elevator music that played from a small speaker near the top. As the small moving box landed on the ground floor, the elevator dinged again and the doors opened. Sanji walked out into the apartment's lobby and stepped through the turning door out into the sunlight.
The sun shone brightly through the few puffy white clouds that aimlessly drifted through the sky. Mothers walked on the sidewalks, pushing their strollers containing curious babies through the city. Birds sang happily in the trees that swayed slightly in the morning breeze.
Taking in a deep cleansing breath of the fresh morning air, Sanji checked his watch. 8:22.
It was still early in the morning, and although some people were surely at home asleep, probably enjoying a day off, many people were out and about, walking their dogs, jogging, meeting up with friends, and welcoming each other with big hugs.
Sanji stepped onto the sidewalk, his thoughts beginning to wander as the sunlight warmed him up.
He couldn't stop thinking about that man. If he had seen him before, he could be anywhere. Sanji had gone to France for cooking, martial arts competitions, and schooling, but he had also lived here in East Blue for a long time. Sanji could've seen him out of the corner of his eye and he only might now have realized it.
Sanji sighed and rubbed his his eyes with the heels of his hands. He really needed to stop thinking about that dream. He was obsessing over it, and he needed to stop.
Sanji smacked himself lightly on the cheek. "Get a grip." He muttered to himself, "Get a fucking grip."
Standing up straighter, Sanji cleared his thoughts and strolled down the street, deciding to go to the little family-run bakery he frequented where they made their own delicious homemade bread. After a short 5-minute walk of enjoying the warm weather, Sanji stepped into the store, a small bell jingling as he walked in.
"SANJIII~" a little girl's voice squealed as she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as her feet left the floor. Sanji spun around in a circle before gently setting the girl back on the ground.
"It's nice to see you too Rika."
Rika smiled up at him with a big smile on her face before running back under the lift-counter to her mother, whom Sanji turned to with a charming smile of his own. "Hello Miss Ririka, how are you doing this fine day?"
Ririka smiled warmly, "We're doing quite well, thank you Sanji. Isn't today's weather wonderful?"
Sanji nodded, glancing over at Rika who was dragging her small yellow plastic step stool around to the back of the counter, She stepped up onto it and hopped up on the clean counter, which she promptly sat on top of, letting her little legs dangle over the side.
"I'm looking for a nice loaf of bread. Maybe a baguette or something akin to it?" Sanji gazed around the small bakery. He always liked coming here. The people were incredibly nice, and the place had a homely vibe which made you always feel welcome.
Ririka nodded seriously and walked over to a spot behind the counter where there was a small kitchen set up and began to wash her hands in the sink as she spoke, "I'm actually working on a batch of baguettes right now. They'll still be a little while, do you want to come back later or stay here and wait?" She stepped back over to the counter, wiping her delicately strong hands on a small kitchen towel. One had to have strong hands to be a baker, Sanji noted.
"Oh, it's fine, I'll stay here with Rika while you work." Sanji said, seeing Rika light up at his words.
"Oh, thank you Sanji, I've still got a batch of ham and cheese croissants and a batch of almond croissants to work on, so it'd be great if you could keep Rika company while I'm preparing those."
Sanji smiled, "Of course, Miss Ririka, I love spending time with little Rika here." He ruffled Rika's hair as she beamed up at him.
Ririka nodded and retreated into the back room where she did all of her work. It was where the giant ovens and cooling racks were kept. She shut the heavy door behind herself and disappeared from view.
Seeing her mother leave, Rika climbed off of the counter and grabbed onto Sanji's hand. She led him over to the far end of the counter where a huge wicker basket was sitting. She pointed up to the basket and Sanji slipped his hands under her arms and lifted her up onto one of the stools in front of the counter.
She grabbed the basket and began to pull the top open before abruptly stopping. "Close your eyes," Rika commanded, "And no peeking!"
Sanji chuckled, "Whatever you say my princess." He tightly shut his eyes.
Rika giggled, "Now put your hands out!"
Sanji obeyed. He felt a light touch on the palm of his hand. Rika told him he could open his eyes again, and he slowly opened them, revealing a little orange paper cat cradled in his cupped hands.
"Oh, Rika, that's so neat! How did you learn to make it?" Sanji asked, genuine kindness in his voice.
Rika didn't respond. Instead, she began delicately pulling out more and more pieces of origami. Sanji could only stare at the beautiful pieces of art made by this little 8 year old girl. She brought out pandas, whales, frogs, and cranes, along with many other animals and objects. Sanji couldn't believe how intricate these were. Rika really made these?
"Rika, these are beautiful. You made all of these yourself?" He picked up a large lotus, made with colored paper accordingly. He twirled the green stem between his fingers as the rosy red petals almost seemed to glow in the light. All of the folds were precise and clean. There was no evidence of folding and refolding due to a mistake. Picking up a panda and crane, Sanji saw that the same could be said of them. If these were only a handful of what Rika had made, what else could she do?
Rika giggled. "Your mouth is an O!" She began to laugh harder, so she placed a hand over her mouth to keep from snorting.
Sanji grinned, "Well Rika, I'm just so amazed that you can make something this intricate out of paper. These are amazing!"
Rika's smile grew until it looked like her face would split in two. "Oh!" She shouted, "I almost forgot!"
"What did you forget?" Sanji asked warmly as Rika reached deep into the basket, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as her thin arm rooted around in the wicker basket. She plunged her other arm into the basket and pulled out a small emerald box wrapped with a blue bow.
Green. The same shade as that man's hair.
"Is there something wrong Sanji? You looked really weird." asked Rita, looking worried as she reached out a little hand towards Sanji, the other hand clutching the small present to her chest.
Sanji shook his head, realizing that his expression must have been one of shock. "I'm sorry Rika, something was just bothering me. It has nothing to do with you; don't worry about it."
"Oh. I'll just keep the present if you don't want it..." Rika muttered, her face downcast as she turned the small present over in her hands, scratching at the blue ribbon quietly.
"Oh, Rika, sweetheart, look at me." Sanji pleaded, putingt his hands on her shoulders, "Rika, look at me."
Rika sniffed and turned her head to look Sanji in his one visible eye. "Rika, I've known you since you were a little baby. I can honestly say that there has never been anything you've done to make me upset or angry. So don't be sad, okay? I said that it had nothing to do with you. I'd absolutely love to have your wonderful present"
Rika brightened up at that and nodded. "Mhmm! So can I give you-"
The little bell on the door twinkled cheerily, interrupting her words as a young man walked through the door and stood near the counter. "Ah... hello? Anyone here?" he asked, seeing no one to take his order. Having to end the conversation, Sanji set Rika down on the floor and they took the man's order, giving him coffee and, after Sanji heated it up, a ham and cheese breakfast sandwich. The man grabbed a newspaper, paid, and left, seemingly having somewhere he needed to be.
After the customer had been served Sanji strode back over to Rika, who was standing by the door to the main oven room, waiting for her mother to come back out. As if on cue, the door slowly creaked open and Ririka came out. She wiped her brow with a small rag, clearing off the sweat that had accumulated from the constant heat of the ovens. Rika ran up to her mother and hugged her tightly, her face buried in her mother's apron.
Ririka sighed in slight exhaustion and patted her daughter's back before turning to Sanji, "Everything's done that can be done right now, and I've gotten a baguette ready for you Sanji."
"Oh, it's fine, I'll just take half a loaf, that's all I really need." Sanji murmured.
Ririka shook her head and crossed her arms, "Oh no you don't! Just take the whole loaf. I'll even cut it in half for convenience. Just take it; it doesn't hurt to have more than you need."
Sanji, unable to refuse a lady, accepted gracefully, "Alright Miss Ririka, I'll take it."
Ririka smiled and went to the back room, returning with a basket loaded with baguettes. She took one out and laid in on the wooden chopping board. Taking a serrated knife, she quickly sawed the crispy bread in half. She then wrapped the two halves of the baguette together in crinkly brown paper and put them in a large paper bag with her bakery's logo printed on the front.
Thanking Ririka excessively, Sanji patted Rika on the cheek and told her once again how skilled in origami she was, and turned on his heel. He was suddenly stopped, however, by a small hand latching on to the back of his jacket. He turned around to see Rika holding her small green present. "You almost forgot this." Holding it up to Sanji, she smiled, and Sanji took the gift from her hands with a bow.
"Thank you, my princess. I am most honored to have this wondrous gift bestowed upon me by such an adorable girl." Rika giggled and she and her mother waved goodbye to Sanji as he exited the bakery.
Sanji tucked the present into his pocket as he shifted the paper bag to his other hand. He walked through the familiar city, recognizing all of the restaurants and bars he passed.
Sanji continued to walk down the street, his shoes clicking on the concrete sidewalk as the sun rose higher in the sky. Shifting the paper bag to his left hand, Sanji pulled back his sleeve and checked the time. 9:14. Had he really been at Ririka's that long? Sanji shrugged and kept walking. There was nothing he needed to do today anyway, and the weather was nice, so he may as well continue his walk.
Time seemed to fly when he was with Rika and her mother. He had known Ririka since he was little, and she looked after him when Zeff was too busy to have him in the kitchens. She'd taught him how to make exquisite deserts, including wedding cakes. Sanji had learned so much from her. She was like a mother to him, and she knew how to keep him in check, though nowhere near as well as Zeff could.
Sanji stopped and put his hand in his right pocket, rooting around for his pack of smokes and his lighter. Upon withdrawing them, he plucked out a cigarette and placed it neatly between his lips. Flicking the lighter, Sanji summoned up a small flame and touched it to the end of his cigarette, making it glow a warm red. Sticking his pack and lighter back into his pocket, he drew in a deep breath, allowing the smoke to delve into his lungs before breathing out and releasing a stream of soft gray smoke.
Sanji then decided to return home, as he was growing hungry and Rika's present may be food. Food that might need to be refrigerated.
Turning on his heel, Sanji picked up the pace slightly, not wanting her present to go bad in the sun before he reached his apartment, if it did happen to be food. Suddenly, something stopped his eye.
A flash of green.
Sanji's eyes widened at the sight.
Green. Green!
Whirling around in the direction of the color, Sanji saw a man exiting a shop on the same side of the street as him but he was walking in the opposite direction.
He was dressed in black pants and a plan white t-shirt. He held a large black bag in his right hand. His pants were tucked into boots, and Sanji could see the back of his head. It was that same green as in Sanji's dream. And looking harder at the man, Sanji saw those three golden earrings, clinking together and lightly touching his scruffy hair. There was no doubt about it; it was him.
A/N: Again, if you have any time, please review. Every thought helps!
TBC of course!