Steam
Sand rubbed against the soles of Sanji's feet, behind his knees, up
his nostrils and under his clothes.
The market
was only a ten minute walk from their quarters, but even the thickest
robes were no match for an Alabastan dust storm.
Sanji took
the carefully chosen produce he had selected to the kitchen. After
sorting and storing it, he hurried to the baths to get the sand out
of all the places sand should never be.
Sanji
rushed into the massive bathhouse, threw off his robes and leapt into
the stream of warm water. It flowed down his skin, beads of sandy
mud ran rivulets to the ground. He walked around under the man-made
waterfall to avoid stepping on the gritty mud he left behind.
After a
few minutes he began to feel clean and relaxed. The warm water was
much more soothing than the warm wind and hot sun had been. He had
just begun to soap himself down when he heard a feminine voice,
humming, on the other side of the wall. The voice was too deep to be
Nami's or Vivi's. It didn't sound like Robin either.
A new
beauty to appreciate, thought Sanji. It would be
un-gentlemanly not to acknowledge her beauty. He began to climb.
Tashigi
was accustomed to land or sea but after this place she definitely
favoured the latter. Alabastan sand was in her hair, between her
toes. It had even scratched her glasses.
Yes,
Alabastan water was far preferable to its sand.
"Mmmmmm,"
she sighed in contentment, her eyes closed.
Sanji
leant over the top of the wall.Black
hair. Too short for Robin's… Need to see her face.
Sanji
leaned out further. The girl turned in the water. Her back was now
to Sanji.
"ARGGGG!" In a flurry of heart-eyes and flapping arms Sanji
dropped off the wall and landed at the mystery brunette's feet.
The girl spun, instantly moving into a fighting stance, brandishing
her bar of soap like a dagger.
"Get out
of here!" she shouted. Sanji lifted his head to look up at her as
he slowly untangled his limbs.
"You!" Tashigi snapped, amazed. "You're a pirate, one of those Straw Hats!
Are there any others hiding up there?" She didn't take her eyes
off his.
The woman
was speaking but Sanji didn't take in a word. There was not a
towel in sight. Sanji was up on one knee in a second. He clutched
her unarmed hand in his.
"Beautiful
lady! Vision of loveliness! Let me kiss your skin like the water I
envy so!"
This reaction so shocked Tashigi that she quite forgot to pull away. Instead she found her eyes moving down the naked figure of the young man before her. He was a little thinner that she would like but muscular and, and, she blushed, well, there was nothing to complain about physically.
At the same time Sanji's eyes moved upwards and eventually focused on Tashigi's face.
His smile
faltered but only for a moment.
"So, you
are the rose of the marines." He bowed over her hand.
Tashigi
frowned, trying to stay angry. Charming or not, this was a pirate
and a dangerous one at that. It was her duty to turn him in.
"Don't
even bother trying," Tashigi snapped, pulled her hand away from
Sanji's.
As soon as
contact was broken, so was whatever spell had been holding sway over
Tashigi. Embarrassment took over. Blushing, Tashigi dove for the
bench and covered her front with her towel, again holding the soap as
a weapon.
Sanji just
stood up and smiled."There
is nothing to be ashamed of. You are so beautiful but your eyes are
so sad. To be a good marine do you have to forget how to smile? The
men smile. Why not
you?" Sanji cocked his head enquiringly."Smile?
I smile, alright. Every time I help take a pirate crew out of
action, I smile. I get the feeling I'm going to be smiling again
very soon."
Sanji
reached out to her right hand and slid the soup from it.
"You
know, when I was up there I noticed you still have some sand on your
back. May I?"
Tashigi
scowled but didn't move as Sanji walked around behind her, soap in
hand.She tensed
as he slid the soap against her back. His fingers were so… gentle,
so deft.
Unwillingly
she began to relax. Her body found itself arching towards his hands,
now slippery from the lather. His hands moved to her lower back,
slid up and down her sides from underarm to hips. His hands rested
on her hips for a moment before sliding up her torso again.
"You do
realize that I'm still turning you in, pirate," Tashigi said with
steel in her voice.
"Yes,"
said Sanji absently, his hand slipping around her waist.
She
grabbed his hand. "I'm sure my back is clean now, thank you."
"Yes it
is. That's why I thought I would start on your front."
Tashigi
spun to face Sanji, snatching the soap off him. "My front is quite
clean, thankyou!" Yet she didn't move away. Her skin was still
tingling from his touch. His visible eye had lost its rampant lust
and now looked at her with something like understanding."It's
OK to be a woman sometimes. They won't think less of you. You
have proved yourself to them a thousand times in combat. You don't
have to prove yourself to me. I know who
you are."There was
no mocking, no smugness in his tone. Those words, that seemed drawn
from her own heart, were no line. It was then she knew if she told
him to leave he would.
He would
never let her arrest him but he would also never use her femininity
against her.
Each word
came from his heart and well, somewhere else.
Something
about this was refreshing to Tashigi. This pirate was off duty right
now so couldn't she be too? This was never her dream but maybe a
little diversion wouldn't keep her from her goal.
Tashigi
looked at Sanji. She thought for a moment. Sanji could see her
thinking.
Tashigi
smiled as she dropped the towel. "I think I did miss some
sand on the front. Do you mind?"
