Note: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda. I own nothing.

"I promise I'll return. Tell everyone I said hi." Nami buried her face in the wool of the large sheep mink as she felt the tears well up again. Sanji's smile wouldn't stop haunting her. Stop crying, she thought to herself. The exhaustion was taking a toll. She needed sleep, but the events from two days ago kept replaying in her mind.

Why did he have to go off on his own? When Sanji had shown her the folded-up note before tucking it in her chains, Nami hoped that he came up with a plan. Any optimism she had disappeared, though, when she saw the paper open after falling to the ground. "Gone to meet a woman. I'll return." It made her long for the annoying love letter he left before boarding the Sea Train in Water-7 two years ago.

Did he plan on going through with this marriage? After all this time, didn't he trust the crew? Didn't he believe in Luffy? Didn't he trust her? "Sanji-kun, you idiot," Nami whispered, half-asleep, as she clutched her right wrist against her chest. She could still feel his grasp on her wrist and the warmth of his arm around her just seconds before he threw her out the window of Capone's castle body along with Brook and Chopper. If it hadn't been for the chains wrapped around her, Nami would have taken Sanji with them.

I'll have to wait for Luffy and the others. Nami closed her eyes, drifting off into sleep. If Sanji-kun resigned himself to this decision, how would she or any of the other Straw-hats convince him otherwise? She didn't like this feeling… What was it? Hopelessness.

…

"Are you really going to give up on me that easily, Nami-san?" Nami opened her eyes to see Sanji-kun lying next to her. He gently smiled at her as he propped himself up on his left elbow.

"You decided to leave without us though," she choked back tears. "You could have escaped with us. You could have waited with us for Luffy and the others."

"And put you in further danger? Never," Sanji ran his fingers through her orange hair. Nami exhaled as she felt a shiver travel down her spine.

"So what should I do?" The tension in her body eased with his touch.

"Trust me," his fingers continued from her hair to the back of her neck. "Believe in Luffy," his eyes followed his fingertips as they gently ran down her naked back. "But most importantly," his hand spread across the small of her back and pulled her body closer to his, "come save me."

Nami smiled for the first time in two days. "Like a knight?"

Sanji grinned back at her. "The princess is going to have to rescue the knight this time." His face leaned in closer to hers. "One more thing, Nami-san."

"Yes," she whispered. Nami could feel his lips hover near hers.

"I didn't get to tell you how beautiful you are in this dress." Sanji spoke in a hushed voice. He caressed her exposed skin through the ties on the side. "Promise me that I'll get to see you in it again."

Nami reached up and gently pulled his face towards hers, "I promise."

…

"Na~~~mi~~~!" Chopper was calling for her in the distance. "Nami~~~~!" He called again. Nami struggled to open her eyes. She could tell that the reindeer was crying from the sound of his voice. "Luffy and the others came!"

Owari!

This story was partially inspired by the song "Promise" by Ben Howard.