AN: Hey, guys~ Here's another fic I'm writing for my other favorite pairing: ZoroxSanji. This one's an AU and I'm making it up as I go. Eh heh...

Unbeta-ed. If you see any errors, feel free to let me know. (Please!)

(I also decided to smash the prologue in with chapter one, cause they're both so short~)

Okay, uh... please enjoy! ^^

**EDIT: Made a few corrections... Will find more later

Prologue

Cold. Everywhere was cold. The air, the ground, his skin and even his heart felt cold. He knew too, that if he reached down to touch the face of the man who raised him, laying there as if he were sleeping, he would be cold. Zeff Black-the greatest chef in the city-now lay; his hands crossed over his unmoving chest and surrounded by colorful flowers in crystal vases.

Even the flowers lacked their usual warmth.

With a wavering hand, Sanji Black —the man's only adopted son—gingerly gripped the still chef's, marveling in the calluses he knew mapped those well-worn hands. Hands that had created masterpieces, hands that reprimanded and rewarded; hands that had taught him everything.

He was right; they were cold.

=x=x=x=

Chapter 1

Sanji stood leaning against the outside of the funeral home, cigarette in hand and wearing all black—save for his striking blue tie—making his sunshine-blonde hair stand out all the more. He blew out a stream of thin smoke, enjoying the brief warmth the tobacco gave him before it was stolen once more by the late autumn chill.

He had been out of state when he'd heard; a culinary academy opportunity that Zeff had practically pushed him out the door to take. Sanji hadn't regretted it. The campus was small and homey, everyone around sharing his passion for food and instructors giving tips and praise to all the students. He'd left in the middle of a lesson after getting an urgent text from one of Zeff's sous chefs.

The following phone conversation was earth-shattering.

Sanji had packed his bags and left on the first flight he could get the next morning. One of the chefs he'd worked with at the restaurant had picked him up at the airport the following afternoon and drove him to the hospital to see Zeff. To see his father.

The blonde-haired man sighed, remembering all the times Zeff had "encouraged" him in his culinary career with anything from spoken advice to kicks to the head; sending him off to a high end culinary school had been the last gift the old man had given him.

A harsh chuckle escaped the young chef's throat, "Damn old man…"

The door to his left gave a loud creak as Sanji was joined by his friend who also leaned back against the scratching brick wall, medium-length black hair slicked waving around his face. Ace Portgas pulled out his own lighter-a zippo, black except for a red stylized spade on the glossy front-and flicked it open, watching the flame.

"He was a great chef."

That was one of the things Sanji liked about Ace; whatever he said it was with sincerity. No "I'm sorry for your loss" or "it's a shame he's gone" were passed like from all the other blank faces in the crowd. Zeff made his living as a chef and would have wanted to be remembered as the damn good chef he was, not just another "loss." It actually lifted Sanji's wallowed spirits, if only just a little.

Ace clicked the lighter closed, "Hey… You flew in from that cooking school, right?"

Sanji nodded, taking another long drag from his nearly spent cigarette, "I'm not going back." The blonde dropped the now-dead tobacco stick, snuffing it out with his foot, "I'm going back to the Baratie… Gotta finish what the old man started."

It wasn't any secret that Zeff's ultimate dream was to open a five-star restaurant, smack-dab in the center of town and roaring with life. After taking Sanji under his wing, that dream only intensified, except with a new purpose-to open a restaurant that his protégée could care for himself.

They even had the name picked out- All Blue- and it would be spectacular.

If only the old man's heart had lasted longer…

"I've gotta make sure our dream gets realized…" The blonde chef looked up to the vivid blue of the sky, smirking lightly to himself. "Him being gone just means that I've got to work my damndest."

Ace couldn't help but smile, despite losing his father, his friend didn't let it stop him from his goals. Typical Sanji. But there was still one problem…

"So, you got a place to crash while you're here?"

The momentary silence that followed spoke volumes.

"I... Didn't get to planning that far. I've got a hotel room for the next few days, then I've got to find an apartment or something."

"You could always stay with me and Luffy," Ace grinned.

Sanji turned to him in surprise, "He's back already?"

At this the elder-brother's-pride laugh escaped the brunet, "yeah, apparently he was the top of his class and everything. I thought they got the wrong kid when I got the certificate in the mail."

The blonde exhaled in disbelief. Luffy? Really?

Luffy Portgas was one of the few chosen from any high school in their region for a full-ride scholarship to the college or university of his choosing from his athletic record; his top performance usually being in mixed martial arts or boxing. To think that Luffy actually graduated at the top of his class to boot…

"That brother of yours is a real terror, huh?" Sanji laughed, remembering the dorky, energetic freshman from his own junior year in high school. "You'll have your hands full for a while with him back."

Ace just nodded, "Well… If you want, I have a buddy who's renting out a room in his apartment. He's a good guy, known him for a while. I'll give you his address if you wanna go check the place out."

The cook looked up to his friend with a grateful smile, "sure. Thanks man."

With a last smile and reassuring grip to the shoulder the brunet turned to the small parking lot, leaving the blonde to his own thoughts while the rest of the people cleared out of the hall.

"Ah, excuse me…" A short-ish man wearing a black suit and a bronzed name-tag walked up to the still-smoking cook, a manila folder in his hand. "Are you Sanji Black?"

"Yes."

"Alright, sir." The man opened the folder and pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to the blonde. "This is a list confirming the viewing, burial service, and the reading of the will for these dates and times."

Sanji looked over the paper; the burial was for two days from then, and the will reading in a week after, "Looks right to me."

"Excellent," the man commented, motioning for Sanji to keep the paper before turning to leave. "Thank you Mr. Black, and I am sorry for your loss."

The cook inwardly cringed.

Once the funeral director was gone, Sanji looked back to the sky; such a vivid blue spotted with delicate plots of white clouds… It was nostalgic.

"Don't worry, old man, I'll make our dream come true."

=x=x=x=

TBC...