Title: Sorcery and Cinders
Author: auspizien
Pairing: ZoroxSanji
Rating: M (violence, language, and mature themes)
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, nor the characters. Everything is because of Oda's wonderful mind.
Summary: AU Modern Day. Sanji buys a pair of orange-tinted vintage sunglasses and finds himself bonded with a thousand year old warlock. An ancient evil, a green-haired man, and the end of the world is only the beginning.
A/N: Zoro and Sanji both have interesting aliases in canon – Mr. Prince and Asura – so I figured it would be fun to play around with the idea. This is the result...
"Hey! Old man!" Sanji bellowed over his shoulder at his ageing uncle as he tossed his toqe on a shelf and shucked off his chef's uniform, "I'm taking my lunch break!"
"Damned brat!" Came the belted growl from over top of the other yells, bubbling soups, and searing pans that came to a cacophony of noise within the kitchen, "Thirty minutes! No less!"
Sanji numbly threw his apron onto a hook on the wall, before grabbing his jacket and stumbling out the back door with a relieved sigh. Leaning up against the brick wall he lit up a Marlboro, took a heady drag and tucked the lighter into his pocket along with the half full box of remaining cigs. He stood silently as he puffed on the stick trying to ease the stiffness in his back and soreness in his feet caused by the lunch time rush, he was just grateful that it was now his break.
Saturday was always his least favourite day of the week. True, he loved to cook, but when he was too busy trying to get his creations out of the kitchen and onto the tables it lost a bit of its joy. Though those rare moments when he could pause in his work and slip to the bar for a refreshment and glance around the restaurant at the people eating and see the gesture of a fork pointing to their plate with the obvious utter of 'this is amazing', it made it all worth while.
The ember died out and Sanji stubbed it on the wall, tossing the butt into a nearby trash can as he pulled out another smoke. Usually he limited himself to one per break but on Saturday's he made an exception. The Saturday rush always left him feeling exhausted by the end and he was always grateful that he had Sundays off to relax and recover. It was a casual job that paid the bills well while he made his way through University.
Best thing he had done was take a year course for a cooking license when in high school and now had been working at the Baratie ever since. The pay was great as he worked his way up to sous-chef and had more than enough money for his tuition, books, and bills.
Second cigarette finished Sanji disposed of it in the same manner as he had the first one before checking his wrist watch, noting that he still had another twenty minutes to blow. With his shoulders and body feeling drastically lighter thanks to two cigarettes he stepped out of the alley way and decided a small jaunt around the block would set him up for the next eight hours. Pity he had to work on such a nice day; the sky was an unmarked blue, the spring sun warmed the sidewalks as the last of winters snow was melted, and the streets were bustling happily with people getting their business done to spend the rest of the weekend at home in peace.
The street the Baratie was located on – East Blue – was the variable entertainment district of the area with the place lined by movie theatres, pizzerias and restaurants, opera houses, sex shops and a surplus of condominiums. A few up scale clothing shops littered the area, as well as places stuffed with knickknacks for the tourists.
Passing a tattoo parlour he noted some of the newest posters stapled to the board outside; some advertising bands playing in the nearby Soul King Concert Hall, others merely enquiring about lost pets. He side stepped a woman who had her head engrossed in her phone and noted a small shop that caught his eye.
The outer walls coated in a cracking black paint that spoke only of age, and the dust marred windows kept you from knowing what could possibly be inside. The place had a wooden ornate sign hanging from rusty hinges that read 'Antiques' and the paint of the words curling away from the actually carved word. The heavy oak door was just as intricately decorated with detailed carvings and peeling paint, aged by the elements. Sanji wasn't too big on antiques but the place had an odd air to it. An ancient and mysterious feel.
Sanji let his curiosity get the better of him and he entered the tiny, rustic pawn shop and glanced around at the stacks of antiques that tittered dangerously above him in piles that seemed physically impossible. Row upon rows of furniture, filled up the space with odd baubles and trinkets piled high on each. Books piled to the ceiling, their leather bound backs falling apart and were so old that the titles were no longer visible.
On vanities there was collections of hand mirrors, trinket boxes and all assortments of hundreds of years old jewelry, mixing with the odd vintage hand gun or wrist watch. One wall was completely devoted to ancient ticking clocks, all silent with their pendulums hanging from their bodies in a dead state that made the clocks look almost sad. A particular duck coated one caught his attention and he knew without a doubt it would be something his mother would decorate her house with.
A wrinkled old man crouched calmly behind the counter, flipping through an issue of Sports Illustrated that seemed oddly out of place in the ancient place. He licked his thumb and flipped the page, "Take a look around. Holler if you see something ya like."
"Will do." Sanji muttered with light derision as he glanced around the dust coated shop. With all the piles of knickknacks it left little room to actually move about the shop, but he managed to sidle his way over to a rather open area by the windows that were indeed so coated in dust that the sunlight from outside was barely able to get in and light up the interior.
He was just contemplating leaving when they caught his eye. A pair of stylish, orange tinted glasses that looked a little out of place on the ottoman amongst all the other knickknacks covered in a light layer of dust. He picked them up and gently blew the dust off of them and turned them cautiously over in his hands.
Sanji couldn't explain what it was about them but he wanted them. Not only were they stylish but something about them just made him not want to let them go now that they were in his hand. Frowning, he inspected them lightly but they just appeared to be an ordinary pair of sunglasses. On a whim he asked, "How much for the glasses, old man?"
"Those?!" The old man's face crinkled in disbelief, "I don't even know how they got in here. Two belli."
Sanji snorted at the realization that the man was probably just selling a pair of specs that someone had set down by accident while on a foray through this dusty place. Regardless, Sanji shelled the coins from his pocket and tossed them onto the counter, giving the man a friendly nod as he pocketed the orange tinted shades and made his way out of the claustrophobic pawn shop.
~X~
Sanji spent his Sunday doing absolutely nothing, lounging in his boxers on the couch while flipping through all the pointless channels that he paid a ridiculous amount for every single month. He finished up a small essay for school at one point, and did his daily work out before finally crawling into the shower at about four in the afternoon.
By five Sanji was fully dressed and made his way outside and down to the sky train station to head over to Blue City to see his parents. The hour long ride passed relatively quickly as he listened to some calming music on his iPod as he prepared himself for the whirlwind of emotions that would hit him upon getting to his parents.
Sundays on the train were relatively empty so he didn't have to worry about playing his music too loud, or bumping elbows with the person next to him. And soon he was at his stop and hopping from the train onto the platform, breathing in the fresh salty air that was a welcome refreshment after sitting in a stuffy automotive for the past hour.
Sanji walked the few blocks from the sky train to the cozy neighbourhood that he had grown up in; riding his bike, playing hockey in the streets and had snowball fights with the kids next door. The yards were all movie material with their white picket fences, mowed lawns and adorable gnome ornaments. The houses themselves were all professional panelling with cute Disney shingled roofs.
His parents house wasn't much different, unmarred white panelled walls and precisely shingled roof. His mother kept the yard prim and proper, the rose beds out front overflowing with daisies, chrysanthemums, and lilies. They were very ordered and proper people, originally from France and with very high standards. Sometimes Sanji wondered how he didn't grow up to become as obsessed as them but he guess he owed it to all the time he spent hanging with his uncle. His parents loved the time alone, but hated the resulting swearing.
Even though he grew up in this house he knew he had to knock or end up with a manners lashing from his father. Three precise knocks and he clasped his hands neatly behind his back and awaited the tidal wave of fussing that was his mother. The high pitched shriek and running footsteps announced his mother had heard and was making her way over to smother him.
The door flew open and he was swept into the arms of a bubbly, little brunette with bouncing ringlets and the brightest blue eyes as kisses were placed all over his face. "Sanji, come in, come in, sweetie." His mother dragged him in as he she attempted to strangle him with her arms, "Oh, I missed you."
"Mom." Sanji laughed as he returned the hug, "We have dinner every Sunday."
"I know, and those six days in between are torture!" She wailed as she finally released him to let him remove his shoes in the foyer and entire the living room to greet his father.
"Sanji." His father nodded politely as he glanced up from his paper, Sanji returned the greeting with a nod and the man then turned back to his news.
His father was almost the precise opposite of his mother; refined, withheld, stoic and quietly judgemental. He had had Sanji learning advance calculus before he was even in high school, and been making him save for college with his allowance money since fifth grade.
Most kids fathers were the type to be on the wild side, or the one you would run to to ask for something your mother wouldn't allow, but in this household it was the other way around. The man was a bloody brick wall and the only clue you'd get that you'd made him happy was the slightest quirk in the corner of his lips – something that a six year old boy could not figure out that easily.
Sanji followed his mother into the kitchen to help with dinner – not wanting to be left alone with his father, though he knew that the eventual conversation of his schooling was inevitable – getting wine glasses and the various cutlery ready. She was an amazing cook and Sanji had definitely gained her skill, but she flatly refused help. So setting the table was as much as she would allow Sanji to do.
"By the way we're having the Jewelry family over as well." She explained slyly, "I think you'll be interested to know that they have a daughter."
"Cool." Sanji replied absently as he took the wine glasses into the dining room and sighed heavily, not that he was adverse to meeting new women but his mother was a bit of fanatic about setting him up with the daughters of rich and renown families in the area. At first it had been interesting meeting the girls but most of them turned out to be spoiled brats – not that he still didn't fawn over them excessively – but it was beginning to get old and no matter how many times he told his mother he didn't like it she wouldn't stop.
It wasn't so much that it was the girls – a few of them had amazing personalities and he would gladly meet with them again – it was the fact that he had no choice in the matter. He wanted romance; something from the movies where he would meet the girl of his dreams, battle evil and then marry her because they were clearly meant to be. Being hooked up at his parents dinner party and forced into a marriage of aristocratic duties was definitely not what he had in mind.
Glasses properly set he returned to the kitchen in time to hear the doorbell ring to announce the addition to his hell. His mother immediately bolted to answer, and Sanji could vaguely hear her greeting them with happy coos and professional mannerisms. Sanji gently opened the oven to get a whiff of the glorious roast that was cooking and had to admit that his mother had done a good job. Though maybe a tad too much sage.
Sanji closed the oven and rose to meet eyes with a pink haired girl that was ushered in the room by his mother. She was very beautiful indeed – the type Sanji would definitely go for – with an athletic figure and wearing shorts and a shirt that probably gave her father a heart attack on a regular basis, "Sanji. This is Bonney."
There was a fraction of a second where Sanji stood staring blankly before his fake mask slid into place and he began his charade for his mother. Dropping to a knee he scooped up the girls hand and placed a chaste kiss to the baby smooth skin, "Ah, how lucky I am to gaze upon such a beautiful figure as yourself."
Bonney seemed unimpressed and pulled her hand away, "When are we going to eat?"
"In a minute deary." His mother promised before winking at Sanji, "I'll leave you two alone for a minute alright?"
Sylvia swept from the room as fast as she had entered obviously with the intent to properly show the Jewelry's around the home before ushering them into the dinning room. But even with her absence he continued with the gooey act and cooed over the girl politely.
"My bubble-gum sweethe-"
"Cut it out will you." Bonney snorted as she gave him an annoyed look, "And don't become an actor, you suck."
Sanji's masked dropped in an instant as he watched the girl walk around him and go over to inspect the dishes that were just waiting to be carried out to the table. She leaned down to glance in the oven before back to the entrees and Sanji watched her quietly.
"You can tell?" Sanji asked wearily as he rose to his feet and watched the girl as she stuck a finger in the mashed potatoes and pulled out a clump to suck on.
"Duh." She said around the mouthful, "Besides, before you started your act you looked like you wanted to puke."
"Oh." Was the only sound that left Sanji's mouth as he felt slightly guilty about her noticing and annoyed that apparently he was that obvious.
"Relax." She grinned cheekily as she grabbed a couple peas and began tossing them into the air and catching them in her mouth, "I know how you feel about this whole being sold off thing. I hate it."
"You too, huh?"
"Unfortunately." Bonney replied as she finished the last of her peas before placing her hands on her hips, "But let's make a deal. We act like we're interested just for the meal to get our parents off our backs. Sound good?"
"That – that sounds fantastic." Sanji replied after a moment as he realized just how many brownie points this would score with his mother if she thought that he and a girl were actually hitting it off.
"None of that swirly lovey dovey shit though, okay?" Bonney pointed a finger at him, "Just romantic."
"Madmoiselle," Sanji took her hand and bowed gracefully, "Romantic is my middle name."
~X~
The table was rather lively unlike some unfortunate dinners he'd had where there had just been a long awkward silence between everyone situated at the table. Ms. Jewelry was avidly chatting to his mother about the gardening club that they both attended and Sanji assumed that must have been where the two had met and conspired to set up himself and Bonney. Bonney herself was completely engrossed in the meal and ate with the vigour and excitement of a twelve year old boy who had just gained a metabolism, occasionally he would offer some compliment or conversation and she would respond in kind, and judging from the happy smiles from the two mothers they were more then satisfied with the results.
His father and Mr. Jewelry were busy talking politics and the latest stock scare that had been affecting a few companies and Sanji pretended to listen only to satisfy his father. The dinner was finished and his mother brought out some apple pie with homemade vanilla ice cream and the conversations turned toward each other. Ms. Jewlery was now quietly fussing over her daughters ice cream smeared face and unfortunately it gave his father the opportunity to turn to him and begin the weekly inspection.
"How are classes going?" His father asked curtly as he cut a piece of pie with a decisive stroke of the edge of his fork, "Keeping your GPA up, I hope."
"Yes, father." Sanji replied with all the excitement of a person on Tax-Day, "Mid-terms are soon and I feel pretty confident about them."
"Confidence is arrogance." His father scolded with a disapproving frown, "You make sure to study."
"But my GPA is a steady 3.8 and I-"
"That isn't a 4.0 is it?" His father interjected haughtily, "Room for improvement."
"Yeah." Sanji agreed quietly with a sigh as he gave in to his father once more, instead opting for shoving his melting ice cream around his plate in an angry pout. He had actually been feeling pretty good about this whole dinner up until now; trust his father to put him in a pissy mood in less than a minute.
"How do you expect to become a lawyer with that attitude." His father continued shrewdly, "You need to strive and be aggressive; this doesn't seem like passionate behaviour."
"Sorry, father." Sanji apologized as he scooped up a bit of the dripping ice cream and held it aloft on his fork forlornly, "I've just been having a tiresome week."
"Life is tiresome." His father responded, "And that sounds like lazy excuses to me. How many times have I told you that excuses will get you no where in life?"
It was a rhetorical question so Sanji didn't answer; his father loathed when people answered his rhetorical questions – a fact Sanji had learned at a very young age though he hadn't even known what the word rhetorical meant at the time.
As though like a God send Bonney seemed to notice his situation and pipped up, "Oh, you're a University boy? What are you taking?"
Sanji turned to her and gifted her with the biggest smile, he owed her big for getting her away from such a nasty conversation, "Law and Business. The two go hand in hand you see, but my real goal is to become a lawyer; eventually a State judge."
He could see Bonney's eyes already going cross with boredom but kept up the charade with a nod and an interested, "Oh, really?"
Sanji started to explain his classes and his father eventually gave up on his criticisms and invited Mr. Jewelry to the lounge for a scotch and a cigar. His mother led Mrs. Jewelry out to the green house in the back yard and soon they were both left alone and Sanji immediately stopped talking. Bonney had clearly not been paying attention to a word and was actually licking the pie plate clean now that her parents were out of the room.
"Your dad's an old grouch."
"Yeah, he can be a little rough around the edge's." Sanji admitted guiltily, "I owe you for that though, thank you."
"Don't mention it." Bonney waved a dismissive hand, "My parents have their moments too. Though mostly it's them complaining that I'm not getting a real job."
"What do you mean?"
"I work at the rec centre teaching a peewee kids soccer team and I'm training for Nationals; I wanna get on the National Team. But they don't see that as a real career; they want me to be more like you; go to school, get a degree, and then get a nine to five job that bores my brain out."
"To each his own?" Sanji offered absently, placing the thin rim of the glass to his lips and sipping at the oaky flavour of the aged wine.
"Sure." Bonney agreed as she grabbed another slice of pie and dropped it onto her plate, "I'm mean; what they don't seem to understand is that I want to spend my life doing what I love. But they worry about money, and how I'll make a living."
"Well," Sanji offered casually, "I'm sure if they love you they'll understand." Though he wondered at the odd feeling that accompanied those words, making him feel a little at unease. Bonney seemed to want to say something judging by the way she pursed her lips, but she seemed to decide against it and instead opted for finishing her pie.
They made small talk for the next hour before they heard their parents in the living area claiming that it was beginning to get late. They made their way over to the entrance as Bonney commented with a toothy grin, "This was actually not so bad," She snatched up Sanji's hand in a firm shake, "And it should keep the parents happy for a while."
"Hopefully." Sanji mused as he gave the hand a quick peck as their parents made their way over to the foyer, their chatting having gotten louder throughout the night as more Bourbon had been ingested. His mother was sporting an impressive flush to her cheeks and Mrs. Jewelry looked to be leaning a little too heavily on her husband.
"Oh, I do hope you come to visit Bonney some time." Mrs. Jewelry cooed as she grabbed a chunk of Sanji's cheek and pinched it for good measure, "You two got on so well; I can almost hear the wedding bells."
"Mhm." Sanji hummed noncommittally as he winced in pain, desperately wanting to get out of this woman's taloned grip and away from her scary notions of marriage. "It was very nice to meet you."
She released his cheek and gave it a firm little smack, "Such a sweet boy. Much better then that Kidd fellow you've been hanging around lately Bonney."
"Mom, c'mon." Bonney urged in annoyance, grabbing her drunk mother's arm and dragging her towards the door, "Time to go."
With a little struggling, and a sloppy kiss to the cheek goodbye, Bonney finally pulled her mother off of Sanji and managed to get her out the front door and over to the car. Mr. Jewelry gave small, whispered apology for his wife's behaviour, and his mother waved it off with a cheery smile claiming she wasn't that far off from that herself. A quick, firm goodbye and Mr. Jewelry was out the door as well.
Sanji took the opportunity and stepped outside, feet hardly in his shoes as he pulled on his jacket. His mother came out onto the small porch to wave goodbye to the Jewelry's as they got into their car before turning to Sanji.
"Sure you don't want a ride to the station, dear?" His mother offered somewhat desperately as he made his way down the cobblestone pathway and out onto the street. Sanji knew what she really wanted and he was in no mood to divulge.
"I'll be fine. Love you." He shouted absently over his shoulder and strode purposefully down the street feeling more tired and worn out then what the entire week of work and school had done to him. After dealing with the annoyance of his mother trying to set him up with as many aristocratic rich girls as she could find, and his father nit picking everything he did, he always left feeling more stressed and angry then when he'd entered.
Hands shoved angrily into his pockets he made his way back through the neighbourhood and to the train station. He had flatly refused his mother's offer to drive him the short distance, not needing her to interrogate him about what he thought of Bonney and give his head such a thorough cavity search she might as well work for an airline company.
Though she would phone at some point and enquire as to what he thought and if she should invite them over again and Sanji would always supply the same answer. 'Yeah, she was okay. Family seemed nice.' That would be the end of it and his mother would end the phone call with a huff of annoyance and claiming that he was such an annoyingly picky person.
He made his way up the concrete stairs that were littered with used tickets and bubblegum and appeared on the upper platform, waiting on the left side for the downtown transit. Rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet he tried to put the whole ordeal behind him, pulling out his iPhone only to find it dead and returning it to his pocket with a sigh.
The train soon pulled in, the forceful wind causing his hair to whip at his face and expose more of his embarrassing eyebrows. The doors slid open and Sanji stepped on swiftly and took a spot on one of the longitudinal seats, shoving his hands deep into his pockets with a scowl. This bad mood was going to last him until work and then he'd just start to cheer up before he'd have to go back and have the ordeal all over again. Man, but his parents could be annoying at times.
The train came to a halt at the next station and Sanji unconsciously leaned in the opposing direction to correct the sudden change in balance. Without the distraction of music he was going to have to spend the next hour sitting in silence and reading the passing signs and advertisements in boredom. It was much the same as when he was eating cereal and the box suddenly became the only thing he could focus on while munching away at the grains.
There was a new STI sign with the obnoxious caption of 'Getting tested is easy as one, two, pee.' and right beside it was a sign about a new adoption agency. The juxtaposition had Sanji chuckling quietly to himself as he turned to look at any other new signs that he could analyze in his boredom. Much of them were the same however, a few about thanking the riders for using the train and helping keep the planet green and the rest advertising Universities in the area.
A woman across from him pulled out a newspaper, checked the front for any compelling stories, and then turned to a page within that was to her interest. The front lines from what Sanji could see were pretty dull and expected; another school shooting, a historical coat stolen from some prestigious museum and the newest scandal about a member of congress sleeping with some hooker. All in all a regular report in today's news.
Sanji sighed as he realized he had run out of reading material and checked the station line up above the automatic doors. Seven stations left; not too bad. He was already imaging collapsing onto his couch and watching movies into the late hours of the night. Screw first class on Monday; teachers were always lazy anyway.
~X~
Sanji got home and tossed his black coat onto the couch haphazardly, before grabbing some scotch and a glass and following suit by collapsing onto the comfy lounge chair in the corner. A temporarily full glass, and a burning throat later Sanji slumped further in the seat with a groan of satisfaction as he flexed his feet and refilled his glass.
Several heavy drinks were usually the only solution to a day with the parents, needing to kill off any malicious or depressed feelings that were spurned after dealing with them. They were the main reason he had a small drinking problem – the space under the sink was getting full of empty bottles of spiced rum again – it was either drink, or spend the day at the gym. A strenuous workout usually helped with relieving his anger.
Glancing around his apartment he deemed it clean enough that he could lie comatose on the couch tomorrow and not feel guilty about a mess. His eyes caught the orange reflecting off of the coconut shade of brown on his carpet and frowned, sitting up slightly to focus on the glasses he had forgotten were in his pocket.
Sanji still couldn't place why he had bought them. As soon as he had picked them up he had known that he need to have them; though why was a question still puzzling him. He was hardly an impulse shopper, but he wasn't even the glasses type of person in the first place.
Lazily, he slumped in his seat and nearly knocked over his glass of rum as he toed the glasses closer to himself before bending down to properly pick them up. Inspecting them closer he found they were Ralph Lauren – eyes bulging somewhat at the fact – they would cost at least two hundred at retail value. He whistled low, impressed as he turned them over casually, before flipping them open and carefully setting them on his nose.
Everything went black.
~X~
Prince opened his eyes, and gasped at the sudden feeling of air drawing into his lungs, almost choking on the foreign sensation he sat up and placed a hand to his chest and beat it roughly to help himself get accustomed. After an undignified moment he recovered and ran a hand through his hair to calmly assert himself before glancing over his body in slight disbelief.
Carefully shifting a leg he was delighted to see the appendage follow his command, muscles in his upper thigh tensing so he could lift and move the leg lightly. Feeling the sensation of something wet on his foot he leaned forward carefully to inspect the tumbler glass laying on its side on the floor with a stain of alcohol branching out from it. The amber liquid causing the earth toned floor to go a shade darker.
Eyes wide in shock he pressed his foot a little firmer against the stain, and choked out a laugh of disbelief as he could actually feel the sensation of the cool wetness against his skin. The small chuckle turned into a full on laugh as he began turning his attention to the rest of his limbs and enjoying the sudden control and sensations he had. Brushing a hand against the soft velvet of the chaise he stared in awe as he felt the feather soft fibres under his touch.
Still in awe of this new body, he finally glanced up at the room that he was in – so much more detailed than looking through the vale that he constantly looked through while trapped in those glasses – the apartment was casually stylish with pleasant earthy tones, rich browns donned most of the walls and floor and everything else was trimmed or highlighted in healthy greens. Prince was less fascinated by Sanji's furnishing choices and was more in awe of how vibrant and real the colours appeared to him through real eyes.
Prince stood carefully – getting used to standing with the muscular legs of this man's body – tilting his head from side to side to get more adjusted to the body he was now inhabiting. Twisting his back in a nice stretch before extending and then clenching his hands to adjust to the dexterous fingers he now possessed. The body was perfect. Fit, strong and similar to his old one.
After a small exploration he found that the man owned a decent sized apartment; one bed, one bath, and an extravagant kitchen. Prince entered the bathroom, eyes wide in wonder at the feeling of the cool tiles beneath his feet, and he touched a towel hanging from a bar amazed at how soft the fibres felt against his hand. He noted the vanity and stepped in front of it to inspect himself.
The man that he was inhabiting was very attractive. His body was lean, but muscular and he had somewhat pale skin. His hair was long and blond, falling into his eyes in an attractive way – eyes that were a bright blue that reminded him of his old ones – and odd curled eyebrows adorned his brow. No wonder the man kept his hair long.
Prince dragged back the bangs to inspect them more critically and found that they actually weren't that bad – he actually kinda like them. He leaned back and righted the hair with a flick of his hand before glancing at his reflection and gave a charming grin, flashing perfect white teeth.
Prince did a narcissistic turn in the mirror to inspect all the aspects of his body – still ecstatic that the reflection was actually under his command – proud that he had somehow managed to awaken in the body of a young man who was so physically fit.
He reached into the blonds pocket and pulled out a pack of smokes, "Sweet fuck, yes." He hummed to himself happily as he pulled out a stick, placed it between his lips and searched the other pocket for a lighter. One was quickly procured and he sighed in relief at breathing in sweet smoke that he had craved for years.
After he had two full cigs he finally felt relaxed enough and he pocketed the packet and lighter. He righted the blond's shirt and looked back up into the mirror, banishing the butt of the smoke with a twist of his hand and snap of blue magic.
"Well." Prince grinned at the gorgeous reflection, "Let's take this body for a spin."
~X~
Prince ran along the roof tops not bothering to hide his grin and barely restraining his boisterous laughter that threatened to break free. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs to show his elation at finally – finally – being free of those damned glasses. Instead he muttered a few ancient Latin words which caused his magic to pervade his body and allowed him to launch himself up onto the roof top of a nearly twenty store building.
A millennium of watching the world go by while being stuck within and old pair of spectacles. How long had he sat in that old shop as an old pair of specs? Waiting for someone to come along and adopt him? Waiting for that one person in all of eternity that he could share a body with?
From within the shades he had seen the blond enter the shop and had just known. Known that he was the right one, that the man was clearly what he had been waiting centuries to find. When the blond had turned his back to talk to the shop keep Prince had immediately transformed the old pair of specs into a newer pair that suit the man's look and attitude, and sure enough the blond had spotted him and had felt the same jolt.
The way his blue eyes widened was proof enough that the man had felt the connection, even if he hadn't recognized it the string of destiny had wrapped itself around him and dragged him to Prince. The hand had picked him up, and almost without pause he had been purchased and stuffed into the man's pocket.
Sanji. As his name turned out to be. He had discovered this after they had returned to a restaurant and a cook had shouted the name and yelled an order for him to complete. Sitting in the pocket had been dull, but after centuries of doing much the same he was used to it. And he had learned a bit about Sanji in the process.
Not only was he a cook, but a talented cook at that. The staff were all rather vulgar but there was an underlying respect for the young man. He was smart, too, able to memorize all the recipes, as well as help others with their tasks. Prince couldn't have been happier to know that his host was such an intelligent and aspiring young man. With a little bump from fate he had been able to fall from his pocket and grab the blond's attention. No sooner then he had been picked up and put on.
And now he was free.
Prince skidded to a halt and glanced out over the city, winding whipping at his face while he took in the breathtaking scene. Just the notion that he was able to have his breath stolen caused a pang in his chest at the wonderful concept of being alive again.
The buildings fell and rose as they stretched out toward the horizon, a few rose up and blocked a bit of the sky but only seemed miniscule compared to the vastness of the endless space above. Living in a pair of glasses had kept him in touch with the advancements of the world but it didn't even compare to the sight before him. Seeing for himself the evolution of infrastructure and society. Prince was still a little in awe at the change in architectural advancements since the time he had come from. The castles that he had seen when he had been flesh and bone had been magnificent and left you breathless in their menacing beauty, and the glittering quartz halls had left you feeling like you were in a dream. But these towering buildings were a different sort of magnificent.
Clouds drifted lazily across the light blue of dusk, tinged vibrant purples from the setting sun that was now dipping behind the taller of the buildings that made up the city. The smooth metals and shiny glass made it seem like he was staring out upon a world of crystal as it glittered and reflected the warm orange glow from the setting sun.
Prince stood there and watched until the last rays of light dispersed and one by one the city became alive with the twinkle of lights that made the town look like it was actually moving and had a life of its own. Golden orbs thrived in the thousands, their iridescent glow hypnotic as they seemed to shudder. Sounds erupted from within as the city became alive – honks of taxis trying to weave through traffic and the distance notes of music from a nearby busker – the intricacies and networks of the human species as they went about their lives without knowing how glorious it was.
Glancing around his closer surroundings he wondered exactly where he was. Sure he was vaguely able to keep up with the year thanks to the conversations he over heard, but there was so much he missed. So much he didn't understand. So much he wanted to know.
For now however there was only so much he could do until Sanji knew that he existed. He would definitely respect the human being that now gave him life, however that wouldn't stop him for exploring. Hopping down from the tall apartment complex he had stopped to sight see from he landed on a much smaller building that was hardly one storey tall.
Prince went up to the edge of the building, leaned up against the cautionary railing and pulled out a smoke and lit up, taking a heady drag before blowing out a stream which slowly drifted up and dispersed until it had disappeared completely. Tobacco tasted drastically different now than it did back when he had been alive but he wasn't going to complain; he'd been craving it forever, he wasn't about to be picky.
But at the forefront of his mind was the memories of his last moments of life and the pain that accompanied the reminiscing. Despite the circumstances of his death – what might yet come to pass – all he knew was that he needed to find Asura. But where was he supposed to begin? He could be anywhere and with his limited magic and Sanji being unaware there was only so much he could do...
A little girl exited the convenience store that Prince was currently lurking on top of and set off down the street with her cute red curls bouncing as she walked, purse slung around her as she sung a little tune. The sharp whistle was enough to bring Prince from his musing and glanced down at her with a small smile.
Prince's eyes anticipated her path and noted a man further down the sidewalk, lurking suspiciously by the entrance of an alleyway. His head turned slightly to watch the girl draw nearer and Prince stiffened as he watched the young girl get closer and closer.
The man didn't have to do a thing. The girl stood frozen in fear as the thug grabbed the purse and ripped it off of her before strolling away with a laugh. She stood for a moment paralysed by fear before the light of a passing car illuminated the tears that threatened to spill.
Prince growled low and immediately set out on a run across the building's tops, passing the still proud man and dropping down into an alley way, making his way to the end but still remaining in the shadows so as to remain invisible. The man was getting close and Prince flexed his new fingers as he prepared for a fight.
Just as the man appeared beside the alley Prince dove out, snatched the purse and dropped low, kicking straight up into the man's jaw. Their was a satisfyingly sickening crunch as several teeth rained out of his mouth, and his jaw was crushed against his skull, with barely any resistance the body fell back on the ground with a garble cry of pain.
Prince straightened his stance with a snort – casting a wary glance around to make sure no one had seen the spectacle – and walked around till he could pressed the heel of his shoe against the groaning man's throat.
"You make me sick." Prince spat, "Enjoy fixing that jaw."
He kicked the pained body into the alley way so that he would be out of the way of passersby. A grunt of pain as the man landed on the cement only served to satisfy Prince more and he set off down the street swinging the purse from the strap on his finger as he whistled a tune.
Prince eventually found the little girl outside of the convenience store she had originally come out from. She sat on the step to the store, head buried in her arms as she cried heavily, tiny body jerking with each sob. Prince laid a gently hand on her back and she jumped, head snapping up to look at Prince in fear.
"Did you drop this?" Prince offered with a charming smile and proffered the purse gently.
The little girl's face lit up and she snatched the purse up in hug, holding tight as though afraid to let go again. Prince smiled lightly in satisfaction before offering as he stood, "C'mon. I'll walk you home so you don't run into any more trouble."
"Thank you so much." She pipped up, "It has my grandma's medicine in it. We don't have much money so when it was stolen I-"
"Say no more." Prince chuckled and straightened lightly in shock as her small hand grasped his tightly.
"I'm Xiao." She grinned up charmingly and Prince returned the look all the while staring down at the hand in wonder.
He hadn't touched another person in centuries. The last person he had been in contact with had been holding him, kissing him as he had been dying. He could hardly remember what that touch had actually felt like and was barely a shadow on his mind. The flesh currently in his hand was warm, soft and oh-so-small and delicate; but the sensation of holding the hand of someone else who was alive was incomprehensible. Just being able to feel that incomparable warmth, that pulse of blood coursing through, that feeling of being alive.
Prince let out a shaky breath as they walked down the street, the little girl leading way as he mindlessly kept up, his thoughts wandering off into the distant past where he had still been alive. Old memories and emotions were beginning to once more surge to the surface – even after a millennium of mulling them over – he still agonized over whether things could have ended differently.
I promise I'll find you.
Prince unconsciously clenched the girl's hand tighter as he remembered those words and forcefully shook his head to bring himself back to the present. They began to cross a dimly lit crosswalk, the little box with the neon green word of 'WALK' was lit up as they made their way across the large white striped pavement, their footsteps audible as no traffic was out on these streets at this time.
"That's him!" A garbled voice yelled.
Prince glanced up and noted the man he had kicked earlier, smashed face barely recognizable through all the blood coating his features. His voice was majorly impaired by his broken jaw, but it seemed he had been persevering enough to find some friends and come back for revenge.
Xiao took a step back with a tiny whimper and Prince tightened his hold on her hand reassuringly, "It'll be okay."
A man who could only be described as resembling a gorilla – with his hulking figure and protruding forehead – revved the engine of his bike in anticipation as the rest of the gang sat more casually on their bikes with mocking looks. Prince casually took a step forward to state wordlessly that he wouldn't run and was rewarded by chuckles of disbelief and scoffs of idiocy from the gang members.
The gorilla man spun out causing the front tire to lift a little before he jerked into motion and drove directly at Prince. All the men cheered him on foolishly, and the confidence of the leader was boosted to ridiculous levels. Prince raised a disbelieving eyebrow.
Was the man really trying to hit him with his bike?
Prince rolled his eyes and remained where he was unfazed, one hand in his pocket as the other continued to hold Xiao's hand. From the sounds she was making it seemed that she was utterly terrified, but she didn't try to run which made Prince like her infinitely more. Under his breath he whispered a few archaic Latin words and the invisible magic once more coated his body and imbued itself within his limbs.
As the biker neared, his face broke out in a grin showing uneven yellowing teeth as he seemed to realize that no matter what Prince was going to get hit by the bike. Neither could avoid that collision as the space between them narrowed down from fifteen feet to nine to four. Xiao was whimpering in distressed but remained rooted to the spot.
Prince instinctively dropped and wrapped himself around the little girl, holding her protectively as he braced one hand on the ground and brought his foot up to stop the bike in its tracks. The metal cracked as his shoe imbedded deep in the body, the front wheel fell off uselessly and oil squirted from the cracked engine. The sudden stop had the biker flying off his bike and colliding with a fire hydrant on the side of the road, from the crunch Prince assumed he must have cracked his skull open. His hand came up to cover Xiao's eyes so she wouldn't see the blood.
Shifting his weight Prince spun and kicked the bike aside sharply sending it whirling across the street and into a nearby brick wall. The collision had the bike bursting into flames and falling to the ground in a heap of burning metal. Prince right his stance, holding Xiao in his arms as he gave the gang a malicious grin.
There was a quite moment where nothing happened and then every bike roared to life as they all turned, abandoned their boss and took off down the street utterly terrified. The tires squelched in their haste to flee, leaving black streaks along the already dark pavement. Once the last of them were out of sight Prince tightened his hold on Xiao and launched himself up, hand grabbing the top of the lamp post and swing himself up onto it before jumping onto the nearby roof and sprinting as fast as he could away from the scene. Once they had gotten a few blocks away Prince slowed to a stop and caught his breath.
"Are you a super hero?" Xiao broke the silence, staring up at Prince wide-eyed and in awe.
"Ah – no, not really." Prince chuckled, as he glanced around trying to get a bearing on his location.
"But you kicked that bike like it was nothing. You're like Superman or something." Xiao continued on in awe, "How did you do that?"
"Listen, that's not important." Prince dismissed her questions, "Where do you live?"
"Merveille Street. 142 Shiki Apartments."
Prince immediately set off at a run, vaguely remembering Sanji passing that street on his bus home from work, it had many extravagant buildings along its path as well as a baobab trees lining the sidewalk in appropriate intervals. Subtlety using branches of his limited magic so as not to alert Xiao he managed to lead himself in the right direction.
The apartment building wasn't actually that far away – only a few blocks from the pharmaceutical store that Prince had found Xiao outside of – and he quickly hopped down from on of the neighbouring buildings and crossed the street over to the complex that was labelled with an elegant sign of fine curvature that read, 'Shiki Apartments'.
The apartment building that he found himself outside of had two large baobab trees bordering the entrance, which led up to a pair of large double glass doors, the lobby barely visible through the reflective glass. Towering at least twenty stories a pattern of balconies was established on the southern side, as the rest were merely coated in a reflective glass. Prince dropped into a crouch, gently set Xiao down on the front step and grinned, "You'll be okay now, yeah?"
"Mhm." Xiao nodded, her red hair bobbing, "Thank you."
"And next time you get someone to go with you to get that medicine. Got it?"
"Yup." Xiao had to use all of her body weight to pull open one of the large double doors, leaning bodily against it to keep it open as she waved to Prince, "See you later."
Prince gave a jaunty wave as Xiao entered and the large door swung shut. He heaved a happy sigh as he glanced around the city that was now completely blanketed by night, the sky above an endless dark blue while the city below sparkled to make up for the lack of stars. Reluctantly, Prince turned and slowly made his way back to Sanji's apartment.
~X~
Sanji's eyes fluttered open and the blurred visage of his living room came into view. Annoying fractions of light speared through the gaps in the blinds and pierced his eyes in the most painful way possible. He dragged a heavy hand to his face and rubbed his eyes trying to get rid of that sand-in-eye feeling that came with little sleep.
The small movement of his arm burned in a way akin to how a muscle felt after a good workout, though he really couldn't explain why he was that sore. Work never affected him that much. He sighed heavily and assumed he might as well get into some hangout clothes, make some breakfast and set about accomplishing nothing for the day,
Placing his feet sturdily on the ground he pushed himself up, paused for a moment as the pain was registered in his sluggish brain and then toppled over with a cry of pain. His feet hurt a million times more than when he went to sleep and his body felt like he had been hit by a truck. The pain that shot through his legs had him sitting back down with a groan.
Fuck, he was never going to drink on a Sunday again.
TBC...
A/N: Meet Prince. The thousand year old warlock that now inhabits Sanji Black's body.