A/N: Now before you all want my death, let me just tell you that this chapter uses a bit of angst. I mean come on- it was going to happen, right? But have no fear... (or maybe you should O.o ) everything is pretty much corrected by the end of the chapter. Just needed a little bit of drama is all.
I'm actually happy with the way this story is going and the ease of writing. I really like these two characters and writing Zoro is always fun. God is he awesome! If I wasn't in love with Sanji, I would so be all over him… well that and if they were real. -fangirl sigh-
Anyway, back to the real world… nope. You have been Ja nai'ed! I'm staying in my own world for a while.
"I reject your reality and substitute my own."
On with the story!
"Nami, you know I love you right? More than all the fish in All Blue or any culinary creation… well, I guess I wanted to ask you if you'll stay by my side forever… be my wife Nami."
Nami felt faint... no, worse than faint. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, she couldn't do anything.
Her lungs felt like they stopped working and before she knew it she was coughing for air. Sanji, the eternal gentleman, was at her side, looking concerned while lightly tapping on her back.
"Nami... Nami, are you alright?" He asked deeply worried at her lack of movement and blank expression after she recovered.
After collecting herself, Nami's eyes traveled from his face to the small box that Sanji was holding before she began coughing again. The little black box scared her more than she wanted to let on. Their entire voyage together flashed before her eyes. The first time she saw his heart eyes, the times he would seem to understand her better than she did herself, the good times they had together and even the bad times where they would fight.
The more she thought about them, the more she knew they worked well as a couple. And neither liked being apart for too long. He loved her, and she too loved him back...
However, things like that didn't really matter when one felt backed up to a wall. Nami forced herself to breathe as Sanji picked up said little box and opened it. Taking the ring out of the box, Nami's eyes caught the diamonds glitter in the moonlight.
"I don't want to rush you, but I can't put this off anymore. Nami stay with me and share everything... I don't care if I get to All Blue, or we find One Piece, I found something more important than all that... you."
"I... I... Sanji. I..." Nami took a cleansing breath and acted. Pushing his hands out of the way, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him senseless.
"I take that as a yes then?" He said with a smug confidence as they finally broke apart. Not waiting another moment, Sanji took the ring and put it on her finger. "It belongs there." He said as he kissed her ring finger. "Just like you belong here, with me."
"I was so scared..." Nami mumbled as she clung to Sanji and enjoyed the view.
"About what?"
"Stuff... I can't believe we're finally real."
"Real? Hasn't it always been real with us?" Sanji looked at her not understanding.
"Real... real is the actual coins in the purse, the treasure in the chest. I've grown up knowing that nothing is real till there's something to prove it exists."
Sanji felt the huge slap to the face at that comment. This time it was his turn to feel faint.
"What?" he asked pulling away from the woman who once again stole the breath from his lungs, this time it wasn't in a good way. "Are you telling me nothing was real before this?"
"Sanji? What's wrong?" Nami questioned not understanding why he was acting strange.
"What's wrong? What's Wrong!" Sanji said standing up quickly. He was trying to not get angry, but Nami's out look on their relationship not being real disturbed him.
"Sanji?"
"So everything we did up till now was not real? When you said you loved me, all the times we stayed up together and talked, the all the times we made love? That all meant nothing? It wasn't real?"
"Sanji, I..."
"You needed something of monetary value to tell you that I loved you?"
"I never said..."
"You just did. Nami, please... tell me you don't think that way..."
"Sanji... this is hard for me... you have to understand..."
"Understand what? That you had a hard childhood? Nami, we all did. There isn't one among us that had the best up bringing... why can't you just accept the fact that you love me and we can be happy together?"
"So now you know what I think and do?"
"You God damn know I'm not. What is your problem? Things were going so well."
"It would never work out. I knew it wouldn't..." She said on the defensive.
"Oh, so you're saying we're over now? Well fine. Take that ring and put it in your treasure box then... hopefully that will make you happy. I just need to know one thing... did you ever really love me Nami?" Sanji waited for an answer, but never got one. Looking up to the stars he let out a deep breath not looking at the woman who had broken his heart that night. "I'm done Nami."
It was the sight of the blonde man walking away, his frame finally retreating down the steps that caused the tears to escape from here eyes. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected Sanji to give up so easily... to walk away from her. It hurt. But she had caused all this... she had gotten exactly what she was trying to stop from happening. By trying to protect herself, she had caused so much pain for the both of them.
Nami knew she was being stupid... she should have just given up on her pride and admitted to him that she had dreamed of that moment for so long... To be his wife, to live together forever... but she blew it. No not just blew it, she sunk their entire relationship with one stupid comment.
Instead of crying on deck alone, she could have been in the warm embrace of the man, who until now loved her. They could have once again been engulfed by the passion they shared only for the other.
She missed him already. Sobs racked her slender frame as she let the cool breeze waft across her back sending shivers down her body. Nami hadn't cried this hard since... since the day her life changed so long ago on the small island she called home. She was alone then. Working alone for a bastard of a pirate crew, she had felt so utterly lost then by herself in her struggles. She was alone now.
Slowly getting up, Nami looked at the scene he had created for them. Sanji had gone all out once again for her and this was how she repayed him... by breaking his heart.
She needed to fix things. Wiping her tears aside, she knew what she had to do. He had to listen to her. She knew he would, being the gentleman. And he would forgive her... wouldn't he? He always did forgive her when she started little fights before.
Slowly going down towards the boy's cabin door, Nami was ready to do anything to make it up to Sanji. Knocking softly she tried to push the door open like she had done so many other times when she needed to go into the guy's quarters. However, this time the door would not budge. It was locked.
"Sanji?" She whispered trying to open the door again. Nothing. It would not open and it seemed like no one heard her calling for the cook.
With a sigh, Nami gave up and decided to talk with him tomorrow. Things would always be better in the morning, she thought.
Making her way back to her own room, things looked a lot different. His clothes were still hanging over the back of her chair, and little things that reminded her of him, constantly brought up the memories of her huge mistake.
Taking off her dress, Nami slipped into a large button up shirt of Sanji's. Wrapping her arms around herself, she tried to pretend the cook was there with her. She missed him badly. Looking over at the bed she realized he would not be coming in to bed with her tonight.
She was alone.
Tears flooded her eyes once again as she dropped to her knees before her bed. Pulling his pillow to her face she cried.
"I'm sorry Sanji... I'm sorry." She sobbed over and over as she continued to let the sadness wrack her body. "I don't want to be alone anymore... please Sanji. You know I love you... I do."
Soon utter exhaustion over came her and she fell asleep still clutching the pillow he always used.
Inside the guy's quarters, Zoro was awoken to a muttering Sanji. Thinking it was odd that the cook would be sleeping in the hammock that had been unused for some time, he knew something was up.
Listening to Sanji cursing quietly, the swordsman didn't know if he really wanted to know what the two had fought about... he knew right away that the cook and the navigator must have ended their night on sour terms. Why else would Sanji be back in the 'dog house' and not in his usual spot?
The soft tapping on the door, then a distraught whimper caught Zoro's ear. He knew the tone of voice. He would never forget hearing her voice crack like that; to have her descend into that fragile state was too weird for the swordsman. The strong willed and often sharp tounged navigator had only cried once in front of the crew. What ever had happened must have really upset her, and telling from the love cook's current actions he definitely wasn't going to bed happy either.
The whimpers stopped and Zoro rolled over in his hammock re-situating himself for going back to sleep. Before he could close his eyes and drift back to his dreams aweird shadow in the corner caused him to sit up suddenly on alert.
"What the hell is your problem?" Zoro growled as he found out it was only Sanji standing in the corner. "Go to bed, or go out there and talk to her."
"I can't..."
"What do you mean you can't... only a few hours ago you were all over her."
"Things... have changed. I can't love her anymore... she's never really loved me."
"That's a load of crap. But, whatever. Just don't mope over there like that... it's creepy." Zoro yawned as he lay down and closed his eyes.
It seemed that Sanji had taken his advice and soon he too was in his hammock. The cook had a little trouble readjusting to the hanging bed. Normally he would wrap his arms around... her.
'Forget about it Sanji... forget about her.' He told himself as he pulled his pillow close trying to mask the loneliness he felt. Thinking back on the evening he searched for anything he could have done to make things better. He knew she didn't mean all of what she said. True, she had a large issue with trust and long term relationships. She had never been loved. She never let herself be loved.
As much as Sanji wanted to be hurt and be spiteful towards her, he knew she was hurting as well. That was confirmed as he heard her from the other side of the wall. She was sobbing. Pleading with him... he wanted to rush to her. Take her in his arms and never let go... but he couldn't.
"Your woman is calling." Zoro growled once again finding that sleep would not come to his room. 'I can never win.' He groaned in his mind.
"I know." Sanji sighed.
"So, what are you going to do about it?"
"What can I do?"
"Look. I don't know what happened. I don't want to know what happened. And I don't like either of you- you keep me up at night, you give me nightmares... but I don't want to put up with two mopey people on board."
"Oh shut up, what do you know? You're just a cold hearted bastard."
"So? All I know is this cold hearted bastard likes his sleep at night. You better fix this by tomorrow because if you don't I'm going over there and I will shut her up personally. And I guarantee it won't be pretty."
Nami woke the next morning with a horrible headache. Looking at a small mirror, she sighed looking at the pitiful face looking back at her.
"You look horrible." She told herself as she stood up and worked out the kinks that came with sleeping halfway on her bed and half on the floor.
Not even worrying about how she looked or who would see her, Nami made her way back above deck. Instead of going straight to the kitchen she walked back where the most special night of her life had gone totally wrong.
Looking out at the waves and the calm ocean, Nami couldn't help but finger the ring Sanji had given her. This was a treasure she could never part with... it was special to her even if Sanji didn't think she felt that way.
Knowing that once she turned around she had one destination, Nami attempted to clear her mind. She had decided that she was going to beg, plead, grovel, do anything for Sanji to listen to her, to forgive her...
"How can I make you see that you mean more to me than anything in my life... more than even my own family..." She asked the sky knowing she would not get a response. "I love you more than my own mother... and that scares me so much." She said trying not to break down and cry again. "What if you leave too?"
"Nami…" His voice from behind her startled her out of her thoughts and she turned quickly to see him standing there.
Nami couldn't speak. She froze once again as her eyes welled with tears. Shaking Nami knew she had to do something...
A/N: So will it be happily ever after, or will there be more little storms at sea? You'll just have to wait and see.
Thanks for the reviews!