TheDarkestShinobi: Hello everyone! Glad to see you stuck with it! Here is sort of the realization chapter if you will. I think we've got another two or three left but im not sure yet. Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter start:

He didn't have any life altering moment; it wasn't a single action that made Sanji fall in love. There was no life or death moment in which he received an epiphany or a loud embarrassing confession of love to avoid losing him to another. It was nothing to write home about or to go to the cinema for. There were no giant waves crashing against him.

Instead, Robin figured, it was going to be like a light tide. Gradually it'll get to the level it needs to be and drag both boys with it.

Sanji told himself to go back and find her the next day, but when he caught sight of her hair he turned away. He told himself it was nerves, or that he didn't want to get the girl pregnant but either way, when he sat at his empty kitchen table that night he had to wonder why.

It was weird, he decided, the way he felt. It was like a calm feeling of indifference. It didn't seem to matter that Luffy liked him, because Zoro seemed to have an eye on the captain and because the captain wouldn't make a move on him, so there was no need to fret it. As for his own feelings, well they didn't exist in any non-platonic way so they were of no consequence. He closed his eyes and leaned back, relaxing.

.

He found her the next day, pinned her to the wall and kissed her.

She eagerly kissed him back and when he pulled away she asked him why. He shrugged, it was impulsive he told her. That was true enough, he had come into town looking for something to do and for something to talk his mind of the tangential thoughts he had been having. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into her.

"So you're not gay?"

He chuckled into her lips as his arms found her waist. They stayed there for a while until she invited him back to her place. It was impulsive, she joked back and he smirked and told her to lead the way.

He got back to the ship much later that afternoon.

.

It was odd, watching Luffy watch him or at least stare off in his direction. Sanji squirmed under his gaze and walked away. He felt dirty under Luffy's gaze, like he had done something wrong to him. It took another meeting with Robin for him to understand what that was.

"He knows about that woman." She had said as she sat down in a chair after breakfast. He looked at her with incredulous eyes before leaning against the counter and crossing his arms.

"So?"

"He's jealous, and sad. That's all."

"Heh," he flicked his hair up. "Don't give me that look; I'm not going to feel bad about it. I'm a man; I am going to do that with women when we dock. Don't act like you've never lied with a man when we've docked."

"I'm not acting like I haven't." she leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs. She knew for a fact that she had, it was something all of them had done. Everyone except Zoro to her knowledge, the man was a master of self-discipline.

"You seemed to be curious as to why our captain had been acting like a kicked puppy yesterday. I know you plan on meeting her today, don't make it obvious."

He met her later, and made sure he came back with evidence littered all over his body.

Luffy didn't even stay for all of dinner. Zoro called him an asshole, Robin said nothing. Nami seemed appalled he had come back with evidence and Franky had pat him on the back spewing something about uncontrollable passion. Chopper had blushed and looked away.

Sanji stood on top of the crew's nest and watched the crew below. He rested his hand on his chin and looked over the waves. Closing his eyes he felt the calm of the ocean envelop him. He let his thoughts wander until he heard the captain laughing below him. His thoughts broke and he smiled down below him watching his family play.

.

"This isn't serious you know." He told her when she had opened her door to see him.

"I know." She forcefully pulled him to her and crashed their lips together. "I don't need the long term thing right now." She said when she pulled back.

"I don't think I'll ever see you again." He finally said when he put her on the bed. "Ship's leaving soon."

"I figured as much." She brushed his hair out of his face with softness he knew meant attachment. "I guess we should make this quite the memory." She said as she pulled him closer.

"I agree." He replied as he grinded them together. Maybe it was more for her than him but he made sure it was wonderful. He stayed and kissed her forehead. He left a flower on her table when he left.

She cried the next day, but felt secure in knowing she was the last woman he'd ever love like that.

.

Luffy had seemed happy to leave the island and Sanji just watched it shrink until he could no longer distinguish it from the rest of the horizon. He felt wrong. It bothered him, everyone else could make him feel guilty about her but he himself couldn't come up with a reason it was wrong unless he looked at Luffy.

The only reason that looking at Luffy would make it feel wrong was if he did have feelings for the captain but he knew, he knew that wasn't true.