Musical Bear: Because, in the end, the suffering is worth it. :D Law is always on the lookout for the best type of revenge. And finding another fandom to get sucked into is life, man! It happens!
Minnyfox: It feels like forever since I touched this story DX But it's never far from my thoughts! Don't worry, the LawSan is strong in this fic – this chapter shows the two idiots what they themselves can't see, just yet ;)
Hallconen: Sanji is pretty strong – can kick out dungeon doors, and guys out of bars, so he knows when to pull them. He doesn't kick Law that hard, but definitely enough for him to feel it. And thanks for the art compliment! :D Coming from you, that's…pretty – GDI, no, YOUR ART IS AMAZING! THE DETAILS! :D AH! Your raccoon eyes are perfect! :D :D
A/N: I like to write the characters a little differently for EACH story - i hope that the differences are very noticeable! But for this one, it was important for me to write one of my absolute FAVES in this manner. (sob)
11: The Awakening
Sanji could feel the tension around him, and he felt a little off guard because of it. Zeff looked as he always did; gruff, impatient, old…and while Sanji didn't feel any different at the sight of him, he did feel his shoulders stiffen a little, as if he were still the little boy eager to please the man that had taken him in. He felt that familiar feeling of rigidity he always felt being under that sharp, blue-eyed gaze. As if he were coiled, ready to spring to action the moment Zeff told him to do something. But there was also something small inside of him, waiting to see if it were all a mistake. That Rayleigh would spring out from the shadows and reveal that he'd been controlling the man the entire time. It would make sense – but then again, it'd be an unbelievable dream.
He knew Zeff better than anyone here.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Zeff snapped at him, his expression full of disapproval. "I told these two clowns to leave me alone."
"I wanted to see for myself if you were okay," Sanji replied evenly. "You just took off. There was no warning, no explanation, and two different stories."
"I don't appreciate the hounding. What the fuck gives you the right to question my actions?"
Sanji looked off to the side. He felt that Zeff was right with that question – he shrugged, looking down at his scuffed boots – his feet ached within them, the tread so bare that he'd felt every pointed rock in the road. He didn't want to ruin the ones the occupants at the castle had given him.
"I just…after all these years we'd spent together, I thought…you'd at least tell me some things," he muttered.
"What's there to say?" Zeff asked impatiently, glancing at the hunter that frowned at him, and the kitchen help that lingered near Sanji, looking at him anxiously. "I owe you absolutely nothing. Besides, I gave you to Rayleigh fair and square. Now, I've come to understand that that's not working out? He was just here the other day, upset about your behavior."
"I did not want to be 'given' to anyone," Sanji mumbled.
"It was a trade, brat. He gave us that place, he found me a job. In return, all he wanted was you when you were of age. I knew people would question it, and I didn't want to hear it. So I left. I don't answer to nobody. So, at that, how dare you? What the fuck gives you the right to come up here, disturb me, and waste my time?"
Sanji clenched his teeth for a few moments, unable to look the man in the eye.
"Let's go," Zoro said irritably. "You heard what Ussop was trying to tell you the entire way here. Let's go."
"Who is Rayleigh?" Sanji then pressed. "How is it he can use power with words?"
"He's just a friend," Zeff answered, tightening his arms over his chest. "We go back a ways. Anyway, don't think you're the only one out there. For a guy that age, he's got more than one of you. By the way, you make it to the castle yet?"
Sanji looked at the ground with disgust, fists curled into tight balls. "Why didn't you warn me that you worked for them?"
"I don't owe you anything, brat. Did you fix that little bitch his cake? Doflamingo wouldn't stop hounding me about it."
"I did," Sanji answered after a few moments, biting back the snap he felt at the edge of his tongue. It was one thing for Sanji to call Law names, but to hear it from other people – he didn't like the feeling it gave him.
"If you do manage to make an 'in' with them, it won't be for long," Zeff added. "They're all going to die soon. Tolerate them if you can't live anywhere else because of Rayleigh. By the way, it's real inconvenient for me that you caused him all this trouble. All he wanted was one thing, and he would've left you, moved onto the next. All you had to do was tolerate it, boy. Hearing him bitch about it was really troublesome for me. He won't let it go until I feel obligated to give him something else, and at this age, I've nothing more to give."
"That's not what I wanted. I don't want that – "
"It's not up to you, what you want. It's what was obligated at the time of the agreement. You failed at your duties, and now, nobody's going to want you, seeing that you skipped out of your committed responsibility. Get out of here. I'm free, I want my freedom. I see your face up here again, it'll be your last," Zeff added on a warning, turning and walking back to the cabin. "Oh, and if that guy comes back around, tell him he still owes me that horse! I've been waiting for it!"
At the slam of the door, Sanji exhaled slowly. But he turned to look at Ussop, shrugging. Ussop looked on the verge of tears, biting his lips inward.
"What are you so upset about?" Sanji snapped at him.
"It fucking bothers me that he can talk to you like that!" Ussop near sobbed, covering his face.
Sanji waved it off, stuffing his hands into his pants' pockets. He reflected on Zeff's words, and felt heavy weight in his stomach. The conversation had been exactly as he'd thought it would be. Nothing Zeff had said was new to him. He felt a presence behind him, knowing it was Zoro, trying to find something to say.
He exhaled noisily, hands in his hair as the heaviness of the situation weighed on him. "Damn. I guess it can be seen that way, right? Running away from my duty just because it was unpleasant. If someone were to consider hiring me in the future, they're going to look at this funny."
"Sanji - !" Ussop cried with dismay.
"It's true!" Sanji snapped at him. "Marriage is a duty, right? It's two people coming together to provide and respect each other for a task. And if it was true that he'd move on, I'd only have to endure it for a short while. Running away from it now because I didn't like it…it's not going to reflect well on me. It's only shown that I'm incapable of handling difficult tasks."
"Maybe hitting him real hard would knock sense into him," Zoro mused out loud. "Because all I'm hearing is crazy, from him."
Ussop wiped his eyes, sniffling. Then he reached out and grabbed Sanji's shoulders, not looking at him. "Are you satisfied? Can we go, now?"
"Yeah. I'm done. Ussop, there's no need for those types of dramatics," Sanji then scolded, frowning at him. "Why are you so upset?"
"Because you're a fucking person, not a fucking trading tool! He had no feeling at all talking to you! He disrespected you, barely even looked at you! Talking to you like you – like he hadn't taken care of you since you were a child - ! How could someone be so cruel?"
"Ussop, I knew what he'd say, and I was fully aware of what he considered of me," Sanji said, pulling him along as they made their way from the cabin. "You even warned me, repeatedly, that the things he'd said were going to be very difficult to hear. The only thing I'm truly disappointed in is that he was right."
Ussop jerked his arm away from him, yelling, "He wasn't right in any way! He's a heartless creep! Selling you off to some old geezer for a house? And what's this, Rayleigh has others like you? Hooray for polygamy, right?"
"If it meant he moved on and left me here with a claim, then so what? At least I'd have work, at least someone could rely on me. It's that big of a deal. It's not bothering me, Ussop, I'd appreciate it if you just dropped it, okay? You're only making yourself that much more upset."
Ussop punched him in the chest with a growl of frustration, then ran ahead, Sanji pausing in place to rub the spot with a scowl. Zoro frowned at Sanji, unable to think of anything to say.
The wind rustled through the trees, and Sanji looked up at the sky to determine the amount of time they had, to see if there were any incoming storms. All he saw was a heavy canopy of branches, thick foliage. He had more questions, but he knew he wouldn't get them answered by Zeff after this point.
"So…that's it?" Zoro asked him, after walking alongside him in silence.
"Yes. That's it. That's all I needed."
"None of that was satisfying. It just left a lot of things open."
"I don't care. I don't care much of anything, right now. I got what I wanted. It's time to move on."
"Ussop's right, you know."
"Shut up! Okay? Shut up! It's done and over with! I don't want to talk about it anymore! Move on, stupid moss breath."
Zoro rolled his eyes as Sanji strode ahead, following after Ussop as they made their way back down the mountainside.
: :
By the time Sanji woke up in the castle the next day, his legs were heavy with overuse. His calves stung, his feet tired. He thought about the encounter with disappointment, feeling a little guilty that he'd waste the pair's time. He should have just listened to Ussop's advice in the first place. He threw aside the blankets, then drew them back over at the intense chill in the air. Shivering, he grumbled as he burrowed back into the warmth and wrapped his arms around himself. He listened to the fire crackle noisily in the fireplace, the faint sounds of laughter somewhere within the castle's depths.
He still felt relieved that he wasn't waking up in the house with Rayleigh. But this was weighted with some guilt. He felt as if he'd skipped out on his duties, and the feeling made him sick. He threw aside the blankets once more, and proceeded to get ready for the day.
By the time he made it down to the kitchen, it was already warm, candles flickering neatly. He went about making Law's breakfast, wondering what he was going to do about the rest of his time here. He still found it amusing that this weird crew wanted him to fall in love with Law. What was he supposed to fall in love with, anyway? What part of Law was considered attractive? It was almost similar to him being forced to look at a beloved housepet in another manner.
But then again, under all that fur, dirt and fleas was a man. A very childish man – probably with dark hair, with amber eyes. Sanji envisioned the kid's portrait in the Great Hall – there was no indication that this kid had any potential to be a good-looking guy. He was just a bratty face with a pouty scowl. Sanji couldn't even imagine what his true voice would sound like – Beast's words were underlaced with a heavy rumble, distorting any human sound he could have. While he sometimes stood upon his hind legs to walk like a man, he preferred walking on all fours – his huge hands were reflective of this, thickly callused and scarred. All his fur kept Sanji from even seeing what sort of shape he had – just big and hulking on top, with long, spindly legs that curved like a dog's. Did all that mane mean Law had long hair? Or was it short, medium length?
How the hell was he supposed to fall in love with a beast?
He snorted. These people were crazy if they thought that was possible.
What, were he supposed to fall in love with their conversations? And what conversations? Law couldn't even keep himself on the same track without erupting into fits of anger or irrationality, and, besides, Sanji couldn't find many things to talk about, anyway.
He took that back immediately. He could always say things to Beast, and Beast always had a reply. They did talk well – Beast was receptive of Sanji's words, and often asked questions, labored onto something else that Sanji latched onto and returned.
He put the knife down, tilting his head to reflect on this. Yes, he could talk, and they had fine conversations. But that wasn't going to make him fall in love.
He snorted, resuming his actions.
How could these people think that this was even possible?
When he saw Beast a few hours later, he walked into the largely empty dining room with a drag of his feet, smacking his lips. Sanji had not seen him at all during the trip, and wondered what he thought of it. If he'd even been close enough to hear the encounter between himself and Zeff. He sat at one end of the table, making a monthly menu plan, completing a grocery list for the castle occupants to go out and find – he was really curious how these objects were able to steal off with food and supplies from town. How was it all transported from the village?
Law plopped down near him, yawning. Then curled up on his side, stretching.
"I'm assuming you didn't get much sleep," Sanji stated, setting the quill down, wiping ink from his fingers.
"I was busy."
"How should we do this?" Sanji then asked, watching him scratch his furry stomach, then proceed to roll on his back and scratch awkwardly. "Do you have fleas, you shitty mutt?"
"I think so. I fucking itch. I need a bath, but it's too fucking cold. Plus, I'm just going to get dirty again, anyway," Law complained, twisting this way and that. He ended up knocking a couple of chairs down, and laid there, as if worn out from the entire action. Facing the other way, Law didn't move for some time, and Sanji wondered if he'd passed back out, again.
He scratched his shoulder, wondering if fleas could travel to humans. Moments later, he heard Beast snoring, so he picked up a wad of paper and flung it at him.
"Get up, you shitty creature! You're so lazy! We've got work to do! If you want to submit pies to the Festival, we should go out and gather berries."
"You said it was a bad idea," Law grumbled, unmoving. A gusty sigh left him. "I just want people to suffer."
"Not all of them are bad," Sanji admonished. "Why don't you just focus on the ones that made you angry the most?"
"No, all of them contributed to this, all of them are my mortal enemies by default. They're the ones that found and paid Tsuru to do this."
"But you should really be mad at Doflamingo."
"I am! But…the village contributed to this, as well." Law rolled over with a huff, then straightened the chairs. He stood up on his hind legs, yawned and stretched again. He sat in a chair, awkwardly fitting himself to the table, arms splayed over. Then let his head hit the tabletop with a loud thump. "I stayed up all night reading Baby's stupid books. My eyes ache. More from the horror of learning what women expected from a man. It is these unrealistic expectations that causes at least 95% of women falling out of love with their husband, because they think that this sort of romance is attainable. Well, it's bullshit! It's so much pressure!"
Sanji narrowed his eyes. But he held his tongue.
"You would consider doing all that stupid shit to woo someone, who'll only discover what a fake you are later one?" he muttered. "Leading them to resent and hate you for what you've done?"
"I don't care at this point, because I only want to be human. My original plan to win back our humanity was best," Law muttered into the table. "I wanted to slaughter the entire village, but keep only one victim alive. I'd keep them in the dungeon, and they'd only fall in love with me because I'd be the only one to give them any kindness. Food, water, blanket, etc. And I would have fallen in love with the concept of having a victim all to myself."
Sanji threw his empty teacup at him. "You're such a fucking loser! Of course that wouldn't work!"
"It would've worked! But Doffy said I couldn't do that because he wants to be human, too. That big baby," he muttered bitterly.
Sanji bit his lips to keep from saying anything, but he couldn't resist asking, "Were you the type to torture small animals when you were a kid?"
"What? NO! I'm not a psychopath, I just hate the villagers and want them to suffer. Their animals would be safe."
Sanji rolled his eyes. "Well, has your victim been picked, yet?"
Law glared at him, tapping his claws on the tabletop. "No, because you took Ussop all to yourself. Selfish."
Sanji returned the look with a level frown. "He was my friend first, it can't be helped."
"Listen, Sanji, this is a serious question," Law then said, pushing away from the table and walking around it, then pacing up and down the other side. After the events of yesterday, Sanji felt his shoulders stiffen – he wasn't sure if he were ready to talk about what happened yesterday.
He nodded, prepared to handle whatever it was that Law wanted to ask.
The Beast sat nearby, tail fluttering over the floor with agitated action. Sanji looked at him, wondering if Law resembled more bovine with dog features, or dog with lion features. It really was a toss up, as if Tsuru had thrown in all variations of animals into the Beast's make-up and gave him only that.
"Once married, do you think it's appropriate to address them by their given name, or by a pet name? Because I really don't think I can come up with a pet name – you think they'll be offended if I just let Baby pick one – ?"
Sanji threw his tea saucer at him with an impatient growl. "How is this a serious question?"
"I have a fucking timeline I also drew out, and this was part of it!" Law snapped at him, avoiding the thrown object effortlessly. "I don't know whether to add it between when it's appropriate to shit in front of them, or when it's acceptable to tell them when I have a headache when it comes to sex."
Sanji stared at him for several moments, then erupted into stiff laughter. "Are you fucking serious? You drew out a timeline to follow for after you marry this unfortunate sap?"
"Of course!"
"And one of them is…stupid. You're so stupid," Sanji commented, unable to suppress the chuckling he uttered.
With an insulted gesture, Law argued, "Look, it's good to plan ahead! Because I feel better about things when I've planned ahead!"
"This sort of thing is the least of your concerns. You must focus on the here and now of whether you even gain somebody's favor!" Sanji cleared his throat. "Can I see this timeline?"
"Yeah, sure. I warn you, though, I spent a lot of time on it, and if you see anything that doesn't seem to fit the mood, you must point it out so I can correct it."
After they'd left, one of the chairs muttered to the other, "You have your grave dug, yet?"
: :
Sanji caught sight of the black rose, floating without aid just above a corner table. He ventured towards it as Law closed the windows open to the north, and opened one by the bed. The rose glimmered with an impossible sheen, and looked only as if its opened petals were glazed by varnish. There were a few scattered underneath, brittle and dry. He tried to imagine the powerful Enchantress casting a spell over the castle and presenting the rose as a ticking hourglass. How frightening it must have been for the rose to bloom on Law's birthday, everyone in the castle suddenly aware that their time was running out.
He once again felt a terrible pang in his chest at the thought of those children in the Great Hall dying because Doflamingo had been an ass to the villagers. While he got that the people feared the man, he still didn't think the kids should have to be punished. He turned away from the flower with a sense of unease, seeing that Law had gathered up all his scrolls from the canister next to the massive desk in the corner.
Sanji was impressed. The scrolls unraveled in front of him were filled with neat handwriting that must have been applied with the use of a ruler. There were expressively drawn diagrams, outlines, and anatomy models with little notes to them. One of them had things like, 'Sensitive area here', 'Protective gesture applied with firm force for exactly five seconds,' 'three strokes exactly, with hard press of thumbs in alternate motions'.
He bit his lips.
"Law. You're…you're planning…hugs?"
"Those things look hard," Law admitted, a little stumped. "I see people doing it all the time in town, and while I understand that it is a gesture of comfort, I can't imagine pushing my body against another's."
"Because you're a fucking monster, right now."
"That's the problem! I'm too fucking huge and gross, and I have fleas, I'm certain of it. Everyone likes hugging dogs, or even cows, but it comes to something like me? It's fucking difficult. So I figure if I draw them out and apply some solid evidence and information on How-To, I should be able to do this successfully."
"Hmm."
"What."
"Well…I mean, this is interesting and all, but…maybe you're overthinking it. Maybe you shouldn't worry about this sort of thing. I think that when the time comes to hug someone, it'll happen without you thinking about it," Sanji muttered. "Really, with all of these, you're basically following Baby's footsteps. Giving yourself unrealistic goals. How are you going to live up to your own expectations?"
Law frowned at him, then stared. He stiffened. Then sucked in a startled breath, pacing frantically.
"FUCK!"
"STOP YELLING IN MY EAR!"
"OH FUCK WHAT A WASTE OF TIME!"
Sanji clamped his hands over his ears as Law shouted, throwing his scrolls around.
"HOURS! WASTED! After all that shit I told Baby! FUCK!"
"I heard my name!" Sanji heard Baby's voice shout from across the courtyard. "I'm coming!"
He looked back at Law, who dropped where he'd been standing, whining piteously. He rolled the scroll back up, and resealed it. He heard Baby bellow out that she was seconds away, moving steadily into the castle.
"You really are a whale's dick," he commented lightly. He found another scroll and opened that one; he kept expecting to see this alleged information sheet about himself, and wondered why he felt so nervous about it. This scroll contained elaborate conversation scenes, down to the hand gestures, topics, to total minutes that should be spent on a polite debate. He snickered.
"SHUT UP."
"Look, I understand you're stressed about this, but this is going about it all wrong," Sanji said, rolling the scroll back up and resealing that one, too. "Let's talk about this in a different manner."
"I don't want to, right now. I'm just…all these hours…wasted. And you're right, I just built up a stupid wall for myself to climb, and…looking back, I just felt obsessed with knowing every detail because I just want it to be perfect. I just want to be a fucking human again."
"Maybe I unconsciously did this because I don't have any hope for myself," Law then mumbled, rolling onto his side to face the fire. "Deluded myself with all these hopeful fantasies for a future that I know I won't have."
Sanji said nothing for a few moments, reflecting on his words. But he held himself back because he wasn't sure if he should feel anything for the Beast at this moment. Was this just one of his tactics, to lure Sanji out by his heart? To lead him with his sympathy and pity?
"I think that it'll work when you're with the right person," he said slowly. "I think it'll happen eventually, when you don't even have to think or plan anything. Things just…flow."
All he got from Law at that moment was a pathetic thump of his tail on the floor, and another gusty sigh.
"I'm HERE!" Baby cried, bursting into the room. "You howled my name?"
"GET OUT OF MY ROOM! I DIDN'T CALL FOR YOU!"
"YOU DID TOO!"
"Quit denying Baby when she's trying to be helpful!" Doflamingo's voice boomed out from somewhere down the hall – faint, but noticeable. "LAW! Let Baby help!"
"YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, DOFFY!"
Sanji rolled his eyes and went about picking up all the scrolls that Law had tossed. He resealed them and stacked them into the nearby canister, sitting at the desk Law used. All around were inkwells, various quills, ink pens. There were rulers, a couple of abacuses and strange half circle angles – there were books on a hutch atop of the desk top, with a clock ticking away at the corner, and various candles all over the edges of the desk surface, melted over one another. He searched for any sign of his name anywhere, but everything was tucked, folded and shelved very neatly – in alphabetical order, he realized, every spine labeled. He looked for the 'S' letter, and saw a somewhat new leather bound journal there. Looking over his shoulder, he watched Law toss Baby out of his room, but several other objects were rushing in, yelling at him, along with Machvise and Pink, trying to keep the door open so Doflamingo could scold him for denying Baby's help.
The shouting and complaining was enough to make Sanji's eyes roll to the back of his head. He pulled the book out and opened it, searching for his name. It was a book full of 'S' subjects – sky, stars, silverware, slinkies (!), the color silver, the sea, and finally…his name.
He skimmed through it quickly, flipping through a few pages, then sensed a lull in the silly fight at the door. He put the journal back, then sat stiffly for a few moments. The contents mystified him – he couldn't even find any anger in him to react with. All of it together was just…he looked at his hands with a new sense of awareness, brow furrowing. He scanned the hutch for another journal with a rising sense of disbelief. But there had only been three pages, and they were mostly drawings.
His lips twitched with genuine mirth. He battled it, to keep it from showing and giving himself away. He couldn't reveal that he knew of Law's intentions, just yet. He looked around the desk again, then found a quill – he wrote a little note under the first blank page, then rose from the desk, putting the quill aside.
"I'm going to go out and gather berries," he told Law. "Are you coming, are not?"
"I guess so," the Beast answered, scratching his head again. Sanji looked at him with disgust.
"Forget it. You need a flea bath. I don't want your dirty friends jumping on me."
Law switched to scratching hard at one hip, then up as far as he could go up his back. "There's no point taking a bath, right now. Then I can't go outside for six days."
"Fine. Tell someone to go into town and have them bring some flea prevention shit. How about if I just get the scissors and cut everything an inch down to the skin?"
"How about 'no', you sick bastard? I'm going with you. There's usually bears in that area, anyway. Huge ones, taller than me! Grizzlies. Hey, c'mon! Let's go, now, they're usually taking a nap during this time of day."
Law hurried out, barking out something to someone nearby, a complaint following after him. Sanji followed, shutting the door to his room with careful action. He looked around the hall, wondering who Law had spoken with, and, while he knew someone was there, he just wasn't sure what they were.
He followed after the Beast, hands folded behind his back, struggling to repress a grin that wanted to crack his face in half.
: :
That night, Law yawned noisily, scratching the top of his head. He pulled out his 'S' journal, and filled an ink pen while the candles lit up without prompting.
"He left you a note," the clock said from the hutch. "He was snooping through your things."
"Haah? Damn, I hope he didn't look through my R volume, how embarrassing," Law muttered, ears flicking as he looked over his desk with worry. "Damn. Which book was he looking at?"
" 'S' volume. He was looking for something specific. This was a planned attack."
Law reached for that journal and pulled it out. He flipped through it, then looked around his desk for this note. He lost interest in that and flipped through the pages until he came to the page marked 'Sanji' on top of it. He was mortified, trying to imagine what Sanji was thinking as he looked over the information that Law wrote of him. Admittedly, he kept notes on everybody – it was just another small thing he did to pass the time, to keep his mind busy when the thought of living and dying as a beast became too overwhelming.
He'd drawn Sanji's eyebrows – detailed their shape, depth. He'd added the shape of his eyes, the length of his eyelashes. He couldn't imagine the shade of Sanji's eyes, having seen only black and white for years, but they appeared very light to him.
Corazon startled him as he appeared at the edge of his desk, hopping up and looked over his hands to see what he was doing.
"What sort of notes will you be adding today?" Corazon asked curiously, tapping out a small beat as his voice sounded excited.
"Well…" Law looked through the notes he already had. He'd written down Sanji's favorite curses, mused over which frown signaled the mood he was in, and drew four different faces with different smiles, trying to pin down which one looked more 'natural' – he was trying to unlock the mystery behind Sanji's unwillingness to smile, and theorized snaggle teeth, overbites, underbites, self-consciousness over uneven teeth, big teeth, small teeth; that particular subject took up an entire page. Another page was dedicated to what Sanji's entire face looked like without hair hanging over it, with several different variations placed on that. Then the last page had the exact number and placement of burns, scars and characteristics of Sanji's hands, with detailed notes and drawing. Right down to the right index fingernail, that looked as if it had been cut too short and was growing from the pink; the freckle on the inside of his left middle finger, the crook of his right pinkie. The skin over his finger knuckles were just as detailed, as were the hairs on the backs of his hands, his fingers. Small details that seemed impossible to notice were caught on print.
"I don't know. He's really hard to figure out," Law said on a sigh. "One moment I think I know where his mood's going, the next I'm ducking rocks or berries while he screeches about something. When I think he's going to laugh again, it turns out to be a sneeze. Then I just forget what exactly I was talking about in the first place, and find myself just talking without a plan, then suddenly, we're walking home. It's really frustrating. I have no notes on him, really. These pages are blank because I can't seem to pinpoint a thing."
"I…see that."
"He's not upset at all about that thing with Zeff, yesterday. He's not showing anything about it bothering him. The other two were really distraught. I thought hunter Zoro was going to stab the old man in the back, the way he was holding that knife, but I thought – hey, if Sanji doesn't feel bothered by his words in any way, why feel anything else about it? That's his old man. He knows him best."
"It sounded really cruel, Law. That man was always a little short in the brain," Corazon said. "He really did think of Sanji as nothing but a servant, or a worker. If you think about it, that's probably all Sanji thinks of himself, as well. He probably doesn't know how to think of himself any other way."
"Which is true, that's all he talks about. But then, I think he forgets when he's cussing me out over something or another. I don't know, Cora. This is…really difficult. I don't know where to start wooing him," Law said with another sigh. "I feel that he's very guarded, but he reacted very positively to Baby's shit writing. There's no way I can pull that with him, because I end up barfing just thinking about it."
"Stop thinking about yourself!"
"Talking to him has been…very interesting. I lose track of time when we do. He is…he's young, but he's also like an old man," Law added thoughtfully. "Yeah, he's still a kid, but he's just got this air around him, like…he's already aware of how the world works, and it isn't going to change one bit, but he's…searching for something to prove him wrong. Like, it's an optimism, but it's not one of those optimisms that's really obvious. When I talk to him, he knows exactly what I'm talking about, but then I find myself catching him off guard, too, and I really really really wish I remembered what I said to make him do that, but I'm flying off the handle for something or another. For some reason, it's very easy to talk to him, so I think that's why I lose track of time and subject when I do. I just wish he'd reveal more about himself instead of asking about me and my thoughts, but when I try to return the gesture, he throws me off. I don't think he wants me to know about him, and that's…it frustrates me, but not in the way that I thought it would. I'm not sure how to describe it."
The clock and Corazon had gone very still at this moment, just listening. Law tapped the pen atop of the book with a frown, then added in neat print, 'Checklist: Test Subjects. Favourite colour. Favourite bug. Favourite season.'
"I will try these tomorrow. They're fine conversation starters. I don't think he talks about himself enough, this is why I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what sort of person he is. He's either with low self esteem, or none at all, so he doesn't seem himself as a human being. Which is going to cause me trouble, because how do you talk to an alien?"
"Cora – " The clock whispered, to which Corazon shushed him quickly.
"Law, ahem, how did he like the clothes we had made for him?" Corazon then asked, catching his attention.
"Huh? What clothes?"
"He wasn't wearing them," someone said from behind them, causing Law to look. It was Dellinger, sliding his way into the room and shuffling over. "I've never seen him wear anything we made! Maybe he thinks they're stupid."
"How rude!"
"After all the time spent getting his measurements and picking out the colors!"
"I never even noticed what type of clothes he's been wearing," Law confessed, looking startled. "Should I have? Is that something important that I should bring up?"
"I notice," Dellinger said. "He wears those ugly pants with patches, and that ugly shirt that looks like an old pajama top, and he'll only wear Ralph's shoes inside. Otherwise, he'll wear his old ones going out."
"He seems to be the type of person that's not used to nice things," Jora contributed, jumping up onto the desk and looking down at his notes. "Are you just writing crap to pass the time, again? Because what is this information going to do for the rest of us?"
"Hush, Jora! Let him think!" the clock scolded.
Law added another item to the checklist. 'Clothes'.
"Look, I watched him interact with those two all the way up and down the mountain, and I've come to the conclusion that he really does not like Zoro. I think Zoro is much too aggressive with him, so he reacts with fear, not discomfort," Law said, tapping his pen atop of his journal. "And he lets Ussop say that he wants, to comfort Ussop. You guys, Sanji is a really is a caring person, and he's careful around those he's closest to, to not offend them. Cook and Ussop really get the most of his affections. Which is really odd, because he did not learn it from Zeff."
"Zeff was such a cranky old bastard."
"So mean!"
"He was really harsh."
"Can't imagine that type of man even raising little Sanji!"
"He said he's originally from the north! And he has his own copy of Noland's fairy tales, so he either finds the book comforting, or he has a sense of adventure in him that he's yet to explore for himself. Hmm. I'll add that, as well," Law muttered, writing carefully, 'Noland's.' Then an arrow. 'Map out adventure route.' He got up from the desk, looking on the shelves for his book of maps. Once he found it, he set it on the floor and began flipping through it.
The others clustered together.
"You guys - !"
"You had to be here to hear it!"
"Don't give up hope!"
"What happened? What happened?"
"It's genuine! It's fucking genuine! The idiot doesn't even realize it for himself! Or else he's a fucking amazing actor!"
"When he saw his notes, he smiled!"
"NO!"
"YES!"
Clock cleared his throat noisily. "Uh, sir? Master? You, uh…remember? Sanji left you a note."
"Haah? Oh! Where?" Law asked, abandoning the book of maps and returning to the desk.
"Underneath your scroll paper. Top sheet."
Law looked, the others crowding around to look before he yanked the paper from the pile with a snarl, wadded it up, and strode out from the room.
"What was it?"
"Did anyone catch that?"
"I couldn't even see! When Sanji wrote it, he hid it!"
"Damn!"
"Cora! Tell Doffy! Tell Doffy, quickly! Stop digging your grave!"
"What happened? What happened?"
"That brat's done it. He's actually done it," Corazon said breathlessly. "I would've never believed it if I hadn't heard, seent it for myself!"
"Saw what? Heard what?"
"What? What? Damn it, tell us!"
"Law is falling in love!"
Jora fainted, Dellinger muttering, "Uh, gross."
: :
Sanji jerked as his door slammed open, dropping his beloved book to his chest as Law barged in, waving the piece of paper around.
"You jerk! How dare you!" he snarled at him, throwing the wad of paper into the fireplace. "What the fuck?"
"What? You didn't like me writing about you?" Sanji asked curiously, then snickered as he set his book aside, slipping it underneath his pillow.
"I don't appreciate you drawing leaking, erect dicks over my things!"
Sanji chuckled. "Aw…but you'll have to get used to them eventually, right?"
"What if Baby saw that while she was cleaning my room? Wow, Doffy would throw a fit if she saw a dick in real life! She's such a pervert! She's – anyway, don't leave that shit for me or her to find it."
Sanji felt his face shifting and struggled to keep it under control. "Law, if you're uncomfortable with erect dicks in your room, then you can't – "
"Why are you saying that with that tone?"
"I just…I guess it's a good thing I don't know how to draw a whale's dick."
"Why would you want to? Never mind. Pervert. Listen, something came up tonight, and it's very urgent that I get an honest answer from you – "
"It's never appropriate to shit in front of anyone."
"…Never mind that. No. That's not what I want to know. I want to know – "
"Just blurt out the first name that comes to mind when you're looking your true love in the eye," Sanji said quickly. "That's where you'll find your pet name, I'd imagine."
"I'll remember that, and write it down later. But! Your…what is your favorite bug?"
Sanji pulled himself to a sitting position on the bed, and blinked at him owlishly. Then looked up at the ceiling with a shudder. "None. I hate bugs. Spiders, centipedes – ugh. Moths. Anything with more than four legs can die in a fire."
"But moths are so pretty. Their wings are so delicate, feathery, and they leave dust behind in your palm when you catch one."
"Don't touch me with your mothy hands."
"Sanji, you mentioned you were from the north? From what part?" Law asked curiously, walking over to the bed and sitting at the edge of it.
"Oh…just off the coast. The largest island…" Sanji trailed off, thinking about it. "It doesn't matter where. I ran away from home when I was young, and stowed away on a ship sailing anywhere. I was so sea sick, I couldn't even…look back and remember where I'd come from."
"Why did you run away?"
Sanji shrugged. "It's been awhile to remember. But I traveled four months on that ship, and when we crashed – "
"'Crashed'? How?"
"Hurricane. Sailed right into it."
"And lived? How?"
"I'm not sure. But pieces of it made it to shore, and that's how I lived. I held on. There were enough of us to band together and walk on, and that's when we came to this small town on the coast. They took us in, but after we started healing, it was us on our own. So…I wandered around, and…and that's when Zeff found me. He told me just to follow him, and…and I did. Without looking back."
Law couldn't imagine for himself being shipwrecked onto some foreign shore, miles from anything familiar; he understood the wandering as a child into strange lands and having everything uncertain happen; he understood running away from home. It suddenly occurred to him how similar their stories were. So identifying with him felt so much easier, now.
"You didn't stop to think that he might've been a bad man?" he asked curiously.
"Didn't you feel the same way with Doflamingo?" Sanji returned.
"No. Because he pulled me out from the hands of slavers, and cut the rope at my neck. Having a person like that save me – there was no reason to question that. I never felt like I was in any danger, after that." Law then added bitterly, "After Tsuru's visit was a completely different thing."
Sanji wondered if the village people knew this part of Doflamingo. It was hard thinking of the wine-opener as a bad person after learning what he'd done for the others, here. Even if the Donquixote family was off their rockers, loud, incredibly childish with each other – their bonds with each other were incredibly strong. This was a family he couldn't imagine having.
"No," he answered Law's question softly. "No, I knew when men were bad, and…he wasn't. At that time. And really, all I did was work, and fall in love with cooking, and…I don't remember being a kid for that long, after that."
Law thought about the days he spent playing with Baby and Buffalo in the village. He thought about all the rocks he'd overturned, looking for bugs and other small creatures; skinning his knees racing in the streets, climbing trees, swimming in the creek. He remembered stealing off with sweets from the bakery, making girls cry, fighting boys with sticks. Coming home dirty and exhausted, being read a bedtime story, having Corazon hug him 'goodnight'. His other life – it was the same, but those memories were scattered and very vague, now.
So he couldn't imagine that Sanji missed out on all those childhood things that made being a child fun. He curled up at the edge of the bed, resting his chin atop of his hands with a light sigh. "That's too bad."
"What's worse is that I find the story of a ten year old transformed into a beast a terrible tale."
"I don't want to talk about myself. What happened when you guys moved here?"
"You're so full of questions, tonight. Aren't you tired? I'm tired."
"Which was why you were reading, and not sleeping. Is that an original copy of Noland's?"
"Mm hmm. Want to see?"
"No, we have our own copies. What's your favorite tale out of them?"
"Oh, the one about the pirate that finds a sea filled with all the sea animals of the world. The All Blue." Sanji felt his lips twitch. "When he describes the waters, and the creatures that he can see just beneath the waves – it makes me think of how easy it might be to find something similar out there. All tales are created from one truth, right? So the tale of All Blue, this…I believe this isn't that big of a tale. I think it's a truth."
"You like that kind of stuff, huh?"
"I like to cook, and working with seafood was one of the best because some of the creatures they'd pull up looked like something out of this world! Some of them glowed with moon's light, some of them had stomachs so massive they'd swallowed an entire elephant – "
"That's not possible!" Law exclaimed, but he had to believe it – the sea was grand, and there was no telling what was beneath those waves.
"It's true! I saw it! On the coast! It wasn't even a shark, and just think, Law, there are these types of creatures in the sea that we don't even know about, or have yet to see! Imagine another world inside of another that's just a wave away!"
Sanji continued to talk about All Blue, and Law just listened. After being trapped in the valley for all these years, never seeing the sea up close, Law couldn't imagine the things that Sanji described seeing. So he listened and asked questions, and Sanji forgot to hide himself behind the wall he'd built, letting pieces of himself show.
…Neither of them truly aware of what was happening between them.