I'm back again.

This is the third day in a row I've stayed sitting at Sanji's bedside.

It's starting into the second week.

We've docked the Going Merry in a secluded area of a small island.

No one could function.

And when I say no one I really mean me.

I couldn't function.

I couldn't think.

I couldn't watch our setting or do any navigation of any kind.

I would wander aimlessly around the ship and somehow, no matter what my original destination was, I'd end up next to Sanji.

No one said anything to me.

They all seemed to understand.

There was never an official request. It was hardly even implied. It just was.

This stealth, underlying, unspoken understanding.

We were all Nakama.

Friends who were more like family.

Family who were more like friends.

And with that we had developed these bonds that tied us together stronger than anything.

We were all connected.

If one of us tripped, we all tripped.

If one fell we all fell.

If one was happy we all were happy.

If one was sad we all were sad.

Why does it take tragic events like this to make you realize what's really important and dear to you?

Why can't you realize it before and appreciate it when you have it?

This has definitely opened my eyes.

It's made me realize how much I love the people I'm traveling with.

How much I love my friends.

My Nakama.

They all saw and understood the situation.

Without saying a word they knew what to do and acted.

Robin took over and navigated the ship to the small island.

The boys went for supplies and then we brought the ship around to an unpopulated area on the opposite side.

We took the ship as far up stream and we could so it couldn't be seen easily from the sea. We took down the flags with the Mugiwara Jolly Roger and bound up the main sail. That way, even if we are seen we wouldn't draw attention as a pirate ship. And to further ensure no one bothered us, Robin had the idea to fly a quarantine flag. A flag that warns others that there is sickness on a ship and cautions others to stay away.

And so now, we sit and wait.

And I'm here again tonight.

Sitting on the floor by my bed where Sanji is resting.

My head is on his chest.

I can hear his beating heart and feel it against my ear.

The steady rhythm echoes in my head.

I'm looking up at Sanji's peaceful sleeping face.

He really is quite handsome.

I smile. "You really are a prince."

I recall our confrontation with Baroque Works. Sanji took the code name Mr. Prince. He staged getting hurt to throw off the bad guys and came into rescue us.

"Sanji, you're a real knight in shining armor and you know it. All valiant and chivalrous. But what is the princess suppose to do when it's her prince who's the one under an enchanted sleep?"

I raise my head off Sanji's chest.

I look down onto his angelic face.

My fingers reach out to stroke his hair.

The back of my hand brush his cheek.

I bring my face closer to his and our lips touch.

Our first kiss.

Simple and chaste.

His lips are so warm and soft.

I kiss him.

I expect him to kiss me back.

He doesn't.

I pull away.

There's no response. Nothing. Not so much as a twitch.

"I guess it only works if you're a princess."

I sigh and lay my head back down on his chest.

I close my eyes and drown myself in the sound of his beating heart.

"Sanji, you fail. You fail as a prince. The prince isn't supposed to be the one sleeping while his princess and the whole kingdom worries sick. Our king is hungry and demands a feast. The black knight needs his sparring partner back. Our bard needs you to recover so the gallant tale he sings of you doesn't end in tragedy. The audience calls for a happy ending. Plus on top of that, your princess demands her royal pampering and praising. Where's my royal tangerine smoothie of love damn it!"

I'm crying again.

"You suck. Didn't your dad tell you it's not nice to make a girl cry? He'd be so disappointed in you if he knew."

I take his hand.

It's warm and soft.

His hands are so important to Sanji.

He takes care of them.

He doesn't use them to fight with.

Without them he can't work.

He can't create.

He's an artisan. To take away his hands would be to take away his livelihood.

Like taking away Zoro's swords, Robin's books, Choppers medicines, Ussop's tools.

Sanji not being able to cook would be like Luffy not being able to eat.

"Sanji…wake up already."

………

In my dream I'm surrounded in darkness.

I'm cold and lonely.

I feel lost.

I need something but there's no one around to give me anything.

I call out into the darkness.

Can anyone hear me?

I shed a tear.

Suddenly someone takes my hand.

I squeeze it and it squeezes back.

Next I feel something warm.

It surrounds me.

I cling to it and it wraps tightly around me.

I feel another hand on my head.

Big and strong yet warm, gentle and comforting.

I feel a kiss on my head next to the hand

There's a voice.

A kind tender whisper.

"I'm right here." It says

"Where? I can't see you."

"Then open your eyes."

"Sanji?"

……..

My eyes bolt open.

It's night time.

"I must have dosed off."

My legs are a sleep but I don't care.

I remember my dream.

It felt so real.

I recall the warm, gentle, comforting hand.

A tender kiss

----- "I'm right here." ----

"Sanji."

I turn my eyes to look at Sanji's face.

It hasn't changed.

He's still sleeping peacefully.

"It was only a dream after all."

I move my head a little and feel a weight I hadn't noticed before.

I lift my head.

Sanji's hand drops onto his chest.

I bolt up right and a blanket falls off my shoulders.

I look down at the blanket that fell to the floor.

It's the extra throw I put on Sanji the other day.

Was it just a dream?

I squeeze his hand.

It squeezes back.

"Sanji." I breathe

Gently I nudge him.

"Sanji?"

His eyes flinch. "Mmm."

I gasp a smile.

Thank goodness.

"Sanji." A bit louder

He stirs. "Luffy…" He moans groggily "Don't eat that meat…I haven't even cooked it yet…"

I give a quiet laugh.

I move closer to his face and gently shake his arm. "Sanji kun."

He stirs again " 'Kasan…"

I'm a bit taken aback by that. Thinking about his mother.

"Sanji kun…"

" 'kasan…Dad got into your chocolate stash again."

I laugh at this. He's so cute.

I shake him a bit harder this time. "Oi! Sanji!"

He jolts and becomes alert at this but his eyes are still closed. He gives a tired groan.

"Haaaai! I'll come and start breakfast already. Just gimme a sec."

Unconsciously Sanji reaches over to the wall.

When he doesn't find anything he starts to pat around.

When his hand still comes up empty he turns his head to the wall and cracks open his sleepy eyes.

"Where'd my jacket go?" he asks himself

Slowly he becomes more awake and takes in where he actually is.

He closes his eyes and tries to recall things.

It clicks with him after a moment. "That's right…" he remembers.

Suddenly everything comes flooding back to him.

His eyes bolt open.

He looks around and finds me.

"Nami san!"

"Hey Sleeping Beauty."

"Nami san…"

"How do you feel?"

He closes his eyes to assess things. "Stiff."

"And tired." He adds "I feel drained."

"I bet. You lost a lot of blood."

"Really?"

"Mmm." I nodded. "Chopper said you could've used a transfusion

"How long have I been out?"

"Almost two weeks."

"That long?"

"Ya."

He looks up at the ceiling.

There's a silence gap.

He looks so fragile right now.

Even though he's awake and conscious he's still going to be weak and tired a bit longer.

Still I'm glad he's finally awake.

"Nami san."

"Hmm?"

"How are you? Are you ok?"

The question threw me. Though it was typical of him, worrying about me, when he's the one that was injured…

How am I? I've only been up every night worried sick for the past week and a half 'cause you went and got shot!

"Me? I'm fine."

He gives me a smile and a look that said, "bull. You can't fool me."

Looking away he says, "You've lost a lot of weight. It shows in your face."

My eyes go wide with shock I look away. I attempt to make light of the comment.

"Well of course! We've had to put up with Ussop's cooking all this time! You can hardly keep it down. You being down has been a real bother!"

My eyes look back at Sanji.

He sighs. He wants to say more but lets it go.

"I'm sorry to have been a burden on everyone."

"Damn straight you should be sorry. Everyone's had to go out of their way to take care of you."

I'm the real reason they had to go out their way. Because I couldn't function when I was worrying about you.

"I'm sorry."

Idiot. Don't apologize.

"It's not your fault. It was those stupid Marines. And those idiots. Luffy and Zoro. Having those bounties. Honestly."

"I'm sorry I made you worry so much."

Stupid Idiot! Jerk! You almost DIED! I had to sit there holding you unconscious while you coughed up blood and were bleeding to death! I almost lost you! How could you do that to me! Don't you EVER do this to me again! I'll never forgive you if you do! Never!

"Don't worry about it. It's fine really."

You're ok now. That's all that matters.

"Just don't get shot anymore."

"Just as long as you don't get shot at again."

I'm hit with a pang of guilt. I look down and away.

"No one asked you to take a bullet for me." I say in a small voice.

"True. But if I hadn't, you'd be the one incapacitated and I'd be the one sitting here worried out of my mind."

I almost cry at this. I fight not to.

Damn it. Why do you have to be so kind?

You foolish idiot. Why? Why do you love so much?

What did I ever do to deserve your undying devotion?

How did I fall so hard for him?

When did the thought of losing him become so painful?

"I' promise to be more careful." I tell him

He squeezes my hand.

I had forgotten I was still holding his.

I squeeze back.

I manage not to cry.

"Sanji?"

"Hai? Nami san."

I smile. I feel a bit better hearing that from him again.

"Do something for me?"

"Anything your precious heart desires my dear sweet Nami san."

I laugh quietly at that.

He'll be good in no time.

I feel more at ease. I turn back to look at him.

"Go back to sleep now. You still need to rest. Promise me you'll stay in bed tomorrow and don't you dare move until Chopper's come back to look at you."

He nods "Hai. Nami san."

I smile. "That's a good boy." I pat him on the cheek.

I stretch out my legs and when I feel them again stand up.

"I'll bring you some water." I tell him as I turn to leave

"Thank you Nami san."

I stop short of the door. "Sanji kun…we...you don't…"

We're closer than that now. You don't have to…

"Nami san?"

I give a heavy sigh as I put my hand on the door knob.

>"Just say what you feel for once"

"Enough with formalities already. Nami is fine…" I open the door to leave.

"Hai. Nami…" I hear as the door clicks shut.