Title: The Best Laid Plans
Characters: Kohza, Toto-san, Vivi, mentions of Sanji and the Straw Hat Crew
Prompt: 055 - Jealous
Word Count: 669
Rating: PG-13 for language.
Warnings/Spoilers: General spoilers for the Alabasta Arc.

Kohza returns to Yuba with a frown on his face. No one seems to really notice – not like he can blame them. Everyone is busy cleaning, moving, digging, making plans for reconstruction. He goes to his home, walking stiffly, passes his father who is standing outside with a wide, goofy grin, talking to someone about how "loyal and believing that Straw Hat pirate was". He grits his teeth, grumbles, "damn". Even his father won't shut up about the pirates.

Flopping onto his bed, he closes his eyes and rubs his temple in irritation. He's grateful for the pirates, for exposing the real enemy of the kingdom, but does everyone have to be so in love with them?
No, he reminds himself, not everyone. Most people don't even know about them. It's only the people that he cares about. Like his father.

And Vivi.

"Damn," he curses again, practically biting at the bed sheets. "Damn Straw Hats."

They had taken his Vivi away. Not literally, of course, but in another way that was just as powerful and just as painful to think about.

He had wanted to know what she'd been doing for the past two years. He had asked to hear her stories, all of them. And he had expected her to want to tell him. What he hadn't prepared himself for was the smile on her face while she told him, and the faraway, distant look in her eyes. A look that seemed to have said, "How I wish I could be with them now, instead of here, with you".

"Maybe I'm reading too much into it," he mutters to himself. "She just misses them. Sure."

But didn't she miss him as well? He had assumed she did, but there was no talking about that. There was no reminiscing about their childhood. There were no rekindled feelings to express. She barely touched him at all. They hugged when he first arrived, and he made an occasional move – a touch on her shoulder, her arm, her knee – hoping for something more in return, but she gave him nothing. Nothing after so many years. She'd only just left the Straw Hats, but he bet that if they'd showed up, she would've been all over them. Especially the cook.

"Sanji," he drawls out the name in a kind of disgust. Oh, how her face lit up when she talked about Sanji! About how loyal he was, and how charming, and what a wonderful cook, and how he'd done so much to protect her and make her feel special.

Kohza rolls onto his back, feeling sick to his stomach. He's never known such jealousy. It's uncontrollable and it grows so, churning in his gut and swelling in his chest and biting at his fingers and toes. He had so many hopes…for his reunion with his princess. He was going to tell her how much she meant to him and how glad he was to see her again, and how sorry he was for the rebellion and everything, and he planned on…so many things.

"Kohza?"

He turns his head a little to regard his father as he comes inside.

"Did you have a good visit with Vivi-sama?" He continues talking before Kohza has a chance to answer. "She's grown so much; I almost had a heart attack when I saw her! She's a beautiful young woman now, isn't she?"

Yes, Kohza thinks. That was something else he wanted to tell her. How beautiful… But no – he frowns bitterly – she'd probably rather hear that from Sanji. No doubt she already had.

"Kohza?" Toto-san prods again. "Did you have a good visit?"

"Mm." The noncommittal grunt is all he can manage. How can he explain his burning jealousy, his disappoint, his regret, to his father? He wouldn't understand.

He looks at his father again and is surprised to see a gentle, knowing expression on his face. He says, "Maybe next time, eh?" and winks, leaving Kohza alone to think. And to plan his next visit.