Here's a long chapter for you all on this wonderful Christmas Day. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and in case I don't have the next chapter ready by then, Happy New Year!

Chapter 30

"What the hell is taking that ero cook so long?" Zoro complained taking a drink of sake.

He probably went to find Niji," Nami answered. "You know how he is about making sure everyone eats."

Ichiji and Yonji glanced at each other before turning to Zoro. "Ero cook?"

"Ignore him. If you haven't noticed they're always calling each other names."

"Yes, we have noticed, Princess Cat Burglar," Yonji replied.

"We just haven't heard that one yet."

Reiju and Nami turned to Yonji skeptically.

"What?"

"Are you feeling okay?" Reiju asked.

"Other than a lack of genetic enhancements, I'm great. Why?"

"Well, your highness, last I checked, I'm hardly a princess. I know Sanji thanks I am, but that's Sanji, he thinks every girl is a princess."

"On the contrary," Ichiji chuckled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Robin rested her chin in her palm, smiling, as she could see where this was going.

"Are you not our brother's girlfriend?" Yonji asked.

"As of recently, yes. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Nami, Sanji, weather he likes it or not, is infact a Prince!" Ichiji started.

"Would you boys stop beating around the bush and answer the poor girls question?!" Sora finally jumped in. "What they are saying is you are dating a Prince. Which means, if you two were to get married, well that would make you a princess."

"You're no fun," the two brothers muttered.

"Yeah, I guess that's true…. I haven't even thought of that."

"Why do I not believe that," Usopp said under his breath, earning him a punch to the head. "What was that for?!"

"What possible alternative motives do you think I have for being with Sanji-kun!"

"Money?" Law chimed in bluntly. "Black Leg is a Prince of the most powerful and richest kingdom in the North Blue. Aren't you the one that has a treasure obsession, Miss. Cat Burglar?"

Nami's eyes turned to berry symbols at the very moment Sanji kicked the door open and began yelling at Luffy.

"GET YOUR HANDS OR OF NAMI-SWAN'S FOOD! … AND ICHIJI'S!" He added as a rubbery arm snapped to Luffy's mouth.

"Sanji-kun!" Nami said jumping onto the blond and wrapping her arms and legs around him.

"Nami-san?!" He said wide eyes as he stepped back to catch his balance.

"Sanji's getting used," Yoni laughed.

"Poor bastard," Ichiji chuckled.

"You two have been around Zoro too long," Chopper giggled.

"Tell me I'm not the only one that noticed eyebrows lost his balance?"

"Just because I have the best balance on the crew doesn't mean I don't lose it once in a while!"

"Uh-huh, sure."

"You try having a beautiful swan throw herself at you unexpectedly! Oh wait! No girl would ever throw herself at someone like you!"

"That's it!" Zoro stood up, slamming his hands on the table.

"Luffy has a better chance at getting a girl than you!"

"Chopper, give my back my swords!" Zoro said realizing that his three swords were no longer sitting next to him because the little reindeer had swiped them as the swordsman was reaching for them.

"No! I told you two no fighting!"

"Uh, Nami-san? Not that I mind it, but what brought this on?" Sanji looked at the Navigator who was still clinging to him.

"Nothing," she lied. "You just make me so happy."

"I'm glad you feel that way," Sanji smiled.

"Yup, he's being used. Yo-ho-ho," Brook laughed.

"Well, I don't know about you but I wouldn't mind being used by her," Yonji said, eyes turning to hearts.

"She's taken!" Sanji growled as Ichiji nodded in agreement with Yonji.

"I told Niji I'd be right back after I checked to make sure Luffy wasn't stee~ling," Sanji trailed off when he looked up at the table, a curled brow beginning to twitch.

"What's the matter, Sanji-kun," Nami asked as everyone looked at the table.

"LUUUFFYYY!"

All the food was gone, a few plates were missing, and a certain captain sat in his seat, ten times his original size.

"That was delicious! Thanks Sanji!"

"You gluttonous pig! That food was for everyone!" Sanji said as he and Zeff kicked him on the head, followed by a punch to the face from Yonji. "Do we have any more sea prison stone handcuffs? Or is the only pair on Germa with Caesar?"

"Sorry bro, that was the only pair. We got those back at Punkhazered."

"Why is everyone so angry all the sudden?" Luffy pouted.

"GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN!" Sanji's yelled, sending a now normal sized Luffy flying through the door with another kick. "Damn it, now I have to make more just so everyone else can eat," he said walking to the fridge. "Thank God, one place food can be safe from that idiot."

"Well that puts a whole new meaning to the phrase 'kicked out'," Yonji laughed.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing Old Geezer?!"

Zeff had grabbed Sanji by the scarf of his raid suit and was now dragging him to the door.

"You said you told your brother you'll be right back, did you not? I'll cook. I didn't raise you to break promises!"

"I refuse to be kicked out of my own kitchen!"

"Stop your whining or I'll kick you, Little Brat!"

"I'm not a Little Brat anymore!" He said as Zeff shoved him out the door and slammed it behind him.

"Sanji! You used armament haki! That hurt!" Luffy, who was now sitting cross legged on the deck, whined.

"It was supposed to! Go to the Crow's nest and keep watch! And if I find you in the kitchen before I give you permission I'll kick your ass!" He then turned back to the kitchen and peaked in, "Nami-san, could you come here a second? I need that beautiful brain of yours."

"Of course," she said slightly confused.

Sanji held the door for her and ensured that it was closed tight, hoping no one inside could hear.

"What is it, Sanji-kun?"

"Can you tell about when this storm will end?"

"That's an odd request coming from you."

"I know. Er, this way."

Nami followed Sanji down the stairs and to the mast were they both say on the bench. Sanji wrapped his cape around her so she'd stay dry.

"Is this helping you at all?" Nami asked jestering to the raid suit.

"I just put it on a few hours ago. It's not going to work instantly, but I haven't felt so dizzy or tired or anything sense I put it on, so I guess."

"That's good, I don't want you doing anything you don't want to unless it helps. Now what is it you wanted to tell me?"

"I really shouldn't be saying anything but telling you should be fine…. It turns out, now that his emotions are intact… Niji's… well…. He's going to kill me if he finds out I told anyone…. He's not a big fan of thunderstorms."

"He's afraid of thunder?"

"More like petrified of it and lightning. It's not his fault. Growing up, Judge tourchered them almost as much as he did me…. No, it was as much, maybe more. We were all abused or neglected by him one way or another, they just never thought of it like that. Niji was basically treated like Frankenstein and used as a lightning rod…." He glanced at Nami to see that she was smiling up at him. "What?"

"You're beginning to care for your wretched, cold-hearted, evil brothers, aren't you?"

Sanji laid his head against the mast and let out a smoke filled sigh, "They're the only ones I ever truly hate…. And yet… to even think that Judge would give them powers and so obviously favorite them over anyone else, only to steal that power for himself… and admit that in doing so it could have very easily killed, not only the one he hates, but also the four he claimed to love…. It just pisses my off…. Yeah, they're still tormenting me but there's something... different about it. It's aggravating, yes… but in a good way. Despite how angry I am with him, I'm almost… glad Judge did this… while at the same time… I hate him more than ever for it. Is that even possible? Is it possible that he managed to take some confusing emotion away from me that I didn't even know existed until now? Those three, they're feeling things they never felt, saying things they never said, doing things they never did, and thinking in ways they never thought…. They had so much taken from them, more so then I did. I didn't even know that I had anything taken from me except for Mom…. Nothing seemed lost but… now I understand… something was missing…. You know, back at Alabasta, when we meant Ace. The connection he and Luffy had, it didn't make sense to me. For two brothers to get along like that, to want… no… need to protect each other. Amongst friends it made perfect sense… but to see brothers have that connection… it was impossible. We're quadruplets, aren't we supposed to have a similar relationship? Some sort of special connection like that? That's what everyone says, isn't it? When siblings are born on the same day of the same year they have a connection like no other siblings, right? So what happened? Then we found out Luffy and Ace weren't brothers through the same parents but by choice, it made so much more sense. Of course they weren't related by genetics (sorry, "blood related" is false. You don't have the same blood as your parents, necessarily, or any other relative. It's genetics that makes a person biologically related and even that's at 50% or less (exception to this rule are identical twins). So next time a relative you don't consider family pulls the "we're blood" cared… you're not, you just have a very small amount of their DNA. That hardly makes you family. Having an unbreakable bond like Ace, Sabo, and Luffy as well as the Straw Hats, that's what make two people family, not blood or DNA…. Sorry, back to the story.) No siblings are that close unless they're siblings by choice…. Was I wrong in thinking that? Which is the real them? The ones I knew when I was eight? Or the ones I'm seeing now? But what does it matter to even try to answer that? Soon our enhancements will be back and they'll be the same cold-hearted basterds from a few days ago. I know it's selfish, especially with the fight we'll soon be facing, but… I don't want their enhancements coming back if it means they lose their emotions again."

"I get it. I may never have been in your situation, nor will I ever be, so I'll never fully understand what you're feeling… but I get what you're saying. Now, I believe you wanted to know how long this weather will last. See those clouds in the distance?"

"The ones that aren't as dark as the rest?"

"Yup. That's a thin spot where the storm isn't so bad. That should reach us in about an hour. I'll have to check on it again then to know for sure if it will be done shortly after or pick up again. I don't think it will pick back up but just to be on the safe side."

"Yeah, better safe than sorry. But your beautiful brain is never wrong."

"If that's true then how did we get out of the Grand Line without my knowing?"

"That wasn't your fault."

"I should have realized it," Nami sighed getting to her feet.

Sanji's stood up and spun her around to face him. He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes, "I may beg to differ and consider you the most perfect person on this planet, but nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes once in awhile. I wasn't happy about it at first, but you not noticing we were off course was the absolute, most perfect mistake anyone could have made. If you didn't, I would never have gone back to Germa which means I would never have gotten to see Mom again and find out she was alive. If you had noticed none of this would have happened. I resented it at first, but I'm glad it did. Out of all the wishes I have for you, I wish more than any of them that there was something I could do to let you see Bellemere again, the way you let me see my mother again."

Nami threw her arms around him with tears in her eyes.

"Nami-san?!" His eyes widened with worry. Had he said something wrong?

"I love you, Sanji-kun."

He let out a sigh of relief and returned the hug, "I love you too, Nami-Swan. Come on, you should get inside and get something to eat."

"What about you? You haven't had anything yet."

"I ate while I was cooking. Besides I was gone much longer than planned."

"Yeah, go sit with Niji," she said then gave him a quick kiss before going back to the kitchen.

"Stupid Luffy, stupid Zeff," Sanji muttered as he closed the dorm room door. "Sorry, I took so long."

"You didn't have to come back," Niji said as Sanji sat back down next to him.

"I know. Decided to eat I see," he said gesturing to the now empty plate.

"Maybe I was more hungry then I thought…. What was all that yelling awhile ago?"

"Luffy ate all the food and a plate or two, which he's paying for."

"A plate? How the hell did he mistake a plate for food?!"

"This is Luffy we're talking about, wouldn't be the first time."

"Tell me again why you joined his crew?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, we picked a real idiot to be our captain. But even so, he's a good captain. Reckless but when is comes right down to it, we couldn't have picked a better man to follow."

"You think so?"

"I know so," he smiled widely. "Now," he turned, sitting cross legged, to face Niji, "you going to tell her? Or should I do it for you?"

"Tell who what?"

"Cosette-chan! Who else?"

"Tell Cosette what?!"

"That you like her! What else?"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Don't play dumb!"

"I'm not!"

"You suck at lying," Sanji said blatantly. "Tell her! You'll never know if you don't."

"Is… that really what this is?"

"Right, I guess you wouldn't know what it is you're feeling."

"This whole 'feeling' thing is a bit new to me," Niji chuckled.

"A bit?"

"Just a bit," Niji nodded. "But," his demeanor seemingly changed and he let out a sigh, "if that is what this is…. The way I've treated her…. She'd never…."

"Rule number one, never assume! There is no way of knowing without asking her directly."

"She's terrified of me! You said so yourself!"

"That's because you never gave her a reason to not be afraid of you. Have you apologized for the plate thing yet?"

"N-no…"

"That will help. After you do, well before that actually, starting as soon as this storms done, be nice to her. Offer to help her with stuff." He reached for Niji's goggles, "and take these goggles off!"

"Hey! Give those back! I need those!"

"For what? You don't have your enhancements, so your electricity can't damage your eyes. (Obviously I made this up. I just feel like there is a reason Niji has worn goggles sense he was a kid when Ichiji didn't constantly wear sunglasses growing up, well that's a small reason but I do feel like they're meant to be of some sort of protection or something other than to just look cool (Usopp's aren't just for looks after all so why would Niji's be? Then again I'm probably just thinking to much again.)

"I… I guess not…." He replied as Sanji's stood up and walked to the door. "Where are you going?!"

"To hide these until you actually need them."

"Don't you dare!" Niji hollered running after him.

"Shit," Sanji muttered before running out of the room.

"Sanji! Get back here!"

"Move it, Geezer!" Sanji said running past Zeff on the stairs followed by Niji.

"Watch it ya Little Brats!"

Sanji ran into the kitchen and slammed the door behind him.

"Damn you, Sanji!"

"You know, there is another door, right?" Zoro said, walking pasted. "He can't guard both of them."

Slowly, a grin etched across Niji's face. He then ran for the other side of the cabin.

"Niji, did you really think I would lock one door without locking the other? I'm not an ass. Why would I lock you, or anyone for that matter, outside during a thunderstorm?" Sanji said when Niji flung the door open with a loud thud, and tossed the goggles back to him.

"You… were… distracting me so I'd come to the kitchen…. Why?" Niji realized before tensing up in response to a flash of lightning.

Sanji sighed as he walked over and closed the door.

"Sanji-kun's right, you should take those off once in a while."

Niji looked in the direction of the new voice to find Nami and Robin drinking tea at the bar. He quickly turned to Sanji with a glare.

"Don't look at me like that! I didn't tell them anything… er… for the most part."

"Sorry," Nami said as an arm grew out of the counter top with an ear in the palm of it's hand.

"We were curious," Robin added with a smile.

"Wash the dishes while I work on making the girls a snack, will ya?"

"That's mai~!"

"Don't even go there! Dishes now!"

"I'll wash, you dry," Nami said standing and walking to the sink.

"I'll put them away," Robin offered.

"Didn't we just eat? Why do you need to make snacks now?"

"Because it needs time to chill for an hour before serving. Oh, by the way Nami-san said the storm will ease up in about an hour. Well by now it's more like half an hour," he added seeing Niji grab his headphones again due to a rather loud thunder crash.

"I'll go out then and double check to make sure it won't pick back up."

"W-what do I care?"

"Don't you dare try to act tough! Nobody in this room is going to make fun of you. Moss-head might, but that's about it."

"Ichiji and Yonji," Niji muttered staring at the floor.

"Eh, yeah, didn't think about them, but because it's you, I doubt they'll say anything…. If it were me, on the other hand, well that's a different story," Sanji reassured.

"What won't we say anything about because it's Niji and not you?" Ichiji asked as he and Yonji came into the kitchen.

"Who cares?" Yonji replied. "Sanji, got anymore food?!"

"No. Snacks will be ready in an hour."

"I'm hungry now!"

"Then eat an apple!" He said throwing an apple from a bowl on the counter at him. "Damn, you're as bad as Luffy! I just fed you not that long ago."

"Well, someone's being a bit harsh."

"Something wrong, Niji?" Ichiji asked seeing his younger brother tince up.

"N-no, everyth-things fine."

"You guys wanna shut the door? You're letting the ran in!" Sanji's growled. And lightning, he wanted to add but thought better of it. Opening up and telling the truth was something his brothers were going to have to learn to do on their own.

"All right, Niji, what's going on? You've been acting weird all day." Ichiji said when Niji once again held his headphones tighter to his ears.

Niji signed, trying to mentally prepare himself for the reaction bis brothers were bound to have.

As always thanks so much for the reviews.