Thunder

"Nami! If this storm gets any worse we're gonna be swamped!" Zoro shouted over the howling of the wind. The storm was one of the worst they'd encountered in a long time and the crew was losing strength. They'd battled to keep the ship not only in one piece but stable for almost 6 hours, and the storm did not look like it was letting up any time soon.

A flash of lightening sent Luffy, Usopp and Shion all scrambling off the sails and ropes to the deck as the mast was struck. Robin's Flower Fruit powers the only thing saving the sails from flapping.

"This storm is really something else." Shion muttered brushing herself off as she stood

"you said it." Usopp looked up at the mast- the damage was not too bad but they'd need to make port to repair it properly.

"This sucks!" Luffy jumped to his feet.

"We can't take much more Nami-swan!" Sanji called from the Merry's rudder, where he and Zoro had been using all their strength to make it follow the Navigator's directions.

"Cook-san is right. There has to be somewhere we can find a safe place to wait the rest out." Robin suggested.

Nami looked up from her map. "There should be an island not far and if this map is correct then there should be a inlet that we can rest in for shelter."

Another later found the Merry safely in the ring of the island's inlet and the crew resting around the table in the galley while Sanji cooked them up a soup to warm their weather chilled bodies. "Ok all done, this should warm us up." Sanji dished up the bowls and put them down. "Hey where'd Shion and Robin-chawn go?"

"When we were changing Shion said something about checking the hold's supplies, I think Robin went with her." Nami said.

"I don't get her sometimes, you'd think after all the work we've done for the last several hours she'd want to rest as much as the rest of us." Usopp sipped at his soup.

"Come to think of it," Zoro sat back. "Has anyone ever really seen Shion during a storm if she's not working?"

The crew shrugged all around, everyone at the table already brushing off the thought in favor of their food- or in the usual case, protecting their food. Robin appeared a few minutes later, pulling off her rain coat. "Hey Robin. Where's Shion?" Luffy asked.

"Still in the hold. She's about half way through the inventory check and said she's quite alright doing it alone. Ahhh thank you Cook-San." Robin took the offered bowl. "She also wanted me to tell you she's not hungry at this time and will eat later." She told Sanji particularly

Sanji's brow twitched, the hell someone would miss a meal, even if it wasn't really a meal per say- really just a warming pick me up. "The hold still you say?"

Robin nodded.

Sanji put on rain jacket and grabbed a bowl. If she wouldn't come up he'd go down to her. Shion had to be just as tired, cold and hungry as the rest of them- the fact she was still working bothered him. On reaching the hold it wasn't that difficult to find her, the lamp helping Sanji pinpoint her location fairly quickly. "Hey," He greeted putting the bowl down. "Come on. There will be plenty of time for that later, come eat."

"I'm fine but thank you."

Sanji did not miss the tiredness in her voice. He cocked his head, watching her a moment. Damp Purple waves fell loose just passed her shoulders, a blanket was wrapped around her but he could see she was sporting a warm pair of sweatpants and what looked like a sweater. "Shion you're exhausted- we all are. Just come eat something and rest."

"I said I'm fine. I really don't mind doing this."

"Shion..."

"Look Sanji, not that I don't appreciate it but right now I really just need to keep busy ok?" Shion's mis matched eyes finally looked up from the clip board. "You shouldn't be away from the galley too long- Luffy will have eaten you out of stock before you know it."

"He's welcome to try. I still haven't disarmed all the traps." Sanji smirked, lighting a cigarette, sitting on a crate. "Mind if I hang out?"

Shion looked like, for a moment, she wanted to tell him to fuck off but in the end she shrugged. "Do what you want."

Shion felt his eyes on her as she went back to work. Using the checklist to drown out the rumbling of the storm. She'd hate to admit it but she was deathly afraid of thunder and it was taking everything she had not to jump and scream like a scared schoolgirl every time it cracked. Busy- she just had to keep busy, that's what always got her through it before. One particularly loud crack froze her, the quill clattering as it dropped from nerveless fingers. She forgot all about Sanji as she cursed, bending to pick it up.

Hmmm... interesting. Sanji thought as he picked up the bowl again, it was cooling but still warm enough to eat. It had only been seconds but he hadn't missed her reaction. "Here." He offered her the bowl as the clip board down and sat clasping her hands.

Shion refused now more for the fact that she didn't trust the trembling in her fingers to hold the offered bowl and spoon. Sanji sat beside her, "You're trembling." He said noticing her hands and the set of her shoulders. "You ok?"

"Fine," Shion gave him a small smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're trembling." He repeated, touching her clasped hands, which she snatched away.

Shion put her arms around her middle. "I..." a loud crack happened again making her jump to her feet- which she hid by pacing.

Sanji's eyes went wide. "You're afraid of thunder." The way her head whipped back to face him he knew he hit the nail on the head.

Shion ran her hands through her hair. "I grew up on a island surrounded by volcanos, deep rumbling sounds and loud cracks meant that at best you were rebuilding someone's home and at worst lighting the funeral pyre. If you were luck and it wasn't you." She sat down again beside him, putting her head in her hands and elbows on her knees. "It's silly, I know thunder isn't anything like that but..." another rumble and crack from outside made her tense again and this time Shion took a small shuddering breath- trying to calm herself. "But if I keep busy I don't think about it and if I don't think about it then I can get through it just fine."

Sanji put the bowl aside again, now was not the time for it. "That's why we've never noticed before. We've always been so busy keeping things going during any storms we encounter, you been able to occupy your mind with other things." he watched her as she nodded. The last several hours must have been utter hell for her. No wonder she chose to hide away down here. He'd feel pretty damn safe to surrounded by a good solid structure where the noise was muffled inside.

Shion let out a small epp as she found herself gathered up, blanket and all, and deposited accross Sanji's lap. "Hey!"

Sanji grinned. "This is ok right? I mean your exhausted, mentally and physically so keeping busy isn't really working right?"

"You just want me in your lap." Shion accused.

Sanji just shrugged, fighting a chuckle as the thunder cracked again making her let out another one of those adorable epp's and cling to him.

"This is so embarrassing." Shion moaned, hiding her face in Sanji's shirt. Breathing in the calming scents of cooking spices and tobacco that clung to him.

Sanji did chuckle then, patting her back. "It's really not so bad is it?"

"Says the guy who had a girl sitting on him." Shion shot back at him. Another hard tremble shooting threw it as the storm rumbled again.

Sanji looped his arms around her, holding her loosely but comfortably. "Can't say I don't enjoy it, you're a pretty girl after all."

Shion snorted at that, but didn't fight his hold. Curling up into him, she let him hold her and waited out the storm. Sanji for his part just leaned back against the crates and enjoyed the cuddle in silence, every now and then he ran soothing circles on her back with his hand to ease the tension and somewhere along the line both started to doze.