Author's Note: Ichigo is my creation, so if you want to use her, just mention my name at some point. Thank you.

One Piece isn't mine. Pity…

Chapter 2

"Hey, you're back early," Zolo remarked, eyeing Luffy and Nami as they boarded the ship. "But for once, you're not running and shouting that we need to leave. Don't tell me Luffy couldn't find any trouble in this town?"

"Actually, Sanji found trouble this time," Nami laughed, "but it's not the leave immediately kind."

Zolo's questions died in his mouth as a young woman followed them onto the ship, escorted by Sanji. Instead, he cursed. "Geez, Sanji, didn't take you long. What did you say to this one to make her come with you?"

"Shut it, shit head," Sanji said easily. "This is Ichigo."

Ichigo looked up at him. "You really have changed, haven't you Sanji?" she asked. "You never used to swear like that."

Zolo noticed with interest that Sanji was blushing. "Well, of course not," he muttered. "The old lady would have cleaned my mouth out with soap."

"She would have if she had found out that you started smoking too," Ichigo said with a smile.

"What old lady? Who are you, Ichigo?" Luffy asked with childish impatience.

"What? Oh! I see what you mean," Sanji laughed. "Ichigo is my sister."

When Usopp and Chopper returned that evening laden with medical supplies, it was to a grand feast. Luffy and Zolo were already fighting because Luffy had stolen from his plate while Nami watched, helpless with laughter. Robin was smiling at the scene from her usual corner, but Usopp and Chopper's eyes were drawn to a strange woman sitting next to a grinning Sanji, covering her smile with her hand.

"Usopp! Chopper!" Luffy exclaimed, beaming at them. Zolo took advantage of the captain's distraction to knock him over and reclaim his plate.

"Are these two part of your crew as well?" the woman asked Sanji.

"Yeah," he replied with a smile. "The reindeer's our doctor, and the long-nosed guy's a professional liar."

"Gunner!" Usopp yelled, red in the face. "Who's this?"

"This is Ichigo, Sanji's sister," Nami explained, absently pulling her plate out of reach of Luffy's questing hand.

"What? You have a sister, Sanji?" Usopp asked, his mouth dropping open.

"Introduce yourself properly later, Usopp, or Luffy'll eat everything and you'll starve," said Zolo with a grin.

"You know," Ichigo remarked as she helped clear the table, "it's really weird to eat something Sanji cooked."

Everyone stopped and stared at her except Sanji, who bent his head over the dishes in the sink. "Why's that?" Nami asked slowly.

"Well, at home, he never cooked. I always did it," she explained.

"Sanji? Pass up an opportunity to cook? Never!" Usopp exclaimed with a laugh.

"Oh, he wasn't a very good cook then," Ichigo giggled.

"Neither were you!" Sanji shot back.

"No, I wasn't. Mostly I cooked because Sanji fell asleep as soon as he got home every night," she admitted.

"And you give me grief about being lazy!" Zolo said triumphantly, shooting a nasty look at Sanji, who scowled.

"Sanji wasn't lazy!" Ichigo said furiously.

"Enough, Ichigo," Sanji warned her, but she didn't listen.

"He was tired because he worked hard every day to get enough money to feed us!" she sobbed.

Sanji took off his apron and came and held the sobbing girl to his chest, making calming noises. He looked up to meet the wondering and shocked eyes of his crewmates.

"Our mother died soon after Ichigo was born. They say it was grief at the death of our father not long before. Our grandmother raised us, but she started losing her mind when I was about seven, and it wasn't long before she was completely senile."

Ichigo gave a particularly loud sob, and Sanji hugged her harder.

"So, I had to take responsibility for her and Ichigo. I worked for people in the village; cleaning, chopping wood, whatever they needed. With the money I earned, I bought food and took it home. Then, when I was eight, Gran died."

His expression hardened. "No one in the village would help us. They began to say that we had to be cursed to lose all our family like we had, and they stopped giving me work. So, I signed up as an apprentice cook and chore boy on a ship, and in return for my salary, one of the village women agreed to look after Ichigo."

He looked down at Ichigo, who had quietened, content to be held by her brother. "I thought about you every day while I was gone, and I always felt really bad that I couldn't come back for you."

"I forgive you, Sanji," she said with a brave smile.

Later on, when everyone had retreated to their hammock or bed, Sanji and Ichigo shared the first watch in the crow's nest, exchanging histories.

"So, that woman threw you out when she heard that my ship had sunk, huh? I can't believe I ever trusted her!" Sanji said angrily.

"She was actually one of the better women in the village, San," Ichigo said consolingly, putting a hand on his arm. "Everyone thought you were dead, so they decided that it was me who was cursed, and threw me out. But I never gave up the hope that you were alive. See, I was right! It just took me a long time to find out," she laughed ruefully.

"When word came that your ship had sunk, I joined a ship's crew by telling them that I was a boy, and sailed with them for about five years. After that, it was kind of hard to hide what I was, so I deserted them and have been living here ever since." She sighed. "In all that time, I didn't hear a single word about you. I asked everywhere I went, but no one could tell me what had happened to you."

"Ah, Ichi," he sighed, leaning back. "You were looking in all the wrong places. Your ship only sailed the North Blue and the Grand Line, didn't it? Well, I went to the East Blue with the old geezer I told you about, to set up his floating restaurant. I only recently came to the Grand Line, and only because a fool dropped through the roof and decided I'd be the perfect cook for his ship of madmen." He smiled at the memory.

"Oh well. All that matters is that you and I are together again," she said, snuggling down beside him.

Sanji gazed down at her, suddenly troubled. But for how much longer?

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