Chapter 13

She found Sanji just as he was bringing pans out to make dinner. The awkwardness of her father's visit had not yet dissipated.

"Hello Sanji-kun."

"Mezumi-chan, to what do I owe the honor of your visit?" He smiled politely at her.

"I wanted to thank you for taking such good care of me. So, I got you something." She held out the tiny metal box.

"If this is a proposal I would suggest you get down on one knee." He teased her. She blushed hard.

"Just open it." She couldn't help but smile at his joke. He took the box and opened it. Sanji was surprised to find two solid gold cuff links engraved with an 'S'. "I wanted to get you something today but I couldn't find anything in town. So I made you these. Do you like them?"

How could he not like them? They were a thoughtful gift from her. That alone was enough. She was waiting for an answer. Suddenly, Yoshihiro's words surfaced in his mind. 'Don't let such a precious woman walk out of your life.' He had done nothing to let her know he was interested in her. If he waited too long to show her his true feelings, he may find it was too little, too late. He attached them to his cuffs. Sanji gently grabbed her chin and guided her to look him in the eye. Their faces were barely an inch apart.

"I love them." Mezumi blushed even harder. Sanji slid his hand to the side of her face and leaned closer to her.

The kitchen door slammed open. "Sanji! I want meat!" They broke apart quickly when Luffy and Nami walked in.

"Luffy you just got done eating. I don't know how you can possibly still be hungry." Mezumi retreated to her room. She sat at her desk with her head in her hands. She looked for a good distraction among all the papers and books littering her desk. Among the papers on her desk she had a few chemical formulas that she and her aniki were working on. She had borrowed a few books from the library. They were being kept on her desk waiting to be read. She passed a few minutes reading a book called "The Science of Ship Building."

"It looks like you are hiding from someone." Robin surprised her. She was so embarrassed with herself.

"I gave Sanji a gift and then I ran away." She groaned.

"You cannot hide forever. We have two more days before the log pose resets." She certainly wanted to try hiding for as long as possible. Feeling defeated, she went to dinner. She discussed armoring the ship with her aniki.

"If we could plate the whole ship in metal that would make it much harder to destroy. Under cannon fire the wood will shatter in a million pieces."

"You are right imoto. But the problem with a metal ship is: it won't float."

So you could have an indestructible ship but it would be at the bottom of the ocean." Mezumi frowned. She picked at her food while she was deep in thought. Nami informed them about the climates and the next island through the rest of the meal. She let everyone know they had two more days till they set sail.

Mezumi waited till everyone cleared out of the kitchen and Sanji was alone cleaning up the dishes. She approached him.

"I... I'm sorry I ran away from you."

"It's my fault. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have...when you weren't ready."

"It's not your fault Sanji-kun. I was just trying to tell you something. I'm just... scared to voice it."

"Mezumi-chan, you can tell me anything."

"Sanji-kun... I..."

"Wait. I know I haven't been exactly... decisive when it comes to you. I wanted to let you know what my intentions were. I would prefer to do it properly." He swallowed down his uncertainty. "Mezumi-chan would you go to dinner with me tomorrow as my date?" She blinked briefly. Her smile lit up her face.

"I would love to Sanji-kun."

"Great. Be ready at 7 o'clock tomorrow night." They both left after a short good bye. Neither would get much sleep tonight. Both parties were too anxious for tomorrow night to come.

The next morning she arranged for Franky and Usopp to meet her in Franky's workshop to continue with their experiments. They were attempting to find a formula for a much stronger black powder. Truthfully, Franky and Usopp could have done it on their own. But it was much easier to tweak the sample's formula with Mezumi's help. Without her they would have to mix a new batch for every new experiment. A few beakers sat in the corner containing the failed experiments. In front of them stood a table with a ring stand holding a small sample of their newest combination of black powder. They carefully balanced it on a piece of paper held on wire gauze as a flaming Bunsen burner waited. After nearly setting the ship ablaze with their 7th experiment, Usopp insisted they crouch behind an upturned table for cover. They kept their eyes covered. Usopp had his goggles, Franky had his sun glasses and Mezumi wore a pair of safety goggles. Usopp flipped through their notebook for their current page.

"Experiment 38. Half a gram of the sample to be ignited over Bunsen burner." Usopp read over their expectations that would prove or disprove their hypothesis. He closed the notebook with a snap.

"Alright experiment 38 in 3... 2..." Franky nudged the sample over the Bunsen burner and drew his hand back. They watched carefully as the paper slowly caught fire. A bright red flame shot up 5 inches as the sample poofed out of existence, leaving a large cloud nearly 3 feet long. They all shouted with joy at their success. They made a substance much more potent than black powder in just a few weeks.

"What should we call it? It isn't black powder anymore." Usopp inquired.

"How about red powder because it burns bright red?"

"Great idea imoto."

"Excuse me boys I have something I need to get ready for." She waved to them as she walked out. She left them looking slightly confused.

Mezumi finished bathing and went to her bed room to get ready for her date. She couldn't stop the smile that bloomed across her face at the thought. She closed the door only to have it open again a few seconds later.

"I thought I would find you here." Nami closed the door behind her.

"Did you need something Nami?"

"Nope. I am just here to help you get ready for your date." Thinking she must have heard about it from Sanji, she didn't question her.

"Thank you Nami. I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I don't know what to wear."

"Well then, you are lucky to have me then. Let's get started." Nami had sat her down in front of the vanity and started to apply make up from Nami's personal stash. Nami had her close her eyes as she worked on her eyes and then her lips. She opened her eyes again when Nami was done with her eyes.

"This lip stick is actually just a temporary stain. You won't have to worry about it coming off when you eat, drink or kiss." Nami winked at her as she blushed.

"Nami, it's just dinner." She didn't reply as she held out her dress on its hanger and, to Mezumi's surprise, she held a tiny piece of fabric in her other hand.

"I am not wearing that."

"It's just a pair of panties..."

"Those don't have enough fabric to be considered any article of clothing, let alone panties." She opened the drawer she kept her underwear in. She was horrified to find that all of her plain underwear had been replaced with frilly scraps of thin fabric. Mezumi rounded on the mischievous woman.

"What did you do with my underwear?

"They were conveniently misplaced. Maybe just for the night or maybe forever. I haven't decided yet."

"Well 'conveniently' place them back in my drawer. I am not going to wear that."

"The way I see it you can either wear these..." She shook the tiny piece of black fabric. "Or you can go without. Those are your only options. Mezumi grumbled her displeasure. She undressed and snatched the object out of her hand. She pulled it on grudgingly, thankful it was not a thong. They were just a black, lacy bikini style. She did think they looked nice, but she didn't have to like them. She reached for the dress next and pulled it on over her head.

She had forgotten how beautiful the dress was. It covered enough of her so she didn't feel naked but it showed enough for a tasteful sort of sexiness. Nami had her sit down again as she tamed her wavy hair. She added the accessories Nami handed her and donned a pair of silvery high heels and stood to look at herself in the mirror. She felt like a new person. She also felt giddy to have a reason to dress up. She felt beautiful. She thought back to Zoro's reaction to her wearing the dress in the shop. She only hoped Sanji's reaction would be similar. Realizing it was nearly 7 o'clock, she headed down to meet him on deck.

He was adjusting the cuff links she had given him when he looked up. He was stuck dumb at the sight of her.

Her lips were a darker pink and her eyes were shadowed in soft green. Her hair was settled into a pony tail. Letting the natural waves in her white hair flow down her back. A few shorter strands framed her face as they hung loose. Her bangs swept to one side gently to complete the simple look. Around her neck was a small white gold and diamond necklace and a matching bracelet around her left wrist. The dress was nothing short of stunning on her. It caressed her skin in a way that made him suddenly jealous. He had a rare view of her legs. His eyes traveled from her silver high heels all the way up to a teasing view of bare thigh. It took him several seconds before he realized he had been ogling her like a parched man would look at an oasis. He shook his head to clear the thoughts surfacing in his mind. He scolded himself. He was a gentleman and would treat her with the respect any lady deserved.

He already wore a suit everyday but he had changed it slightly for the occasion. He still wore his black pants and shoes but in place of his double-breasted suit he wore a black suit jacket which buttoned in the center. Under his jacket he wore a light blue buttoned shirt adorned with a tie. He also added the cuff links she had given him.

"You're beautiful." his voice was low and slightly husky. She smiled nervously at him as tingles ran up her spine.

"Thank you. You look very handsome in that." Sanji held out his arm for her to take. She could do nothing to wipe the smile off her face.

"Shall we?" She held onto his arm gently. They walked slowly across the dock and into the market place. She had been wrong about the market place being the only part of the town devoid of prostitutes. It seemed this is where the high priced woman worked. Her eyes alighted on a beautiful woman dressed in a stunning and sexy black dress. She was disarmingly gorgeous with her hair done up and her make up carefully applied. Looking down at herself, she felt the smile disappear from her face. In this dress, in this part of town she must have looked like a whore with her client.

"You are more beautiful than any of them. No need to look so down." She looked up to realize he had been staring at her as she was thinking.

"It's not just that." She saw a few men leering at her. Her voice was so small when she spoke. "They must think I am some kind of..." She didn't want to say the word. It felt as if saying it out loud would confirm her fears.

"You are nothing like them. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. You know who you are and that is more than enough. Be proud of who you are." She blushed lightly as she smiled at his words. They continued onto their destination which happened to be a five star restaurant known as 'Lady Luck'. The named called attention to the fact that it was right next to a high class casino. She had to commend this island for having just about everything. The restaurant was fairly empty as clients on the island would visit well into the night.

They were seated quickly by the hostess. Their waiter came promptly as he took Sanji's order for dinner and wine.

"This place is beautiful. What prompted you to ask me on a date tonight?"

"Actually it was something your father said to me. He mentioned something about not letting an opportunity slip by." She sat in silence for a moment, thinking over his words. "What made you forgive your father? I thought he ran out on your mother when he found out about you."

"That was just another lie from Katsuo to hurt me. He didn't know about me till he saw my wanted poster."

"The world government put a bounty on you too? How much?" She must have forgotten to tell everyone.

"25 million beli." Sanji laughed.

"Great, that means our bounty is up to 625 million and 50 beli. Wait till Luffy hears that. He will be so excited." She felt the need to share something with him.

"My father wanted me to join him in his travels. He said we could finally be a family if I would join the shadow pirates. But I refused. I didn't want to leave the first place I could call home. Even then he still told me he loves me. I didn't tell him I loved him. It didn't feel right but I still feel guilty."

"I think he understands. He knows he can't build a relationship with you in one day. He did seem overjoyed that you were willing to see him again and acknowledge him as your father. I think he is waiting for you to be more comfortable with the idea. He only knew you for an hour at most and he already knows you are worth the wait."

There was a lull in the conversation as they thought of topics of conversation. Sanji was the first to find one. "Have you given any more thought about what your dream will be?" She remembered when he asked about her dream before. He had told her of his dream of finding the All Blue and she said she didn't have a dream.

"I have been thinking about what to strive for. I thought a little bit about opening an orphanage. I could take in any neglected or unwanted children and give them a place to belong before they find a home of their own. They will either be adopted or they can grow up at the orphanage till they are old enough to move out. I think it's a great idea but I'm still deciding on what should be my dream." Truthfully it was not another what that had her undecided but rather a who.

"That sounds excellent." Their food was delivered. A beautifully plated meal was placed before her as Sanji tested the wine from the waiter. He declared it perfect and the waiter quickly poured two glasses for them.

"I would have made you dinner myself but I wanted us to be alone. I knew that would never happen back in my kitchen."

"It's alright. I have never been to a restaurant this elegant." Sanji thought back to something that had been nagging at the back of his mind.

"Why did your father assume you were dating the marimo?"

"Zoro-kun and I were shopping in town yesterday. I was holding onto his arm so we wouldn't get separated in the more seedy parts of town. I was still holding onto him as we arrived on Sunny where otou-san saw us." Sanji's face was furrowed in disappointment.

"Is there anything going on between you?" He sounded as jealous as he felt. But if she preferred the shitty swordsman over him... Well, he wasn't sure if he would fight for her attention or just stand back to let her choose whatever path made her happy. Mezumi giggled lightly at the jealousy in his eyes.

"No, there is nothing going on between me and Zoro-kun. I asked him to accompany me into town to protect me."

"I would have gone to protect you if you had asked." He still felt slightly hurt. 'She must think I am weaker than that idiot swordsman.'

"I went into town to buy you a gift. If you had come with me it would have spoiled the surprise. I also know I could have chosen anyone from the crew to go with me for those reasons. I asked him because I wanted to pick the gift on my own. Everyone else would have given me ideas or just asked too many questions. Zoro-kun doesn't often give advice or ask questions. He protected me and I bought him lunch. That's all he cared about." He sighed, finally understanding her reasoning. She smiled. "You pout in the most adorable way when you are jealous." He wanted to say that men were not adorable in any way. He was a gentleman and he was manly. Instead he just took the compliment. They had finished their meal and the waiter inquired about dessert.

"No, thank you." Mezumi's stomach was already stretched from dinner. She didn't want to push it by adding more food. The waiter quickly left the bill on their table and wished them a pleasant evening. Sanji laid money in the envelope and they left it with the hostess. A brush of cold sea air rushed past them as Sanji opened the door for her. He saw goose bumps appear on her naked back ahead of him and worried about her state of undress. Outside, he pulled off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders before she could protest.

"I don't want you getting sick. I've already seen that one too many times." He referenced seeing her emaciated body weeks ago. She couldn't argue with him.

"Thank you." Taking his arm again, they walked towards the docks in silence. They could see the moon playing in the water from the deck. The stars in the sky winked at them after the sun disappeared from the sky. Deep blues and soft whites engulfed their vision, gracing them with a beautiful view to end a wonderful night.

"This seems like a scene from a romance story I once read. A chivalrous man on a wonderful date with wonderful scenery..."

"How did their night end?" He asked it so casually. She was so caught up in the details of the book that she was currently unaware of the parallels to real life. They stopped outside the door from the womens' bed room.

"They kissed and said good night." The sentence was sobering, causing her to come back to reality to what she had just suggested to him. Her mind was incapable of any intelligent thought once her eyes alighted on his face. His eyes held her with passion and wonder in their depths. He told himself he would not make the same mistake he had made before. He had tried to kiss her in thanks for her gift. She was caught unaware by his sudden action and she ran away from him. He was not going to force her into another kiss like that again. Sanji leaned forward bringing their lips closer and closer together. He stopped barely an inch away. He was staring straight into her eyes, trying to indicate with his action what he wanted.

Several tense seconds past as she realized what he was doing. He was telling her how he wanted their night to end but he was letting her decide. The decision was all too easy. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his. His lips were firm and he tasted like wine. He took her response as permission to proceed. He moved his lips against hers gently as his hands slid around her back. She lifted her arms around his neck, causing his jacket to fall off her shoulders and onto the ground. He pulled her against him and licked her bottom lip tentatively. Her body felt so soft against him. Realizing what he wanted, she opened her mouth and ran her tongue across his lip as well. His hand caught the back of her neck as he tilted her head back for a better angle. Caught in so intimate an embrace, she couldn't help but let out a soft moan. He growled low in his chest as he heard her. She would have fallen due to her suddenly weak knees, had it not been for their tangled embrace. He pushed his lips hard into hers. The simple action had her shivering from the overwhelming passion. They broke apart to gasp for air. Her eyelids fluttered open and she looked up at him. The look of love and passion in his glazed eyes nearly had her moaning all over again. But her lungs were too busy getting oxygen to her clouded mind. Almost half a minute later they were breathing normally. They were still caught in each other's eyes and neither had moved an inch. Mezumi recovered enough to speak.

"Thank you for tonight. It was wonderful. Goodnight Sanji." She gave him a chaste kiss on his lips and detached from him.

"Goodnight Mezumi." He waited till she closed the door then he picked up his jacket. He folded it over his arm and walked away. He had to commend himself for not loosing control. His traitorous body had nearly given up on every ideal he had. Had it not been for his chivalrous spirit he might have pinned her against the wall and... 'No, no, no.' He stopped that train of thought and shook his head to clear his thoughts. He attempted to focus on the fact that he had not given in to his body's demands. He would never allow himself to force himself upon any woman. Especially not Mezumi. She was a once in a lifetime kind of woman. She was so unique. She was so gentle and tough. She was highly intelligent but equally ignorant in the ways of the world. He had fallen for the most selfless and loving woman in existence. And she had fallen for him too. He felt giddy.

Neither of them could wipe the grins from their faces as they undressed and climbed in bed.