Your Song
The Thousand Sunny had gleamed with the hot relaxing rays on its waxed frame. It had to endure the bitter cold of the previous island, though it had a sturdy finishing, it preferred to bask in the rays of the sun. Also, its inhabitants would be much jollier playing in the sun than shivering indoors in the cold.
The Thousand Sunny docked at a crowded port; the merchants were busy bargaining with their stingy customers, the freshly caught fish wafting a fishy stench in the air. The inhabitants of the Thousand Sunny were delighted at their arrival. They could finally explore a new island rather than be cooped up in the ship, not that they were complaining or anything.
A certain blonde stretched out in the open, enjoying the radiating sun alongside the Sunny. He had been aching to court the beautiful women on board the ship but they mainly stayed in their quarters. He was prohibited from entering and would have little opportunity to come in contact with them. Besides, the women looked better in bikinis rather than bundled up in 5 layers of protection against the harsh winter.
Today was an important day, so important that his life was his second priority. Love was in the air at the port, the city brimming with couples blinded with love.
"Ah, Valentine's Day…" sighed the chef gleefully. It was that time of the year he always looked forward to. Maybe this will be the day he will finally capture one of the lovely lady's heart. His mind inundated with possible ridiculous scenarios of how they would fall for him and worship him as their god. Red liquid dripped from his nose as he attempted to hold it back.
"Alright everyone, gather round! I'm going to distribute your pocket money. Remember: Spend as little as possible! And Luffy pay attention! You always end up spending at least thrice of what everyone else spends." Nami warned the crew. She had always been stingy with her money but was glad that everyone co-operated, whether willingly or not was another situation altogether.
"MELLORINE! NAMI SWAN YOU LOOK SO BEAUTIFUL TODAY!" She had her short orange hair tied up in a pigtail at the back. Her puppy eyes glimmered in the sunlight, her skin seemed as if it shone in the sunlight, giving her a radiating aura. She donned a white tank top with denim skinnies to match. She was extremely beautiful today, and it seemed to be due to her mood. She barely scolded anyone today; even Zoro who fell asleep countless times much to her annoyance.
She was not so sure why she was peppier than usual today. Maybe it was just the feeling deep in her heart telling her that something good would happen today. She wondered why she had such a feeling but was too happy to bother. Robin noticed that their red-headed navigator kept smiling to herself, even humming subconsciously to songs only she could hear. The archaeologist giggled at her friend's effervescent personality; it certainly brought life to the crew after their stop at the winter island.
Everyone, except Franky and Ussop who stayed on the Sunny, ventured into the town. Luffy followed Brook, spending time with the skeletal musician, laughing gratefully at his silly skull jokes. Robin, Zoro and Chopper split up into another group. Robin and Chopper headed to the bookstores but Robin convinced Zoro to tag along with them for fear he would lose his way. Sanji dolefully followed Nami, even though he needed to restock the food supplies, he wanted to accompany her first. A woman should never be left alone, she needed a dashing prince in shining armour at her side, ready to defend her at all times. And that knight was him. He pirouetted against the stone ground around her, showering her with loving compliments which she accepted with a genuine smile.
As they window shopped, Nami decided to enter a music store after hearing the lively music emanating from it. Sanji was happy to follow suit, only having eyes for the ravishing red head. The music played in the store had a romantic note to it, some songs were slow and some were full of beats. He could see some couples browsing nearby attempting to dance with their partner to it. He wished he could whisk Nami into a tango with him but he knew she would reject the dance. And he would probably earn himself a tight slap or two. To disrupt Nami's elevated mood would definitely ruin their time together and such a rare sight had to maintained as long as possible. After all, he wanted his Nami-san to be blissful, and if it meant restraining himself from expressing his love for her, it was a worthy sacrifice.
But how else should he express his love to Nami without any physical contact or the usual compliments which she was so bored with. How? This question racked his brain for a few minutes as he observed Nami leafing through several albums, her interest piqued when she saw a familiar album.
"Sanji! Look here!" He skipped over merrily to Nami's side, glad to be in her radiating presence. He examined the album cover she was pointing at excitedly.
"You should buy this for the girl you like best, with today being Valentine's Day and all." Her beaming smile captivated Sanji's heart, the red head even more beautiful before.
"Well then I should purchase this for you mademoiselle." He bowed courteously and she blushed.
"Sanji, don't say that just cause I'm the only recognisable girl in your presence. You should be more sincere with women; it isn't good to flirt with all of them…" Her smile gradually disappeared from her face, her tone grew disappointed. The sudden change in emotion made Sanji worried, what did he do to make Nami san like this? As she placed the album back in its original position and left the area with a distant look, Sanji could not help but pick the album up and scrutinise it out of curiosity. He browsed through the list of love songs, most he was unfamiliar with but his eyes widened when he came across a title he was familiar with:
Your Song
His heart leapt with joy upon the title, his head full of ideas to cheer his beloved Nami san up once more. Instantly, he slipped through the crowd of couples in the store to find her. She was confused at his sudden enthusiasm and opened her mouth to question it when he suddenly grabbed her wrist and whisked her away from the shop.
He kept on running as if his legs had a mind of their own. The cool air brushing against his skin gave him a calming sensation, giving him confidence in his attempt to cheer Nami up. Nami managed to get over her shock at his actions and tried to snap at him before he slowed down and came to a halt.
"Sanji! You'd better explain yourself!" She barked.
He stood facing the glaring sun, his silhouette had an orange aura to it from the blinding sun. With his back facing Nami, she could hardly read his expression as she waited for his reply.
"My gift is my song… and this one's for you." He sang in a crescendo before quieting down. Nami was shocked and gaped at him.
"What kind of reply is that? Sanji, what's going on?" He took a step closer to her, his face inches apart from hers.
"And you can tell everybody, that this is your song" A quiet smile danced on his thin lips. Is he trying to court me? Nami wondered. She was intrigued to find out what he would do next.
"It may be quite simple but, now that it's done." He kneeled down on one knee and took her hand in his. He looked her longingly in the eye, luring Nami's heart to his. However, a crowd of onlookers started to gather around them, expecting Sanji to propose to her on this special occasion. Nami looked on wearily at the crowd and attempted to pull her hand out of his.
"I hope you don't mind-"
"I MIND!"
"I hope you don't mind-"
"I REALLY DO! SANJI-"
"That I put down in words~" He sang lyrically, dragging the last word whole heartedly. Nami was desperate for him to get up.
"How wonderful life is now you're in the world." He got up gracefully and took her hand. With their fingers intertwined, he took off, Nami following right behind him with a light blush on her cheeks. They ran until they reached a laminated bench with intricate metal handles, legs and frame. Several couples on the residing benches were in the midst of their intimate moment when they arrived. Nami could feel her cheeks burn with embarrassment.
"Sat on the roof-" Sanji sat down on the bench, as if he rehearsed this song before.
"And I kicked off the moss." He pretended to kick a few miniscule weeds at the legs of the bench. With his hand still interlaced with hers, he pulled her down to him, until she was seated on his lap.
"SANJI!" Before she could protest, he continued on.
"Some of these verses, well, they've got me quite cross." He folded his arms at the last part and pretended to pout exaggeratedly.
He then pulled her off him and dragged her across the crowded street. The crowd gave way for the enthusiastic couple as they dashed past them. Nami gave them an apologetic look for her 'boyfriend's' behaviour. Sanji continued running and gazed back at Nami ecstatically, his golden locks blown across his handsome face gently.
"But the sun's been kind, while I wrote this song."
"You sure as hell didn't write it!" She retorted, her embarrassment at an all-time high, she prayed the others would not witness this.
"It's for people like you that, keep it turned on~" She could not help but smile back at him when he sang this line, their gaze still on each other. She could feel her anxiety and humiliation fading away. They then stopped under a shady tree, its wide branches spread out, enshrouding them in its cooling shadow. The tree bloomed beautifully, the flowers bright and iridescent.
"So excuse me for forgetting, but these things I do~" Under the tree, they were alone, away from the crowd. Nami forgot about her anger and started to enjoy his 'performance'. She was deeply entranced by it, even to the point that she felt that there was only him and her.
"You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue!" He rose into a crescendo, Nami gazed at his enchanting eye intently, an unfamiliar warmth enveloping her heart.
"Anyway the thing is, I really love you~" She felt her heart skip a beat. Did he really? Just then, a flower dropped from the tree. He caught one and placed it in her hair. He then held her closer to him, her arms around his neck.
"And yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen!" Suddenly, Nami could hear beautiful music emanating from the surroundings, the tune oh so familiar. She realised it was the tune she kept humming that morning, and that her heart was playing it out right now. Sanji then whisked Nami off into a slow dance, twirling her in circles. She felt like as if she was in a ballroom, she being the princess and he her prince.
"And you can tell everybody, that this is your song," He continued as they danced lithely, each step they took was graceful and synchronised, their hearts beating as one.
"It may be quite simple but, now that it's done…" She was surprised that they never broke their gaze.
"I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind-." She did initially but now, she was more than grateful and fortunate for such a thoughtful embrace.
"That I put down in words, how wonderful life is now you're in the world-"They started to slow down, their steps more conservative and quiet.
"I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words…" He held her waist gently, she brought herself closer to him as they stopped their dancing.
"How wonderful life is now you're in the world." He smiled at her blithely before he drew her in for a kiss. She felt as if her heart was fuelled with passion, she pulled him in tighter, wanting to hold the kiss longer. A gentle breeze blew across, surrounding the couple with a kaleidoscopic curtain of colourful flowers.
"Ah, young love~" The sudden voice broke the two apart. They stared alarmed at the tall skeleton with the afro sniffing into a white handkerchief. Beside him was their captain, his face wore a grin that stretched from ear to ear. A cyborg stood on the other side of the skeleton wiping away the tears on his face and claimed to not be crying. A long nosed male had his lips pursed in astonishment, his eyes wide in disbelief.
Opposite those four was a tiny reindeer who danced around merrily at the couple's new found love. Beside him was a ravishing statuesque woman with raven hair. Her playful smile was followed by a quiet giggle. A green haired swordsman had an eyebrow raised at the couple, a disgusted scowl on his face.
Sanji fainted from the kiss, his nose leaking a particular red liquid. Nami yelped at him, and screamed more when she realised she was left alone to explain to the crew what had happened. She fainted at the sudden happenings and fell beside Sanji.
"It seems that they both had about the same reaction. I wonder what gave our navigator the courage to respond to his flirtations…" Robin was curious about what had transpired and was certainly going to use this information to tease her friend.
"Huh, Sanji and Nami… I never knew… I wonder who else in our crew will get together…" Ussop blurted out.
Zoro coughed vehemently at the comment as if he choked on his own saliva, Robin giggling innocently. The crew looked on confused at them and went on to help Sanji and Nami get on to the Sunny.
Sanji woke up in a daze. Was he really dreaming? Or did his wish come true. He realised that Nami and him were in the kitchen, her sleeping head leaning against his chest. He smiled broadly at the peaceful woman, his heart content and satisfied with what had transpired. He brushed aside a few stray strains of hair on her forehead and kissed her gently on the forehead.
"Happy Valentine's Day Nami-san." He whispered. She smiled in response, glad to be away from the crew and in his arms. He then left her to her peaceful slumber and carried on to cook before exclaiming:
"SHIT I FORGOT TO RESTOCK!" Nami giggled at his forgetfulness; he did sing he was sorry for forgetting and he really did forget. What a coincidence she thought…