The strong willed always rebuild after every storm.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 10

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"Sanji-kun! What are you doing out of bed?!"

Wincing now that he had been caught, Sanji slowly looked over his shoulder and smiled sheepishly at the woman in the galley doorway. "Ah.. Nami-san.. I was just fixing a little snack."

Nami's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked over the platter that was filled with an assortment of tarts. "Snacks for the entire crew? Sanji-kun, you're hurt. You need to rest or you'll never get better." she chided as she entered the galley.

Sanji frowned slightly and slowly lowered the strawberry and whipped cream mixture he was working on down to the counter. "I know, Nami-san, but it's been two days... I just wanted to get back to work."

The quietly spoken words had Nami sighing deeply, but she was soon heading over to the kitchen table and perched herself on a bench. There she folded her arms over her chest and glared at the bandages that covered the back. "You almost died, you know."

"I know." Sanji replied quietly, absently playing with the spoon in the mixing bowl.

When the blonde said nothing else, Nami was left groaning in frustration and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Dammit. Why are men so stubborn.."

A soft chuckle was pulled from Sanji's lips as he took up the mixing bowl again. The motions he made while he cooked always calmed him. This was his therapy. He needed it now more than ever. "I don't know, Nami-san. I apologize for being a burden."

"Burden..?" Nami's eyes narrowed as she stood from her seat. She crossed the short space between them and had the wounded man face her. Then moment she saw the visible blue eye she gave him a stern look. "Sanji-kun, you're nakama. Why do you think this would be a burden on us?"

Asked so point blank threw Sanji off for a moment. He glanced away uneasily and gripped tighter to the bowl in his hands. "I... don't want to be a weak link for everyone..."

Her eyes widening at the confession, Nami was speechless for a moment. "Weak link..? Sanji-kun, you're one of the strongest. You're one of strongest men I've ever known in my life. How can you possibly think of yourself as a weak link?"

A slight smile twitched onto pale lips as the cook continued to stir slowly. "Nami-san is kind to say such things. I wish I could explain, but I don't want to sound as if I'm complaining." He was about to focus on his task once more when a gentle hand took hold of his chin and turned his head. His visible eye widened in confusion at the exasperated smile that was on the woman's face. "Nami-san?"

Nami's smile turned strained as she gave a light slap to the man's too pale cheek. "Nakama, you idiot. If you can't complain to me, who can you complain to?"

Sanji's jaw dropped slightly and the reprimand, but he knew he couldn't get out of this. He had been holding back too long. It was clear that none of the crew were going to allow that anymore.

Much to his dismay.

With a restless breath, Sanji placed the bowl back to the counter and gestured to the table. "Please sit, Nami-san..." He waited until the woman was seated on a bench before he moved around the table to sit on the other side to face her. He leaned heavily on his elbows and tried to ignore the painful twinge in his back.

When he seemed to hesitate in beginning, Nami opened her mouth to speak, but immediately closed it. Sanji was doing this on his own. He had to start when he was ready. So she folded her hands on the table and waited.

Feeling even more on the spot when the normally vocal navigator went silent, Sanji roughly raked a hand through his hair. "It's just going to sound stupid.. You don't need to listen to this.." He trailed off when he felt a warm hand resting over his. He looked up to see a gentle smile on her face. "N.. Nami-san..."

Squeezing the hand a bit tighter, Nami's smile didn't waver. "Tell me."

A sad frown fell over Sanji's face as he lightly gripped at the hand holding his. "I've... Been in this crew for a good while now, but part of me.. Hasn't quite wrapped my mind around that."

Nami's head tilted curiously. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I had fully intended on spending the rest of my life on the Barati. That I was going to live there, take over for the old man when he finally felt like giving it up. Grow old and fat just like him and slip away as just the head chef at a good restaurant. I never thought of anything beyond that." A weak laugh left him as he bowed his head. "Not a glamorous life, but I convinced myself that I would be happy."

A concerned frown formed on Nami's face. "Are you not happy here?"

A smile twitched onto Sanji's pale lips as he held her hand a bit tighter. "I am happy.. No matter what sort of shit blows up in my face.. I've never been happier... But..."

"But?"

His expression immediately falling, Sanji let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. "But after a while.. I got this weird feeling... Like I was falling behind."

"What? Falling behind?" Nami repeated in confusion.

The blonde head reluctantly nodded. "Luffy and Zoro... Their strength seemed insane when I first met them. I wasn't able to fathom it. I wanted to keep up.. But every move they make, I have to work twice as hard to match it... I'm not like them. Not having powers or weapons, I take on the brunt of whatever faces me. My own body is all I have... And I work constantly just to make myself worthy of staying here..."

The navigator's eyes widened when she was finally starting to understand. "Sanji-kun... You're so important to this crew. You should never think of trying to be worthy. You've single handedly saved us more times than I can ever count." she insisted quietly.

"Hm.. It makes me glad to hear you say that, Nami-san, but I have limits. As much as I hate to admit it, I know I'm not invincible. Eventually my limits will catch up to me, and I'll be useless..." Sanji trailed off as his eyes flickered back to the mixing bowl he had abandoned on the counter.

He suddenly released the woman's hands and stood up from the table. He didn't look at her questioning gaze as he returned to the counter to take up the bowl once more. "I just want to do what I can while I can... Protect my nakama any way I can..."

Nami felt the corners of her eyes sting the longer she listened, but she forced herself to focus. She stood as well and silently watched as the cook continued his work. The longer she watched, the more she hated the way the bandages seemed to be the same color as Sanji's skin. He was still too weak to even be standing, but he was doing his job despite what it could do to him.

She wasn't sure if she should be pissed at such stupidity.

Or awed at such selfless dedication.

Taking a deep breath, Nami clenched her fists as she came to the question that was nagging at her mind. "Can you tell me why you're so angry with Zoro, then?"

The question had Sanji grow still for a long moment. His blonde head bowed low as his hands gripped tighter to the bowl. "Nami-san.. Do you know what it's like to work so hard to stand on equal ground with someone... Only to watch them look at you with pity in their eyes?"

"Sanji-kun..." Before Nami could even think of a response, her eyes widened when she saw something wet trail down his left check from under that fall of blonde hair. "Sanji-kun!"

Swiping his hand over his face quickly to wipe away whatever was there, Sanji immediately returned to mixing. "I'll be finished with these tarts in a few minutes. Would you like anything to drink with them, Nami-san?"

For a moment Nami wasn't sure she could answer. She felt her eyes watering, but she forced a smile to her face. "Some black tea would be great. Thank you, Sanji-kun." she answered, asking for the cook's favorite drink just to see the little smile it pulled to his far too pale lips.

"Yes, Nami-san. Would you like me to bring it to you when it's done?"

"No, that's okay. I'll come back in a few minutes." Knowing she had to let the cook be alone for a bit, Nami quietly left the galley. Once she closed the still cracked door behind her, she bowed her head low and took a shuddering breath. "Did you hear all of that...?"

A somber frown was pulled over Luffy's face from his place leaning against the wall next to the door. "Yeah..."

Feeling the tears ready to escape her, Nami gritted her teeth tightly and shot her attention to the source of this horrid situation doing pushups on the deck. "That bastard..." she growled before heading for the stairs.

Luffy lifted his head to watch his navigator storm off towards his swordsman, but he made no move to stop her. He kept his place next to the galley and listened closely to the sounds that were muffled from behind the door. He knew that Sanji was pushing his limits, but he trusted his cook. So there he stayed and listened to make sure the blonde didn't do too much.

And to wait for snacks. It had been three days since he had any of Sanji's cooking. He was seriously missing it. 'Nami's cooking is going to kill me.. Blah..' he thought with a slight shudder.

On deck, Zoro wasn't even bothering to count along with his pushups. He had been at them for hours, but, at this point, he was trying to keep his head clear. There was so much he had to do. He was just grateful he had the opportunity to do it. 'If it had been me.. I wouldn't have been as merciful..'

He was about to ponder over his next move when a shadow fell over him.

Lifting his head, he saw the shadowed figure of Nami towering over him. There was a strange feeling that seemed to swirl around her, and it had Zoro stopping and getting to his knees. On focusing, he was surprised by the tear filled scowl that was focused on him. "What is it?"

Unable to hold back, Nami reared back her right hand and gave a harsh slap to Zoro's face. "You heartless bastard! Do you have any idea how much you've hurt him?!" she hissed out so her voice wouldn't carry to the galley.

Startled by the abuse and the anger that was in her trembling stance, Zoro stared at the woman for a moment. "You talked to him?"

"Yes..." Nami's eyes narrowed at the calm way he was looking at her. "You should be ashamed... Of all the stupid things you could possibly do, why this? Why do this to Sanji-kun?" When Zoro merely frowned at her, Nami reached out to grab the front of his white shirt.

However her wrist was caught in a firm grip.

Looking at the angry woman for a moment longer, Zoro's eyes narrowed as well before he spoke. "I am ashamed, Nami. You couldn't begin to understand how badly I feel. I know what I've done. I know how much I've hurt him. I've already talked to him, and he's going to allow me to make up for my stupidity. You don't need to worry." he stated as calmly as he could. Every time he thought over everything it almost made him want to cut himself apart with his own swords.

Still, he endured the suffering he brought upon himself.

She could see that this had hit Zoro hard as well, but she wasn't about to let the matter drop so easily. Her arms folded over her chest as she looked at the green haired man expectantly. "What are you going to do, then?"

"I don't know yet. That's what I'm trying to figure out." Zoro got to his feet and lightly dusted off his hands on his pants. He had been wracking his brain for a good way to start, but so far nothing seemed right. Or possible. "I know if I could find his knives, that would make him happy, but Robin and Chopper have a better chance than I do at that."

When it seemed like Zoro was really trying, Nami's stance eased up a bit. "Well... Is there anything else that would make him happy right now?"

"Other than the knives, I can't really think of..." Zoro suddenly trailed off as he looked at Nami seriously. "Do you know if any of the villages have a tailor?"

"A tailor..? Well.. I think I remember a shop in the same village as that rich lady with the missing cat."

"Can you take me there?"

Nami blinked at the sudden request. "Wait, what do you need from the tailor?"

"I want something made."

It was an annoying vague answer, but after a moment a smile twitched onto Nami's lips. "I'll take you, but first we need a few things. Come on." She quickly grabbed hold of his wrist and began dragging him across the deck.

"Huh? What do we need?" Zoro asked in confusion as he was dragged until they hit the stairs that led below deck.

"Just trust me!" was Nami's only answer.

Leaning over the railing in front of the galley door, Luffy smiled as he watched the two disappear.

Things were on their way to getting better.

'Now all I need is to get at those snacks, and everything will be perfect.'

"Oi, Luffy! I know you're out there. Get in here. I've got yours ready."

A wide grin was instantly on the captain's face and he threw up his hands in victory. "Yosh! Coming, Sanji!"

He had to remind himself of being easy on the broken door, but he was soon bouncing his way to the kitchen table. "Ooo! That looks great, Sanji! What flavors are they?" he asked eagerly as he took a seat.

Finding himself smiling at his captain's usual behavior, Sanji brought over a plate of tarts that had different colors of filling. "Strawberry, blueberry, cherry, and blackberry. Would you like some tea?"

Luffy readily nodded as he took up a blackberry tart. "Yes, please!" A moment later he took a bite only to whimper as he nearly fell over, tears actually welling up in his eyes. "Saaanjiiii.. You have no idea how happy I am right now.. Everyone else sucks so much ass at cooking..."

The wailing complaint actually pulled a genuine laugh from the blonde as he prepared a cup of tea. "I apologize for being away from my post, Captain. I hope your digestive system hasn't suffered overtly so in my absence." he countered on a teasing note.

Hearing the humor in his cook's voice had Luffy smiling. "I'll let it slide this time, but you better not be absent anymore. I've already decided you're the only cook I want. If you don't want me starving or dying from crappy food, you better not make a habit out of it."

Sanji didn't pause in his motions as he brought the lightly steaming cup to the table, but there was a soft smile curling his pale lips. "Captain's orders?"

The young captain grinned wide and nodded. "Captain's orders. You're not allowed to be absent anymore."

After placing the cup down on the table, Sanji gave a half-assed salute with a grin of his own. "Aye-aye, Captain. Is there anything else your cook can do for you to make amends for the injustice dealt to your stomach?"

Easily catching the sarcasm in that smoky voice, Luffy snickered and pointed to the bench at the other side of the table. "Yes. Sit. It's been forever since we've just talked."

Not expecting that, Sanji easily followed the instructions and sat across from his captain. "Talk about what?"

"Did that old chef guy ever tell you any stories about the grandline?"

"A few."

Luffy placed his elbow on the table and propped his chin on his fist as he focused solely on the blonde. "I wanna hear them."

That genuine interest placing him at ease, Sanji smiled and folded his arms on the table. "Well, there's one he told me about this island of barbarians where the main currency was meat. I have no idea if it was true, but I personally think he was pulling an epic lie out of his ass."

"Ooo! Meat money?! Tell me!" Luffy demanded eagerly.

"Haha. Okay. Okay. It started when his crew was low on supplies and they had to make a detour to a closer island."

As Sanji began his story, things seemed to settle into place.

He was still in pain, and his emotional wounds still ran deep.

But having his captain here listening to him...

Knowing that the others did care...

It made him think.

'It's not so bad... This nakama thing...'

Not bad at all.

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TBC

Those that can smile as they pull the pieces back together...

They are the strongest among us.

Later~