Straight Forward

Chapter 4: Red

It was one of those rare moments where everyone was in a ridiculously good mood. Two weeks had passed since the storms ended and the day was bright and clear, not a cloud to be seen. Nami had announced that they would arrive at an island within the next two days, Luffy's contagious exuberance causing a tingle of excitement through the entire crew. Sanji had decided to celebrate by making a myriad of desserts with the last of their baking ingredients and fruit, since he knew he would be able to resupply soon.

Everyone sat out in a wide circle on the grassy deck, lounging around and enjoying the warmth of the sun. Plates were strewn about since the cook had been dishing out one dessert after the other, saying, "Don't any of you dare waste a crumb." Luffy and Chopper had happily complied, as did Shiloh, who apparently had a bit of a sweet tooth as well. Sanji wasn't the least bit surprised.

He began passing out the last dessert, an almond cake with mixed nuts and fruit on top. Once everyone had a slice, he set about picking up the loose plates and returned them to the galley. Placing them in the sink, he made a mental note to ask Shiloh to wash them later. When he returned outside, he found the rest of the crew chatting.

"What kind of island do you think we're heading to, Nami?" Chopper asked.

The navigator looked up thoughtfully. "I'm not sure. It looked pretty small on the map we picked up from the last place."

"Military base?" Zoro asked around a forkful of cake. Sanji thought it a bit strange; the swordsman wasn't usually one desserts, or listening to the cook's demands, but the almond cake really wasn't that sweet and the cook figured maybe Zoro felt it was too nice of a day to start an argument and ruin the pleasant time everyone was having. He certainly wouldn't want to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere. It didn't usually last very long on The Sunny.

"I don't think so," Nami replied.

"Good. I'm not in the mood to deal with those dumbasses."

Robin giggled. "Who's ever in the mood to deal with people who want them dead?"

Zoro shrugged. "Me sometimes, when I'm pissed off and I just want to cut things."

"Oh man, I know that feeling." Rolling his eyes at Shiloh's sarcasm, Zoro stretched out his leg and used his booted foot to gently push the redhead, causing her to slump over onto her side in a fit of giggles.

"Hey," Sanji said as he sat down beside Nami, "Don't treat a lady so roughly, you gorilla."

Zoro smirked and leaned over, using his hands to muss up Shiloh's hair, which earned him a squeal of surprise and peals of laughter from the victim of his assault. "What was that, Curly-brow?"

Sanji rolled his eyes but didn't make a move to stop him, considering Shiloh looked like she was having a grand time. Luffy, Usopp, Brook and Chopper bounded over to the redhead and immediately began doing the same as Zoro. "Maybe it'll bring us good luck!"

"That's for bald heads, Luffy," Robin informed him calmly.

"Hmm…" Luffy seemed to give it some thought before grinning widely and asking, "Can we shave your head, Shy?"

Emerging from the many pairs of hands on her head, Shiloh crawled away still giggling, hair practically on end and responded, "No way! My mother would be so upset if she knew I cut it this short to begin with!"

As she began smoothing her locks back down, Nami asked, "You had long hair before?"

Shiloh nodded. "Long like yours and Robin's. I wasn't allowed to cut it."

Luffy rolled onto his stomach and titled his head. "Why not?"

The redhead picked up the end of a lock hair resting on her shoulders and rolled it between her fingers. A pensive look spread across her face. "Lots of reasons. Mostly because my mom loved the color. She said it reminded her of my father."

"Then why did you cut it?" Luffy continued to question. He was completely oblivious to the glare Nami had sent him. Sanji had to admit, it seemed like the captain was prying a bit too much.

With a deep breath in and out, Shiloh sent him a soft smile and shrugged. "I guess I needed a change… needed to let go of some things."

"That's why I always change my hair," Franky broke in with a spin. "Keeps things fresh!" With a sproing, his hair went from afro to braided pigtails, which had Luffy and Chopper cheering. "Suuuupperrr refreshing!" He struck a pose.

Sanji chuckled, silently thanking the shipwright for restoring the light-hearted ambiance before lighting the cigarette between his lips. His eyes landed on a plate beside Shiloh. "Shy," he called. Amber eyes met his. "Finish your cake."

"I can't."

Something inside the cook burned with the beginnings of anger. Everyone on the ship knew they weren't allowed to waste food, including their little passenger. Just as Sanji would never let anyone on board go hungry, he would also never let them waste perfectly good food. "What do you mean?"

"I can't eat it."

"Are you full?" Robin asked gently.

"It's not that…"

"So then just eat it," Sanji ordered. He hadn't meant to sound so forceful; the words had come out of his mouth in a sort of low growl.

"I'll eat it!" Luffy exclaimed happily.

"Me too!" Piped Chopper.

"No," the cook said. "I gave that to her and it would be rude of her to refuse."

Brook hmm'd and suggested, "Maybe the little lady doesn't care for the taste?"

"It doesn't matter," Sanji replied. He shot Shiloh a glare, knowing he was overreacting but not being able to restrain himself. There was something about the sight of the cake simply sitting there without even a bite taken out of it that twisted his stomach and made him see red. Her rejection of the sweet insulted him, threw his hard work in his face as if she just didn't care about his efforts. Deep down he knew Shiloh wasn't that type of person, but the acknowledgment was squashed underneath uncontrollable raw emotion.

"Finish the cake, Shiloh."

She shook her head. "I can't."

The flat out refusal unhinged the cook. He wanted to scream. He wanted to kick something. He wanted to feel the snap of something breaking against his leg. But most of all, he just wanted her to eat the damn cake. Slowly, he walked over to where Shiloh sat and crouched down to be eye level. In his peripherals, he saw Zoro put his hand on the hilt of one of his swords, ready to fight. Fine, he didn't care. In fact, if the swordsman attacked he'd welcome it. At least Zoro he could kick without feeling guilty. He looked into Shiloh's round eyes, confusion shining back at him. He figured he must have looked scary. The rest of the crew sat in a shocked silence. They knew food was his territory so no one made a move to stop him. He almost wished they would. He took a breath and asked darkly, "Why? What's wrong with the cake?"

"Nothing's wrong with the cake. I just can't eat it."

Gritting his teeth together, Sanji picked up the plate from the ground and held it between their faces. "Why?"

Shiloh blinked before tilting her head slightly to the side and answered simply, "I'm allergic to tree nuts."

All the anger that had been thundering in Sanji's veins suddenly turned to ice, a chill running down his back. That couldn't be true. Hadn't he used tree nuts in something he had cooked since Shiloh came aboard? Hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews, or some other? Then again, they had the longest shelf life than nearly all the other ingredients they had, so he usually saved them for whenever they were right about to restock on supplies. Looking into Shiloh's eyes, he found no trace of deceit. In his heart, he already knew she would not lie to him.

"How allergic?" He asked, his tone much softer, without the bitter edge it had taken previously.

"Severely."

Before he could even think to apologize for overreacting, the cake was taken from his hand. Thinking it was Luffy, he turned to the captain who shook his head with a toothy grin on his face.

"I'll eat it."

Both the blond and the redhead turned their faces up to the swordsman. Shiloh's face had turned a faint shade of pink at his words. Sanji looked down to the tip of his shoes before taking the cigarette out of his mouth and extinguishing it with a quick step. He let himself fall back and sat cross-legged before the girl in front of him. "I didn't know."

Shiloh's attention had been on Zoro, who had begun taking large bites out of the troublesome cake, so when Sanji had spoken she had been caught off guard. Sanji could feel her gaze, calm and curious, before her eyes lit up like they always did and a smile crossed her face. "I know. It's okay."

"I shouldn't have-"

Shiloh put a hand up. "I should have told you sooner. You are the cook after all. It just never came up and I forgot." Sanji felt like he should have felt ashamed, should have regretted getting so worked up over something that was so easily explained, but the complete absence of animosity in Shiloh's eyes would not allow him to feel even the least bit guilty. Her words had comforted him. She had a point and no one could disagree with her.

"And you," she suddenly added, turning her head to look at Zoro who had just finished the cake, "I'd kiss you for doing that for me, but then anaphylactic shock would happen, so…" The blush returning to her cheeks, she smiled and brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Rein check?"

The crew burst out laughing as a very red Zoro yelled, "Shut up! That's the last time I do anything nice for you!" He stomped off up the stairs, steam practically rising from his head.

Brook sidled up next to Shiloh and pointed at where his cheek would be if he had cheeks. "May I have one?"

Before Nami could hit his hollow head, Shiloh had giggled and said, "Sure," before gently bringing her lips to his cheekbone.

"Yo ho ho ho! Oh my! She may not be able to eat almond cake but Little Miss Shiloh is as sweet as can be! My heart has melted! Ah, but I don't have a heart!" The skeleton yelped as he tumbled to the ground, the navigator finally knocking him on the head. Sanji couldn't help but snort when Nami struck the laughing Shiloh as well.

"Owww! Why me?!"

"Don't encourage him!"

Wanting to join in on the fun and support his beloved Nami, Sanji gracefully danced between the two and slung his arm around Shiloh's shoulders. "Nami-swan is right, young Shiloh! A woman should never be so loose with her lips!"

"Come on! It's not that big a deal!" It was only momentary, but Sanji could have sworn Shiloh's eyes had darkened, despite the smile still on her face. A secret resided in their depths, something strange and worrisome, like the realization of a nightmare. As quickly as it had come it vanished, and Sanji wondered if he had really seen anything at all.

He shook his head, quickly spotting Zoro sitting against the main mast. He had his arms crossed, swords close to his body, seemingly deaf to Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp as they ran around chasing one another and Franky's singing and dancing at the helm. Sanji rolled his eyes and smirked. The idiot wasn't fooling anyone. No one, not even Zoro, could fall asleep with a harsh frown and a blush on their face.

Sleep hadn't come easy to any of them that night due to the anticipation of docking soon, so Sanji wasn't surprised when he woke up only a few hours after he had finally stopped tossing and turning. The footsteps above him coming from the girls' quarters told him he wasn't the only one awake. With any luck it would be Nami and he could chance sharing a few romantic starlit hours with the navigator. After a short stretching of his arms and legs he pulled himself out of bed, attempting to stay as quiet as possible. Luffy's bunk was empty; the captain had opted to do the night watch since he was entirely too excited to sleep. Sanji was sure he was sitting on The Sunny's head waiting for either for the sun to rise or the island to appear, whichever came first. With a yawn, he pulled on a blue sweater and walked out the door.

Nami usually spent her free time in the observation room drawing and checking over her maps so Sanji figured that was where she would be. With a smile, he decided to go to the galley first and prepare her some late night snacks and some warm hot chocolate to combat the chill of the night.

He was surprised to see a light already on in the galley. Perhaps his lovely Nami-san was hungry? Excited at the opportunity to fulfill her needs, the cook practically skipped to the galley and nearly threw the door open.

The sight that greeted him was not what he expected. He had expected beautiful Nami in womanly lacey pajamas standing at the fridge, a cute frown on her face while rummaging through its contents. What he found was Shiloh sitting at the table, wrapped in an oversized beige sweater, cheek resting in one hand, staring blankly past the bar.

"Shy? What are you doing in here?"

Shiloh turned her head to face him. She blinked slowly a few times before replying, "I had a bad dream."

Sanji frowned, pushing his disappointment at the lack of Nami's presence aside for the time being. He walked around the table, pulled the milk out of the refrigerator and poured a bit into a small pot. "I'll make you some hot chocolate."

"Thanks."

Sanji didn't recognize the person sitting at the table behind him. The girl he knew always smiled, always held herself upright, always had shining eyes. This person was older, much older, slumped over with eyes filled with the depth of having seen unpleasantness and hardship. He had seen glimpses of it before, when Shiloh would space out during a quiet moment, but never long enough to be concerned. They all had personal problems and he knew the redhead was no exception, but it was so rare to see it plainly and openly displayed on her face he couldn't help but feel slightly worried.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked softly.

There was a pause before she replied, "No. It's okay. I'll be fine."

Her voice had been quiet and low with a quality to it that made Sanji wonder why he had ever thought her a child. Handing her the hot beverage, he sat across from her with his own and took a sip. "Let's talk about something else then. It helps calm the nerves."

"Okay."

Sanji leaned back thoughtfully, regarding Shiloh who was still slouched, a far away look in her eyes. He realized there wasn't actually much he knew about her. "Where are you from?"

He was a bit surprised when she picked up her head, amber irises rising to meet his. "An island called Maroon Marble. Ever heard of it?" The cook shook his head. Shiloh paused, seemingly choosing her words carefully. "This is the first time I've ever been away from home."

Sanji had to admit he was impressed. It wasn't easy to travel alone. "How'd you manage to get around?"

Again, there was a pause before the girl answered, "I had some money saved up from my job so I was able to paid my way around."

Nami would have never let Shiloh on the ship without payment if the girl had money, but Sanji knew for a fact that she hadn't asked anything from Shiloh. "Do you still have some saved?"

He was relieved to hear a small laugh come from the redhead. Her eyes were beginning to lighten up again, making her much more like the girl Sanji was familiar with. "No. I spent the last of it on food at the restaurant I met you guys at." A nostalgic smile touched her lips. "Must have been fate."

A chuckle rose from the cook. He remembered the day well. They had docked with the intent of buying some supplies that Nami said they needed. There wasn't much; it was expected to be a short stay. Miraculously, they had gotten what they needed without a fuss, so they decided to celebrate by having lunch at the only restaurant on the island before setting sail. That was when a girl with crimson hair had approached them.

Shiloh took a sip of her hot chocolate, features relaxed and soft. Sanji wouldn't say it out loud, but he was glad to see the tension leaving her face. "Where did you work?"

He frowned when she slowly put down her mug and bowed her head. Her bangs hid her eyes so Sanji was unsure if he had upset her or if she simply didn't want to answer. "Sorry," she mumbled. "It's kind of hard to explain." After a minute of silence, Shiloh brought her head back up with a mirthless smile. "I guess you could say I was in the entertainment business."

There was something strange in the tone of her voice, an odd echoing effect that he couldn't make sense of. Shrugging it off, he asked, "So what did you do?"

"Well, everyone in the business is trained in many things in order to please our cliental. Music, performing arts, you know, the stuff people want to see." She took another sip of her beverage, unable to hide her shaking hand from the cook's attentive eyes. "Some of us have specialties, some of us just do whatever we're hired to do."

"Do you have a specialty?"

"Dance," He was taken aback at the sudden look she gave him, almost predatory and…sultry? "With a focus on contortion. Would you like to see?" Before the cook could refuse, Shiloh had stood and bent over backwards. But it was unlike any kind of "backwards" Sanji had ever seen. The redhead's feet had remained perfectly flat against the ground, but so had the bottom of her palms. It was if she were a piece of wire bent exactly in the middle and folded over on itself. She deftly pushed her feet off the ground to do a pin-straight handstand, before lowering her chest to the ground and bringing her legs over her head. She brought her right leg down, wrapping her hands around the foot, and pointed out with her left. Sanji marveled at how her bottom was nearly exactly above her head.

"I sing a little too. I'm not great though."

Sanji found no words as Shiloh righted herself and returned to a normal orientation. He wanted to ask about the contortion. He wanted to know what kind of people hired her to do such things in front of them. He wanted to ask about the darker side of this "business" because he knew, simply knew there had to be one. But instead he blinked a few times, shook his head to clear his thoughts and asked before he realized what he was saying, "Do you know 'Downtown Where the Roses Grow?'" Why did I ask that…?"

The nearly seductive expression on Shiloh's face had disappeared, so short lived that Sanji wondered if he had imagined it, replaced by her more typical grin and slight nod of her head. "Yup. Would you like me to sing for you, as payment for the hot chocolate?" Sanji questioned her word choice but he said nothing. Instead he simply nodded. "Alright," she said taking a breath. "I'm no professional, so don't laugh."

"Sailor, did you know,
There's a secret place where the roses grow?
Look not in the garden, nor the green grass meadow.
Look downtown. Downtown is where the roses grow.

"There they'll be so wild and free
In the bricks of the ground and the sky of the sea.
When men beg and cry and plea,
There are those roses to set them free.

"Sailor, touch the roses if you may
But there's a heavy price to pay
To love those roses, so risqué,
The game for them so hard to play.

"Sailor, did you know,
There's a secret place where the roses grow?
Look not in the garden, nor the green grass meadow.
Look downtown. Downtown is where the roses grow.

Sanji closed his eyes, suddenly feeling incredibly tired. Her voice had been light and sweet, but the haunting nature of the song had chilled him. Why had even made such a request? "Sanji," He opened his eyes slowly and was met with the sight of Shiloh, small, silly, immature Shiloh, smiling brightly at him. "Thanks for the hot chocolate. I'm okay now. I'm going to go back to bed before Luffy spots the island and starts screaming."

"That's probably a good idea," he managed to say as he stood to follow her. The redhead bid him goodnight and began making her way back to the women's quarters. Sanji's eyes were suddenly drawn to the back of Shiloh's head. He didn't know why, but it was as if his instincts had pulled his vision to her. All he could see was the redness of her hair.

Red like roses.

Sanji couldn't explain how or why because he certainly hadn't intended to, but tumbling quietly from his mouth like slow poison came the words: "There's a heavy price to pay to love those roses so risqué."

He never did get back to sleep.

A/N

Well that got weird.