SORRY!!! This chapter is SO LATE! But I have good excus-er, reasons!
This was supposed to go up Sunday, but I ended up having history homework all day. I started at ten in the morning, and by the time I finished (at almost EIGHT at night!!!) I really didn't feel like writing. I even wrote "A Chef's Hands" at the top of a page and then was like, "Nope, not tonight." So I unwound with some One Piece and "Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged."
On Monday I had to update "Timeless."
Then yesterday, tragedy struck! My phone, my Nintendo DS, my Pokemon Emerald, and my Final Fantasy IV (that I just bought Saturday) were all stolen from my purse. How rude is that! So I really didn't feel like writing anything.
Sorry again!
On a side note, I just watched episode 174, which was finally a Robin fight episode! Woo! I love how she can totally OWN people without even moving. I had already decided to make this a Robin filled chapter anyway, so it was useful that she got an episode to herself just as I was preparing to write this. It helped me a lot with her personality. By the way, since I haven't seen Water 7 or Enies Lobby yet I don't know much about Robin, so I talk about Arabasta instead, but you can think of those arcs instead during that scene if you want. Another by the way: Robin is quickly becoming one of my absolute favorite characters. She's so cool!!!
Important note: Some of you may have seen, though most of you probably haven't, that I have a poll up on my profile regarding an epilogue for this fic. See, it was originally gonna really be SaNa in the extreme, but obviously it isn't anymore. So I thought I might add a special side epilogue for SaNa to make up for it. If you think this is a good idea, go vote. There's also a choice for if you want a SanRob epilogue instead. If there's enough interest, I may write both. Ooohhh!
Reader Review Corner!
ShaolinQueen: Thank you!
Dancing Nightmare: Yay, someone shares my sense of humor! And I'm glad you think so; that makes one of us! (I'm so self-deprecating, if that's even the word I'm looking for.) And thanks for confirming that; I don't feel like an idiot! Woo! Your review made me really happy, by the way (in case you couldn't tell =D).
Blueraven1999: I knew it! Darn… See, I took the scene with Nami out, then I put it back in, then I took it out, and then I changed it to a cigarette scene similar to the one in this chapter, then I changed it back… Ah well. And yes, I abuse Usopp quite frequently… But I still love him!
A Chef's Hands
By Dandy Wonderous
Chapter 4
"Robin-chawn! Can you add basil to the list?"
"Of course, Cook-san."
"While you're at it, could you also add lettuce, kumquats, and pomegranates?"
"And meat!"
"Yes, Cook-san."
Almost a week had passed and life had mostly returned to normal aboard the Going Merry. They would arrive at the next island early in the morning, and Sanji was once again making a list of supplies (with a little help from Robin and far less help from Luffy) to stock up on. Usopp was working on sauce for supper, a new pasta dish the cook had been dieing to try. As a result, he was being a lot more demanding of the sniper than usual, kicking his backside hard whenever he messed up. But now the noodles were cooking and the sauce was simmering and Usopp was slumped in exhaustion at the table, watching the trio.
"Robin! Sanji! Meat!" Luffy whined, poking the list with one stretchy finger.
"Shithead!" Sanji kicked his incorrigible captain into the resting interim cook. "Don't pester Robin-chan!"
The kicking pair of boys rolled around in the floor while Usopp tried to untangle himself from the still whining rubberman. "Oi, jerk! What was that for?"
Sanji's head disappeared into the refrigerator. "You should be watching the sauce, not snoozing."
Usopp finally got to his feet and huffed over to the stove. Luffy slumped dejectedly at the table, still moaning about his precious meat.
"Robin-chawn! Please add sausage, eggs, bacon, and… steak to the list."
Robin's answer was drowned out by Luffy's happy cheering as he jumped from his seat. "Woo-hoo! MEAT!"
Usopp sighed, stirring the sauce some and then letting it rest against the sides of the pot. "Luffy, do you ever think about anything else?"
The captain looked puzzled. "What's more important than meat?"
"Luffy," began Sanji slowly, a vein popping in his forehead. "Why don't you go bother Zoro instead?"
"He's sleeping," the boy answered cheerfully, not catching the hint.
Sanji mumbled something (most likely profane) and leaned over to check to list Robin held.
"Will that do, Cook-san?"
"Ah, Robin-chan, my lovely flower, you're too kind! That's everything we need; I won't trouble you further." He fluttered around her, the loss of his hands unable to impair his flirt-mode. "Would you perhaps like a drink? Oi, Usopp, get Robin-chan a drink!"
Now it was Usopp's turn to mumble; he set about finding the ingredients for one of the (insanely elaborate) drinks that Sanji often made for the girls.
"Why thank you, Cook-san, Long Nose-kun."
Nami and Chopper happened to wonder into the galley at that point, the doctor sniffing the air curiously. "Wow, something smells good!" he cried, hopping into the seat next to Luffy.
"Chopper!" the captain cried excitedly. "Guess what!"
"What?"
"We're getting sausage and bacon and STEAK tomorrow!"
Chopper laughed nervously at Luffy's cheer, deciding against explaining to the boy (yet again) why he didn't eat meat. "That's great, Luffy."
"Yosh!"
"Nami-swan! Would you like a special drink as well?"
"Yes, Sanji-kun, thank you."
"Hey, he's not the one making them; I am!"
"Yeah, and you better get it right this time! Last time there was so little flavor it was like drinking dish water!"
"What? Usopp, you idiot, how dare you insult Nami-swan's taste buds!"
The crew (minus the slaving Usopp and twittering Sanji) settled around the table. Robin returned to the book she had been reading while Nami studied a map she had purloined at the last stop, both girls effectively ignoring the idiotic song Luffy was amusing Chopper with. Sanji watched Usopp prepare the drinks with a critical eye, but, to the sniper's relief, nodded in satisfaction when they were finished. He twirled to the table and bowed elegantly.
"Your drinks, my lovely ladies."
CLUNK! CLUNK! Usopp dropped the drinks unceremoniously in front of the two and marched off to where the noodles were just finishing.
"Uncivilized little…" Sanji trailed off and crooned apologies to the girls, which were mostly ignored as they muttered their thanks and concentrated on their individual pursuits.
"I'm the one who made them," Usopp sulked, draining the noodles. He then wandered over to the simmering sauce to stir it.
Sanji, who had come over to inspect the stand-in's handiwork, noticed him going for the metal spoon out of the corner of his eye… and also realized that the metal spoon had been in the boiling sauce for the last several minutes.
He grabbed Usopp's wrist just in time, halting it only centimeters from the scorching utensil. "Idiot! Never leave a metal spoon in something boiling; you'll burn your hand."
Usopp caught sight of the red hot spoon and winced back. "Oh, thanks, Sanji. I almost…" Then he trailed off, staring down at his wrist in shock.
"Get a potholder," Sanji continued, "and then… Oi, Usopp, what's up?" Then his eyes traveled down to the other's wrist.
Where he had grabbed it only seconds before, his fingers still wrapped tightly in restraint.
The chef made a strangled noise, prying his fingers from Usopp's arm and holding them up in astonishment.
This attracted the others' attention; they all looked up from whatever they were doing to stare at the gaping pair.
"Sanji-kun, what…" Nami started, then hushed, realizing the significance of what just happened.
Slowly, very slowly, in obvious disbelief, Sanji closed the fingers of his right hand one at a time until it was curled into a fist. Then, just as slowly, he raised each one again until his palm was open in front of him.
"Oh, Sanji!" cried Chopper excitedly, happy tears flowing. "Your hand!"
"Huh," he said in agreement. "Would you look at that?"
He closed the fingers again and reopened them.
Luffy and Chopper cheered.
Sanji laughed, still in shock. "Would you look at that?" he repeated, and was promptly tackle-hugged by Luffy, Chopper, Usopp, and Nami, all cheering and laughing happily.
Robin laid her book down flat on the table, for once not bothering to hide her laughter.
That night the Straw Hat crew partied.
After all, it was a wonderful occasion; their cook was on the way to recovery.
Almost immediately Sanji had tried to start baking a cake but was swiftly admonished by Chopper, who reminded him that if he strained his hand too much the nerve damage might still be permanent. Of course, that hadn't stopped him from putting the finishing touches on their meal himself.
And it wasn't stopping him from smoking, he was sure of that.
The other crewmates (aside from Robin, who was on watch) had gone to bed, or really more like passed out in various positions around the ship. Now Sanji was alone, leaning against the railing, waiting for dawn and trying in vain to light a cigarette.
Okay, so maybe it was stopping him from smoking.
He grudgingly realized that Chopper had been right; he couldn't strain his hand. He had barely done anything and already it was shaking too hard to use his lighter.
Frustrating, but still bearable. This time the day before he couldn't even hold the lighter.
So now he sat, trying to light up and getting nowhere, cigarette hanging limply in his mouth.
A hand, sprouting from the railing, snatched the lighter away from his trembling hand and lit it.
Sanji raised an eyebrow in surprise, then bent down and lit the cigarette. He took the lighter away and slipped it in his pocket. The hand disappeared in a shower of petals that faded into the wind.
He took a drag and blew the smoke steadily from his nose. "Thank you, Robin-chan."
"You're welcome, Cook-san." She walked up next to him and stared out at the sea.
He did likewise, and for several minutes they stayed that way, Sanji for once calming the instinct to fawn over her and instead enjoying the quiet moment between them.
"I'm happy for you, Sanji-san," she said suddenly, breaking the silence. The cook was startled at her use of his name, for a brief second wondering if she was merely commenting on the time.
"Robin-chan?"
"That you got your hands back," she clarified. "It's good that your dream isn't lost forever."
Sanji studied her carefully, but her face betrayed nothing; she was as inscrutable as ever, watching the waves swell and sink.
"Back in Arabasta," he said finally, looking back out to the sea and puffing on the cigarette. "When you said you had wanted to die… I didn't understand it then." He looked down at his newly mobile hand and then at the still dead one, wrapped tightly to keep the shattered bones in place. "But I understand now."
"Mmm… How so?"
"There were times in the last week…" He sighed, tracing the grains in the railing with one slender finger. "I knew how you felt."
Robin's eyes wandered up from the sea to the slowly fading stars. "Cook-san, what would you do if the All Blue didn't exist?"
Sanji took awhile in answering, taking many drags on the cigarette. "Just keep looking, I guess. Until I die."
Robin sighed. "You get tired of looking eventually."
He shrugged at that. "Maybe. But these guys keep it interesting, so even if I never find it, I won't be bored."
Robin laughed behind her hand. "That's true."
The silence settled in again. Sanji finished his cigarette and stamped it out under his foot. "It sucks, doesn't it?"
"What does?"
"That our dreams depend on if something exists or not. It has nothing to do with us or our skill, just… if it's even there."
Robin watched the horizon begin to turn pink. "But we look anyway."
"Yep."
"We could just get new dreams," she suggested.
"We could," he agreed. "But we won't."
She smiled wryly. "No, indeed we won't." She leaned down against the railing and put her chin in her hands. "And if we search the whole world and don't find what we're looking for? What then?"
He smiled that wide inviting grin that you couldn't help but smile back at. "Then we find a new world and look for it there."
She laughed lightly again. "Sounds like a plan to me, Cook-san."
"Are you sure they're docked here?"
"Of course I'm sure!" Danni scowled in disgust at his untrusting companion. He and Micki were slipping and slithering down side streets and back alleys, watching for any sign of their query.
"You haven't seen their ship before; what if you're mistaken?"
"The jolly roger had a STRAW HAT on it; it doesn't get more obvious than that!"
Micki couldn't deny that logic, so he followed behind his partner in silence. Or what he thought was silence.
"Don't make so much noise!" the scrawny man hissed. "Geez, you're like a frickin' elephant!"
"Hmph…" Micki stopped, peering back around a corner. "Hey, Danni," he hissed urgently.
"What!" It was more a snap than a question.
"Isn't that him?"
Danni looked where he was pointing to see the blond man further down the broad main street, trailed by a man with a long nose and what seemed to be a tanuki.
"That's him!" Danni cried, pointing, as though he had made the discovery. The snuck further down the alley until the found another opening closer to the stall the three were stopped at.
They watched as the chef picked up a grapefruit with his right hand and examined it with a discerning eye.
"Ugh, do you see that? Baron of Wimpsville didn't crush his hand enough." Danni rolled his eyes.
"That's the hand you took out, Danni," Micki corrected smugly.
Danni scowled and spit angrily on the ground. He pulled out his dagger and ran it along his finger, provoking a small trail of blood to form. "I won't go lightly on him next time."
"Why did you just cut your hand?"
"Shut up."
The two slunk back into the shadows and headed for the dock.
Sanji turned away from the grapefruit to look over his shoulder and at the alley behind them. He frowned in confusion, but couldn't see anything.
"What's wrong, Sanji?" Usopp asked, looking up from some new gadget he had picked up earlier.
"I just had this feeling that someone was watching us…" He watched the alley a second longer, then shrugged and turned back to purchase the fruit. "Probably nothing."
"What if someone was watching us?" asked Chopper, worried.
"Don't worry, Chopper! The amazing Captain Usopp will protect you from any stalkers!"
"Wow, you're so cool, Usopp!"
"Your knees are shaking."
"Sh-sh-shut up, jerk!"
Sanji shrugged, tossing the fruit into the bag the sniper held. "It was nothing. Come on, we got a lot of things to find, and this time I'm making sure Nami-san gets her map paper!"
Still, he cast one last glance at the alley before moving on.
End of Chapter 4
A/N: Finally I'm nice to Sanji, eh?
…kumquats, and pomegranates…
Inside joke time! I'm in band and play flute along with my three best friends. Band is, of course, the greatest elective ever to grace the school curriculum, but that's not what the joke is about. See, the four of us named out flutes. My flute's name is Kumquat, and he's a rebel. One of my friend's flutes is named Pomegranate, and she's kind of prissy. Kumquat and one of my other friend's flute, Sputnik, are always fighting for Pomegranate's attention. So there it is. Take that, Spazznik. (Yeah, we're freaks like that.)
The last flute's name is Frangipani, but she gets ignored most of the time (poor thing). All the names came from the book Alas, Babylon, which we were reading in English at the time. It's a great book, by the way.
"Shithead!"
As you may or may not notice, this is the only time our favorite foul mouthed cook cusses in this entire chapter. I know, end of the world right.
This is because my mom came up to my room and read it over my shoulder, and we got in a big fight about how I shouldn't cuss in my writing just because the character does. Said I was just encouraging it even though I don't talk that way. I think a good expletive enhances things, but I cleaned it up anyway. Remember children, don't talk like Sanji. Don't smoke, either!
"Why don't you go bother Zoro instead?"
Nope, Zoro's not in this one. I decided he's been tortured enough! (Actually, I had nothing for him to do.)
Chopper laughed nervously at Luffy's cheer, deciding against explaining to the boy (yet again) why he didn't eat meat.
At least, I don't think he does. That would be kind of creepy, wouldn't it?
He grabbed Usopp's wrist just in time, halting it only centimeters from the scorching utensil.
You thought I forgot, didn't you?
Okay, so you probably didn't, since it would be weird for me to forget the whole plot of the story right there. But I thought it would be fun to casually mention that his hand was suddenly working again just to see what would happen, and then be like, "Oh yeah, his hand is WORKING again." Was anyone fooled or surprised? Yes? No? Oh, well, I tried.
…and was promptly tackle-hugged by Luffy, Chopper, Usopp, and Nami…
TACKLE GLOMP!!!
That night the Straw Hat crew partied.
Ain't no party like a Straw Hat party 'cuz a Straw Hat party don't stop.
And, as Nami has observed, they'll take any excuse to KANPAI!
The cook was startled at her use of his name, for a brief second wondering if she was merely commenting on the time.
For those of you who don't watch subs or know Japanese, "Sanji" is another way of saying three o' clock. It was a pun in one of the episodes in Roguetown.
Sorry if Robin or Sanji get a little ooc, especially Robin because I don't know her very well yet, even if I think she's awesome.
…what seemed to be a tanuki.
Again, for those of you who don't watch subs, a tanuki is a raccoon dog. Chopper is often mistaken for one, which I don't understand because he looks like neither a raccoon nor a dog. He has ANTLERS, for crying out loud!
Baron of Wimpsville…
You guessed it; I still haven't thought of a name for him.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'm sorry again for the wait (I hope it was worth it!). Next time, the enemies finally rear their ugly heads. Dun dun dun!
Don't forget about the poll!
Mad that she has to get a new phone and DS, this is Dandy Wonderous, signing off!