A/N: Sorry for not updating in so long, I got distracted by other projects. But, here's the new chapter, I hope you read, review and enjoy!

Tiri's eyes fluttered open to blackness and she blinked blearily, turning her head as they adjusted to the gloom. The moonlight was faint, barely giving enough illumination for her to distinguish where everything was in the room. She was pressed into something rather warm and rolled onto her side, burying her nose into the material that smelled of cigarettes and dessert. A soft groan reached her ears and she smiled as she curled her body into a loose ball against the lump she shared her bunk with.

She snuggled deeper into her warm cocoon of blankets, tucking her hands under her chin. Wriggling a bit, she managed to scoot herself further up the bunk until her nose was being tickled by soft strands. Sleep had fled her for the moment, but she was too comfortable to leave the nest she had made. A mischievous urge struck her and she suppressed a wicked smile. The cook was sleeping peacefully on his back, his breathing even and deep. Tiri gently nuzzled the crook where his neck met shoulder, her lips lightly brushing the exposed skin above his collar. His head turned towards her the tiniest bit and she angled her head to nibble at the shell of his ear. One hand untucked itself to slid over the material of the shirt that covered his chest.

Being a gentleman, Sanji had lied down on top of the sheets. Tiri easily slipped the two upper buttons of his shirt through their holes, her fingertips whispering a caress against the triangle of flesh that was revealed. She let out a tiny breath near his ear and felt quite pleased as he shuddered. Feathering kisses along the curve of his jaw, Tiri continued her silent minstrations. When she nipped at his neck, his body jerked.

With a growl, he rolled over, pinning her beneath him. Her arms were trapped under his large hands and her lower body cradled his hips. The result of her sensual assault was pressing insistently into the soft fabric that covered her thigh.

"A man can only take so much, Tiri-chan," the timbre of his voice was low, almost strained, "And you have done more than your fair share of teasing tonight."

"That's a matter of opinion," she murmured with a sly smile, lifting her head to trail her lips lightly against his chin.

He made a low sound and then his lips captured hers. It was a fierce, heated kiss, one that conveyed his desire for her more clearly than words could have ever expressed. Tiri parted her lips beneath his and he took the opportunity to once more explore her mouth, their tongues meeting in an almost languid dance. He suckled on her lower lip and the sensation pulled a mewling sound from her throat. One kiss led to another, making Tiri feel as if she was melting into the mattress. Heat was pooling low in her belly, her body having made the decision to run on auto-pilot without asking her. They broke apart for air, but then his lips were devouring hers again and she forgot to really think about anything.

Trailing fire, he stopped kissing her lips only to glide them down the line of her neck and when his teeth gently grazed the sensitive flesh, she shivered. She felt his smile against her throat.

"How playful we are," he muttered between the soft pressing of his lips against her skin.

Tiri didn't reply because he had released her hands so that his might busy themselves running up her sides, exploring the curves hidden beneath her loose shirt. Her own hands were at their own work, one hand distracting him by raking her nails lightly across his scalp as the other tenaciously tugged at the buttons of his jacket before attacking the hem of his shirt.

His lips had fitted to hers once more in a hungry kiss. Finally freeing the shirt from his pants, she snaked her fingers beneath the material, relishing the feel of lean muscles that rippled at her touch. Wrapping her legs around his narrow hips, she brought him closer to her.

Tiri rocked hers against him and he let out a hissing breath at the intimately contact. She could feel him straining against the cloth confines of his trousers as he assaulted her mouth again, his clever fingers slipping beneath her shirt to glide across the flat expanse of her stomach, tracing up her ribcage to brush against the soft curve of her breast. The contact made her back arch, pushing herself closer to his electric touch. When he finally cupped her, she moaned into his mouth, the reaction making him growl again.

Her hands danced back down his chest, drawing intricate patterns over the smooth flesh until the exploring tips came against the waistband of his pant. Dexterously, she unbuckled his belt. His mouth seemed to be everywhere, impressing her that he had managed to pull her shirt down far enough to pepper the line of her shoulder with the light caress of his lips.

"Sanji," she breathed huskily.

"It's maddening when you say my name like that," he groaned against her skin and the words made her smile.

"Maddening, huh? How about this then?" she purred in his ear, snaking her hand to the front of his trousers to give him a long, firm stroke, his hips bucking against her palm helplessly as he groaned again.

It seemed that she had stolen his ability to speak and the knowledge curved her lips into a purely feminine smirk.

Then that all too familiar metallic scent wafted past her nose.

Acting quickly, Tiri fumbled for the hankerchief she knew he kept in his breast pocket. Tugging it out, she pressed it to his nose. They were both breathing heavily and she was wound up enough that the feel of his breath hitting her skin was enough to make her shiver beneath him.

"Please, Tiri-chan," he panted, "Please hold still."

"Sorry, you tend to make me move in unpredictable ways," she teased weakly and he let out a short laugh, hugging her to him as both the nosebleed and their breathing slowed.

She could feel his heart beating clear through his shirt and a warmth unfurled in her chest when she noticed that the beat matched hers. Wrapping her arms around him, she hugged him back, burrowing her nose into the crook of his shoulder.

"So I've observed," he muttered dryly, rolling them both over to lie on their sides.

"Heh," was the only response he was going to get out of her at that moment.

Gently, she removed the hankerchief, folding it neatly and placing it on the nightstand. When had that tray of food gotten there? She returned to her former position and a thought struck her.

"Oh, Kami, Luffy probably ate the mast waiting for you to cook dinner tonight!"

Sanji laughed quietly and Tiri gently brushed the hair out of his eyes with a curious look.

"I got up while you were asleep. Chopper watched you while I fed our beloved captain and the rest of the crew."

Tiri nodded in acknowledgment, arching her back and it cracked in a loud series of pops before she wriggled out of Sanji's arms, sitting up. She let out a hiss as her bare feet hit the cold wooden floor and she made a mental note to ask Robin and Nami to keep an eye out for a rug at the next port. Half-turning, she held out a hand to the blonde cook.

"C'mon, let's go out on the deck. I think it's only fair that we take watch since we spent most of the day in bed."

He raised his eyebrow at her and Tiri felt her cheeks heat.

"That's not what I meant, you ero-cook!" she protested, smacking his arm lightly.

His answering laugh made her smile as he took her offered hand and rose from the bed fluidly, straightening their clothes before they stepped out of her door. Tying her hair in a loose knot and speaking in soft tones, they moved through the silent, dark library and onto the deck. With a few well-timed hops, Sanji had scaled the ladder and was peering down at her. Melting into the familiar form of petals, Tiri drifted up on the soft air currents that came from the sea, landing on the wooden upper deck of the crow's nest with a quiet thump.

He was already leaning a hip against the railing, the wind ruffling his hair gently as he took a deep drag from his cigarette. Vaulting her slender body up and over, she sat on the flat surface of Sunny Go's railing, fishing the remains of the small packet of papers out of her pocket. The small part of her that couldn't let go had held on to the last few scraps of paper and she ran a hand idly over the cracked pages. The wind fluttered their edges as she slowly leafed through them, the words neatly scrawled meaningless to her. In the dim light of the moon, the ink seemed even more faded than the words' age made them. From the corner of her eye she saw his face turn towards her, then felt him step closer, the warmth of his body seeping into her back and shoulder.

"Oi, Tiri-chan, what have you got there?"

She turned, long fingers holding a cigarette to his lips while the other cupped a match against the wind to light it. She smiled sadly, the slightly tattered sheets held loosely in her fingers.

"A past that should hold more meaning to me than it does," she answered flatly, as he raised a hand to touch her shoulder, a stream of smoke escaping past his lips as he plucked the stick from them.

"You love being cryptic, don't you?" he chuckled quietly, though his eyes showed some concern at the tone of her voice.

She shook her head with that same smile.

"Not especially, no, I suppose I just enjoy waxing poetic. Part of-"

"Being a flower girl, so I've heard. When are you going to stop using that ability of yours as an excuse?"

She jerked back like he had slapped her.

"What?"

He blew out another stream of smoke, flicking the finished butt into the sea and immediately lighting another.

"I mean, you are poetic. And you make music, you live in a library…I suppose I'm asking when you're going to accept that you are you, regardless of the devil fruit."

She tilted her head, silvery eyes far away as she considered his question. It was unlike Sanji to be so blunt, but he deserved an answer. She remained silent, however, for several heartbeats, groping through her mind for the words.

"I was never one to look back, when I left something behind…or someone. I'm not entirely certain whether that's a part of my nature or the circumstances of my life, but it's true either way," she began, then took a breath, her brow furrowed as memories floated by in her mind's eye.

Sanji regarded her quietly, his hands in his pockets.

"From what I've been told, my parents were loving people, my father a shrewd business man. He had made a small fortune, purchasing an estate on the very island where I met you guys. But, he lost it, unfairly, I suspect. He and my mother both died not long after I was born. A local shopkeeper took me in, though I think I gave her more grey hairs than she bargained for," she said with a laugh.

"Of that, I have no doubt," the cook answered, closing his eyes with a quiet laugh.

"I was unruly," Tiri replied with a grin, "I believe was the word she liked to use. At any rate, the fate of my parents wasn't exactly a secret and I found I had…nimble fingers, shall we say. And I was light on my feet. I'm sure you can deduce where I'm going with this?"

"You stole the deed to your father's estate," he said with a crooked grin.

"So I did and here the remains of my effort lie. The question, though, is what are they even worth to me?"

Even as she asked the question, she looked down at the documents in her lap, finger tracing over the signatures on the last page.

"I don't even know which of these could be my father's name," she murmured, lifting her hand to look at the papers in the soft starlight.

"You don't know it?"

"No."

They were both silent after that for a long time. Sanji stepped closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she stared out over the water and she leaned her head against him companionably. Tiri watched images from her childhood drift before her eyes.

The beating she took after her first climb.

Adrenaline pumped through her body after her first successful burglary and she ran into the man who stole her first kiss that same day.

Rain pattered against the street outside her window as she hopped out of it, bidding goodbye to the only home she had ever known.

Without a word, she uncurled her fingers and the white sheaves floated on the breeze to the water, landing delicately on the surface before sinking into the depths.

"That couldn't have been easy," she heard Sanji's voice near her ear, but she shook her head.

"It was never real to me, Sanji-kun. Why hold on to that which means so little in the long run? Besides, this is home for me now. And it's a lot nicer than where I came from."

She lifted her head and saw him grinning at her fondly, before he reached out a hand and ruffled her curls, causing strands to escape and stream around her face.

"Oi," she grouched irritably, shoving the errant curls back with an impatient hand, "What am I, nine?"

"Hardly," was the light response, his eye roving over her and she felt a flush race to her cheeks.

"Careful," she said with a teasing smile, touching his nose with a finger, "I'd hate to inspire another nosebleed, or worse."

He took the jibe good-naturedly, his hand sliding up to completely free the unruly mane of lavender hair to escape its confines.

"Much better," he murmured, his fingers trailing down to cup her chin.

His thumb stroked along the curve of her jaw as he brought his face closer to hers, their foreheads touching. Playfully, she bumped his nose with hers and he chuckled, his breath warm against her lips. Gently, she placed a soft kiss on his lips, reaching down and linking their fingers. Sanji brought them up, covering her hand with his over his heart.

The gesture made her smile.

"You're a hopeless romantic, Sanji-kun."

"Maybe so, Tiri-chan, but that didn't sound like a complaint."

"It wasn't."

Suddenly, Tiri felt a tingling sensation at the base of her neck, as if all the hairs were standing straight up. She stiffened, then whirled her head around, her eyes whipping back and forth rapidly across the horizon. Then she spotted it, a strange pattern in the way the waves rolled across the ocean's surface.

"Sanji," she said in a low voice, tugging at her fingers in his grasp lightly to get his undivided attention, "go wake the others. I think we're about to have some unwanted company."

"Eh?"

He followed her gaze and must have seen what she had, because he pressed a swift peck to her cheek and then was gone. Hopping lightly, Tiri stepped off the edge of the railing, catching the ropes of the rigging with nimble fingers. Utilizing her momentum, she swung down to the deck, landing squarely next to the swing. By the time she had straightened, the other Straw Hats were assembling on the grassy deck. Luffy stepped towards her slowly, his eyes bleary and his fingers digging into his scalp as he scratched idly.

"What is it, Tiri? Somethin' wanna fight?"

"I'm not sure yet, Luffy-san. Usopp, what can you see?"

The long-nosed sniper was peering through his eyeglass, a frown tugging at his mouth.

"It's difficult to make out, but it looks like several large objects are coming towards us from beneath the waves."

Tiri squinted out at the water, straining to see in the dim light of the moon. Another uneasy sensation crawled up her spine and she shifted to balance on the balls of her feet. From the corner of her eye, she saw several of the others mimic her motion.

"I think," she said in a dry tone," we should probably brace for some kind of impact."

Franky spun on his heel and raced up the staircase.

"I have a better idea! Let's make a super dodge!"

Grabbing onto the railing, Tiri held on for dear life as Franky reached the steering wheel and spun it sharply starboard. The wooden beam of the railing slammed into her midsection and Tiri grunted from the impact. Pain shot through her abdomen and blackness swirled at the edge of her vision. Shaking her head roughly, she stood straight on wobbly legs.

I must not be fully recovered from the fight earlier, she thought with a wince. Rubbing her middle in a futile effort to soothe the ache radiating through her body now.

"Oye, Franky!" she yelled when she had caught her breath, "Warn a woman when you're going to pull a stupid stunt like that!"

He had the decency to look somewhat ashamed, but there was no time to reply as what had been swimming towards them surfaced. Tiri dimly heard a chorus of high-pitched shrieks coming from behind her, but she was too stunned by the sight before them.

Four massive sea kings had risen out of the sea, writhing and flailing. Their cries were enough to make the wooden boards beneath the deck vibrate and Tiri covered her ears at their bellows. The water churned around them, foam spouting upwards as they thrashed. Their gaping maws opened wide, thick fangs dripping sea water. Fins wavered from their heads, down their scaly necks and struck the ocean in an impressive and agressive display.

"Whoa! Awesome!" Luffy shouted, throwing his hands up and his black eyes glittering in excitement, "Now those are perfect to pull Sunny!"

The largest of the kings began to sway back and forth, throwing its head back and roaring mightily. Knashing its teeth, it sped forward towards the ship, its body undulating over the waves, slithering like a giant serpent. Luffy swiftly sucked in air and put his thumb in his mouth.

"Gear...Third!"

Sharp teeth bit down into the flesh of his thumb and blew. His fist swelled to an enormous size and he swung, smashing into the monster's extended snout. It let out a screech of pain, rearing back and shaking itself, as if to clear away its stunned pain. The king bellowed again and Tiri groaned, two more monsters surfacing at their apparent leader's summons.

Robin crossed her arms as Nami assembled the Clima-tact, the scent of ozone and static filling the air, making it crackle with energy.

"Mil Fleur," the brunette murmured, hundreds of hands blooming from the side of the Sunny.

Usopp expertly twirled his slingshot in his hand, firing several bullets in rapid succession, their shells bursting painfully against scaled flesh as the sea kings began their joint assault. Tiri watched, her fists clenching as she watched the unfolding skirmish, Brooke already had his sword drawn, his grinning visage a rather frightening sight as he held the blade aloft. Sanji flew past her, the wind from his passage whipping her hair to cover her face. Pushing the unruly mass back with a sneer, it faded when she noticed one beast breaking away from the others. Her nakama were too occupied to see it as it dove beneath the water.

"Enough!" she snarled, whirling on her heel, dashing over to Luffy and catching his arm as he cocked his fist back for another swing.

"Give me a boost!" she demanded, momentarily distracted by the streak of rockets fired from Franky's shoulder over their heads.

Her captain looked at her blankly a moment.

"Huh?" he asked as Zoro darted past them, leaping into the air with a growl.

"Baka!" she cuffed him on the back of the head, then pointed to upwards, towards the crow's nest, "There's no time for me to shift, now do it! Towards the mast!"

He frowned at her, blinked, then gave her a massive grin.

"Shishishishi! No problem!"

Nodding she linked her hand with his as his other arm wound its way around her waist. Lifting her up as if she weighed no more than a blade of grass, he spun, tossing her high into the air as if she were a projectile. Twisting her body, she reached out an arm, her fingers grasping at the end of the rope that dangled down from the sails. Tiri was flying through the air like one of Usopp's bullets and she held the rope until it tightened, having already relaxed her body for the sharp impact. The threads tightened and she twisted again, altering her momentum just enough in order to swing around and upwards.

Lining up her angle, she let go and spun into a tight somersault, tumbling through the air in an impressive display of acrobatic ability. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough; she needed weapons. As she had hoped, she landed on the roof of Zoro's training room and she untucked her body, rolling into a rough landing. Desperate to slow herself down, she clawed at the red tiles, but she was careening towards the other edge of the roof. The wooden tiles bit into the exposed skin of her arms and face and she tasted something metallic. Finally, digging in her heels to the wooden surface, she slid to painful stop.

"B-Bastard!" she muttered, spitting out blood, "I'm gonna use his thick head for a doormat when this is over."

Grimacing as she forced herself up, clutching at a gash in her arm and staggering upright. Turning on her heel, she looked over the edge of the Sunny Go to the ocean, seeing the waves churning foam just to the side.

"I've gotta hurry," she spoke quietly, hopping down and darting as fast as she could through an open window.

She sped through the room, a cream and lilac colored blur as she grabbed two katanas from the rack and leaped through the window on the other side, glass shattering around her. There was a sudden stinging across her cheek, but she ignored it. Praying silently to whatever gods may hear her, she extended her body, feet aimed straight down, hurtling through the air and towards the water. A heated roar reached her ears through the wind rushing past them. The serpent she had seen seperate from the others burst upwards and she closed her eyes.

"Tiri-chan!"

Sanji's voice cut through the noise of monsters and battle. Tiri refused to answer, lest she lose her concentration. The jagged teeth of the monster rushed up to greet her and she gritted her teeth. Her body dissolved, the petals flowing on the wind currents just as the jaws closed, but they caught nothing. Instead, they streamed around its head, around its snout reforming on the protruding appendage into a solid form.

With a snarl, she raced up towards its eyes, a katana firmly clutched in each hand. Thrusting one into first one eye, she darted over to stab the other, then across the hump that formed its forehead as it reared its head back, black blood gushing from the now blinded orbs like tears. Its cry of pain reverberated in her bones, its entire body shaking with the sound and Tiri lost her balance. Shrieking, she slid down the king's writhing neck, the sea a mass of bubbles and foam as the sea king thrashed in its agony.

Tiri crashed into a thick spine, pain wretching through her right leg as the sharp piece of bone tore into her flesh. Crying out, she scrabbled to grab onto anything, but the scales were too slick and the remains of the sea made her feel weak. Her muscles were rebelling against her will and she slipped off as the sea king undulated, diving back down into the water and taking her with it.

She splashed down into the ocean, almost immediately sinking below the waves, the cold stealing all the air from her body. Salt water filled her lungs as she struggled for breath, fought to return to the surface, but her body was no longer hers to command. It moved sluggishly, languidly in the thick sea. Blackness surrounded her, her senses overhwhelmed by fear and panic. A stream of red flowed past her vision, or what she had of it in the deep darkness of the sea.

Clarity flashed through her mind and she knew that she had no chance if the sea kings smelt her blood, they would swallow her whole. But what little strength remained was slipping away with her life's essence. Finality and acceptance of her fate knawed at the the corner's of her consciousness. Knowledge that she probably had less than a couple of moments left flickered as her eyes drifted closed.

Then, without warning, something wound about her waist and she felt herself being dragged swiftly upwards. Water poured past her, through her, she thought idly, and then suddenly there was a strong wind, the sensation of being beneath the waves no longer surrounding her. As if a from a great distance, splashing reached her ears and the sound of voices.

She was being lifted again, this time through cold air. Her eyes still wouldn't open, but some deeply buried instinct told her to cough. Then something was pressing hard on her middle and she water being forcefully expelled from her body. The darkness blinding her lifted and Tiri realized she had opened her eyelids.

"Hu-huh *cough* ow..." she whispered hoarsely.

She weakly lifted a hand to wipe away the water from her eyes, blinking rapidly and squinting through the stinging salt that lingered. When she tried to sit up, a hand was at her shoulder, pushing her back down. That was when she could feel the softness of grass at her back and she noted that she must have been pulled from the water and back onto Sunny. A face filled her vision, a flash of green hair and sharp features.

"You have a terrible habit of rushing off without thinking it through," a deep voice rumbled above her, "You're taking too much after Luffy like that."

Tiri felt her face split into a tired grin as she looked up.

"Yeah, maybe you're right. But he's an enabler, so it isn't entirely my fault," she coughed hard again, "So who pulled me out of the water?"

Another hand touched her shoulder and she turned her head. Sanji was dripping wet from head to toe, his hair plastered to his skull and in his eyes was a reflection of relief, anger, and exasperation among other things.

"Ah, my knight in black armor," she joked quietly as he was suddenly pushed aside.

Chopper moved around her like a fluttering bird, checking her heartbeat, brushing away the hair that stuck to her forehead so that he could get a better look at her eyes. The small doctor muttered to himself as the other Straw Hats crowded around her.

"Shishishishi," she heard Luffy's distinct laughter to her left, "That was awesome! But, did you have to blind it? I wanted them to pull Sunny through the New World."

She lifted an eyebrow, since she didn't have the energy to punch him at the moment.

"Would you have preferred I swam down to the bottom and apologized to the poor thing?"

"Bad idea!" Chopper screeched as Luffy opened his mouth to agree with her and Nami cuffed him hard on the back of the head.

"Thanks, Nami," Tiri said with a tiny smile before she closed her eyes again.

She knew that she and Sanji were going to have some serious words about this latest stunt, but, for now, she just wanted to rest. As she breathed deeply of the sweet night air, Tiri opened her eyes again to regard her nakama as they playfully bickered and bantered amongst themselves. relieving the tension from her near death.

To see this, Tiri thought, was worth it.