Chapter 5: There's Red in the Name, and a Ledger Stained
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With a past we can't erase,
and a stain to every name
Will we find closure? Or circle the drain?
Wage War, 'Circle The Drain'
"You know…" Shanks trailed off, sipping from his grog absentmindedly as Luffy drank from his juice. The young boy looked up at him, coal eyes shining in wonder what the pirate captain would say. Luffy hoped for another tale of the Red Force encountering a marine ship—those were always his favorite.
The redhead pursed his lips as Luffy practically vibrated in his seat, willing the older man to hurry up. "I have a daughter around your age—"
Obviously, Luffy couldn't stop the surprised and confused "huh?" that left his jaw agape, thoroughly unnerved by Shanks' sudden declaration. "You have a kid?"
Shanks' nose scrunched, and his brows narrowed. "Hey, what's with that tone? Is it really that hard to believe?"
Luffy's answer is swift. "Yeah." Because really, Luffy would have never thought in a million years that Shanks was a father of all things. He was a pirate for one, so making long-lasting and meaningful connections with someone long enough to have a kid was a challenge, and then there was the fact that he acted like a child himself; it was hard to envision Shanks filling the role as a disciplinarian.
"You're too dorky."
Shanks practically deflated at the statement, bottom lip sticking out into a pout. "I am not a dork! Whatever, what do you know?" The man sank into his saké for a moment, a dark cloud of melancholy hanging over his head.
"It is hard to believe," Yasopp piped up, coming to his captain's aid as he sidled next to Luffy, "but he does have a daughter. She's around your age."
"She's eight, so she's a year older than you, kiddo," Roux appeared, ever-present meat clutched in his hand.
"Her name's Aurora," Shanks finally came to as he retrieved something from his pants pocket. It was an envelope, and when he opened it, he showed a picture of him with a girl sitting on his shoulders, another woman standing beside him with Shanks' straw hat on top of her head. All three were smiling brightly, eyes staring out beyond and at Luffy as he gawked at the paper.
Shanks continued on, his eyes soft and cheeks glowing with warmth. "We just call her Rory though, and she's… something else. More stubborn than a mule, but has the funniest sense of humor." Here he lowered his voice, as if he was telling Luffy an important secret. "She loooves to play pranks, and she's the best at it too."
This statement caused the men around Luffy and Shanks to brighten, mischief tinged in their expressions.
"Remember when she set that rubber snake up in the head, Capt'n?" Roux questioned, grin threatening to split his face in two at the embarrassed expression befalling Shanks. He set his goggled gaze on Luffy and leaned down so he was closer to the boy. "We didn't know it was the Capt'n here until we got there—thought it was Rory screamin' for help at first!"
The men, and anyone else close by that could hear, laughed, and Luffy joined them.
"I remember, Roux," Shanks said, eyes narrowed, lips turned upward, tone positively wicked. "But do you remember when she prepared that platter of meat for you?"
More raucous laughter as the tips of Roux's ears turned red. "Remind me to never eat Fire-Turkey again! Almost burned through my stomach."
"It might've not burned through your stomach, but it still burned through you! Talk about diarrhea!" Yasopp groaned. "I thought something crawled up in you and died."
"I don't think I'll ever forget when she set those fireworks off in the crow's nest," Beckmann appeared, hand ruffling Luffy's shaggy hair. He chuckled at the apparent memory, and Luffy wished for nothing more than to see what Beckmann saw that day. "Poor thing didn't start getting her brows back until our departure."
The rest of the crew that was also in the bar had scooted closer to Shanks, Roux, Yasopp and Beckmann, their laughter shaking the bar. While he had little context, Luffy couldn't help but to laugh along. Imagining that girl from Shanks' picture, a girl barely older than him, getting the better of these grown men was hilarious all the same.
"I hope you get the chance to meet her someday, Luffy," Shanks said, having caught his breath between guffaws.
"Wouldn't it be hysterical if Luffy marries Aurora—!"
"NO! Don't say things like that! Rory is way too young for you idiots to even think of something like that!" The redhead yelled, his face as bright as his hair.
Luffy stuck his tongue out. "Blegh, I don't wanna marry her."
Shanks rounded on him and gathered the front of his shirt. "What does that mean?! You'd be lucky to marry my precious daughter!"
"What the hell is your problem? I don't wanna get married at all! Let go, Shanks!"
Roars of laughter echoed throughout Foosha Village.
As happy-go-lucky he was, Luffy was still very much a pouter, especially when things didn't go his way.
And Aurora not joining his crew was very much something that didn't go his way.
"If you wanted her to join so badly, you should have just grabbed her when you had the chance," Zoro mutters, giving the young boy a stern look.
Luffy sighs loudly, his face scrunching uncomfortably.
"Grab who? What're you guys talking about?" Usopp looks up from painting, giving the two a strange look. Talks of attempted kidnapping was the last thing the sharpshooter wants to hear about.
Luckily, Nami comes to provide more information. "You're talking about that redhead again, right? The one from Orange Town? I hate to say it, but Zoro's right. I don't understand why you gave up so easily."
Luffy didn't know the answer himself, if he were being completely honest. At the time, he was confident that the two of them would meet within a couple of days, even with that head start they gained by being chased out by the inhabitants of Orange Town.
"Can you guys tell me who you're talking about here, please?" Usopp was growing sweatier by the second, gaze switching between the three pirates.
Nami is the one that quells the nervousness in his stomach. "Before you, we encountered this girl, Aurora, right?" She refers to Luffy, getting a nod from the still pouting boy. "She helped us defeat this pirate crew that had taken over a village. Luffy wanted her to join the crew, but she didn't want to. For whatever reason though, Luffy let her go instead of just dragging her along with us."
"We made a deal," Luffy reveals, arms crossing over his chest. "Next time we meet, she'll join."
"And you believe her?" Usopp knew Luffy was simple, but even this was too much. "No offense, but do you really think that she'll join just because she said she would?"
"It doesn't matter what any of you think!" Luffy stands to his feet abruptly. His hands are clenched tight at his side. "Rory wouldn't lie!"
"We're not saying that," Zoro intervenes, acting as the calm against the storm. "All we're saying is you just met her, and she didn't seem keen on joining any pirate crews. What makes you think she'll join us without an argument?"
"It doesn't matter." Luffy shakes his head, a smile turning the corners of his mouth upwards. "Even if I have to drag her along, next time we meet, Rory's coming with us." The signature shishishi of his laugh slips through his teeth.
A look of apprehension mixed with doubt is exchanged amongst the three crew members.
Aurora didn't know what to expect when interacting with Sanji for long periods of time, but either way, she hoped he didn't expect her to fall in love with him.
The redhead peers at the blond in front of her, both silent as they ate the lunch that Sanji had prepared for them. It was heavenly—no surprises there. He was a talented cook, and Aurora found herself liking his company the more time they spent together. This was their fourth day taking their lunch break at the same time. It was a little awkward at first, she had to admit, all the flirting and sweet names he called her, but he didn't take it any further than that, to which she was grateful.
It really was shocking, this blooming friendship between the two. She hadn't expected to feel so much for the young man in such a small amount of time, but he was so kind, and, dare she say, charming.
"Is everything to your liking, Aurora-tan?"
She smiles as she takes another bite of the Croque-Monsieur, the crispy bread crunching loudly. "Stupid question, loverboy," she rolls her eyes, "It's perfect." Her cheeks warm at his sparkled expression. Sanji was able to bring out a side of her she hadn't known still existed. She wasn't lying; she'd give anything to stay and eat the blond's cooking for the rest of her life, but that would be a waste for them both. "I still don't understand why you stay here. With cooking like yours, your possibilities are endless."
His smile is bashful. "That old man in there saved my life when I was a kid. Giving him my all is the least I can do."
Aurora doesn't push, which is odd because she's always pushing, instead choosing to enjoy the mild weather. It was sunny, but there were also clouds that would block the sun and provide them shade from time to time. She decides to let his shitty excuse be enough, for now at least. When she feels ready to leave, that's when she'll make a big stink; at least with that way, she can run off if their friendship sours—she'll never have to see his face after that.
"So, how'd you two meet then? Has to be one hell of a tale if he saved your life."
And, so, Sanji tells her. He was young, just eight, when he started as an apprentice on a cruise ship, the Orbit. Within two years, he became a full fledged cook, but the accomplishment was short-lived; the ship had been invaded by pirates, and Sanji, fully believing that he would die that day, decided that he wasn't going to die without a fight.
He attacked the captain of the Cook Pirates—
"Wait, wait," Aurora interrupts, putting her hand in his face. "The Cook Pirates?" Why does that sound familiar?
"I didn't know that at the time, but the captain was known for using his legs and feet to fight. The marines knew him as Red-Leg," Sanji exhales, smoking billowing from his nose.
It suddenly clicks and can't stop herself from blurting out, "Red-Leg Zeff!" Then she gasps dramatically. "That old git is Red-Leg?!"
"You a fan?" He smirks.
She shakes her head, rolling her eyes to the side. "After meeting him? Hell no." Then her face falls into a serious expression. "Going against him in his prime was stupid. It's a miracle he didn't kill you."
Sanji shrugs. "All I knew at the time was that I had to survive, but it wasn't the pirates that wiped us out, it was the storm…"
The winds that day had summoned the largest wave ten year old Sanji had seen as it crashed into both the Orbit and pirate ship. He had been forced into the ocean from the collision, so the fate of the other cooks and pirates were unknown to him, even to this day. Sanji had lost consciousness, but fortunately, he opened his eyes once more, only to reveal that the captain of the Cook Pirates had saved him.
"He jumped in and saved you from drowning then," she pieces together softly, eating the last bite of her Croque-Monsieur. There is a gloom that shadows her chest as she swallows, but she turns her attention back to Sanji's story. "Then what? He obviously isn't a pirate anymore, and he took you under his wing, but there's more than just that, right?"
Her eyes scour his own, penetrating through his very soul. In the light of day, her eyes were an intense orange, so very striking and when they made eye contact, Sanji couldn't help his heart jolting, nerves jittery at the prospect of her undivided attention on him. The way she held his stare in place, barely blinking, made him feel uneasy at times, he had to admit, but Sanji couldn't deny he was captivated all the same.
"Break's over, you good-for-nothings!" The abrupt interruption had them jumping, both turning in the direction of the back entry, finding Patty standing with disproportionate arms crossed. "Get back to work! We need to prepare for tonight's rush!"
Aurora and Sanji exchange a look with one another. Her eyes widen microscopically and he erupts into a fit of laughter that eventually lures her to do the same.
"Stop laughing and GET TO WORK!" Patty stops Aurora as she attempts to walk by, narrowing his eyes at her scowl. "You need to act as hostess for a few hours, girly. There's a change of uniform in the closet for you. Get changed quick."
Aurora presses her lips together in a straight line, topaz eyes finding Sanji, and the blond could only give her a sympathetic smile.
She stops herself from rolling eyes, but couldn't keep the sarcasm from bleeding into her reply of "yes sir". She and Sanji walk beside each other until they have to separate, the young chef blowing a kiss at her retreating form. As Patty promised, there was a uniform just her size. She shimmies the black tights on, followed by the black, knee length skirt and white button down. She tucks the shirt under the waist band of the skirt, buttons a black vest over her shirt and slips simple black flats on her feet.
She pulls her hair back into a ponytail, leaving her two braids framing her face hanging.
When she arrives at the stand, the sweaty busboy books it, cleaning and resetting tables hurriedly. She puts on her best smile, raising her brows and widening her eyes slightly to give her a more doe-like expression.
"I have a reservation. Crestwind."
The man before her was dressed impeccably sharp. Aurora looks for the name he provided, all the while unable to keep her eyes from sneaking looks at the smart lines and folds of his deep blue suit, or the blackness of his oiled hair. "Crestwind, party of two?" She glances over the other man briefly before her eyes fall back to the first man as he utters a soft confirmation.
"Follow me, please." Aurora takes them to the section that was already reserved for them. She gestures for them to sit as she sets their menus down. "May I start you gentleman off with a drink?"
The first man is the only one who answers, "Two waters."
She bows and departs, relaying the order to their waiter. Back to the front she went, hands clasped in front of her, waiting diligently for the next customers to appear.
This was going to be a long day.
And she was right.
Patty was wrong. Aurora had to play as hostess for the rest of the day. Apparently, one of the main hosts had been sick for a few days, and the fill-in had been doing just fine… until he up and left during his lunch break and never came back. It was normal, Sanji told her when he had the chance to sneak away to check on her, for chefs to look for a change of scenery, and when they hear of the Baratie, they believe it to be the be-all-end-all solution. Of course, what they don't understand is that the restaurant is still just a ship on the sea, and isn't immune to the storms and pirate attacks they are prone to deal with from time to time.
Zeff was also a force to be reckoned with, even on his good days, and a lot of chefs that come through the Baratie's doors don't realize how much of a terrorizer of peace the old man really is until they're unwilling to put up with his high expectations any longer. Thus they have cases of employees, not always chefs, of reaching their boiling points quickly and walking out.
"You notice anything strange about those two?" The abruptness of the question leaves Sanji reeling, mouth still following the momentum of talking.
The blond follows the line of her darting eyes, trying to not make her attention too obvious. He shadows her actions, pausing only for a moment on the duo. "No, not particularly. Why? What's wrong?"
"Something's off. They haven't talked with each other since they got here. Business or personal, there's always conversation. The one in the grey suit—he's gotten up three times to use the restroom."
"Maybe he's having issues?"
"The other doesn't seems overly concerned for his well being."
"Common occurrence?"
"Yeah, which is why I followed him the last time."
Sanji's eye grows large as a saucer. "You did what!"
Aurora glares at him, shushing him. "Lower your voice," she hisses. "I made sure no one saw me, and besides, I didn't go into the stall with him. I know it's gross, but I didn't hear anything. He went into the stall and… nothing. He just stood there for a few minutes before coming out. He took his sweet time washing his hands though—"
"Back up, Aurora-tan," he interrupts, hand grabbing hers. "Firstly, you can't invade our customer's privacy like that, no matter how suspicious they might seem. Secondly, how didn't he see you?"
Her only reply is calm, if not a little biting. "I'm very good at hiding." She shakes her hand from his grasp, irritation clearly set in her movements. "Sorry, guess I'm just paranoid. Forget I said anything."
"Forget what you…? Aurora-tan, it's not what you're saying that I'm worried about, it's the fact you followed someone to the lavatory just because you think they're acting a little strange."
"I told you," she snaps, voice low and sharp, "forget it. You're right, I'm crazy, okay? Sailing alone makes you overanalyze totally normal behaviors." She turns and busy her hands by counting a stack of menus on the podium. "Just go back to the kitchen, Sanji."
"Auro—"
"Go away." The orange of her eyes consumes him like a fire until there is nothing left but a biting chill. His heart skips a beat, neck breaking out into a sweat, and there is something in his body that tells him to fight back. He resists and nods, stepping away and retreating back to the kitchen, all words failing him.
There's a tension in the air when she is relieved of her hostess position and is allowed black into the safety of the kitchen. She changed back into her regular clothes as soon as she was allowed. She notices that Sanji doesn't greet her like he usually does, but that's fine. It was all for the best anyway.
Aurora was getting a little too comfortable here; she needed to ask Zeff if her debt was paid, overtime be damned.
The water stings her hands and the rest of her body begins to grow hot as she scrubs at the dinnerware furiously. She bites her tongue to keep herself from her mind clear, losing herself in routine. She doesn't know how long she spent cleaning the dishes, but knew it was late based on Zeff's appearance over her shoulder. She slows her ministrations.
"Come by my office once you're finished."
She hurries through the rest of the dishes, antsy to retreat to her sailboat. When she's finished, Aurora looks around the kitchen, shoulders sagging; she was completely alone. She stands there, ears ringing from the silence. The only light came from the bulb overhead the sink, a long shadow casting out from her.
She glances at the clock, hands racing ever faster to midnight. The thought of facing Zeff in his office distracts her from the darkness surrounding her. Well, there's no time like the present, I suppose. She hangs the apron on the side of the sink and shuts the remaining light off. She expects to see Sanji draped against the railing, the smell of cigarettes to hit her in the face.
But he wasn't.
She chews at the inside of her cheek and clasps her hands behind her back, continuing her trek to the third floor. She knocks on Zeff's door, waiting for the "come in, girl" before entering. He's sitting at his desk, pen in hand and a stack of papers beside him. Obviously the work didn't end when the kitchens closed.
"Alright, I'm here. Whatcha need?" She crosses her arms over her chest.
He barely spares her a scowl before his face settles into a neutral expression. "Your debt's been paid. Now, you can continue to work, or sail on as you please, but know this if you stay, Redrum—" Aurora straightens at the way his voice darkens when he says the epithet— "one wrong move and you won't have to worry about marines or bounty hunters coming for you."
As Aurora processes Zeff's words, the sensation of a bee sting travels up her spine to the back of her head. "Someone's here," she whispers.
Zeff's eyes pass her and towards the door as they both listen. Aurora holds her breath, mind reaching and searching— where, where, where—there!
She holds up a finger, and the old man gives her a slight nod. He stands and she moves towards the door, ears still pricked, sensitive to any sounds the intruder may make. She's slow when she turns the knob, and even more so when she opens the door. Miraculously, it doesn't squeak, and Zeff, despite his pegged leg, doesn't make a sound either.
"Downstairs," she breathes, another sting rushing through her mind. She looks at Zeff. 'Wait' she mouths and slinks into the shadows, down the stairs and to the first floor. Her body melds into the darkness around her, traveling around corners and under doors. She drags her body from the shadows, shaking the murk from her limbs and mind. Focus, where?
Another sting and she advances into the dining area, eyes sharp against the pitch black. Aurora inhales deeply— fresh seawater, to your right. She blocks the attack, cringing as metal makes contact with her forearm. She retaliates by grabbing a handful of fabric and pulling forwards, the other hand seizing the metal weapon and throwing it to the side.
"Who the fuck—!"
"Shh," she clamps her hand around the trespasser's mouth, leaning in close as to keep her voice low, "you'll wake the others from their sweet dreams. Don't you know how awful you have to be to take from chefs?" Her grip on his face grows and he struggles and claws at her wrist, punching and kicking at her. A strike to the back of her head leaves her sprawling to the ground, groaning from the impact. "Coward," she spits, rounding and halting the flurry of attacks.
Why can I not sense the other one? Aurora doubles from the fist to her stomach and yells out at the metal bar hitting her spine. Two pairs of feet stomp on her back, kick her in the sides and face. She snatches the closest leg to her, which earns her another toe to the jaw.
Suddenly, light floods the room and blinds Aurora. She blinks, squinting through red lashes. Zeff, along with Sanji, stand in the threshold of the entrance. The redhead looks to her attackers, jaw dropping at the identical faces of Mr. Crestwind.
"Having trouble, girl?"
Aurora sneers at the old pirate's inquiry. "Guess I am, relic."
"You bastard!" Sanji propels himself towards the twins, leg swinging upwards and connecting with them both as he sends them to the other side of the restaurant. "How dare you hurt a woman!" He holds a hand out to Aurora. She ignores it and stands to her feet on her own, wiping at her lip, the blood on her palm bright.
"If you three think you can defeat me, you got another thing coming," Mr. Crestwind grounds between clenched teeth. He stands, smirking. "Doppel Gang!" Four more Crestwind's split from the main man; same stance, outfit, and smug expression.
Devil Fruit. Guess it makes sense that I wasn't able to sense his clone. They're all technically one. Aurora clenches her hands into fists, slightly cocking her head towards Zeff. "Hey, if I help you, will my debt stay forgiven?"
"Go for it, girl. You're good for it."
"Berserker's Blow!" She charges forward, fist black, and she smashes in the face of one of the clones. He flies backwards and smashes into the opposite wall. Two more jump her while the other follows Mr. Crestwind's path towards the old man.
Sanji intercepts the other two, but becomes preoccupied by the clone.
Aurora manages pretty well against the two, finding rhythm in the blocking and dodging of their attacks. Their techniques weren't disciplined—or Mr. Crestwind's techniques weren't disciplined. And he was slow. Without the dark aiding him, his attacks were easily manageable. He accomplished a few good hits, especially the one at her nose. Though, in the end, he was still out of her league.
When an opening presented itself to her, she took it. She grabbed one clone's forearm and threw him over her back, straight into the other one, knocking them both away.
"Don't make this hard on yourself, old man!" Aurora looks to see that Mr. Crestwind had downed the infamous Red-Leg. "Just tell me where the money's at, and you and yours might just survive this!"
She flashes forward, standing in front of the old man. Her head is forced to the side as she takes the hit originally meant for Zeff.
"H-How d-did…?"
"Where I'm from, it doesn't matter how strong the geezers are, disrespecting the elderly is seen as a crime."
"Watch it, Redrum. I'm not that old yet."
She chuckles, and forces the man to his knees when she grabs his fingers, pushing them back.
"Freak! Wh-!"
"Didn't I say earlier to lower your voice?" She hinders and secures his other fist, twisting it and dislocating his wrist. He screams and brings his injured limb close to his chest when she releases it. Again, her palm connects to his mouth and nose. "Be quiet."
He struggles in her tight hold, the skin of his face turning red.
"Breaking in here just for some cash was probably the lamest thing you could do," she says calmly, as if she wasn't slowly suffocating a man to death. "Stealing is one thing, but stealing from cooks? It's despicable, no question about it. It'd be nothing to me if we stayed exactly like this until you die."
"Aurora-tan…?"
Her eyes cut to the blond, stare unflinching as they meet his wide-eyed expression. The clones had gone, considering that the original was trying to save all of his strength to survive.
Her mouth twists into an ugly smile. "Guess I wasn't crazy after all, huh?"
His frown is deep and sad. "Yeah," is all he can muster as Mr. Crestwind loses consciousness. Any other words are lost in the path of her intense glare.
Aurora exhales a long sigh and lets the man's face go, his body limp as it collapses to the floor. She runs a hand through her hair, head bowing between the hunch of her shoulders. "You alright, Red-Leg?" She asks, casting her topaz eyes to the side as he approaches on her right.
He hums. "Haven't heard that name in a long time, Redrum. You better prepare to sail on." Brown meets orange and Aurora purses her lips.
"Calling the government to pick up the trash, then?" He nods. She straightens and rubs the back of her neck. "You mind if I take some food with me?"
"Eggplant—" Sanji jumps at the nickname. "Fix our girl some provisions. I need to send a signal out to the marines if he's going to be gone before morning."
Zeff doesn't wait, leaving the two teens in an awkward silence.
Aurora cocks head and pops the bones in her neck, releasing the tightness that had bundled during her fight. "It's alright, Sanji, I can fix my own."
He shakes his head, finally coming out of his stupor. "No, it's alright." He still sounded a little dazed as he spoke, his brow bunching towards the middle. He pulls a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, settles it between his lips, and lights it. Again, awkward silence.
I'd rather him swoon. Aurora presses her mouth tightly together, arms crossing defensively in front of her.
"Come on."
Of course, when they get to the kitchen, things are no better than how they were when they were in the dining area. Aurora could take silence any day, but this wasn't just silence; this was walking around eggshells, and she wasn't known for being delicate.
"So…" she croons, voice low, body shifting to lean against the metal basin of the sink as he packs rations of meat into a container. He doesn't look at her, but he pauses in response to her words. "You never did finish your story, ya know? Zeff saved you from drowning, but was it really enough to devote yourself entirely to him?"
He inhales his cigarette deeply and exhales slowly, the smoke curling lazily. It reminded her of Beckmann and there's a heat that crawls up her spine and neck at the thought of the older man.
"You're right," he finally says, eye connecting with her own, and he smiles softly. A voice in the back of her mind faintly wishes for this version of Sanji to always be. "The storm had tossed us up on this… island? It was small, nothing but a barren rock. We were safe from the storm, but after, we were stranded…"
Zeff had found food and divided it between the two (though unevenly, Sanji divulged). He had banished Sanji to the other side of the rock, searching the endless horizon for any passing ships. Her eyes widened when he revealed that they spent seventy days on that rock. Sanji had meticulously rationed the bag of food, and it had lasted for twenty-five days. Her frown deepens as he laments that his last piece of bread fell into the ocean.
"That was it, my last piece of food, and with no rescue in sight." His voice is gruff as he is transported back to a more desperate time. "I had to do something. Zeff had a much bigger bag of food, so I… as the days passed, I planned to take it, no matter what."
But when Sanji crossed the dividing rocks and cut into the sack, the valuable things of the Orbit were the only thing that was in it.
And Zeff was still alive.
"I didn't understand—he lied, there wasn't any food. He gave me all that was left…"
"Then—" Aurora mutters, brows knitting together, "I don't understand. How did he survive? If what you say is true, that you both were on that rock for seventy days, then how…" Her eyes widen and she can't stop her gasp of realization. She looks from the blond's face, gaze dulling as she pins an unfocused gaze on the wall adjacent from her. "Oh."
It wasn't hard to understand the result of Sanji's devotion to Zeff, and the conclusion of Red-Leg Zeff.
A different sort of quiet swallows them, leaving both to contemplation.
Aurora feels the awkward surge of gratefulness and self-loathing and tries to push it aside, back behind the ironclad door. Sanji's story had brought back memories of her own, reminding her of sacrifices made on her behalf. She never thought her and Sanji, of all people, would be connected in such a profound way. A disbelieving chuckle escapes her.
"I see," she mutters lamely, scratching her cheek.
Sanji resumes his work and finishes packaging her rations. "I'll see you off, okay?"
The two arrive at her sailboat. Amazingly, none of the other employees of the Baratie had came down to see what the commotion had all been about. Unless Zeff had already encountered them and told them to go back to bed. It left them alone, at least.
She takes the pack from his hands, her fingers brushing his. "Thank you…" she trails off, struggling to find the proper words. Their fingers are still touching, Sanji had yet to let go—she still had time. Come on, idiot! Don't leave things like this! "I'm sorry, Sanji—" good start, keep going — "I never wanted things to end this way. I've…" She takes a deep breath, looking to the side, unable to look him in the eye. Her voice is shaky as she finally overcomes her nerves. "I've come… to… to see you as a great friend, Sanji, and… and I, uhm…"
Her face is hot and there wasn't a doubt that it was the same color as her hair. She made the mistake of making eye-contact during her confession and his doe-like appearance embarrassed her.
She turns hastily to escape from the blue of his gaze. A hand falls to her shoulder, its hold soft and warm.
"I'll miss you, too, belle rousse."
Just like that, the blush was gone and Aurora was rolling her eyes. "You just had to ruin it, huh?" And yet, there's amusement that colors her words. She puts the container away into the back compartment. She comes back to untie the knot keeping her vessel drifting from the Baratie. She rests a foot against the small harbor, resting a forearm against her thigh as she looks back at Sanji's face. She chews her bottom lip absentmindedly, thinking whether or not to say what she truly wanted.
She pushes against the harbor and the waves welcome her back, caressing the sides of her sailboat. They start to carry her away, farther and farther from the Baratie; farther from Sanji; farther from her chance to say the words pounding at the forefront of her mind. Aurora takes a breath to calm the weakness in her belly.
"Zeff sacrificed his life to give you a second chance at your own!" Her voice is loud, even over the lapping waves. "I doubt he'd want you to waste it, so don't."
There's a change in his shoulders and that was all the confirmation that she needed to know that he heard her. She pivots on her heel; endless horizon before her. Despite the heaviness in her heart and the wetness burning her eyes, Aurora felt the familiar rush of excitement thrum in her veins.
Finally.
Listen LISTEN
I AM SO SORRY! I didn't abandon this story, I just got so wrapped up in work and the upcoming holidays that I just lost track and before I knew it, almost 6 weeks passed (╥_╥) I also didn't even know where this chapter was going until just this past Tuesday—really got it all out yesterday, to be honest. Anyway, I'm working on the next chapter and I'll get back to updating on my usual schedule. I'm calling this chapter a late Christmas gift to you all (and if you don't celebrate Christmas, then just accept it as an apology, PLEASE).
Love ya guys!