5.
Fear of the Stretch

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These things that are pleasin' you, can hurt you somehow.
Eagles, 'Desperado'

"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 dad 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 muttered, giving the young boy a stern look.

Luffy sighed loudly, his face scrunching uncomfortably.

"Grab who? What're you guys talking about?" Usopp looked up from the painting, giving the two a strange look. Talks of attempted kidnapping was the last thing the sharpshooter wanted to hear about.

Luckily, Nami came 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 quelled the nervousness in his stomach. "Before you, we encountered this girl, Aurora, right?" She referred 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 revealed, 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?"

"Yes! Because Rory wouldn't lie!" Luffy stood to his feet abruptly. His hands were clenched tight at his side.

"How can you possibly know that?" Zoro intervened, acting as the calm against the storm. "That was the first time you ever met her, right? She didn't seem all that fond of her father when you spoke about him. Years change people, and she may not be the same person she was when Shanks talked about her."

Usopp's head whipped to Zoro. "Shanks? Red-Haired Shanks? That Shanks?! Shanks has a kid?!" Then he turned around back to Luffy. "Shanks has a kid and you met her?!"

Luffy continued to stare at Zoro though, and shook his head from side to side. "It doesn't matter, she gave me her word. Even if I do have to drag her along, next time we meet, Rory's coming with us." The signature shishishi of his laugh slipped through his teeth.

A look of apprehension mixed with doubt was 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 peered 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 smiled as she takes another bite of the Croque-Monsieur, the crispy bread crunching loudly. "Stupid question, loverboy," she rolled her eyes, "It's perfect." Her cheeks warmed 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 was 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 decided to let his shitty excuse be enough, for now at least. When she felt ready to leave, that's when she'll make a big stink; at least that way, she can run off if their friendship turned sour—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 told 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 interrupted, 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 exhaled, smoking billowing from his nose.

It suddenly clicked and she couldn't stop herself from blurting out, "Red-Leg Zeff!" Then she gasped dramatically. "That old git is Red-Leg?!"

"You a fan?" He smirked.

She shook her head, rolling her eyes to the side. "After meeting him? Hell no." Then her face fell into a serious expression. "Going against him in his prime was stupid. It's a miracle he didn't kill you."

Sanji shrugged. "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 pieced together softly, eating the last bite of her Croque-Monsieur. There was a gloom that shadowed her chest as she swallowed, but she focused 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 scoured 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 exchanged a look with one another. Her eyes widened microscopically and he erupted into a fit of laughter that eventually lured her to do the same.

"Stop laughing and GET TO WORK!" Patty stopprd Aurora as she attempted 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 pressed her lips together in a straight line, topaz eyes finding Sanji, and the blond could only give her a sympathetic smile.

She stopped herself from rolling eyes, but couldn't keep the sarcasm from bleeding into her reply of "yes sir". She and Sanji walked 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 shimmied the black tights on, followed by the black, knee length skirt and white button down. She tucked the shirt under the waist band of the skirt, buttoned a black vest over her shirt and slipped simple black flats on her feet.

She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, leaving her two braids framing her face hanging.

When she arrived at the stand, the sweaty busboy booked it, cleaning and resetting tables hurriedly. She put on her best smile, raising her brows and widening her eyes slightly to give her a more doe-like expression.

"Good afternoon—name?"

"Brooks, party of four."

Aurora found the reservation immediately. Right on time. "Follow me, please." She grabbed the menus before leading the two older couples to their table—a booth tucked in the corner. "Thank you for choosing the Baratie today. Your waiter will be with you shortly."

And so the cycle continued. Aurora returned to the podium, greeted the guests, looked for their name in the little black book, informed them whether they have to wait or not, and strategized where to sit them.

She'd much rather be bussing tables, or washing dishes in the back. Being upfront and talking with guests made her feel exposed. It was completely in the realm of possibility for another law abiding crusader to recognize her and haul her off to the nearest Marine base. Still, she tried to not let her nerves get the best of her; just as it was possible for her to be arrested, she still had a fifty percent chance of not being arrested.

Well, maybe thirty. She was sure she was recognized by some of the patrons that entered; though, their self-centered nature just outweighed their want of justice. Snagging a reservation at the Baratie was no easy feat apparently. Zeff's pride and joy was booked for six months with not a sliver of space free, so for someone to make a reservation and waste it just to stick it to a pirate working to pay off a debt…

It certainly wouldn't be the smartest move.

Aurora was met with Patty's scowling face as she returned to the stand once more.

PleaserelievemepleaserelievemePLEASE!relieveme. "What's up?" She asked, crossing Farkle - party of three 4:45 out.

"'Fraid it's not good news, kiddo." She swore there was a little bit of sympathy in his tone as he broke the news to her. "Kimmi's on vacation and Vassy's been restricted to the infirmary for some contagion. You're on hostess duty for the rest of the evening."

She could only nod in understanding, leaning comfortably against the stand and enjoying the respite. "And if someone wanting my bounty waltz's in and causes trouble?"

Patty snorted. "Boss said whatever you do, remember that you still have a debt to pay off."

He left after that. Aurora watched him go, eyes following him as he walked up the stairs, towards the kitchen. She sent Sanji a smile and small wave, having caught the blond watching her out of the window, and he swooned in reply.

Shaking her head, the redhead turned back to the entrance, smile still in place.

"Welcome to the Baratie, name?"

"Crestwind."

Aurora doesn't like the fact that she didn't get to follow her script, but still glanced for the name without hesitation. "Party of two?" She looked pointedly at the sharp dressed man, fighting the urge to raise her brow.

He pursed his lips at the slight. "My associate will be here shortly." And that was all the explanation he gave.

Aurora raked her tongue across her teeth, but still gathered the menus and led ½ Crestwind to his table. "Thank you for choosing the Baratie this evening. Your waiter will be here shortly."

He waved at her dismissively before she is fully turned. The young woman pressed her lips tightly, ignoring the lack of respect and strode back to the front. Her feet faltered at the sight of a familiar face leaning his elbows upon the stand, flipping through the reservation book nonchalantly.

Aurora's hands flexed, the force causing her knuckles to crack.

As if feeling her stare, Percival Colt looked up in her direction, a slow smile creeped on his lips, making his dark mustache lift. He stayed leaning against her stand and as she approached, Aurora took her time taking in his appearance. He was dressed a little more casual than when they first encountered one another.

Instead of a matching suit, he wore a white button down with an open grey tweed suit jacket, light blue jeans, a brown belt with silver buckle that had a floral pattern engraved into it, and snake skinned boots. His brown hair was styled in a slick back, but some of his curls escaped and were kissing his forehead.

Aurora didn't notice his revolver on his immediate person, but that didn't mean anything. She doubted anyone has noticed her pocket knife tucked between the space where her belt met stomach. Just because something wasn't visible didn't mean it wasn't there.

She tried to mask her uneasiness as she closed the remaining gap between her and the bounty hunter.

"I wish I could say it's a surprise to see you again."

His smile widened, causing dimples to appear. "What can I say? I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."

She raised her brows. "I admire the new approach, but I think you're forgetting we've already tangoed. I know what you're really after."

His blue eyes shined, or maybe it was the trick of the lighting. "Doesn't mean I can't have fun beforehand." He winked.

"You won't think that after I'm finished with you."

"Excuse me, is there a problem here?"

Both Aurora and Percival tilted their heads just slightly to the side. Sanji stood there, an unlit cigarette clenched tightly between his teeth. His one eye is trained on Percival, blue eye dark.

"No," Percival was the first to speak, tone bored as he too assessed the cook. "Just telling Red I have a reservation under Crestwind this evening."

"Your other half's already arrived," she threw a thumb over her shoulder. "Straight to the back."

The bounty hunter raised a thick brow. "Not gonna take me there? What if I get lost?"

The two stared at each other for a long, silent moment.

"Can you watch the stand for a moment, Sanji? I need to escort Mister Colt to his seat."

"Yeah, no problem."

As she did with Crestwind, Aurora walked forward and Percival followed.

"Enjoy your evening, gentlemen."

Percival grabbed her elbow and it's a miracle his fingers stayed intact. "Enjoy your evening, Miss Redrum."

She yanked her elbow from his slackened grip, turning from the wicked glint in his baby blues and returned to Sanji.

"I'll go let Zeff know."

"He's not stupid enough to try anything right now." Aurora met Sanji's gaze. "He wasn't expecting anyone to intervene just then."

"Yeah? How do you know?"

His heart. The heart never lies. "I'm good at reading people," she decided to say instead. Don't let him know how big of a freak you actually are. "Let's just stand back and watch, yeah?"

"I've got your back, ma flamme."

Like with Patty, Aurora watched as Sanji ascended the stairs to the kitchen, smiling at the look he sent her over his shoulder.

There it is again, Aurora thought as she turned back to the front, shoulders tensed. The more time she spent here, the more the pit in her stomach grew. It made her skin itch.

Aurora offered a wide smile, topaz eyes forming into crescents as she greeted the next party, following through procedures and seating them quickly.

Percival walked past her toward the lavatory as she returned to her station, again giving her a knowing grin, but that was the last time he went out of his way to acknowledge her. Aurora would shoot glances in his and Crestwind's direction when she would pass their table; however, the two men seemed to be enjoying a normal evening as old friends would.

Still, the sinking sensation wouldn't leave, even as she decided to ignore the two men and focus on the peace as the sun continued to set. Besides, if they were going to do something, then they would also have to face a whole kitchen of ornery employees (actually, let's just face the fact: Zeff could handle both fools just with one foot, peg leg be damned). Aurora smirks at the thought. To see Red Leg Zeff in action once more would be nothing short of a dream, especially when it came to putting a bounty hunter down.

It was one thing to be a Marine—that Aurora could understand, but a bounty hunter? To see human life as a set number of beri was nothing short of scummy.

Sure, in the eyes of the World Government, she was worth enough trouble to put a bounty on her head, and to demand for her to be brought in alive at the very least; but Aurora was no criminal. All the things that she had done up until this moment were all in the name of freedom. The only crimes she was guilty of were not bowing to gourmandizing governments and power structures set out to dehumanize her. Yet, the powers that were in charge of this world stacked the blood spilt against her, slapped murder on her name, and raised the price—all in the hopes that one would be conniving enough to befall her and serve her into the awaiting arms of hell.

A pair of silver eyes flashed through her mind, steel singing, dangling gold glittering…

Perhaps, forgiveness could be mustered for the ignorant.

The Baratie closed for the night.

Aurora had watched Percival and Crestwind leave, the bounty hunter stumbling slightly as he followed after his acquaintance. He had waved to her on his way out, blue eyes sluggish. Crestwind spared her not one glance, instead focusing on helping his other half from face planting the floorboards. She'd never admit it, but the tension in her shoulders that had slowly been building finally relaxed the second the two left.

She massaged the tight muscles as she helped the busboys as they rush to collect the remaining dishes. Aurora gathered the tablecloths into the cart and started a couple of loads before the washer shooed her out of the laundry room. She instead made her way to the kitchen and focused on washing dishes.

The water stung her hands and the rest of her body began to grow hot as she scrubbed at the dinnerware furiously. She bit her tongue to keep her mind from wandering, 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 slowed her actions.

"Come by my office once you're finished."

She hurried through the rest of the dishes, antsy to retreat to her sailboat and turn in for the night. When she's finished, Aurora looks around the kitchen, shoulders sagging; she was completely alone. She stood there, ears ringing from the silence. The only light came from the bulb overhead the sink, a long shadow casting out from her.

She glanced at the clock, hands racing ever faster to midnight. The thought of facing Zeff in his office distracted her from the darkness surrounding her. Well, there's no time like the present, I suppose. She hung the apron on the side of the sink and shuts the remaining light off.

When she opened the door, Sanji's torso is hanging over the railing, a cigarette sandwiched between his lips. He turned at the sound of her approach, practically melting at the sight of her.

"Mind if I bum a drag?"

She gestured to his mouth and he offered no argument as he passed it to her. He watched her intently, swallowing hard as her lips touched where his once were and heaved a deep breath, holding it before she blew the smoke through her nostrils. She passed it back to him and leaned against the railing alongside him. The blond looked back out at the dark sea to calm the nerves in his stomach.

The redhead ignored the obvious and chose to enjoy the moment with her friend. If Zeff wanted to talk about what she thought he did, then this may be the last time she would ever see Sanji.

Despite his flirtations and apparent attraction to women (which, unfortunately, included her), the young cook had really surprised her this past week. He had become dear to her—enough so that the emptiness in her chest grew. She didn't know when she would be able to see Sanji again, if she'd ever…

She fought with herself whether or not she should say something, but Aurora was too overwhelmed with the thought of finality to come up with anything.

"You think that Colt guy was up to something?"

She almost jumped out of her skin when he spoke, taking a moment to calm the jitteriness of her heart. "I don't know," she answered honestly, shrugging. In truth, while she had been relieved to watch the two men leave today, there was something still gnawing at the back of her mind. Aurora had learned long ago to trust her instincts.

"I know it's not over. Today was to let me know that." She met his concerned look with a stern one of her own. She sighed and ran a hand over her neck, giving him a smile to hopefully comfort him. "Don't look so worried, Casanova. I'm a big girl."

"I know," he said. There's a certainty in his gaze as he continued, "I know you can take care of yourself. I know that you're one of the strongest people I know. You could take that guy on with just your pinky, but I can still worry."

Aurora pressed her lips in a thin line and averted her eyes. "If you worry then you don't believe a word you say."

Sanji's cigarette fell from his mouth, then his brow narrowed. "Two things can be true at once, Aurora-tan. We're friends, right? Friends care about each other. You can be strong and I can still worry about you. Where's all this coming from?"

Her eyes snapped back to him. The itch turned into a burn and she rolled her eyes. "I don't need anyone to worry about me, so just focus on yourself, alright?"

He blinked. "Ma flamme—"

"Gods be damned Sanji, stop calling me that stupid name. I'm not your 'anything' ."

The burning intensified and clawed its way upward, ringing through her head.

She could see his brow furrow in the low light of the waxing gibbous moon. Apologies screamed against the bars, but she cut her eyes upward. "What are you going to do when I leave? Concern over things out of your circle of control? Listen, I've enjoyed my time here, and it's been mainly because of you, but face it; this," she gestured between them, "was never gonna last, especially when my debt was paid."

She straightened and leaned her hip against the railing, arms crossing over her chest. She mustered the blankest expression she can. "A year down the line you won't even remember me, so don't waste any time worrying about me. I know I won't waste any thinking about this place."

She waited a moment, letting her words sink in and watched as Sanji's eye glazed over, frown deepening. Then, she turned to the stairs and began her ascent to Zeff's office.

"Is that how you really feel, Aurora-tan?"

Aurora doesn't pause in her stride upward as she replied, "One of the main injustices of this life is deceit. I wouldn't disrespect you like that, Sanji."

"I'll always remember you." At this, she paused and spun, looking down at the blond as he lit another cigarette.

Aurora raked her tongue over her teeth. "I guess that'll just be one of us then."

"Are you really telling the truth? Will you never think back on our friendship as fondly as I will?"

"A friendship with a small-time cook out in the middle of the East Blue is hardly memorable."

Then she continued upward, calmly, as if she didn't sever one of the most meaningful relationships she has made in the last four years, and cut down his confidence in one fell swoop. It was strange, this pain in her chest. She hadn't felt it in so long—she was almost afraid she had lost the ability to feel it. It felt nice.

Sanji was her friend. Knowing that it hurt her by hurting him… it was comforting.

She knocked on Zeff's door.

"Come in."

Hey all! Sorry it's been so long. Kinda got caught up in my job and I was really unhappy for a while. Now, I'm unemployed, still unhappy, but needed a distraction from these rainy days. I looked back and was really dissatisfied with this chapter and how I chose to play it out, especially when it came to the end bit there. I really hated how rushed it was, so I went back and edited it. Hopefully, this a little bit better. Anyways, hope you guys are still interested and enjoyed the edit/update (but not really update) and y'alls summers are going great!

I've changed the title of this chapter as well, and it references another Shawn James song "Midnight Dove"—if y'all haven't given him a listen, I'd recommend it. I LOVE his voice and his songwriting!

Anyway, don't know when I'll update next. The new ending of this chapter has given me more to go off of and has changed my original plan for chapter 6, so I'll hopefully have that up for you guys soon.

Thanks and catch ya next time!