Sanji pulled himself into a sitting position in his bed and smacked his lips, looking at the opposite wall with blurry eyes. He rubbed the back of his neck where he felt sore and lowered his gaze to see what was around his waist. Btella was still fast asleep and her arm hugged Sanji loosely as she slowly breathed in and out. Sanji smiled at the sight of her and patted her head, pulling his fingers through her brown locks. He felt something tangled in her hair and lifted the spring up to his eye level.

"What is she? A robot?" he grumbled.

Just then, Btella mumbled something and after rubbing her face into the pillow, sat up straight like a springboard. Sanji tossed the spring over his shoulder. She stared at the wall just like Sanji had before rotating around to look at the blond cook. She scrutinized him for a moment, as if trying to remember who he was.

"Ah," she pointed at him drowsily. "Shiji*."

"That's such a dangerous name!"

Btella yawned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as Sanji threw off his half of the blanket and swung his legs out of the bed.

"Ready for another day working in the Shitty Restaurant?" he asked, slipping on his slippers and shuffling over to the wardrobe.

Btella stretched her arms and then stood up on the mattress. She hopped off the bed and stepping inside her own wardrobe, closed the door. Sanji changed into his pants, used to Btella's strange way of getting dressed. After a couple of seconds, she exited the closet again, clothed in her dress pants and a t-shirt, her uniform crisp white shirt and vest hung over her arm, and a hair tie in her mouth as she pulled back strands of her hair. Sanji pulled off his shirt while she walked into their bathroom, still tying her hair. The sound of the water running and the splashing as she washed her face. Sanji joined her in the act of practicing good hygiene.

They brushed their teeth, similar expressions of early morning exhaustion as their arms moved up and down corresponding to the other's movements. Spitting and rinsing together, Sanji smiled at Btella who returned it.

"You got toothpaste there," Sanji wiped the white cream off of the corner of her mouth with his thumb.

"You got a little something too," Btella said, applying lotion onto her face.

"Hm?" Sanji leaned into the mirror, searching for this little something. "What?"

"It's called sexy," she smirked, pulling on her dress shirt and buttoning it up.

"You sure know how to pay a compliment," Sanji followed her lead and pulled on his own shirt, entering the bedroom again.

Btella threw him his deodorant. "Only when it's called for."

She popped her collar and slid the tie around her neck. "Sanji..."

The teen looked over at her and sighed, smiling in exasperation. "You really need to learn how to tie them on your own."

Sanji took a few steps forward and Btella lifted her chin to expose the ends of the tie entirely. Sanji expertly began to fold and loop it and Btella's eyes wandered to the side to land on the glass cup on the window sill.

The crack broke the clear, smooth surface of the cup and the sun rising in the horizon shone through it and sent crystals flying, the rays reflecting off the glass. This glassware was the only form of decoration in the room apart from the picture of Sanji and Zeff in one frame and another of the three of them on the bedside table. Btella stared at the yellow flowers that graced the glass as they swayed with the ocean breeze that blew into the room.

"When are you going to throw that out?" she asked when Sanji finished her tie. "It's useless."

Sanji followed her gaze and after a second, he lowered his head. Btella waited curiously as he pulled on his jacket.

"Sanji?"

The blond took in a deep breath before twirling around to face her. He placed a hand on top of her head, making her wince by the weight, and gave her a bright closed eyed smile.

"This shitty day, we will live through," he quoted.

Btella beamed, glad he wasn't upset, and dropped her own hand on his shoulder. "Together."

They stood like that until they broke into laughter and Btella jumped onto Sanji's back and he torpedoed out the door.

"Eggplant and Carrot coming through!" Btella announced when they burst into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Btella!"

"Who gave you the right to address Belle in such a casual way?!" Sanji growled at the chef.

"Btella did!" the chef dodged around Sanji and smiled pleasantly at Btella who was beginning to pull down the chairs from atop the tables. "Right, Btella~"

She stared at him for a second. "Yeah... Dill?"

The chef slumped in disappointment. "It's Dango..."

"Ah!" Btella snapped her fingers, finally remembering. "Dango!"

"Hai, hai... I'm insignificant I know..." blue lines graced the chef.

Sanji was laughing raucously in the background as Btella tried to comfort and apologize to Dango.

"I don't know what you see in that little brat, Btella," Carne said, lounging in a chair with his feet on the table as Sanji ran around placing the chairs on the floor. "You're quite popular back on the island."

"What? You mean those cat calling jerks?" Btella scoffed, placing another chair down. "Sanji's ten times better."

"Are you two dating yet?" Patty asked from the doorway of the kitchen.

Aoi cracked a smile at this. "Sanji's like a brother to me, I don't think of him that way."

"Ew, incest," Takahashi made a mock expression of disgust, sticking out his tongue.

Btella shoved his chin up, irritated. "Don't you guys have better things to do?"

"Lil' carrot," Zeff was descending the stairs as the other chefs took her advice and went back in the kitchen to prepare. "I have some news you might like."

Zeff handed her a piece of paper and she read over it, her expression turning ecstatic.

"That's the man you're looking for, huh?" Zeff asked.

Btella gulped, delighted. "Yeah... that's him..."

She looked up at her foster father. "Monkey D. Dragon."

"The revolutionaries," Zeff grumbled. "Who knew we were connected in that way."

Btella folded the paper and slid it into her pocket. "You and Sanji were saved by them when you guys were stranded and they were the reason I was able to escape. I want to thank them."

"And join them," Zeff added, knowingly.

Btella snapped her head around to check if a certain overprotective teen was in hearing distance, edgy. "Ssh! I don't want Sanji to know yet!"

Zeff grunted, not really caring. "Are you going?"

Btella was silent before answering. "Yes."

Zeff's eyes softened for just one second before he hit her head with his towering chef's hat. "Not before you wash the dishes you don't, lil' carrot!"

"Itai!" Btella clutched at her throbbing head. "What is that hat made of?! Plastic?!"

"Wrong! Metal!"

"Get a normal hat, kuso jiji!"

"You want to say that again, lil' carrot?!"

"Kuso jiji, kuso jiji, kuso jiji, kuso-Ite! Stop hitting me!"

_

The restaurant quickly filled up with tourists and some yachts that were passing by. It grew noisy in the main part of the restaurant and even noisier in the kitchen. Btella served the customers, took orders from the customers, and kicked the customers across the face, overall, a normal day. After the restaurant emptied, Btella was washing the dishes, thinking about the great news she had received that morning.

Btella was normally an absentminded person and having the idea that the revolutionaries were so close by only made her more so. She was overjoyed. She's been dreaming about this moment for years. If she can find the Revolutionaries, she can help them free more fellow slaves and take down the corrupted government.

"Belle!"

Sanji's voice cut through her thoughts and she saw his worried expression.

"Are you regressing?" he asked.

"Huh?"

He pointed behind her and she turned to see the sink overflowing and the bubbles attempting to smother her. She clutched at her hair. "Ah-ah-aha-ah!"

She dove into the white foam and desperately flailed around trying to turn off the water. The soap had tipped over and her foot slid, tripping her. She saw the ground coming into view and squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the impact.

"Ho ho... that was close..." Sanji sighed a relieved cloud.

Btella slowly peeled open her eyes and saw Sanji's face above her. His arms were around her and his legs were spread out weird that it looked like they had been dancing and had just done a dip. Btella gawked at him and he cocked his head to the side, wondering what the matter was.

"Sanji... I..."

"Hm?"

Just then there was the sound of a miniature waterfall and the water spilled over the sink in bursts. Sanji and Btella's mouths dropped open and Btella quickly scurried out of his arms to fight the soap suds again. Despite the girl's efforts, Sanji managed to turn the water off himself and Btella leaned on the sink in exaggerated reprieve and exhaustion.

Sanji burst out laughing and Btella turned into a tomato.

"You're such a klutz, Belle."

"And you're soaking wet." She stood up and took a step forward. "I'll get some to-" She slipped again.

"Aaah!" Sanji caught her and they both slid across the tile floor, oil and soap everywhere.

Sanji and Btella's eyes enlarged as they were zooming toward their sensei. "Move out of the way, Owner Zeff!"

"Hm?" Zeff turned around only to have the feet, or foot and wooden toilet plunger, knocked out from under him and he landed on his face. "Duuhwak!"

"Ah! Ah! Sanji!" Btella skidded her feet, clawing at the wooden floors as they flew out the door, trying to halt the ride. "We're going to fall into the sea!"

"Is that such a bad thing?" Sanji smirked devilishly.

They crashed into the pickets of the railing and went straight through. They paused in the air for a second and Btella clung to Sanji. "It's a bad thing! It's a really bad thing!"

"Ha ha! Just hang on to me, Belle," Sanji grinned.

Btella buried her face into Sanji's chest and gravity pulled them down. A gigantic splash as the ocean embraced them.

. . .

"Why is it..." Zeff was scolding them as they dripped onto the deck. "...that whenever you two are together, you get yourselves wet?!"

"Fuck off, old geezer," Sanji scowled as Btella kept bowing apologetically.

"Show some respect, lil' eggplant!" Zeff kicked Sanji across the face.

Sanji twirled in midair for a second before he crashed into a wall and created a huge cavity. Btella sweatdropped. Zeff was going in for the kill but Btella got in between him and Sanji.

"If you're going to kick anyone, kick me!" she yelled at him. "Don't take it out on the poor restaurant!"

Sanji's eyes were rolled back, laying on a pile of wood, and his soul was escaping his body through his mouth. A giant bruise manifesting on his cheek. "That's a bit mean... Belle..."

Zeff huffed, calming down a bit. "Okay. I'll stop with the restaurant in mind."

"Oi!" Sanji snarled.

Btella twirled around and gave him the peace sign, grinning idiotically. Sanji exhaled through his nose, surrendering.

_ _ _

"Belle," Sanji grabbed her hands. "Will you do something for me?"

Btella lifted her eyebrows. "What?"

"Become my doll."

"...Eh?"

. . .

Btella found herself being dragged around the island or else trudging after an overly eager Sanji. He had asked her to let him dress her up in cute and girly clothes, which she didn't usually wear. If you're an engineer you get soot and grim on you. Working in that kind of environment in a dress wasn't the smartest idea.

Also, her waitress outfit had been altered into a feminine version of the waiters' uniform, since, when she was younger she was almost molested by a pirate that had been stopping by. Incidentally, she had been wearing a really frilly and fluffy dress that Sanji had picked out himself. That pirate was bombarded with giant forks and kitchen knives and Btella had found herself behind all the chefs and cooks that had come to her rescue, Sanji in the front biting the man's leg.

Sanji had continually asked her to dress more feminine as time went by as her only outfits were her worn out cotton shirt, brown trousers, and her waitress and cook uniforms. She had refused every time but because she was leaving soon, she thought she might let him this time around. Boy, did she regret it.

"These would look perfect on you, Belle~" Sanji said, twirling over like a ballerina. "Go on! Try it on!"

Btella was forcing a smile as she accepted the pile of clothes from him. "A-all of these?"

"Mm hmm!" Sanji glowed.

"Okay..."

. . .

"Sanji..." Btella called from inside the changing room.

"Ready?"

"Yeah..." She threw the curtain to the side.

You couldn't tell. If you were there you would never have been able to tell who was blushing harder, Sanji or Btella.

She was wearing a laurel green dress with lace around the cinched waist area and from the edges up to the quarter of the dress's length. It stopped just above the knee and the scars that were crawling up her legs weren't even visible in Sanji's eyes. She had thrown on a baggy cardigan to cover the sign on her back and some sandals.

She looked delicate and small, contrasting to the capable fighter he knew she was.

"You look..." Sanji stumbled over his tongue. "... wow..."

"What's with the tone of surprise?" Btella glowered. "Thought I'd look horrible?"

"No!" Sanji said hurriedly. "You just exceeded my expectations."

Btella crossed her arms. "And how high were these expectations?"

"As high as old man Zeff's hat."

Btella cracked a smile. "Okay. I won't cave your skull in anymore."

She grabbed the curtain. "I'll change into the next outfit."

"Wait," Sanji grabbed her arm. "You don't need to. This is just fine."

"Are you sure?" Btella asked uncertainly. "You seemed so excited to see me in the rest."

"Maybe I'll want to see the rest next time, but for now, this will do," he walked over to the counter. "Can you wear it out?"

Btella goggled at him. "Wha! You're going to buy it?! Do you know how expensive this dress is?!"

She ran after him, finally catching up to him at the counter. "Sanji! This is ridiculous! Two hundred beli for a dress?!"

"Actually it's three hundred with the cardigan and the shoes, plus tax," Sanji told her.

Btella gasped. "You're buying the whole thing!? You're wasting money!"

"It's not a waste to me," Sanji pulled out his wallet.

Btella made a grab for his wallet but Sanji moved out of the way just in time. He kept her at bay while she threw her arms around, reaching hopelessly.

"Let your boyfriend buy it for you, miss," a man in the line behind them smiled in amusement. "You look charming."

"He's not my-"

"You heard him," Sanji handed the money to the clerk and with a click of the cash register, it was bought.

"I'll get your regular clothes from the changing room, wait here," Sanji accepted a bag from the employee and sprinted to the back again.

After he was gone, Btella turned to the cashier. "Is there any way to return the clothes?!"

The woman smiled mischievously. "Do you have the receipt?"

Btella's eyes turned into little dots. "No..."

"Then, no. You cannot return the clothing. Please get out of line, you're holding up the other customers."

Btella was pouting as they were walking down the street. Sanji couldn't help but smile.

"Three hundred... gosh I feel like a walking treasury," Btella grumbled.

"Remember when Zeff used to dress us up in matching outfits," Sanji said, somewhat off topic.

"That has nothing to do with the present circumstance!"

"I have pictures~"

Btella brightened up. "Really? Let me see."

"Let's go and sit down in the ice cream parlor."

"I'm paying this time," Btella said stubbornly as she looped her arm through Sanji's and they began walking.

"You'll need all that money for when you sail off," Sanji said logically. "Don't worry about it, Belle. Just think of it this way, I'm paying for all the times I'm going to miss having you around. Your birthday, the holidays..."

Sanji turned his head, hiding his tears.

"Sanji?"

Sanji sniffed loudly. "I'm fine," his voice cracked. "I just broke down for a second."

Btella smiled sadly and she got on her tippy toes to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you."

Sanji's hand was on his cheek as he gaped down at her. His mouth then spread into a smile. He grabbed her hand and sprinted to the parlor.

When they were in their seats, Sanji pulled out a stack of pictures and handed them to her. He watched as she flipped through them and her eyes sparkle at each image. There was one where she was dressed as a salt shaker and Sanji was a pepper shaker. Another where they were peas in a pod. And another where she was a cookie and Sanji was a carton of milk. The most obvious one is where she was a carrot while Sanji was an eggplant. She was always hanging around in the background with Sanji grinning cheekily in the front.

After she was done going through the ones when they were kids, she saw ones where they were around twelve or thirteen. A cook seemed to have caught them off guard because one of the pictures showed both of them surprised, the following was a picture of Sanji kicking them in the face angrily, Kevin's face smooshed into the lens.

Btella's smile slid off her face when she saw a picture of her and Sanji outside on the balcony, the sun rising in front of them, making the water glisten and their silhouettes blurry. Sanji was leaning over on the railing, his arms resting on the top. Aoi was sitting on the railing, her legs over the side. It looked so peaceful. She set this picture aside.

The next one made her grin again. All the chefs in one picture, looking normal as they all smiled at the camera. The one below that one made her laugh. In the span of a second, a fight had broken out and the little rectangle was frozen in the moment of chaos, the photographer's thumb blurring one of the corners. She showed this picture to Sanji, who also chuckled.

"I don't even remember how that fight started." He scooped some ice cream into his mouth.

"These are going in the album right?" Btella said as she dug into her own treat.

"Yup," Sanji took the pictures back and tucked them into his inner jacket pocket.

"Oh," a guy that had been passing by their booth paused in front of Btella. "Aren't you a looker? Want to come hang out with me and the boys?"

Btella slowly savored the ice cream, not even giving the burly man a glance. "No, thank you. I'm with a man at the moment."

The burly guy looked over at Sanji, whose eye was shadowed and menacing. Sweat accumulated on the jerk's face and he back up. "Ah... I see. Carry on then."

When he was gone, Sanji looked around and saw a bit too many eyes on Btella, all male. He gritted his teeth and standing up, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her up. Btella, who had been about to take another spoonful of ice cream looked up in surprise at him.

"Sanji-"

"We're going row boating!" Sanji beamed, the previous hostility ebbing away. "Row boating!"

"Can't we do it after we fini-"

"Row boating!" Sanji left money on the table and he dragged Btella out.

Maybe it was a mistake dressing her up so cutely. Sanji tsked. Damn bastards can't keep their perverted eyes off.

Sanji was suddenly holding nothing but air and he looked over to see nobody next to him. "Belle?!"

"Over here!" Btella called from a few feet in front of him. She had on an excited expression and she was waving him over. "Over here, Sanji!"

"When did she get over there...?" he sweatdropped.

He calmed down his panicked heart for a second before strolling over to her side. He wasn't surprised to see that they were in front of the hardware store.

"You find something you want?" Sanji said as she leaned in to see into the display.

"Yeah!" she beamed, running into the store.

The bell announced their arrival and Btella ran by the manager while Sanji entered a bit more calmly.

"Oh, Btella-tan!" the manager said. "You look so adorable!"

"I blame Sanji," Btella yelled over her shoulder as she vanished into the cluttered store.

The lady tittered and hobbled over to shake Sanji's hand. "My you've grown, Sanji-tan."

"You saw me yesterday, Chou-baasan," Sanji smiled. "How's business?"

"Oh, you know that Btella-tan is our main consumer, Sanji-tan," Grandma Chou chuckled.

"Where's Mr. Hachirou?" Sanji asked of her husband.

"That lazy bum," she sighed. "He's out with his grandson, spoils that kid rotten."

Chou leaned in playfully, whispering. "Did you tell Btella-tan yet?"

Sanji blushed and he averted eye contact. "No... not yet..."

"Well, you better hurry it up!" Chou crossed her arms. "If you don't, you'll miss your chance."

"Found it!" Btella appeared again, tripping over boxes and spilling it contents all over the floor. "Ah!"

"Be careful, Belle," Sanji walked over to help her clean.

"Gomenasai, Chou baa-sama," Btella apologized as she scooped up an armful of washers and nuts.

"It's not a problem, Btella-tan."

When they were done cleaning, Sanji and Btella had a little squabble about who was going to pay for her equipment which Sanji won. He led her to the docks where a small row boat was waiting. Sanji helped lower her into the boat without it flipping over and hopped in after.

Sanji rowed them out into open waters and kept rowing until the island could fit on top of their palm. Btella leaned over the side and dipped her hand into the water, almost falling asleep at the peace.

"Belle."

Btella sat up and she saw that Sanji had unpacked a bento box and was holding out food with chopsticks. She clamped her mouth down on it.

"Delicious," Btella commented after swallowing.

"It has good flavor, right?" Sanji grinned that absurdly happy, endearing grin.

"Here," Btella grabbed a handful of grapes after they were done with the bento. "Open wide."

Sanji did so and Btella aimed carefully before tossing a grape straight into his mouth. He chewed on it as Btella punched the air in triumph. "One point for the amazing Btella-sama!"

"Let me in on this," Sanji grabbed another grape and Btella opened her mouth.

Sanji took in a deep breath, preparing himself. He then aimed and tossed...It missed entirely.

They stared at the bobbing grape on the ocean's surface and Sanji became defensive as Btella began laughing, ending up gasping for breath. "That was awful!"

"Let me try again!"

"It won't even matter! You're a horrible shot!"

"That's mean! It's because the boat was swaying!"

"Blame it on the boat, why don't you!" Btella couldn't breathe.

"Belle! Come on!"

The boat was tilting to the side and the pair scrambled to find their balance again. In the struggle, Btella found herself underneath Sanji, whose eye was widening gradually.

Sanji flew backward and sat with his head hung, hiding his blush unsuccessfully.

"Belle... I... I've been meaning to tell you something."

Btella sat up and gave Sanji her full attention. "What is it?"

"I..." Sanji lifted his gaze, determination emitting off him. "I... I lo-"

The water exploded and the boat flipped over, burying the two into the waves. Sanji swam up to the surface and his head broke water. He gasped in oxygen and then looked around wildly. "Belle! Belle!"

Her head broke the surface a few feet away from him and she coughed out the water that had entered her lungs. Sanji swam over to her, relieved. "Belle, you're-"

Belle saw something behind him and a look of fear crossed her face. "Sanji, watch out!"

"Eh..." Sanji turned his head, time slowing as the sea monster came into view. Rotting scales and yellow beady eyes, its breath putrid. It lunged at him, baring its many teeth.

Btella whipped her arms out, aiming at the serpent's eyes. "Peacock Slasher!"

The delicate weapon met its mark and the monster cried out, thrashing around from the pain of having its eyes pierced. A wave from its tantrum pushed Sanji back and Btella brought out a tiny, compact container and pulled a string out from it with her teeth. She threw it into the air and it became a metal raft. It fell and settled on the sea and Sanji jumped onto it.

"How dare you try to hurt Belle, you runt of an eel," an intense aura surrounded Sanji.

Btella was bobbing up and down in the water, a bit ways away from where he was standing. "It was going for you, Sanji."

Sanji chose to ignore her and he pulled out his soaked, ruined cigarettes. He tsked. "And my cigarettes wasted."

"Good," Btella said.

The monster's cries of agony subsided and it resorted to using its sense of smell. Having locked on the smell of his targeted lunch, he swam blindly toward Sanji.

"I'll fillet you," Sanji promised and he jumped off the raft just as the monster crushed it.

Btella pouted. "Takes hours to make those."

Sanji was, meanwhile, flipping in the air. Preparing his leg, when he was above the eel's skull, he swung down. "Mutton Shot."

There was a reverberating clang and the serpent's tongue shot out of its mouth, its eyes rolling back into its head. Tremors passed through the mirror surface of the sea as the serpent collapsed into the water, a giant bump on its head. Sanji landed on the monster.

"Are you okay, Belle?" he yelled down.

"Yeah!" Btella shouted up at him, swimming toward the serpent. "Gomen, Sanji! I got the clothes you bought me wet."

"I'm just glad you're not hurt," Sanji yelled back.

They got back to the restaurant with the oversized eel in tow and dripping wet. Zeff didn't even need to comment for them to know what he was thinking.

"Soaking wet, again."

"Shut up and cook the damn chibi monster," Sanji snapped.

"I can't believe you let Btella-san get wet, Sanji!" Kevin reprimanded.

"Don't lecture me, 'burn the kitchen down once a week' incompetence," Sanji spat.

"You want to go, brat?! I have more years on ya!"

"Ah... ah... ah..." Btella leaned back. "CHOO!"

She groaned, sniffing.

The cooks all gasped. "Quick! Get her inside!"

"Stoke up the fire, damn bastards!" Patty ordered.

"Medicine! Cold medicine! Where the fuckin' hell is it?!"

"In the damn medicine closet, dunce!" Carne was running around, gathering blankets.

"Listen, men! If my precious lil' carrot gets sick, you'll be scrubbing the whole restaurant with toothbrushes!" Zeff threatened.

Btella was dropped near the fire place and the cooks all dumped blanket after blanket on her. "Can't... breathe...!"

"It's for your own good, Btella!" Dango told her.

"At least let me change into dry clothes!"

"Don't move away from the fire, Btella-san!"

"Medicine! Medicine!"

"We need more blankets!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! "LISTEN TO ME, YOU EARLESS BASTARDS!" Btella growled.

"Yes, ma'am..." the chefs sobbed, laying in defeat on the floor.

_

Sanji found Btella curled up in blankets up in their room. He walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. He laid a hand on Btella's forehead and recoiled. It felt like a personal sauna. "Oi, Belle!"

She groaned, peeking under her eyelids at Sanji. "Yeah?"

"You're burning up!"

"Really? I feel cold..."

Sanji ran to the closet and reached up to grab the throws, covers, and blankets that were stacked on the top shelf. He threw it on top of her and proceeded to run downstairs to fetch some logs.

Throwing them into the empty fireplace, ash flew around everywhere and entered his lungs. He coughed but reached into his pocket for his matches.

"It has its moments, huh...?" Btella was watching him from the bed. "Smoking, I mean."

Sanji tossed the lit match into the fire and saw the tiny flame fighting to thrive. He stoked the fire and coaxed it to grow.

"Wait, here," Sanji told Btella as he ran downstairs again.

She'll have to eat before taking any medicine... Sanji rolled up his sleeves and went to work.

Sanji came up to their room with a tray placed with warm soup, water, and medicine on the side. The fire was crackling in the grate and Btella had migrated from the bed to the foot of the fireplace, blankets around her. Sanji walked over and put the tray to the side.

"You shouldn't have gotten out of bed..." Sanji saw that Btella was playing with the cracked glass cup, looking at it with bleary eyes.

"I can't believe you kept it..." she smiled softly. "I remember now. The first time we met, there had been a typhoon. I managed to keep the bowl and plate safe but this cup had suffered damage. I wanted to thank you for the food but I was too scared. I left the dishware on the porch of that tiny restaurant we used to live in."

Sanji watched her rough, calloused hands play with the glass cup. "I've never thanked you for all you've done for me..."

"You don't need to." Sanji placed a hand on top of her head. "This shitty life, we'll live through."

Btella grinned and, carefully putting the glass cup to the side, lifted her hand to land on Sanji's shoulder. "Together and always."

They both laughed and Sanji picked up the bowl of soup. He scooped up a bit of it and lifted it up to Btella's mouth. She gave him a look.

"I can feed myself."

"I just want to do it for you," Sanji shrugged.

Btella hesitated for a second before she sighed and opened her mouth. Sanji tilted the spoon and Btella swallowed.

"Goal!" Sanji cheered, throwing his free arm up into the air. "One point for the amazing Prince-sama!"

Btella giggled and Sanji joined in. He scooped up another spoonful and held it out. "Here."

Sanji fed Btella until there wasn't a single drop of soup left in the bowl. After helping her take the medicine, they sat and talked in front of the fireplace late into the night.

Btella fell asleep on Sanji's shoulder, bundled up in blankets and Sanji lifted her up bridal style and laid her back down on the bed. After adding more kindling to the fire, Sanji crawled into bed next to Btella and, staring at her flushed face, fell asleep.

_______________________________________________________________________________

* The san- part in Sanji's name means three and shi means four. shi also means death, which is what Sanji is referring to when he says it's a dangerous name