Chapter 5

"Land ho!" Came through the speakers of the ship, waking me from my slumber. I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. A blanket pooled at my waist and I saw a basked placed at the foot of my sleeping place.

I could only think of one man who would do something so kind. Sanji had probably been pulled back to his senses by one of his crew members and made the lovely basked for me.

I shifted to sit on my knees and reached for the basket. A note was tied around the handle and I opened it to read its contents.

Dear Miss Y/N,

I hope you have slept well since last night. When I found you, you were still asleep. This basket has enough provisions to last until my next night watch. It should be in six days.

Nami speaks of an island that is close by. It should be uninhabited. If you would like to join me for a I would greatly enjoy it. If you leave the storage door on a small crack, I will see it as a positive answer.

From yours truly,

Sanji, your knight in shining armour

I laughed softly at his self-made title, but a picnic would be lovely. With a folded blanket at my side now and a piece of bread in hand, I opened the door a bit, giving Sanji his answer. Now it was a waiting game.

Minutes turned in hours and I got a bit lost in a drawing I did. A perfectly sculpted face of Sanji stared back at me. I wasn't quite happy with the shading yet, but it was coming along well.

A knock pulled me from my thoughts and work. I placed it aside, switching my position to move to a crouch in case I needed to run. "Yes?" I whispered in answer.

"It's just me." Sanji said. The door swung open and he stepped through. "Ready for the picnic?"

I nodded with a hum and got to my feet. "Are you sure we won't stumble upon any of your crew members?"

"I'm quite positive. They should be too busy to keep Luffy in check to even notice us. And I thought it was about time to leave the ship for a while, you have been stuck here for a while."

A kind smile graced my lips. He was such a gentleman, thinking of my wellbeing as a stowaway. "That is so kind. Thank you, Sanji."

That seemed to fluster him. He tried to stutter a few words, but gave up in the end.

I turned my back to him, both to hide my own rising blush and to grab my cloak. I didn't know if it was a summer or winter island and I would rather be prepared.

Throwing it around my shoulders, fastening the clasp in front of me. I tried my hardest to keep the heated cheeks to a minimum. I turned back to Sanji and watched as he gawked at me. "You look stunning, Y/N-san." He said, the tips of his ears turned bright red.

"Thank you," I said with hesitation and the blush returned in full force, "but I didn't even changed my clothes."

"That is not needed." Sanji refuted, taking a step in my direction. His hand rose up to rest on my shoulder. "You are always beautiful to me."

If I thought I couldn't turn any redder, I was wrong. I didn't dare to look him in the eyes, afraid he could see my cursed soul. Even if he did say it didn't matter. I still was careful and afraid of it. It took so much from me.

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

Sanji's hand moved to my cheek. It made me close my mouth as his thumb brushed over my skin. It tickled slightly, but the tingling sensation it left behind felt amazing. He leaned in closer, but never closed the gap.

"Would you do me the honour of being your escort for today, Miss Y/N." He said, taking a step back and offered his arm to me. A gentle smile played on his lips.

"Oh," I stumbled over thoughts. He was such a little devil to tease me like that. A sly smile of my own painted my face. But I was still a bit disappointed he didn't kiss me. "Why thank you, Sir Sanji. I would be honoured to have you as my escort for today."

I linked my arm in his and allowed him to guide me out of my little sleeping place. The sun was warm, but not burning. It was probably a spring island. A perfect place for a picnic.

The island itself was filled with spruce trees. Their tops reached the sky and towered over us. We left the ship and beach behind us and moved deeper into the forest.

Besides the sounds of birds and other critters inside the forest we heard yelling in the distance. I had jumped the first time at the sound, but Sanji was so kind as to explain it was probably his captain making a ruckus on the other side of the island.

We could see a few mountains tower over the trees in the distance. Their grey colour stood stark in contrast to the clear blue sky. In all of what I could see, this island was beautiful in its own way.

"Does this island have a name?" I asked.

"Nami doesn't know if it has a name yet."

"How about I give it one?"

"What a lovely idea." Sanji answered as he looked at me. "I shall tell Nami about it when we return."

"This island is so beautiful. That could be part of the name. What do you think of the name Utsukushi mono? Meaning beautiful one, or beautiful things. It depends on the context." I mused out loud.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful island." Sanji said, agreeing with the name I came up with. "We are almost there. Just past that hill."

We got closer to the mountains and had to walk up the hill to see a field with all kinds of flowers lay down below us. They moved softly in the breeze and in the distance a few blooming cherry blossoms swayed their leaves. The pink petals drifted across the field towards us.

I lifted a hand to catch a few petals. They felt like velvet fabric and I released them back to the wind and followed them with my eyes, landing on Sanji who stood beside me. "How did you find this?"

"I had a change to explore the island a bit before I came to pick you up. Found it while looking for herbs with Chopper."

I smiled deeply and took the lead down to the flowers. His hand now placed in mine as we strolled down the hill into the flower field. The flowers brushed against the hem of my dress. All kinds of colours filled the field and picked one of the flowers. A thought struck me, giving me a smile.

"I will set up the picnic on the hill." Sanji said. Our intertwined hands released slowly as he moved away.

"Sure," I said absentmindedly. Now my focus was on the flowers and the idea still stuck in my head. A flower crown, woven from as many flowers I could find.

It didn't take long to weave one. The motion felt familiar and practiced. Yellow, blue and a bit of red flowers were woven into a crown, decorated with bright green leaves.

With silent steps I walked back to the hill, seeing Sanji had set up the small picnic. He had taken a seat on the blanket and was watching me with a fond smile. I could see different kinds of sandwiches. Even a muffin or two. Tea was still steaming from the cups it was poured into.

I hid the flower crown behind my back. I sat beside Sanji, placing the crown on the floor behind me. "This looks lovely, Sanji." I complimented his work. I didn't dare to look him in the afraid he would see right through me and spoil the surprise I had for him.

That seemed to make his cheeks heat up as I noticed it turned a slight pink colour.

"Can you please close your eyes?' I asked after a beat of silence. I looked through my lashes at the man beside me. With silent hope that he would do so, I picked up the crown that laid behind me.

"Sure?" Sanji said, a bit unsure. He did do as I had asked and his grey-blue eyes were hidden behinds his lids.

With a slight tremble, that I got rid of with a deep sigh, I placed the crown over his blond locks. "Don't open them just yet."

Sanji hummed and stayed where he was.

I shuffled closer to him, leaning towards his cheek. With soft pressure, but full of false confidence, I placed a kiss on cheek. I could both hear and feel his breathing stop for a moment.

As I leaned away again, I heard his gasp for air. His eyes had fluttered open in slight shock. His face bright red and a small stream of blood dripped from his nose.

"Sanji!" I exclaimed in shock at the sight of blood.

He cursed under his breath and raised a hand to stop the bleeding. His face now tinted red with embarrassment.

I grabbed a handkerchief from my pocket. He had turned his head away from me. With a gentle hand on his cheek I guided his face back towards me. His eyes stayed on my form, but he didn't mutter a word as I got to work to wipe the blood away.

When I was almost finished, he finally spoke up. "Y/N, your handkerchief."

I shook my head. "Do not worry. It can be washed."

"But..."

"No but." I rebutted his complaint. My tone both motherly and sharp. "I may be a helpless lady in your eyes, but that does not mean I can't help. Do not forget about my curse and the deadly side of it."

Sanji surrendered at my small lecture and let me finish wiping the blood away.

"There, all done." I whispered as the last of the blood was gone. With careful folds to contain the blood inside the handkerchief as to not stain my dress as well, I placed it in my lap together with my hands.

"Y/N." Sanji said, making me look up at him.

"Yes?" I questioned, a bit confused about what he could possibly want. But the playful twinkle in his eye was more than enough to know he was planning something.

"You missed."

"What do you—"

I couldn't finish my sentence as his lips crashed onto mine. They felt so soft and I could taste the slightest bit of cigarette smoke on them. It was electric to kiss like this, both rough and kind.

I moved away for a breath of air, but I didn't get much time to renew the breath in my lungs. Sanji's hands found my waist and pulled me closer to him. Our bodies pressed against one another. The kiss returned and I didn't mind, I truly hoped this moment could never end.

I didn't know how long this one took, but it felt like hours. We parted and I caught my breath.

"Y/N?" Sanji asked between breaths. His hands still on my waist, keeping me close.

"Yes?" I questioned again, looking up at him.

"I love you."

I smiled brightly at him. My hands raised up to rest on his cheeks. I placed my lips against his for a short moment. "I love you too."