I don't own One Piece or it's characters; that's the good fortune of Eiichiro Oda.  But the way the words go together - that's all mine.

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Vivi walked out of her tent - seeking solace in marble ruins, in a desert night. 

But desert nights are cold and the marble of the ruins spoke of things long gone, decayed, lost to the past.  She couldn't stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks.

A small point of light flared in the darkness, illuminating his face.  He said her name. 

She wasn't alone and she held onto that fact as he invited her to sit closer to the fire. "No one ever told me the fucking desert got so cold," Sanji muttered, as he threw another stick of kindling into the flames.  He pulled a flask out and offered it to her.  "It'll keep you warm."

"No, it won't," she said.  "That's an old wife's tale - alcohol keeping you warm."

He shrugged, not a little hurt, but opened it anyway.  "Age before beauty this time, Vivi - I'm going to have agree with the old wife."

She mustered a smile for his sort of compliment.

"That's better.  Beautiful ladies shouldn't frown."

"Oh, Sanji-san," she chided gently. "Don't say things like that."

"Are you asking me to lie?"

"Of course not."

"Do you need anything?  Another blanket?  Perhaps a drink of water?  That always helped me sleep."

He was hovering over her, just like the servants she had spent her childhood hiding from. But she didn't put him off or push him away.  With someone else around, she could forget how cold and long the night was�Elt;br>
"You shouldn't chew on your lip," he observed.

"Sorry." The pain had kept her distracted; now she was concentrating fully on her worries. She only barely heard him say, "You shouldn't be."

Vivi tried to convince herself that this dread inside was part of Crocodile's work, but �Eerhaps this is what her country had been like all along.

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Sanji added.

Or perhaps - perhaps it was all her fault.  The traitorous tears snaked down again and she choked back a sob.

"You're shivering." He dropped his cigarette, quickly pulled off his robe, and threw it around her shoulders.  The comforting weight broke her resolve and one of her sobs escaped in a muffled cry.

"Vivi-chan�Equot; His arms were around her.  She stiffened instantly and he let her go. 

"I didn't mean - I hope you don't think I was�Equot; Sanji stammered out an apology and stood up.

Vivi had him by the sleeve.  "Don't leave."

"I really think I should go back to the tent.  What if someone came out here?" He looked at the bottle still in his hand and frowned.  "They'd get the wrong idea."

Vivi made a wry face.  "Shouldn't I be worrying about that?"

"Gentlemen shouldn't put ladies in situations."

His embarrassment caused her to forget her own. "You were being nice - that's nothing to be ashamed of. Please sit."

He looked uncomfortable but did as she asked. Now he's nervous and it's my fault, she thought glumly, as he lit a new cigarette.  She tried to make amends. "Sanji-san, thank you for trying to make me feel better."

"Can I ask�Eo you mind telling me what was bothering you? One of them didn't do anything�E" He hiked his thumb behind him, gesturing at the guy's tent and left the threat hanging in the air.

"No, no, nothing like that." She looked past the fire, into the darkness, then up at the stars. "It�Et's ...everything."

How could she get him to understand that home felt as far away from her now as it had in Whiskey Peak?

"I think I know what you're getting at," he said carefully.  "You mean the emptiness, right?"

She nodded slowly.

"Yeah�Equot; A stream of smoke escaped the corner of his mouth.  "You know I grew up on a floating ship, right?  Most of my life the most solid things under my feet were planks of wood nailed together. Most of the time, it didn't bother me - but if it were a really peaceful night�Equot;

"A peaceful night?"

He looked beyond the fire.  "Kinda funny, isn't it? Storms were nothing, but really calm, quiet nights drove me nuts.  Those weren't very often either - the restaurant was always busy and the other cooks were noisy as hell."

"But sometimes the water would be glass.  The boat would be silent.  The air would be still.  And my heart would pump like a scared rabbit's.  Because then it was just me under that sky that extended forever.  It was just me on that ocean that ran right up into the horizon." He threw the end of the cigarette into the campfire. "I needed boundaries, like waves and clouds and other people, or I thought I'd lose myself in the emptiness and float away."

Right now Sanji made so much sense that it hurt.

"Nature is pretty good at showing us how small we are in the grand scheme of things. I think part of the fear comes from realizing how big we could be�Equot; He watched the light of the fire play across Vivi's feature and said softly, " �End wondering if we'll ever measure up."

"We will," she murmured.

His cloak had slipped down her back and he reached out to fix it. Vivi thought he was going to embrace her again.  This time, instead of turning away, she leaned towards him. Sanji saw the look in her eyes, realized that she wanted comfort and he gave her�Elt;br>
�E kiss that tasted of liquor and smoke; warmth and strength  - it was the first time Vivi had felt both safe and untroubled since coming to Alabasta.  It was the first time her country had felt like home.

Her worries melted; as did her lips, her limbs, her resolve�Elt;br>
Sanji pulled away first. "It's getting late," he said.

A gentleman pirate; the phrase was no contradiction in his case, she reflected.  "And we have a long way to walk tomorrow."

"That's true."

Vivi stepped backwards, not wanting to leave, but feeling that she should. The last glimpse she caught of Sanji was him, waiting for her to go in the tent - just like a prince seeing his princess safely home.

As Vivi drifted to sleep, a smile crossed her burning lips.  She wasn't cold anymore.

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The next day...

The trudge through the desert had taken a direction Sanji had not thought possible.

He was uniquely aware of his situation.  On one hand, he had kissed Vivi.  That was a good thing.  On the other hand, he had kissed the princess of Alabasta.  That could be a bad thing. 

Vivi and Nami were riding the camel.  He heard Vivi giggle, saw her laugh at something Nami said.

Sanji was overcome with an unshakeable urge to kick the damn camel to death, scoop Vivi up in his arms and carry her off wherever she wanted to go.  Then he would lay her down and -

No, he thought angrily, grinding his cigarette between his teeth.  He wouldn't do a damn thing.  Princess or Vivi; it didn't matter. Last night had been an abnormality.  She'd been upset, he'd been around - case closed.  There was nothing more to it.

On the other hand, he was pretty certain the evening wouldn't have ended the way it had if any of the other guys had been in his place.

He smiled to himself.  That thought comforted him the rest of the day.

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Author's Notes: This is a test of the Fanfic Broadcasting System.  This is only a test.  Were this an actual romance fic involving Vivi, Kohza would be in it.  This is only a test.  Please resume your regular fic-reading.  Thank you.

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