Vivi stared at the seams in the tent.  Carue was snoring on one side of her, Nami lay silently on her left. 

She needed to sleep.  But she couldn't.  She couldn't get over one thing.

It's getting late.

A couple of things.

Oh, Nami-swan!  Let me help you with that!

They shouldn't bother her.

Oh, Nami-swan!  Would you like a drink of my water?

Last night had been nothing at all.

Oh, Nami-swaaaaaaan!  Vivi-chan! Here's your dinner!

It was all very clear.  She'd spent the entire day waiting for one sign - a gesture, an off-hand comment - but had seen nothing.  It had been a very typical day.

And it was driving her to distraction - she hadn't wanted it to be typical at all.

Vivi decided that she needed a breath of fresh air.  She was careful not to wake Carue or Nami.  She was pretty good at sneaking out of places.  She'd had lots of practice, first when she was a kid meeting the Suna Suna Clan and then later as a Frontier Agent.

Vivi carefully untied the tent flaps.  Cold air seeped inside.

"Vivi?" Nami sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Where are you going?"

"Just outside.  For fresh air," Vivi said quickly.

"Everything's okay?" the other girl asked, yawning.

"Un. Go back to sleep, Nami-san."

Satisfied, Nami flopped back down onto her bedroll and Vivi went outside.

===================

Sanji had been pacing around the fire, trying to keep himself warm.  Cold desert.  Quiet night.  Thank god for cigarettes. They kept his hands and his mind occupied.

He thought he was wasting his time, but then she'd come into the moonlight.

"Sanji-san?  What are you doing?"

She wasn't expecting to see him. That was a surprise. He'd been prepared to wait all night.  "You couldn't sleep either?" he asked.

She nodded.

"This is kind of good.  I wanted to talk to you about last night."

"Me too."

"Oh.  Good." Was that a good thing? he wondered, as he sat down.

He hadn't even asked her to sit, she thought glumly. All the discomfort of the day seemed to manifest itself as static electricity between them.

"I was wondering about last night," he began suddenly.

"It didn't mean much," Vivi said shortly.  It was best to say what he wanted to hear.

His insides twisted. "Are you asking me or telling me?"

"We were both there and…" Vivi trailed off.

She was echoing the same thoughts he'd had today.  Sanji gathered up his courage and said,  "It wasn't something I can just blow off, Vivi-chan."

"It wasn't?"  She kneaded her hands together nervously.  "But, ah, what you were saying to Nami-san today…"

His voice cracked.  "You didn't think today that I was-"

"It was a typical day." She tried to keep her tone light, but when she brushed her hair out of her face, it was a gesture full of nerves.  "You paid attention to Nami
san.  Not that you weren't paying attention to me, of course," she added quickly.  "It was just that - "

"I didn't pay special attention to you," he finished.

Vivi bit her lip.  Now he was going to think that she was a whiny basket case who needed everyone focused on her.

"They would have noticed immediately."  He dropped the stub of his cigarette and watched the sand kill the flame. "And they would have assumed who knows what."

He could see that she didn't understand.  A half smile played at Sanji's lips. "Would you want Luffy gaping at you or Chopper asking stupid questions out loud?" He let her think about that for a moment then said, "The bottom line is that I didn't want to embarrass you, so I pretended that it was a typical day and I was a typical me - though it felt like anything but."

"You pretended that nothing had happened," she repeated softly, realizing that her apprehension had been interpreted as nonchalance.  "And I did nothing to make you believe otherwise."

The sinking feeling in Sanji's stomach disappeared.  "You mean that…?" Was it possible that she could feel even a fraction of what he was feeling?  That she might return those feelings?

She smiled wanly.  "It was a really difficult day today, watching you and Nami.  Thank you for explaining.  It makes more sense now."

Happiness warred with guilt; he had made her feel bad.  But that meant she cared and Sanji felt his heart leap, like a game fish caught on a hook.  He was the fish and her smile, the way she said his name, how she looked tonight - all of it was the hook.

"But what about tomorrow?" Vivi asked.

He thought carefully then said, "It will be the same, Vivi-chan.  There won't be a single reason that will allow anyone to think that anything has changed between us."  He was silent for a moment.  "It has changed though. Hasn't it?"

It was a queried hope; Vivi realized that he wanted it to be different. "Yes." She felt the heat rise in her cheeks. "But it has to be a secret?"

"You don't want to have a secret?  Just between the two of us?" he asked teased gently.

"I think…" She knew what she thought. She'd had to live too many secrets.  For once, why couldn't everything be out in the open?  But she knew that the gentleman pirate wasn't going to do anything that might hurt her - not even if she wanted him to. "I think that would be fine."

He sensed her hesitancy.  "We could have a signal. A way to know that we're thinking of each other."

"Like what?"

Sanji mused for a moment. "Every time you chew your lip."

"But I do that all the time - " She stifled a laugh.  "Don't make fun of me."

"But you should be thinking of me." Sanji took her hand in his. "Every time you're worried - think of me.  And know that I'm thinking of you."

She couldn't handle the intensity of his gaze and looked away.  "When you think of me…"

"Yes?"

"Waggle your eyebrow."

"What?!"

Vivi giggled.

"Oh - so Marimo-head can have another reason to make fun of me?" he asked with mock ire.  Vivi couldn't help herself and laughed loudly.

Then someone in the guy's tent spoke out.  They froze and listened.

"Giant snow bunnies…thousandzzzz….captain usoppuuu…"

Sanji sighed with relief.  "Just Long Nose talking in his sleep."

Vivi realized how nervous he had become in that one moment.  He had gripped her hand so tightly.  Perhaps this was a sign that they should part for the evening.  They'd said so many things to each other and she had a lot to think about.  "It's getting late," she said reluctantly.

Sanji stood and helped her to her feet, not wanting to let go of her hand. "Hang on.  'We have a long walk ahead of us.'  That's my part, right?"

"So…I guess this is goodnight," she said.

"You might want your hand back." He untwined his fingers from hers and stepped away.

"Sanji.  Wait." Vivi went on her tiptoes.  The sand shifted beneath her feet and the kiss that was meant for his lips landed on his scruffy chin.

But he fixed that.

===============
A/N: Whenever I'm alone with you, you make me feel like I am whole again…however far away, I will love you. whatever words I say, I will always love you…
I would like to thank The Cure.  I put them on continuous play and tada! Automatic pilot for sharp cheddary fic.
Kohza: I thought this was only a test.
Author: …whoops.  My bad.  Don't worry.  Only two more chapters to go and then the desert rose will be deflowered and -
Kohza: WHAT?
Author: Kidding. Sheesh. Sense of humor - got one?
Kohza (darkly): I know what you do with flower metaphors.

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