One day you'll find that I have gone...

[love_hurricane]

Characters: Sanji and OPEN.
Location: The gates.
Time: Early morning.
Content: The stubborn guy finally gave up on being stubborn.
Format: Anything but likely prose.
Warnings: Might want a bucket for those farewell tears ;__;

Comments

I had to pause making AX for this *snugs* The only log I've paused for.

[usedairslash]

Oh, you aren't getting away that easy. Standing off to the side, the blond girl stepped from the shadows, for once being completely unarmed and with a completely unreadable expression. Hearing Sanji had been leaving was the last straw for Temari, once she'd heard, she took off for a bit. First Waka, then Duo, Hiiro, Chopper...anyone she'd made a deep connection with, be it annoyance, hate, or love had left. Sanji leaving was just a bit more than she could take and...she wouldn't be too far behind him. Once she tied up a few loose ends, there was no reason for her to stay. Her control had improved enough, perhaps she'd try to find a few people that had left.

Whether she was there or not though, he was leaving. She wouldn't have been able to live with herself if she hadn't been able to get the guts together to say goodbye though. So here she was, back for the short time she'd be here.

"...Were you really going to leave without saying goodbye...?"

Never mind the fact she hadn't been around to say goodbye to.

[love_hurricane]

"GAAEerwelluhm..."

An odd combination of noises accompanied the chef's near involuntary about-face. The fact that the girl had been absent for the better part of the past week or so completely evaporated from Sanji's mind as he faltered for a reply, a finger running around his collar despite his imperviousness to heat.

"Well... perhaps. Maybe. I just thought... it would be easier." He glanced up once then returned to blinking at the gravel path. "For everyone."

[usedairslash]

Still looking thoroughly unimpressed, she leaned against the gate as she watched him falter.

"And what would you have said if I just packed my bags and left? It's not like you're leaving for a vacation Sanji..." Shrugging, she looked away from the cook "I know that I've been a pain and not the easiest person to live with, but I would have liked to say goodbye to my brother before he left for however long."

Not to mention everyone else he'd connected with in some way. Right now though, she couldn't help being a little selfish. She wanted him to herself right now, especially if this may be the last time she gets to see him.

[love_hurricane]

Awkwardness melted into guilt, although there was the very faintest temptation to argue that she hadn't been around to tell, the cook's senses returning to him as the panic faded. A pale but strong-sinewed hand landed on her shoulder.

"Sorry. I guess some brothers can be idiots like that." A half smile twitched up the left side of his face before he swept his arms up under hers. The advantage of hugging someone was that they couldn't see you face if it was hooked over their shoulder, but his voice was tellingly quavered.

"Can you forgive me?"

[mutedbackbeat]

[[OOC: My grasp on Derrick is shaky at best at the moment, but I can't resist one more thread.]]

The past few weeks had left Derrick feeling like he was at the end of a Yo-Yo. He went back and forth between the school and Townville. At school one week, then to Townsville, back to school for a few days, and soon back to Townsville once more.

He hadn't expected to see Sanji at the gate, but it hadn't felt like a complete surprise either.

"You leaving too?" It was almost uncharacteristic of Derrick to sound so calm about another friend leaving, especially with how badly he took many other goodbyes. Maybe the slightly battered suitcase and ever present skateboard beside him had something to do with it.

[love_hurricane]

Getting over the fact that he had nearly not been able to cover up the fact that Derrick's voice had near startled the living daylights out of him, the cook looked over his shoulder in as nonchalant a manner as he could to arch and eyebrow at the familiar face.

"Seems a little redundant to ask, doesn't it?" There was something slightly off about the sarcasm. Perhaps it was because he wasn't smirking quite as much as was customary.

"What about you? Visiting home, or is this more the permanent sort of visit?"

[mutedbackbeat]

"Uh--" Derrick caught himself before he could apologize to Sanji for startling him. He stopped because, knowing Sanji, it was better to pretend he didn't hear the jump in the cook's melody.

"Guess so." Derrick glanced at the case Sanji carried, then to his own suitcase. He shrugged the case to his new (gifted) bass higher up on to his shoulder. "... Permanent. Moving to a new home actually, and going to school there too."

He decided to ask the question on his mind. "Where are you headed?"

[love_hurricane]

"You don't say?" There was a congratulations in the way he said it, but the nod sufficed for the word itself. It seemed even at the very brink of departure the cook was stubborn to admit any affection, or perhaps he was more stubborn for that very reason.

"Me? Oh, I... got a new job." Well, that was true enough wasn't it? But somehow it wasn't true enough. Sanji's face made a grimace before he persuaded himself that, really, he ought to be okay with saying it by now.

"You remember Luffy, right? Well... we're shipping out together, with Franky, maybe some others too." The flint-hard heel of his well polished shoe scuffed the gravel lightly. "We're... guh, it's so ridiculous, how does he put it so convincingly?" He shrugged at the sky with a frown. "We're going to be pirates. Okay, there, I said it."

<3

[blue_motormouth]

A familiar little ball of blue hovered in the air far above the gate, using the dawn to hide itself. About five minutes ago it had been circling the school buildings when it had suddenly halted, then bolted inside as if escaping the fires of hell. A minute later it had streaked back out and done an almost instant-stop on its current position.

Oddly enough, it now seemed to possess all the patience in the world as it waited for the chef to begin walking. Slowly, it drifted down and behind Sanji to hover about five feet behind his left shoulder and followed along with his pace, emitting only a quiet tinkling as a sign of its presence.

[love_hurricane]

Man, his nerves really were getting the better of him. The chef shook his head like a dog trying to dislodge water from its ears; what was that ringing noise, tinnitus?

Must just be the stress, that was all. I mean, it wasn't every day you had to face leaving a place that you'd only just got used to calling home.

Some part of his brain kicked another part in the shin for being a soppy doofus, his feet determinedly setting a pace that dissuaded any temptation to turn around.

[blue_motormouth]

Aside from a moment of fast dodging to stay out of sight, it didn't wasn't fazed in the least and only followed doggedly along to wherever the chef felt like heading.

Of course, after a minute or two it seemed to forget itself some and slipped into more bobbing patterns, then the occasional sway and swirl. Given a little longer and it would drift closer, increasing the volume on the noise it doesn't realize it is giving off.

[love_hurricane]

Okay, what the heck.

The cook paused, resting his travelling bag on the floor to give himself a good thump on the side of the head with the heel of his palm. That noise was worse than ever, and he could've sworn he saw some sort of light a moment ago.

"Tch, fat lot of good trying to leave early if I have to go back to the infirmary..."

Blinking sternly he frowned, it wasn't just the noise bothering him, it was like there was something familiar about it. As if he'd heard it somewhere before- "GAH!"

A ball of blue light had just most definitely flown by his left ear, and in the time it took for Sanji to recover the shock he realized what was going on. He sighed sadly, but there was an attempt of a smile to his lips.

"Miss Navi, it's terribly early, shouldn't you be in bed?"

[froggycharmer]

For some inexplicable reason, Tiana had woken up abruptly this morning, and without even changing out of her pajamas she rushed her way towards the school's gates. She felt it in her bones--someone was leaving

[love_hurricane]

Sanji couldn't have frozen more perfectly if time itself had stopped.

Looked sublimely ridiculous, balancing with one foot in the air, the chef was caught between a desire to straight out bolt back to the school or the complete opposite direction. Oh no, oh no no no... For once in his entire life at the school, Tiana was the last person he wanted to see.

Because he desperately wanted to see her.

Something about seeing her face would make him want to stay. Hearing her voice just then, angry as it was, was like some siren's call, every fibre of his being telling him to turn around and beg for forgiveness... but he couldn't.

Gingerly turning on the spot he put his foot down on the line between the gate and the grounds; neither in nor out, as he looked back at the person he could barely bring himself to look at. He couldn't even think of anything to say.

[froggycharmer]

Well that would be no problem. Tiana had plenty of choice words to day, enough for the both of them.

"So you thought you could just prance away without sayin' a single word, huh? Like nobody would notice that you were here one day and then gone the next?"

She stopped just a few feet in front of him, eyes fixed in an angry glare. Her breath was short and heavy due to exerting her body so early in the morning. But it wasn't enough to stop her from saying what needed to be said.

"That's not how it works, Sanji. It ain't fair to anybody that you just leave the school without warnin'. It ain't fair to your co-workers, to your friends, or to me!"

As she screamed at him, her eyes began to tear up, but a brusque wipe with her sleeve made sure her cheeks remained dry. She would not cry. Not now. Instead she switched her gaze to the ground, sighing tiredly. "You can't just do that. It ain't right."

[love_hurricane]

Standing there as the tirade hit his face like a full force hurricane the cook tried to keep looking at her face, he really did, but at some point his sight dropped to his shoes, the travelling case long since placed beside them. It didn't look as if he was going to be leaving very quickly, and as he listened he wasn't sure he wanted to.

Everything about the situation should have made him want to flee the scene as quickly as possible, but instead of the usual scolded-dog expression he usually wore during Tiana's corrective lessons he just looked rather hollow and shaken. Why was it hitting him now? He'd known he was going, known that Tiana had been upset, upset enough to avoid him the last few days... was that why he'd supposed he could get away with this? All he'd succeeded in doing was waking her up early, exhausting her emotionally and wound up with her screaming at him

[inspirethefire]

There were a lot of side effects to what had happened with Mod. Some pleasant. Others, less so. The nightmares and sleepless nights counted towards the latter category. Hajime counted it as an opportunity to get out more. Think about things. Lord knew he had a lot to think about, these days.

It was only a few days more before he made the trip back home. Just for a visit, but... he had to wonder. It would be nice to have Jack meet everyone, at least, and maybe--

The thoughts were interrupted when he saw Sanji from afar, heading for... ah. It had finally come to that, hmm? He stood and dusted himself off. "Finally made up your mind, did you?" In spite of himself, Hajime really couldn't help but smile. Sad, but still a smile. "It's about time."

[love_hurricane]

Trying to cover up the fact that he had not at all been expecting to see anyone this early was not exactly easy, let alone it being Hajime and let alone him having been sat a little ways off where he really should have spotted him sooner. Still, the chef recovered from flinching a good two inches off the floor with fair grace, as he tilted his head in acknowledgment.

"I suppose I'm supposed to thank you for your support in the matter?"

The cook walked over, begrudgingly accepting that if he had to delay his departure a few minutes it might as well be for one of the kids he'd grown to accept as a fellow spirit. Somehow.

"What about you? Kind of early to be loafing about- not that you ever do." He smirked down in a familiar way at the strict mannered boy.

[inspirethefire]

It was a bit amusing that someone as usually perceptive as Sanji could sometimes miss out on so much around him. But he always figured it out eventually, it seemed. Hajime hooked his thumbs in his pockets with a shrug as he moved closer.

"No need for thanks. Support is what I do, after all."

With more than enough reasons not to get into the nitty gritty details about why he was up so early, Hajime just shook his head. "With so many people heading off, it's too quiet to sleep. I'd finally gotten used to the bustle." He smirked back. "Better to get up early to catch the ones who leave without trying to say goodbye."

[love_hurricane]

Sanji simply smiled a little more wryly at the support comment, but at the second he grinned, and did something rather tellingly outrageous.

He grabbed Hajime in one of the most spectacular headlock-noogies that has ever been witnessed by man.

"Oh-ho! You're the one doing the catching, eh?" He scrunched his knuckles down remorselessly on the boy's close shaven head with brotherly vengeance. "Doesn't look that way to me!"