The Calm Before the Storm, 2

Angel slammed the main door to the kitchen open.

Sanji was at the stove, dressed in his chef's whites and grilling a special piece of salmon. He jerked and looked around, his eye widening.

"Angel, what's wrong?"

"Some of our patrons are not as gentlemanly as others," she hissed. Her antennae were flicking back and forth and she was a darker shade of blue than usual. Sanji flipped the chunk of fish onto a plate, garnished it and slid it across to her even as he spoke. His tone was low and deadly.

"Did someone offend you, love?"

"You might say that."

Sanji whisked his outer apron off so he was pristine white, took off the hat on his head and followed her out into Baratie's.

"Where."

Angel flicked an antennae over to a table where two rough-looking neopians sat before she walked over to serve the salmon to their customer. One was a zafara and the other appeared to be a very scruffy ogrin. They were laughing racously even as the cook approached.

"Good day, gentlemen," Sanji murmured, pulling up a chair.

"What?" The ogrin blinked. "The cook came out to say hello."

"We must be special," the zafara chuckled. He cocked his ears back and glared impudently at Sanji. The two zafs locked eyes momentarily.

"Oh, you are," Sanji said quietly. "I hear you were both considering the lobster on the menu?" His tail twitched.

"The -" A short bark of laughter from the ogrin. "The lobster! Ha!"

"Good joke," the zafara grinned, showing all his teeth. "That one?" He waved his tail in Angel's direction. "How the heck could a warm-blooded zafara have fun with that?" Sanjisuki's eye narrowed ever so slightly.

"We just told her she'd be better off if she'd get zapped or something," the ogrin snorted. "After all, who'd sleep with a..."

"Who could, where'd you put ..."

Sanji's foot slammed down on the table.

"That's my mate," he growled. His eye was flashing and his fur on the back of his neck was standing straight up. Both of the ruffians leaped to their feet and stepped back. "Get out," he said in a deathly quiet tone.

Instead of doing so, they both crouched down.

"How's a cook gonna beat two well-built guys like us?" The zafara asked derisively. Sanji grinned.

"I'm glad you asked," he smiled chillingly. One paw flicked his cigarette into the face of the ogrin. While he stumbled over howling that he was burnt, Sanji flipped neatly over onto his hands and spun his legs about, knocking them both down. The diners all looked up from their meals. Most weren't surprised; they knew Sanji. That's why they kept coming back: his food was excellent, and he didn't tolerate any bad business.

Angel hissed angrily at the two as he carried them out and literally kicked them out the main door into the pouring rain. A few neopets applauded; most simply went back to eating.

"I'm so sorry, koi," he whispered when he reached the maraquan buzz's side again. She looked very upset.

"It's not the first time," she husked. She sighed and snapped her antennae up. "I'll be fine. Let's go."

The rest of the day was spent serving folks food as usual...and most of the night in getting Baratie to sleep, which was an even harder task.

___________________________________

"I'm tired," Angel groaned. She flopped down on the zen bed she shared with Sanji.

"So am I, koi," Sanji agreed. He say down and started taking his shoes off. "Aaah." He wriggled his toes contentedly. That's when he realized his lover was far too quiet. He rolled over on the bed only to find her shaking a little.

"Oi..."

"Sanji, would it be better if I was a zafara again?"

"Angel! Those two creeps didn't really get you thinking..." He looked over and saw her eyes were wet with tears. "No...no, no." She sat up partially at his urging, and he slipped his arms around her waist.

"But..."

"You're happy this way, right?" He laid his scruffy chin on her shoulder. "You were so thrilled to get zapped into a lobster, I recall." He nuzzled her lightly with his goatee and she chuckled in spite of herself.

"C'mon." He grinned and got up off the bed, sliding a finger in his tie to unknot it and pull it free. "I'm getting these clothes off." He paused.

"Sanji?"

"You want to wash up before bed?" He rumbled softly in his chest. She saw his eye was sparkling with more mischief than usual. "I'll help." His tail lashed his flanks and he leaned forward, his open tie flapping towards her.

"Help me what?"

"Help you forget ...." Sanji took one more step and pressed his mouth on hers. As usual he tasted like smoke and ...him. She shivered a little and he grinned even in the middle of the kiss. "Hnnn Angel," he purred, "Just a little bath?" He lapped slowly.

"Quit, lovecook!" But she slipped her arms around his neck. He chuckled and stood, picking her up.

"Wai," he murmured. "Our robes are in the bathroom, right?" She nodded, so he strode confidently out, sneaking past the kids' room and then down the stairs.

"Run the hot water," she said quietly as he placed her down on the chia-print chair. All was quiet inside the sweet-smelling chocolate-walled room except the running of the water and Sanji humming to himself.

"How hot, koishii? You don't want to scald." The zafara stepped back from the tub and flipped his tie on the chair back. He wormed out of his striped blue shirt without bothering to unbutton the front, eyeing the steaming water hungrily. "This was a good idea, wasn't it." Angel nodded as she slipped into the water. Sanji blinked and quickly unfastened his pants. The tight-fitting slacks dropped to the floor with the soft whump of cloth and he stepped out of them absently. His dark green eye was firmly fixed on his love, purring happily as she slid half-under the water's surface.

The bathtub wasn't really big enough for two - especially with a massive zafara tail included -- so he settled with kneeling on his folded pants in his boxers next to her. One arm rested on the rim while a paw playfully brushed her neck.

"You never did tell me what happened," he said softly. "Not today, but...before." Her antennae clicked together sharply. Sanji sighed, and his long tail slowly laid itself on the cool floor.

"I don't like talking about it, that's why." Her multi-faceted blue eyes glanced at him quickly. "Remember the terrible storms we've had since then?"

"Hai," Sanji murmured. "You've never been afraid of thunder before..."

"It's him, Sanji," she said quietly. "He's doing it."

"Who?!"

Angel shuddered.

"I was trying to sleep off one of those giant headaches I sometimes get that day," she recalled slowly. Sanji knee-walked closer and placed both his arms around her as she spoke. "The sky had been getting darker and - well..." She paused.

Zoro had been outside, practising with his swords. In the thunder and pouring rain, the big fool. She knew that was a bad idea, and even though her head throbbed she had opened the stained-glass heart window and called to him. She hadn't wanted him to get struck by lightning or anything. Or even come down with a bad cold; she always felt horrible when Zoro got sick. It was hard to care for someone when he acted like he was fine and Sanji...didn't like any attention she paid to the bushido.

"Zoro was being foolish and I opened the window to tell him to get inside," she murmured.

"That moron," he grumbled. "Was it his fault this whole thing, whatever it was, started?"

"No! I leaned out and...I don't know. A bolt of lightning seemed to shoot close by." She swallowed nervously.

A yurble stood there. He was taller than any other neopet she'd ever seen. Upon closer inspection she'd imagine he would be an imposing figure even despite the height. He was very pale and wore what looked like a traditional asian outfit of some kind. Something she felt she should remember. A set of four drums with odd-patterns on them were strapped to his back.

"He pointed at me and told me to get down there. When I refused he...did something and hit me with some sort of thin line of lightning."

"You bastard!" Zoro yelped. He'd tried to rush the yurble, but the neopet had simply flicked a paw at him and he was thrown to the ground as electricity shocked through him. Angel stared at the lupe in horror, flittering slowly down to the ground.

"Thank goodness my wings hadn't been struck," she added. Sanji's eye was round with fear for her, even though she had clearly survived and now leaned close to him, safe in the circle of his arms. She swallowed hard and began again.


"Rejoice," the yurble said calmly. "You are the first in years to behold Myself in person." He turned and beckoned to the frightened maraquan buzz, who had finally settled down on the grass. But Zoro didn't wait to hear any more. He'd snarled, sword in his mouth and two in his paws.

"You tried to shock her!" He growled angrily. "What do you want?"

"He went on about requiring my services ...I don't know," she said. "Zoro didn't let him finish. He asked 'what if she doesn't want to go', and he said something like 'everyone must obey me'." It got a little crazy after that. The yurble never raised his voice, but Zoro leaped on top of me and there was a giant flash..."

"Oi, oi..." Sanji soothed worriedly. She'd started to shake and cry lightly as she spoke. "Angel, everything's fine. I won't ever let anyone hurt you."

"I...yes. Yes, Sanji." She smiled at him and laid her head on his chest, and in the lovemaking that soon followed she even tried to believe it. She had, of course, been promised that once already.

"I should have been stronger. You got hurt. I'm useless...leave me!" She closed her eyes and tried to drown out the growls of an anguished lupe in her mind.