Love Like The Ocean [One Piece][Sanji]

Chapter 14: Rain on Me

"Ah, just when you thought it wouldn't rain." Hiromi muttered, putting her palm out as she looked up to the already dark sky.

At first, only a few droplets fell gently from the sky and she hurriedly made her way to the nearest sheltered walkway, exiting the convenience store with a plastic bag full of sake bottles.

Halfway through her walk, a sudden downpour came and she shrieked and ran to the shelter. It was supposedly afternoon, but the gloomy weather made it look as if it was night time.

"Damn rain..." She grumbled as she tied the plastic bag and tried her best to squeeze the water out of her soaked hair.

She was completely drenched, her kimono stuck persistently to her wet skin, making her feel even heavier than she was before. Removing her laced black and white bow off her hair, she twisted the bow, allowing water to fall out. The girl froze when she heard a whistle.

She was so preoccupied with her drenched self that she failed to realise she had sought shelter in an abandoned alley. Nobody was around, except a figure with a cowboy's beige hat. She could barely make out his features as the shadows concealed his face.

The rain was still pouring heavily. Should she run? Just as she considered her options, the figure spoke.

"Hi there, girl." His voice was raspy, playful and deep, a man in his twenties perhaps? There was quite a distance between them in the narrow alleyway but she could hear him clearly as all else was silent.

"Do you need something?" Hiromi asked politely, caution present in her voice. He burst into raucous laughter.

"If you don't need anything from me, I'm leaving." She glared at him and turned to walk away, only to gasp as she felt the cold wind brush across her shoulders and he appeared right in front of her.

"I do need something from you in fact." He said as he towered over her with a playful smile on his face.

Now that he was right in front of her, she could see him clearly. He appeared to be in his twenties, with stubbles lining his well defined jaw smoothly. His dark green eyes were small and sharp, and his skin was slightly more tanned compared to Zoro's. His hair was a murky brown, complementing his beige cowboys's hat. The man had a large stature, his shoulders broad and muscles rippled in his arms as he moved.

"And what is that?" She refused to back away and be intimidated by this thug.

"You see, a pretty lady asked me for a favour and I'm just here to return it."

There was a look of puzzlement on the girl's face before the thought registered in her head.

"Oh that ugly woman? I should've known, it's not surprising she'll stoop that low." She recalled the blondie with excessive makeup.

"So, what're you gonna do?" She asked casually, causing his eyes to widen for a brief moment before reverting back to his playful gaze. Truthfully, his behaviour had a rugged charm to it.

"I'm not the kind of man who'll do what she exactly requested, I'm just not that low. But what's wrong with having a bit of fun? I can't go back empty handed, plus your beauty is a bonus." He smirked, his words sending shivers down her spine.

This time, she backed away. He was bad news and she blamed herself for not carrying her sword with her. She was no swordsman, but being armed with a weapon was better than nothing. Sure, she had her devil fruit ability, but he looked like he could tolerate a lot more pain compared to the woman.

He noticed her contemplating eyes and laughed. "Planning your escape?"

The girl's breath hitched in her throat as he knew what she was thinking. She quickly thought of him being stabbed through the chest with a knife, before turning around to run.

Before she could get any further, she gasped as she felt a strong arm encircle her neck and yanked her back. The sudden jerk made her drop her plastic bag and the bottles came rolling out. She immediately felt weak when a cool bent metal made contact with her neck. That bastard! He was wearing a sea prism ring!

"Oh I forgot, she warned me that you had some strange ability so I came prepared before you can deal too much damage." He rested his chin on her left shoulder, and whispered into her ear. She could feel his warm breath against her cool skin, his body touching her back as she struggled from his hold.

Swiftly, he moved his right arm from her neck and adjusted it to the front of her stomach, causing her to be locked between his body and arm. She thrashed about, using her hands and trying to pry his away.

"Let go!" She shrieked and kicked about.

"Not a chance little lady."

His free hand grasped her neck gently, his fingers touching her chin one by one. Just as she thought he was going to snap her neck, he lifted her face roughly and smashed his lips to hers.

Hiromi's eyes widened in shock, stunned by the sudden feel of another's mouth to hers. She pressed her lips tight, struggling to break away from the unwanted kiss, but to no avail. He was too strong and the sea prism stone weakened her greatly. She let out a whimper to which he smirked at and broke away from the kiss.

"Sto-" She tried to protest but was stopped short when he spun her around and slammed her hard against the bricked wall. His mouth soon made his way to hers again, silencing her protests. She could feel something wet trying to pry her mouth open and she panicked. What is he doing?

Using all her strength, she pushed and dug her nails into his chest, trying to put as much distance between them as possible. She definitely did not want him to go any further, whatever he was planning to do.

Her legs wobbled and he used his arm to pull her by the waist. The helpless girl started to tear, afraid of what's going to happen next.

When a single tear - which was nearly camouflaged by the raindrops - slid down her face, he released her, causing her to slide down against the wall. He licked his lips in satisfaction, as if he had tasted something sweet. Then, he bent down to her level and held her chin. She looked away, refusing to meet his eyes.

"I'll take that kiss as your punishment." He whispered as he used his finger to wipe the tear off her face. With a quick flick of her fingers, she smacked his hand away from her face and glared at him.

"Do you want to know who I am?" He asked thoughtfully.

"Shut your bloody mouth. I don't need to know scum." She pronounced her words carefully, her voice dripping with venom. Despite her vulnerable appearance, her words weren't meant to be taken lightly, but he brushed it off with a laugh.

"Have it your way, I have a feeling we'll meet again." He stood up and walked away. She could hear the sound of his heavy boots sloshing against the puddles of water on the floor, getting further and further away from her, before finally disappearing. She sat there, listening to the constant pouring of the rain. She didn't know how long she stayed in that spot.

The rain subsided and the sky was black, the sun completely disappeared before she started moving again; picking up the fallen bottles and walking back to the ship.

Nothing had happened.

Nothing had happened to her, she told herself.