Steel Heart

Ch 7 - A Private Tour of the Puffing Tomd Part 7

This place made the angel very sad. Sanji had spotted her coming, riding on the back of that furry animal and carrying that surfing contraption of hers. He was waiting at the train station for signs of Robin-chan. He never expected to see the angel here. She had said that she never wanted to see him again and he was not going to defy a lady's request so he did the only thing he could think of. He hid behind one of the marble pillars.

When she got off the back of Pygmy, she had bit her lip and straightened her spine before walking into the station, like she was mentally preparing herself. The entire time she talked to the two station masters, he could tell she was putting on a brave front. The stiffness of her movements told him she was on guard and the dragging of her feet told him that she did not want to be here. The angel was still in her hell.

He watched her lean against a pillar and look around the station from there. He wasn't sure why but that seemed to make her even more sad. When she walked off, he sneaked by it to see what was so special about that spot. Someone had carved the number 7 at the base of the pillar. He brushed his fingers against the etching as if he could soak up the answers by touch. He fished a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it between his lips.

He took a deep puff and followed her through the station. She went into a room and he hid in a nearby broom closet. He was fully aware that this was the type of thing that the shitty morimo would deem creepy and pervy but Sanji couldn't help himself. He was drawn to this angel like a moth to a flame.

He was quite surprised to find the dog opening the door to his room and wagging his tail at him. He had something in his mouth and he dropped it at Sanji's feet. Sanji bent down to pick it up and then he realized it was his letter. Before he could react, he found himself being dragged towards the angel by the bottom of his shirt.

And now, he was standing in front of the angel, who had specifically asked him to stay away from her, while her pet wagged his tail at the both of them.

"Nana-chan," he said apologetically as the ashes dropped from the lit cigarette on his lips, "I'm sorry to bother you. I'll just-"

"You were watching me?" the angel asked bluntly. Her eyes were not angry anymore. Instead, they looked slightly hollow and melancholy.

"Yes. I saw you come into the station but you said you never wanted to see me again...so I hid," Sanji admitted. This angel was making him nervous and he couldn't tell what she was thinking or feeling.

"Well, that was before I thought you guys tried to kill Iceberg," Nana grunted with a shrug.

Sanji blinked. "Before? So you don't think so anymore?"

Nana took a deep breath. "No...I actually don't."

"Na...na...-chwaaaaannnn!" Sanji's eyes widened with relief and a goofy smile crossed his face. His angel was no longer mad at him. He was back in his angel's good graces! He was about to raise his arms and run over to her when she put up a hand to stop him.

"Don't," she said firmly, "Don't do that."

He was stunned and his arms froze in the air. "Do...do what?'

"Whatever that is!" she snapped and gestured to his posture, "I'd rather you act like the fighting guy in the Franky House rather than the guy on the canals. Especially now..."

Sanji dropped his arms and gaped at her, trying to figure out his next move. All he had wanted to do was bring out her laugh that sounded better than a perfectly tuned symphony orchestra but now he realized she was in too deep of a funk for that to happen. Something was very much troubling the angel and he wanted nothing more than to just fix it for her.