#feral about the religious feelinf that this scene gave me

[too-much-alphabet-soup]

Sunshine

"Tell me how you really feel!" Luffy's voice shouted across the field of fallen foes -- punctuation to the full force punch.

Words echoing around Sanji's head. And he heard it in that moment the throat torn cry of Robin "I want to live!" The repeated screams from Nami "arlong! arlong! arlong!" The faint echo of Vivi "please stop fighting!"

Every moment he has witnessed of one of his crew breaking, and his pride stood solid like a wall. His family, estranged tho they were were going to die. His marriage was going to end in his death. And Luffy... He had thought for a moment that Luffy hasn't kept his promise. His own desperate search for his captain among the wreckage of bodies.

It was breaking him inside, he was shackled, broken from the time he had already spent with the Vinsmoke family. Even Pudding's words hurt him, though he was already forgiving her for them.

But this, this was destroying him.

Luffy was watching him, standing tall in his conviction, back to strength after the food that Sanji had prepared and ruined on the way over. A picture of forgiveness and determination. Behind him the storm roiled: dark clouds, wind, and rain -- no end in sight.

The tears began pooling in his eyes as Sanji wept. He tried shakily to stand before falling to his knees before his captain, wracked with sobs.

"I want...I want" he tried to push the words out, to break his pride, to break the need to be the savior and not the saved. His own suicidal tendencies warring and screaming at him that he is not worth being saved.

But Luffy has been there. He had kept his promise, he had waited and fought and starved.

"I want"

Luffy looked on, waiting not moving, not offering a hand to help. No further than he already had.

Sanji curled his knees in the mud his hair hanging limply around his face, slowly becoming wet with his tears.

"I want to go home...to the Sunny." He sobbed the pain releasing through his body. He could almost feel the smile start to bloom across Luffy's face as he continued. "I want to be your cook, I want to fight with Zoro, and be around everyone. I want to go home."

Sanji's choking sobs tore into the chilled and silent air. "But, Luffy, my family, I hate them but I can't let them die. I can't just run away from all of this. I want to, but I... I..." He trailed off as he lifted his eyes for the first time to see the grin stretched wide across his Captain's face.

Luffy grinned like the sun. "Okay." He nodded, "then we'll save them."

What strength had been returning to Sanji's legs fully left him at those words. The relief, the wonder, the worship. With tears running down his cheeks Sanji looked up at Luffy, and behind him the sun. The beautiful sun shone through the storm.