A Father's Betrayal

Chapter 28

I don't have a picture to go with this chapter yet but wanted to get a new chapter to you guys anyways. Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!

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Sanji sat a large bowl of chocolate pudding on the table, next to the vanilla and strawberry, while everyone began to filter into the kitchen.

"We're just about done. I'm finishing up Nami's butterscotch. And Cosette-chan is adding the final touches to the dirt pu~."

"Sanji-kun, we've got a surprise!" Nami interrupted.

"You coming to watch me cook is the only surprised I need," Sanji said, his eyes turning to hearts as he spun around to face his love, "Nami-Swaaaaa~" He paused as the heart eyes broke and turned back to his blue eyes "....n? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, OLD GEEZER!"

"Stop your yelling, Little Brat. I've been here the whole time."

"What!"

"Yeeeeaaah, we might of had him locked in one of the empty rooms," Ichiji said as Yonji and Niji scratched the back of their heads, and chuckling innocently.

"That explains why we didn't find him when we went down to the dungeon the other day," Sanji muttered.

"We weren't allowed to tell you, Sanji. But I managed to convince your father not to lock him up in the dungeon," Sora said, brushing Sanji's bangs out of his face.

"Thanks, Mom."

"No need. You know I'd do anything for my Sweet Little Prince."

"You say Sweet Little Prince, I say Annoying Little Brat," Zeff said as Sanji turned back to the pudding on the stove.

"Shut up, Old Man," he growled just before something long and hard hit him on the top of the head.... Or rather kicked him on the top of the head. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!" Sanji hollered turning back around.

"FOR NOT TELLING MY I WAS RAISING A FREAKIN PRINCE!"

"IT WAS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

"No? Well, it is now! Isn't it?"

Sanji couldn't answer, so he looked down at his feet.

"Isn't it?!"

"Yes," Sanji sighed. He was beginning to resent himself more and more for the trouble his secret had now caused everyone.

"What? You wanna speak a bit louder so we can hear you?"

"Yes! Okay! I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys! I hate myself for not telling you. I've hated myself for it ever since I meant all of you!" He turned back to the stove and turned the burner off, "But... I couldn't tell any of you.... For several reasons...."

"Why?"

"Father made him swear he would never tell anyone Sanji was his son," Reiju chimed in.

"It's not just that, Reiju," Sanji said quietly. "Wait?" Sanji perked up. "How did you...?"

"I was outside father's room that day. I heard the whole thing. I overheard a lot of conversation when we were kids. Not entirely on purpose but...."

"What kind of conversations?" Sora asked a hint of concern in her voice.

"Well... one in particular still sticks out to me.... A certain... argument between you and Dad... before the boys were born...."

Sora's eyes went wide.

"Speaking of which.... I think there's a certain talk with the boys that's long overdue."

"What are you talking about, Reiju?" Yonji asked taking a seat on the bench along the wall.

"Before Dad gave you guys your enhancements.... He and Mom had an argument about it. She didn't like that he was trying to take away your emotions."

"I human without emotion is not a human at all," Sora explained. "I didn't want that for my children."

"But you went through with the surgery anyway?" Usopp asked. "That's messed up." Usopp turned around when someone tapped his shoulder, only to be greeted with a foot to the face.

"SHE WASN'T GIVEN A CHOICE!" Sanji hollered at him.

"No..." Sora agreed as Sanji walked back to the stove after sitting the bowl of butterscotch pudding on the table. "But...I did make a choice afterwards."

The four brothers looked at their mother, all unsure of what she was talking about.

"As a last desperate attempt to save her four unborn children from an emotionless, inhuman life... mother took a deadly drug."

"Poison?" Sanji muttered.

Reiju nodded before continuing. "It wasn't supposed to affect all of your enhancements, just make sure your emotion remained intact...." she turned to Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji, "But you three continued to grow stronger and more ruthless with every passing day, while Mom got sicker and sicker.... She was beginning to think her actions was pointless.... But then Sanji started to feed animals and preferred playing over training.... He soon began to sneak into the kitchen and tried teaching himself to cook. He'd sneak off to the hospital to visit Mom without Father's permission and take her food. It made Father furious. Sanji was growing... to be kind... to care.... even after being told the drug didn't affect your genetics... Sanji was still growing to be, in Father's eyes... a failure."

Sanji was now turned to the counter he was now standing in front of, and clutching to top. He spoke slowly as he took in a mouth full of smoke and let it out, "So what you're saying is... it's my fault.... It's my fault Mom got sick.... It's my fault she almost died...." He then added under his breath, "just like everything else.

"What?" Sora said walking to where he was standing. "No. Of course not!" She stood next to him by the counter. Not taking her eyes off him, she waited for him to look at her. He didn't, instead he stared at his hands still clutch to the counter top. "Look at me..." she finally said. "Sanji, Look at me," she repeated reaching up and taking his chin in her hand, forcing him to look at her. "It. Was. Not. You're. Fault. You. Did. Not. Make. Me take that drug. It was my choice and I don't regret it one bit. I don't ever want to hear you say that ever again. Understood?"

Sanji didn't respond.

"You May be your fathers greatest failure but you are my greatest creation. And I wouldn't trade that for anything."

She turned to her other sons, who began to protest, "what about us?"

"Sorry, boys, but you're your father's greatest creation."

"Hey!"

"I'm only teasing."

"I hope you don't think you got out of answering my question just because the subject got changed," Zeff said folding his arms across his chest. "Why couldn't you tell anyone? Or rather,what was the other reason?"

"Yeah, yeah," Sanji sighed. "I... I just...."

"You just what?"

"I thought by not telling you guys... I was... protecting you.... I thought if no one knew who I really was then Judge would never find me... then he'd never be able to harm anyone I cared about.... I never thought my past would catch up with me this soon...." He finished in a whisper.

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Thanks again for the comments and votes! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter (I'd write more but I'm out of ideas for this chapter) sooo sayonara! See ya in the next chapter!