I do not own One Piece nor do I own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. I am merely playing with the characters and elements provided.

7-year-old Sanji curled up beside his mother, head pressed to her heart as she laid in the hospital bed, her light, warm hand rubbing up and down his back.

Sora hummed lightly. "My little prince," she said softly, making Sanji look up at her.

"Yes, mama?" He blinked at her, two pairs of dark blue eyes catching each other.

"I want to tell you something," she whispered, hand moving up to his hair. "It's very important, because I think you may be the only to access my genes."

Sanji blinked up at her in confusion. "What?"

The woman looked around carefully, eyes going distant. Sora blinked, eyes refocusing, and lifted her free right hand. Lips pursed as her eyes narrowed before a faint smile slid onto her face.

Fwiissh

"Oh!" Sanji squeaked, recoiling into his mother. Blinking blue eyes, Sanji stared shamelessly at the roiling flames in her hand.

"My family has always had the ability to call upon what we call Dying Will Flames. As a Bohoja (1), we have the ability to call upon six out of seven flames." Sora brought the hand closer. "See how the indigo is the biggest, with the blue a close second?"

"Mhmm…" The flames were hypnotizing, swirling carefully.

"That means the indigo, which is Mist, is my primary flame. Blue is Rain, my secondary, both I can wield with ease and mist more so." She explained. "The others I can use but not as well."

"Mist? Rain?" Sanji managed to ask, tearing his eyes away from the flames for a moment. Just as quickly as he had, blue eyes went back.

Sora shifted, concentrating. The indigo flames took over the handful of fire. "Mist flames, to obscure your family from enemies."

Blue flames. "Rain, to wash away any and all conflict."

Red flames. "Storm, to have fierce energy that blasts away all that threatens your family."

Yellow flames. "Sun, to provide help to those you love."

Green flames. "Lightning, to take damage directed to your loved ones and keeping it in until there is a time you can release it all at once."

Purple flames. "Cloud, to stay far away, but close enough to shield."

She lowered her hand, letting the flames die away as she rested her eyes on her son. "Sanji-a, the seventh and final flame is rare. It's the orange flame. Sky, to provide a home, to take in the elements and bring harmony. The other elements gather beneath the sky. They protect, love, and care for their Sky in return for being given a place to come back home to."

Sanji pouted slightly at the flames disappearance but looked at his mother, frowning slightly. "Mama, have you ever had a Sky?

Sora smiled sadly. "No, I have never met anyone who would be able to even contain Sky flames. But I have a hope."

His head tilted, brows furrowing.

Sora beamed at her son. "I have the hope that one day you'll find a Sky to call your own."

After Sanji and his brothers turned eight, Sora died, and the guardian bond between them snapped. Sanji was lost and adrift; Sora had been the only thing tying him to his biological family.

He lost himself in reading his mother's books, learning the history of their people and more about the flames. He ignored his father's attempts to upset him with the training he was having the kids go through. After the death of his mother, Sanji refused to go through anything like that again. He forced himself to memorize the books, asking Eponi to help him remember specific quirks from the elements.

He didn't care for the training his father forced on him. He didn't care for his brothers bullying him. Not even Reiju's fixing his wounds bothered him. Only his mother's approval would be something he wanted, but would never get. And for all the approval he wished to get from his mother, Sanji knew he'd never be able to forgive them for letting Sora die.

When Judge had Germa 66 attack Cozia, Sanji fled, memories of flames floating in his head from his mother and forced memorization of weapon construction from Judge.

The time Sanji spent on the Orbit was spent watching and helping the chefs, asking idle questions about places outside the North Blues as the ship made its way to the East Blue.

One time at port, when Sanji had been allowed to see the island, he first met the Whitebeard pirates, leaving him in fear, awe, and wonder...

A man who looked like a stereotypical pirate brushed past Sanji. A shiver went up his spine and his breath caught in his chest. He jerked around and followed the man with his eyes, speechless. His center, where a book said his flames resided, screamed with revulsion and slight terror.

The man walked up to a man with a pompadour, two swords, and a chef's suit. They spoke for a moment, before the raven-haired man walked away. Sanji teetered for a moment before slipping closer and latching onto the man's leg (neither noticed the yellow flames sliding from Sanji and into the man).

"Oh?" The ginger looked down at him curiously. "What's a kid like you doing without his parents?"

"Don't trust him!" The blond blurted out.

The man stared at him in surprise before laughing and ruffling Sanji's hair. "Teach? He wouldn't hurt a brother! Just because he's scary-lookin' doesn't mean he isn't soft."

His stomach dropped when he realized the man was speaking the truth, fully loyal to the bad man. Sanji grit his teeth and stomped hard on the man's foot, earning a yelp. "Just 'cuz he seems like a good guy doesn't mean he is!" Sanji snapped, stepping away. "Go ahead, don't believe Mr. Prince! But when something does happen, know he said, 'I told you so!'"

Sanji spun on his, shooting away from the Whitebeard and back to the Orbit, frustration and worry coursing through him. He ignored the man's call, dodging around people. He brushed past a a man and child, never spotting yellow and indigo flames (faintly, Sanji heard a "Cora-san!" and wouldn't realize what happen till thirteen years later).

His steps pounded on wood as he shot up the dock and gangplank.

"Sanji?" One of the bartenders called out, surprised, but Sanji ignored him in favor of hunting down the captain. Spotting him in the galley, perusing the newspaper, Sanji popped up beside him, earning a weird look from the man.

"Sanji-san?" The man asked, carefully holding the papers away from Sanji seeing as how he'd been eyeing it intensely.

"Does that have bounties?" Sanji asked, still.

"You want to see them?" At Sanji's nod, the man pulled out a bunch of papers and slid them over.

Sanji hopped up onto the bench and began going through them. Some were Whitebeard pirates (okay, maybe a lot of them were Whitebeards) and others were from other crews. The blond split them up like that, setting them up on either side of the main stack. He stopped when he saw the brunet from before. Ignoring the amount, Sanji focused on the man's name.

'Dual Devil Thatch'

'So he's a dual-sword user…' Sanji scowled at the grin facing him and smacking it front first against the Whitebeard pile. "Shithead…" He mumbled.

"You say somethin', lad?" The captain asked, peering over at him.

"'S nothin', sir." Sanji said, offering him a small smile. The older male nodded before turning his focus back to the paper.

Sanji sweated slightly as he focused on the bounty posters. 'Too close…'

The search continued until he finally found the face that unnerved him.

'Marshall D. Teach'

He didn't seem to have an epithet, Sanji noticed with a carefully blank face. Either way, Sanji knew who he would have to keep an eye on and an ear out for.

Two more years passed by, flying like a News Coo with a delivery.

Sanji ended up living with a former pirate, 'Red Leg' Zeff, and opened up a restaurant after a meeting with the Orbit and the pirate's ship. In exchange, Zeff taught Sanji cooking and fighting (even giving tips on weapon handling when he saw Sanji handling a pistol). Best of all, they shared the dream of find the All Blue.

Of course, Sanji did not fully take to the man's chivalry lesson after reading his mother's diaries from her time as a training Bohoja. After learning what his mom could do with even the tiniest Cloud flames (her weakest flames), Sanji was in the firm belief that women could take care of themselves. He didn't let Zeff know this, though, not wanting another punishment after that one lecture. As the years passed, with pirates, Marines, and civilians coming through the Baratie, Sanji figured some women would need a man's help. In which, he acted like a total chivalrous man to make the women smile, sometimes even the men (ignoring the okamas that came through because that was another level Sanji refused to touch).

And then, when Sanji was in his nineteenth year, a boy who looked younger than he really was broke a part of the Baratie.

Throughout the years, one line from the first chapter on flames had stuck to Sanji. He'd never thought he'd be able to feel the truth of the words, but now…

Now, seeing Akainu's veering away from Ace and heading to Luffy at a fast pace, faster than anyone realized, Sanji understood with perfect clarity.

Clarity that disappeared when Akainu's fist turned to magma and neared Luffy.

Sanji's eyes widened behind his mask, breath freezing in his chest before he moved, all six flames leaking out and raging as he roared. "STAY AWAY FROM HANEUL!" (2)

In the case of a Sky ever being in severe, irreparable danger, the Bojoha will Rage, taking down anything in their way.

(1) Bohoja- Guardian in Korean (Google Translate)

(2) Haneul - Sky in Korean (GT)