He only gets to see her one more time, before the end.

Luckily, it was not storming the day he decided to sneak back over to the hospital, cookbook clutched firmly in one hand and small basket of ingredients in the other. He did have to put in the effort of sneaking past his brothers, but luckily, they're too busy goading each other to defeat one of the elite guards in their next test to pay him much mind for once.

Still, he didn't feel safe until the door to his mother's room shut behind him and she stirred at the sound, turning to him with a radiant smile. Vinsmoke Sora sat propped up by multiple pillows, straight and regal like a queen on her throne rather than a patient on her sickbed, very much still the Lady of the Germa even when sick beyond curing. "Sanji!" she cheered softly like she's just received the best gift in the world, opening her arms right up for a hug, and he almost burst into tears right there.

There is one person in Germa that is happy to see a failure like him, and that is a greater relief than even cooking has become.

Sanji trotted up to his mother's bedside and placed his treasures on the small table before diving in for a hug, giggling when she squeezes him a bit harder with a happy hum.

"Did you bring me another snack today?" she asked brightly, and Sanji nodded his head into her tummy, unwilling to pull back out of the first genuine hug he's gotten in a while.

"I thought we could make something together this time?" he mumbled, and Sora chuckled warmly as she pat his head gently.

"I'm afraid I'm not as skilled as you at cooking," she admitted sadly, and he popped up eagerly, smiling so hard his cheeks split.

"I can teach you!" he cheered, and Sora clapped her hands together in excitement, and it is perhaps the best afternoon of Sanji's life, chopping up lettuce and tomatoes for a simple sandwich with his mother, holding the knife steady when her hands begin to shake and trying not to blush when she unceremoniously shoved the first bite into his mouth when he tried to insist she try it first.

He does not know it will be the last afternoon with her he has to remember, but even if he'd known, Sanji wouldn't have changed a single thing about it-

-except, perhaps, when it was over, and he'd been called back to dinner before Judge and his siblings noticed, when he'd been leaving, and he'd only managed a short hug as a farewell.

"I love you, mom," he said cheerfully, for once not afraid of being punished for saying such a thing out loud.

Sora had smiled down at him, small and sad, and he hadn't understood why until later. "I love you too, Sanji. So very, very much."

He'd grinned, and packed up what remains of their ingredients, and asked tentatively, "Can I come back and see you tomorrow?"

The smile on her face had become strained, and he'd deflated a bit at the sight, afraid for a moment that he had overstayed his welcome, before she nodded her head slowly. "You can come and see me anytime you like, sweetie. I always want to see you!"

He'd left, beaming at the honesty with which she'd spoken, because he didn't know that tomorrow she would be in critical care and unable to take guests, and his next visit would be to her grave.

A/N: Mothers and sons make me feel sad things all the time. Why?
~Persephone