Author Note: I haven't written anything for FFdothnet in quite a while. Years in fact. I was sorta depressed-living so far from home. But now after 7 long years, college is pretty much over, and I'm back home -where I'd left my dreams to rust under the dust. Picking up what's left is usually more nostalgic than inspiring, but now Oda-sensei has given me a new take on a character that used to mean so much to me: Tashigi. And clearly she still has her place in my heart, because I am flushed pink with happiness at her latest interactions with Zoro in Punk Hazard.
So here is where this comes from. I would like to dedicate this to my Kiki-chan who has never , ever given up on me picking my pen or keyboard to spin silly tales of anime fandoms. Phew- I do hope this works. Otherwise it'll be until the next NaNoWriMo before I get my lazy ass typing fanfiction. Hi, Mystics!
A special thought for all those authors of ZT stories hosted on or elsewhere, the ones listed down my favs and those I just stalk without logging in nowadays. You guys make me feel so dreamy with this OTP.
Oh, I almost forgot:
Spoiler Alert for the entirety of the sexy Punk Hazard Arc,-Duh!
And Disclaimer: One Piece isn't mine-it's still Oda's. You'll be grateful by the time you review.
Summary: I have no idea where this is going- but it stars Tashigi and the men in her life. You know, all of them. That's many a sexy bishies and plenty of more or less obedient Marine underlings.
Warning: Canon can bite my ass. Later.
She tried very hard to hold it all back in, but in the end she just couldn't. It was too cold.
She ended up sneezing in the middle of a glaring match with one Roronoa Zoro, averting her eyes when she turned her head just in time for her forehead to land in her sleeve. She valued politeness much too much to do otherwise. The Pirate Hunter, however, did nothing to hide his smug grin. She glared with the one eye that peeked up at him from behind her elbow. He grinned wider and turned around, walking in the general direction of the Mugiwara's ship-the Thousand Sunny- without a word.
Tashigi couldn't have been more irritated, her reddened cheeks puffed and with a turn of her own she made her way up the plank to the tanker. She too, needed no further farewell.
She tripped. Probably over own feet. Or maybe it was the ice-that would have been the first thing to greet her landing, were it not for the yellow smiling jollyroger upon black fur coat that came into her view in the same millisecond she realized she wasn't hitting the ground, but rather floating inches above it.
"Careful now Miss Marine," came a deceitfully polite voice, "you wouldn't want to break a bone now." Within the Room he had summoned, Trafalgar Law's voice echoed strangely and spilled over her like cool water, soaking her in this winter cold that was Punk Hazard North.
"Would you?"
Repressing that shiver of fear proved impossible when his hand took her from under the forearm-helping her stand –which she did. Tashigi stood, frozen, for a short instant, but soon regained somehow enough bearings to answer firmly.
"No, I wouldn't." She knew his arm could feel hers tremble, so she did her best to mirror the calm expression on his face, allowing her hand to rest on that same arm that cupped hers, "Thank you," she punctuated with a daring squeeze of his elbow that served more to assure her of her own madness than him of her regained footing.
His lips betrayed sadistic amusement, her eyes a hint of righteous anger. They let go simultaneously. The room dissipated just like the moment. She nodded, "Trafalgar-san," resuming her walk up the plank first and not looking back, even when she heard his farewell, "Miss Captain."
As she reached the deck, her eyes distractedly scanning for what, or rather who, was entertaining the newly rescued children, Tashigi found that she was surprised, and rather impressed with herself, because her first thought on that small incident with the Shichibukai was simply the hope and the prayer that Roronoa Zoro had not witnessed it. For the sake of her warrior pride that is, of course. She had willed herself not to turn his direction and check for his roaming eyes. Self-consciousness was another weakness of hers she worked hard to kill, vain as it might sound.
She spotted an orange head behind a giant toddler's knees and her feet moved towards it on their own. Duty called, and in her Marine ears, it always did so loudly.
Law could see that while it appeared like Smoker's eyes were watching his slowly, leisurely approaching form-they really focused solely on his one female subordinate's retreating back, just over his shoulder. His stance screamed of overprotectiveness. It was the most silently imposing he'd seen of the White Hunter yet. The sinister smile that had begun to creep on his face when that ditz with the glasses had touched him turned full. This was all in his favour. Finally he was here, very close, and silently faced the Vice-admiral.
Both men, however, were forced to turn their attention to the giant paintbrush that splattered black ink into the frozen dock's planked surface, drawing a line right between them.
"Smo-yan! Problem solved! This'll be our side!" said the one holding the brush proudly, followed by a theatrical whisper intended for Smoker, "It's bigger than theirs too!"
"And that! That is your side, Pirates," continued the one holding the bucket labelled 'Real Monster Squid PeePoo-'
Blissfully oblivious were those G-5 soldiers of the two Devil Fruit users' darkening expressions; their schooled, frozen calm betrayed only by the couple of big sweat-drops on Law's head, and that rub of the temple for Smoker.
Honest Author's Note: I have no idea what I'm doing. Meme intended.
Also, my summary lied about it being only about the men in Tashigi's life. Bad summary. Bad. Tch!