A/N: Don't ask me what this is because I don't know. Made this with the intent to post anything I write about these two.

I don't own One Piece.

First Walk

The first time it happened, she had only been with them for a handful of days. One would figure joining the Straw Hat Pirates would immediately lead to a plethora of adventures and excitement, but alas, the world was a big place, the ocean a large part of it. The Going Merry could only sail so fast, after all. She hadn't minded, though. Nico Robin welcomed the downtime at sea; she had used the tranquil period to silently gauge those around her.

It hadn't been hard for her to win their trust. It was endearing, to say the least. Had she come in contact with them earlier, they'd either be dead or she'd have taken what she wanted and left. But, putting as much of her old life behind her as she could, she had got what she wanted: a nice place to stay for the time being. How long? She wasn't sure, but so far the archaeologist was intent on staying for as long as she was welcomed.

'Which most likely won't be for long,' she thought with a frown. She glanced over the same sentence for the fifth time in a row, thinking about her current situation seated on the upper deck of the Going Merry. There were six other individuals living with her now, and she was intent on reading all of them as if they were books.

She looked up at the crow's nest, watching the long-nosed sniper peering out to sea with his impressive pair of goggles. He was an interesting one. While she had barely come in contact with the young man, his rather controversial personality was well noted by the former baroque works agent. Long-nose enjoyed goofing around with the captain and doctor, and it appeared to be an everyday thing for him to tell far-fetched tales at dinner time, seemingly inserting himself within his made-up fantasies. Amusing.

The sniper yelled down to his captain, who was sprawled out on the main deck, complaining about food. The Straw Hat clad rubber boy enthralled her in a sense. After everything that happened in Alabasta, she still couldn't believe she was on his ship, sailing under his command. She was awfully curious what the lad was capable of.

A sudden movement in the nearby tangerine trees caught her attention, and Nico Robin was surprised to see the ship's navigator surface out of its branches with a bowl of newly plucked fruits. The orange haired girl caught the archeologist's gaze and smiled, before jumping down and descending the steps into the kitchen below. Sharing a cabin with the younger woman had been nothing short of pleasant these past few days. She was quick to accept her, after being easily bribed by a bag full of jewels, much to the older woman's amusement.

Yes, Robin was quite enjoying her stay with these people. A smile bore her face as she remembered a certain crew member not like the others. The little reindeer doctor was utterly adorable, if she had to say. The fact that he seemed to be a credible doctor merely bolstered her opinion of him. True, he didn't seem to like her until recently, but she figured that was most likely due to a certain someone's influence on the young pirate.

Her sight dropped as gentle footsteps began up the small set of stairs near her. She smiled and watched as the cook reached the back of the ship where she read, his face turning from curt to amorous in the blink of an eye. The man riddled her with affection and glamour, earning a few chuckles in response, before laying a glass filled with a lovely, orange drink on her foldable table. She thanked him as he bowed and returned to the kitchen, the scents from his drink and cigarette battling each other but failing against the calm aroma of the waters below. He was certainly an entertaining man. The skilled chef, as she had quickly dubbed him, was the easiest to bribe among the crew. She hadn't even needed to do anything for him to accept her.

Robin heard a low, guttural sound from across the deck, opposite of where she sat, and couldn't keep a smirk from forming on her lips. Of course, how could she forget? She stole a sideways glance at the green-haired swordsman and chuckled. Roronoa Zoro, the pirate hunter from the East Blue… She silently watched the crew over the past few days as she read to herself, and was quick to admit that the man amused her to no end. Oh yes, she had heard of his reputation, not to mention his contact with the very organization she helped lead. He hadn't changed over the past week. He made his stubborn suspicion clear to her several times a day, and she just smiled at him each time. She quite liked mind games. As an expert manipulator and scholar, Nico Robin enjoyed studying the minds of others. She had met his type before: stoic, strong, and suspicious. Astonishing strong, she should say. She was still surprised a relatively normal man like him was able to defeat Daz Bones. An initial bounty of 60,000 beli was nearly unheard of.

Strong indeed. The rest of the agents were dealt with as well, attributing to the strength and loyalty of the crew she now traveled with. She carefully watched the swordsman scoff at the retreating cook. So he had a rivalry with the blonde chef? How predictable. A tiny chuckle escaped her throat and his disproving eyes immediately darted towards her.

"What are you laughing at?" he barked with his usual frown plastered to his face.

Robin hummed in amusement, "Nothing. Pay me no mind, swordsman."

He grumbled and crossed his arms back over his chest, readjusting his back against the ship's railing. Robin's eyes mischievously flitted between the words on the page and the man across from her. His eyes closed again, but the tension in his frown and eyebrows remained. The archaeologist took a deep breath and smiled out to sea.

This was most definitely going to be an interesting stay.

Night soon fell and after dinner Nico Robin retreated to the room she shared with the resident navigator. The girl passed small talk between the two, warming up to Robin more and more each night. Robin was grateful for it. She might as well enjoy her stay on this ship, regardless of how long it would be.

With a yawn, the orange-haired woman curled into her bed and snuffed the candle on her nightstand. "I'm exhausted. My hand's still cramping from drawing maps all day," she sighed.

Robin smiled without turning from her book, "Seems you deserve some rest then. Do you mind if I read for a bit more?"

She could see a smile form on her roommate's face, "No, not at all. Goodnight, Robin."

"Pleasant dreams."

In mere minutes, the room became silent and Robin could tell the navigator was sound asleep. She smiled to herself as she lay in bed reading with her dim candle flickering next to her. It was moments like these that she truly cherished, moments that she was now a stranger to.

Coming to a reasonable stopping point, the archaeologist marked her page and placed her book on the table between the two beds. She debated whether to get some coffee and stay up reading, like she normally did, but decided against it. She was so at peace, perhaps she'd actually get some sleep.

And sleep she did. A rare night where her mind wasn't racing and nightmares were nowhere to be seen. It wasn't until much later into the morning that she was disturbed from her slumber. Heavy footsteps could be heard by anyone awake on the ship as the wooden stairs creaked underneath the wandering person. As the doorknob to the women's cabin turned, Robin's eyes snapped open. Her body tensed and her mind shifted to red alert, all too familiar with experiences like such before. She could hear the navigator softly snoring in the bed next to her and immediately ruled out her returning from the bathroom. Robin was reminded that it was the doctor's turn to watch the ship that night, and she was familiar with his peculiar footsteps. The door slowly opened and she bolted upright in her bed, crossing her arms and preparing for the intruder to walk through. The room was pitch black, save for the scarce moonlight let in through the now fully opened door.

After what seemed to be a century, the floorboards creaked under the weighty steps of the individual as they lazily walked into the room, not bothering to shut the door. Robin narrowed her eyes at the individual, trying to keep her breathing quiet and hoping her pounding heart wouldn't give her away. The person stood there for an entire minute and Robin was beginning to get impatient. Should she just kill them and get it over with? She kept her hands crossed in case the situation called for her powers.

"Who is there?" she whispered threateningly.

Whoever it was didn't seem to register her voice. She knew she had been loud enough. Nothing else could be heard outside the waves against the ship. The body turned at the foot of her bed, which was nearest to the door, and seemed to stare at the wall away from her. Robin reached for the candle next her bed and lit it with a deep breath. The stranger obviously wasn't intent on doing anything dangerous, so she momentarily relaxed herself.

Robin held the candle out between her and her unwelcomed guest, and her eyes immediately widened. The light flickered off of dark pants, a white shirt, and green hair. Robin's hand immediately shot up to her mouth to hold in a snort, but the foreign urge was too strong for her to mask. Her low, dulcet laughter echoed through the room, but neither the sleeping navigator nor swordsman heard it. The archaeologist quickly calmed herself down. When was the last time she had laughed out loud? She couldn't remember.

She grabbed the candle and slowly rose from her bed, making sure her blouse was fully buttoned, and approached the still standing pirate, "Swordsman …" she whispered, her voice drenched in amusement. Robin brought the candle up to the man and noticed his eyes were open and dead set on the wall in front of him. Her lips quivered into another smile, and she had to bite down on them to keep another audible laugh from escaping. She put a gentle hand on his shoulder, unsure of what to do exactly. It wasn't everyday she had someone sleepwalk into her room.

"Swordsman-san, are you awake?" She waited for a response she knew wouldn't come, but was surprised when his mouth lazily opened.

"You're… not a… swords…man…" he spoke, severely impaired. Robin brought her free hand up to her mouth. This was too good.

"Fu fu fu… No, I'm not," she chuckled and waited another couple of minutes to see if he had anything else to say. She was aware of somnambulism, but had never encountered a case in person. Those who sleepwalked had no recollection or grasp on what they said.

"You… may… … … be… strong…" he slurred.

Robin raised her eyebrows and carefully placed the candle on her bed, "Oh?" The woman tried to get the man's attention away from the wall by leaning her head towards him and grasping his shoulders, but he wouldn't budge. She knew he had no idea she was there. He was still down below, sleeping on the couch for all he knew.

And she'd never admit it, but she did know he slept on the couch.

"But… … I… will… de…feat… you…"

Robin smiled at the man. Maybe he was dreaming about a battle he once had. Perhaps his one against Daz in Alabasta? Her smile all but evaporated as his head turned towards her, and she stared into his lifeless eyes. She watched as the flame from the candle flickered across his black pupils and all Robin could do was think back to the last time she had been so intimidated. They stood staring at each other until Robin aberrantly cleared her throat.

"Swordsman-san, I think it's time you return to your quarters. Would you like me to take you?" She asked with a frown and a bend of her neck. Why was she so casually asking him? He couldn't even hear her. Even so, looking at the pirate hunter, she couldn't seem to think he was entirely oblivious to her, even while sleepwalking. After another minute of patiently waiting for his next act, Robin watched as he turned his body towards her and ever so slowly leaned into her much thinner frame. Her hands shot up to his broad shoulders in surprise.

"M-My, my, Swordsman…" she sang from her curved lips. "Hm…?"

"—has… a…" Robin leaned her head closer to his on her shoulder to decipher his mumbling. "…nice… … smile…"

Nice smile? Who—?

Before Robin could contemplate his words, she felt a set of large, warm hands rest atop hers on his shoulders. Gently, they pulled her hands down and held them in between their two bodies. The archaeologist stood there looking down at their hands. She had to remind herself that he was sleepwalking, and that a man as dangerous as him wasn't as tender in reality as he was now. One of his thumbs rubbed against her own, and without so much as a mumble, the green-haired swordsman released her hands and slowly turned for the door, closing it on his way out.

Robin stood in the room staring back at the door, speechless. Nico Robin… She quite liked mind games. But never before had she come across one so tricky as that of Roronoa Zoro.

She was grateful for the game nonetheless. Perhaps she'd finally found something to win him over like the rest of the crew.