Why can't this be easier?

This is just a short fic on Tashigi and Zoro, they are my favorite couple. I do not own One Piece.

Why can't this be easier? Why do I have to do this? Why her? He had asked himself this over and over since they left Alabasta, and he knew, even though he wanted to stay he couldn't not if he wanted to be the greatest, not if he wanted her. He couldn't forget her, he looked at his nakama, gripping the white sword that was strapped to his side, Zoro knew this would be hard. Another on the ship was wondering the same things. Why can't you love me? Why are you leaving? Why now? What did we do? These thoughts never left Nico Robin's mind as she watched Roronoa Zoro, informing the crew that he was leaving. No one really understood his reasons, but they never did, never when he would swim in the coldness of the sea or train until he passed out. It didn't matter; he didn't expect them to understand. They didn't know what had happened in his life, what had happened in Alabasta. They didn't see her save them; they didn't see her cry when she left they had all been asleep, and Robin not even there. But he had been awake and he saw all of that and more.

Flashback

" All of the straw hat crew, right here!" cried a marine. ' Crap' thought Zoro ' what now, I have no strength to fight off these idiots… And her…'

" Leave them" came a soft voice.

Zoro chanced a glance, slowly, for they all though him to be asleep, or dead and he saw the marine that haunted his dreams, Tashigi.

" But… but we will get promoted for them!" another marine had whined, he watched silently, waiting for what she would do.

" Will you disobey a direct order from me?" she shouted now, " you will not touch any of them."

" M'am no m'am" shouted the marines, even though some shot mutinous looks at her back.

" Now go and search the town, surely there are some idiots left," she barked at them, looking at them as though daring them to protest. But they all ran off in different directions until she was the only one left. She turned slowly so she was facing the straw-hat crew. " You're awake aren't you?" she asked softly, looking directly at him.

" Yes I am," he answered for unknown reasons, even to him.

" Hmm I thought you'd have been dead with all that you did" she said, giving him a searching look " why aren't you dead actually?"

He looked up at her; she had asked that with an air of a question that was normally asked towards him.

" I am not dead because…" he paused here wondering how much he should tell this marine, if anything, " I have not completed my dream." She just looked at him, and he found, in her face, Kuina giving him the look, which he hated and loved. He wanted to ignore it; he wanted to pretend she wasn't there, to fall into dreams, where he was Kuina's and only Kuina's. But then he found himself telling her everything, every single thing that had happened between him and Kuina, and all about her death. The look on her face when he said she died, was, painful a tear ran silently down her cheek. Then she turned away, and he stopped just staring at her.

" I am sorry," she said softly, trying to conceal that she was sobbing, " I never knew that it hurt you to look at me." Before he could answer her she was walking away, quickly, thinking he couldn't get up. He also thought that he couldn't but he found the strength, and within a second he had grabbed her arm and stopped her.

" Tashigi…" he started and then lost the words he had planned on saying, and instead he pulled her into his arms, sensed her shock and confusion and simply held her close to him. He felt her arms slide around him, and hold him, even though she was unsure if she was allowed to do this, she couldn't help it. " It does not hurt me to look at you," he murmured into her hair, " it is the opposite, looking at you makes me feel happy, and completely at ease." She looked up at him, and he leaned close and kissed her, just softly, to let her know that he did care, even if he didn't show it often. She was shocked at this, a pirate was kissing her! But she too felt happy at this show of emotion, and was quick to wrap her arms around his neck, she felt him deepen the kiss, pushing his tongue past her lips, which shocked her at first but she soon began to relax and do the same back. Then he pulled away, with a blush on his face he looked down at her, just looked, and then backed away, so he was about a foot from her.

" We can't do this," he said softly, trying to be cool and calm about it, but she heard and felt the regret in his voice, " I am a pirate and you are a marine, it would never work." She looked at him, wondering what to do, for almost a year; she had hidden her respect for the great Roronoa Zoro, the pirate from the others, and then her love.

" You are right," she whispered " if only you weren't a pirate, then it could work. But you are, so this is goodbye for now, and I hope that we meet again. And at that time we will have a duel and I will beat you." She said the last four words with such determination that he had to roll his eyes.

" You will never beat me" he taunted at her, " but I will promise you one thing," his voice softened " I will beat Hawk-eye and when I do, I will not die. I will wait for you, wait for you at the top." With that he turned away from her, and looked back to see tears running down her face. As he walked back to his nakama, he suddenly stopped, because her arms were around him, holding him tightly.

" I will get stronger and I will fight you one day," she sobbed into the back of his shirt. Zoro realized something as she held him that day, she knew in her heart, that she might never see him again. He knew also that he may never see her again, even if he promised her, he had to keep the promise to Kuina first, he had to beat Hawk-Eye, even if it cost him his life to do it. He didn't need her next three words to tell him this, he knew when she had grabbed him, holding on as though if she had let him go, he could be gone forever. He turned to her, " I will never really leave you" he whispered into her hair, " not while you still put your heart and soul into the sword. I…I … I love you Tashigi." He then blushed a deep red, and she looked up into his face and smiled. " I love you too Zoro" she said " and you will defeat Hawk-Eye and we will meet again." She gave him a soft kiss and then turned and walked away, as he repeated his promise once more, to her and himself.

" I will always wait for you." She burst into tears and ran away down the street until she tripped, but she picked herself up and kept going. He smiled to himself and went and sat next to his nakama, settling in for a long sleep.

End Flashback

That was why he was leaving; he couldn't be a pirate and still be with her. He would become a bounty hunter again, or maybe not, but he would continue down the path to Worlds Greatest Swordsman, and if he met his nakama along the way, he would help them if he must. As he turned to walk off the ship, he turned to look at them one last time, Nami, Ussop and Chopper were crying, Sanji just looked at him and nodded, Luffy had silent tears running down his face but he understood, and Robin, Robin was sobbing, he knew that she loved him, but he just couldn't return those feelings for her. He smiled at her one last time, and turned and walked away from the ship, away from his friends, wiping the tears from his face, he looked at the future, with Tashigi.

I know that they are OOC but I'm sorry, I like it and I'd like to hear your reviews...this is just a oneshot, unless you think I should continue it. Let me know:D