I decided to write this lovely one-shot for the birthday of one of my favorite One Piece characters. Tashigi! Enjoy.
Tashigi sat in the alleyway outside of the local bar, annoyed at how her day was going so far. The G-5 had arrived on the island early that morning, planning to gather supplies and then take the rest of the day for themselves so they could set sail the next morning.
Unfortunately for them, the Straw Hat Pirates and the Heart Pirates were on the same island, and even worse, they couldn't do anything because the island was not officially affiliated with the World Government and thus had amnesty laws in place to prevent both pirates and Marines from attacking one another.
After inconveniently running into each other, the Straw Hats invited them to go to a nearby bar where they were going to have a party. The party ended up being a celebration of Trafalgar Law's birthday. Upon learning this fact, she and Smoker both obtained a bottle of the strongest liquor the place had and within minutes downed its contents. They were both that annoyed, though their reasons were different.
After a while, the Straw Hats began asking about the birthdays of the G-5 members. It took a little while, but they finally got to Smoker and Tashigi.
"Hey, Smokey, when's your birthday?" Straw Hat Luffy looked genuinely curious and happy at the same time. Smoker glowered at him, but eventually gave in, when everyone started to look at him.
He took the cigars out of his mouth and sighed. "I was born on March 14," he said. Several people giggled at the fact. Not even Tashigi could hold back the slight smile on her face, as she learned that her superior officer was born on White Day. Cyborg Franky began loudly sobbing, proclaiming that it was so beautiful that Smoker had been born on such a romantic holiday.
A sweat drop appeared on Smoker's forehead. "You are reading way too much into that," he told the cyborg who was attempting to dry his tears.
Moments later, they turned to Tashigi.
Already knowing the question, Tashigi took a deep breath and then sighed, before giving her reply.
"I do not now, nor have I ever celebrated my birthday. It doesn't matter to me," she said.
Her response only served to rile everyone up and make them even more curious. A few people were insisting that she had to tell them, because everyone else did; a few of the calmer people like Nico Robin and Smoker simply looked at her with interest before it finally got somewhat quieter.
"Oh come on," the Cat Burglar leaned over the table towards her. "You know when your birthday is, so talk. When is it?"
Tashigi glanced around the table, allowing her eyes to rest a moment longer on Law than everyone else, before speaking.
"No, I'm not telling anyone when my birthday is."
Luffy let out an indignant "Heeeeeyyy", before Nico Robin looked at her with knowing eyes.
"It's today isn't it?" the archeologist asked.
Tashigi froze momentarily and everyone looked at her with surprise. She took a sharp breath and then proceeded to lie to all of them.
"No, it's not." Several people frowned and before they could question her further, she pushed her chair back. "I'm going outside for some fresh air." She walked out the door and ended up sitting in the alleyway where she was now, brooding about how unlucky the entire situation was and how she had to knowingly share her birthday with a pirate of all people. She already didn't like her birthday for a myriad of reasons, so she supposed this was just going to be another one to add to the list.
While she sat lost in her own little world, she failed to notice Roronoa Zoro walk up to her and sit down next to her. She finally became aware of his presence and looked at him. He looked back at her for a moment before holding something out to her.
She looked down at the small package wrapped in blue cloth. She took it from him and very carefully unwrapped the cloth to reveal a small dagger.
The hilt and sheath were both ornately crafted with gold and several small blue and green jewels. She unsheathed the blade to examine it as well. The blade was made with simple, but extremely sturdy steel. It was a beautiful piece that would not break easily.
The only thing Tashigi could not figure out was why Roronoa would give her such a thing. When she looked back at him, he was looking at her with a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Why are you giving me this?" she asked.
He smiled a bit before responding. "It's because you're so clumsy and losing your sword so much."
Tashigi glared at him. "Those were only a few times, just because you happened to be there, doesn't mean it constantly happens."
"Well, either way, now you have something as a backup, in case you ever end up in a tight spot. Just in case. You don't have to use it to fight, just give you a chance to get back on your feet or retrieve your sword. Or help out with whatever situation you end up in. I'm not trying to be patronizing or anything, I just don't like seeing you get cut down. At all."
Tashigi was surprised to say the least. No one had ever really cared enough to give her anything, much less because they were concerned something might happen to her. She put the dagger back in the sheath and placed it beside Shigure on her belt.
"You still sounded patronizing," she informed him.
He shrugged. "Well I tried," he replied.
"Thank you." She couldn't quite look at him as she said those words. The thought of thanking a pirate, even one who had given her a gift, grated on her nerves.
"You're welcome." She turned just as he embraced her.
Her eyes went wide and she could swear that she was blushing. Roronoa Zoro felt warm to her and she felt oddly comfortable in his arms. She tentatively hugged him back, before he pulled away just enough to kiss her on the cheek. She knew that if she wasn't red before, she certainly was now. Zoro held her a little bit longer before releasing her and moving away.
She missed the odd warmth that had encased her, but knew that this was a rare show of affection from him and that it would be best to not get too attached to the feeling.
"Happy Birthday Tashigi."
Before she could say anything else, Zoro stood up and began to walk back inside. Her eyes followed him involuntarily and watched as he turned back to look at her. He smiled warmly at her before going back inside the bar.
Tashigi looked down at the dagger that now adorned her waist alongside her beloved sword Shigure. At that moment, Tashigi decided that today might be a good day after all.
So I know I'm writing this a bit late into the day, but I only just got the idea a little while ago. I'll revise it later, but for now please review and let me know how I did. See you later.