"Captain-chan, where have you been?" One of her men asked her. Zoro's arm around her waist and his panting face towering over hers crossed her mind. She recalled him calling her "captain-chan" and coughed, a strange feeling spreading in her chest.
"I was getting additional supplies." She lied. The men didn't seem to believe her. It wasn't so much of a believable lie at all. Where were the supplies, then? Why had she gone for more supplies when they already had stocked up earlier? Also, why would she go to get supplies on her own? Her men were kind enough not to ask the questions. If their captain was hiding something, then they would let her hide it. It wasn't often that she did hide something from them anyways. Tashigi sighed, and smiled. "Let's go, men," she said softly. They nodded doubtfully, but eventually shrugged it off, and began to prepare to sail to the next island. Tashigi walked back to her office, and collapsed onto her chair. She glanced at the empty spot where the black cloth had sat just a few hours ago. She couldn't help but wonder why she had gone this far to return it. She squeezed the white handkerchief tightly, and then placed it carefully on her desk.
"I have a feeling that I'll see you again, 'captain-chan.'"
Tashigi began to sort her papers, unaware of the large smile spread across her face.
As if.