Chapter 8: Surprises with Them

Zoro and Tashigi reached the ship just before the sun completely left the horizon. Chopper and Usopp greeted the two, waving from the ship. "Zoro! You missed it! There was the biggest Sea King swimming by, and ate one of the ships and left! Robin scared it away!" Chopper yelled excitedly, bouncing up and down on the railing.

He chuckled, listening to the excitable reindeer's story. He followed Tashigi up the ladder, not bothering to look up, knowing very well that he'd see up her dress. He raked his fingers through his hair aggravated. It was barbaric to him that such a copy-cat, annoying woman could have become so much more desirable after one kiss.

One dumb kiss.

Right then, if they hadn't been in public, he might have considered making love to her. Though, he knew very well that she would not have appreciated such an action.

Zoro watched as Tashigi familiarized herself with the crew, acting like nothing at all happened. He looked away, walking to the railing he had been leaning against earlier that day. Franky approached him, standing beside with.

"What's with the moping?" he asked, watching everyone like Zoro.

"I'm not moping."

"You really are. Did something happen between you and Tashigi?"

"Nothing happened."

"Nothing, eh? So if we probed that mind of yours, nothing like, oh say, a kiss occurred?"

Zoro stiffened at his comment. "Nothing at all happened." He replied, using his straightest voice.

Franky sighed, not fooled. "Robin and I went for a walk and saw you two."

"Then why didn't you just say that!" Zoro yelled at him, standing up and hitting him on the head.

Chopper ran up to Zoro, ignoring the fallen body of Franky. "Zoro! You're so cool! Tashigi just told us what happened in the tavern!" Zoro had a look of surprise.

"She did?" He asked, still leaning against the rail.

"She said that your high bounty scared off other pirates!" Chopper smiled, returning to Usopp and Luffy. Zoro had an incredulous grin on his face, having gained such an ego boost from her.

Everyone made their way into the galley, ready to eat dinner after being called by the love-cook. Tashigi sat between Nami and Robin. The mikan loving girl nearly growled when Luffy took a seat in front of her. Sanji started piling food on to the table, and everyone commenced in eating.

"Tashi, so did you get what you wanted?" Nami asked, sipping some wine that they bought on the island.

"Mhm, I have some shorts and a pair of capris. Thank you Nami."

"It's no big deal." She replied, taking a bite out of the chicken leg was able to be missed by Luffy. Nami looked at Luffy, surprised that he eating slower than usual.

"What?" He asked, shoving a spoon full of rice in his mouth.

"Nothing." She sighed, returning to her food. He suddenly paused from his eating, catching her attention once again.

"Nami, I decided that I'm not really sorry. I did it intentionally, even though I didn't realize I was doing it." He continued to eat his meat, not taking his eyes off of her.

"Oh..! Luffy!" Nami yelled, slamming her fists on to the table. Nami hid her face from him behind her bangs, allowing Tashigi to see a grin on her lips. Nami left the table abruptly, walking out the open galley door.

"Oi, dumbass, what did you do this time?" Sanji got up, attempting to follow Nami.

Tashigi tugged at his shirt, having him look back at her. "I think she needs a moment alone, she's alright." Sanji returned to the table, and started chatting up Robin once again.

Luffy looked over at Tashigi, "she wasn't mad?" he asked, not bothering to swallow his food before talking.

"She's more embarrassed than angry." Tashigi informed, getting up from the table to clean her dishes off.

"Really?" He set down his food down and left the table, walking out to the deck. The whole table nearly went to cardiac arrest after watching Luffy leave his food. Everyone then ran at the speed of sound to observe what was going on outside.

They all stared through the door, obviously watching Luffy and Nami. Sanji started to try and attack Luffy, seeing him touch Nami's arm, but everyone just blocked his view. After talking for about five minutes, everyone gasped, watching Luffy lean over and kiss Nami. The navigator stole his hat and held it front of their faces, blocking everyone's view.

Nami turned to see Luffy running out the galley door. In an attempt to run, she tripped over her own footing, falling into the grass. He stood beside her, offering his hand out to the mikan girl.

Stubbornly she put her hand into his, resisting the grin on her lips that formed when their skin met. "Luffy..." She mumbled, still refusing to look into his face.

"Yes Nami!" Luffy said in slightly excited voice, lightly touching her arm. She looked up at him half annoyed, half interested in his actions.

"Why did you have to go and something like that, especially in front of everyone?" She nodded her head to her right, indicating everyone obviously watching them.

"Huh?" He questioned, not understanding the situation. Sometimes Luffy was just too Luffy.

"Well, it was just slightly embarrassing to me, you saying that in front of everyone, because it was kind of personal." Nami tried to explain to the puppy that was Luffy.

"Why should it matter, we're all nakama."

"Nakama usually don't kiss."

"Then who does kiss?"

Nami blushed at the child-like question, starting to feel like she was talking to a five year old. "People in private relationships kiss" was the best response she could seem to come up with as an answer.

Luffy took a moment to think about the answer to his question. He suddenly gripped her shoulders, causing her to look straight into his absurdly large eyes. "If we're in a private relationship, does that mean you would be my Kaizoku-Ojou? Because I think would like it if you were."

'Does he even realize that he just proposed to me?" Nami immediately thought after she grasped what he said. She felt his arms wrap around her tightly, feeling him place his lips lightly on hers.

She slid his hat off with her right hand to hide their action from the others. Though, momentarily the hat was dropped so that said hand could rake through their captain's hair.

Everyone ignored the scene after a moment, and went back to their dining room to clean, once they returned, Nami and Luffy had mysteriously vanished. Sanji scowled at their disappearance, not too happy at the captain. Everyone soon went to bed, the whole day having been rather long, and only slightly adventurous.

Robin informed that while Tashigi had been gone, Franky and she retrieved a bed for her to sleep in while there that would remain in the women's quarters. Tashigi was quite pleased with this.

Zoro lied awake in his bunk, staring at the ceiling. If he closed his eyes again, he knew he would hopelessly dream of the woman that now lay in the women's quarters. It was only four in the morning. He leapt out the bed in a quite manner, pulling his boots on, and disregarding his need for a shirt. He walked out on to the dew grass, smelling the ocean air.

He climbed the ladder to the crow's nest, and decided to watch the ocean from there. The waves were hardly visible, but what moonlight there was decorated the waves in a light sparkle. He sighed to himself, thinking about kissing her. Part of him repeats that he shouldn't have done such a stupid thing, while the other part tells him he should go burst through the women's quarters now and make love to the woman right then and there.

Zoro decided that he would remain in limbo to his thoughts. He yawned, his eyes closing before he could acknowledge he was falling asleep.

Like Zoro, Tashigi lied awake in her bed, staring dumbly at the ceiling. She couldn't stop thinking about him. How he just grabbed her cheek and kissed her with no permission at all! How dare he just tease her with such a delicious kiss, in public, no less! She felt a blush crawl onto her cheeks, just remembering it.

She stumbled out of her bed as quietly as possible, and left the room. She decided to think in the crow's nest, hoping that the oceanic view could distract her from him.

Without thinking, she climbed up the ladder and entered the circular room. She blinked twice, not sure if she was seeing right.

Zoro was found sitting up, clearly sleeping where he sat. She cursed to herself for not bringing her glasses, and for not being awake enough to tell if she was dreaming or not.

She gently touched his hair, feeling its slight roughness like she remembered. She was sure that she was dreaming, unconvinced that Zoro would be sleeping in the crow's nest. Though she was forgetting that a certain reindeer mentioned that he practically lived there, but that's beside the point. Tashigi sat beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Tashigi weakly acknowledged that she was being pulled into his lap. "Zoro?" she drowsily mumbled, noticing a difference in position.

Zoro grunted in recognition. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

"Am I dreaming?" She asked, her hand hovering over his cheek. He nuzzled her, opening his eyes.

"Probably." Zoro responded simply. He pulled her closer, resting his face her in neck. Lightly he placed a kiss on her collar bone. "I'm going to sleep."

"Zoro, that's silly, how do you fall asleep in a dream." she asked, her eyes closed.

"I dunno, it's your dream." He yawned, leaning his head against the window, quickly drifting into dreamless sleep. Tashigi closed her eyes as well not expecting to fall asleep.

It couldn't be helped if they wanted to stay away from each other, fate was telling them otherwise.