I took a week of break, I'm sorry, but I was sick and busy. I really had a hard time trying to finish this chapter. It's a bit longer chapter (it originally had 8.6k words but with all the deleting I ended up with 7.2k words and it's still a lot) but I love it so much! So, let's get one to business! THE NEW CHAPTER IS HERE!

Notes:

*all the names are picked and combined randomly*

-Ojousama - young lady, name for the girl from the rich family;

-Sakura - cherry blossom tree;

-Tatami sandals - explained in the previous chapter;

-Shoujo manga - Japanese manga comic for girls, young female readers;

-Senpai - upperclassmen;

-Kohai - underclassmen;

-Yoroshiku onegai shimasu! - Japanese saying when someone's making a business deal, there's no particular translation;

-Bonsai - small Japanese tree;

-Yari - literally means spear, but this yari is a wooden weapon;

-Shoji - Japanese paper door;

-Ojouchan - kinda same as ojousama but this is used for common girls.

Summary from the previous chapter: Zoro was in the hospital for 5 full days and his injuries healed leaving him with a scar on his eye. He was left from the hospital but still had to stay home so Robin came to him every day and nurse him. That pissed you off, really. You didn't see Zoro at all. You had a wonderful dream about you two being together but yet... it was only just a dream. Soon, Zoro came back to work and Nami arranged us to go to a summer festival. On the festival, Robin apologized for doing "that thing". on their last business trip. When you were left alone with Zoro, he told you what was that thing and that he regrets it all. You finally realized, he was not interested in Robin.


After the festival we all continued our work at the company as usual. Business was going well but that affected us too much: we were busy, stayed overtime and in the end come back home exhausted. We didn't even have that little free time to go out and have fun. But, it wasn't all that dark… As we were working hard, I had some chances to work with Zoro and get along with him well. But, all we talked together was just business, numbers and papers. We didn't talk about us at all and those thoughts never reached my mind, I was too focused on my job. Sometimes, I wanted to cool down and put my work aside and just enjoy being with Zoro… but that never happened.

Also, a new and bright thing that I experienced was a new and nicer Robin. She would help me with my work, give me advices and even do some papers for me. We were more talkative and nicer to each other. She never mentioned her relationship with Zoro or him in person and she would always avoid the topic about the festival. One day, after the morning shift, Robin invited me for a coffee. We went to the café in the town, a little further away from the company.

Robin again apologized for her actions towards Zoro. I was unsure if I should confirm her that I really like Zoro but in the end I told her, making her another person who knows about that. Robin offering help with my problem was weird but I saw that she had good intentions, so I gave in. Sure, any type of help would be great but I didn't want to do something outrageous, like confessing him via love letter or asking him on a date at night. I just don't want to do anything weird…

Back at the company, all was the same. Boss assigned Sanji and me to go on a trip. But, to be more precise, we had to escort a rich family to the resort they picked at our company. We both had to be their tour guides.

We came to the special luxury resort within the day. The next day was full of walking, explaining and story-telling. We nearly had any break. We could finally take a breather when we arrived at the town's park. Sanji and I stood behind the family, awaiting their orders, like we were couple of servants.

"Sanji… remember that time, at the company, you told me you knew who I'm in love with…"

"Yes… and I was right. From the start I knew you liked him… and after I saw you together at the festival, my doubts were confirmed."

'He-He saw us?!'

"You probably think that we're together but we're not… I don't know… I'm starting to doubt myself…", I looked to the ground.

'Even with all that comfort from Robin… and with all her support… I don't think Zoro and I can…'

"Excuse me, [y/n]-san, but… What are you saying?! It's true, I don't like that guy, but I'm here to support you in your decisions, like I told you before. I'm here to be your friend and help you be happy!", Sanji shouted at me, holding my hands tightly, looking me straight in the eyes. He quickly released me and took a step away, "I'm sorry for this… but, [y/n]-san…", he looked at me again, "You just need to be more confident and believe in yourself. You can do it, you can succeed.", he finally smiled at me, making me smile and nod to him. Just in that moment, the family children called for me so I had to leave.

'Sanji is now the 3rdperson who knows that I'm in love with Zoro… I wonder how many people, beside Sanji, Nami and Robin also know about it? How much does Zoro know? Sanji is also another person who's willing to help me. He wants to help me get together with Zoro even though he doesn't like him. I shouldn't waste this chance…', I thought while walking to the little kids. I just needed to believe in myself.

The children of the family who assigned us really started to like both Sanji and me. The oldest daughter of the three kids, Sarah, was a teenager who loved fashion so she dragged both of us to the beauty salon one day. Even with our negotiations and sayings that we're here on work, she demanded that we get a makeover. So, being as ojousama as she is, Sarah wanted a special treatment for everyone. She wanted us to change our appearance because, as she said, "we look boring and not pretty at all". I was a bit scared because I've never been on a makeover according to the ideas of a teenage girl. Hairdresser literally played with my hair, cutting, spraying and tossing it around and over my face. When I was done with hair, the makeup artist took place and played with my face. I was praying to God, wanting this whole makeover to be over soon so I can look what monster I've become.

But, when I was revealed to the mirror, I was really surprised with how good I looked. I had a light makeup and my hair was down, looking really refreshed and new. I was strictly forbidden by the hairdresser to wear any kind of buns. When I came back to the waiting area, Sarah and Sanji were already waiting for me. It was a pleasant surprise to see the "new" Sanji. His hair looked messy and was less straight. Also, the bang was flipped and is now covered his right eye. He also looked refreshed. Sarah dragged us out of the salon and to the Mall. She had to buy every little thing she liked. So in the end, Sanji was the one who carried all her bags back to the resort.

That night, right after dinner, I went out to the resort's peaceful garden. Putting the work aside, this journey relaxed me… but I still had many worries buzzing around my brain. So, to let them all out, I found the relaxation just by sitting on a bench in the beautiful and neat garden of the rich resort. I didn't need anything more than a little fountain and the sound of the water pouring on the fountain's stones. I wore a light and beautiful white kimono with pink sakura petals scattered on the lower part of the cloth. It looked like I ran into the blossoming pink tree and picked up some petals along. I really liked this resort's clothes. My little meditation broke the sound of the door, sliding to the side. I turned around to check who was entering and saw Sanji, wearing a light blue striped kimono and tatami slippers. He closed the door slowly, being careful not to make a hard sound and disturb the peace of the garden.

"May I join in?", he asked. I nodded and moved aside, making free space for him to sit, "This seems like Heaven.", Sanji said as he sit a little further away from me.

"Yeah, almost like the other world… far away from all the worries.", I said taking a deep breath.

"Speaking of which... and I don't want to disturb you but… how do you feel now? After we had a talk about… Zoro…", Sanji said in pauses. It was the first time I heard Sanji saying Zoro's name. That both surprised me and warmed my heart.

"Don't feel like you're disturbing me or anything. I think I feel more confident and stronger now. But I still can't find the courage to confess. I feel like a high school girl in shoujo manga.", that made both of us chuckle.

"Haha, don't tell me he's your senpai.", we continued to laugh but silent as we remembered the place we're in.

"Ah, I don't know… I just feel somehow lost… Zoro seems so close yet he's so distant. Lately, I don't know what he's thinking. We're neighbors for quite some time, we were alone countless of times but… it's just that I'm scared of making the move…", I wasn't sad but in doubt… in doubt of my abilities and my luck of succeeding with Zoro.

The garden was again silent. The water from the fountain was the only thing that made a sound. I heard Sanji sighing hard a few times.

"He was always like that, and I hate it.", Sanji said and I looked at him. He was staring at the opened night sky. His face was calm but without a smile, "Ever since I met him in college, he was always distant from everyone. He looked like an idiot to me, but he was actually very smart. I admired that. But the thing I truly hated about him, and I still do, is his behavior towards people. Yes, he's great at his work and gives it all when dealing with clients but outside of the office, he's just a jerk. And I still can't understand how he's so popular around girls, both in college and now. But, no matter how many confessed to him, he would turn down every single one. That's what pisses me off. He turns down ladies so easily.", Sanji's talking brought me down too.

All that confidence I was bragging about is now falling down the pit and into the despair. Sanji probably noticed the look on my face when he came back quickly, "A-aah, I didn't mean to say that just to bring you down, [y/n]-san. Ah, please down give up.", then he brought my chin back up, "Listen, more than any time now, I want to make you happy. And because of that, I'll do everything I have to make that jerk be with you. I see your dedication and your love for him… and when it comes to love, I don't give up until it happens. So, I won't give up on you two, okay?", he smiled again. These last few sentences of him were like a helping hand reaching to me from that pit of despair. Seeing the severity in his eyes brought me hope.

"Thank you, Sanji.", I finally said and hugged him. This support is all I needed.

"So, about Zoro-senpai…", he started it again, making me laugh one more time.

The talk and high school jokes went along. We both laughed and really had a great time, making jokes of Zoro as a jerky senpai and me as a shy kohai in love. The peace of the garden kept surrounding us, mixing with laughter and smiles. The night was getting colder, reminding us that summer is almost over and that fun has to end. The jokes stopped but still with a smile, I greeted Sanji off, wishing him a good night. The clear starry sky and the full moon still shone upon the open and perfectly neat garden, making the scenery look like it was from a painting. Leaving that peaceful place, it was time to sleep…

When the escort trip ended and we returned to the office, Sanji and I were the center of the attention. Everyone stared at us, compliment our looks or just stayed silent and later gossip around. Yeah, it was embarrassing as I wasn't used to be the one who people talked about. So, to deal with it, I just kept quiet and focused on my work as hard as I could.

Luckily for Sanji and me, the teasing and weird looks ended after a day or two. And even that summer was slowly ending, the journey orders were still going on. All the other employees went to some trip except me. I was still stuck with the papers and typing all day. The little rest I got at that resort was now already gone and I was tired again.

One day, I got a call from the boss to meet him in his office. I immediately stopped my work and rushed to the elevator, pressing up, to his floor. I was never called to the office and that frightened me. I was in his office just that time when I got this job so I had to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

'Okay, my notebook's here, my employee card around my neck is here, my hair is not messy… I hope…', I took a heavy sigh and entered the elevator, shaking a little. My heart raced as the numbers were closing to 8, boss' office floor. When the door opened on the final selected floor I took another deep breath and stepped out. In the hallway I met Ben Beckman, boss' personal assistant and his close friend.

"Ben-san, I got a call from the boss…", I spoke, interrupting him in checking some papers. He chewed on a toothpick before he spoke up.

"Yeah, he's in his office, waiting for you. Don't worry, it's nothing scary.", he smiled and continued his way.

But, even with that said, I was still feeling nervous. I didn't want boss to wait so I quicken up my walk and grabbed the doorknob. I took a breath to calm myself, knocked and waited for the approval answer.

"Come in!", I heard his voice on the other side of the door and opened it.

"Good afternoon, Sir. You called…", I said, closing the door behind me and approaching the main desk where the boss sat, looking at various papers in his hands.

"Ah, yes, I did… but let's wait. There's one more person I need to talk to and you're the part of this.", boss Shanks kept his serious voice and I tried to stay calm.

Not long after he said that, the knock came from the door. Boss approved and another person came in. It would be rude for me to turn to see who it was so I waited in my place.

"Sir, I'm here as requested.", came the familiar voice behind me. He came next to me so I turned my head to him. He was also surprised that he sees me.

"Good.", boss put down the papers and looked at the two of us, "Now, [y/n] and Zoro… I have a job for you two. A field trip to be exact.", I flinched and looked at Zoro. Our eyes met and I blushed, turning my head away fast, "Oho, so Miss Robin was right – you two ARE perfect for this job. I wish I noticed that first.", boss said with a smile.

'Did I just show my boss that I blush to Zoro? Has he already figured it out? Shit! I'm so stupid!', I wanted to rewind and react differently than blushing.

"Excuse me, Robin did that?", I don't know if I asked or said it but I was surely surprised hearing her name.

"Yes, she requested you two for this job. Originally, it was planned that Zoro and Robin go on this journey but she had to pass it because she's already too busy and she came back from the business trip just two days ago. So, in her place, she suggested you, [y/n]. She said that you and Zoro create a great team and she gave me some nice examples of your work. I trust her so don't make that trust a joke. I'm assigning you to this task, [y/n]. That means I put my trust in you too. Don't let me down."

"I won't, Sir!", I responded like I was a soldier, but with not so loud voice.

"Good. ", he leaned back on his chair.

"Sir, if I may… Can I ask about the details on this job?", asked Zoro.

"Hmmm… I wanted this to be a surprise.", he smiled cheeky, "You'll go on a trip tomorrow morning, starting from the bus station and it would last for five days, that's all you need to know. I can also say that these are some small clients.", he smiled again. The clues he gave us meant nothing. I looked at Zoro and he just shrugged.

Boss dismissed us, took a newspaper and leaned back on his chair. Zoro and I both bowed and excused ourselves from his office.

"What in the world was that?", asked Zoro, going to the elevator.

"I think it was boss' order… We got the job to do. I don't think he would give us some shitty job… right?", I said standing next to Zoro, waiting for elevator to come.

"I just hope it's durable… ", he said and we both entered the elevator, pressing our floor numbers.

We went back to work, still thinking about what kind of a job boss prepared for us and what kind of clients await us tomorrow.

"He said 'small clients' didn't he?", asked Zoro standing next to me with traveling suitcase in his hand.

"M-mm, yeah, he did… But this…", I gripped my suitcase handle and my eye slightly twitched watching the crowd in front of us.

That was the crowd of elementary school kids, running around, being loud and just childish. I didn't know what to think… boss definitely gave us a shitty job.

"Good morning. You two must be our tour guides…", a small woman approached us. A bit taller woman was following. They recognized us, probably because we were in our business clothes, all suited up.

'Did she just say "our"?', I thought, looking at the small fat woman who was happily smiling at us.

"Oh, let me introduce us… My name is Minami Masako and this is my colleague, Tanaka Natsumi-san.", Tanaka-san bowed to us so Zoro and I followed with small bows, "We are the teachers at 'Sakura Elementary School'. Our students are going on a small field trip today, but I guess you already know that.", she smiled again.

'Believe me, lady, we don't anything about this mess…', I guessed Zoro thought the same as I caught his weird expression.

Zoro cut the surprised looks and introduced both of us with a bow. We chatted with the teachers and found out that we're going to the town full of dojos for swordsmanship and martial arts.

'Oh God, this is gonna be one loud and overall terrible ride. Kids are really hard to deal with. I want to go home~!', I sobbed inside but I had to deal with it. After all, this is a job and I always give it my all when it comes to work and business.

I was assigned to go in the bus with Minami-san, the little smiling fat teacher, and her class and Zoro was going with Tanaka-san, the tall skinny teacher, and her bunch of kids. They handed us the plan for the field trip where all the events were scheduled by hours and dates. All the information about the dojos, the hotel we're staying at and the employees were there.

"Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!", the both teachers said and bowed to Zoro and me. Zoro and I repeated in the same voice and bowed to them. The teachers went to their kids and left Zoro and me still standing on the bus platform.

"So… do you consider this durable?", I asked and looked at Zoro. He had some kind of disgust on his face but sighed and looked at me.

"We will find out soon… As for now, I don't know how to survive this…", he made me chuckle and we both went to our busses, getting the suitcases and kids in. I gave him a 'thumbs up' and entered the bus along with many kids and Minami-san.

When all the kids settled up and sat on their seats, the bus started and we went off the station. After some time of riding, Minami-san, the teacher, stood up and asked me to do so.

"Okay, little ones, listen up!", she awaited for the crowd of kids to silent and look at her. I had a small nervous feeling in my stomach, "This is [y/n]-san. She will be our tour guide on this trip. You better listen to what she has to say or no pudding for desert, okay?", she had a little serious tone but not too harsh for the kids.

"Haaaai!", the children shouted all in the same voice and Minami-san showed me to introduce myself. They all listened to me, with their cute little happy faces.

'Dealing with kids is not so bad, after all. I hope things go well. But, I wonder… How's in Zoro's bus?', that made me think… I never saw him in this situation. With adult clients he's very skilled… I hope he can handle kids too.

"Do you have any questions?", I asked looking around the crowd, after finishing my speech. One little girl raised her hand. I gave her permission to ask.

"Is that tall boy also a tour guide? Why is he for the other class?", she asked so casually.

"Yes, he is the tour guide for the class on the other bus. He is there because our boss decided that way. But don't worry, you will have fun with me too.", I said, trying to keep my smile on.

"I know but… he's so handsome…", little girl began to blush and other started to tease her. Their teacher had to react and calm the bullies down. I came to the girl and kneeled to her seat.

"If you want, I can introduce you to him when we stop. Okay, Kanako-chan?", I read the tag on her shirt and smiled to her. She nodded smiling and went back to talk to her friend who was sitting with her.

Teacher warned them to ask just questions about the journey and nothing else. No one spoke up so I sat back to my seat and enjoyed the ride.

Halfway on the road, we had a break. I introduced little Kanako to Zoro as promised and more girls came to us right after. As expected of the popular Zoro-kun.

The little break ended and we went back to the bus for another hour of riding. The children were now peaceful, mostly because they were sleepy and tired. We had no problems with them so I had a chance to relax and take a little nap myself. Yeah, like I could. Instead of kids bugging me, there was the teacher, Minami-san. She would wake me up every minute to offer me some tea, cookies, sandwich, pie, gum, water, napkins, etc. So, in the end, I didn't have any rest.

We finally arrived to our destination, a nice and peaceful town, full of history and tradition. Looking around I immediately thought of Robin, she loves history. The "hotel" we had to stay in was nothing more than a traditional inn with wooden walls, floors and shoji doors. All the employees welcomed us, showing us the way to our rooms. Zoro and I separated again as he went to the left and I to the right "wing" of the inn.

Luckily for me, I didn't have to share my room with the teacher, Minami-san. The room I was in was very nicely set, with a large vase full of flowers and bosai tree in the other one, all put on different shelves. A small table was set in the middle of the room with a bowl of nicely arranged little flowers. Shoji door on the other side was open, revealing to me a nice and traditional garden, perfectly neat and arranged with all the accessories, plants, a little bridge and artificial bamboo fountain.

'Mmm, finally… peace and quiet after all that hard work and all that bus riding…', I thought and laid my bag next to the closet.

I went out and sat on the veranda, absorbing the peace from the perfect garden. It didn't last long as Minami-sensei called me for lunch. The meals we had were all traditional and surprisingly, the kids didn't mind that - they were extremely grateful to the food that was served to them. After lunch we had a tour over the nearest dojo and ended up watching a practice match. We all came back to dinner and went to sleep pretty early, being all exhausted from the ride all morning.

The next day, we woke up early, had a nice breakfast and continued our tour. Every day was like that. I would see Zoro and be with him just on those tours and during meal times as we weren't allowed to go to each other's rooms. So, just like that, the last day of the field trip came. This time, we visited the town's museum which showed us all the history and tradition of the town. Kids weren't so excited about this one but when the martial arts dojo was the one we visited after lunch, they went insane. The dojo master showed us some the techniques and Zoro, excited like a kid, wanted to try his swordsmanship against some opponents. The dojo had all kind of weapons but Zoro chose a light bamboo practice sword. He was really awesome with it, being the perfect match for the dojo students and the master himself. After those matches, he asked me to try. I denied but with all the kids' support and nagging, I had to agree.

"Show me what you got, neighbor.", Zoro provoked me. I formed a grin and took a long wooded yari from the wall.

"I must tell you… I used to train martial arts but quit right after entering college. So, please go easy on me, okay?"

"Haha, you don't have to worry about that. Just come.", he took a stance and waited for me.

I took a deep breath and rushed to Zoro, showing my moves right from the start. And so, I saw it myself – Zoro is a tough fighter. He's strong and has some awesome moves. I had to really give it my all to fight him but my every attack had Zoro's counterattack. The skills I had in high school were awesome and now, I rusted. I attacked Zoro but it was all futile. He used my own weapon against me – he brought his sword behind the handle of my yari, pulled it so I tripped and went flying right to him. As I tripped, I hit Zoro and we both fell, me on top of him. Our faces were so close. His hard breathing hit my face, making me blush harder than ever.

"I guess I win…", he said silently and the pause came up.

The few moments of silence broke the kids with their "Wooooooow~!", teasing both of us. I immediately pushed myself up. The whole day, the kids from both classes teased me. They did that to Zoro too but he was much calmer and dealt with the children like a professional.

'I guess I got some excitement… on our last day here…', I sighed packing my bag after another rice dinner.

The next morning we all woke up pretty early to eat our last traditional breakfast and prepare ourselves for the ride back home. I went to my room, took my bag and looked around one more time.

I will really miss this place. I really came to like this little inn. Also, I became really close to the kids from "Sakura Elementary" that I didn't want to leave them, too.

We entered the bus around 9 o'clock and arrived home at noon. Kiddies were sad that we're parting ways but I promised them I'll pay them a visit sometimes. Zoro went off ahead and I took a taxi back to my apartment building. When I came out of the elevator, I saw Zoro leaned to the wall, next to my door.

"When did you come back and what are you doing here?", I asked unlocking my door. Zoro was still in his business clothes, the clothes he wore since this morning we left the inn.

"Surprise!", he raised his arm, holding a bag off snacks and beer, "I drive fast, okay? Also, let's have a snack time and eat something different than rice.", he grinned and I shook my head also smiling. I unlocked the door and let him in.

"I didn't even put my bag down and have a rest and you're already bugging me… neighbor.", I let my bag on my bed and came back to the living room where Zoro was already sitting.

"Nah, relax… It's good that it's Saturday so you will have time to sleep all day tomorrow. But, before you hit the bed and go to the land of dreams…", he started and pulled out some papers out of the bag with snacks, "… we must deal with this first.", those were this field trip's papers. I knew what was coming – we had to write a report.

"Can you at least let me take a shower? Just let me relax my muscles a bit, okay?", I whined. Zoro was such a work-obsessed man that it was killing me.

"Okay, you win this time… I'll go, take a shower and change into something lighter, too. See ya later.", he said and went out.

'Thank God! He's killing me! Zoro's one insane guy! I can't believe he wants to work right after we came back home… What a lunatic!', I thought and went to the bathroom, turning on the shower while I got some new clothes.

The shower was really needed. After all those traditional ways of showering in the inn, home shower was a savior.

I put the clean and new clothes on and went to look at the papers Zoro brought. They were all about the field trip program, schedules, inn and employees information. They also had info on the teachers and kids that went with us. I opened the bag of chips that Zoro brought and began to read one of the papers.

Zoro came back right after I finished reading and sat beside me, smelling really fresh. He put on that damn hard cologne that filled my nostrils right away. I sat with my feet on the sofa, knees touching my chest, holding the piece of paper. Zoro sat on my left so I was staring at his back as he leaned forward to his laptop that he brought along. His t-shirt slid from his neck, revealing it and making the smell of the cologne more intense and stronger. I was literally losing my mind.

"So, when did you began to train martial arts?", he broke the silence but still looked at the laptop screen.

"Oh, stop it. Are you here to work or chat?", I said, looking back at the paper on my knees.

"What's wrong if I know? Does it really bother you? Why are you embarrassed?", he still looked at the computer, typing without the pause. I just sighed. Once he wants something, he's so determent to get it.

I explained to him the whole history about my training. I trained both kung-fu and swordsmanship since I was little but quit as I moved to another town for college.

"You were pretty good back there in the dojo; I can even say awesome.", he finally stopped typing and looked at me.

"Really, stop it. I forgot all the moves. Those were just some memory and intuition. I once knew how to deal with stronger and bigger opponents than me but I couldn't bring you down."

"It doesn't matter, I still hit the floor.", Zoro smiled to me and I remembered the whole situation back in that dojo. Blushing red I turned my head away and Zoro coughed, going back to his typing.

"Okay… let's work... First off, the number of people in the bus.", he said with a shaky and nervous voice.

"Y-yeah… Ummm, I had 32 children and with the teacher it's 33.", I said, looking at the paper, still nervous.

"And in my bus I had 29 kids and the teacher was 30th.", he typed it all down and went onto the next matter, "Now, let's see the schedule…", he took the papers and searched for the right information.

After some time, the mood was light and cool again. We were talking about the numbers, this last field trip and overall, work. Eating snacks was just not too much to satisfy our stomachs so as Zoro was typing down the report, I cooked us a fine and quick meal. We ate and worked; I typed my own report on my laptop, often consulting with Zoro. We helped each other but there was still so much stuff to do. It was already late night when we finished.

"Aaah, I seriously need a break!", I stretched in the armchair, "Maybe I should ask Nami to give me a week off. Everything's killing me."

"You're lucky… I don't even have a break. I can't take it. I'm the main responsible in my department.", Zoro said, checking his typed report.

"Can't you leave it to Ace? I worked with him and he's awesome."

"No. There are still things that only I must and can do. No one can be my replacement.", he said finally closing his laptop, "Well, I wish you a good night. Sleep well and rest tomorrow.", Zoro said going to the door. He put on his sneakers and I greeted him off. Again, nothing but work happened between us…

I had the whole Sunday to rest and I did that. I already had my field trip report ready so I just slept, woke up to eat and then go back to bed again. But no matter how many times I took a nap or even fall into a dream, I still had my thoughts on tomorrow – Monday. In the evening I got up, ate and checked my report again for some potential typos or other mistakes. When I was done, I watched some TV, had a snack and prepared myself for the new Monday.

When I arrived to the company I first headed to the print office to print out my report for the boss and the archive. After that was done, I went to the boss' office and gave him the fresh print-out report, telling him all my impressions of the journey. Even though he set the trip up, not telling all about it, I really enjoyed the company of those kids and boss was pleased everything went well. As I came back to my department, I went straight to Nami.

"You can have a break, but not for too long. You have total of 30 days of the vacation days but you can't use them all up.", she said, giving Vivi some papers to print.

"I just need a week, that's all. I'm seriously starting to feel the pain in my shoulders and I want to visit a doctor for quite some time now. So, I need days off to do all the check-ups."

"Okay. Fill this paper and your break starts from today and lasts to the next Monday. You must finish this work day though. And don't forget to sign it!", she shouted and went off.

I came back to my desk and started filling up the vacation paper. The sky outside was getting darker but with no rain. Not minding that, I filled the paper and got back to work.

I again stayed overtime but had to rush to the station not to miss my last train home. The sky was still quite gloomy but the rain didn't fall. Thunder would strike from time to time but that was just it. Just two streets were between the station and my building so I took a walk. When I exited the station and crossed the street I heard the familiar car engine and saw the speed car running right pass me. It was Zoro in his mighty Nissan.

'He probably stayed at work until now…', I thought walking on the sidewalk pass the buildings that looked really dark and scary. Even with streetlights, the whole scenery was really creepy. The air began to feel cold and I was wearing my mini skirt for work.

'All those times and it's now that I didn't have any clean pants for work! Now I'll freeze!', I thought quickening my walk.

"My, my… who would've thought that this neighborhood had such cute girls around… He he…", I heard the voice coming from my left and I immediately froze in place. I don't know why I didn't just continue my way and speed up more. The voice clearly sounded like trouble. I turned my head to the side to see a gang of high and massive guys, dressed up somehow like rappers, coming from dark alley.

"Hey, Miss, why don't we have some fun?", one of them asked. I finally snapped out and tried to escape the situation.

"I'm sorry, but I'm in a hurry…", I tried to 'run away' but failed as one guy grabbed me hard by the wrist.

"Hey, hey now, I asked for some fun. I won't let you escape me. He he… Hey Boss, what do you think of this little girl?", the guy asked turning his head back.

In these situations the kung-fu I was training would be perfect but the guy holding me was just too strong and his grip was the proof. Another big guy stepped in front of me. He pulled my chin towards him.

"She's perfect for the night. I'm taking her. Now, will you nicely come with me, ojou-chan?", he asked touching my thigh and slowly getting under my skirt, making me realize I was in real trouble. This guy was clearly the "Boss" of the gang.

"Let go of me, you gorilla! And I'm not going anywhere with you, you swine!", I got some courage and spit in his face.

The other lackeys were surprised in my actions but I was just covering my fear. I seriously didn't know what to do. I WAS scared. The "Boss" cleaned the spit off his face and straightened up. Small rain drops came to my face. Thunder stuck again, letting out harder drops from the clouds.

"Fine… You want the harder way. I like that…", he took my briefcase from my other hand allowing the guy who was holding me to get my other hand too and hold me tighter. The "Boss" tossed my bag away and stood in front of me, "Gorou, when I hit her you let go. Got it?", he talked to the guy holding me. I knew he wasn't bluffing as the look on that fat guy's face was evil.

"Got it, Boss!", Gorou gripped me more with one hand and straightened my head by pulling my hair back, "Oh, this is gonna be fun!", said Gorou and the next thing I knew was the pain in my left cheek and me on the wet and hard concrete, my right thigh hurting. I was hopeless.

All that gym and kung-fu training were useless against these jerks. On my lip, I felt blood. My lip was cut by the hit, my cheek hurt and my ear was slightly ringing. My right thigh was cut through the sock by the fall.

"You're going with me the hard way, so I showed you hard. Now, let's—", by the now pouring rain I barely saw the bullies but I heard their screams. Someone was there… I couldn't see anything. The tears were mixing up with the rain. Another thunder struck, now with a lightning so I closed my eyes. I was frightened to the death.

"So many guys on one girl… that's clearly not fair… But what's worse is… bulling her! I won't let you live this time! You gave me this scar, you punks. That's okay but, you can't touch her!", Zoro's voice came shouting. I couldn't believe my ears…

"You're that guy—", was the last heard of the gang's "Boss". The next sound I heard were hard steps running away. I was still on the ground, holding my cheek with my eyes closed. The splatter by the shoes in the water was now intense and it was coming to me. I became scared again. The hand got me and brought me up on my feet.

"Look at me…", the soft voice spoke up. I opened my eyes to see Zoro. He was all wet from the rain, the rain dripping down his hair and his face. He looked at me with a sad expression on his face. He then hugged me. My eyes filled with tears immediately.

"I'm glad you're safe.", with that, one of my tear fell down my cheek, "I wouldn't forgive myself if something had happened to you… You're shaking… But don't worry… I'm here…", thunder hit again making me flinch in Zoro's arms. His hug tightened, "I'm here… and I'll protect you… I'm here, so don't be afraid… I'm with you… [y/n]…", I couldn't stop my tears.

He really spoke that to me, like in my dream. The only difference was that this was real and I was really in Zoro's arms, listening to those words coming out of his mouth. He backed off and looked me in the eyes again. With his thumb he brushed off the tears on my face along with the rain. I was gripping his shirt so tight my nails hurt. But, I didn't want to let him go. Not now, not ever.

"Does it hurt much? Your lip is bleeding.", he tried to clean the blood off but I flinched in pain, "I want to take that pain away from you. Let me…", I slightly nodded, wanting him to save me from the pain I was feeling.

Zoro carefully took my face and leaned forward. He first kissed my left eyebrow, went to the cheek right below my eye and kissed it. Then he went lower and lower. He stopped when he was just next to my lips. He looked at me again, my eyes again filling with tears. I wanted him to take the pain away. Zoro kissed the bleeding wound on the corner of my lips and then slowly moved to the side, kissing me fully. I gave in the kiss and closed my eyes, making my tears fall one after another. The rain poured on us, as we were standing in the alley, barely lit by streetlight. But all of that didn't matter. All that mattered in the moment was Zoro and him only. I gripped his shirt even more, pulling him closer to me. Zoro let go of my face and put his one hand behind my head and held me by the waist with another. His moves were gentle and smooth. He kissed me and kissed me more, tilting his head slowly to the sides, getting the full taste of my wounded lips. When we parted from the kiss he looked at me again and pulled me into another tight hug.

"I don't want to let go of you… ever…", he whispered gently to my ear, making my heart soft and my tears fall more. In that moment, the tears were covering my happiness. I couldn't say anything, I just held Zoro tightly by the shirt.

And we stood in the rain, in a hug and breaking it for few more kisses. We were soaking wet but nothing could stop us now. And I was finally settled, finally happy that he holds me, that he kisses me. I was finally with Zoro…


To be continued...