Chapter 10.

To JakeofTheGrasslands, Scarlet Alapaap,

It's nice to see some Nami x Sanji supporters, but it's good to know that ZoTash is top. Scarlet, I love the superhero jumping thing! Children should always try out crazy stuff like that.

To Nakcabttak2,

Your life sounds fun! Out in the countryside. Nice. And I totally ship all your pairings as well. I'm not sure about Marco... but I do really like Ace. :D Brings a smile and then a sudden tear whenever I see him. ;(

To Jujub2001,

It makes me so happy when people say they love the story... I'm really a lot like Foxy of the foxy pirates... when someone gives me a compliment I fly high... and when someone gives me negative feedback I crash low...

It's quite funny really. :D

Good idea about the kidnapping thing. I'll probably try that out later on down the story line... because well... she's only just been picked up by the strawhats, so I can't wisk her off and away onto another ship now can I? And I can't really imagine Zoro delibrately eavesdropping. I'll see where the story takes me. Thanks for the ideas! :D

To anna,

Indeed the seventh chapter did seem a little creepy at first, but now you know what Zoro was thinking... is it still creepy?

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Hard Lines: Raid After Midnight

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I opened the door and stepped outside. "Oh! Zoro! Where have you been?..." I zoned out Luffy's voice as I saw what was on deck. 'Dark creatures with weird aluminus green hoop things around their necks. What the hell are they?'

I quickly took in all who were on deck. Luffy, Brook, Usopp, Chopper,...Sanji, Brook,... there's Kinemon... oh, and there's Franky. One of them caught Luffy off guard as he was talking to me and punched him in the face.

Luffy turned around and raised his fist. "You bastard!" And punched him into ten of his buddies.

I flipped over an entire assault squad and started cutting them up, I saw Sanji out of the corner of my eye starting a kicking fight with one of the creatures that was twice his height and width. "Oi! Where did they come from?" I asked.

"There are about thirty of them! Watch out!" Sanji. 'Not exactly the answer I wanted to my question.'

"Thirty!? Really!? I can't see. It's too dark!" Brook sounding terrified and cheerful at the same time.

"They're quite strong!" Kinemon announced.

"Who are they?! Law asked. 'Exactly what I was thinking. I wonder if they're just after food. They are creatures after all. But what about those weird hoop things. Why are they glowing?' I jumped and sliced down, over another attack and hit another strange looking sea-creature off me.

"Boom! Bang! Bish! Slash! Crash! Boom!" 'It's a wonder I can hear a thing in all this noise.'

The creatures made some bizarre sound that seemed to catch Chopper's attention. 'Damn, What's he saying... can't hear him.'

"Hey, you guys!" The door from the women's shared room upstairs was flung open, and Nami stamped out of it. "Keep it down!..." She took one glance at the situation and screamed as three of the creatures jumped up to attack her. "Ahahahahahahaaaaaaa!"

Suddenly there was the sound of a really loud whistle ringing through the air, and all the creatures lined up in a row and just suddenly jumped overboard.

"What?" Luffy scratched his head walked to the side of the boat where they had leapt off.

'Somehow I don't think that's the end of that. These things were sea creatures, if they can jump on land then back into water there no telling when or how they could attack. It shouldn't be too difficult to deal with though. It's not like their fishmen or anything like that. But what was up with that unusual line up thing. Is there a big boss somewhere or something?'

"Huh? What was that? What's going on?!" Nami yelled from the balcony.

"Nice to meet you, ladies and gentlemen!" 'That voice sounds retarded. Like another dumb-as with a stupid problem.'

"Who are you!?" Luffy demanded.

"Hairtatatatapappapaababababa!" I looked up and to see where I thought the voice was coming from. Right above us on top of the lookout room was the shape of a human. 'When did he get up there?'

"My name is Breed. I'm a Peto-Peto Fruit eater!" He said loudly.

'His name is Breed?... as in to reproduce?... He was named after a sexual activity? That's disturbingly bad. ...And Peto-Peto? As in pet. Who the hell is this guy?'

"What's that?! Are you some kind of slimy man?" Luffy yelled.

"That's not Doflamingo." Usopp said, and I looked back at him to see him hugging Chopper as if holding on for dear life.

"I guess not." Chopper agreed with him. 'Come on guys he's not that terrifying. We've faced far worse.'

"Oh NO!" Law called out and darted forward. My eyes fixed on the spot where the intruder was and saw the bastard Gas Gas man... um... Caesar being carried by one of the sea-bears ... creature things.

"Caesar!" Franky called out.

"Shilololololololololo! Fools! You can't keep me as a prisoner! Don't underestimate Doflamingo!" Caesar cheerfully exclaimed in blissfulness.

"So that idiot guy's working for Doflamingo, huh?" Sanji grimaced.

"Wait!" Luffy leapt forward. And all the animal things turned on him, and one punched him fully in the face and knocked him back.

"Luffy?" Brook looked shocked.

"Ow, ow ow...!" Luffy grumbled.

'How the hell did that hurt Luffy? You really are an idiot.'

"Your body is rubber, it can't hurt!" Sanji shouted down what I was thinking. "Unless that thing can use Haki.?"

"You bastard!" Luffy leapt forward to attack it.

'So that creepy breeding guy has trained his pets to hit pirates and kidnap gassy scientists. Man this is weird. Did I actually wake up?'

The Breeding guy gave another bloody-annoying laugh. 'Why is it all the people we fight against have such stupid, creepy laughs?'

"I'll take Caesar! Goodbye!" Breed said.

"Dammit! Room!" I heard Law starting up his devil fruit power when the boat suddenly rocked. I bent my knees and kept my balance. When there was another sway I ran to the other side of the boat. "What now?" Law called out.

I looked over the side and saw the glowing neck things that were around the sea-creatures in the water. 'What they creating some sort of mean-ass wave pattern to stop us from going after the breeding guy?'

"Giant waves!" Franky yelled and ran to stir the ship.

"The animals are creating the wave!" I yelled back up at him... 'Did he hear me?'

"The ship is bouncing up and down! I can't control it!" 'Probably not.'

"What's that!" Nami called out. I looked up towards her and she pointed. "Guys Look!"

'Woah, that looks like its one big, mean ass ship. It's flipping huge.'

Brook sounded terrified. "What the hell is that!?"

"It's got a jolly rodger!" Sanji yelled. "That guy must have been a pirate!"

Law yelled. "We must chase him! We can't let Caesar get away!" I glanced back at him. 'Woah, he does seem really serious about this. That Caesar guy must be really important.'

"Luffy! Take the Shark Submerge!" Franky yelled at him. 'Great this should be interesting.'

"It can only carry three people." Franky carried on. Luffy, Law and Chopper ran to the hidden trap door in the deck. 'Well I suppose that means I get to stay here... Well, that definitely wasn't worth being woken up for. … Well, maybe not yet.'

I turned around and saw Nami out of the corner of my eye. She looked awful. Like … she was wanting to kill something. 'Time to make myself scarce...'

"Oh dear." Robin said calmly looking out to sea.

Usopp was shaking a bit. "Oh no! What is it?"

"I just thought about it, but none of the three that are using the shark can swim right? What if they spring a leak and drown?"

"No! Don't say that!" Usopp screamed and cried.

'Well, this is getting very dramatic. It's been a busy night... It's a good thing I did sleep well while I was actually sleeping. The blasted marine shouldn't have woken me up for this. If people are going to attack us they should at least try and make it worth our while.'

"Well that was boring." I said. 'Where shall I rest for a bit... I think I need some more shut eye.'

"ZORO! YOU BASTARD!"

'What the hell's going on now?'

I dodged the idiot cook's flying kick before it could make contact with my head. 'Even if we did lose the stupid gassy scientist that doesn't mean he should take out all his frustrations on me. The dumb ass dart brow!'

I looked back at the idiot cook. "What is it this time?"

"Where have you hidden the lovely Tashigi chan! I can't see her anywhere! I want her to know I protected her from an evil Breed pervert and his pathetic pets."

"She's probably resting." 'Crap. I should have gone back to her in the confusion. I really hope no one finds her the way I left her.'

"Where?!" Sanji grabbed the front of my tunic.

"Oi! Stop it! What makes you think I know where she is?!"

"Because I know you know where she is!" He huffed.

"Well I..."

"Mr. Cook?" Robin came up from behind us. "She's resting in the Aquarium room. Zoro didn't want her getting hurt so he told her to remain there." Her eyes seemed to twinkle with her 'I know it all' look as she looked back at me.

'Crap. Robin, why did you have to say that?'

"Tashigi chan!" Sanji ran off in that direction. "I'm here to serve you!"

'Should I go after him, and stop him from going in there and seeing her... should I... shouldn't I... should I?' I took one step forward and then ... 'Oh... might as well... not bother. It's too late now anyway. She'd probably be so mad at me anyway that she'll give me as much trouble as Sanji would.'

I walked over to the place were that scientist guy had been sitting before he had been taken away. 'Too bad about being woken up too damn early, the marine's back had felt really comfortable too.'

"ZORO! YOU BASTARD!" I rubbed my ear and sighed. 'Why does Sanji always yell? Well I suppose I should be expecting him to come out any time soon.'

"What's wrong Zoro?" Usopp asked stepping forward and sitting down beside me. "Why is Sanji so upset?"

"Beats me?" I said.

"Yohohohoho!" Brook sat down next to us with a cup of tea. "Life really is full of mysteries isn't it?"

"You got that right. I wonder what those things were?" Usopp added. "I'm exhausted. I need to sleep. Now I know how you do it Zoro... you know sleeping anywhere... from lack of energy."

"What are you talking about? I always have heaps of energy." I muttered closing my eye.

"Yohohohohoho! Of course Zoro!" Brook patted my shoulder and leaned in as if talking about a secret. "Ummmm,... by the way? Did you get to see her panties?"

"What!?" My eye shot open in shock. 'Underwear? What, No way... what did he think I was doing?'

Usopp's mouth hung open. "You were doing that?!" he covered his mouth. "No way! Zoro?!"

"NO!" I hit both Brook and Usopp over the head. "I not a pervert like you morons!"

"What is going on down there?" Nami growled at us while walking back up the stairs.

"Nothing." I said. 'I do not like the way this conversation is going.'

Robin answered her anyway. "Our swordsman seems a little flustered at what our musician thinks he does behind closed doors."

'What the …. I hate it when the crew get like this.'

"Are the intruders gone?" Momonosuke asked from behind Robin's leg.

"Yes, they are Momonosuke." Nami said softly. "Do you want something to drink after being woken up from your nap?"

"Yes!" Momonosuke, Usopp, Franky, Brook, Kinemon all answered in loud unison.

Nami looked back at the rest of them. "You can get your own!"

"Bang!" I looked up and saw Sanji charging out of the door, almost knocking it over in his hurry to get out. "ZORO YOU BASTARD, MOSSHEAD, NO GOOD, DISGUSTING, SICK OLD FART!"

He swung his stretched leg out and hit Usopp in the face as I dodged the first attack. His nostrils flared. "I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY FOR THE WAY YOU TREATED TASHIGI!"

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" A voice sounded off behind Sanji. She grabbed a hold of him and threw him to the side. "GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

'Thats right. You tell him Marine... Man, she looks so hot right now.'

"I'm going to take care of this fight myself!" she said.

'Fight? Well...yeah, I suppose I'm up for a fight right now.' I looked her over. 'She's still wearing her pajamas... and her hair is still down. Shit, she looks fantastic... and really mad. This is going to be a hard fight. Um... no … what was I thinking again?'

Tashigi glared at me for a second before glancing around and giving the area a look over. "Where did that ship come from?"

"Well that just..." Usopp started.

She put her hands on her hips and huffed in exasperation. "I see Caesar got away! Just what I would expect from a bunch of lazy pirates!"

"...and I'm being ignored." Usopp muttered.

"I blame you Zoro!" she stated, glaring in my direction.

"Okay... well at least it's not me." Usopp talked to himself.

'Wow. What's new about that?' I sighed in exasperation at both of them. 'One second she's freaking hot and interesting, and the next she's annoying and bitchy. Damn, pick a character point woman. I can't cope with both.'

"If we had both come out and fought together like I wanted to, then none of this would have happened."

"What?!" I looked back at her in frustration. 'You could have prevented it could you? She is so flipping proud. Maybe she should be brought down a couple of pegs... again?'

"So, give me a weapon! Let's fight and finish this! Right here and now!" She stepped forward and pointed.

I followed her line of vision and saw her pointing to the tall, skinless Brook. 'Woah, her eyesight is even worse than I thought it was.'

"What? Me?" Brook looked around and pointed to himself. "I haven't done anything wrong. Have I offended you?"

"Um...I'm this way Marine." I waved at her.

I couldn't she her blush in the moonlight, but it was pretty obvious that she was embarrassed. She instantly fumbled for the glasses on top of her head. That weren't there...

"Excuse me." She looked around and touched her hips as if looking for something. She looked back up and saw Sanji beside her again. "I'm sorry, but would you mind getting my glasses?"

Sanji had his heart in his eyes instantly as his smile sprung to life again. "Of course my sweet! Where are they, darling!?"

"The ones that Usopp gave me should be on the table in the other room." She pointed back where they had both come from. "But with all that knocking around I'm not sure if their still on the table or not."

"Don't worry! I'll find them for you!"

'Moron. Can't he tell she's not interested.'

"What going on?" Franky yelled down towards us.

"Nothing." I answered. 'Come on guys. You can all just go back to what you were doing.'

"Looks like a lovers quarrel." I heard Brook's whisper.

I looked behind me and I saw Brook, Usopp, and Kinemon sitting down and drinking tea watching us. 'Where had they got the tea from? And what the hell did they think this was some kind of show?'

"I don't think I've ever seen Zoro duel with a swordswoman before." Usopp stated.

"We don't have any female swordsmen from where I come from." Kinemon began conversationally. "I didn't think they could handle it. It's a man's sport after all."

"What?" Tashigi said. Her sharp ears picking up his words and she turned in his direction. Both Usopp and Brook shuffled away from Kinemon and looked elsewhere as if they didn't know him. She didn't even raise her voice, it just seemed to get lower and sound more deadly.

"I found them!" Sanji bounded up to her and handed her the... goggles?

She put them over her head and adjusted the lenses and looked back at me. "Right. I want a rematch."

'Oh my gosh. Where on earth did she find those?' The glasses... or something, looked more like miniature, attached, permanent binoculars. She took a step forward and they slipped to the edge of her nose.

'I can't hold it back any longer. This is just too ridiculous.'

"Hahahahahahaha!" I laughed and so did a lot of the others.

I looked around me and saw all the laughing faces. Except for Sanji, he was busy hitting Franky for slamming his hand in laughter into a new dish of emergency food that Sanji had put aside for the women. I stopped laughing when I saw the look of anger and disappointment in her face.

'I know that look. I know that feeling. Being laughed at. Again and again. What would I feel like if I couldn't see short or long distance?' I sighed.

"Fine." I turned around, "Franky?"

He took a couple of breaths trying to stop the laughter. "Yeah Zoro!"

"Could you get us some wooden poles from your workshop, a meter long each.?"

"Why?"

I looked back at Tashigi. "We'll fight each other with wooden swords like we would in training." I pulled off my bandanna from my arm and held it up.

"We both wear blind folds."

"Fight Blindfolded?" Tashigi looked confused.

"Yep. That way it's even." I pulled my swords away from me and placed them to the side. 'She had better not try anything funny.'

"Is using Haki allowed?" she asked.

"Yes." I nodded to her. Our eyes kept contact for a few moments and she nodded in agreement.

'This might just get interesting.'

"WHAT NO!" Sanji stepped in-between the two of us. "You can't fight a woman!"

"STOP IT!" Tashigi yelled. "Don't interrupt! I don't want your opinion on the matter this is between Zoro and me. It has nothing to do with you! So step back and please shut up."

Sanji looked back and forth between us. "But Tash..."

"No." She looked him dead in the eyes. "Please step aside. Sir." she said it with such firmness that it sounded more like a death warning.

Sanji stepped back looking devastated. 'Well, what did he expect? That all women were the same, and wanted to be treated like damsels in distress? No way. Not this one.'

Franky came back with two wooden polls, and handed one to each of us. Tashigi suddenly became poised, and turned in my direction.

'Oh! I know what's she doing.' I turned towards her and got into position as well. I bowed my head to her at the same time as she bowed to me. 'I haven't done this in so long! Man, this brings back memories.'

Robin's hand appeared infront of Tashigi with another blindfold. Tashigi lifted it up and raised it to her head. "Zoro." She nodded to me and tied it over her eyes.

I raised my own and tied it firmly to my head. 'It's been so long since I've used a wooden sword. It's kind of odd.'

With my own eyes covered I could feel a grin spreading across my face as the duel was about to take place. 'It's just the Marine and me. No one else. I need not focus on anything else. Just her presence.'

I breathed out and started using my observational Haki. 'She is before me... she's still, unmoving... Bring sword into position. …... Wait... wait... ATTACK!'

She rushed forward at the same time as me, lightly brushing her sword against mine not trying to bash it down and fight against it, but rather trying to slide down it's side in order to get a clean hit. 'Sneaky.' I hit her sword away and took step after step forward. She retreated remaining in the defensive. She was fast, good at avoiding the swings of wooden stick. She ducked out of the reach of one swing and instead of rolling away she used the opportunity to jab at my legs.

I somersaulted over her and crouched down with the wooden sword in front of me. 'This is so much fun. It's good to have someone to play with. … huh, what? No that's not what I meant. Fight with. Practice? No, that's not what this is either... Damn, Whatever this is. I like it.'

Her blade hit mine and the wood make a good cracking sound one that I felt I hadn't heard for a long time. "Tired Already Zoro?" She asked.

I stepped away and thrust my wooden sword forward again. "Not at all. Why?"

I heard her feet shuffle as she twisted to the left. "I suppose it's only natural, it is in the middle of the night. And I did wake you up from your beauty sleep."

"What was that?" I raised my eyebrow and then realized it didn't matter as no one could see anyway. "You think I'm beautiful when I sleep?" I felt my grin coming back to my face. "What you were watching me?" I sounded as shocked as I could. "What a creep you are."

"You're one to talk." She made another dash forward and cut to the right.

"What?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

'What? Was she referring to the time before she... damn. Was she awake that time?...'

"Damn it Zoro! What did you do?!" Sanji yelled from somewhere. I could hear and feel his feet pounding against the ground coming towards me. 'Time to get ready for two.'

"COOK! YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO FIGHT HIM UNTIL I'M FINISHED! YOU GOT THAT!" Tashigi yelled and stepped out infront of me blocking Sanji's passage. "Clear off!"

'She really doesn't like being interrupted does she.'

I could sense her raise her sword again and she turned doing a spin and bringing it down she lunged forward. 'Exactly like Kuina used to do when fighting with me. It's like... I've gone back in time.'

'Left... Right, left...High...step back... twist. Left cut...'

"Come on guys!" I heard Nami's voice sound off above the others. "Let's go and get an early breakfast. Would you like that Momonosuke?"

"Yeah."

"Good, I definitely feel like I need one." Nami said, and I heard a door opening.

"Really?!" Sanji's voice sounded loud and quickly faded away. "Oh, Nami swan! What would you like? I'll make anything for you."

"Well, I think I'll have ..." her voice faded into the kitchen as the door closed again.

Tashigi brushed off another stabbing blade gracefully. 'It was almost as if we were dancing. I can predict her moves, and she seems to be predicting mine.'

Kinemon stood up and I heard his weird shoes stamping back up the stairs. "I think I should go and keep them company."

Usopp followed him. "You know if you want food you can just say it."

"Wait for me! I don't want to left behind!" Brook sounded generally heartbroken at the thought.

I sliced forward and hit her saber with force. She stumbled and widened her stance to regain her footing. 'If I keep hammering away at her she will eventually give out. She has a lot of new fancy moves, but if she isn't strong enough to deflect a blow or fast enough to avoid it, she will be overpowered. Surely she must see this. Why does she keep on trying to fight me when she doesn't even drive herself hard enough in her practices.'

"Franky? Shall we join them?" Robin's voice came from the left?

"What? Why? I'm enjoying this fight."

"Just come."

"Why."

"I heard that Sanji has a new brand of Cola." Robin said.

"What! Why wasn't I told sooner!"

"Boom boom. Da-dum!" The doors slammed and soon all I could hear was the sound of our quiet breathing, the rustling of our feet on the grass, and the clanging of wood on wood.

I sprung forward and knocked her blade to the side. She avoided my blade again and stepped out of the way bringing her own down to almost hit my shoulder. I stepped forward towards her again...

"Ouch!"

'Ouch? Who says that?'

"What?" I took a step backwards. "I didn't hit you. What are you complaining about?"

"You... stepped on my foot."

"So."

"I'm barefoot. And your boots are hard."

"That's not my fault. Come on!"

I barely missed avoiding her next attack. "That was a shitty distraction." I shook my head in disapproval.

"It wasn't a distraction. You really did stand on my foot."

She drove me forward with an attack and I retreated. 'I'm getting closer to the wall... what is she thinking? That she might defeat me. Not a chance.' I countered her blade once, twice, thrice, and then hit it hard on the fourth time knocking it to her left. I turned myself around in the hit and caught her blade making it thud into the grass beneath us. I pushed her back against the wooden wall and held the blunt instrument across her throat.

I leaned against her. "You should wear a blindfold more often. Your powers of observation are a lot better." I commented sincerely. Then I grinned in satisfaction. "Too bad you're still inferior."

She breathed out a sigh of frustration. "You should wear it as a gag."

I felt her hands reach up to my face and pull it down. As it passed my nose I saw her again. She still had her blindfold on. It was a strange feeling having her shove the bandage into my mouth when she herself couldn't see what she was doing. She pulled me closer and reached around my head and tried tightening the knot...

'Anytime now...'

'Anytime now... Come on how long do you expect me to wait.'

I pulled it down past my neck. "Time's out." I said yanking hers up off her head too. I undid the knot in it and unfolded it. It was a triangular bandage, one of Chopper's I think.

"Damn. You really did need that." She shook her head and for some reason tried to tidy up her hair.

"Need what, a bandage?" I hit her with it.

"No. a gob stopper." She caught it and yanked it out of my grip.

"If one of us needs a gob stopper, that would be you." I reached out and flicked her nose causing her to jump at the action. She cupped it with one hand and hit me on the elbow with the other.

"You're so rude. No wonder you became a pirate."

"So you know for a fact that all pirates are rude."

"No. But most pirates are very ill mannered."

"So what? You prefer the perfect Marine who befriends you, praises you and your abilities to the skies." I huffed remembering all the stupid marines we had come across. "The sort that praises you and then turns on you, laughing in your face at how easy it was to deceive you. Who's the rude and stupid one?" She became very still, and leaned back against the wall slowly slid down it.

'Okay, that was only supposed to be another cutting remark not something to get depressed about.' "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Your right."

"What?"

"That just happened back on Punk Hazard."

'Damn! How could I have forgotten Sanji said something about that didn't he.'

She put her head in her hands and sat down with her elbows balancing on her knees with her back firmly against the wall. "I did trust him. He would often say kind things to us and to everyone, and I believed him."

"Who?" I asked. 'I had no idea that had just happened...this was on Punk Hazard? Did that really happen to the marine guys?...' "What was his name?"

"Vice Admiral Virgo." Tashigi pulled her hair twisting it hard around her fingers. "Smoker went after him, but we didn't count on him getting to us first." Her arms shuddered at the memory. "He killed people who trusted him a few days ago … and I didn't have the courage to tell the men that it was even him. He had been the one who had supported them, told them they were worth something, and had given them hope and purpose for years." she shook her head. "And then he turned on them and started killing them for the crime of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong people."

She looked up. "If it hadn't been for black leg coming in when he did, we might have all died. I was so angry, upset, and filled with unbelief at the time I could hardly do anything." She rolled her head back and let out a tired sigh. "Sounds pretty pathetic doesn't it."

"Not at all." I sat down beside her and pulled off the bandage around my neck and started trying to untangle it. "If it comes down to a matter of trust. Broken trust will always hurt the most. If that had been one member of our crew it would have left us feeling miserable for I don't know how long."

'What else can I say...' "Both Nami and Robin left our crew at some point and during both times Luffy was absolutely certain that there shouldn't be any reason for them not to come back." I sighed. "I was suspicious of both of them, and told the others to prepare for the worst, but Luffy believed in them and somehow told them what they needed to hear and they came back running."

I could feel her eyes on me and started feeling nervous. "I don't have that capability, which is why I don't have any followers, and I don't want any followers."

'Damn it. What the hell am I saying?'

"Luffy … has some sort of weird power that gives people new ideas, challenges the way they see life, and what they should do with it."

'Come on? Where were you going with this?'

"What I'm trying to say is that once you are in a position where people look up to you or admire you, it always becomes easier to offend and hurt someone because there are more people who will be looking to you for wisdom, attention, or just plain... something or another." I leaned to my side and rubbed the back of my head. 'Damn that sounded stupid.'

I looked back at her. She was smiling. "Thank you. ... I had no idea you were so thoughtful."

"I try."

"You try to think?"

"Tuhhh." I turned my head away. "I knew you would nit-pick on the small details."

"No. Wait. I was only kidding." I looked back down at her and saw a genuine smile on her face, and sat back down beside her.

'… She's so … um … Why did she have to look like her? Is the damned universe of childhood promises trying to tell me something?'

"Besides, about you not having any followers. That's not true. I'm a follower!" She said cheerfully giving me a terrible thumbs up.

'Is she trying to be funny?'

"Yeah, but you're only after my sword." I rolled my eye looked across the deck to where all three of them were.

"No, I'm not just after your sword." She hit my leg with fake exasperation. "I want to defeat you."

"Good luck with that." I patted her knee. "You're going to have to work a lot harder than that to try and defeat me." I stood back up.

"I will, thanks for the tip." Tashigi stood back up as well and stretched. I looked at her up and down and then focused on her feet.

"I really did step on your foot." We both looked down to observe the damage. The second toe that somehow seemed to be the longest had gone a black colour in the tip. "'Ouch!' indeed!" I remarked and brought my foot up next to hers. 'Woah, her feet are tiny.'

The marine elbowed me. "No mocking me!"

"I'm not mocking you, that looks like it hurt."

"Puffh! I'm fine." She pulled her foot away and made her way to the stairs. "Let's go and join the rest of the others for breakfast."

"Sure, hang on I'll just get my swords." I ran across the ship to other side... 'Damn where did they go? This is why I never let them get out of sight.'

"They're not there..." I looked back at her and saw her pointing in another direction. "They're over there. Come on! How can you fight me so brilliantly, and still not know your left from your right?"

I felt myself get red in embarrassment. "It's just different." I replied picking them up and putting them in their rightful places. I ran back to her and scowled when I saw her shaking her head at me with her hands on her hips. "Don't give me that look." I said.

"It's just shocking." She stated taking a few steps up the stairs.

"Well at least I don't almost kill myself at every possible moment by yelling insults at my enemies and embracing them when their trying to bite my arm and shoulder off."

"Heh! That was a..."

'Bomp!'

"A what?" I asked taking a few steps forward.

"Damn it..." She winced and shook her foot in frustration. 'Did she just kick the stair?'

"You really are blind! Stop walking into things! You want Chopper to take a look at that?"

"No."

"You don't need to be so stubborn." I moved forward.

"NO." She held up her hand to me as if it were a barrier holding me back. "I don't want any help walking up stairs thank you."

I took a couple of steps back and waited. "Fine, after you." I pointed forward and she walked up the rest of the way. When she got to the last step I could almost see something move under her foot, but it was too dark to see clearly.

'Damn she's unlucky.' I reached out and caught her in my arms as she fell so she didn't hit her head against the steps. 'What the heck did I just see. Am I imagining things? Was there something there?'

"Someone just tripped me! Who was it?" She demanded.

"I don't know. I can't see them." I looked down at her and froze.

'She looks like a ... Since when did she look so …' A light wind whipped by us and blew her hair up against my arm.

"Zoro?" She looked up at me questionably. "What are you doing?"

In the bright moonlight seemed to hit her face perfectly and made her eyes look dark and mysterious. 'This position... is perfect... Should I...? Would she mind?'

"Zoro? Could you let me up?" She sounded concerned almost worried. 'That's not right.'

The moment passed and I looked away from her. "Yeah, sure." I put her down on the first step.

"Thank you." She grabbed a hold of the railing. "I'm sorry for the trouble."

"You really do need to be more careful. Tashigi." I touched her elbow and she pulled back.

'Maybe she's mad for some reason. Well, that's one scenario that probably won't happen again.' I shook my head and walked passed her. 'She should be able to walk by her own blimm'in self.'

"Kyah!" I turned just in time to catch her by her arm this time.

"What!? You fall up the stairs too?! You're a walking disaster! How have you lived this long?" I pulled her up the rest of the way.

"Something really did trip me!" She yelled.

I raised an eyebrow at her in disbelief. "I'm not lying!" She pouted.

'I wonder if Robin had anything to do with it? Can't see any arms though or those petal things.'

"Well, whatever." I looked back down the stairs to find any evidence that someone might actually be there. "You might want to change your life goals though. If stairs are your nemesis then you need to learn to conquer those first before going onto bigger targets. There are loads of places with stairs, and that could be the death of you." I felt a hand hit the back of my head.

"I'm not going to die falling down a flight of stairs!"

'...falling down

.

(Flash back)

.falling... stairs.

down a flight of stairs.'-

-'It's Kuina'-'She died Zoro.'-

-'so young too.-'You never know when you'll go'-

'Bu-bumb!...Bu-bumb!' …. 'No this was not happening? She's not the same person. She's not the same...' 'Bu-bumb!...Bu-bumb!' 'This was not happening.'

-'...falling down a flight of stairs.'-

.

"...Zoro? Let go."

"What?" I looked down at my hand and saw it had a firm grip of Tashigi's arm.

"Let go. Please." Her hand was over mine trying to pry it off her skin.

"Why should I? Are you going to be taking care of yourself?" 'Doesn't she know how easy life was to destroy? To lose.'

"Okay, I'm sorry for giving you such a pathetic hit when you were looking the other way, I should have given you a better, stronger hit, when you were turned back this way. And you shouldn't be so rude, and then I'd have no reason to hit you at all."

'Damn her! Why did she have to be so... She's so small. So fragile. So womanly.'

I pulled her to the side away from the stairs and let go of her arm. "You can hit me all you want." I pushed her up against the outside wall of the kitchen and took her head in my hands and tilted it up. "I'll take it."

For a brief second she looked scared. "Zoro? What are you d.."

Her eyes went wide as I leaned in towards her and tilted her head slightly. I gently brushed over and sucked her bottom lip with my own, closing my eyes, I felt something like an adrenaline rush pass through me. And then I was kissing her with a passion I didn't even know I had for kissing. I leaned into her, my body weight keeping her pinned to the wall. She gave me two half-hearted pushes before relaxing into me with her hands coming up to rest on my shoulders. 'This feels amazing. She's amazing.' I could feel her heart beat pounding against my chest, the softness of her. I let go of her head and ran my hands down her sides sliding one behind her back and the other seemed to instinctively find her arm and gently rub it.

'This feels perfect. So fucking good. Yeah, forget about status for the moment woman. Just fight with me, kiss me, follow me... take a good damn grip of me.'

I felt her arms wrap around my head as her entire body relaxed into mine. 'So, this is what blind trust was like.' She gently rolled her hips towards mine, and we started rubbing off each other. I felt as though my blood was on fire. 'Woah! It's like this woman was made to test what I am capable of.'

.

.

Woah, indeed. This chapter took an incredibly long time to write. Considering the fact that I started at 2 in the afternoon, and it is now 2:43 in the ...morning. I'd say I've done my good deed of the week.

I need to double check it.

6,889 words... I can't belief it. Longest Chapter folks... don't expect another like it for a long while.

I was going to wait until much later for them to kiss, but then … this chapter happened... and it started playing itself out in a way that around every possible turn I could make them do something. So instead of 'NO' I need to wait for them to kiss for another 10 chapters I thought... what the hell. I'll make them kiss now.

It seemed to work well in the story too as Zoro comes to term with another one of Tashigi's weaknesses...(falling down the stairs) and considering that was the way Kuina died it's understandable that Zoro would 1. get annoyed at her carelessness, and 2. act protective or even possessive of her as it would become clear to him that she was in no means careful enough and gets hurt easily. We've all seen Zoro act protectively over weaker people and considering his reaction to Nami and Robin being picked on in a fight it's quite possible for Zoro to act this way.

That's what I think anyway. No doubt I'm going to get heaps of people flame writing me saying that Zoro is OOC. Oh well. I don't think he is. And I hope other people think so too.

Keep enjoying the story and remember to review! :D

It makes me smile!

Abigail Skywalker