The Pirate King Is Dead - Long Live The Pirate King

Part 3 of a Four Part Saga

By Aoikami Sarah

Chapter Seventeen - Zoro Sees Tashigi For Tashigi

.x. NOTE: Elements from Doujinshi "Aka to Orenji no Mizutama Yo-yo" by the circle Wave Red and Orange Colored Water Balloon Yo-yo were included in this section.

In the next month, Zoro and Tashigi traveled to three more islands, caught dozens of bounties and had only a few close calls with local Marine bases. There was still no sign of the elusive Mihawk. Everywhere they went, they inquired if the legendary Shichibukai swordsman had been spotted. Most people had never heard of him. Those that did had either never seen him or gave them leads that always ended in disappointment. It seemed to Tashigi that Zoro was tireless in his search. He would shrug, turn and mutter something nonchalant and off they'd go again, on to the next place.

Tashigi counted out their cash one late afternoon as she emerged from the jail on a large, verdant island. "That was the biggest one yet," she said, handing Zoro his share of the take. "We can afford to stay here for a week on this." A happy smile hung on her lips as she thought about taking a bath every night. "Where should we stay, Roronoa?" When he didn't answer she stopped and looked at him. "Roronoa?"

He blinked and shook his head a little, coming back down to earth. "This place is familiar."

"Oh? Are you from an island like this one? I thought you were from East Blue?"

"I am. It's something in the air, I guess," he said and started towards the nearest hotel. Along the way, they noticed people were busy setting up little booths along the main street. The air was full of energy and excitement.

"Looks like some sort of street fair," Tashigi commented.

"Matsuri," Zoro muttered.

"Bless you."

He rolled his eyes. "No, where I'm from they called festivals like this 'matsuri'."

Tashigi nodded and made a note of the word as they entered the hotel.

Zoro snored heavily on the bed only moments after checking in. Tashigi figured that he'd be occupied for a while with his nap and decided to take a walk. She went downstairs. The patrons of little inn were getting more excited as the matsuri geared up for the evening. In a small room next to the front desk, the little old woman who had checked them in was tying the large bow on the back of a woman's dress. Tashigi stopped and stared at them for a moment. The woman looked up and waved her over.

"I'm sorry," Tashigi apologized. "That dress, I've never seen one like it before.

"Oh?" the woman asked, her eyes lighting up. "It's a yukata,"

"You kata?"

She laughed. "Would you like to wear one tonight? My daughter left hers behind when she married. I could lend you one."

Tashigi blushed. "I… I wouldn't want to impose…"

"Nonsense! Come, I have just the print for you."

When Zoro awoke from his nap it was already dark. He rubbed sleep from his eyes and yawned. The remainder of a particularly vivid dream hung on and he sat on the edge of the bed and brooded for a moment before standing, stretching and wandering downstairs. The scents of grilled fish and sweets wafted in through the open doors, drawing him outside. Booths were lit with small lanterns. Everywhere, people were smiling, laughing and having a great time. Zoro took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second. Something soft collided with him.

"Oh! Sorry!" a young girl of about nine years old apologized and jogged off with her friends. She was wearing a light cotton yukata and a pair of wooden geta shoes. Her hair was pulled up and she seemed to dance as she hurried away. Zoro straightened up and watched her go.

"She was about that old…" Zoro muttered and shook his head. "Well. Might as well try to have some fun." He looked around for a place to get a beer and spotted a booth offering balloon-yoyos to those who could hook them as they bobbed along in a trough of water. He grinned and gave the barker a couple of Berrie for a hook. "Hey, I got two," he said as he pulled them out of the water on the first try.

"Oh, you're gonna to put me out of business with luck like that!" the barker laughed.

"What the hell am I gonna do with these things…?" he grumbled, the temporary childlike joy fading.

"Aw, I wanted that one…"

He looked to his left.

"Ah! Roronoa!" Tashigi cried, almost falling over.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, standing up, his cheeks feeling a little hot.

"You were sleeping so I went out to have some fun," she explained. Her eyes focused on the two yoyos. "Looks like I wasn't alone."

"What the hell are you wearing?" he asked quietly and stared at her. Tashigi blushed and smoothed her hands over the fabric of the yukata. "The innkeeper let me borrow it. It's an ethnic garment from this region…" she began explaining.

"It's a yukata," Zoro said simply and started walking away.

"Yes, it is... wait, where are you going?"

"I need a drink," he said simply.

She watched him go, wondering at his strange behavior.

When Zoro had gotten about a block away, Tashigi realized he wasn't walking to a bar but out of the crowd. "Liar," she grumbled. "Was it something I said? Is he feeling alright? Why can't he just say what he means?" She hurried after him. "Roronoa, wait!" she called. He didn't stop or turn around. "That man," she grumbled and tried to hurry in the awkward, tall shoes. "Roronoa!" she called again as she tripped over a small rock and tumbled to the ground. Finally, he stopped. When Tashigi looked up, he was crouching down in front of her. He picked up her left geta. "Oh, I broke it…"

"Easy to fix. You ok?"

Tashigi nodded and limped over to the steps of small roadside shrine. She brushed dirt from the yukata. Zoro untied his bandana from his arm and ripped a small piece of fabric off of it. "I must look so silly, all dressed up like this," Tashigi commented as he repaired the broken strap. "But it feels nice. I'm just no good at walking in these shoes."

"They're called geta,"

"Ah," she said, blushing. She watched him tie the bit of fabric expertly, repairing the odd, platform shoes.

Without looking up from his task, he added, "And that flower on your yukata is a yuugao, a moonflower."

"How strange that you know all these things," she said as he fit the shoe back on her small foot. "I feel like I'm learning something new about you, Roronoa. When I think about it, I really don't know that much about you, even after four months of traveling together. I know you come from East Blue. I know your history with the Mugiwara Kaizoku-dan. I know your dream is to defeat the Shichibukai Mihawk, but other than that, you're a pretty mysterious fellow." Insects chirped in the darkness and a nearly-full moon shone down on them. The voices of people at the matsuri seemed far away.

Zoro stared at the flower print of her yukata for a moment and his eyes wandered up. "Oh, you're bleeding."

"I am?" Tashigi looked at her leg, exposed in its crossed position and sure enough it was not only bruised but bleeding a little from her fall. Her body shivered involuntarily at his touch. Before she could even think what to do about it, Zoro leaned closer, still on one knee and took her calf in his hand. "Roronoa… what are you…?" she asked, her cheeks glowing red. "You're acting... so weird…" His tongue touched her wound and licked away the blood. Startled speechless, Tashigi put her hand to her mouth.

Zoro looked up at her with intense eyes as if he were looking right through to the back of her skull. "Why such a face?" he asked quietly.

"Because you're being strange…"

"Not really. There's nothing strange about this…" he said and stood up. His hands wound their way around her hips.

"Yes there is," Tashigi whispered, but let him pull her into an embrace. "Today you're acting very strangely." She thought, as their lips met, that as much as it was odd for him to behave so, it felt absolutely right. "Why is that?" she asked putting her hand on his chest.

Zoro closed his eyes for a moment. "Nostalgia," he replied and stood up. "I told you when we met. You remind me of my friend who died."

Tashigi felt her stomach do a summersault. Right. Of course. It wasn't what she thought it was at all. Why would it be? She wasn't so special. "I guess I asked for that," she muttered, recalling that she had been angry at him a moment ago for not saying what he meant. He was still staring at her. "Did you love her?"

"I dunno," he said and tied the now torn handkerchief back around his bicep. "I was eight when she died."

"Eight…" Tashigi put her hand to the mouth he had only just kissed.

"She fell down a flight of stairs, broke her neck. She was the only person besides Mihawk who's ever beat me, and I'll never get to best her. I promised I'd send my name to the heavens, be the best swordsman in the world since she wouldn't be able to."

Tashigi was afraid to blink. This was the most she'd heard him speak at once since they'd met. Even in the bar or in the hotel room together, he was quiet and spoke in choppy sentences that got right to the point or avoided it altogether depending on how he felt about the topic of conversation. "What was her name?" Tashigi asked, afraid that if he stopped, the chance to learn more about him would be lost forever.

"Kuina." His brows came together. "When I kissed you, were you thinking about me, or someone else?"

"Eh!" Tashigi cried. "Who else!"

"That Smoker guy."

Tashigi blushed crimson. "I… I…"

"I don't care if you did or not. I just want to know."

"Why!"

"Because for once, I didn't see Kuina when I looked at you." Zoro's head tilted to the side. "And I looked hard. So, did you?"

Tashigi blinked at him. So that was it. That was the look in his eyes, that sad twist just before he embraced her. "No," she said, trying to decide if she was telling the truth. "Smoker-san is more like a brother to me. I miss him dearly, but, no. I was thinking about you."

Zoro picked up his swords and slid them back into place on his hip. "The matsuri's winding down. You eat yet?"

She looked up at him, only a little surprised he'd changed the subject. "No."

"Come on, let's go get something before it's over."

To be continued…