She barreled through the door, barely able to see in the dimly-lit alley.
A hulking figure suddenly appeared in front of her, and she had to stop herself from screaming as she crashed into him. Strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her aside, into a pile of boxes and plastic bags. She fought against him, but his grip never loosened. She kicked at the ground, shoving them both off balance. They fell back, collapsing into a heap. His body hit the ground hard underneath her, cushioning her fall.
"Shh, shh! It's me!" Zoro's voice was very close to her, and she felt his finger brush her lips to silence her. They both froze as someone came very close.
"Where did she go? Where the hell did she go!" A voice Robin didn't recognize hissed in the night.
Zoro stiffened as Spandam trudged past them, two soldiers in tow. "Go back, and see if she went the other way!" He snapped, standing still for a few moments. He didn't dare breathe until he heard his steps fade into the distance.
He let out a sigh of relief, relaxing a little. He then became sharply aware of Raven's body on top of his own. One of her arms was across his chest, the collar of his vest in a death grip. Their legs were twisted around each other awkwardly, and he was suddenly very glad for the dark.
"It's okay, he's gone for now." He pulled his arms back from around her, and felt her turn her head. A strand of her hair fell forward to brush his cheek. She didn't seem to notice, and climbed off of him without saying a word.
Robin's eyes weren't adjusted enough to see yet, but she recognized his voice easily. "What are you doing?" She whispered as he pushed himself up beside her.
"I-" He paused for a moment, "I needed to talk to you." There was no aggression in his voice; and even though she couldn't see his face, she could tell he was sincere.
Raven said nothing, but he knew she was just sitting there, waiting for him to continue. Zoro gulped.
"I want to know the truth. The real truth, no matter if I like it or not." He paused to take a deep breath. "I don't trust-" He couldn't believe he was about to say this. "I don't trust my people. They've all been telling me the same thing, but I don't believe it. And it feels weird to even be thinking this, but I want…no I need, to hear it from you.
"What really happened at Ohara?"
Raven stalled in the shadows. She had been planning to talk with him, but she hadn't been expecting he had done the same.
She took a shaky breath.
"Ohara-", She stopped suddenly, pulling him deeper into the shadows as a soldier jogged by. "Now's not really the best time to have this talk!"
"I know, but I couldn't think of anything else!" He whispered, and she felt his breath on her cheek. She hadn't realized they were so close. She leaned away from him quickly.
As she sat back, Zoro pushed himself into a crouch, peeking over the tops of the boxes they were hidden behind. There were more soldiers starting to search the alleyway, the fight inside dying down. He knew everyone in the squad was armed, but he hadn't heard any gunshots, which was good. Maybe the rest of Raven's crew had gotten away with ease. But they couldn't stay here for long.
"You have to go." He said, getting to his feet. "They'll find you eventually if we just stay here."
As he stood, she saw him offer his hand, which she took. He pulled her up gently, and she smiled slightly as he didn't let go.
"Come on." He stepped over the bags that had hidden them, helping her behind him. He felt like he was going crazy. Her hand was burning into his, every touch electric.
"Go." He dropped her hand, gesturing down the alley. It was empty for the moment, but it definitely wasn't guaranteed to stay that way.
Robin scanned both ways. Zoro had pulled her up in front of him, his back to the rest of the men coming to investigate the alley. Shielding her from their view. She reached out gently, her hand brushing his again. His fingers tangled into hers, and he didn't say a thing. "Thank you." She said quietly.
His hand tightened on hers for just a moment. Just enough.
She slid away from him, and he watched her retreat in the dark.
"Raven!" He called after her quietly. He heard her stop, and barely saw her walking back toward him. Her hands were suddenly on his face, and he let her pull him down toward her. "It's Robin!" She hissed in his ear.
His eyes stung as a flashlight beam suddenly blinded him. Her touch left him, and he could barely react before his arms were wrenched behind him, and he was forced to his knees.
"Well, what a surprise!" Spandam's voice was dripping with malice. "You've been helping her the whole time!"
Zoro tried not to glare. "You don't know what you're talking about."
It wasn't a hard hit, but his head still snapped sideways uncomfortably. Spandam pulled back his fist, his eyes wild. Zoro didn't move for a moment, his cheek stinging.
"Ooh, I bet Sengoku is going to love this, isn't he." Spandam's eyes burned down at him, and Zoro didn't even bother to respond.
He had known this wasn't going to be easy. It was started now. It was all or nothing from now on.
Zoro had never been on this side of the interrogation table. They had dragged him back to headquarters without saying a thing. He didn't see any other prisoners, so he assumed that meant Raven's group had all gotten away successfully.
Not Raven. Robin.
He didn't even know what to think. How to interpret that. Was it her real name? He wished he could ask her. Why had she told him? Was she trusting him? Baiting him? He couldn't tell.
He let out an annoyed sigh, running his hands through his hair. He was so frustrated.
He had no way of contacting her; and wasn't sure he would be able to find a way. Now he was under suspicion, and doubted they would let him continue to help after this. Everyone was so tightly wound when it came to "Raven's" case. He could easily see now that it was so much more than just a simple murder case. People only got this obsessed when something was at risk. When they were desperate. Desperate to hide something. Or silence someone.
He understood Nami's loyalty to her now. Everyone's desperation to protect her. He felt the same. Although, his own desire to keep her safe felt like a little more than just the desire to protect an innocent.
He looked up as the door opened. Sengoku entered, not saying a word as he sat down. The room buzzed with an awkward silence before the commander spoke.
"Roronoa, I'm going to give you one chance to explain yourself. From the beginning. What happened. Everything that happened. You've been a good detective up until now. You haven't let me down. I'm not going to trust Spandam's word so fast. I want to hear it from you."
So he sat back. And he listened.
Zoro held his gaze for a moment before looking away. His mind was moving at a million miles an hour. Everything. Could he tell everything? Should he? How much could he be honest with the commander? So many questions. So much at risk.
He had to choose.
Should he keep his job? Tell them everything? Maybe get himself removed from the case, and cut Robin's chances of survival down? Throw her to the wolves to save himself?
Or be her shield? Give it all up? Trust her judgement? Save her?
He felt like screaming.
He still wasn't sure what she thought of him. Or what she was thinking at all. Had she told him her name to test him? He wanted to believe she was trusting him. That she was willing to compromise. But he couldn't be sure. Did she know what kind of position she had put him in? Was she asking him to choose her? Trusting him to help her?
He buried his head in his hands, gritting his teeth. What did she want him to do? What did he want to do? What should he do!?
It felt like his entire world had been thrown up in the air, and now he had to choose where all the pieces went. He had to choose.
He had to choose!
"I only wanted to talk to her." He finally said quietly. He raised his head to meet Sengoku's piercing gaze. "I needed to talk to her myself."
The commander's eyes narrowed. "Why?"
He had known this question was coming. Why.
"I just…" What should he do? "I was just curious."
He could almost feel his stomach twist.
"It was nothing. One mistake. I just got a little too wrapped up in the moment, that's all." He did his best to look honest. "It won't happen again."
Sengoku was quiet for a long time. "You're right about it not happening again." He sighed, "You're off the case." He pushed himself away from the table, getting to his feet.
Zoro only nodded. He had been expecting this.
"Go home, Roronoa. Relax a little. Forget about Raven." He didn't even look over his shoulder as he left. "I'll get you a new assignment within the week."
And he was gone, leaving Zoro alone with his thoughts again.
He took a shaky breath.
It was better than he had been expecting. He had underestimated Sengoku's trust in him. If he had known Zoro's real intentions, he would have fired him on the spot.
He pushed his chair back as well, and left the room.
The evening air was cool, and Zoro sat and stared across the street, his eyes wandering. A few people bustled by on the street, but it was still peaceful.
He wasn't thinking about anything. He didn't really know what to do. He wanted to find Robin. To talk to her more. But he just didn't know how.
He was off her case, which meant he wouldn't be able to know anything that was going on anymore. He was on his own.
He took a deep breath, picking at his half-eaten dinner. His mind felt hazy, like he was watching a movie of himself.
No thoughts. No ideas. Nothing.
He was so annoyed. With himself. With Spandam. Everything was getting on his nerves. The entire damn government. Robin herself. Nami. Sanji. Everyone in her little group. He wanted to punch a brick wall.
Instead he clenched his fist, and rolled his eyes hard to try and snap himself out of it.
A scratchy voice pulled him back to earth.
He turned to see a ragged looking man standing beside him. They both sat there in awkward silence.
"What?"
"I said, are you Roronoa?" The man asked again.
"Yes.."
The ruffian said nothing, but held out a small slip of paper. "From the lady."
Zoro took the paper, sitting up a little straighter. "Who?
He only shrugged, "Didn't say. Just gave me the paper and some money." He turned, and shuffled away without any more of an explanation.
Zoro stared at the paper. Then did a complete 360 scan of everyone he could see. He didn't see her anywhere.
The paper suddenly felt very heavy in his hands. He unfolded it quickly.
An address and a time. Signed R.
He didn't even try to hide his smile.
Robin took a sip of her tea, staring out through the cafe window. She had gone back to the warehouse, and found it empty. Not surprisingly. She saw a few guards patrolling the place, but they didn't seem to care enough to actually be guarding anything. She slipped past them easily.
She gathered the little things she had brought with her, and left the place.
Luffy and Boa has several meet-up places in case of something like this. But she had a few things she needed to do first. And she had just finished one of them.
Zoro had done an immediate sweep all around him, and she smiled a little. He knew she would be close by. The man she had hired shuffled away to his own business, and Zoro opened her note. She paused as a big smile spread across his face. He was happy. She took a deep breath, a warm feeling in her stomach.
She had a few more hours to get herself prepared. There was so much at risk, but she trusted him.
She trusted him.