Sanji was staring at Nami, not a thing he could say to cheer her up. She was so worried, she couldn't sleep. Robin had been missing for hours, without a sign that she was still okay. Still alive. Had she been captured? He didn't know.
After she left his side, no one had seen her. Whether that was a good or bad thing, he didn't know.
He looked away from Nami's tired face, and tried to close his own eyes. He needed to sleep.
"Sanji?" Her voice was so quiet, he barely heard it. He looked up at her, turning his head.
"Do you think she's okay?"
There were tears in her eyes. He choked back his own.
"I know no harm will come to my beautiful Robin." He did his best to put a cheesy smile on, and the corner of her mouth twitched.
She rolled her eyes, sniffling. "You're such an idiot." She said, reaching up to rub her eyes. She stayed there for a moment, hiding her eyes. His heart hurt as her lip quivered.
"To think she'd come this far." She wiped her nose "What do you think they'll do to her if she's caught?"
Sanji didn't say anything, but pushed himself up, and propped himself up on the wall beside her. He pulled his blanket around her shoulders, and held out his arm for her. She stared at him for a moment.
And without saying a word, she shuffled into his side, leaning on his chest as he wrapped his arm and blanket around her.
He held her while she cried.
"Sanji."
The voice came with a gentle hand on his cheek.
It took him a second to wake up, forcing his eyes to open.
The beautiful face in front of him filled him with so much happiness he almost jumped up to hug her.
Robin's hand on his shoulder stopped him, shushing him while readjusting the blanket around Nami. She was fast asleep, probably exhausted. The poor thing.
He turned back to Robin. "Are you okay?" He whispered, reaching out with his free hand to grasp hers. She smiled, and nodded, squeezing his fingers.
"I'm fine. I had to tell you all something, but it's okay." She came to lean on the wall beside him.
"I'm going to meet Zoro."
She put up her hand to stop him before he even said anything. "Listen. I trust him. He's being honest with me. And he helped me escape before."
Sanji had to stop himself from yelling. "He almost killed you!"
"So did you, when we first met." She cocked an eyebrow, smirking a little.
He huffed, "That's not the same thing, I didn't know who you were!"
She only shrugged, smiling.
"This isn't funny. The idiot wants you dead, what are you thinking?" He forced himself to calm down as Nami shifted against him.
She looked away, and Sanji caught the distance in her eyes. "Things are different. It's not about just me anymore. Or him. He's listened to me, and he's trusted me." She looked back into his eyes. "I have to do the same."
And with that, she got back to her feet.
"Wait, no, you're going now?" If Nami wasn't asleep on him, he would stop her.
She only smiled, crouching back down for a moment. "Careful not to wake her." She whispered, kissing his forehead lightly.
"Robin!" He was panicking a little as she walked away, sliding through the door silently.
And she was gone, into the night, without a second glance.
Zoro glanced back down at the paper in his hand, double checking the address. Well, this was the right place. It was an old cleaners that looked like it had been abandoned quickly. There were still carts and baskets stacked along the walls, some of the washers and dryers casually left open, like they would be used again in a minute.
He pushed the door open, cringing at the sound of broken glass scraping the floor. He wondered why Robin had chosen a place like this. And how had she found it?
He mentally shrugged. It didn't really matter actually, he was just glad he would be able to talk to her in peace.
Just as the thought entered his mind, he heard glass crunch as someone entered behind him. He looked over his shoulder as she stood in the doorway. She didn't say anything, just scanned the place, tucking her hands into her coat pockets.
He paused, not sure how to start the conversation. "So…Are you okay?"
She smiled a little, nodding. "If it weren't for your help, I don't know if I would have been able to get away as easily as I did." She finally looked him in the eye, "Thank you."
There was so much warmth in her voice, he couldn't even find the words to respond. So he forced a smile and just nodded, leaning against a table.
"You wanted to know about Ohara?" She asked, studying him.
He nodded, glancing up at her. "Every time I asked anyone at Headquarters, it was always the same kind of answers, and everyone avoids the question. So I wanted to hear it from you. What really happened?"
Robin took a deep breath. She had known this was coming. But that didn't make it any easier.
"To make a long story short, Ohara was considered a threat. So it was eliminated. And everything I loved with it.
"Ohara was my home. I grew up there. You could call it a school. The house was full of books, and full of learning. There were so many people that I remember, who came to Ohara to learn. It was so peaceful." She smiled, remembering old things.
"It was such a gentle place. Everyone there had such a desire for knowledge. Such a thirst for education."
Zoro watched her eyes sadden.
"I guess, that's what got them into trouble.
"I was so young, I didn't realize it at the time. They were learning so much, and uncovering even more, that they found things they weren't supposed to. They started to learn too much.
"I was eight when I accidentally found their secret books. They had been keeping records. Detailed records. They were rewriting history, discovering the truth of the world. Big events that we had all been taught one way? They were all lies. Covered up by governments, for years. All the stories they had tried so desperately tried to hide.
"I don't know how they were discovered, but one day the manor house was attacked. I don't remember well, I was so young. I just remember the chaos. The fear. The panic. I remember my mother's face as she told me to get out of the house. To run away."
She scoffed a little, "But being the child I was, I hid close by to watch the whole thing." She hesitated. "I watched them kill her. I watched as they dragged my family, and my friends, back to that house, beat them, and throw them back inside. They locked them up like animals, and set the house on fire, killing everyone inside."
A heavy silence filled the room.
"I waited for hours afterwards. Scared they would find me. Hoping someone would have survived. Wishing I was dreaming. But I didn't wake up. So I ran.
"It was all over the news the next day. A 'horrible accident' they called it. 'Such a tragedy'." She practically spit the words, hating the sound of them.
"My name didn't appear for another few days. They blamed everything on me, calling me a murderer.
"I don't know how they got it, but 'Raven' was suddenly everywhere. In every magazine, newspaper, and on every tv screen.
"It was like the whole world was after me. Everywhere I went, someone was trying to catch me. Trying to kill me.
A bitter smile touched her lips. "It was like the gods themselves had turned against me. My life was ripped away, and ever since then, there hasn't been a single safe place for me."
She looked up at him, a look in her eyes he didn't understand. He couldn't wrap his head around her. She was so calm. So still. Her eyes were empty, masking something that ran much, much deeper than he was ready for.
He was only now beginning to realize just how wrong he had been.
He felt disgusted by his initial hatred of her. The lies he had been told, and the truths that had been hidden from him, and from the world.
"You've just listened to my story." He looked up as she spoke again. "You have no way of knowing whether or not it's true."
He paused. Was she testing him?
"I don't," He sighed, "But I believe you."
Robin smiled, a warm tingle in her chest. But she wasn't done with him.
"You didn't used to."
He squirmed a little, laughing lightly.
"So what changed?"
He paused. A sharpness had snuck back into her voice, and he knew he had to be careful.
"I don't know." It was a truthful answer, even if it wasn't entirely honest. "Maybe you got in my head. And Nami got in my head." He took a deep breath, "There was so much to think about, I felt like everything was turning in on itself."
He couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes, but he knew she was watching him. "After you got shot…
"After I shot you - there was something Nami said that stuck in my head. A lot of things, actually. But from there, it all just went to hell." He laughed a little, running a hand through his hair.
"It was like there were two different worlds that I was starting to see. And - and you were one of them. And the other was everyone else. And it didn't match up. What people were saying.
"And I tried to ignore it. I did, but I couldn't. And it got worse and worse, and I felt like it would eat me alive."
He glanced up at her, a little nervous of what he would see. But she was just standing there, watching him. Not saying a thing. Staring with her breathtaking, blue eyes.
His stomach did a flip.
"I just wanted to know the truth, and know what really happened. I wanted to know the real history. Because I've seen the lies people tell me, and I've seen you-"
"-and you're beautiful."
Robin watched his eyes widen in panic. He held her gaze for a moment, then looked away, his cheeks flushed. She stared, really looking at him. He looked so different, blushing in the dark. He was so much smaller, more human.
She took a few steps forward.
Zoro turned back toward her, catching a glimpse of her smile.
She reached up to his face, pulling him down towards her.
Her soft lips pressed against his, her hands against his neck.
She felt him tense against her, not moving for a moment. But then he relaxed, and kissed her back, easily. She felt his hand on her hip, gently pulling her closer to him.
His body was so warm as she pressed against it. He slid his arms inside her coat, around her slim waist. He felt her arms reach up around his neck, holding him tight. She tasted sweet, and he leaned into the kiss, all but crushing her against him.
When they parted, their faces were so close he had to catch his breath. He was hot, his skin felt static.
Robin could still taste his lips, his warmth filling her up. They were chest to chest, and she couldn't help but admire how strong he felt.
He stared at her in awe, his head empty.
"I trust you."
She barely whispered the words, leaning back a little.
He blinked. She was so close, he could feel her breath. He barely managed a smile. Her hands came to rest on his arms, sweetly allowing him to keep holding her.
He saw her start to return the smile, but another voice interrupted them.
"We got lucky tonight, didn't we, Roronoa?"
She whirled around as Spandam spoke, just outside the door. Zoro stared at him, speechless.
Robin turned back and glared at him, her eyes sharp again. "You-?"
Zoro opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
She bolted from his side, racing toward the back rooms.
"Ro-" He stopped himself short. "Raven!" She didn't even pause.
"I wouldn't do that."
His chest burned in anger, hearing Spandam's foot steps behind him.
"You're poor little birdie must feel so betrayed." His voice was dripping with malice, "So hurt to know you led us right to her."
Zoro swung at him with all the force he could muster.
But he stopped short, the barrel of a gun right between his eyes.
"Now now, Pirate Hunter. Don't so something you'll regret later. Although," His eyes narrowed cruelly. "I think you've already done that today, haven't you."
Zoro lowered his arm, every muscle quivering with rage.
"Take care of him." Spandam snapped to the men behind him, darting after Robin.
Zoro raised his hands submissively, not willing to challenge the several guns that were trained on him. His only thoughts were on Robin.
She ran through the building, her thoughts racing. Zoro had betrayed her? How? How had she misread him so badly!
The thoughts vanished as something shattered against the wall, inches away from her. She barely ducked away, losing her balance in the dark.
She fell, hard, diving behind a counter as her pursuer crashed in behind her. She froze, working to calm her breathing as everything went silent. The light coming through the windows was barely enough to see, and she scanned the room, mapping her escape route. There was a door along the back wall, but she could see the big lock rom where she sat. Through the window? It was almost the only option.
"Here, little birdie."
The man's voice made her sick. He was enjoying this.
She readjusted, as quietly as she could. She froze again to listen, seeing if she could locate him. Anything. A breath. A footstep.
She couldn't hear a thing.
Either this man was so well trained, he made no noise. Or he wasn't moving, waiting for her to show herself.
What was he thinking!?
"Do you ever feel guilty?" He hissed in the dark.
"Do you know what you did to me? What you did to my family!"
Robin hesitated. What was he saying?
"I always wanted to make you feel the same pain I did. When you lose someone you care about. When you can't even be near the person you love as the life leaves their eyes. I suffered for so long because of you. I've wanted to give it back, all this time.
She didn't move, his words echoing in the empty room.
"But you were always alone. So heartless. You never had anyone by your side. You could never bring yourself to care about anyone else. You didn't have it in you to love. But now it's different."
She shivered at the cruelty that crept into his voice.
"But now there's so many to choose from. It makes me almost happy to think about. I finally get the chance to pay you back. I can rip them away from you. I can watch them tear you apart!"
He sounded maniacal. She frowned, his words processing. What was he talking about?
"Maybe the doctor first!"
She paused. Chopper?
"Or the cook!"
Her hand twitched.
"No. No, I think the little redheaded thief should be first!"
Fire flared in her chest, and she swung around the edge of the shelf, staying low. Her eyes were well adjusted, and she found him easily in the dim light.
"If you lay a finger on them, I'll tear you apart!"
He blocked her kick, but crumpled underneath it. They wrestled in the dark, Robin burning with rage.
She could feel her hands on the man's neck, and her grip tightened as he weakened under her.
Before he fell she was thrown off of him, and she clenched her teeth as she was slammed against a wall. She lashed out at the guard who held her, kicking and swinging at whatever she could see.
But even in the shadows, the silhouette of a gun was unmistakeable. She forced herself to be still, her muscles quivering with adrenaline.
The man's voice was dripping with smugness, even though it was a little raspy from her choking him. "Keep fighting, and I'll get a bullet for each of your little friends."
She hesitated, still pushing against her captor.
"I come with you, and you'll leave them be?"
He cocked his head. "I have no need to chase little fish when I've already got my prize."
She hesitated, unsure if she was really willing to make things so easy for them.
But the very thought of Nami, Sanji, or any of them, being in pain was too much, and she relaxed her grip on the guard, and leaned back against the wall.
"I don't like it, but I'm trusting you."
He grinned, lowering his weapon.
"You don't have a choice."
Hey Guys!
Just a little heads up, update days are changing from Tuesdays to Fridays :D Next update will be Friday the 25th, and Fridays from then on.
Also~I'm not going to be writing out responses to your reviews anymore, but please know that I read every single one of them. I'm so thankful for the support you have continued to show me, and only hope I can meet your expectations.
Love you all! See you next Friday~