Hello! Hello Hello! Oh god that just reminds me of FNAF…let's not. Anywho~ Just a heads up to all of ya'll. July 15-17 I will not have an update like normal. I try to get them out Friday or Saturday each week, but that weekend I will not have one. I will try to get one out before hand, but who knows? I will be going on a small road trip with my best friend to a convention so I won't have any time to write or update. But! It'll be so much fun for us! It's been awhile since we've had a road trip and a convention.

This request was made for Just Visiting who gave the pairing ZoroXRobin and the idea for the story! Thank you very much for contributing and requesting a story from me! I'm glad you decided to come by my page and read my stories! I hope this turned out as well as you hoped!

The next request is an AceXRobin story for BirthdayGirl. I'm sorry I couldn't get this to you on your birthday! I hope this can be counted as a belated gift and I hope you had an excellent birthday! I wish you a great year from Kristall! J Look forward to the story my dear~

Just so I have it in recent chapters, I am not taking requests, but in the future I will take them again once I have finished my hiatus stories that I have been gone from for far too long! So keep watching for when I put out there that I am taking them again and I will cook up the queue! Also it's kind of shocking that I'm almost done with this list! Only 20 left after this! On another note! If you ever want to know the remaining line up ahead of time and what they will be about, there is an updated queue of the final stories! So go ahead and look at that to know what's coming! LOVE YOU GUYS!

In this world, crime was growing more and more by the day. People were constantly paranoid over what dangers would come at them today. The police couldn't do anything to stop most of these crimes, due to the lack of evidence. But there was also the problem of the police and government officials themselves being that bad guys. A few people got fed up with the corruption that didn't show any sign of stopping; they took matters into their own hands.

The police called them bounty hunters. Knocking off the people from the wanted list, either dead or alive. But to the people who hire them, or the people they were coming after, they were assassins. There were two notorious assassins that everyone knew about. Roronoa Zoro and Nico Robin. Everybody wanted to hire them, but both worked at a very high price and only went after the most wanted. Though criminals, police, and civilians alike knew about them, no one knew what they looked like other than Zoro was known to have a fierce look in his eyes that said murder, and Nico Robin had beauty greater than Cleopatra herself.

These two were rivals in their business; both trying to become the most notorious. They lived off the money they were given by clients, and the thought of the other one uping them usually pushed them to do better. But this isn'ta story on how much they hate each other now is it? This story is about how they nearly met their match and realized they needed each other much more than they thought.

"Found him," Zoro said, putting the binoculars down as he finally spotted his target. He was perched ever so carefully on the ledge of the rooftop, looking down into a window of an old abandoned building wherea government official was trading off illegal guns. The man was surrounded by countless bodyguards that were patrolling every floor with their own weapons, and he was even packing himself. "He thinks that's going to help him?" Zoro scoffed at the thought of the man even trying to git a shot on him. He more bodyguards, the more money he gets. He grabbed the dark green bandana from his arm and tied it around his head before pulling up the rest of his mask from his neck. "Let's get this over with."

Zoro backed up on the rooftop, looking behind him slightly to see how much distance he still had if he wanted more. Finally he smirked, finding the perfect spot. He pushed on the tops of his feet and darted towards the ledge he was just at. His steps grew longer as he stepped up to the ledge before pushing off of it and using the momentum to launch him towards the abandoned building. Gravity quickly pulled him towards the ground, but it wasn't going to succeed as Zoro curled his body into himself and smashed through a window. He rolled on the floor to break his fall, stopping on his knee before quickly grabbing his swords and putting them in front of him. He stood up slowly, looking around the room.

"3…..2…1…" Just on queue as he counted down, bodyguards flooded the room with their weapons up and ready.

"Put your hands up and walk towards us slowly!" One of the men shouted, jerking his gun towards the stranger in a threatening sort of way.

"Alright alright!" He shouted, but the smile on his face wouldn't leave. He put his hands up in the air just as the bodyguard had asked, and took a few small steps, placing each one with certainty so the bodyguards could see him. He stopped and sighed. "Y'know, I'm tired of playing this game."

The bodyguards were looking at Zoro as if he had lost his mind. What game? What was he talking about? It wasn't until Zoro dropped his arms and planted his foot in front of him one more time that the bodyguards realized what he meant. Guns blazed quickly in the room, but the man was gone, completely disappearing from the spot he was in before.

Shouts of pain erupted in the room as one by one the guards dropped their guns and fell to the floor. Soon there were only a few left and Zoro put his swordsup to block the barage of bullets they wergoing to throw at him. A patter of fast paced footsteps echoed behind him. Then a pair of hands placed themselves on his back, pushing himd down slightly before a pair of legs and a body leap frogged over him.

"Thanks for the distraction!" Nico Robin shouted as Zoro spotted the dark haired female runningout of the room and down the hall towards the client.

"Oi!" He shouted out, getting angry that she showed up and that he couldn't stop her at the moment. "Dammit!"

He gritted his teeth and dashed towards the men, jerking his swords in smooth movements like water across the men and their weapons. Lound thunks of metal caefrom the guns as they hit the ground. But they were putting up a much greater fight now that they knew his speed was intense. Zoro jerked his swords up and knocked the gun out of the last one's hands, making it fly into the air. The bodyguard was too shocked at the gun getting knocked from him, his eyes accidentally staid on the gun, leaving Zoro the chance to slash his sword into him.

He dropped the man to the floor and let out a small 'tch' at the effort he had to use for the last one. But then he remembered Robin zooming past him. He sheathed his swords quickly, giving him more freedom in movement. He darted out the same doorway as Robin, following the hallway to the stairs that would lead towards the target upstairs. He spotted the door open to the room, and mentally prepped himself for her; his arch rival.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just don't kill me!" The man begged, putting his arms up futiley as if that would stop her from hurting him. "I-I'll pay you double to help me out!"

Zoro looked at the crack in the door, spotting a smile creeping on Robin's face. "hmph, sorry, I don't help criminals." She argued back, her eyes narrowing in disappointment at the pitiful man.

He watched her pull out a sickle with a scythe at the end. She threw it at the man before turning slightly and tugging it back, making it curve and lodge itself into his side. She spun in a circle, causing the chain to tighten and pull the man off of his feet and towards the wall. The impact knocked him out cold and Robin effortlessly dislodged the scythe from his side. All she had to do was tie him up and let him bleed out before taking him to her client. She reached her hand out to the man and rummaged into his suit pocket, grasping the piece of paper that was folded up neatly inside.

"Hand that over right now,"

Robin glanced to the side at the shining metal blade that was pushed against her neck. She could feel a small drizzle of blood being pushed from her skin and along the blade. She let out a small sigh and held the paper back to him, knowing he had her in a dangerous space. But just as he grabbed the paper out of her hand, she reached out and grabbed his wrist. She leaned away from the blade and spun her leg behind her, letting her heel hit his ankles and make him fall off balance to the side.

"Sorry, but I need that." She said, straddling him and plucking the paper back from him. Her scythe was pushing against his throat now and the most irritated look was shadowing his eyes.

Zoro wasn't going to let this be the end. He needed that money and he wasn't going to let her take it from him. He needed that paper as proof to his client. He pushed against her scythe enough that he could jab his hand to her neck. The sudden impact knocked her trachea into shock, cutting the oxygen off. She panicked and grasped her throat, falling backwards and dropping her scythe. But she could see what he was trying to do so she held onto the paper and righted herself while she massaged her throat with one hand.

"Just give up now Robin," He said, his mask moving as he sneered at her. "I'll hunt you down and get the paper from you at home if I have to."

"And how are you going to do that? You don't even know what I look like." She snapped back. She had a point, with both of them in full black clothing and masks, there was no way to know what each other looked like aside from their body shape and their eyes. Her blue eyes were stunning alright, but it wasn't like she was the only one in the world with that color.

Their eyes narrowed at each other, the same idea popping into their heads. They needed to figure out the other's identity. That would solve the whole problem! They launched at one another at the same time, the paper momentarily forgotten as Robin pocketed it. Their arms and legs grappled with one another as each tried reaching for the masks while the other defended. It was like a standoff with two football players that were both really good. Neither was being pushed in the other direction, and neither were willing to give up. It surprised Zoro honestly how sturdy she was. She knew exactly how to place her weight so he couldn't easily push her down.

Robin jumped towards him, her arm narrowly missing his face mask while he pushed her arm away. But the one thing he couldn't seemed to have stopped was her pressing her body against his. Her chest was bigger than he expected and he could feel them bouncing against him with her every move. It was throwing his mind down into the gutter…but wait…he could use that to his advantage! She barely saw the smile on his face appear, knowing she was in danger and needed to get away, but she didn't read him fast enough before he reached out towards her.

Robin threw her arms up to block her face, expecting a punch to come in like a dirty play, but then suddenly pain and heat rushed through her chest, making her gasp and stop in her tracks. She looked down at her chest and had to grit her teeth at the pain as he tightly gripped her breast, digging his fingers into the fleshy mound like it was a doorknob to turn. She grabbed his wrist, trying to make him let go, and he saw this as his chance to get her, but she did read him on this one.

"Got you!" He said, grabbing onto the side of her mask.

But she hit his wrist and had hooked her foot behind his, jerking it back towards her and making him fall backwards. But with him hanging onto her breast and mask, she fell down with him. The impact on the ground was harder than she expected with his toned muscles below her. They were hard as rock and was not something you needed to land roughly on. Robin groaned at her throbbing head and began to sat up, straddling Zoro was more. She saw a curtain of black shield her eyes and she nearly had a heart attack at the sight of it. Her mask was off.

Zoro spotted the mask in his hand, and instantly turned his head to look at the female assassin. The breathe was knocked right out of him as her soft curved face accentuated her long black hair that hung down to her hips. Her bright blue eyes were a shocking contrast to her hair and they were filled with fear and shock. He didn't know what to do. Her beauty wasn't exaggerated in the least. She had completely captivated him.

"You ass," She cursed at him, her anger bubbling up inside of her that he actually took her mask off and found out her identity. But his eyes were unwavering as he stared at her. It was as if he were looking into her more than at her and it made a shiver go down her spine.

"Beautiful," He muttered, making her cheeks flare up with red at the sudden response.

She pursed her lips together and reached out towards his mask. She pulled down his face mask before quickly diverting her hand and grabbing the bandana that was on his head. The scar over his eye was much longer than she had thought, but what shocked her most was the green, spiky hair that was jutting into the air now. His jaw line was chiseled and strong. And yet even though she just took off his mask, he still hadn't moved and his eyes were still fixed upon hers.

For a moment they just sat there and stared, looking at each other and taking every feature in. Neither of them expected to other to look the way they did, especially not good looking. But they weren't there long before a crashing sound came from the other doorway, and the door flew off it's hinges into the room.

There before them stood a man with flames in his eyes that showed the upmost anger towards them. It took neither of them 2 seconds to identify this man. He was the number one most wanted man in the world. Most assassins wouldn't even try to go near him, and Robin and Zoro were part of that group. His aura made them shrink away, not daring to risk the confrontation with him.

"That's!" Robin gasped, feeling Zoro sit up and stumble backwards himself.

"Nightmare," He said, the nickname everyone had for him. No one knew his real name, but Nightmare fit well enough with his red eyes and jet black hair. He was massive and stood taller than Zoro. He was just frightening all around.

"Hoo~ So this is what the two most notorious assassins look like." He hummed, seeing it as a game as he glanced from the man at the wall over to the two of them.

Zoro and Robin tensed, their mentality switching back to them knowing they didn't have their masks on. They looked at each other and nodded, their own plan forming in their head. Robin held her arm out and threw her sickle; quickly it flew towards the man and he held up and arm to stop it, as if not needing anything else. But then she jerked It, making it fly upwards towards the ceiling and hitting the sprinkler system. Water flew down to them on the ground, splattering on the ground and making the sight between them harder. Zoro took the next step and threw down a ball with white powder, letting it explode on the ground and mix with the water. Suddenly a large cloud of smoke rose up between them and then hardened, blocking complete sight between them and Nightmare.

"C'mon!" Zoro said, grabbing Robin's hand and pulling her towards the window with him. They needed the quickest way out.

He pulled his sword and sheath from his belt and tugged her up on the sill. He jumped quickly and pulled her close to his body, ignoring her shout of disagreement. His sheath crashed onto a wire, giving him the chance to grab onto it with both hands and allowing them to slide along it.

"This isn't over," Robin said as they landed on another roof top.

"Never is little birdie." He teased, holding up two fingers with something clasped between.

Robin stopped from running the opposite direction spotting what it was; the paper. She gasped and felt around her pockets before clenching her fists tightly and glaring at him. This definitely wasn't over. She wasn't going to let him win!

Zoro didn't really worry about Nightmare finding him. His house was out of the city and in the middle of the woods. It was a house and small dojo mixed into one. He liked the solitude from the noisy city and it left him time to do his own work as needed. Besides, it had been a week now since Robin and him had run into Nightmare, and still no indication had turned up that someone was after him. He was now working on polishing his swords, keeping them in optimal condition for his next mission whenever it came. The last one paid a lot, and he'd probably be set for a couple years with it, but he didn't just do the job for the money. He wanted to take down some of the evils in this world and improve his sword skills. He wanted to become the best.

*KNOCK KNOCK!*

Zoro automatically whipped his sword up, on defense at the sudden sound. Who would be coming to an unknown house in the middle of the woods? He didn't even think anyone knew where his house was. His eyes narrowed; of course he suspected who it was. Maybe Nightmare was a lot more keen that he thought.

He took in a deep breath and stood up quickly, hearing the knocking resound on his wooden door once more. "This is going to be a tough one." He whispered, already holding one of his swords out while he walked over to the door and put his hand over the knob.

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the knob hard, and then turned it quickly and jerked the door open. Without a moment of hesitation he pushed his sword out ready to slice whoever was on the other side. Zoro suddenly stopped, his sword barely cutting a black curtain that blew in the wind. There in front of him stood Robin her eyes filled with fear and her body slightly quaking.

"Robin?" He said, pulling his sword back and sheathing it. He had no fear against her and knew if she was coming after him she would have snuck in and not knocked. "What's….." He stopped himself from asking as her eyes darted round, checking for something. "Come in quickly." He told her, putting his hand in the small of her back and urging her inside. He looked back and forth outside, now on high alert for any intruders that might have followed her. He closed the door and locked it in three different ways. "What's going on?"

Robin walked over to his couch while taking off her light jacket, and sat down. Her hands clasped in her lap as she hung onto her jacket and took a deep breath. "Nightmare was at my house." She told him, her fearful eyes finally looking at his. "He found out where I live."

Zoro knew this was going to happen. But he would have thought Robin to choose solitude as well. "What did he do?"

"He trashed the place and threatened the neighbors if they saw me to call him right away…..If they didn't…he'd kill them!" She put her face in her hands, thinking of the single mom that lived next door with her two young children that were now dragged into this horrible mess because of her. "I can't believe I wasn't more careful!"

Zoro felt guilt clench his heart as he remembered he was the one who took off her mask, leaving her exposed to the dangerous man. He walked over to her, setting his sword to the side, and sat next to her. He didn't really know what to do in this kind of situation. So he opted for the easy one. He put his hand on her hunched back and rubbed small circles, thinking of the only way he knew might provide some comfort.

Robin stiffened at his sudden touch, but she could feel the warmth and comfort from it. It made the tears fall out of her eyes even more. Killing bad men meant nothing to her, but she remembered not having her mom around, and she didn't want the kids to grow up the same way. She felt guilty for having them in danger! She bit her inner cheek, stopping the crying sounds from coming out of her, but it wasn't stopping them fully.

"It'll be okay." Zoro said simply.

Robin couldn't take it anymore, that simple three words coming from Zoro seemed to push her over the edge. She was no longer an assassin right now, but a woman who was scared. She lifted herself up, shocking Zoro at the movement, and turned into his chest, pushing herself against him as she cried into his shirt. At first he felt worried and defensive, but the shaking of her shoulders, and how tight she gripped his shirt made him feel protective. He didn't like seeing her like this; it wasn't the strong assassin he had gotten to know through work.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tightly, letting her face nuzzle into his neck as she tried to calm down. He leaned back slightly and turned, letting her lay between his legs while he rested back against the side of the couch. His hands rubbed her back and he rocked slightly, trying to make her feel safe any way he could. He shushed her and kissed the top of her head, surprising himself immensely. But he couldn't stop the feeling of wanting her in his arms, and wanting to protect her as if she was a precious treasure.

She laid there in his arms for about thirty minutes before the crying finally stopped and she listened to the thrum in his chest as he shushed her. His heart was beating really fast and she could feel whenever he pushed his lips against her hair. She welcomed it though. She wanted to just lie here in his arms and forget about everything. And for a moment, they did.

"You okay?" He asked, hearing her silence now. He lifted her face up to look at him, and he gently wiped his thumb under her eyes, clearing away the last of the water that was still on her cheeks. His eyes showed worry for her and it made her heart heat like a fire. She nodded her head, not sure she could speak at the moment her throat was so raw. He put his forehead against hers. "I will keep you safe. I promise."

Robin smiled. She closed her eyes and breathed him in, letting his hot hands soak into her face. But then she opened her eyes quickly and pulled away. "But…..But what about the families!" She shouted, her voice cracking and gravelly.

Zoro furrowed his brows, knowing this was a predicament that he didn't think about. "The only way they'll be safe is if Nightmare is gone." He stared, knowing it was a silly, no impossible think to think of, but his urge to protect Robin was more than his fear of the wanted man.

Robin bit her lip and furrowed her brows herself. But then her eyes turned determine, as if the battle inside of her had finally chosen one side to work together on. "Then we need to take Nightmare out."

"What?!" Zoro shouted, sitting up quickly, making Robin do the same. He held her at arms length, his hands on her shoulders as he looked at her in shock. "Are you crazy?! You can't defeat him!"

"Not alone." She said, rubbing at her nose to make sure nothing was coming out. "But with you by my side, we can work together and combine our skills to take him down." She saw the uncertainty in his eyes and wondered if he was going to agree to it. "Please," she whispered, her hands cupping his cheek the way he did gently. "I need your help. I can't do this without you Zoro."

She had finally said his name. In the whole time they had been rivals, she had never said his name. It made his cheeks flush and heart fly around like an ecstatic butterfly. He let out a deep breath and gave a small smile to her. "Fine. But it's not going to be easy."

"I know," She said, leaning forward and linking her arms around his neck. Her head laid against his neck as she pushed him back once more. She wanted to be in his arms a little bit longer before they set out on their new mission.

They had to wait till night time came around. Which left plenty of time to gather themselves back together, regain energy, and go over a plan that they could work together on. Never did they think that the both of them would be working together.

"You think this will work?" Robin asked, looking over the piece of paper that was scattered with x's and o's around with lines intersecting a few of them.

"It's the best thing we got." He shrugged, finishing his plate of food. "You better hurry and finish up, it's about time to go."

Robin looked over at the window and saw the sky was getting dark, meaning it was about time that they became assassins once more. She finished her food and placed it in the dishwasher next to Zoro's. She looked around and then let out a small curse. "I don't have my clothes here."

Zoro was already prepared for that as he threw a bundle of black clothes at Robin. "It's not like your normal ones, but it should fit." He told her, walking out in nothing but his dark pants.

Robin's face burst into red as she saw the rigid muscles that adorned his body, making her shiver. She walked into the bathroom and quickly put the clothing on and saw how close it actually fit her. It was a little baggy, but was still great. She walked out with her eyebrows puzzled in confusion. She watched him put his shirt on, completely dressed aside from his mask now. "Do I want to know why you have my size here?"

Zoro glanced behind him and smirked, tying his bandana around the top of his head. "Those were clothes I owned before I started training," He said, making her realize just how much bulk he must have put on to keep up his skills and training. "Here, you'll need this too." He opened up a drawer over by his desk and tossed her another piece of black clothing.

She held it up in front of her and couldn't help the smile that had crossed her face. It was her mask he had taken from her that night. "You still have this?" She giggled, before seeing the red on his ears and dropping it. "Ready?" She asked, pulling the mask on.

He nodded towards her, watching her as she walked up to his side. "Let's go."

It didn't take them long to track down a few men who had been working for Nightmare. It was like a long trail though on who knew where he was. They couldn't leave anyone behind though just in case they let Nightmare know they were coming after him.

"So this is the place?" Robin asked, out of breath from all climbing they had to do.

It was a small secluded place on the outskirts of the city that seemed to be an abandoned tower. Funny how the wanted always seemed to stay in abandoned places. They wasted no time getting in and making their way floor by floor.

"Looking for someone?"

Zoro barely reacted as he jumped for Robin, and the loud bang of a gun went off. Pain seared on his side as he rolled on the ground, protecting Robin from smashing into the floor while he wrapped his arms around her.

"Oi!" She said, sitting up from his hold.

"Stick to the plan," He said quietly to her, wincing in the slightest at the pain that was erupting from him.

Robin looked around, knowing she was going to have to improvise on the location. She spun her sickle around and threw it towards the ceiling, latching it onto a pipe that was up above. She jerked it down and made the pipe swing towards Nightmare. Steam came from the pipe and filled the room quickly, blocking the view between him and the two assassins.

"You think that will stop me?" He shouted towards her in a laugh.

"That's not what I was doing," She said, suddenly behind him.

She had used the pipe falling not as something to hit him, but to block his view and use it as leverage to swing herself off the ground so there were no stepping sounds. Her feet crashed into his back, her heels digging into his flesh like knives. And they were; knives were hidden in the bottoms of her shoes for attacks like these. Nightmare fell forward and hit the floor with a thud. Robin dislodged her sick and wrapped the chain around his neck, pulling backwards until his air was cut off.

"How dare you threaten those around me!" She shouted, her anger becoming more and more strong.

Nightmare threw a glare back at her and grabbed the chain. He jerked his body backwards, and then quickly forwards, knocking her off balance and dislodging her from his back. Robin flew forward and somersaulted across the floor in a heap. She threw her scythe at him this time, aiming for his exposed neck that was right where she needed. But he saw passed her attack and grabbed the chain behind the scythe, stopping it from hitting him. He gave her a malicious smile before jerking the chain towards him. Robin was thrown off the floor and spun as he moved the chain where he wanted it to go. Finally he whipped the chain, causing a wave to go down the metal towards Robin. He ended it with a jerk that flung her into one of the pillars around the floor. Her air was knocked out and a small bit of blood was coughed up from the impact. He hit her with more strength than she expected.

He walked over to her, anger flaming in his eyes and a crude smile upon his face. "Any last words Nico Robin?" He spat, seathing her name out like it was acid.

She looked up at him, seeing he was putting the scythe in the air, ready to kill her with her own weapon. "Yeah," She said, making him wait even more. "Great distraction huh?"

Nightmare dropped his smile and furrowed his brows before he realized what she had meant. He looked over at the small spot where blood and the body of Zoro should have been. But the swordsman assassin was nowhere to be seen.

"Die you bastard." He heard from above.

Zoro suddenly dropped from the ceiling, using the pipe to get him up there to where he could walk around freely and move to where he needed to go. His sword dug into Nightmares shoulder connected to the arm that was holding up the scythe, making him drop the weapon and scream in agony. He jerked around, trying to reach Zoro and throw him off as well but Zoro got his other sword and plunged it through Nightmares back and watched as the tip came out the front.

Nightmare was the one who coughed up blood this time, staring in incredulity at the idea of these two assassins actually working together to kill him. His heart was still beating, but his lungs were slowly filling up with blood, and it was like a slow drowning for him.

Zoro helped Robin up, letting her lean against him with her hand on his chest. They looked at Nightmare with glares. "Good always wins." Robin said, watching Nightmare's eyes close slowly.

"Aunt Nami!" A small child shouted with short dark green hair and bright blue eyes. She was followed by another, a younger boy who had black hair and blue eyes. "When's mommy and daddy getting back?"

"They went out on a mission. So you'll see them in the morning." Nami said with a smile, and then turned a slightly serious look on them. "You two should be asleep. What would your parents say if they heard you were still up."

The kids looked down in guilt knowing that they were put to bed earlier by their parents, but they got so excited at the thought of another exciting mission that their parents got to go on. "Can you tell us another story of Mommy and Daddy?" The girl asked, looking up at Nami with beaming eyes.

"You really like those stories huh?" Nami asked with a chuckle.

"I wanna be an assassin just like them!" The young girl shouted, throwing her arms in the air with a jump. The young boy watched his older sister and held up his own arms, getting the jist of what she was saying and agreeing.

Nami smiled. "I'm sure Robin and Zoro would be proud of that." She picked up the little boy and grabbed the hand of the girl, walking them up the bedroom. "How about the story of when your parents got together first and took down Nightmare?"

"Yeah!" The girl shouted, happy that Nami gave in.