Swords and Promises 8
Thank you for waiting! I hope you romantics out there enjoy this chapter!
One Piece is not mine.
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Roronoa Zoro is not the kind of guy who apologizes.
He is every bit the ruthless pirate he is portrayed as.
He takes what he wants.
Now why, of all times, was he conflicted, tossing and turning in bed, trying to get to sleep?
Surely, he didn't care about another person's feelings, unless it mattered to him.
Surely, he wasn't affected.
And now, why was he in front of her doors, trying to get in and see her?
The answers were unclear, even to the person in question.
"The princess gave express orders not to let anyone in," the burly guard told him, standing in the wide rouka that led to her room. "She does not wish to be disturbed."
A vein popped in Zoro's forehead. He wasn't one for negotiations, either. He was especially not in a negotiating mood right now.
It took two fists to get it through to them. Two well-placed fists and the guards would sleep till morning.
He rubbed his knuckles, and stepped unceremoniously over their slumped bodies.
He slid the circular doors quietly, and slipped inside.
Zoro's eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. A far corner held a single lamp that gave sparse light to an otherwise spacious room, lined with expensive tatami flooring. Every corner held a decorative shoji folding screen, each delicately hand-painted with a landscape scene of misty mountains and golden bamboo groves.
A door opened from the east side of the room, and steam wafted out. The light from that doorway framed a slender figure in a plain yukata, rubbing her damp hair with a fluffy towel.
And then she saw him.
She dropped the towel in shock.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered harshly.
He took a tentative step towards her. At this point, he really didn't know what to say. He was at a loss for words. He had never been in such a situation, and wished he had some talent for words like any of his nakama. He didn't have the worldly panache like Sanji, even though it disgusts him to admit it. Neither did he have smooth talking skills like Usopp, but it wouldn't do him any good; Zoro never really lies, and he wouldn't start doing so right now. Even Luffy might have some inspiring thing to say, although it might be related to food. But what to say to her? All he could do was be here, and he ought to do something, but he just couldn't figure it out.
She took a step back from him, and her eyes caught the lamplight, revealing what he dreaded was there: it was fear.
"What did you do to my guards?" she continued. She began edging the wall of the room in an attempt to get around him.
He had messed up whatever they shared, if they shared anything at all, these past days. Certainly there was something, a closeness, a connection perhaps?
But he tends to lose it, right at the moment he realizes it.
Maybe he wasn't meant for such things.
"How dare you come here!?"
She had almost reached a corner of the room. Her back was still pressed against the wall, trying to keep as much distance as she could between them. "Ano…"
"I won't listen to you!"
"No, it's just…"
She tossed her head angrily, and turned around, haughtily, with a loud hmph.
"You're going to hit the—"
Then she promptly smacked her face into her divider.
BOOM! CRASH!
She was reduced to a heap of limbs and splayed legs, the translucent paper panels of the folding screen ripped and wooden frames cracked under her weight.
"Ow." She sat up, rubbing her sore bottom.
The dust settled, then Zoro's face split into a grin. And much to her dismay, he began laughing like a maniac.
"I can't win with you," he said, not trying to stifle his laughter.
Tashigi mentally smacked herself. Why am I such a klutz at the worst possible times? And in front of him, too, of all people!
He knelt down and tried to help her up, but she slid away from him, still terrified of his presence. He persisted, his hands reaching out to pull her back to him by the shoulders. He could feel her trembling in his grasp. She tried to stifle a sob at the sudden contact.
He tilted his head, brushing his cheek against her hair. At that instant, it felt just right, he knew what he had to say. Very quietly, he whispered into her ear, with a tenderness she didn't know he possessed: "I'm sorry."
Her eyes went wide.
Zoro…
Her eyes welled up.
It's... Zoro. The real one. He's back.
She began sobbing, collapsing onto his shoulder as he pulled her into a hug.
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He held her silently until she had calmed down.
"About what I said…" Zoro said after a while. "It was unfair to you."
"Huh?" she said, swiping at her tears with the back of a hand.
He lifted himself off the floor, guiding her gently up with him to settle down onto the laid out futon.
They sat without speaking for many moments, until Zoro willed enough courage to talk.
"I have…a past…that I don't want touched," he began, the crack in his voice barely discernible. He looked down at his hands. "You touch it without even meaning to."
"You were a very inconvenient person to me. I realized that, and I tried to get away. I told you to stop imitating someone. But that was unfair. It was never your fault."
"The girl who looks like you, the one with your face…she was the daughter of the dojo owner who took me in. Her name was Kuina."
"Kuina," she repeated. It sounded rather familiar to her.
"She was…the one person I could never beat. I joined the dojo because I could not get past her. So I trained. Trained hard for years. At some point I could even beat the adults. And yet, I still ended up losing to her." He laughed, somewhat bitterly, at his memories.
"She was the best in the dojo, the best there ever was. But her father still thought she wouldn't be fit to carry on his legacy, because she was a girl. She resented that fact so much."
Yes, that does sound familiar. It's easy to confuse the two of us with each other, thought Tashigi.
"Then one night, I challenged her to a duel. With real swords. I was feeling confident then that I could beat her. I thought it would be our final duel. But I still lost. I wasn't good enough. It turns out, I still had no stamina for real swords."
"But the victory was empty for her. She said I was lucky to have been born a man, because she would eventually become weaker as a woman. I told her that if she believes that then all my effort and training had been wasted. She had been my goal all that time, so it didn't matter whether you were man or woman in a swordfight."
"That night, we made a deal. For one of us to become the best swordsman in the world. We shook on that."
"The very next day, she fell down the stairs and she died."
Tashigi's mouth opened in shock. The reality of his past became quite clear, the implications tugging painfully at her heartstrings. A knot of guilt formed inside her, remembering all the careless things she had accused him of, things she knew she never meant. "I…I didn't know," she said, softly.
"But I didn't forget our promise. I asked for her sword so that I could keep our promise."
"The sword that defeated me, the one that belonged to her…"
"Wado Ichimonji," she voiced out.
"From that day, I told myself that I would keep that promise. I told myself that the next time I see her, I would tell her that I kept the promise."
"The next time I see that face, I would tell her that I did it. For both of us."
"It must hurt to look at me."
Zoro let out a long sigh. "When I met you, and I saw your face, you made me realize that I hadn't fulfilled my promise yet. When I saw you, you made me realize that, and I tried to run away."
"But…I'm not her…" she said, sadly.
"I know that. But it stirred up my fears. What if I die and never get to fulfill my promise? What if I have to face her again and have nothing to show for it? What would I say to her?"
Tashigi's heart twinged sharply. She understood. She had the same fears herself. What if she never got to secure justice for her mother or the swords that she loved?
"Today, when I saw you…with him…I felt like I had failed. I couldn't even keep that man away from you. It's like I'm not capable of keeping any promise at all, even to you." He raised a hand to his forehead, like an attempt to bury such thoughts.
"You didn't fail me…you haven't failed me in any way," she said, looking full at him, sincerity in her eyes. "As long as you're straining yourself like that, you'll never become the swordsman that you want to be."
"It was my fault, too, for letting Takumi come too close. I'm sorry."
"And…I think you were just jealous, now, weren't you?" she said, cheerfully elbowing his side, smiling at him to lighten the mood.
There was a pause. He lowered his hand and looked at her without changing his expression at all.
"Crazy jealous," he said, with all seriousness. His eyes burned blazes while looking directly at her. "I don't…I don't want him touching you. Ever." His statement was punctuated by an impulsive growl. He inadvertently scooped up her hand, bringing it close to him.
"Eh…?" Her heart began pounding. She meant it as a joke, of course. But that was just like him, to take everything point-blank. She wondered if he meant it. Her heart pounded even harder the more she thought about it.
There he was again, looking at her like that, with those eyes. Did he know what that did to her? Well, it makes her panic, and panic she did. She shut her eyes and let it take over her completely.
BOOM!
Zoro went flying from a patented mega-punch, courtesy of Tashigi, in mega-panic mode. He landed over the same divider she ran into a while ago. Now it was more a pile of sticks than anything resembling furniture.
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR??" A murderous aura emanated from Zoro as he quickly rose, his mouth spewing fire.
"W-well, what did you think?!" said Tashigi, half-laughing, trying to excuse herself from her actions. "You thought I'd give you a...a smooch, or something like that?"
"I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I THINK…!!" roared Zoro, as he angrily pushed his sleeves up, preparing to give her EXACTLY what she deserves. He'd make her pay, oh yes he would…
"Thank you, Zoro, for telling me," she said quietly, training her eyes down to the floor.
He had a hand on his flexing biceps, a fist ready in mock war mode. But he melted. All the fight in him simply drained away.
"Not even my nakama know about Kuina," he said. "They know my goals, but they've never heard the story like you have."
Out of all the people in the world, he had chosen her to hear it. She might be the only one able to share his burden. What did it mean?
It may be too much to bear, all alone.
"Let's get out of here," she said suddenly.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I want to show you something," she said. "Come on!"
"Where—"
She had approached a wall, and was running her hands over the panels.
"What are you doing?"
"Of course, you can't have a palace and not have a secret passageway," she said, with a mischievous smile.
"You have a secret passageway?"
"How else can you sneak out of a fortified castle when you want to?" She winked at him, giving him a sly smile, and his heart skipped a beat.
The corner panel gave a soft click, then slid smoothly sideways, revealing a dark stone-lined tunnel. Tashigi held a hand out to him.
"Take my hand."
"We're going through there?"
"It hasn't been used in years, but I know my way around. Trust me."
He found himself grinning. He took her hand and they entered the darkness. Already he was admitting things, doing things he never thought he'd do in a lifetime. It was an adventure, being with Tashigi, an adventure unlike any other he had been on. And strangely, right now, he never wanted it to end.
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The tunnel was pitch black, winding with careless twists and turns and narrow channels. At one point they had to crouch to get through, and Tashigi made sure Zoro was still behind her.
"Are you still there?" Her hands felt around for him.
"Here," he called out, and her hands pulled him gently towards her.
"Stay close, Ok?" she whispered to him.
"…Ok," he replied, huskily. The scent of her shampoo, and the feel of her soft hands filled him; it was rather distracting. He tried to keep moving, though, to mask what he wanted to do to her right then, and it definitely involved her hands on him.
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They emerged from a south wall of the greater palace, bordering a small inner garden full of flowering quince trees. There was a small door across the garden hidden from view by the trees. Tashigi pushed at this door, but it wouldn't budge. Zoro remedied this with a swift kick. It opened immediately.
"I just loosened it up for you," she said, rolling her eyes, but smiling at the same time. Together, they raced down the outer grounds into the night, through the rolling grassy hills and expansive plantations. They made their way by the light of the moon. Zoro looked up at the sky as they were running. It was a full moon.
Ironic, he thought.
They entered a small copse of tall Kyushu maple trees, and immediately heard the sound of bubbling water.
"Wait," she said, suddenly, throwing out an arm and motioning for a stop.
They were standing on the edge of a steep incline, right where there was a break in the trees. Looking down, one could see a mountain stream flowing merrily along its path. This incline bordered a wide alcove cut into the earth, with a lone flowering peach tree in the middle, standing forlornly against the tall rushes beside it. The ground was covered by smoothed over boulders in various shapes and sizes.
"We have to climb down the edge," she told him, already taking a foothold onto some well-placed jutting rocks. Zoro climbed down as fast as he could, so he could reach up to guide her down safely.
"What is this place?" he asked, as they approached the tree in the center.
"I used to come here to think. No one really comes here because it's hard to reach, so I get to be alone."
Just then, a ball of light floated past Zoro's head. He turned to look at it, when another floated across his other side. In a moment, the air was filled by hundreds of flickering dots of light.
"And besides that, it's gorgeous, huh?"
"Fireflies?"
"They come out at night here, near the river, now that it's nearly summer."
The light of the moon beat down on them through the spidery branches of the tree, casting feathery shadows on their skin.
She raised her hands, allowing the little dots to go through her fingers. "These lights, they also remind me of Toro Nagashi. You know, during Obon. Like returning souls finally given peace. I want to think that my mother's soul is one of those."
Obon, huh? The day he left his village was right in the middle of summer. He remembered it; it was a sweltering day, the day right after Obon in their village. On that last Obon, he had paid his last respects to Kuina. It was time to fulfill his promise. That day, he resolved to finally give her peace.
"Zoro, I…"
She took a deep breath, readying herself.
"I-I know it's not my place to say it, I'm not her, b-but…" she struggled to say. " If…if I were…Kuina…then…then..." Her hands fisted at her sides.
"I would say that I'm proud of you. Because I am."
"You are…someone I've always aspired to become."
"And if there was anyone who could be the best, that would be you."
"If anyone could do it, that would be you, Zoro."
"Because…I believe it, too."
Her eyes, startlingly clear in the moonlight, sparkled with fresh tears.
"I…I don't know if it counts for something, I know I'm just…nothing, just nobody, and I have no right to say it…"
Something hit him, straight in the center of his chest, knocking out all the proverbial wind out of him.
It made him turn his back to her, the intensity too much for his inexperienced heart to contain. His tired eyes became obscured by the shadows of the night.
"I'm...I'm sorry," she said suddenly, the remorse evident in her voice. Her hands travelled forward, abruptly catching the back of his outer jacket, trying to pull him back.
She had said too much.
He shook his head. It wasn't because she was not Kuina; he had known that from the start. It wasn't because she was nothing, no, at this point, she was far from being nothing to him.
It was because it came as a surprise. Surprise, that she had so much faith in him.
It was because it came from her.
Just her.
Tashigi.
And she had meant it.
You don't know, Tashigi, what it means to me.
In a soft voice that she almost didn't catch, he whispered to the night: "Thank you."
She blinked away her tears, relief coursing through her, leaning her head forward to press herself onto his back.
He felt her touching him, and thought that some of his resolve would break.
"This moonlight, it makes you say some crazy things, huh?" she said with a small laugh.
He looked up again, and the round, pale disc of a moon hung clearly in the night sky.
"Yeah," he said.
How long has it been, on that night long ago, when finally believed he was strong enough to be the best? How long has it been since he made that promise? How long had it been since he threw out his heart and believed in it?
But he knew, after tonight, that he wouldn't look at moonlight in the same way ever again.
"It was here that I decided to join the marines. To pursue that justice I promised my mother, and myself."
"So you really used to come here?"
"Yeah."
"Really?" He raised an eyebrow quizzically at her. "With all these rocks around?"
She made an annoyed face, stuck out her tongue at him, and then ran down the bank, laughing.
"Hey, come back! You're going to get hurt!" With her track record, and with these many things in the way, she was bound to break her neck any minute now. He chased after her.
"Try to catch one!" she called back at him, running straight into a group of the bright insects. "Come on!" She cupped her hands together, trying to grasp at the tiny lights.
He smiled himself, when he saw how happy she looked, the tears gone, blinked away by simple joy for the moment. He followed suit, snatching at the air with lightning speed.
"Here," he said, approaching her after a time. He offered her two hands clasped together, faint light radiating from between his fingers.
"You caught one? Lemme see!"
He opened his hands, and a whole swarm of fireflies flew out, forming a cloud of shimmering lights that surrounded them.
"So beautiful," she sighed, happily, as the combined glow illuminated her face.
"Yeah," he said, looking directly at her.
She caught his eyes through the glittering lights, and, blushing, found that she could not look away.
No one would have believed this was Zoro. Zoro, the pirate hunter. Sworn enemy of the marines. She wouldn't have believed it, either, a few days ago. But that seemed like so long ago, like another life. Another lonely, forgotten life that was in the past.
Right at that moment, he was special.
Zoro was special.
She couldn't think of life beyond this time, life without knowing him. Time would stop for them, in this secret place. Nobody, absolutely nobody would have to know. Right now, he was here, catching fireflies for her. Right now, he was here to make her happy.
Right now, he belonged to her.
But she had another life, full of marine responsibilities and whatnots. She had to go back to that. And it would mean…
Please, please, she thought frantically. Not yet. I don't want to go back yet. I don't want to lose him, now that I've finally found him…
"Hey, what's wrong?"
She was jolted out of her thoughts. "N-nothing."
"You look like you just realized something," he said, one corner of his mouth turning up just a smidgen.
"N-no," she countered, trying to still her rampant emotions. Does he know what I'm thinking? Did it show on my face?
"I was about to say that…I just realized something too." And his eyes went through her, just like they always do.
She shivered lightly, looking thoroughly affected by what he said. He recognized the power he had over her, what he could do to her.
And he was enjoying every moment.
He started his experiment, reaching one hand to touch her lightly on the shoulder, but she flinched, and then backed away from him slightly. He took a step towards her, and she continued to move away. He smirk widened, as he continued his pursuit.
What is he doing? she thought, trying to quell the rapid beating of her heart. He's…stalking me…like a jungle cat. No other word to describe what he looked like now. But she found herself more excited than fearful at the moment. She had backed up into the tree, preventing her escape. He followed suit, looming directly over her.
When she refused to look at him, he put two fingers underneath her chin, and tilted her face up at him, bringing them inches apart. She had stopped breathing at this point. She scrunched her eyes shut, waiting for what would happen next, if she understood where this was all leading up to…
But an eternity passed, and nothing happened. Her eyes opened.
He was grinning at her, like an idiot.
"You thought I was going to give you a smooch, or something like that?" he said, mocking her through white teeth.
She blushed furiously, recognizing that he was only playing a game with her.
You are a fool, Tashigi, she chided herself. That's what I get, for trusting a pirate. Even if it is him.
She pushed against his chest in annoyance, but she noticed that his grin had faded. His eyes were serious again. He grabbed her by the waist, no more teasing in his grip.
"Maybe…I will."
It took a moment to realize what he meant.
She gasped as he bent his head down, crossed the distance, and kissed her fully.
It was like in her dreams, like the perfect moment, when all the stars dim and you forget your name from bliss. It wasn't like the first time they kissed, no, those lips on her were sure and demanding, taking what they want from her.
Roronoa Zoro, the ruthless pirate, he takes what he wants.
The feel of his lips on hers again, it was enough to push her to the edge. She gave into it and kissed him back just as passionately.
He takes what he wants but he was finding out that Tashigi did so, too.
Spurred on by her actions, he pressed her against the tree trunk, his body covering her whole. His hands clutched at her hips, his touch insistent, mirroring a longing to touch the soft skin underneath. She remained pliant under his assault, answering it with her lips on his.
Her hands crept up his chest and delighted to feel his heart thundering like her own. The sensation of his mouth on hers, the possessiveness of his kiss, it was all driving her insane. Bit by bit, she had spiraled into this trap of his making, a trap of sensual rapture.
Slowly, he slid his tongue into her mouth, relishing in the warm velvet of its inner recesses, asserting his power over her. She moaned at his intrusion, brushing her tongue roughly along his in protest. A guttural growl rumbled through him, and he plunged deeper, tasting, wanting, and claiming. His arms moved to slide around her back, and pulled her close, so that her breasts pressed against his strong chest, no space to separate them. He could feel her lithe body through the thin material of their clothes, and already he wanted more of it, more of it under his fingers, under him…
Drip. Drip.
Something cold and wet began trickling down on them.
Their eyes flew open.
Raindrops.
Simultaneously, they looked up, and heavy droplets slid down the leaves and down onto them, soaking their clothes, their hair, their heat. The world had turned suddenly dark, the moon obscured by murky clouds. The dull roar of an unexpected squall was heavy on their ears, and they hadn't noticed.
"We should go back," Tashigi said, reluctantly, blinking through the rain.
Zoro nodded, not trying to hide his disappointment.
She took his hand, and they made their way back quickly.
"Damn it," he said into the haze of raindrops, cursing the elements through gritted teeth.
The rain couldn't have come at a worse possible time.
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That was a hard chapter to write. Romantic Zoro is hard to visualize. But boys DO fall in love (to quote the song). Zoro is not immune to it! Ah, love!
To my Pao-chan, I miss you so much. 'Lalang. (smile)
I drew the wedding dress and a cute ZoroTashi chibi spread! Please check my profile for the links. I did these quickly so they're not as detailed as I want them to be, but I hope you still enjoy them. These are dedicated to Psike666 (who requested for the dress) and to LonelyRage who has been such a dear and has been supporting me since the start!
To everyone who reviewed, thank you!! Give me more of your ideas!! So what did you think? More romance? Or more action? Hehe.
Culture Notes:
Rouka – wooden floored passageways in Japanese houses; hallways
Shoji – partitions made from a wooden frame inlaid with paper. This style of partition may be used for sliding doors that separate rooms or freestanding foldable partitions as described here.
Yukata – a light, unlined kimono made in cotton. Literally means "bath wear", although their use is not limited to such. A typical summer garment, it is worn at summer events (including Obon festival, and fireworks displays).
Kyushu maple - Acer capillipes, also known as Red Snakebark maple, native to mountainous regions in Japan, primarily in central and southern Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku islands, usually growing alongside mountain streams.
Obon – or the Bon Festival, is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the departed (deceased) spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. Also called the Feast of Lanterns, it has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori. It lasts 3 days. Depending on the calendar used, it is either celebrated on the 15th of July or the 15th of August (most commonly celebrated), both in the summer months.
Tōrō Nagashi – The Obon festival ends with the Tōrō Nagashi, or the floating of lanterns. Paper lanterns are illuminated with candles and then floated down rivers symbolizing the spirits' return to the world of the dead. This ceremony usually culminates in a fireworks display. Incidentally, this is also an attack of Zoro, translated literally as 'Blade Wolf Flow', following the kanji but a 'nagashi' as written is usually something that lets a liquid pass down, much like Zoro arches back and down for this attack. Used against Hacchan. (Thank you to thegrandline(dot)com for that info)