ZoDe Valentines
Passing through a town on an island, Zoro ran into a curious little store. He went inside, looking disgustedly at all of the little pink hearts and lovey dovey cards. It must be around that time of year again. Valentines'. Zoro's insides quivered with hate just at the thought of it. Not being able to stand looking any longer, he glared out the window, and happened to see De-Ji wandering randomly, seeming lost. He ducked down behind a shelf full of pink and purple plush bears holding little hearts with 'I love you' on them. He sneered at the bears, and looked out the window again, careful to keep out of sight. De-Ji walked right by the store, glancing at their wares with a strange look on her face, then walked on muttering to herself. Once she was out of sight, Zoro stood back up just as the manager walked to him.
"Need anything?" The manager asked. Zoro looked down at him, for he was a short, jolly kind of person. Zoro started to shake his head, but a1 thought passed through his mind. 'girls like this kind of crap.' Zoro caught the man on the shoulder, because he had turned around to walk away, and asked him,
"Got anything that isn't too stupid?" The manager laughed, then pointed to a little stand holding boxes of candy in the shapes of hearts with little phrases on them. Zoro let go of the man's shoulder, leaving him rubbing it, and walked over to the stand. He picked up a box, and shoved it at the clerk.
"That'll be .75 beris, please," said the clerk pleasantly. Zoro's eyebrows raised in suprise at the small price, and pulled out the right amount of his pocket. He had managed to scrounge up a little extra money without Nami finding out. He gave the clerk the change, and picked up the box and put it in his haramaki to keep it safe. He walked out the door, glad to be finally out of the store, and saw De-Ji right across the street. She waved at him, and crossed over to talk to him.
"Hi Zoro!" she said with a pretty smile. She then embraced him, and he froze. She pulled back with a quizzical look on her face, looked down at his haramaki, then back at his face and asked,
"What is that?" She looked back down at it, and poked it. Zoro covered it with one of his hands, and growled at her,
"Nothing. Leave it alone." She looked a little hurt, then her smile came back.
"all right," she said with a shrug, then walked on. Zoro sighed with relief, then started back to the ship. He ended up at the meat stand, where Luffy was with Suta, trying to convince the man behind it to give them all the meat. Zoro turned quickly on his heel, and headed back again. It was starting to get around noon, and Zoro hadn't even eaten breakfast. His stomach reminded him constantly. He growled at his stomach,
"quiet! I'll feed you later." Unfortunately, he happened to be walking by delis, and pizza shops, and all sorts of assorted restaurants, all excreting intoxicating aromas that made his stomach go crazy. He hit his stomach, and felt the box of candy he had bought. His stomach told him to eat it. He refused, and walked on. Thinking about which way to go, he didn't notice that his hands had minds of their own. They reached down into his haramaki, pulled out the box, opened it, and his hands put the candies in his mouth one after the other. His mouth didn't complain to his brain, however, but just ate them up. When Zoro spaced back in, there was only two pieces of candy left. He looked at them. One said something strange, something that wouldn't work as a gift. 'Bye Bye' as a matter of fact. The other would work just fine, except for the fact that it was only one small piece of candy. Zoro glared at his stomach, then found his way back to the ship. He hid the candy under his pillow so De-Ji wouldn't find it when she came back (somehow he found his way back before she did), then stalked off hungrily to the kitchen.
Valentines Day
De-Ji was standing as alone as you could get on the Going Merry. She was looking out at the sea, watching the fish or something. Zoro slowly walked up behind De-Ji, trying to sneak up behind her, and heard her say,
"hello, Zoro." Zoro made an aggrivated noise. De-Ji had pretty good hearing, and she could tell without looking who was walking up to her by their footsteps. He walked up the rest of the way, and when she didn't turn to him, took a couple of steps to the side and said,
"Oi, De-Ji..." he trailed off, unsure of exactly what to do. She turned toward him and tilted her head curiously. He shifted his feet nervously, and held out his hand. De-Ji saw a little candy heart gripped in fingers that almost shook with nervousness. She looked more closely at it, and it read, 'Kiss Me'. De-Ji felt her cheeks burn red, and she looked at Zoro, who seemed to have the same reaction. Luffy and Suta, who were done with their Valentine present, peeked up at them from the side of the Going Merry, and watched with a kiddish-like cute expression on their faces. Zoro, who couldn't stand to let people see his weaknesses, turned his face away from De-Ji, hoping the different angle would hide his blush. He heard a couple of footstep's, and turned to see De-Ji a mere few centimeters from his face.
"happy Valentine's Day," she murmered, then pressed her lips to his. They simultaniously closed their eyes, and Zoro kissed De-Ji back. In the background, you could hear Luffy and Suta in unison voicing their displeasure with an, "EWWWWW!!!"
LuSu Valentine's
Luffy looked up from his meat when he heard the door to the kitchen open. It was only Zoro. He looked mad, so Luffy grabbed all of the meat, and stuffed it all in his mouth, which was probably the worst possible thing to do at that point in time. Zoro was hungry. Zoro grabbed Luffy by his shirt, lifted him off his feet, and glared at him. Luffy gulped down the meat, and Zoro dropped him.
"oi cook! give me food." Zoro growled at Sanji, who was cleaning the stove. Sanji just glared at him, but started making the food. Luffy stayed, in hope of snatching a few morsels (if not the whole meal) from Zoro. Unfortunately, Zoro never gave him the chance of taking any of his food. When Zoro swallowed his last bite, he asked Luffy,
"Gotten anything for Valentine's yet?" The love cook pranced around, doing his noodle dance and blathering something about getting jewels and whatnot for Robin and Nami. He even included De-Ji and Suta once in a while. Zoro looked at Luffy, waiting for an answer, but unfortunately he was watching Sanji.
"oi! Luffy! You listening?!" Zoro partially yelled at his captain. Luffy looked at him, tilted his head, and said,
"na?" Zoro sighed, and asked his question again. Luffy still looked confused, so Zoro explained it to him. Luffy eyes went wide with shock, and he started running around the kitchen screaming something about a present for Suta. Zoro abandoned his captain because he was getting a headache with Sanji and Luffy making so much noise. Luffy kept running around, and then De-Ji entered. She shut the door, because she didn't want Suta hearing all that Luffy was shouting. About a second later, a big thud echoed through the kitchen from the door. Probably Suta trying to get to Luffy. De-Ji tapped Sanji on the shoulder and said,
"oi cook. Keep Suta busy for a while, ok?" Sanji danced off saying all the things he could do with Suta, and then De-Ji turned her attention to Luffy. She smiled, and asked the same question, and unfortunately got the same results. Only, she just giggled, and grabbed Luffy by the shoulder. His arms stretched as he ran around, and eventually came snapping back, sending him and De-Ji colliding into the wall. Luffy got off of De-Ji, and heard her muttering something about rubber smelling not pleasant when burned, so no bonfires. Luffy looked at her with the same curious face he had given Zoro when he mentioned Valentine's Day. De-Ji just laughed it off, and said,
"Need some help with a present for Suta?" Luffy screeched and almost started running again, but De-Ji stopped him. "I'll help you, kay?" Luffy pulled at her fingers, which were grasped around his arm so he wouldn't freak again, then looked up and nodded at her. De-Ji smiled and asked, "Got any ideas?" Luffy shook his head, and De-Ji let go of his arm, and went into thinking mode. "Hmmm.. Aha!!" De-Ji jumped up once she got her idea. Luffy got up, caught in the moment, and started dancing around in excitement. De-Ji caught him again, then asked him where the picture he drew for Suta's Christmas present was.
"In my room.." Luffy answered. De-Ji laughed, then told him to go get it. He scurried off, and De-Ji sat in one of the chairs. Luffy ran as fast as his skinny legs could carry his body weight, and slammed into the door. He opened it, and took a few quick steps inside. There, sitting by his hammock, was the picture. It was a picture drawn by Luffy (so you can assume it looked like a three year old drew it) of Luffy and Suta kissing under some mistletoe, and wearing Santa hats. Luffy grabbed it, and ran back to the kitchen. De-Ji was sitting at the table, and waiting for him. He put the picture on the table, and De-Ji's lips curved into a grin.
"You don't care if this is altered, do you?" She asked Luffy. Luffy just looked at her, and she said, "in layman's terms, do you mind if I change it?" Luffy smiled in understanding, then shook his head no. De-Ji's grin grew, and she pulled out a knife. Luffy jumped back, not knowing what she was doing, and she laughed and said,
"This isn't for you, it's for Suta's gift," De-Ji gestured with the knife as she spoke. Luffy jumped right back, and even more some so he could watch. De-Ji gripped her knife, careful not to let it slip, and started carving a rectangle around Luffy's picture, cutting out the mistletoe. Then, she folded it, and wrote on the front, 'Happy Valentine's Day!' Luffy grinned , and took the card, and was about to run out with it, until he heard De-Ji say,
"Wait! Today isn't Valentines' Day! wait a few days, then give it to her." Luffy's shoulders sagged, then De-Ji added, "Make sure to keep it hidden from her. And don't tell her about it!" Luffy's shoulders straightened again, then he ran off to hide it.
Valentine's Day
Suta smiled with pure joy as Luffy chased her around, trying to catch her in another game of tag. Luffy laughed, and crashed again into a wall. Suta laughed, and came up behind him. She stuck a couple of fingers in her ears, and waggled the rest, taunting Luffy. He got up, and tackled Suta.
"YOU'RE IT!!" he yelled, the joy showing in his voice and face. Suta giggled, then got out from under Luffy. Sanji appeared with drinks for the girls, and Suta almost tackled him, anxious to get hers. Luffy looked over at De-Ji, who winked at him. That was the signal! He ran to get the card while Suta was busy with her drink. Luffy resisted the urge to beg Sanji for a drink, and ran back quickly. Suta was chugging her green tea as fast as she could, getting as much flavor out of it as she could. Luffy walked up, the card hidden behind his back, and glanced at De-Ji, who was now staring out into the water. Suta finished, and smiled at Luffy.
"A new record!!" She laughed. Luffy laughed, a little nervously as well, which earned him a queer look from Suta. Luffy glanced around, seeing only Sanji and De-Ji, then pulled the card out from behind his back. Suta looked at it curiously, and Luffy handed it to her. She read the front, then opened it. She smiled, but it was a different smile. This one was full of adoration, even love. Luffy watched, anxious to know what she thought of it. Suta looked up at Luffy.
"Thank you!" She said, unsure of what to do next. Luffy put a hand over his stomach. It felt funny. Deeper into his torso, he felt another feeling past this 'nervous' feeling. Like an instinct. It was telling him to kiss Suta. He followed his gut feeling, and leaned in slowly. Suta blushed, then moved closer. Luffy closed the gap, then quickly pulled away, his face almost matching his vest. They looked up when they heard Zoro say something, but it was too quiet to hear what. They climbed onto the side of the ship, and went to go spy on De-Ji and Zoro...