Chapter 6.

I hope you guys are enjoying the story. I'm foreseeing a rather dramatic future for these characters.

Disclaimer… I don't own One Piece… as you know already.

PS. If you read this story and like it, then let me know! I love writing it, but I haven't been given many reviews on it and it makes me sad…

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Troublesome Twins: 6. Crushed

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Now, a few months had passed since the sports day the summer had passed and they were now in autumn, and it became very obvious to Tashigi, that her sister's best friend was in fact obsessed with Kuina... She could tell easily; because he wanted to please her, he wanted to beat her, and whenever she ignored him or beat him at anything, he would get embarrassed and try even harder next time to beat her in return. They threw insult back and forth between each other as if it was as normal as breathing. It was embarrassing to see and watch, as it seemed that everyone in school could tell that Zoro liked Kuina, but both he and Kuina were too stupid to see it, or maybe it would be kinder to say they were just too young and ignorant to notice the difference between mild competition and somewhat obsessive behavior. So Tashigi had decided she need to bring it up with her sister that day.

They were both in their very large joint bedroom, throwing bits and bobs at each other trying to decide on what was best to pack for the extreme camping trip they were going on with their parents. The room was simply decorated, with very little furniture, One Wardrobe and shelves for games and equipment to share for the both of them, two chests of draws, two beds, a few shelves on the walls above their beds that had a collection of all the different sorts of medals and cups won by on them, one long mirror that was nailed to the back of the door, and one, small, low table in the center of the room that the girls kneeled at or sat down on cushions in order play games. This suited the girls quite well, neither of them being all that girly and interested in anything too artistic and messy, and both still finding sharing fun, and relishing in each other's company.

But their differences were greater than either of them had even given thought to, and that became clearer over time in subtle and unsubtle ways. Kuina's casual colour wardrobe could be described as comfortable, and big, with common colours like blue, grey, white, and red. A white t-shirt with blue jeans was sometimes switched for a long-sleeved white shirt, and occasionally a red or grey jumper or hoodie, but she didn't tend to deviate from those blue-coloured trousers, unless of course she was required to wear black. Tashigi on the other hand, was obviously a bit less daring when it came to sports, but when it came to colours and outfits... Liking pink, orange, purple and green most, she tried to wear them as much as possible not seeming to have any preference in any style baggy or tight, and she seemed to gravitate towards bright shirts that had her favourite colours in them. She took a leaf out of her sister's book though and tended to wear plain trousers when she had an exciting top, but there were some occasions, when her sister wasn't home to tell her off for dressing in (clothes that were offensive to the eyes for the sheer brightness of them), where Tashigi might feel inspired to give her white trousers some time out, with her pink and black spotted fleece, or wearing one her dark- green skirts sporting a flowery vest top, which very rarely saw the light of day, if Kuina saw it. (To put it kindly, Kuina was just more simple and modest in her fashion wardrobe, if you could call either of the girls fashionable).

Tashigi was standing by the wardrobe, having decided that she needed to double-check anything that might be helpful to bring. She found and chucked her sister's hiking boots towards her suitcase, making Kuina scowl and pick them up.

"Oi! Be careful Tash! These are important." Kuina lifted up them cradling them protectively. "They've taken me on week long expeditions and I did a full eleven hours of walking in these one time and never got a single blister. So don't mistreat them!"

"Sorry." Tashigi said, raising her hands up in surrender, but at the same time rolling her eyes. "How was I to know?" She looked back at them. "You didn't clean them properly."

Kuina looked over her boots properly now and realized that they must have had the mud on them for about half a year. She lifted up a skin of mud experimentally and broke a huge chunk off the boot. "Kuina! Not in our bedroom!?" Tashigi cried out, angry (it had been her turn, and she had only just cleaned it).

"Hum…" Kuina nodded, looking them over. "I'll go and give them a scrub up and a repolish I think." And she jumped up to get what she needed.

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She came back into the room a little later, with a newspaper, her freshly washed walking boots, and the leather conditioner, and wax. She sat down on the floor and started to work on them while occasionally watching Tashigi pack, and going back and forth ticking off things from both their lists.

"You should come on Saturdays, to watch us!" Kuina started saying, talking about her newest sport obsession, that was football. "It was awesome! A really intense game, one of the best ones we've had this season so far."

"Yeah?" Tashigi said not really listening. "Who won?"

Kuina looked up at her giving Tashigi the evil eye glare, for her lack of belief, which Tashigi was oblivious too, as her focus was one hundred percent devoted to packing. "We did of course." Kuina scoffed.

"Oh, well done." Tashigi ticked off the socks and all underwear, but she had to take a double glance at suitable thermals.

"It was a really close game." Kuina carried on. "They had scored 3-0 on us by half time, and then when we came back after half time we scored 2 goals and then they scored another and then we scored another two in the last five minutes, and then we went into extra time, and both teams scored 1 goal, so we went into penalties, and then they missed two hits into goal. It was so intense. I haven't been in a game like that for ages!"

Tashigi smiled having been made interested in the sport for just the moment, simply due to Kuina's enjoyment and enthusiasm. "Well done. Were you able to score any?"

"Yeah, I scored the second goal!" Kuina said excitedly.

"That's cool. You sound like you have a really good team. Do you get on well with everyone?"

"Mostly." Kuina admitted. "However, there are a few girls I wish I could switch out for someone else. Joan was the worst player on Saturday, her head wasn't in the game." She shook her head; unable to see why someone couldn't become more focused not even temporarily for the good of the whole team. "She doesn't even try to work harder at times, and walks about the field just waiting to be passed too. It's a good job she's okay at passing, but her power kicks are crap, and she sucks at running. She just does one lap around the field and then complains that her feet hurt, or her head hurts, or her boobs hurt, or her stomach has a stitch." She shook her head. "She's the sort of girl that makes me embarrassed to be the same sex as her. I mean… you…" She put her boots down. "You found it difficult to do the hard core athletics, but you worked on it and got so much better that all the teachers have been saying you're the most improved!"

Tashigi tucked her hair behind her ear. "Um. Thanks, Kuina." She said, embarrassed at the unexpected praise.

She had almost finished packing folding her trousers into her suitcase, when she noticed just how haphazard and terrible her sister's packing had been. It was all in a jumble and looked as if it had been thrown in, and so she started repacking her sister's suitcase as well. "Don't you want to pack a wooly jumper?" She asked, lifting out of the suitcase a very threadbare, white-grey and scrubby hoody. "You might get cold."

"Na. It's fine. I don't get cold."

"Okay." Tashigi shrugged, folding the hoody and putting it into the suitcase, but deciding to put one of her own jumpers in as well just in case she might need it, 'mum had said' that they both needed to take warm jumpers with them.

"And then there's Janet…" Kuina continued pouting. "I can't believe her bragging. She acts like she'll save the day, but whenever she's in goal she lets ever ball pass her. I mean, just putting her in goal could almost guaranty that someone has to score."

"Oh." Tashigi said nodding. "Football sounds good."

"Hmmm…. I think I should have been born a boy." Kuina said frowning. "They always seemed to be having way more fun. And their Coach actually takes them seriously when they say that they want to be professional footballers."

"You want to be a professional footballer?" Tashigi sounded surprised.

And Kuina looked sad. "I don't know yet."

Tashigi nodded, deciding to change the subject. "I've never been camping before. What do you think is going to be the best bit of the journey? I mean you've been before, so you probably have a favourite location, or activity." she said.

Kuina yawned, stood up and stretched deciding that her boots were done. She fell back down onto her bed. "Probably the mountain climbing. I can't wait for that! Last time me and dad went, we abseiled down a huge cliff, swinging from the left side to the right. I can't wait to do that!"

Tashigi chewed her lip and tried to imagine why her sister would sound so enthusiastic about something that seemed so terrifying. "Sounds a bit dangerous."

"Exactly." Kuina smiled, swinging her feet back over her head, and rolling backwards using her strong hands to spring her away from the bed, landing feet first on the carpet. She picked up her sister and squeezed her into a bear hug. "I can't wait!"

"I… I'm feeling … a bit … nervous … about it really..." Tashigi said, trying to breath over her squashed diaphragm, and Kuina loosened her grip. "but I don't know if I'm ready for rock climbing like that, maybe you and dad should just do that."

"No Way!" Kuina put her down and turned her around. "You have to come with me. It will be so much more fun with you there."

"But I've never done anything like that before, I'm really clumsy, what if I fall…"

"Don't be silly, we have a guide, and he always teaches us how to use the harnesses and ropes properly before anyone is allowed to go on the walk, and climb."

"Mmm." Tashigi sighed. "I'm going to miss school this half term."

Kuina shook her head. "Only you would say that. Don't be a dummy. School is mostly a waist of time anyway. It's just a place to teach people how to embrace their own mediocrity."

Tashigi frowned, not agreeing with that, but deciding not to argue with her. "But aren't you going to miss seeing some of your friends?"

"Not really. It's just one week. I'll see them when I get back. Besides, I can't wait to spend more time with mum. The country is a great place to go at this time of year."

"You won't even miss Zoro? You always spend time with him every day." Tashigi stated.

"Why should I miss him?" Kuina shrugged not really seeing the difference.

"Um… well…" Tashigi closed her suitcase and sat down on it, trying to find the words she was looking for. She was feeling rather embarrassed to even be asking them. "I think … Well, I think Zoro likes you. Do you like him?"

There was a long silence and when she looked up she saw Kuina looking at her with a raised eyebrow. Kuina ignored the question for herself, but asked it in return. "Do You!... Like Him?"

Tashigi was quite shocked and it obviously showed on her face because Kuina laughed. "No, he's your friend." Tashigi insisted.

"Hahahaha!" Kuina hugged herself as she rolled back onto her bed. "Oh my gosh! You look so funny!"

"Hey!" Tashigi sulked. "Stop it! Or I'm going out."

She carried on giggling, but stopped rolling for a little while to think about Zoro for a moment. "Do I like Zoro?… um…. No…. course not! That would be ridiculous! He's just a friend." She chuckled at the thought. "I can't even begin to think how stupid it would be if I were to go out with him. He's a whole year younger than us! There is no way I could ever go out with a guy who is younger than me." She shook her head. "What on earth put that idea into your head?"

"Well, I just thought that perhaps he liked you. He does spend a lot of time talking and competing with you."

"Yeah, but that's just being rude and challenging me to stuff. We don't actually like each other." Kuina said scratching her chin.

Tashigi smiled, finding it funny how odd and perfect both of them was for one another.

"Why don't 'you' try and go out with him them. If you think he likes me so much, put him out of his misery." Kuina's voice broke through Tashigi's relaxed thought process.

"What!?" Tashigi felt her heart stop beating for a second as the crazy thought crushed her mind. 'No way… he was her sister's… friend… that wouldn't be right.' "I …I said I couldn't because he's your friend, and I don't think I like Zoro that way. Besides, I was only thinking about you." Tashigi insisted.

Kuina grinned, having found another way to tease her sister. "I think it would be a good idea if you made him your boyfriend for a short time. You never know, but it might make him smarter." When she noticed how serious her sister looked she carried on. "You wouldn't want or need to be his girlfriend for too long because he would probably slow you down."

"How can you say that? He's not slow."

Kuina looked at her as if she was being stupid. "I'm not referring to how fast he runs… or whatever. I'm talking about his mental capability."

"He's not dumb either. He's actually quite intelligent." Tashigi insisted. "He's just a bit lazy when it comes to learning in school."

Kuina shook her head laughing, and then focused on her sister. Her eyes were sparkling with mischief. "I never noticed it before, but you totally have a crush on him don't you."

"No." Tashigi insisted, blushing.

"I'm going to text him and tell him." Kuina picked up her phone, and for a brief second Tashigi had no idea what to do, before fear spurred her into action towards her sister.

"No! You can't do that!" She insisted trying to grab her sister's phone as Kuina stood up and moved it out of her reach texting quickly as if her life depended on it.

"Heya Zoro!" Kuina said out loud as she typed the text. "Tash. Has. A. Crush. On. you. !"

"No! Kuina don't send that!" Tashigi jumped onto Kuina's back and tried to hit-pull the phone out of her hand, but unlike Kuina she didn't have as good a balance or a past knowledge of self-defense, and before she even knew it was happening Kuina had flipped her over her head and shoulders onto her bed and had pressed the send button.

"Ha!" She brushed her boyish black hair out of her face and held her phone up triumphantly and waving the bright and bold sent message in front of Tashigi's face. "There you go! You're going to get your first boyfriend soon!"

"Kuina! Don't be stupid!" Tashigi yelled upset and angry. She decided to pick up her own phone to write down a counter message to let Zoro know that whatever he had received from Kuina was just nonsense. But once she had picked it up she couldn't think of what to write at all, and put it back down again, just hoping that he'd ignore it.

"Well," Kuina bowed glamorously, and then started looking a bit smug. "Maybe you should give him a go, he might surprise you. You have my blessings."

"It might get too awkward though, what if he likes you more than me."

"Tash trust me, he likes you. He told me he thought you were really nice the first day he met you." Kuina insisted, pulling a few feathers out of her fringe that had escaped her duvet and embedded themselves into her hair. "If I ever get a boyfriend I'd want him to be taller than me, and Zoro just isn't." She became serious again. "But in all seriousness Tash, you're a really nice girl, and if any boy liked me he's bound to like you more anyway."

Tashigi shook her head. "I don't think it works that way."

Kuina got up and ran to the door pulling it open and running into the hallway. "MUM! DAD! WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GO!?"

There was a quiet reply that Kuina couldn't understand, and hurried over to their parent's room to rehear, leaving Tashigi alone in their fairly large room with her thoughts. She was certain that Zoro really liked Kuina… but what if he might like her instead. She tried to get the thought out of her mind, but due to her ignorant sister's provocation, it was now simply rebounding around and around, etching itself into the corners of her mind. 'What if?' 'What if he did like her… what if he could like her like that. Would she be able to like him too?... Maybe. Possibly… Probably…'

She really had no clue.

She was glad when her father Koshiro knocked on the door of their room. He smiled at her. "Good job with all the packing. Kuina has never found that to be one of her strong points." He came in and sat down next to her on the bed, and Tashigi found herself hugging him. It was something that she found she took a lot of pleasure in now. Being so distant from him for so long had made her more aware of how precious his presence was whenever he was around. He hugged her back and brushed her hair back away from her glasses. "I'm really looking forward to this holiday. Are you?"

Tashigi nodded not really thinking speech was needed right now and gave her dad another squeeze.

He kissed her forehead and pulled back a bit. "So,… here comes the bad news. I have some business left to deal with here, calling up a few people and giving them targets for next week, and I don't imagine your mother being very happy if I was doing that in the car journey there, so we won't be traveling up tonight, we'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

"That's okay Father." Tashigi said, still not calling him anything less than what she thought was respectful enough.

He smiled and kissed her head. "Your mother wanted me to tell you two that you both make sure you're downstairs for supper in thirty minutes."

"Alright. I've finished packing anyway. So, I'll come down earlier." Tashigi affirmed.

He smiled and stood up. "I'll see you soon then." He stretched and shook his head. "I'm behind in my packing." She grinned at that and allowed herself to tut at his laziness. He left her alone again, but not five seconds after leaving there was a….

"Beep! Beep! Beep! Meow!" Her phone buzzed and meowed as a message appeared on her screen. "Beep! Beep! Beep! Meow!" Tashigi quickly glanced at it suddenly fearful and terrified that it might in fact be Zoro.

It was. The message flashed bright and clear across the screen.

'Hey Tash. Can I talk to you in the park in five?'

Tashigi read it and reread it and reread it. And blinked again, took her glasses off and reread it again. 'In five minutes… it takes me six minutes to get down to the park from my house.' And then her heart beat even faster; Zoro wants to talk to me about … that text.

Her fingers froze over her phone wanting to reply to him and delay the chat, but somehow unable to. She suddenly stood up and went to the window. The park was just a few blocks down and the weather was looking all right, not too cloudy and not too sunny, and the sun had just started to set. She stood there for a few seconds longer and then suddenly bolted to the door determined to just run down to the park, but as she reached it and looked into the mirror she almost leapt in terror. Whatever her father or her sister had done to her hair had made it look awful.

She brushed it quickly down and then pulled on a jumper, 'It might be getting cold outside.'

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"Hey!" Zoro waved to her as she came up running to the gate of the park.

"Hi!" She tried to sound normal but she just couldn't feel like herself. Her heart was thudding threateningly in her chest, as if promising to cut out if she anything else more stressful. 'Please don't talk about the text. Please don't talk about the text.'

Zoro pushed back his own hood, and smiled. "I wasn't sure you had gotten my message. You didn't text me at all."

'Remember, he doesn't know that you were in the room with Kuina when she sent it. Pretend that you don't know why you're here.'

"Sorry, I was packing."

"Oh. Makes sense." He nodded. 'Even though it wasn't a good excuse.'

She cleared her throat. "So what did you want to talk about?" 'No, Wrong question!'

He frowned, "Well,… um."

"I mean, what are you doing this half term? Going anywhere fun? Doing anything exciting?" Tashigi rushed out lots of different questions impatiently.

"No. Dad doesn't have anything planned." Zoro said and walking over to the swings sat down on one and started swinging back and forth. Tashigi joined him, but was worried because she couldn't be sure that she would like where this conversation was destined to be going.

"Um…. We're going camping." She said, trying to sound positive and pushing her swing back and leaning forward to get it moving. 'Anything's better than this silence.'

"Yeah. I know. Kuina told me. Koshiro asked me if I wanted to go too, but my dad didn't give me permission."

"Oh." Tashigi didn't know how to break the silence that followed. But she didn't have too.

"Tash, I heard…" He scratched the top of head and ran his fingers through his green hair, "I mean,… Do you like me?" Zoro said all of a sudden out of the blue.

Tashigi felt her face warm up. "Of course I like you Zoro, you were my first friend at school." She said swinging back and forth focusing on her feet. She wasn't swinging high, but high enough that Zoro couldn't read her face expressions very well.

Zoro stopped his swing and then stopped hers as well. "I mean do you like me as more than a friend?"

Tashigi blushed at the bold question. "I … think I like you a bit."

Zoro's eyes were gazing seriously into her face as if waiting to see something that he was searching for. His eyes darted away after a few moments to her hand on swing. He shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I think I like your sister." Zoro said, looking pretty sad as he said it. And he scratched the back of his head again as if suddenly embarrassed by his own confession. "I've sort of always liked her, I'm sorry."

"Oh, I thought so. That's okay, it's fine." She nodded and stood up suddenly wanting nothing more than to be as far away from him as possible. 'This is so embarrassing! Kuina why did you have to send that text? I knew it. I knew it was you he liked.' She was in such a daze and a hurry she walked into a lamppost in her rush to leave. Wincing from impact she folded her arms around her head as it throbbed, and groaned in pain. 'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Owww!'

"Tashi are you alright!" Zoro came up behind her, supporting her shoulders and back, pulled her into a standing position, as she had been knocked clean out of the air and lay flat on the ground.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit bruised that's all!" She rubbed her forehead. 'How embarrassing! How could I have done something so stupid!'

"Let me see it." Zoro pulled her arm and hand away and winced when he saw her face. "You always seem to be taking hits whenever I see you." He smiled and brushed her fringe out of her face. Tashigi suddenly felt really upset more upset than she was used too.

"I need to get back home now."

"But do you need any help?"

"No."

"I can take you."

"It's okay." She said walking away, but he followed her anyway and walked with her.

"Don't rush. You'll make it bleed." He said looking at the middle of her forehead noticing the large egg that was forming itself there.

"Okay." She nodded, and raised her hand up to cover it.

He carried on walking with her until he was right up to her house, and let go of her arm that he was supporting. "Okay, well try and take care of yourself Tash. Have an ice bath or something, that'll bring the bump right down."

"Thanks," Tashigi said, trying to regain some dignity. "But I doubt that'll be a good idea before going away for a week."

"Oh yeah. Well then an icepack should do it." He said, raising his hand in goodbye, but was much too grown up to wave it.

She nodded to him and shut the front door. She remained smiling until she had fully closed it. And then she was horrified at the suddenness of tears that started blurring up her vision.

'This is ridiculous. There is no reason for me to even be upset!' she thought to herself. 'It's not like I was even thinking of him for myself to start off with!'

"Tashigi!" Kuina yelled for her. "Where are you!?"

Tashigi jumped, and blinked away as many tears as possible before turning around. "I've just come back from dropping a book off at the library!"

"What?!" Her sister came to the top of the stairs that looked down into the main hallway and towards the front door. "You went to the library?! Why? We're just about to have dinner?"

"My book was due." Tashigi wiped her eyes, and pretended to find something stuck in one of them. "Some dust just blew into my eye?...!"

Kuina leaned over the banisters and looked hard at Tashigi, as if trying to read her mind. "So,… was Zoro at the Library too."

"No, he wasn't at the Library." Tashigi shook her head and made her way to the bathroom to wash her face, because now she felt that she really did have something in her eye.

She heard Kuina's feet thudding down the stairs after her, and she followed her into the bathroom, putting the lid of the toilet seat down and sat waiting of an explanation of things to come. When it became evident that Tashigi wasn't going to spill the truth easily Kuina decided some much needed provoking and prodding was needed to get further.

"So… do you want me to talk to him about you?" Kuina asked.

"No." Tashigi shook her head. "I'd wish you would just forget about it. I don't think it was meant to happen. He doesn't like me. If he did, or if he wanted other people to know don't you think he would have told you by now?"

"Don't talk nonsense. Look, I just know people. And what I do know is that guys often pretend they don't like someone when they really do. They pretend because they're trying to test them.

Tashigi shook her head absolutely sure she was wrong.

"And you're the sort of girl that boys like and don't know it. Trust me." Kuina grabbed Tashigi's hand.

"Tash?!" She said, and her sister looked up. "Just wait a few years, he's a dumb thirteen year old right now, it's apparently scientifically proven that most guys remain stupid and undeveloped until nineteen+."

Tashigi pulled out her phone and gave it to her sister. "It's not about what I think, it's about what he thinks, and he likes you better."

She dodged out of the bathroom and ran back upstairs and shut herself in her room. She looked at her watch. "Almost supper time." She sat on the floor, and frowned. 'There was no reason for me to be upset. I didn't even like him anyway.'

'No…but he actually really likes her… and I look exactly like her, but there's something that she has that I don't…' She felt depressed, and turned to look into the mirror behind her. Her forehead was bleeding now, and she looked awful. Zoro had told her to put an icepack onto it as soon as possible hadn't he?

She started crying again, trying to tell herself it was because the bruise hurt.

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End of Chapter 6.