Disclaimer: One Piece (and its characters) belongs to Eiichiro Oda-sensei.
Reminder: I have no beta-reader. Any grammatical and spelling errors are solely mine.
Warning: OOC possible. One shot.
Rating: T
Note: For bloodshot13. You wanted a Japanese Festival. AU. So here it is. I must say it is an awesome suggestion and would be a pity if it's only going to be a drabble. Besides the story itself wanted to be a bit longer so I yielded. Enjoy!
Summary: Not all first dates are perfect. And with Zoro and Nami… this shouldn't come as a surprise at all.
LITTLE BITS AND PIECES OF HEAVEN
29 : Evening of the Seventh
"You're late."
A pout appeared on pinkish lips before a familiar I-knew-it-look appeared on Nami's face as she stared him down.
Zoro scratched the back of his head. "It's nothing new," he retorted—a bit weakly though—trying to justify why he made her wait for him for a good fifteen minutes.
"I shouldn't be surprised," she deadpanned. "It's a miracle you even made it here."
Zoro glared at her for that comment.
Nami glared back… more viciously. "Zoro, this place is just a ten minute walk from your apartment! Fifteen from mine and I still got here before you!" She explained with a huff.
"I'm here now aren't I?"
Nami regarded him with eyes promising excruciating pain solely for him.
"If this is your idea of dating a girl, you definitely suck Zoro."
"Oi!"
It didn't occur to the green-haired idiot that Nami hated standing alone at festival's entrance, waiting for him to arrive. It didn't helped that a lot of couples who passed by gave her lingering, wondering gazes before whispering to each other making her feel uncomfortable.
"Let's just go," Nami spun around to leave him still scratching his dumb head. "We're wasting time." She said it in a rather curt tone that made Zoro feel dread coiling inside his stomach.
Damn it! They barely made it past the festival entrance and Nami's already mad at him.
It only took three strides for him to catch up to her as she entered the festival street. It was filled with people of all ages. Japanese lanterns hung overhead lighting the whole place, along with decorations made from colorful papers in different shapes. There were ornamental balls with their colorful streamers everywhere while stalls for food, games and other items for sell bordered both sides. Children ran around them, as their parents breathlessly tried to catch up, warning them that they might get lost.
"Oi Nami," he called as the orange-haired girl pouted her way through the festival's jam-packed and noisy street. "Come on. Wipe that sulky look off your face."
"Hmph!"
"Fine!" He huffed, feeling his temper flare at her tantrum.
Nami tried to hurry away from him and Zoro rolled his eye as her effort was futile while wearing a yukata.
He followed her with a scoff as she continued making her way through crowd, ignoring the stalls around them. She was heading at the end of the street where a bridge leading to the temple was situated. It was lit up with the same lanterns that were hanging above them. Bamboo trees lined up its sides decorated with tanzaku in different colors.
"Nami."
"What?!" She hissed barely glancing at him as she continued walking, her wooden sandals clicking angrily at every step.
"Why are you angry? I arrived here didn't I?"
She stopped in front of a stall selling candy apples and chocolate bananas and stared at him in disbelief.
The idiot had forgotten that they agreed to meet an hour earlier than what their friends had set so they could enjoy the festival together without any interruptions.
Nami didn't bother reminding him of that. What's the use? Instead she just pressed some fingers to her temple to subdue the impending headache that is Zoro.
They still haven't made it past ten minutes together and she's ready to kick the living daylights out of his moronic ass.
"Ugh. I give up," she groaned after a few seconds, shoulders slumping dejectedly.
"What now?" Zoro growled at her.
Nami lifted her eyes to glare at him again. This was supposed to be a sort-of-'romantic' evening between the two of them.
They finally agreed to try and move their relationship one step further a week ago… from long-time friends to lovers finally…
She thought that this festival is the perfect opportunity to test the waters for their first 'date'.
Did she honestly she believed things are going to be easy with this man? Not when it looks like Zoro still has to grasp the concept of 'dating'.
This will definitely take a lot of work. A damn LOT of work!
She let out an exasperated sigh and Zoro's brows furrowed.
"Let's just go hang wishes on those bamboos and wait for the others so we can enjoy this festival." Nami mumbled as she turned away from him for the second time that night, practically giving up the thought that they can pull off anything akin to a date at this festival.
Zoro frowned at what she said. Wait for the others so they can enjoy tonight?
Her statement actually hit a spot.
Weren't they were supposed to enjoy this together? Wasn't that the plan?
He ran a hand along his hair in frustration and followed her silently.
This time Nami was not hurrying away from him. She strode ahead in a cool manner, head shifting left and right as she observed the stalls lining the street.
His frown deepened.
Ok, maybe it's his mistake for being late. But it's not his fault he kept ending up on the other side of the street from the where the festival is taking place! It was too crowded and the directions posted for its location were confusing.
He had circled the area thrice before he spotted Nami—looking really pretty in her mikan-patterned, light-green yukata with her hair up in a side bun and decorated with a bouquet-like kanzashi, its dangling beads swinging slightly from her movement.
There were curling wisps of her orange hair framing her face and it made him want to reach out and touch them just to feel their softness against his fingers.
Zoro clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, mentally chastising himself as he recalled the look on Nami's face earlier as she peered in the crowd waiting for him to show up.
It dawned into him that he didn't like that expression on her.
He reached out to grasped her hand in his, stopping Nami in her tracks.
"Hey… I'm sorry ok?"
Nami looked surprised with what he said. She looked down and blinked at their joined hands disbelievingly before shifting her eyes up at him.
Then she pursed her lips as if trying to stop herself from smiling at him.
"You're an idiot Zoro."
"Yeah, I know."
This time she didn't fight the smile that wanted to appear on her lips.
"I should've expected this," she said with a roll of her eyes as she squeezed his hand that was still clasping hers. "Next time… I'll just pick you up in your apartment to save us time." She stared straight in his eye, daring him disagree with her.
"Fine." He answered and Nami looked startled at how easily he agreed. "If it saves me from your pouts and sulking as we—OUCH!"
Nami deliberately stepped on his feet with her wooden sandal with a cheeky smile on her face.
"I'll make you regret saying that."
It was Zoro's turn to groan.
She tugged at his hand, urging him to continue moving forward into a less crowded spot near the bridge.
"Honestly… I'm looking forward spending this time with you," she admitted quietly as they stood near the stall that sells tanzaku.
"I know," he nodded and gazed at her seriously. He reached out to touch the curling wisp of her hair with his fingers. He was right. It was soft. "Me too."
This one hour spent alone with him is precious for her and it is the same for him. They are still at beginning of their relationship… their friends still doesn't have any inkling about the change in their status yet.
Nami had the right to be pissed at him earlier because he just wasted some of what was supposedly their time together.
They smiled at each other before Nami gave the sleeve of his yukata a rather hard yank.
"Let's go Zoro! We still have a lot to do before the others are here." Her tone immediately turned domineering as she pulled him towards tanzaku stall. "We need to hang our wishes on those bamboos first!"
Zoro just snorted and she grinned back at him.
"And you still have to treat me with some yakitori and candy apples!"
"Hah? Why should I do that?!"
"This is a date Zoro! The guy usually shelves out the cash when you're out on a date!"
"You witch! You're just trying to get back at me for being late!"
Nami gave him her most dazzling smile.
"That too… And we still have to check all the stalls with those games. You promised me goldfishes remember?" She pointed at the stall for goldfish scooping.
"I have?"
"Yeah… you did…" Nami glowered at him. "You're bragging about your scooping skills the other day. And we made a bet on how many you'll really be able to catch."
Zoro laughed. That they did. "Fine, I'll catch you some alright?" He conceded and gave her a soft smile that made Nami melt on the spot.
He reached for her hand again as she lead them towards their first agenda for the night.
They still have half an hour to enjoy their date without their cheeky friends intruding. Well… if worst comes to worst… he and Nami can just sneak away from them to enjoy the fireworks and the rest of the festival together.
– The End –
I used the Japanese Tanabata Festival for this hence the title. And for wordplay reason as well. I think this festival is a good choice of setting for these two's not-so-perfect first date.
Tanzaku – paper strips with handwritten wishes, usually used in Tanabata festival in Japan. For anything else that piques your curiosity you can search it at google.
R and R please.
