One Piece Fan Fiction ❯ Falling Rain ❯ Falling Rain ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. I'm borrowing Oda-sensei's characters for a bit of fun. No one's paying me for this either, I'm just filling a void in the realm of fanfiction out of the goodness (or perverseness) of my heart.

 

Summary: Out for a long walk in a port city, Zoro gets caught by the weather. He stops at a tavern to get out of the rain, but someone else had the same idea… Zoro x Tashigi Lemon Fic! Yes, that's right, I wrote one!

 

 

One Piece: Falling Rain

 

It was a cold night, only worsened by an unexpected rainstorm that dropped thousands of chilled droplets from the sky onto those unfortunate enough to be out after dark. It was also a busy night at the taverns in this small city, for those who didn't have someone at home to warm up with were looking to either to fill that lack or to just have some alcohol heat their veins before daring the night again.

 

Zoro had wandered away from the ship earlier in the afternoon, ostensibly just `going for a walk'. Such trips usually didn't turn out as planned, and so he was firmly in the realm of `Totally Lost' within the first fifteen minutes. This didn't concern him overmuch, since that sort of thing happened quite often and he always managed to find his way back home when he needed to. Either that or he beat up people and made them take him to his destination. Either way worked quite well, but one was a bit more expeditious.

 

There wasn't a curfew on the ship, but Zoro decided he wouldn't bother returning that evening. Everyone else was likely already asleep, wherever they had managed to drop off, or getting there, and Nami had a tendency to throw things at him when his late night returns woke her up. He tried to be quiet about it, but people begging for their lives or pleading to avoid further bodily injury after leading him home were kind of noisy. Sanji always had some sort of snide commentary as well, since if Nami was awake so was he, and Zoro really didn't even want to contemplate the existence of the blond cook.

 

So, the order of the night was to find someplace for a little food and booze, and then a dry place to sleep. Zoro had a little bit of money on him, a few coins that had escaped Nami's grasp, but he figured he could beat up some street punks or muggers if he ran short. He was a one man anti-crime squad of the back alleys when he was in town. Not that he aimed for such a distinction, but if his habits ended up being convenient to people other than himself then that was fine by him.

 

When it began to rain he was still outside and wandering, but it wasn't long before his ears detected the sound of many people gathered together. He followed the trail of noise and soon found himself at a good sized establishment well filled with people of every variety. And there was a bar, which was the most important feature to consider in his stopping place.

 

Weaving his way through the tables and dodging the busy waitstaff, the green haired swordsman managed to find an empty stool near the end of the long, scarred hardwood bar. The bartender was quick and anonymous, taking his order and disappearing without giving him a second glance. Zoro was aware of a few stares from other patrons, likely recognizing him from Wanted posters or perhaps just confused as to why anyone would carry three swords when a person only had two hands. Zoro tuned them out as long as they were content to do nothing more than watch.

 

When it became obvious that he wasn't going to do anything more interesting than slouch at the bar and drink alcohol, most of the audience returned to their own conversations and companions, leaving Zoro in peace. His clothes began to dry quickly, since the mass of humanity naturally generated quite a bit of heat. If it hadn't been so completely miserable outside the warmth probably would have been uncomfortable, but tonight it was quite pleasant.

 

People came and went as the evening progressed, and Zoro's purchases branched out to a plate of cheap, unidentified food in order to accomplish part two of his evening plan. All was moving ahead nicely, and the only thing left was to find a bed and get some sleep. Luckily, this tavern looked large enough to have rooms to rent above the main dining hall, so he wouldn't have to go far.

 

It was getting late, and people were starting to trickle out into the damp, windy night. The crowds were starting to thin out, finally giving a glimpse of the people sitting a bit farther down along the bar surface, but Zoro wasn't paying much attention to any of them until a small brawl began off in one corner. As a matter of habit, he glanced up and over towards the fighters to see if it was going to end up as a bother to him. Or if the fight looked interesting enough to join in. The answer to both possibilities in this case was `no', but Zoro's attention was instantly caught by another patron anyway.

 

The bar stools were tall enough to allow for a seated person to keep his or her sword at their hip. In this case, the green and white hilt was instantly recognizable, and then so was the rest of the person in her denim jacket, slacks and red rimmed glasses. She was still drenched, obviously having come in after Zoro and possibly having been out in the weather for a longer period. She was eating a plate of the same substance Zoro had ordered, and a glass sat next to her hand as well.

 

She hadn't spotted him yet, and Zoro was torn as to what his next action should be. He could remain in his seat and hope that she remained oblivious to his presence, since they'd both been in the same place for at least the last few minutes and she hadn't attacked him yet. Or he could quietly slip away, perhaps getting that room upstairs, and retire for the evening. Or maybe he should just run away into the night and hope that she wouldn't follow?

 

It was his own indecisiveness that did him in. As he contemplated his course of action, he had been unconsciously staring at the female swordsman for several minutes. And nothing gets a swordsman's hackles up like the sensation of a person staring at them, especially when they sense that the other is also a fighter. Zoro jerked back in his seat as she abruptly lifted her head and twisted around to face him, glaring in his direction.

 

One of Zoro's hands tightened on the edge of the bar, his grip almost enough to crack the wood, as the two's gazes met. Since she was actually wearing her glasses, there was no way she wouldn't recognize him.

 

He fully expected her to launch herself off of her barstool, draw her sword and charge at him. Instead, she blinked at him and made no move for a few long moments. She was apparently just as shocked by his presence as he was distressed by hers. The staring contest was ended when the brawl - now being broken up by a couple of the bouncers that patrolled this inn - was concluded with the loud `crash!' of a table being broken in half. Both of their gazes flickered over toward the sound for an instant, releasing them from the stunned inactivity that had paralyzed them for the last few moments.

 

Zoro began to rise to his feet, preparing to make a break for it and already planning his escape route through the people and furniture in his way. All was in place, and he would surely make it out into the dark before the young woman managed to catch him. Unfortunately, the one thing he didn't count on was the hand that suddenly wrapped around his wrist, holding him in place and preventing his flight.

 

It wasn't Tashigi. She was still about a dozen feet away, but was indeed heading in his direction. No, it was the bartender instead. “Hey buddy, before you take off you'd better pay your tab.”

 

Zoro growled to himself and contemplated shaking off the grip and running for it anyway, but came to the conclusion that he still wouldn't make it in time to outrun the Marine. A moment of hesitation had led to a fatal error, indeed.

 

Reaching into his pocket, Zoro fumbled for the coins, dropping a few onto the polished wood beside his plate. Obviously the amount was sufficient, because the grip on his arm disappeared and the bartender wandered off to attend to other customers. Tashigi caught up with him only a moment later.

 

“Roronoa! What are you doing here?”

 

“Having dinner.” It was best to be truthful when talking to a military officer, after all.

 

“I can see that! I mean…” She trailed off, probably trying to figure out what exactly she did mean. “Anyway, now that I've found you I'm certainly not going to let you escape!”

 

Zoro started inching away. And this evening had started out so well! He should have known it wouldn't last. “Look, it's late and I've had a long day. Do you think you could let me get away just this once?”

 

“What?” Her hand had found its way to the hilt of her sword in preparation for the fight, but froze in place at the absurdity of his request. “How stupid do you think I am?! I'm a Marine, and I can't let someone like you go just because it's `late' and you've had a `long day'!”

 

“Are you sure? Because I'd really appreciate it…” Zoro's Plan D - talk to distract her until you get into a good position to throw something in her path and run away - was working nicely. They were moving away from the bar, Zoro backing up while Tashigi advanced on him, and creeping more towards the back of the tavern room and the staircase that lead to the second floor.

 

“I don't care what you would or would not appreciate, you scum. I'm taking you in tonight if it's the last thing I do!” Her hand was tightening on the sword's grip, and Zoro began to worry that she'd draw before he managed to complete his maneuver.

 

And then she tripped.

 

He probably should have expected it, due to her tract record, but he was so distracted by the simultaneous acts of walking backwards while keeping her at bay that he was completely unprepared. The leg of a chair at a nearby table - thankfully unoccupied - was to blame for the incident. She jerked forward as she lost her footing, her hands instinctively coming up in front of her to brace for the impending fall. Zoro was in her path though, so she and the floor never had a face to face meeting.

 

Zoro's breath was driven out of him as she impacted him squarely in the middle of his chest, and he staggered as he found himself suddenly off balance. He felt himself toppling over backwards, but he wasn't lucky enough to have another person there to break his fall. Instead, the back of his head solidly impacted the edge of the first stair in the flight leading upwards, causing blackness to close in on his vision momentarily.

 

Stunned, he remained in place as he tried to sort out his senses. He first became aware of a hand on his shoulder, shaking him slightly. “Hey, are you okay?”

 

The voice was male, so it obviously wasn't Tashigi. Not that he expected such concern from her when an opportunity to tie him up and drag him away was presented. After another couple of seconds Zoro's eyes finally decided to focus, and he found himself staring up at a person he recognized as one of the waiters from the tavern. He put one arm out to push himself up into a sitting position, feeling a weight across his legs that kept him from going too far.

 

“Hey, you probably shouldn't move. You whacked your head pretty hard - it was a nasty sound.”

 

Zoro shook off the hand and the advice. “I'm all right. I've had worse blows to the head than that.” This being said, the movement had led to a lovely kaleidoscope of colors flashing across his vision, and he felt himself nearly fall over as a new wave of pain assaulted him. He dropped his head into one hand and waited for it to pass, which it did in a moment.

 

Meanwhile, the waiter had moved on to the other unfortunate person on the floor. Perhaps she would be more appreciative of his concern? “Ma'am? Are you alright?”

 

“I'm fine!” Tashigi scrambled off of Zoro's legs and made her own attempt to rise. Hers turned out even worse than his though, as she managed to tangle herself up and fall over again… this time slamming the side of her own skull into the edge of a table.

 

Zoro kept his head in his hand, but watched in somewhat sympathetic horror as Tashigi managed to knock herself out rather deftly. He sighed deeply as the poor waiter, now being joined by a few of his fellow employees, nearly had a panic attack at the scene.

 

This was the perfect opportunity to escape... provided he could get the room to stop wavering around the edges of his vision. Zoro elected to wait a few more minutes until he felt a little more stable, since there was obviously no hurry at present.

 

The lone chair responsible for this catastrophe sat to one side, nonplussed by the havoc its mere existence had wreaked.

 

--------------------------------

 

There was a small sofa - barely more than a bench covered in cloth actually - at one end of the room Zoro found himself in. This was where he elected to lay, sprawled on his back with one arm across his forehead. There was also a bed in the room, but that had been usurped by the still unconscious Tashigi. She had been placed there by one of the concerned staff and currently lay on top of the blankets, as yet unmoving.

 

Zoro had tried to make his getaway while they sorted out what to do with the two abruptly injured patrons. However, the staff and manager, without consulting the conscious parties involved at all, had come to the decision that they would put the pair into one of the rooms upstairs while they recovered. Of course, the cost of the room was to be charged to the green haired person involved as well.

 

Zoro wasn't sure why, but they seemed to think he needed to take responsibility for this situation somehow. He had been quickly captured in his dazed state and dragged up to the room, being shut in with admonitions to keep an eye on Tashigi until she awoke. He had a sneaking suspicion that those people had acquired a terrible misunderstanding, and thought that Tashigi was a jilted girlfriend of his or something.

 

He shivered at the thought. Obviously they had missed or completely misinterpreted the content of the argument that led to this unfortunate series of events.

 

He'd tried the door as soon as they left, naturally, but had found it locked from the outside. He could have broken it down, but the ache in his head had objected strongly to even the small amount of activity he had undertaken in walking over to the door and jiggling the handle. He also had a feeling that the employees would gang up on him and he'd have to fight his way to the exit if he broke out so obviously. There was a window, but it overlooked a three story drop which ended in a shallow looking canal below. Having only recently gotten dry, Zoro wasn't really tempted to take this route. Plus, he rather enjoyed not having broken bones most of the time.

 

His swords lay on the floor beside his sofa-bench, while Tashigi's Shigure was propped against the wall near the door. Zoro had made sure that it was far out of immediate reach as a precaution for the possibility that he was still present when she awoke. This was apparently going to be the case as well, since as he evaluated his situation she began to move slightly, a soft moan of pain coming from her mouth.

 

He sat up, immediately tense, as she lifted one hand up to gently touch the self inflicted lump on her temple. A soft hiss followed as she discovered its tenderness, causing Zoro to jump slightly. Her eyes opened a crack, leading to another twinge as the dim light assaulted her vision. Fortunately, Zoro himself had found full luminosity not helpful to his own headache and had taken the initiative to turn down the lamps in the room to a somewhat comfortable twilight.

 

After a moment, Zoro sighed and rose to his feet. If he couldn't escape, it would be best not to be a total jerk to his impromptu roommate. “Hey, you okay?”

 

It was her turn to jump in surprise as Zoro entered her field of vision and took a seat in a chair conveniently close to the bed. She probably couldn't actually see him too well, since her glasses had been removed and set on a small bedside table, but Zoro's green hair was hard to miss. Her still damp jacket had also been removed, and was currently air drying on the back of the same chair that Zoro occupied.

 

Hands on his knees, he made sure not to lean in too close. He was not putting it past her to try a headbutt or similar sneak attack on him, wounded or not. She stared for a moment before finding her voice. “Why… why are you here?”

 

“They wouldn't let me go.” Zoro crossed his arms over his chest. “I'm supposed to keep an eye on you until you're awake, which you are. Do you think you could call them up here to let me out now?”

 

Tashigi growled as she forced herself into a sitting position. She wavered in place for a moment, obviously fighting off waves of vertigo, before continuing. “No way! I'll not have you running away while I lay around like an invalid!”

 

The seated swordsman snorted in irritation. “I don't see why not. It's your own fault, you know. You even managed to take me down with you!” Zoro took a moment to point out the nice lump he had sprouted on the back of his head.

 

She inspected this evidence for a moment. Sighing, she closed her eyes and dropped her head to one side. “Ugh. I can't believe this. Why am I always so clumsy at the worst possible moments?”

 

“I dunno, but you might wanna do something about it. You know, for the sake of yourself and others.” Zoro replied seriously.

 

“It's not like I trip on purpose!”

 

“I hope not. That would be really dumb.” The swordsman didn't notice her sudden twitch of anger or embarrassment. “But I guess it might be a pretty good strategy for capturing wanted pirates.”

 

“Huh?” Her anger was lost in the confusion his statement inspired.

 

“Well, I'm here, aren't I? And I can't seem to get away…” He trailed off as he caught an unexpectedly bewildered expression cross her face. He leaned in a little closer, forgetting his headbutt-free range.

 

“Oi, you're not that bad off, are you?” One of his hands made its way up to her forehead. “You don't have a fever or anything… I don't know why you would after just knocking yourself out though.” His hand moved down to catch her chin, and in her surprise at his apparently sincere concern she didn't resist as he gently turned her head to one side so he could get a better view of her wound. “And you're not bleeding, but that's definitely gonna be a nice shade of purple tomorrow.”

 

“Um…” Was the only reply that Tashigi could come up with, spur of the moment. Belatedly realizing what he was doing, Zoro pulled his hand away as if he had been burned.

 

Silence reigned for a few minutes. Zoro was beyond irritated when he felt a blush begin to rise to his cheeks, after starting with his ears, as he was forced to contemplate his own actions in the interim. What the hell had made him do that? It wasn't like he was a doctor, or even knew the first thing about wounds or sickness beyond how to acquire them. And he had touched her!

 

Tashigi had been staring at her hands, no doubt just as confused as he was, but the flaming redness of his face finally drew her attention back to him. “You…”

 

She didn't bother completing the sentence, not really sure what she would have said anyway. He was determined not to look at her… and seemed to be muttering something under his breath. She couldn't quite make it out, but he appeared rather irate with himself for some reason.

 

More to the point, for some reason he was starting to look rather attractive with his dropped eyes and red face. Who could have known that the ferocious Roronoa Zoro was this shy around women? It was really endearing in an unexpected way.

 

Tashigi caught herself suddenly. That must have been the head wound talking. She was really out of it if she was thinking that sort of thing about this guy. He was a criminal! And she shouldn't forget that she'd had a few drinks downstairs as well. After all, everybody knows alcohol and head wounds don't mix, and in that room they had not one but two people who had partaken of both.

 

Such a situation could lead to serious, unforeseen consequences if she wasn't careful. That being the case, maybe she should just go ahead and call one of the staff to let him go? There was no way she was in any shape to do any pirate capturing that evening, anyway. It was best to be honest with herself about things like that.

 

Even as she convinced herself of this excellent course of action, she had begun rearranging herself to sit up fully and face Roronoa, her legs folded off to one side. This was, naturally, in order to rise to her feet, walk over to the door and call out for an employee.

 

It didn't quite work out that way, though.

 

The motion caused another wave of dizziness, much less than the previous time but still disconcerting, to wash over her. She found herself wobbling in place, and then falling forward for the third time that night.

 

Once again, Zoro felt the impact of Tashigi hitting his chest. He had spotted her movement out of the corner of his eye and was prepared for the result, but it was still problematic. She was now in his arms, as he had instinctively reached up to grasp her shoulders when she began falling.

 

Tashigi got a face full of slightly rough white t-shirt, smelling faintly of steel, salt and sweat. She felt his muscles tense and his fingers tighten their grip when she didn't immediately pull away. He was holding his breath, she realized after a moment.

 

Not quite sure how to resolve this issue, Tashigi moved her hands forward to rest on Zoro's knees, giving her leverage to push herself up so that she and the pirate swordsman were face to face. She should have pulled back - no, thrown herself backwards - but in the end she remained exactly where she was.

 

Their eyes met, but the contact only remained for a few moments. It was a little too disconcerting to stare into the eyes of a person only a few inches away. Tashigi's gaze dropped unconsciously, and ended up focusing on his lips instead. They were slightly parted, and he wasn't holding his breath any longer. She could also see his respirations becoming faster with every passing moment.

 

And the view was inching closer… was he leaning in, or was she? Abruptly it didn't matter as their lips met. In the moments that followed, the only sound in the room was the distant pounding of heavy raindrops on the roof overhead.

 

After a long moment, the silence was broken by a surprised squeak. Zoro had broken the kiss unexpectedly and taken the action that Tashigi herself should have a few minutes before. Shoving her off of his lap, he actually managed to knock himself and the chair he was seated in over backwards. He slammed into the floorboards solidly, not even having enough grace at present to catch himself.

 

“What the hell --?” He scrambled off of the overturned chair and managed to rise to his feet without tripping, even though there was a chair handily present. He wasn't trying to rub her off of his lips, but he looked about ready to.

 

Tashigi had managed not to incur any further injury or fall off the bed during this, but was in a similar state of shock. That had been… strange. No! It had been inappropriate and unacceptable! Undertaking such things with a pirate - one with a huge bounty on his head no less! She was a shame to the Marines and to the rest of humanity as well.

 

He could not be allowed to survive this indignity. She would seek her own penance later, but for now the evidence - er, lawbreaker! - had to be destroyed. And quickly, before he managed to escape. And he looked about ready to take that step and break down the door, wrath of the employees notwithstanding.

 

He had to get one last shot in before making his break for it, though. “Ugh. Damn. What the hell were you thinking, kissing me like that!”

 

Tashigi's plans of total destruction were cut short. He had beaten her to the exact words she had been meaning to say, and… wait a minute! “Kissed you? You're the one who kissed me!”

 

“Uh, no. No way. I would never do that with a person like you.” He was adamant and absolutely positive of the truth of this statement.

 

“What?! You're trying to deny it? And what's so wrong with `a person like me' anyway?!” She hadn't really meant to say that last part, but it was what got the real reaction out of him anyway.

 

“Well… you're, err, well, never mind! It's none of your business!”

 

“None of my business? How can something like that be none of my business?” And somehow her slip of tongue ended up as the focal point of the argument as well.

 

“Because I don't want to talk about it.”

 

“That's the stupidest excuse I've ever heard! I'll just have to force it out of you, then!”

 

“Are you challenging me? You have no idea what I'm capable of.” His eyes darkened dangerously.

 

Tashigi paused for a moment. That was indeed true, and he was a first class pirate as well. But even so, she wasn't going to back down. She glowered at him defiantly as he stepped forward, leaning in towards her. His clenched fists impacted the mattress on either side of her hips as he bent over so that they were nose to nose. Sparks flew as their gazes met, the glare hardening between them into something almost palpable. She was expecting the argument to continue. She was expecting him to rage and shout at her.

She wasn't expecting him to kiss her.

 

There was no doubt this time about who had initiated the encounter. Once again, she didn't pull away. Instead, her rage at the intrusion upon her person drove her to fight back in the most appropriate way she could think of.

 

She kissed him back. Furthermore, she reached up to grab the front of his shirt, preventing him from pulling away. There was no way she was going to let him win the argument in such as way, after all.

 

She felt him push forward, and a pressed back into the bed by the motion. In short order, she found herself flat on her back with an irritated and flushed swordsman crouched above her on his hands and knees. Due to a need for air the kiss had finally been broken, and so the to combatants were left glaring at each other while panting to reclaim some oxygen. The heated gaze now had a bit more than mere anger and contrariness behind it now, however.

 

This wasn't a very good position to be in, with him straddling her and all, but she didn't really feel like complaining at the moment. Her hands were still clenching the material of his shirt, and she used the grip to pull him down once again. As their lips met, she released his clothing in order to put her hands to better use. One arm wrapped around him, pulling them together, chest to chest. The other reached up to grab the back of his head to keep him from pulling away there either.

 

Having brought him down to her level, she was pressed into the mattress by his weight, which now lay across her fully. This time when the kiss was broken, he didn't waste his time staring into her eyes, electing to up the ante by moving a little farther south. His lips found her throat, just under her chin, compelling her to tilt her head back to give him better access to the tender flesh. He worked his way down, bringing his tongue and teeth into play as well to keep her on her toes, alternating simple kisses with tiny nips and licks.

 

She twisted under him at the sensation, feeling him twitch and shift in response to the friction. He didn't pause in his assault on the skin of her neck, being nearly at the collar of her shirt in short order. This wasn't much of an obstacle to his progress, especially since the first couple of buttons were undone in the way she normally wore her shirts.

 

One of her hands remained on the back of his head while the other moved down to start undoing the buttons of her own shirt. As a sneak attack, this worked admirably well. He obviously hadn't been expecting help from the enemy in achieving his goal. As more of her flesh was exposed, his lips followed the freshly opened trail. He took a few moments to trace the line of her collarbone before moving farther south. Her breasts, still hidden behind her bra, were momentarily skipped as he slid himself back so that his mouth could come into contact with the smooth plane of her stomach. He worked his way down to her waist, and then back up again.

 

Meanwhile, her hands hadn't stopped when finished with the shirt. They had moved on to her belt buckle, quickly undoing the clasp, and then switched sides to attack the other swordsman. Zoro's shirt was now being pulled out from under that damned haramaki sash he always wore, exposing his own muscular abdomen. Once this was accomplished, she slid her hands up under the material, caressing the skin of his back.

 

At that point, Zoro's return trip was completed and their lips met once again in a desperate kiss. Obviously the existence of clothing was just as frustrating to him as it was to her. Breaking the contact, he sat back and took a moment to pull his own shirt off over his head, easy enough due to her earlier efforts. Then, to her relief, he discarded the sash as well. Now clad only in his green-black pants, he paused a moment to stare down at her, raising one eyebrow with a `your turn' expression. She took a few moments to take in the sight of his naked, scarred chest before moving to comply.

 

It was a bit harder in her position flat on her back, but her unbuttoned shirt was fairly easy to wiggle out of. He was sitting across her hips, so it was a bit more difficult to manage to pull herself upright, chest to chest with him, in order to undo her bra behind her back. As this last piece of clothing fell off of the upper part of her frame, he immediately moved to take advantage of the new area to explore.

 

His arms wrapped loosely around her waist, keeping her semi-upright as his tongue explored the soft, pale skin of one breast, circling in to find the nipple. This same agonizing process was repeated on the other side of her chest before she decided that the points in this confrontation were stacking up against her.

 

In a show of strength that he obviously wasn't expecting, she managed to wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him close before using the leverage of her legs to twist him to one side. The end result was a reversal of position, with Zoro on his back on the blanket, with an eager Tashigi on his chest. She didn't' waste a moment, not wanting him to recover from the surprise attack before she got a chance to begin.

 

It was her turn to attack his chest with her mouth, running her tongue over the defined muscles while one hand absently traced its way down the long diagonal scar that was one of his most defining features. And where that scar led was conveniently in the direction of the waistline of his pants, the trailing end disappearing under the dark cloth. Her fingers followed, and then continued to slide farther down. His attention had been mainly focused on what she was doing with her mouth, but certain things suddenly became more pressing concerns. Specifically, the fact that her fingers were working their way under the cloth of his boxers, and closer to his groin.

 

He shivered under her, his arms moving up to encircle her, silently encouraging her attentions while not pulling her close enough to interfere. Evading the grasp, she moved to allow her mouth to follow the same road to her hand's destination, other industrious digits working to unzip his pants so that they could join the rest of the discarded clothing. He lifted his hips to help with the garment removal, also conveniently pressing himself more fully against her form. His boxers followed quickly, leaving him naked under her hands and her gaze.

 

It was a small triumph that she savored, to get him completely unclothe before he managed the same, and she decided to relish her victory as much as she could. Her fingers slid down along his thighs, never quite contacting his erect shaft. She took a moment to observe this most obvious sign of the effect her actions were having upon him before sliding farther down his body for a closer look.

 

He twitched under her light caresses, his breathing becoming ragged in anticipation of her next movements. Reaching her destination, she finally moved to give attention to the one piece of his anatomy that truly demanded it. Wrapping her fingers around his arousal, she smirked at his reaction. He gave out a gasp that trailed off into a soft moan as her hand started to work slowly up and down. His hips started to rock in time with the motions of her hand, and she felt a euphoric rush of power at the sight. The fierce Roronoa Zoro was completely subject to her ministrations, weak before her touch.

 

Naturally, there was only one way to up the ante from there without giving him a chance to recoup any points. His moan was much louder this time as he felt her tongue come into contact with the head of his member. He clenched the bed's blanket in his fists as she worked her tongue and lips all the way down his shaft. His movements became increasingly more agitated as she continued, once of his hands working its way down to tangle itself in her hair.

 

There was no point in taking her actions to the conclusion that Zoro was no doubt desperate for at that time, especially since she'd been doing all the work up until that point. Now that she firmly had the upper hand, it was time to allow him to return the score to something like a tie. With one final kiss and lick, she departed from his nether regions, pulling herself back up along his body to return to his face for another powerful kiss. He wasn't quite as responsive as he had been for a moment, but recovered his wits momentarily.

 

Luckily, he also managed to infer her meaning and desires, because once their lips parted he immediately put his hands to work divesting her of her last two remaining pieces of clothing - her slacks and her panties. Once she was suitably naked, he slid her off of himself and onto the bed, then rolling over to cover her body with his own. He gave her breasts a passing bit of attention on his way to his ultimate goal, the spot between her legs that she eagerly made available to his attentions. He took a moment there to investigate the insides of her thighs as well, most likely just to get that particular little growl of frustration from her that the delay caused.

 

He didn't torture her for too long however, wrapping one arm around each of her thighs to hold her still as he moved in to give attention to her center directly. She arched her back and moaned as she felt his tongue touch her, gently probing and caressing her. Her moan only increased in volume as he found her button and focused his attention on it, circling it with his tongue several times before slowing his actions to a gradual stop.

 

He released his grip on her legs and dragged himself upwards again, positioning himself between her legs. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, Tashigi pulled him down for one more kiss. He responded strongly, timing the meeting of their lips to coincide with his entrance into her body. Her gasp at the sensation was lost in the kiss, and he held himself still for a long moment while their tongues battled. Then, parting from her lips slowly, giving then small nips as he did so, he set himself into motion. She curved up underneath him, pressing herself more tightly against him as he moved within her.

 

Each stroke was working its way towards the tension building up within her. All too soon, she felt his thrusts becoming quicker and shorter, indicating that he was reaching his climax as well. Aiming for the one moment, she moved with him to bring herself closer to her finish.

 

All too soon, she felt him tense on top of her, his muscles rigid as he came into her. Driving herself up against him a few more times, she managed to push herself over the edge as well. The two were frozen in their embrace for a few endless moments as they rode out the waves of their mutual orgasm.

 

Then, panting slightly, he rolled off of her and settled in against her side. With one hand he also reached over to pull the blankets up and around them. She took a moment to curl up more comfortably against his chest and catch her breath.

 

“So, who won?” His breath tickled her ear along with the soft words.

 

“I actually lost count…”

 

He chuckled quietly. “I see. A draw then.”

 

“For now.”

-------------------------------

 

Surprisingly, he was the first one awake. When Tashigi opened her eyes, he was already up and dressed, leaning against the wall near the door and watching her sleep. When he noticed her eyes opening, he padded over to the bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress.

 

Yawning, she gave him a visual once-over. “Hmmm. You know, you're completely wasted as a pirate. Have you ever considered reforming and joining the Marines instead?”

 

He snorted in disbelief. “You're kidding, right? There's no way I'd join the military, there's not freedom there. And there's no way they'd take me anyway, no matter whose referral I get.” He closed one eye, giving her a sly wink. “Maybe you should just quit and become a pirate instead?”

 

“What?! There's no way I'd do such a thing!” Moral outrage was a great way to wake herself up in the morning, it appeared.

 

Gesturing with one hand at their situation, he raised one eyebrow. “Well, what's this? Sleeping with the enemy… isn't that like treason or something anyway?”

 

“You're not implying that you'd tell someone about this?”

 

“Well, I don't know… I have my civic duty to make sure that the Marines uphold justice wherever possible… and then of course you'd be freed up as far as future career plans were concerned, wouldn't you?”

 

“Why - why you --!” Words simply could not express her rage. “Selfish - arrogant - !”

 

------------------------------

 

“Ugh. Damn that stupid Marimo... why'd he have to wander so far from the ship?!” Sanji shook his feet off after being forced to wade through a large puddle of accumulated rainwater.

 

“At least we've almost caught up with him now.” Nami peered out from under her umbrella. “That merchant said he saw him pass by this way.”

 

“Hey, a restaurant! Food!”

 

“Luffy, we're not out for a meal!”

 

“Yeah.” Usopp peered around nervously. “Let's just find Zoro and go. There are three Marine ships down at the harbor, you know!”

 

“Awww… but I'm hungry…”

 

“There's food on the ship.” Nami reminded him, not too thrilled to be out and about in such miserable weather and so early in the morning that the sun hadn't even really risen yet. “And as soon as we find Zoro, that's straight where we're heading. Then we're getting off this island. It's just lucky that it only takes eight hours to set the Log Post.”

 

“Can we just hurry it up then?” Usopp was beginning to look just plain paranoid.

 

“Why did you bother coming if you're just going to be scared out here? You could have stayed behind to guard the ship with the others.”

 

“It's better to be a moving target.”

 

“Well, he's got a point there.” Sanji led the way towards the large tavern - identified by Luffy, somewhat correctly, as a `restaurant' - through the dreary downpour. “This has got to be the place.”

 

The quartet stepped inside, Nami keeping one hand on the collar of Luffy's shirt to keep him from making his way over to the bar and ordering food. The place was essentially deserted at that early hour, and it was unlikely that the kitchen was up and running anyway. A person who was occupied with sweeping the floorboards free of the dirt of last night's patrons stopped his actions and leaned on his broom when they approached.

 

“Hey. We're looking for a guy…” Sanji began.

 

The youngster raised one eyebrow, obviously waiting for an elaboration and possibly wondering if there was any profit to be made in giving them the information they sought. Then he caught the gleam in Nami's eye and promptly decided he'd be lucky to get away with his own wallet intact.

 

“He's got some really ostentatious green hair, and he carries three swords…” The man was nodding already.

 

“Oh. That guy. Yeah, he's here. He's upstairs with his girlfriend.”

 

“Girlfriend?” A chorus of voices, in perfect synchrony, all stunned.

 

“Yeah, they made quite a scene last night…” The young man never got a chance to enlighten them as to the entire story however, since Zoro came bolting down the staircase four steps at a time. He looked pretty ruffled and not too thrilled when he spotted most of his crewmates in the building.

 

Rather than allow even the slightest possibility of someone telling those four what had transpired, and potentially transpired as well, Zoro sprinted across the room and grabbed Luffy by the arm. He then proceeded to haul his captain back out into the rain, compelling the other three to follow.

 

They almost made it out of earshot, Zoro leading the way and dragging a confused and still hungry Luffy behind, before the outraged cry broke through the cover of raindrops.

 

“RORONOA! YOU'RE DEAD WHEN I CATCH YOU!”

 

“Had some fun, did you?”

 

“Shut up, Perverted Cook!”

 

--------------------------

 

Hmmmm. I started writing this at… 1:30 AM, I think. It was mostly done by 7 AM on a Monday morning… then I sat on it for a week… and pulled another pair of all-nighters with this fic and Empty Rooms (InuYasha lemon). There are 8 pages of lead-in story. And I must conclude that SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK! Rock on, people. Rock on.

 

Whee, my first het couple, purely selfishly motivated lemon fic! Oh, and I'm still a SUPER PERVERT! Maybe I'm related to Jiraya…

 

At any rate, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed the whole writing part thingy stuff… maybe I should go to bed now?