Author's Note:

10/16/15: The story is still being revised...this chapter and previous ones will change a bit over the next few weeks.

I pretty much started this story because I like Tashigi's character, even with her flaws. She has some great qualities that may sometimes get overlooked. I think she has a lot of potential and hope to see her mature a bit more.

It seemed to me like she wasn't very popular in the fandom, though, which is why I'm thankful to you for taking the time to read this. :)

If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or anything like that feel free to review or PM me. I may revise the story if you see something that isn't right/is missing/is too much lol.

The reviews and messages actually helped motivate me to keep writing, so thanks for that too!

Tashigi wandered through the empty halls of the museum floor once more. The building was closed for the holiday.

This place often set her mind at ease. She felt she needed to be reminded of her conviction. Without Shigure she felt even more misplaced; she'd grabbed this sword and run off in haste. By the time she realized her mistake, the navy ship had already departed. She unstrapped Wado Ichimonji from her side and kept it in her hand.

She waved it around, testing the feel of it. Handling it was not difficult at all, but she'd rather not get used to it. It seemed that most of her troubles had started with this blade.

When she turned down the hallway she noticed a row of unconscious snails along the floor. She smiled to herself before shaking her head. Naturally the one causing her confusion was here again. The marine wondered how he kept finding her. Normally she was the one tracking him.

A figure was leaning against the confiscated swords. Had it not been for the snails, she might not have recognized him right away. He was wearing a loose costume-like robe with a hat and mask. He must have purchased them at the festival. The mask was a ridiculous one, she quickly realized. It even had a scar over one of its eyes. She was about to go a few steps closer, but stopped herself.

"Are you here for a rematch?" She asked, half joking.

"You couldn't cut me even if you wanted to." He replied, removing the mask. The last few words caught her off guard. So he'd noticed that too.

Tashigi knew why Zoro was there. It was probably the only reason why he was there. She held up the Wado Ichimonji. But before handing it over to him, she swallowed. She spoke to the wall beside him instead of facing him directly.

"Koshiro-san was the one who left you this sword, wasn't he?" She took a deep breath. "Did you just want to give it to me because I reminded you of his daughter?"

"Are you jealous?" Zoro asked incredulously.

"I'm just curious!"

He stared at her for a moment, and her grip tightened. If he started laughing, she doubted she'd be able to stop herself from trying to skewer him with the damned sword.

"You remind me of more than one person, copycat woman." He said finally, raising Shigure. "And you of all people should know why swords get passed on."

Swords were often passed down either from a teacher, from someone with a common goal, from a loved one, or from someone who'd lost a duel. If there were other reasons, she could not think of any. She was also sure he wouldn't tell them to her even if she asked.

He stood up from the glass wall and they tossed the sheathed swords at the same time. She managed to catch hers without dropping it or falling. She did trip a little, though.

They were quiet for a moment. He was securing Wado Ichimonji to his side. Tashigi tried again to take a step closer but stopped when she observed the X-shaped scar on his chest.

The cuts she had given him on his stomach had already healed, but Mihawk's mark was deep. The scar was also similar to that of Straw Hat Luffy. Tashigi removed her glasses and placed them back on top of her head. This man was no more likely to give up on being a pirate than she was on being a marine. There were still things she hoped to accomplish, after all. Nothing she felt could change that. She was sort of glad Zoro knew the truth, though. She thought she'd regret it if he didn't. And regardless of any circumstances, her decision was firm:

Even if Smoker ordered her to, she would no longer fight the swordsman.

"If you're going to the festival, just… don't get caught." She said, turning back.

"They told me to bring you too." He said, scratching his head.

"Who did?"

"Who do you think?" He almost seemed flustered. She was glad the room was red enough to hide her own face. Apparently there were no secrets among the Straw Hats.

"I don't want to conquer anything. It's just that the person with the most freedom on the sea is the Pirate King."

That was the reason why Luffy wanted the One Piece. There was no doubt that the Straw Hat captain would share this freedom with his friends too. It reminded Zoro of Rayleigh. Maybe having had the One Piece enabled Gol D. Roger's crew to move on with their lives when they were done with pirating without the marines on their cases. Or maybe they had gotten so strong that the navy decided it wasn't worth the effort to pursue them. But whatever the case, Tashigi was in the navy. The freedom that the Straw Hats were striving for might not be enough.

The relationships he formed, whether friend or otherwise, were things that Zoro never took lightly. Tashigi was no exception. He was sure it was safer for her if he just left her alone.

But with his decision to become a pirate and serve under a captain, Zoro had surrendered a bit of his freedom. That didn't bother him as long as he was free to chase his goal. But this fact became painfully clear about an hour ago. Something told him that Luffy knew how his friend would act in this situation and issued his "orders" accordingly. The rest of the crew chiming in didn't help either. Why they were so excited about this was beyond him.

Franky really did have a big mouth sometimes. The love-cook was probably still off sulking somewhere.

"If you don't want her to get in trouble, don't let her get in trouble." The captain had said with his head cocked to the side. As if he didn't understand why there was even an issue. Zoro almost throttled him before realizing that he was right.

Giving up on what he wanted felt contrary to Zoro's nature.

So his job now was to dive in and deal with the consequences as they arose. That was how the Straw Hats always did things. Besides, it was just for a day. It wasn't like he was whisking her off to marry her or something. But if she didn't want to go with him, then Luffy or not, Zoro wouldn't make her go.

...Which brought him back to the present.

Tashigi was staring at him as though a unicorn or something had materialized in front of her. This was the second time someone had looked at him like that within the last few days.

"T-That'd be a date. You're asking me on a date." Apparently her mind was still reeling.

"That's your problem?! And don't say it like that!" This was far beyond his comfort zone. Those idiots had better be happy. "So are you coming or not?"

As luck would have it, she was just as reckless as he was.