Snow was crunching beneath his shoes as Zoro continued to walk his way towards the main street. Contrary to the usual bustling district, the place was fairly peaceful and the snow was giving off that serene feeling. It's no wonder though, it was the early morning of December 25th. Most were probably enjoying the warmth and comfort of their homes.

'Well, not everybody.' he thought.

The aftermath of a very late shopping night was prominent on the street. Trash cans were overflowing with stuff such as cups, receipts, and torn boxes and gift wrappers. A bench he passed by was even littered with broken décors and empty bottles of beer.

"Must be one hell of a party." he said, cocking an eyebrow.

He initially had no idea why he went out for a walk. It was a few degrees below zero for fuck's sake why would he want to get out? But he did anyway. He might as well buy some booze now so he walked farther and turned towards the liquor store.

'I should probably pass by that old man's pla-'

A woman has slipped on an iced puddle and accidentally clung unto his neck for support. Out of reflex, Zoro propped her lower back and both ended up in an awkward hugging position.

"Oi, you okay?" he asked while carefully releasing her.

The woman let go of his neck and looked down to fix her clothes. She was tall, slightly taller than him when in heels, with shiny black hair, and very long legs. When she finally looked up, he began to see little details on her face; from the crooked smile gracing her lips, moving up to her straight nose and finally chancing upon her bright blue-

The moment Zoro met her eyes, different scenes came flashing in his mind. He could see him together with the girl, sometimes with other people but mostly alone, on settings and scenarios beyond his imagination.

—The woman was sitting on the railings of the ship, smiling and looking down with such superiority. An intruder, an enemy, that and the dangerous aura she was giving was enough for him to draw his swords.—

—It was almost the same scene as before except now, she was bribing her way into the crew. With cheap antics, fine jewellery, and feminine looks, everyone in the crew was readily accepting her. Well everyone except him. But what could she possibly offer him? He's not a pervert nor an idiot nor money greedy. She later came up to him and made a small talk. She flashed him what probably is her most sincere smile he has ever seen. Something inside him stirred. No really, what could she offer him?—

—They were facing a stupid arrogant man, claiming to be god and all. She was talking to the man, and they seem to share a secret only known to them. She somehow irked the bastard as the next thing he knew, she was being electrocuted. 'Robin!' his instinct kicked in, moving fast to catch her before she hits the ground. Anger swelled up inside him, ex-enemy or not, she is a part of their crew and besides, "She's a woman!" he said. The man answered, "Yes, I can see that." This fucking asshole really pisses him off.—

—He has never seen her this scared before. Her usual calm face was replaced with eyes full of fear. Whoever this marine is, he clearly knows Robin from before. She's afraid of him and he knows it. Sensing her life's in danger, Zoro swiftly drew his sword and saved Robin from the incoming attack. At that, the rest of the crew sprang into action with one thing in mind –protect Robin. One miscalculated move later, she was fully frozen by the enemy. After their narrow escape and successfully thawing those who were frozen, Zoro slept soundly on the deck, alone. Robin walked quietly towards him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, whispering a thanks.—

—Robin was on top of a tower looking down at each of her crew mates, wondering what to do next. A look on his face confirmed what she should do. With tears still on her eyes, she shouted her wish "I WANT TO LIVE!"—

-From her peripheral vision, she could see an unusual Zoro scurrying to hide from her and Nami. She went out of the store while Nami was in the changing room to confront him. "Looks pretty tough." she said, a sly smile tugging her lips. "Yeah, whatever" was his nonchalant reply. After realizing what has just happened, he dragged her in an alley, his face getting redder every second. A mocking laugh escaped her lips and said, "You don't have to worry, I won't tell anyone. And besides, it suits you." She left with a wink and a teasing smile, leaving him speechless and flustered.-

—"Aaaahhh! Zoro's still falling!" Chopper shouted. Robin looked up. She remembered flashes of Zoro catching her at Skypeia before she succumbed into unconsciousness. It's time for payback. She won't let him fall. It's her turn to save him."Cien Fleur! Spider net!"—

—They have been in a situation like this before. Facing a much powerful admiral. The exhaustion from a previous battle. The sense of helplessness. The fear of losing your friends. This time though, it's worse. Robin watched as Kizaru pinned Zoro to the ground. She could hear her crew mates urging Zoro to move and run away but he was too beat up and tired. Chances of escaping by himself were very slim. With a panic-stricken face and her arms crossed, she shouted "Cien Fleur, delphinium!" Rows of arms grew on the ground and rolled Zoro away from his place. Even with what she's done Kizaru still caught up to him, as if it was nothing. They were back to square one and still doomed. Rayleigh came to their rescue and gave them chance to get away but their escape was short-lived as they have been confronted with another marine officer and a pacifista. Running away was their only option and the captain ordered it to be their top priority. They split into groups and ran different directions. She was running away with Luffy and Chopper when she thought it couldn't get any worse. It did. Her memory was a blur as the events that transpired were too fast to comprehend during the moment. Zoro about to be hit by the pacifista. Bartholomew Kuma arriving and using his ability against it. Then against Zoro. One by one she watched her crewmates disappear. Brook. Ussop. Sanji. Franky. Nami. A rampaging Chopper. She was next. She turned to Luffy, reaching out her arms. "Luffy!" and then Shaboady was gone.—

—He looks different now, older and more muscular. It was night time and they were alone on the crow's nest. She could see how much he missed her and wondered if he could see it in her too. She cupped his face with her hand, drawing his face closer. She smiled and said "Welcome back." He leaned and closed the gap between their lips.—

.

.

.

'What was I thinking again?' Robin thought. She's still staring into the man's eyes and saw the puzzled look on his face. He fixed his posture and asked her the question again. "Are you okay?" She realized she was still staring so she too regained her poise and smiled."I'm fine. Thank you, by the way." She answered while bowing her head.

—

In another world, they were sworn enemies. In another world, they were acquaintances. In another world, they were friends. In another world, they were lovers. In another world, they were soul mates. In this world? In this world they were strangers; an hour after their encounter, they won't remember each other's voice. In this world they mean nothing to each other; a day after, they'll forget the other's face. In this world, they were fated to cross each other's path only once; after a week, the incident will never be remembered, not even in dreams or in subconscious. Never again.

Thanks for reading!

This is an AU, I think you know that by now. Yes, Robin's still older but their age gap is smaller :) The italicized part are flashes of memories and are supposed to be short but as you can see, I have failed to do that X) I originally planned to add scenes from fanfics as part of the memories (Why, you ask? Well, some of the memories I included were also part of AU's, and fanfics were AU's too. Got it?) but I was to lazy to ask and the story was already too long for my taste. I shifted the pov in the middle of the story, was it confusing? XP hehehe. Also, the last paragraph(and also the title) was kinda in the spur of the moment and I actually liked it!

Comments? Suggestions? Violent reactions? Any reactions? Review please! People who review gets a hug and a kiss from me! \(^3^)/

Oh wait! Before I forget, this was based from this post:

imagineyuorotp . tumblr,com/post/35153156564/imagine-your-otp-meeti ng-again-after-being

Also, did you guys know about the Zorobin week? It starts on May 20 (you still have time!) and ends on May 26! Here's the link for other details!

zorobin . tumblr,com/post/50328558945/the-pirate-empress-the -pirate-empress