Hello everyone! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

I'd like to thank Shinjojin for advertising this story within his and Misa-kike-chi's "Shadow Blossom", a fanfic about an amazingly powered up Robin who works for the World Government! I'd post a link, but I think the site prevents copy pasting from stories, but I'll put the address nonetheless! Though, I think it would be easier to use search at the top.

s/7450442/1/Shadow-Blossom#

So check it out if you like Rokushiki Robin!

Now, news on the story updates and what-not. See...I update depending on my mood. Honestly, if I had the motivation, I could write a chapter a day and post it, but something came up.

I started reading/watching Spice and Wolf and I finished it. Now I am sad and busy making a fic for it. Why you ask?! Because that's the only way I can deal with this bittersweet grief! That's why!

So yeah, expect me to publish a Spice and Wolf fanfic. Not sure if I'll go past one chapter, but it was the only way to deal with the effects of finishing the series. Yeah, I'm that petty. Explains the Medabots and SZS fics.

Now, onto news about THIS story. If you read this chap the first time, then you might have missed it. Maybe I caught it in time, but maybe not. Forgot to put in a little detail, so I'm updating the chapter.

I do not own One Piece as that belongs to Eiichiro Oda, Toei, and whoever else owns it.

Grunting, Luffy opened his eyes to see the eggshell white of a ceiling. Light shined in from the window on his left, but everything appeared a little hazy to his eyes.

He could hear someone calling out, but it came out as a rumble to him. His head hurt, but he could tell that his senses were coming back to him.

"Doctor!" It was faint, but he thought it was Shanks' voice, "He's waking up!"

Luffy tried to raise his head, but a hand kept him from moving. The hand belonged to someone that had green hair, but even Luffy could tell that he was bandaged heavily.

"...!" Nothing came out of his throat, and he only now noticed how dry it was as he tried to speak.

"Here." An older voice came from his side, but the silhouette was weird. It looked like a flower was putting a glass of water to his lips.

The water poured into his mouth in a careful, steady stream and the rubberman drank it greedily.

"Now, now...not too fast." The cup was pulled from his lips, but Luffy couldn't do anything to protest.

He felt tired, but he didn't want to sleep yet. Despite the hand Zoro tried to use to keep him down, Luffy still tried to get up.

"W-Where...?" His voice was unsteady, as if he hadn't spoken for a while.

"You're in a safe place, Luffy." It was Shanks who had called out earlier, judging by the figure of the man coming into his line of sight, "You should rest up a bit more."

"No...do-don't want to...!" Gritting his teeth, Luffy cursed his weakness.

"Is he going to be alright?" This time it was Nami's voice. She and the others must have been out of sight.

"Yes, but he lost a lot of blood." The flower spoke, "I'm surprised that he's even alive. There might be some damage to his organs, but we'll just have to wait and see."

Luffy remembered his fight. It was with that weird guy, Louche. The man had stabbed him a bunch of times, and even thinking about it still hurt.

That fight wasn't as important as something that happened near the end of it.

"Robin..." Gasping, Luffy tried to get their attention, "Wh...Where is she?"

"She's not here, Luffy."

"That's..."

"Don't worry..." Shanks voice was trying to be reassuring, "She was here though not too long ago."

"D-Don't hurt..."

"We're not going to hurt her, Luffy."

"Hmph." He could hear Zoro grunt, judging by the vibrations going through the hand on his shoulder, "After that display you showed us, I think we unanimously agreed that she was okay."

Luffy couldn't tell what he was talking about, but he didn't have the strength to question it. His breathing stabilized a little, his vision slowly returned, and he was now aware of the other people in the room with him.

His gang and Shanks were around him. Some were sitting, and others were standing. Benn and Lucky weren't there, which meant they must have been dealing with the damage from yesterday.

"Hey...Luffy?" It was Usopp who now walked up to him, "You alright?"

"Ugh..." He shoved Zoro's hand off of him and got up.

He really was happy that his friends were here with him, but also disappointed that Robin was not around.

"...My brain's all mushy feeling..."

"Hm...maybe he has a little brain damage..." The man who looked like a flower before muttered to himself. It was his haircut that gave Luffy the wrong impression, but he was an old man who wore glasses, shorts, and a colorful shirt.

"This is Crocus, Luffy." Shanks, noticing Luffy looking at the man, decided to introduce him, "He's the doctor that saved your life."

"Doctor?" The man certainly didn't look like one, but Luffy knew better than most that appearances were deceiving.

"You're a tough young man, boy! Don't go around doing that again or else I might not be there to save you."

"Ah, thanks."

The others didn't think Luffy showed much gratitude, but he was always like this. One of their biggest worries was him getting himself in too much trouble, but he would always laugh it off.

He acted as if his life didn't mean much, which had upset and infuriated them in the past, and they would feel it in the future, but for now they were happy he had survived.

"Hey...where did Robin go?"

"Oh, hello, Luffy! I'm Sanji! I'm happy you're alright!"

Luffy groaned, "I'm happy to see you all too, but why wouldn't she be here as well?"

"Not that I would blame you for wanting to see her over some comatose guy-"

"Quit it, you stupid lovesick asshat!" Zoro growled out, but ignored the cook's glare, "She said something about needing to take care of business before leaving. I'm not sure what that meant, but that woman was here as longer than most of us."

"She was?"

"Yeah." Shanks sighed, "Regrettably, I had to deal with some of the damage. Lucky and Benn are taking care of that right now." Luffy's assumption had been correct, "But she was here the longest. Nami was here as well, but she was also looking after Zoro and Sanji."

"I almost understand your pain, Luffy!" Sanji spoke up, "Waking up to see Nami-swan's beautiful face greeting me was heavenly! So much, that I didn't think I deserved it! I pity you for not feeling the same war-"

Luffy tuned him out, not caring too much.

"But you guys are alright now? Robin's cool with you, Shanks?"

"Yeah. She's fine. The Going Merry was burned down though, so we're going to have to find a new place for you guys."

"T-The Going Merry's gone?!" Luffy almost shouted, but his throat hurt too much to reach too high of a volume.

"Yeah." The others looked extremely depressed, "It's a shame, but I'm glad no one was hurt. We even managed to recover some of your belongings, but I assume you didn't keep too much there."

"No. Most of my stuff was with Robin."

"That's saves some trouble, at least."

"Hey, Old Guy? Can I leave?"

"Yeah. You've got crazy luck, seeing as how your "curse" helped to save you." Crocus answered as though he didn't mind the name Luffy had called him, "If you feel any pain in your body or head, let me know."

"You're going to find her, aren't you?"

"Yup! Sorry guys, but I kinda want to see her..." He felt guilty. His friends meant as much as Robin to him, but he was concerned about his girlfriend.

"Tch...I would want to see her too if she was my-"

"Gah! Can't you stay quiet for a few minutes?! Nobody wants to hear you speak!"

"The same could be said of you! What could you possibly contribute to our discussion?!"

Luffy grinned a little, seeing that the two were acting how they usually did. He could tell they were holding back for his sake, but they didn't need to worry anymore.

Instead, they had to worry about the woman who they had irritated as they fought next to her.

Staring out at the horizon, Robin leaned against the railing of an old, dilapidated building called Rain Dinners.

This was where it had all started. The turn around in her life from her eventual suicide to the point where she would protect another life at the cost of her own.

Unfortunately, the statement was one that she had convinced herself was a lie. Luffy had almost died due to her mistake. Her kindness was repaid with his blood, and her being near him would hurt him.

Lucci was very formidable, but she could have taken him out in a second. Why she didn't do so was disturbing. Was it thinking that Lucci wouldn't use that move on him? Was it belief in Luffy's ability?

The rubberman always held an air that seemed as though he would never lose. That no matter what, he would come out on top.

"Get away from him." Shanks' voice was cold as he commanded her to get away from Luffy. He took him from her arms and the others looked at her in distrust. Robin felt as though she was suffering from the same glares her co-workers gave her at times.

"This is what happens when you get involved, "Devil Child". I swear, if Luffy doesn't make it-"

The red-haired man wanted to say more, but the man he held in his arms flailed out of his grasp.

"Luffy!"

"You..take that...back!" Eyes wild, Luffy tried to glare at him as he started to stand.

"If you...can't...can't accept Robin..." The rubberman managed to look threatening even though he was mostly dead.

"Then..I won't..accept...you!"

It shook Robin to her core. He almost died, and it was her fault.

She barely noted his presence as he made his way into the building. It was faint, but it held the familiar, never dying flame of a man who would never give up.

His presence was both a joy and horrible. She desperately wanted to see him, to ask if he was alright, to coddle him till he was sick of her...

And she wanted to run. The thought of him coming to her was frightening. Never before had she felt such fear as he got closer to the roof where she was. If he were to reject her, it would be something that would irrevocably damage her.

The pain would be great, but it would have to stain her for the rest of her life. That she had driven him out of her li-

"Hey, Robin." He called out to her as he opened the roof access door. It seemed as though he knew where she was going to be.

"Luffy." She didn't turn to him. Her eyes were glued to the beautiful orange, pinkish haze against the clouds in the sky.

"You weren't there at the Old Man's place, but I'm glad you're alright! Everyone's accepted you as well." He stood next to her, "Now we don't have to hide!"

"Hide...?" Robin couldn't help but mutter the word, knowing that she was the only one who had hidden it.

"Yeah. I can't wait till you meet the others! I think you'll like Nami and Usopp! Zoro can be difficult, but he's a good guy. Sanji? He's...well, he likes women a lot, so you won't have any problems!"

"...They sound nice."

"Hm? You alright?" He leaned over to try to coerce her to look at him, but it took a lot of will to not react.

"...Is this right?"

"Right?" She could see him furrow his eyebrows in the corner of her eye. She was also confused why she was saying this, but it felt as though it needed to be said. That these feelings of despair had to be opened up as if to expose her crimes.

"Luffy...I...I tricked you." She turned to him, her expression becoming like ice.

"You did?"

"I lied to you. I kept it hidden that I was part of the government. I...fed you the "cursed" fruit."

"Eh? But I was the one that ate it-"

"I was the one that put it in that bag. I wanted you...to eat it."

She saw his eyes reflect his confusion as he looked down to the cement rooftop before he raised it again.

They were pained.

"Why?" She closed her eyes, steadfastly keeping the cold mask she had slipped on to prevent her emotions from spilling forth.

"I thought it would improve your chances of survival. I needed you to live, so that "Red-Haired" would listen to me. Without you, I would have never been able to speak to him."

"But...now that Shanks and I have a contract, you aren't needed any longer, Luffy. It's best...if we part here."

"Hey, where do you think you're going?! Saying those things and thinking that I'll just accept it! You've got a lot of explaining to do!"

The man paused as Garp yelled after him. Earlier, he had told him that Nico Robin had been expelled from the government's roster, knowing that there wasn't even a list where her name would be crossed out.

The less evidence that she belonged to them, the better.

"You heard me. Robin did something she shouldn't have done, and now, I'm not even sure if I can protect her any longer."

"Aokoji...you can't just tell me something like that and not explain it! Why on earth would they want to harm her! She's only a child!"

"She's an adult and you know that. The choice she made...is one that she'll have to live with." The man coldly replied as he tried to walk away, but the larger man made sure that he would stay when he forced the man to turn around.

"Explain this now, Aokoji! I'm not going to let any harm come to her...as long as I live!"

Truly, the agent knew how the older man felt, but she had chosen her fate.

"...She went to "Red-Haired", Garp."

"Red...-!"

"The same man that managed to take your grandson away from you."

"Gr...!" The man started breathing heavily, rage for Shanks distracting him from Aokoji, "That man...! What is he planning!?"

"Eh...not sure if he had much to do with that." Aokoji was glad that they were alone, seeing as Garp had confronted him in his own office.

"What do you mean?" The edge in his guttural voice cut through Aokoji, but he was used to it.

"Well...it has to do with who Robin was seeing."

"That...that...that boyfriend of hers...did this...!?" He was literally shaking the room with his rage as he glared intensely at Aokoji, "Who...who is he!"

"It's..." Aokoji had only recently discovered the man's identity, and knew that Garp wouldn't like this at all.

"It's your grandson." The older man's eyes widened, "Monkey D. Luffy."

"W-What?"

"It's safer this way. The longer you're with me, the more harm you'll be in." Luffy didn't know what she was talking about. It wasn't like people didn't want to hurt him already.

"The enemies that will be after my life would give even "Red-Haired" hesitation. You wouldn't be able to even touch them."

"You're too weak." Harsh words, but true. As always, Robin had a point.

"Then I'll get stronger."

"It won't be enough." Unusually blunt, Luffy felt that she was trying to push him away.

He almost jumped in realization.

"You were reduced to that state from Lucci, but he doesn't even scratch the surface of what the government has. If this keeps going, you're going to die."

"It will only become more dangerous..."

"What are we to do then?"

The group sat in the shadows, preferring the darkness to ward off any prying eyes. They were deep within government headquarters within the megacity Nico Robin was stationed at.

"Our strongest operative was taken from us, taking with her very vital information on our plans. Whitebeard was a threat, but this was unprecedented."

"Of course she would flee. It's not like she had a real reason to stay."

The others turned to the youngest of them, not knowing if he was being intentionally stupid.

"She lost her family and we kept her on a short leash. It sounds like she wouldn't have much to live for."

"Then that must mean she now has a reason to live, does it not?"

"...What do we have that can fix this?" The oldest asked the group, already having a few ideas in mind.

"We have trained a few individuals in the case that Nico Robin would betray us. Reports say that they have a chance of defeating her."

"A chance?"

"It is Nico Robin, after all."

"Hm...good point. How soon can we dispatch these "forces"?"

"They're already on their way."

"...I'm willing to take that risk."

She didn't understand. This wasn't something he could fight. It was a force that would crush him and not even bother caring to clean up his corpse.

"Have you learned nothing!?" Her voice accidentally raised in pitch as she almost shouted at him, "Luffy, I know that you think everything will be fine, but that's not for certain! If we were to end our relationship here and now, don't you think it'll be easier?!"

"I made a promise to live with no regrets long ago. Letting you go here would be something I would regret."

The rubberman didn't, no, couldn't understand the danger that he would be put through. He only recently learned about "curses", but the world was way too big for him. There was so much he could suffer from, and she wouldn't allow that.

"You have no idea what's going on behind the scenes, Luffy." She tried to glare at him, but couldn't do it, "You'll only be in the way."

"Then help me understand, Robin!" He stared defiantly at her.

The man was far too stubborn to give up. She didn't know what else to do. They could scream all they wanted at each other, but regardless of that outcome, this was the end of their relationship. They couldn't be together. She had already hurt him too much. His blood was on her hands, and soon she would be drenched in it. It was too danger-

Her thoughts were interrupted as he cupped the side of her face with his hand. Her eyes stopped their frantic movements and stared straight at him.

"I forgive you." His eyes pierced through her soul, and she knew he had seen that small hope she tried to reject herself.

"Y-You can't..." Robin had reached her breaking point. A lone tear fell from her eye and he wiped it away.

"You told me that people say sorry when they've wronged someone. Well, in that case, I forgive you."

He grinned at her with that bright, cheerful smile of his and she grew angry at herself.

That smile made her feel happy. Far too happy than she deserved.

"H-How...how could you-?"

"You think too much, Robin." He pulled her in close to embrace her. It was a little awkward, as she was a little taller than he was, but she leaned down to rest her chin on his shoulder, and cursed herself for her weakness.

"I tricked you..." Her voice was but a murmur as she felt herself losing to his warmth.

"If you tricked me, you got me good! But everything's alright now, isn't it? Or...did you lie when you told me you-"

"No." It was already too late. Her fragile mask was crumbling to dust in the face of his stubborn kindness, "My feelings for you...were true. You're the only one who's made me feel like this..."

"Shishishi! You're special to me, Robin! Sorry, but I'm not going to let you go that easily! I'm far too selfish."

She pulled back a little to give him her own reserved smile.

"As am I, Luffy, but I don't want you to suffer due to my mistakes..."

"And I don't want you to be alone, Robin. From now on, you'll never be alone."

For a man made of rubber, his lips were soft. She couldn't stop the tears of happiness burst forth as she gave in to her desire for the man who stubbornly wormed his way into her heart.

She felt some tears of his own as she pulled away. He must have been relieved that she finally gave in instead of pushing him away.

"...I'm not sure my heart is big enough for more than one person..."

"That's alright. You only need to give them time and they'll find a way."

"...Ufufufu...is that how it worked for you?" They held each other close as they gazed at the sunset.

"More or less! I think I had to force my way in before I could accept them as well."

"...Interesting choice of words."

"Hey, Robin?" He made her turn her head to look at him.

"I love you."

Not even she could stop the smile the crossed her face if she had tried.

"I love you too, Luffy."

Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think!

The one, prevailing thought through this entire thing was "I DON'T KNOW HOW TO ROMANCE", so yea. This is the result of that.