You slept well. The bed was comfortable, and the steady movement of the train lulled you both into a deep sleep. You spent most of the day in your private cabin. The escort assigned to you brought you breakfast and lunch both upon request, and you spent long stretches of silence, cuddled next to Zoro watching the landscape out the large window.

The approach to the mountains was beautiful all its own, but the weather had been in your favor and the partly cloudy skies gave you a picturesque view of the mountains with splotches of clear blue sky, and enough shade from the sun that you weren't blinded by the snow. The cold nature of the mountains would come down to the dojo soon enough, as the last wisps of summer had already given way to autumn by the time you and your friends had gone to the street festival.

Your wedding would be a winter one, but something about that suited you fine.

You had to admit, as the day wore on, that Mihawk seemed to know exactly what you both needed. The trip was as relaxing for Zoro as much as you. You weren't quite sure you'd seen him nap so easily and quickly so much in a single day. He was probably constantly on guard when you were at the library, and even tense at home, given everything that had happened.

You ran your fingers through his hair, his head in your lap, legs stretched across the couch that faced the large window in your private car. The quiet of the moment was nice. The thick snow made it seem even quieter than it truly was, and you hadn't even paid your book much attention, letting yourself enjoy the scenery as you combed your fingers through his hair.

You dozed off like that, awoken some time later by a knock at the door. It was just turning into late afternoon, the sun dipping lower in the sky, bright shimmer of sunlight glinting off the long tracks of snow going by you at the lazy pace of the train. Zoro got up at the sound of the door, patting your thigh as he opened it.

You heard a short conversation, probably between Zoro and the escort assigned to your car, and then he poked his head into the room you were in.

"Dinner here or there?" He questions.

"There, unless you really don't want to see Sanji one more time before we're heading home." You answer, standing up and coming over to the door.

"We'll be there," Zoro answers the attendant before closing the door and turning to you. "He doesn't bother you?"

"No. He's... ah, a little over the top on his appreciation of 'the ladies'," you admit, making lazy quote marks in the air with your fingers. "But he strikes me as a genuinely good person. I just hope his personality doesn't land him in trouble with the law."

"It cost him in the Early Match Program." Zoro says.

"I'm surprised someone like him would sign up for the EMP."

"Him and a few guys decided to sign up. Everyone else got through the process." He explains. "Usopp was one of them."

"Well, I hope I get to meet him soon." You say with a smile, but it fades quickly when you notice the look on Zoro's face.

"Maybe." The weight of the word, and the shadow on his face from the hard expression on his face, made you hold onto your questions. It would be a heavy conversation, and now wasn't the time for it. Mihawk had gone above and beyond to let the two of you truly relax for the first time in three months, and it would be a shame to mar the holiday.

"C'mon, let's get cleaned up and go eat."

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Aside from another round of delicious food, nothing happened for the rest of the trip. Sanji exchanged numbers with the two of you, and he said you could invite him to the wedding if you were so inclined. You and Zoro ended up sleeping after dinner and didn't even bother to come out from under the covers until your attendant informed you that you'd be coming into the station in the next hour, and you should have your things gathered by then.

You grabbed breakfast burritos at the station, and piled yourselves into the car, heading back to the dojo.

"Sorry I slept so much yesterday." Zoro says, pulling out of the train station. You were dictating directions to him, instead of the automatic messages from the travel app.

"Left here," you instruct. "It's okay, you needed the sleep, and I was perfectly comfortable. Right at the light."

You had taken over relaying directions to Zoro the first time the two of you had gone to library when you needed to go back to work. He asked you to tell him which way to go and said that it was easier to remember the directions when you said them. After a couple days he was getting to the library without a word from you, though you two would chat a bit while he drove.

"As long as you had a good time."

"I did," you say, comfortably. "I can't believe we ran into your friend like that."

Zoro clicks his tongue, "He must be gaining experience to take over his dad's restaurant."

"Turn onto the southbound on ramp here," you instruct, pointing. "Family business huh, that sounds familiar."

Zoro ignored the implication of having something in common with Sanji. "Have you heard of Baratie?"

"... Baratie, like 5-star, 150$ a plate, reservations booked months in advance restaurant that also runs loads of food bank charities and has an international food market that almost single-handedly corrected the food desert problem? Have I heard—." You stammer. "I think everyone's heard of Baratie's. Oh. Oh wait, his dad is ZEFF?!"

Zoro smiles, nodding as the car picked up speed on the expressway. "Yeah. He's been going on about following in the old man's footsteps for years."

"Well, that's admirable." You admit. "He strikes me as someone so kind, he'll need someone to stop him from giving away all his meals for free."

"Heh, probably." Zoro grunts. "When do we go back to the library?"

"The day after tomorrow, so we have a today and tomorrow to relax a little longer." You answer. "I like to have a couple days after a trip to just, I don't know, recover. Traveling always takes something out of me even when it goes well."

Your phone vibrates and you read the text from Mihawk. You'd let him know that you were on the way back to the dojo before you'd even left the train station lot.

"Mihawk wants to know if we want lunch?"

"When will we get back?"

"Uh..." You look at the travel app. "Oh, well, that decides that. We won't get back until almost 2pm. I'll let him know not to wait for us."

You tap on your phone in reply and take time during the drive to text to your friends. You give Nami and Robin updates on the trip, and even tell Nami you think you met the man she'll be Matched to, since he called Zoro 'Marimo' just like she had. She had asked for a picture, and you realized you hadn't taken any during the trip.

"Nami?" Zoro questions.

"Yeah, she's – huh, how'd you know?"

"You type faster with her."

"Really?"

Zoro grunts.

"Huh." You feel your ears go pink. "That's kind of adorable."

"Hah?"

"Just that you'd notice something like that." You admit sheepishly.

Even with everything that had happened between the two of you, and you'd both go red over small moments like these. It made you feel warm, and let yourself imagine the two of you, years from now, still managing to have moments like this.

It was a little after 2pm when you pulled into the dojo. You'd given Mihawk notice of your progress, and you weren't surprised to see him opening the large gate when you pulled up.

You regaled Mihawk with details about the trip, thanking him again for the tickets. You were sure he didn't mind, since he made no move to excuse himself during your tale, but it seemed like there was something on his mind. You had asked as much, but he dismissed the question, assuring you he was fine, and glad to hear you had enjoyed your holiday.

The next day you got back into your usual routine, minus going to the library, and grabbed an early solo shower after attending a couple of Mihawk's morning classes. It was a nice change of pace, getting to practice with the younger kids for once. You weren't surprised to see Zoro waiting outside the bathroom for you when you finished with your shower.

You were surprised to see that his ears were red.

He held out his hand without a word and waited for you to take it before he escorted you to the Zen Garden. He led you out into the garden itself, a small path made of stones giving you a place to step without disturbing the sand. There was a small flat bridge that went over the little river that trailed lazily through most of the compound, and the soft sounds of the flowing water were always relaxing.

It'd been some time since you'd last sat and enjoyed the garden. It reminded you that you hadn't yet seen him demonstrate Santoryu, but you had assumed he would do such a thing for you when he was ready.

Zoro had your hands laced in his, and his focus seemed to be on your hands as he spoke. "I've never cared about the whole marriage thing," he explains. His voice is heavy, and the embarrassment in his tone was turning your face pink. "I was never worried about all the stuff surrounding it, and honestly I wasn't even sure they'd bother sending me a book."

"But they did, and... I was disappointed." There's a small smile on his face, his fingers fiddling with yours, running shaky digits over your hand. "We were in the middle of morning classes." He grumbles. "But then you found me, or I accidentally found you, and I was almost instantly relieved."

He takes in a deep breath and lets it out as though he's almost aggravated, the red in his ears going to his cheeks. "I'm not good with words like this. I don't care that the government is why we ended up meeting, all I care is that we met. I want you in my life because I want you in my life, not 'cause a bunch of old bastards decided it was a good idea."

Zoro gets down on one knee and pulls an ornate wooden box from his pocket. "I think you feel the same way, and um, I want to marry you for myself. Will you marry me for yourself?" He opens the box and inside is a simple gold band with a starburst etched into it.

Your hands go up to your face and your eyes begin to flood. You start nodding before you can find your voice, noticing the panic look start to cross his face. "Yes, I'll m-marry you for myself." You manage to answer him before the tears spill down your face. Leaning forward, falling into him while he's still knelt down you hug him.

You hug each other on the bridge for a long moment, and you can feel Zoro's body relax.

"Mihawk said you'd cry, but I still didn't know how to take it." Zoro admits, kissing your cheek before leaning back to look at you. His thumbs wipe the tears from your face before he kisses your lips softly. He catches your gaze with his own, and you feel your heart skip. "I love you."

Emotions overwhelm you again and the tears overflow. You cover your mouth and try to stifle the sobs, but he pulls you close and hugs you again. "It's okay, you can say it when you're able. Take your time."

You nod into his shoulder and take a few minutes to get your tears under control. He takes advantage of the moment and slips the ring on your finger, kissing away the tears that escape down your cheeks, a warm smile on his face.

"Zoro, I-." thump. "Huh?"

Both of you look around as a rain of Ping-Pong balls fall into the garden with a muffled series of thumps and a few splashes. Confusion strikes you both before you hear soft pops and there's an eruption of smoke that fills the whole garden. Zoro pulls you to your feet as you both start coughing, and you begin to make your way back inside.

You barely get three steps from the bridge before you feel yourself fall limp against Zoro. You hear him swear, but then everything goes black.