Zoro smiled, leaning against the railing on the deck. It felt good; he was finally greater than Mihawk, his rival enemy. Although, sometimes it did sadden him to know he defeated his mentor, he had completed his dream.
For Kuina.
For himself.
"Z-Zoro-san. We're almost there." The captain of the ship stuttered. Zoro hated the fact that everyone was terrified of him. He hadn't meant to cause this much fear; though, deep down it brought him much joy.
That must be expected for a Shichibukai.
"Thank you." He said simply, his good eye searching the sky for the sun. "Is there a storm coming?"
The captain nodded quickly. "It'll hit once we reach the port." He answered. Zoro nodded and turned to face the sea. Sighing, he couldn't help but feel happy.
He was going home.
"Take care." Zoro said lowly, tossing the timid man a bag of coins. He clutched his umbrella tightly as he braved the strong storm. It had been worse than he thought it would be, almost like a hurricane.
Surprisingly, he did not get lost on his way to the main town. His dark green coat flailed around him as the first few raindrops began to fall around him.
'I've got to get to the dojo quickly.'
Scanning the town, he noticed it did not change at all. Same stores. Same signs. Same everything. He smiled to himself, wondering if time had stood still here.
"What're ya' doin' stupid! Go home before you get killed!"
He turned to see a plump old woman with light gray hair yelling out the door of the liquor store. He chuckled. "Sorry Sachiko-san. I'll be getting there soon."
Her mouth dropped. "Z-Zoro-chan?" She cried. Nodding, he gave her a small smirk. "I'll stop by again when the weather clears." He said before walking forward, leaving the stunned old woman in the doorway.
'She hasn't changed at all.' He thought smugly, remembering all the old times she would beat him for causing havoc in the town.
Walking out of the small town, he came to a narrow pathway that was surrounded by trees. He sucked in a deep breath as the rain began to pour heavily.
'It's now or never.'
Many of the trees were dead; some still had brown leaves hanging from the branches. The scenery was something out of a horror movie. This area was different.
It had been five years. He was 17 when he last visited. Five years since he'd seen Kuina's grave. Five years since he'd seen Sarah's grave. He wondered solemnly how Koshiro was dealing with his wife and eldest daughters' deaths. His mind moved to Yuu, the youngest of the three girls. His heart pained a little, knowing she was the cause of her mother's death, though she had no idea. The family had told her that the woman was kidnapped, presumed dead, not died during child birth. The poor girl had never known Kuina or Sarah. He couldn't even imagine her pain.
Zoro tried his hardest not to let his mind wander to the middle child. His heart twang with guilt at the thought of her. He shook his head, catching a glimpse of the small, abandoned church up ahead. Memories flooded back to him. Kuina's funeral. The merely two weeks later, Sarah's funeral. He remembered Koshiro holding the newborn Yuu, his face emotionless as the town gave him their condolences. It was a hard time.
Coming up to the creepy old building, he decided to step inside. Just to take a peek. Slowly, he grabbed the wet doorknob and turned it. The door opened with a loud, annoying creak. His footsteps made loud thuds as he stepped inside.
The pews were still aligned perfectly, although covered in cobwebs and some unknown foliage. The podium at front still had it drapery, but it was covered in dust. The table had been removed and so had bible on it. He sighed looking around. 'It's been so long.'
Suddenly, the back door flew open and crashed against the wall. The wind, he figures, had blown it open but the door had always been locked. 'Maybe someone's here.' He thought, clutching the umbrella. His swords clanked as he made his way out the door, the graveyard coming into view.
His heart sank into his stomach at the sight of the girl, but something told him to keep moving forward. He studied her hard. She was standing in front of her mother and elder sisters' graves. She was wearing a tight pair of jeans and a grey long sleeved shirt. Her breast-length periwinkle hair was soaked but still flailed around her small head wildly. She was still short, shorter than the graves and although he could only see her from the back, he could tell she was not well.
Her body was shaking, either from the cold rain or from crying. Most likely both. Her frame was so….so small. He couldn't remember her being that tiny. It was extremely sickly looking.
Slowly he stepped through the gates, his boots sloshing through the mud. He was scared, no, terrified. Terrified she would hate him. He had left her for ten years, only to return for two weeks, and then left again for 4 or 5 years. He had ruined her.
He didn't think she had heard him, as she hadn't moved when he stepped behind her. He looked her up and down. She was a skeleton. Her bare feet were caked in mud and he knew she was going to get sick. She had the worst immune system.
Slowly, he moved his umbrella over her, shielding her from the rain. She jumped slightly, looking up. He was so nervous. He was afraid she would turn around and tell him she hated him.
His heart sped up as she turned around, almost too quickly. He kept his face placid but he wanted to frown so badly. Her face. She was so pale. So sickly. Her blue eyes were dead, purple bags had made their way under them. Her cheeks were sunken in greatly. He felt he was staring at a zombie.
"Zoro." She whispered softly, her eyes widening. Her voice. It was the same. The same melodic voice it's always been.
"Lily-chan." He gave her a slight smile. It was so hard to hide his emotions from her. Her mouth moved trying to say something, but nothing audible came out.
He didn't even move as she flung her arms around his neck. She buried her face into his neck, her ice cold skin burned against his.
"Oh Zoro-kun. How I've missed you."
His heart tightened. She wasn't mad at him. He dropped the umbrella, wrapping his arms around her waist. She was so tiny. He thought he would break her.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again." She cried into him. Even her tears were cold. Sighing, he let go of her with one arm and bent down, placing it under her legs. She squeaked slightly as he lifted her up, but she still clung tightly to him.
Quickly, he drug his feet through the mud, fighting through the wind and rain to get to the church. He had to warm her up.
Kicking the door shut behind him, he set her down on her feet. She reluctantly released him, allowing him to lock the door.
"You shouldn't be out in a storm. You'll get sick." He turned around to look at her. That wasn't Lily. That wasn't the woman he called his best friend.
She crossed her arms under her fully sized chest, looking away. "I'm sorry." Her voice was hoarse. Sighing, he shook his head. "You shouldn't be so reckless." He removed his swords, setting them on the podium before removing the red sash that held them. He saw her eyes widening and he knew what she was thinking. He wouldn't do that to her again. At least, not yet anyways.
Throwing the red fabric to the ground, he removed his coat. "Here." He held out his arm. "Put this on." She shook her head. "I'm not cold." She lied. He frowned, watching her shiver. "Shut up. Stop being stubborn."
Unsurely she took the large fabric. Slowly, she pulled one are in each sleeve, letting it consume her whole body. It touched the floor, covering her entirely.
"You're so short."
She smiled lightly. "Don't make fun of me." She mumbled. He sighed, walking over to her. "We'll stay here for the night. It's raining too bad to travel now."
He went passed her, sitting down at the front row pew, placing his arms around the back of it. She turned around and he could feel her eyes burning into him. She was taking him in, just as he had. Hell, he wasn't even done taking her in. She had changed so much.
"Lily come on. Go to sleep. You'll get sick."
She pouted, her luscious pink lips begging to be touched. It had been so long since he'd touched her. Since he held her. He wanted her to be his forever.
"Okay." She snapped him out of his deadly thoughts. She came and sat down next to him, his arm behind her, her legs touching his. "But I want to talk to you."