Summary: Zoro reunites with an old flame in the New World.
Warnings: none
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It was a hard thing to do, surprising Roronoa Zoro. With a captain like Monkey D. Luffy to travel the Grand Line with, he had seen just about everything the world had to offer. From underwater cities to villages in the sky, from behemoth-like creatures to people who could legitimately transform into animals and elements alike, and from cyborgs to talking skeletons (the last two he had become all too familiar with), he didn't think that there was anything left out there that could take him off guard. He found out just how wrong he was in the New World.
It wasn't some oceanic anomaly that had proven him wrong, nor some strange island or creature that should have only existed in fairy tales or horror stories. It wasn't anything new that he hadn't seen before that had taken him off guard, but instead it was something that he had at one point gotten to be around every day, something that he thought he would never lay eyes on again: you.
The two of you had traveled together in East Blue, helping each other collect bounties. He had known you longer than he had Johnny and Yosaku, and he'd grown extremely fond of you in that time. Being around you only made his desire to become the world's greatest swordsman grow stronger. He wanted to be strong enough in order to protect you whenever you needed it, to be able to fight beside you no matter how strong the enemy was. It wasn't until the two of you were separated that he realized that he loved you, but that realization obviously came too late.
He could clearly remember several nights where he stayed up until some ungodly hour just telling you about his dream. You never seemed to grow tired of hearing about it, and he would have given anything to hear about your own ambition, but you claimed that you hadn't found it yet. He had his doubts about that, especially when he saw the passionate look in your eyes every time you did, well, anything.
It didn't matter if you were fighting someone or doing something mundane and simple, you always held the same passion in everything you did, showing such tremendous ardor and determination that it even put him to shame. He just knew that your resolve was driven by some amazing dream, but he never got the chance to pry it out of you.
He had woken up one afternoon, and you were just gone. He had grown so accustomed to your presence that he noticed your absence immediately, but before he could go searching for you, Johnny and Yosaku had stopped him, telling him that you were fine, that you just had some business to take care of on your own. He didn't believe them at first, refusing to think that you would leave him without giving him a reason as to why, but when it became clear that you weren't coming back any time soon, he had to give up on that notion.
He was angry at first, although his frustration did little to quell the pain of your absence. That anger eventually passed, leaving acceptance in its wake. He knew that he probably wouldn't see you again, not in such a large world filled with so many twists and turns, but he hoped that you accomplished whatever it was that you set out to do, especially if it was important enough to warrant you leaving him.
That was why he was so surprised to find you in the New World, stranded on a remote island with no other human presence on it, apparently abandoned by your crew for some unknown reason. It was purely by chance that Usopp had spotted you from the crow's nest, and the fact that you were the only person on the small island had been enough to pique Luffy's interest. No one on the crew was sure what to expect when they stepped foot on that isle, but they definitely weren't anticipating the stunned look that Zoro sported once he saw you.
He didn't have a chance to talk to you before Chopper swept you away in order to give you a medical check-up; the reindeer wanted to make sure that your health was still fine after spending an entire month stranded. Sanji had taken up your time after that by cooking you a proper meal and ensuring that you ate every bite of it. Luffy had wandered in shortly afterwards, asking for your story, which you gladly gave him, although you did forgo mentioning your past with Zoro.
That's how he found out why you were stranded out in the New World, and it was also how he found out that you had joined a pirate crew in East Blue. You had stuck with that crew until they reached the New World; that part of the Grand Line proved to be too much for them, though, and they were in the process of heading back to Paradise when you refused to go back with them. They abandoned you on the closest island they could find, and then they tucked tail and left.
With all of that happening, it was well into the night before he was able to talk to you alone. He had found you standing out on the deck, just staring up at the starry sky, apparently waiting for him. He didn't really know what to say at first, but you saved him the trouble, already knowing what was on his mind.
"I wanted to find my dream. I didn't feel like I could stay by your side without one. Your ambition was just so amazing, you know? It was almost suffocating to be around you because it was so strong, and I just didn't feel like I was worthy enough to be with you. I wanted my own ambition to be like that, so I could stand by you as an equal, but you had already started working towards your goal, and I didn't want to hold you back because I hadn't even made it to the starting line yet. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I was leaving, but I didn't want to take a chance on you stopping me. There's no way I would have gone if you had asked me to stay."
Zoro was speechless. He had no idea that you felt that way, and that honestly made him feel guilty. You were one of the most important people in the world to him, yet he hadn't even noticed the pain and anxiety that you were going through. There was no changing the past now, though. All he could do was try to not make the same mistake again.
"Did you ever find it? Your dream?"
"No, not yet."
"Are you still going to try to find it?"
"If I can. I don't exactly have a way to get around anymore, though."
He couldn't help but scoff at you.
"Then just stay this time, idiot. Let me, no, let us help you find your dream. This crew is full of crazy dreams and goals, so I'm sure you'll find yours if you stay with us."
"Really? Just like that? Even after I left you before?"
"Don't pretend like I'd ever lie to you, Y/N. I'd never hold a grudge against you, either."
"And why is that?"
"I think you know damn well why."
You had to look away from him then, the intensity in his eyes too much to bear. It made you feel foolish for every leaving him in the first place, especially when your journey thus far had been fruitless. And yet there Zoro was, in all of his earnest, not only giving you another chance, but also offering to help you in the process. He was also baring his heart to you, as much as someone as proud as Zoro could, anyways. Honestly, you'd be a fool to turn his offer down.
"And here I thought I was the only one that fell victim to those feelings."
"Not a chance, so now you're stuck with me."
"I think I can live with that."
