Hi! *nervous movements* Owh…this is my first ZoLu one-shot! I'm sooo-uh nervous! Please be gentle *puppy eyes*. Anyway, read and review. Lemme repeat that, read and REVIEW. Ne? Okay, enjoy…
Later note: REVISED. Becomes 2 chapters
~0~hiver~0~
Roronoa Zoro
-Chapter 1: Memory-
He sat on a chair, hunched over, eyes on the boy. Papers were all over his working desk, full of illegible handwriting. It had been the fourth time he questioned the boy, but all in vain. Sighing, he prodded the boy's shoulder gently, smiling as the boy flinched to tell him he meant no harm.
Once again he asked, "What is, or are, your problems with people?"
The boy was also tired of the subsequent questions. He looked up disgustedly and said, "I hate them."
The psychologist let go of him and flipped through the papers on his table, checking the boy's data again. The boy was confused by the doctor's behavior. The previous psychologists would look at him in sympathy and tried to cheer him up after hearing his statement. They would run their imaginations about how antisocial he was and how badly ruined his life had been. He did not want sympathy. He didn't think that he would have gone to the psychologist if his mother had not made him.
After several awkward seconds, the older man gazed at him and spoke, "What about your parents?"
It took him a while to catch the question. The boy held his breath. "I have a wonderful mother."
The psychologist gave a questioning look and continued, "Father?"
For a moment he froze. His face grew upset as he shook his head. "No father."
Hearing the response, the doctor sighed deeply, played with his fingers, and replied, "I understand. Your condition."
The boy watched him in disbelief. The doctor laughed, making the younger person confused. After the laugh ceased, he grinned.
"I was antisocial," he stated, "with much worse situation than yours."
Again the boy raised an eyebrow. The boy's response was amusing; he turned his chair and explained, "I'm going to talk about my past. Is that acceptable?"
Even though the boy groaned, his head was filled with curiosity. He nodded. Eager to recall, the man grimaced, "It was fifteen years ago…when I was sixteen and a sophomore…"
"Excuse me." A woman in her thirties interrupted.
The doctor blinked in amazement but then smiled warmly at the boy's mother. His mother had been waiting outside the patient's room for more than fifteen minutes because the doctor needed to talk to the patient alone.
Anxiously, the mother surged in. "Sweetheart, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he answered.
The older man could tell that the boy loved his mother a lot, but his mother's love was greater. As the two were talking, the doctor walked over to his bookshelf, searching. He paid no attention to the mother's questions until he found an old, brown leather notebook. Slowly he blew off the dust and looked it over as old memories flooded back.
"Doctor?" The woman asked.
"Oh, sorry about that," he smirked, "Don't worry, your son is fine. He is the most interesting kid I've ever met."
Ignoring the mother's bewilderment, the doctor handed the old book to the boy.
"Here, um, what was your name again?" He hesitated, rewinding his memory, "Oh right, Kohza." Contented by his success in remembering his patient's name, he reiterated, "Here, Kohza."
Kohza looked at the brown book, not moving.
"It's my diary," the man explained, "You can read the continuation of my story here."
Deliberately, the boy raised an arm and accepted it.
The doctor grinned and handed him a piece of paper with his phone number written on it, "I'm available this Saturday on 10 AM. Return it to me when you're finished."
***
It was night. The sky was covered by the myriad illumination of stars. Through the window he could see it all. Fresh from a bath, Kohza dressed in his pajamas and headed to his bed, determined to sleep. Climbing the bed, he was lost in thought. His mind was walking an oblique path; strangely though, it always ended in the thought of the doctor and his old, leather book. Strange… He felt that everything about that doctor was strange. Not only his green hair, or his three earrings, not only his tan skin, or his cold-yet-warm smile, not only his rounded personality… Something about that man reminded him of himself, but he could not tell what. After a while, he rose, walked toward the desk, and found the book where he had left it. The cover had "Roronoa Zoro" written on it. Maybe it was the doctor's name, he thought. He opened the pages at a snail's pace, one by one. After reading the front page, he realized that this was no diary. It was an auto-biography. It is said: 'I wrote this book in my years of college as the reminiscence of unforgettable memories.' Eyes glued on the sentence, he continued to read the next pages.
***
I lived with my dreadful father. To be honest, I had never called him father; instead, I used 'old man'. That man was a drunkard, a bad one. Since my mother died and he lost his job, he was in a deep depression, one stage before going to be crazy. That geezer's hobbies were drinking beer, watching football on TV, and last, abusing. Everyday, I tried my best to avoid going home because he was always there, behind the door, playing with a bat as he sat watching TV. He hit with no particular reason; just fond of violence. That was the worst thing to be fond of.
School was as boring as ever, but it was better than home. The thing I hated most about school was the people. They were everywhere, and I hated passing them or being accidentally touched by them. I hated the touch, even if it was just a slight pat. Once… or maybe thrice, I punched people for bumping into my shoulder. I did not mean to, my arm went by itself. The bullies thought I was just a cocky sophomore. They came in groups(1), facing me with those ruthless eyes. They were taking me lightly; they didn't know that I knew martial arts. Hits, punches, kicks, those were the old man's only special ability. I guess I always paid attention to his movements. Ironically, I learnt it from him.
Eventually, people started to avoid me. That was good. All I needed to do was glare and people opened a path for me to walk. While I walked around the hall, they looked at me as if seeing a monster, but I didn't care. I couldn't help fighting bullies; they were the ones who always dragged me into fight. With my sense of survival, I clenched my fists for them.
Time passed. People started calling me Bully-hunter. Rumors of my notoriety were spread around the school. Bully-hunter was not my name, not even close . It was Roronoa Zoro, always had been.
Adelaide was very quiet, or maybe it was just my opinion. It needed more…cadence. I was always by myself, but just one, only one, thing invigorated me. Music. The tunes…allayed my fear, sadness, loneliness, and confusion. I was in love with my guitar. I named it Enel, which meant 'God of Lightning'. I found him in a dusty shed when the old man locked me in. That place was damp and dirty, it seemed like an abandoned city in the middle of a desert. I was sitting in the corner, hugging my legs from the cold, when I saw a hazy object beside my broken bicycle. Stimulated by curiosity, I crept forward toward the object and groped it lightly until a silent tune came. Again, I picked the string on the object, and it created another tune. It was then that I realized that it was the old guitar that my dead uncle used to play. I blew the dust off and began picking its strings one by one, correcting the false tune. I could hear the off notes. Tuning it by ear came naturally to me. From that day on, I was not lonely. I had a friend, a guitar.
It was April 17th 2009, in other words, autumn, my favorite season, but the old man hated it so much that he would beat me harder than you could ever imagine. And so I ran, ran away from home, taking Enel with me. I had just gotten home when it happened, and that man, who'd been resting his back on a chair, suddenly got up and growled:
"Tell me boy," he looked straight into my eyes, "What season is this?"
I studied his expression, his body, and the beer in his hand.
"Autumn." I answered.
The next thing I remember was a loud crash, a thud, and…and…blood. I was dumbfounded, scared, and so I dashed into my room. Every three seconds I looked back, checking the gap between the crazy man and myself. When I got to my room, I went inside, locked the door, and snatched Enel tightly. All I heard was an insane laughter which vibrated from his lungs. I could feel the tall figure trying to break down the door with, I did not know what, maybe some kind of weapon. I quickly placed Enel in its case, took my wallet, and climbed out the window.
My room was on the second floor so the only way out was the window. I got down by pinioning the chains of clothes I had been making (in case of this situation) to the foot of my bed. Halfway down, I saw the furious man's head out of the window and I, foolishly, let go of the clothes-chain and fell to the ground. I was in so much pain, but I kept on running, as fast as I could, or probably limping because I could not feel my left foot. Somehow, I managed to escape by hiding in the nearest DVD Rental Store. After I was safely inside, I looked cautiously back for any signs of that drunken man. No sign. Good.
It was Eight P.M. In Adelaide, stores closed at 6 P.M. I was by myself in the park, strumming my guitar with an empty look on my face. I had a small amount of money and a guitar. Nothing else. The park bench seemed to be a tolerable place to sleep. But I could not sleep. The tragedy had caused me insomnia. I knew that it was unhealthy, but I seriously needed drugs to make me feel better. Maybe Novocain. Many said that it made you feel like flying, leaving reality. That was what I needed, I didn't care if my body went numb or dead afterward.
"Hm…Hm-hm-hm…" I hummed mindlessly, like an unused puppet; still, the melody ran on my mind, expressing itself through my mouth and hand. I continued to do this until a sudden voice jolted me out of my daze.
"Hey, there," a black-haired Asian boy, slightly younger than me, had suddenly popped out of nowhere, or so I thought. His body was slim and he had a scar below his left eye. He wore a red jacket, and a straw hat was placed carefully on his head.
"I'm Luffy. Monkey D. Luffy."
I gave him no response. All I did was move my eyes to survey the new presence. I kept strumming Enel. The boy sat beside me.
"What song is that?" he asked intently, "Or did you write it?"
I ignored him and continued playing Enel. The boy seemed to be baffled by my unfriendly behavior and decided to push me with more questions.
"Why don't you join my brother's band!? My brother Ace needs a guitarist since the last one, Teach, betrayed him and started his own band. With your talent, you'll be accepted for sure! Your guitar playing and voice are so great that my eyes might pop!" he exclaimed.
I heard him, but I was stoned. He, at last, noticed my bruised body.
"You looked worn-out," he stated, moving his hand to touch my bleeding temple. I flinched briskly with the look of a wounded wolf.
"Sorry," he pulled his hand away as he watched me, "I mean no harm, okay?"
He looked straight into my eyes, reminding me of the old man, so I looked away. I still hated people and the guy beside me was one of them. I could never believe their reassurance. All of them were lies! Filthy creatures! That guy, Mon-whatever, scooted away. Good. That meant that my glare was still working. But in lieu of going away, that guy smiled. It disgusted me.
"Let me guess," he scrutinized, sending a shiver down my spine, "You ran away from home."
I gave him a how-do-you-know look. He smirked, proud that he'd solved the mystery.
"You're sitting on a bench in the park late at night. Strumming your guitar mindlessly while you're…" he gazed at me, "trembling…bleeding…dried eyes…and," he looked at my feet. I was surprised by the sight of my shaking feet and tried to stop the shaking, but I couldn't, "frightened."
I froze, struck by realization. He slowly moved his hand toward my shoulder, but stopped, as if asking permission. I closed my eyes and he patted by shoulder softly.
"Come with me."
***
Luffy brought me to his home afterward. A man, also black-haired, welcomed me with worried looks. I guessed that was because I was supported by his shoulder, nearly unconscious, with blood drying on my temples. My memories of what happened next are fuzzy because I passed out. When I woke up, I was covered with warm blanket (unlike the thin rag I used as blanket at home) and a small, wet towel on my head. I couldn't remember where I was, so I woke up in vigilance, almost attacking the man I saw previously when he tried to keep me from leaving the house. I didn't know who he was, so I kept my guard up. He sighed while shaking his head.
Showing both of his hands, he spoke, "Look, I mean no harm okay?"
Feeling a rather safe sense of déjà vu, I relaxed and waited for an explanation.
"I'm Ace, Luffy's brother," he smiled, "You were so worn out yesterday that Luffy brought you here. I heard that you ran away from home and…" he continued talking.
The only words I caught were 'you're safe here' or 'you can live here for a while' or 'Luffy's at school, while I was ordered to look after you. Since my work starts on three o'clock, I can do what he says, but he will be taking care of the rest' and so on. I was safe, a sentence that calmed me enough.
Seeing that I was tired, Ace offered me food and sleep. I was very worn out so I agreed. In my sleep, Ace put a cold, wet towel on my forehead.
I skipped school that day with fever as a reason, not excuse, because I really did had a fever. When Luffy arrived, his brother welcomed him with a brotherly hug. Luffy grinned widely as he babbled on about his experiences at school. While Luffy continued talking, Ace nodded several times and let him finish before he dashed out of the house to get to work. Strange. They looked close. Is that…is that how it feels to have a brother? I shook my head, trying to discard the uncomfortable thought just before someone slung his arm over my shoulder while shouting 'I'm back'. I gasped.
"Whoops…sorry about that." Luffy grinned.
He stared at me and swung his hand in front of my face up and down. "Hello?" He asked stupidly.
I grunted, still avoiding him. It was not my intention to back away—I guess it had already become a habit. The tan boy kept looking at me as if I was the new furniture that had arrived at his home.
"Stop staring." I murmured with a glare.
The response was not as I expected. He widened his eyes and shouted, "You can talk!?"
Duh…How stupid was this person anyway. I gave him an annoyed look.
"I can. I go to school." I retorted but stopped when I saw his uniform, "You go to the same school as me." I stated disbelievingly. Luffy grinned.
"That means we could stick together more often, right?"
***
He really did hang around me all the time. I had already told him to back-off, but that didn't stop him. It would have been fine if he were only hanging around me, but the main problem was that he talked! No interval between sentences. Could he just be quiet! I was exhausted! All eyes were on Luffy and I since we were the most contradictory pair in the universe.
During lunch break, Luffy sat beside me, motioning his friends to join him. I guessed he still hadn't heard about the 'Bully-hunter' rumor or maybe he heard once but didn't know that it was me. I mean, even his friends avoided me in sitting. Luffy didn't understand the way his friends were acting, so I told him that I was the so-called Bully-hunter. All he said was 'Bully-hunter!? Cool! I beat some of the bullies too, when they hurt my friend. I can't believe you got a title for that! Awesome!' and he told his friends that I was harmless. Unfortunately, I was still not used to talking to people.
"Thanks for inviting me to you friends," I said caustically.
"No problem!" He replied innocently.
A boy with the longest nose I had ever seen and weird, curly hair shoved his hand toward me while chuckling in fear.
"Ahahaha…so you're the famous Roronoa Zoro eh? Then you should know the great leader of this school, Usopp-sama!!!" he flung his arm in mid-air as his superman pose went rigid. "So…Nice to meet you?"
Once again, he brought his hand to mine. Skimming his hand, I looked away in displease, ignoring him. Slowly, Usopp lowered his hand. Swiftly, he turned his back toward me and hissed something to Luffy. I had good ears, so I heard what he said.
"See! Luffy, it is hopeless, trying to get close to the notorious devil! What were you thinking?"
Luffy shrugged lightly and gave a pleading look to Usopp, "He's fun and cool! Don't say bad stuff about him!" He turned away.
Usopp stared disbelievingly at Luffy as he muttered 'hopeless' and sat beside Luffy. Luffy grunted in response. Usopp sighed deeply, apologizing for what he said about me. I did not mind him saying all of those things. Why should Luffy care? An uncomfortable silence filled the table. Watching this, Luffy gazed at me.
"You too Zoro! Don't treat people that way! It's rude!!!"
I didn't like shaking his hand, it felt gross. I quickly let go and stood, walking away. Luffy's voice grew louder each step I took, but I did not care. I left school. I left him.
***
It was afternoon already; by then, Luffy had already gone home. I'd forgotten that I was a run-away. The only place I could go was the park. I was glad that I had brought Enel to school.
"Hm…Hm…" I sang, "Clank, clank the thrown stones sang, bouncing up and down to the park. It stayed still on a person's hand, who sat on the bench, singing mellifluously…but lonely…"
I dropped the guitar's neck while salt water leisurely fell down my cheeks. I had nowhere to go now. This is…déjà vu. Sooner or later Luffy would come and startle me from behind. It was ludicrous for me to think that I wanted him near me. Fool, such a fool. In the middle of my thoughts, I heard footsteps approaching me. I turned hopefully, expecting to see the cheerful figure, but it was not him.
***
I had tried to stand several times but I couldn't. My body was covered with scratches and blood. In front of me, a murky figure stood, panting desperately as he thought of his next move. He decided choking would be perfect. Perfect for him, not me. I could hardly breathe, especially when I was in such a condition. It made me think randomly. Mostly about Luffy. Why, oh, why did I leave Luffy? Even though he was annoying, my time with him was more lively than usual. I regretted, regretted, and regretted until I realized that my vision was blurring. It was the end. The end of my pathetic life.
I started to hear voices other than the geezer's. It was Luffy's voice. Haha…this truly was the end, wasn't it? I was starting to hallucinate. I wondered what heaven would look like. I wondered if there even was one. I wondered if I could see my mother there. Would I be able to see Luffy again someday? I didn't know. Oh God, please let me rest in peace.
"Zoro, Zoro! Zoro, are you alright!"
Ridiculously, I laughed. I saw a vision of Luffy, calling my name and holding my shoulders. This was just the time for me to leave. Goodbye world.
***
The morning sun comforted me with warmth, accompanied by the peaceful chirrup of birds. But my body, I couldn't feel it at all. My eyes, on the other hand, were stinging. I tried to move a hand to rub them but, I couldn't. Every part of me was aching. I felt as though an anchor was weighing me down, while a hammer was hitting my head. The surveillance was not patent and my thoughts were not constant. Several times I blinked to regain my conscious. The first thing I saw was…a cardiogram?
"Zo?" A voice asked.
I tilted my head a bit so I could see who was there. It could be my mother, and angel, or even God himself. Who knew? I was in heaven now, a hospital in heaven, apparently.
"You're awake!" Luffy cried. Luffy?
His smile was wider than usual. It looked like his brother's warm smile though, his was livelier. Gingerly, he examined my body which led me to realize that I was wrapped in white bandages almost everywhere. Someone could have mistaken me for a mummy. I opened my mouth slightly.
"Where…am I?" My voice sounded more pathetic than I had expected though, he still smiled in relief.
"Hos-hospital!" He answered jumpily, more like a squeak. Realizing that his voice sounded weird, he put both hands on his mouth and started to blush. I shook my head.
"My voice sounded more pathetic than yours," I coughed, guessed it was caused by the choking, "Stop being shy. It's annoying."
His expression changed, more to joking than angry, "I'm not being shy!"
A tiny smile formed at the corner of my mouth. He didn't notice. So I reminisced, while he talked, trying to remember why I was in the hospital. Suddenly, it all come back to me. I widened my eyes, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"The old man!" I clamored, keeping his gaze, "Where's he!"
"I knew you would ask. Now…now…" Luffy calmed me quietly. His face took on a serious expression.
"Your father," he said, "was arrested and is staying at the police department." I kept staring, giving him permission to continue. "My brother is working on that now. We're trying to find relatives that can keep you, if there are none, then perhaps you can stay with us."
Luffy glanced hopefully. I looked away.
Biting my lip, I began thinking to myself. Luffy sensed it and left me be. I had troubled them so much, too much.
"You don't need to trouble yourselves. I will still live with him, my father."
He gaped, "What! He almost killed you!!!"
I understood why he acted that way. Before listening to his complaints, I snapped, "Two more years. Two more years then I can be free. I'll be able to survive. If you're afraid of that old man hurting me, you can check my house any time you like. In the next two years, I will work, and live in an apartment." Again, I reiterated, "I'll live."
Luffy gulped, gazing at me with respect, "Wow…Zoro, you're so cool…" he muttered.
I could only chuckle briefly. He looked so silly, his eyes beaming in stars of admiration. I couldn't help but smile every time he grinned and played around.
"Hey, Zoro." He tilted his head.
"Hn?"
"Why's your hair green?"
I narrowed my eyes, thinking of the answer I should give. "That's because…I like…green." I couldn't figure out another reasonable answer.
Luffy raised an eyebrow before laughing subsequently as his hand held his stomach. "You're one interesting person, aren't you??"
I shrugged as a half-smile formed on my mouth.
"I'll always visit you, Zoro!" he pulled his knees to his chest and placed his chin on his knees. It was a very cute position, like a dog waiting to be petted.
"Ah," I nodded, "I'll be waiting"
With that we kept the atmosphere placid.
***
The D family had helped me a lot, even in escorting me home.
The house was empty. Ace said that the old man would return from the police tomorrow. I glanced around the room. Ace and Luffy had cleaned the mess so the house now cleaner than I'd ever seen it. Glancing secretively, I saw Luffy giving me a supportive smile. I inhaled deeply at the start of my new lifestyle.
"I'll live."
End
~0~hiver~0~
So, that's all. I have trouble in choosing the title. Since the auto-biography book's title is Roronoa Zoro, I use it as my story's title too :P And why Kohza??? That's b'coz I can't think of any other young character with that personality!!! Just imagine young Kohza with his adult personality (before meeting Vivi). That way you can imagine the boy, no? *nervous laughs*Since Zoro's father had never been told, let's just say that he's a mad man where Zoro can't hit back because of the psychological pressure he'd been suffering since he was born (you'll understand if you experience it). Anyway,review!!!
~Hiver =3