What the Ocean gives us
General info
Rate: Fiction T
Genres: Family, adventure, fluff, fluff and more fluff
Characters: Luffy, Zoro, Kuina
Warnings: some mild swearing, scary amount of fluff, and my fucked up humor.
Disclaimer: I do not own One piece or it`s characters. Eiichiro Oda-sensei owns these.
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Chapter one - Mute
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Zoro was frustrated. Not that it was a rare development of events, but it still ticked his surroundings of every time it happened. All too many waves of killer intent streamed from him, making every passer-by quicken their pace.
The reason for Zoro`s tormenting was simple. Said Marimo was currently being held behind by his sensei to drink hot tea. In the sun. While in the midst of summer. Right….
His sensei, of course, chose to ignore his youngsters suffering; not seeing the slightest reason to get to the point of the confrontation. This didn't help much on Zoro`s already short temper, that shortened for every passing second. Finally, he snapped.
"Sensei, would you mind telling why you are keeping me from my training?" he spat out, showing little respect to the man. Koshiro smiled, ignoring the venom in Zoro`s voice.
"I simply wish for some company to my afternoon tea. I also believe that you need some as well. Company, I mean." Koshiro's smile widened at Zoro scowl. Zoro then sighed, before chugging the tea in one go.
"Can I leave now?" He said, trying, and failing, to be polite.
Koshiro kept in a sight, and nodded. Seconds later, the Marimo was gone, heading for his "secret" training ground. Koshiro kept his eyes on where the trees had swallowed Zoro`s presence.
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Clack. Clack. Clack.
The sound of wood hitting the tree continued, as Zoro tried his hardest to break the massive structure before him. It would be easier to use a real sword to cut through the wood, but Zoro didn`t want that. In his mind, it would only be cheating, a shortcut, which would come back to bite him later. So he hit the tree until his hands bled, and finally, it gave in. It fell backwards into the sea, bringing down some other trees with it. Zoro panted for a minute, before gritting his teeth. He then headed to his next victim. For now, I need the muscle power of a hundred men, he thought. Then, he needed the precision to match his rival.
Kuina had always been the stronger of the two. She was the first to beat him, and Zoro planned to make her the last. Her strength wasn`t in her muscles, though. It was her elegance, her control, her confidence. When they fought, she would judge every hit, and lead every stray blow away from herself, with minimum amount of force. It was like she was dancing. Even as Zoro hated to admit it, that bloody woman looked beautiful during her dance. Not that he would tell the violent girl that. It might embarrass her, and he wanted to keep his head intact, thank you very much.
He tightened his hold on the wooden swords, and restarted his earlier senanse.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Soon, the swords gave in under the massive pressure, and broke in his hands. The splinters bloodied his hands further, making him grumble in pain. He watched as small rivers of blood streamed down his fingers; fingers that had turned rough after his training. His nails had either been bitten short, or had dirt and dried blood stuck under them. Your hands are the those of a warrior, Koshiro had told him once.
Zoro disagreed. A swordsman`s hand should be covered in scars; small and large cuts that never got to heal probably. Scars from both training and battle. Zoro`s hands had only been covered in his own blood; a warrior`s was covered in others`.
Shaking some of the blood of, he then found himself a new set of wooden swords. The pain turned out to be too much, however, as the splinters pressed into his fingers even further at the contact. He held in the whimper that wanted to escape his lips. He knew that he probably needed to get his hands treated, but was hesitant to leave. He`d only brought down a couple of trees, after all. He needed to continue, but his body wouldn`t let him.
Through gritted teeth, he placed the swords back in his backpack, before turning to make his leave. But an unexpected sight met him, making him stop abruptly. A boy, a couple of years younger than himself, was watching him. Sitting on a boulder, his legs dangled over the edge dangerously. From what he could see, the kid was somewhat short and lean, with messy raven hair. He was wearing blue shorts and a yellow t-shirt, and, most noticeable, a somewhat beat down straw hat.
The kid smiled as they made eye contact. It was a huge, cheesy grin, big enough to split his face into two parts. It was warm, meaning full. It was a smile that could light up any space for a millennium or more. There was something more about that smile, and Zoro got aggravated not knowing what.
Zoro almost winced at the wideness of the grin. His own cheeks would hurt of overuse if he always smiled like that. Well, not that he smiled much.
The kid jumped down from the boulder, but refrained from closing the gap between the two. He just stood there and grinned. Zoro actually got a bit freaked out because of it. Though the smile was beautiful, too beautiful for such a young boy, it looked so damn… forced.
"…What`s a kid like yourself doing in the forest at night?" He asked, squinting his eyes suspiciously. How long had the kid been sitting there, staring at him? How come he didn't notice?
The boy just shook his head.
"What do you mean?" Zoro said, somewhat confused. The kid shook his head again. Getting annoyed, Zoro raised his voice slightly.
"Oy! I`m talking to you! What are you doing here, brat?!" The boy just smiled, still not answering his question. Zoro sighed. What a difficult kid, he thought.
"You aren`t gonna answer me, are you?"
No reply.
"Great… Well, you better go run to your mommy or something. It`s late."
A slight giggle.
"Bye." He said, missing the last look on the kid`s face as he walked away.
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Zoro was currently "sleeping" in the shadow of the dojo. For some reason unknown to him, he preferred training at night, alone, rather than with all the other students during the day. He only slept for a couple of hours, though.
As he waited for the Sandman to bring him into peaceful slumber, his thoughts drifted to the boy he met the night before. Why hadn`t he answered him? What was he doing there? Who was he?
And what was the meaning behind that smile?
Zoro sighed. The thoughts had scared the Sandman away. For once, he was unable to sleep. He watched as the other boys ran lap after lap around the training ground before him, how they panted and sweated under the merciless sun. Their skin slowly tainted and their hair got bleach by the sun and ruffled by the sea wind. Koshiro stood between them all, observing them as they ran. Every once in a while, he would make one of the boys push themselves a little more, take them a little longer; all the while keeping his calm expression and gentle smile.
And Zoro sat there, alone, in the shadow as they ran. Under a tree, at the other side of the field, sat his rival. Kuina was staring into nothing, with a conflicted expression on her face.
Zoro`s thoughts stayed on the straw hat wearing boy to long after the boys had left and Kuina had taken over the training field. At some point, Zoro concluded that there was no use worrying over someone he`d never see again. As such, many unwanted thought later, the Sandman finally granted his wish.
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Zoro was, unsurprisingly, wrong. The kid was sitting on a branch, meters above the ground. Yet again, his legs dangled dangerously over the edge. He was wearing the same clothes as the day before, and if Zoro hadn`t known better, he`d say the kid stayed there through the day.
He was so far up above the ground; he must surely be able to see all the way to the ocean from there. Sitting up there, he watched the movements on the waves with a dejected expression on his face.
"Oh, kid! If you fall down, you`re screwed you know?" Zoro yelled, hoping he didn`t startle the kid. Said kid didn`t even blink, but shifted his position. Sitting cross-legged, faced against Zoro, his sunny smile was instantly on place.
"What`s your name?" Zoro asked.
Again, no reply.
Zoro sighed.
"Look kid, I`m going to train here. Go home to your mommy."
A shaken head. No, with other words.
"Why not? Where`s your mommy?"
The kid was still shaking his head. Zoro got an idea of why, but he hoped to be proven wrong.
"Do you have a mom?"
A shrug.
"You don`t know?"
A nod.
"Father then? Sibling? Friend?"
The kid looked dizzy of shaking his head that much. Looked like he wasn`t experienced in that, as much as smiling.
"… So, your alone?"
A nod.
Zoro made a quick decision. The kid needed help, that´s for sure.
"Come down from the tree." The Marimo said in a slighter softer tone.
A shaken head.
"No? Why not?"
No reply.
"Have you been here the whole day?"
A nod.
"Aren`t you tired? And hungry for that matter?"
He shook his head, but his stomach rumbled loudly, giving him away. Zoro smirked.
"I`ll give you food!" He taunted.
He could almost see the stars in the kids eyes, but he still didn`t move. Zoro sighed for the thousandth time.
"I`m gonna train, and go back to the Dojo later. You`re welcome there." The Marimo found his wooden swords, and began his usual routine. After Koshiro`s continuous persuasion, he had bandaged his hands. It prevented new splinters to enter, though the wounds from the night before had yet to heal.
The kid stared at Zoro unstoppably from atop his tree. The feeling of those eyes on him slightly disturbed Zoro. Through the night, the kid had slept about an hour. Suddenly, however, he had awoken, almost falling of the tree and scaring Zoro half to death. But he didn`t miss the wild look in the kid`s eyes as he awoke. Maybe he had a nightmare?
After taking down four trees, it was close to dawn. Zoro was content with the night's progress, and decided to head back to the Dojo. He made a last glance at the kid in the tree, who was watching the ocean once again.
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His breath was short and rugged, his chest hurting. His eyes had betrayed him, making his vision going in and out of focus. Feeling his arms and legs ache, he stayed on the ground. His mind weren't in a much better condition. Still, he managed to glare at the girl in front of him. Kuina smirked arrogantly.
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"Damn woman! Embarrassing me like that! She`ll pay!" Zoro grumbled, while heading for the forest. He`d lost to Kuina. Again. That was the 1968th time! 32 more, and they would round 2000… Damn it!
Zoro came to a halt when he entered his clearing, instinctually looking for the kid. He wasn't hard to find. Same tree, same clothes and same position.
"You`re still here?" Zoro sighed.
The kid didn`t move. His eyes were still on the ocean.
"…Are you ignoring me?"
No answer.
"Brat…" Zoro began his tree slaughtering. The kid didn`t acknowledge his existence once during that night, no matter how much noise Zoro made.
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"Zooooroooooooo~! What are `cha waiting for? It dinner!" Kuina exclaimed as she (un)gently shook Zoro`s half-sleeping form. He seemed content with ignoring her though, making Kuina pout. Not that it would make her falter.
After minutes of constant shaking, Zoro finally decided to wake. He instantly grumbled when he saw her.
"What do you want, woman?" He snarled, more venomously than normal.
"It`s dinner, blockhead. Get moving already~!" Kuina joyfully answered, as if she hadn't just insulted him. Cursing under his breath, Zoro headed towards the door, not bothering to thank the raven girl.
Kuina`s eyebrow twitched. That boy really had no manners.
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"Wake up already!" A young male`s voice yelled into her ear.
"… Just a few more minutes…"
"Wake up, woman!"
"Ouch! Don`t pinch me! I`m awake already!" The raven shrieked, as she escaped the warmth of her blankets. Zoro was standing in her room, and had apparently shaken her awake.
"What is it, mudball-brain? Thirsty for another loss?"
"Like hell!"
"Then what do you want!? I`m tired!" The normal quick reply didn't come. Zoro stood there, suspiciously silent under her gaze. If Kuina hadn't known better, she would have thought he was… fidgeting. Zoro. Fidgeting. He mumbled something inaudible, making Kuina twitch in irritation. Noticing, Zoro quickly repeated; "I need help."
Kuina blinked. Zoro needed her help? Now, that`s a new one.
"…With what?" She asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"…Just come with me. I`ll show you." He said, almost swallowing his words.
Kuina didn`t know why she had agreed to come with the Marimo, but here she was, in the middle of the forest, instead of her lovely warm bed. Said Marimo was walking some steps ahead of her, making his way through the bushes. He still hadn`t said where they were going, or why for that matter, only that she`ll figure eventually.
Even as his attitude annoyed her, she couldn't help feeling interested. She`d always read Zoro like an open book. His mindset simply consisted of ambition-training-sleeping-fighting-losing-repeat, and so, it took a lot before he managed to surprise her. The only exception was a month prior, when he had somehow managed to train with his weights while sleeping. That`d impressed her, though she preferred teasing him about it.
However, the reason for him being even grumpier than usual was a mystery for her. The last week, he had started to ignore her, thought it wasn't that much of a shock. Also, he seemed more distant, and spent more time merely thinking, instead of sleeping.
The questions of his attitude infuriated her to no end, and she pledged that she would find out about it.
Being caught in her speculations, she didn`t notice when Zoro come to a halt before her, making her stumble straight into him. Zoro tumbled by the impact, and soon, they were lying in a heap on the ground. Kuina came out better, landing on top of her younger.
Zoro grumbled, and threw the girl of him. Unfortunately, Kuina didn`t seem to like the rough treatment, and soon they were having an all-out fistfight on the ground. Unsurprisingly, Zoro soon found himself stuck beneath Kuina`s dirty shoe sole. Said girl was smirking arrogantly at Zoro`s pitiful appearance.
The sound of giggling soon drew her attention away from her oh-so glorious victory. The source surprised her, though. High above the ground, on a branch on one of the larger trees, sat a boy even younger than Zoro. It was hard to see from where she stood, but he seemed… Pale. Small. Tired.
But a layer of a smile and giggles hid all that. The boy had his small hands over his mouth, trying to hide the giggles. However, only moments later, he was laughing out loud, pointing a tinny finger at her face.
"He`s laughing at you." Kuina was startled by the sudden sound, having forgotten Zoro`s presence for the moment. She stepped off of Zoro`s face, and watch grumble as he stood up.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean what I said, stupid woman." Zoro spat at her, ignoring her pain promising expression.
"He thought your confused face was funny. First time I`ve heard him laugh that loud, though."
"You`ve met him before then." Kuina concluded. Zoro eyed her for a moment, and then sighed.
"…Yes. I meet him a week ago. He just suddenly appeared, and he haven't left."
Kuina smirked.
"Thank goodness. `Thought you`d kidnapped him for a moment there." She said, waving away some imaginary sweat.
Zoro rolled his eyes. "You`re so bloody funny."
"I know, right?" Kuina exclaimed mockingly.
"But, seriously, what about his parents? Aren`t they looking for him?" The raven girl looked up at the kid, hoping to make him speak. Her gut told her he was a loud kid, and it was normally right. Still, the kid still hadn`t spoken, just watched them chat with badly hidden interest.
"I`ve asked him `bout it already. I don`t think he has any." Zoro said, frowning slightly. This caught Kuina`s alarmingly growing interest.
"So he speaks then?" She said, somewhat confused. In that case, why was the kid so quiet now? Was he anxious around her? However, her worries both decreased and grew by Zoro`s answer.
"No."
"No? Then how…?"
"I ask questions, and read his reaction. That`s all." Seeing Kuina`s questioning look, Zoro switched his attention to the straw-hat wearing boy.
"Kid, are you still hungry?"
A rumbling stomach.
"And that means yes." Zoro said matter-of-factly.
"…Okay?" Kuina was, for once, at a loss for words.
The boy giggled faintly.
"That means you have a funny expression again." Zoro stated, while the boy nodded enthusiastically.
"Do you know his name?"
"How the hell am I supposed to know that?" Zoro sneered angrily.
Kuina blinked at his outburst. It wasn`t anything new, but they had been having a semi-civilized conversation. She was just about to give him a piece of her mind, when a growl from the tree interrupted her.
The kid, a boy sharing the age of the brats still being spoiled by their mothers`, was glaring down at them. Those eyes weren't fixated at her, though, but at Zoro. The sunny expression and smile had disappeared, as if they`d never been there. All that was left was an unnatural hatred for a simple, though childish, outburst.
The look he was giving Zoro promised pain on a new level.
Yes, there was definitely something wrong with that kid.
"…The hell?" Zoro whispered loudly. It didn`t seem like Zoro had expected the kid to snap either.
"Has he done that before?" Kuina asked, halfway expecting the look being aimed at her as well. Zoro eyed her, and answered evenly; "No… But, I`m not surprised. I knew there was something about him. Something big."
The moment Zoro answered her the glare lessened somewhat. Kuina noticed this, and quickly notified Zoro. The Marimo sighed, but stepped towards the little boy on the branch.
"I`m not angry at her. I shouldn`t have snapped, but it`s kind of normal for us… So, don`t be mad, `kay?"
The waves vanished as if they`d never been there. In it`s place was a smile of a thousand suns and a warming laugher. Kuina smiled back. That kid was really a mystery. She looked forward to solving it.
xxx
"What do you think?" Zoro asked, as they made their way back to the Dojo. It`d been a long night for Kuina. She was used to an eight hour-long rest at night, as well as a safe and warm bed. Instead, she was out in the freezing forest, that Zoro didn`t see any point in warning her about, as well as trying to understand a kid, who apparently was mute. If that wasn't enough, Zoro also seemed obsessed with the kid, seeing how he`d actually went as far as to ask her for help, where as he could have easily just dismissed him. Actually, now that she thought about it…
"Zoro, what is it you want my help with?" Kuina hesitantly asked, somewhat fearing the answer. Her worries multiplied as Zoro stop some meters from the Dojo, his back turned towards her.
"…I want to help the kid." Zoro began.
"Well, obviously, or else you wouldn`t bother bringing me here at all." Kuina stated, while rolling her eyes. Ignoring her, he continued.
"You saw it, didn`t you?" She knew what he meant. Those feelings she detected when she first saw him…
"Yes."
"Well, then you know why I can`t just leave him alone." He said, turning abruptly.
"So, what do you expect me to do? I`m no therapist." Unexpectedly, Zoro blushed and adverted his eyes. He rubbed his neck sleeplessly, clearly showing his nervousness.
"Well… We both know I`m no good with brats, and you`re the only girl around, who also happen to live with a bunch of boys. I thought that you might know a couple of things…" Kuina blinked. Looks like the Marimo had more depth than a teaspoon after all. Though, after seeing Zoro in all teen-girl-in-love-mode, she couldn't let the harassing-opportunity go to waste.
"Do you think he`s cute?" Kuina teased, making sure to be able to see his face as she did. The reaction was completely worth the night`s utter exhaust. The Marimo`s face burst bright red and he stumbled over his own feet while he gaped widely at her. Kuina tried, and failed, to keep the snickers in, something that agitated Zoro even further.
"I-I don`t think that! H-He`s just so pathetic that I would feel bad about not helping him, that`s all!" he stuttered forcefully, which made Kuina laugh even louder.
"D-" she tried saying something between the laughter attacks, but it didn't really go that well.
"D-Don`t worry, if he c-can make you react like that, then I don`t care what I have to do! I`ll keep him!"