"Fucking Owl. Why the bloody fuck does he have to call me at 6 am to cash in favors. He better not bring me any trouble….. or I swear …". Streamertail was slowly sipping his black coffee when a series of hard knocks collided against his front door. As he got up to open it there was an impending feeling of dread that had somehow crept up to him in the last second. Once he opened the door, the dread had dominated and it was etched all across his face. Standing before the doorframe was Owl, one of the three Caporegime's under Mihawk's rule. A man that was both feared and respected in the underworld due to his unyielding power and merciless nature. Owl, which was a codename within the organization, donned a black suit with a baby blue dressing shirt that matched perfectly with his cold irises. He stood at an intimidating 6'4 that went well with his taut body and well rounded shoulders.
"Hey Streamertail… I need you to slap on your doctor abilities and help me out with this kid". Streamertail had a quizzical look, trying to understand what Owl had just said. It wasn't until he followed Owl's sideway glance that he saw a heavily wounded kid strapped onto his shoulder.
"What the – Owl?! Did you kill the kid? Who is he?! Did you use Hansha?! I thought the Boss told you not to use - ".
"Yeah, yeah… it also seems that the Boss wants this kid alive, so if you're done playing Mr. Investigator, switch over to something which you are actually good at. Patch him up". Streamertail shot Owl the coldest glare he could possibly muster and told him, "Follow me".
Zoro was laid on a spare bed that was located in the back part of the house. The room smelled of drugs and antiseptics with surgical utensils and equipment spread out across all four corners.
"Alright Owl, I need you to wait outside. I'll do my best but I can't guarantee anything so don't kill me if this kid decides to kick the bucket. Plus you have a lot of explaining to do so don't leave either". With that, Streamertail closed the door on Owl and he turned to study the current condition of his unexpected patient.
Zoro's chest wound was the least of Streamertail's worries… the tricky part involved the gaping hole in Zoro's left abdominal cavity. He was hoping that Hansha hadn't hit any of his vital organs so that he would only have to worry about his blood loss. As he examined the wound he was relieved to see that the blade had not pierced any of his organs. He just needed a blood transfusion and some rest. While Streamertail was stitching Zoro up he couldn't help but notice a tribal phoenix tattoo that was inked across his left shoulder blade. What concerned streamer tail wasn't the phoenix itself but the blade that was being thrust across another bird… was that a hawk? The doctor's thoughts were cut short as Owl came in through the door.
"If you don't need anything I'll be heading out then. I can see that you will not be done with him for quite some time so I'm leaving. I'm bored, tired and hungry".
"Well I'm sorry to hear that you're bored, clearly you were having the time of your life bullying the kid. Do you know his blood type"?
Owl responded with a roll in his eyes, "No, how the fuck do you expect me to know that"?
Streamer responded with a sigh… "Well, unless I get a blood type this brat isn't coming back. Call up one of your contacts and see if he can tap into that info". Owl pulled out his phone and started calling one of his men.
"Yo, Hopper. I need you to tap into the hospital's data base. Search for Roronoa Zoro's bloodtype".
Streamertail abruptly stopped stitching Zoro's chest wound and slowly turned toward Owl's icy glare. "Call me within the next 5 minutes. It's urgent". As he hung up, Streamertail resumed his healing.
"No wonder you were so desperate to have me tend to this boy. So… its Roronoa Zoro, huh? Owl if this kid had died, you would've perished with him. Have you spoken to Cardinal yet"?
Silence . "You don't have to worry about other shit, just focus on healing the brat".
The cheery ringtone lit up the room, "So, what is it"?
"It's A+ sir. I can send you a couple of liters within the next 20 minutes". Owl looked over to Streamer and asked, "Blood won't come within the next 20 minutes. Can he wait?"
Streamertail continued to stitch the wound, "Yeah but they better prep it and get here fast. His skin color is fading and turning clammy".
Owl responded through the phone, "Hurry it up then and go ahead and send it over to Streamertail's. We'll be waiting". And then he closed his phone.
"So this is the last of the Roronoa's. Never expected to meet one under these circumstances…." Streamertail released the needle he was using to stitch Zoro up and reached out for the bandages.
Zoro faintly started hearing voices…. It wasn't clear but they were definitely there. The pain he was in was excruciating and he couldn't move. He tried opening his eyes but the act itself seemed almost impossible. He tried once again and this time he made it, but the pain that accompanied his full awakening was something he wished he would never experience again. He winced and closed his eyes, hoping that it would all go away but he was wrong. The pain came in waves, tougher and harder than the previous waves before. He couldn't contain the yell that was bubbling to burst through his throat.
"AGHHHhhhhh! SHIT!"….. pant.. pant…. "Eghhhh". As he opened his eyes once more he didn't fail this time around to see that there was a person standing beside him with a syringe in his hand.
"Okay.. calm down. Let me help you… I will take away the pain.. all of it. Just let me help you".
"Stay away from me! Do not touch me…. Stay away!" Zoro tried moving away but his strength had been sapped and he could not deal with any additional pain at the moment. He was frustrated with himself and at how weak he had become. Streamertail looked into the eyes of Zoro and he could not turn a blind eye to the tenacity that these eyes bore onto his own. Camouflaged in these black puddles of nothingness was the ferocious energy of a wild animal that was capable of making a roundtrip to hell in a heartbeat.
"I promise that I won't hurt you, just trust me". As Streamertail nonchalantly said these words, he reached out for Zoro's arm and started injecting the anesthetic. Zoro began to feel the effects of the drug and drifted his gaze further to the left. He locked eyes with the person that was still standing under the doorframe and drew a curse under his breath. It was too late; he couldn't feel his throat or the wounds that decorated his chest at this point. He turned his glare, or what he thought to be a glare, over to his healer. Streamertail adorned his face with a soft smile and said, "Don't worry, you'll be okay".
A gruff voice distracted the healer, "Streamertail, the blood's here".
"Okay, how many liters did they bring in total?"
"They could only find 3 at the moment, hopper said he'll send a couple more my way once it's possible".
Zoro couldn't believe it, how can he be standing there after all that had happened. He didn't want his help. No fucking way. The last thing he felt was the momentary brush of skin as the healer reached out to initiate the transfusion. After that Zoro was engulfed by complete darkness hating every fiber of his being for his weakness. The hawk had never soared so far from the phoenix.