Author's Note #1: So I don't own One Piece. I also don't own a lot of things from this chapter. Mainly the way I made anatomy of mythical creatures work. I decided to update now since ... I don't know. I can't sleep. Anyway this chapter is slightly shorter than the other one, but hopefully you like it. It's in Zoro's perspective. It's not alternating perspective for this story though cause ... I couldn't exactly make it work that way. This is mainly just Sanji's perspective. Also, I came up with YET ANOTHER One Piece story idea. For someone who said they were taking a break, I'm not taking much of one, am I?
Sink or Swim
by: Setkia
Summary
It wasn't his fault fairy tales painted fairies as being beautiful and majestic, full of grace and delicate fragility, swan-like and melodious. Looking at the man sitting at his kitchen table who was all brawn and no brains with bulging muscles and green hair, Sanji was pretty sure the fairy tales had mislead him.
PART TWO: THE HUMAN BY THE ROCKS
Shit. Shit. Shitty fuckidy fuck fuck.
Zoro closed his eyes and tried not to let himself flinch when his wings picked up the faintest hint of wind from Sanji moving away from him.
He knew he shouldn't have gotten involved with a human.
But Sanji was so beautiful with blond hair that looked golden when the sun hit it just right and blue eyes that were deeper than any ocean. He could try as he might but there was just something about Sanji. It wasn't the allure of the forbidden, by no means. Rather it was more like time. It had been centuries since Zoro had been like this and eventually time had begun to lose all meaning. He couldn't tell the difference between old and new, young and elder, time just seemed to have stopped. Ever since her death he went through the motions with nothing to ever replace the feeling that was dulled in his chest.
He knew Sanji, perhaps more than the blond realized. Zoro had been there since the first day he and that old man had moved into the home. He watched Sanji grow, knew everything about the cigarette smoking man, including that the first time he had tried a cigarette, he had been so shocked by the taste he had accidentally dropped it into the lake. A lot of memories were made by the side of the lake, he liked to spend his time there. While he didn't need to hear it from Sanji about how he wasn't player and how he had many girlfriends due to the fact that his traditional view on love wasn't reciprocated by many women, there was something different about hearing it from him. Most of the conversations they had were memories about Sanji's childhood, memories Zoro had more or less been witness to but there was something personal about hearing it from Sanji. Sanji didn't have to tell him these things, they got along fine talking about pointless crap all the time but he opened up to him in a way he had only ever seen him do with the old man he lived with. Something was more intimate about the choice of telling and telling anyway. He probably sounded like a stalker.
He had known getting close to the blond was a bad idea. From the moment he had first spoken to him, had felt his skin underneath his hands, he knew he was screwed. That wasn't to say something stupid like he was in love with him, but there was something endearing of being able to introduce something new to someone else and watch and experience all of their firsts with them.
He was in trouble when he ate his stew.
He was stupid when he saved him.
He was screwed when they shared that cigarette.
He was going to fucking die for letting him touch his wings.
The annoying fairy with the pink hair stared at Sanji for a moment, before her face split into a wide grin. "You're cute!"
Sanji stared at her, looking more traumatized than when Zoro had first appeared in front of him in his grown form, or when he had nearly drowned. "T-thank you?" That cigarette was hanging very loosely between his lips now as he tried to take everything in. Suddenly, something switched in the cook's brain and Zoro knew this was bad.
The blond got off the grass from beside Zoro and walked over to Perona who was by the shore, her arms resting on the large rock that Zoro had sat on numerous times while talking with Sanji until he crossed over that small distance to be beside the man. Sanji bent down to her level and took her hand in his. Perona was small, she stood at five two and was delicate-looking. Of course Sanji would like her. He watched in disgust as Sanji kissed the back of her hand.
"I'm sorry, it was impolite of me not to ask your name. Would you do me the honour of telling me your name?"
Zoro wasn't kidding when he said that those cheesy lines must've made girls puke. He grinned. Sanji was in for a surprise.
SMACK!
Perona dusted off her hands as a handprint embedded itself into Sanji's cheek and the blond backed away slightly, though he still had that idiotic, lovestruck look on his face.
Something Perona had said suddenly struck Zoro then. "What does Mihawk want?"
"I don't know, to fight," said Perona. "You think I understand men? Though it is good to see such a cute face after being stuck with you two uglies. Better hurry up though, you know how he gets when you make him wait."
Zoro rolled his eyes. "I've made him wait before, he should be used to it."
"You can't keep blowing him off you know," said Perona. "Eventually he'll track you down and those wings Blondie was fondling won't be there anymore."
Sanji turned beet red and shook his head furiously. "I wasn't—"
"Grow up," Zoro said, rolling his eyes. He pushed Sanji back from the rock, knowing if the idiot wasn't careful he would fall in again. "Tell Mihawk if he's waited this long, he can wait some more."
"You know you're not supposed to fraternize with humans."
"I'm not fraternizing," Zoro snapped. "Tell Mihawk he can suck my dick if he thinks he's going to get me to come and see him, the shitty bastard."
"Knowing him he'd like that," said Perona. "Look, just come with me just to shut him up, he's getting unbearable. He just stares at the coral all day and pets the stupid catfish like it's his child."
"Shanks hasn't come back recently?"
"They got into fight, it's another dry spell."
"What did they fight about this time?"
"Same things; Mihawk doesn't go out enough, Shanks travels too much. They're like a broken record."
Zoro sighed. He didn't really see a way out of this. He looked back at Sanji who was frantically looking between him and Perona, trying to put together anything, even the slightest sliver of what was going on. He realized that perhaps this was a bit much for Sanji to take in. And just like Sanji, when he didn't understand, he started to panic.
He started to chew fiercely on his cigarette, muttering under his breath questions, obscenities, anything. He was flicking ash and letting it blow in the wind. Sanji was probably going to explode soon, ask questions or at the very least, try to regain control of the situation that was quickly escaping his grasp.
"Oi, Marimo," snapped Sanji.
And here it comes.
"It's rude not to introduce a lady." Honestly, Sanji's old fashioned chivalrous attitude really annoyed him sometimes.
"Sanji, Perona. Perona, Sanji. Everyone nice and acquainted now?"
Almost immediately Sanji's eyes did that weird thing where they dilated and you could practically see hearts in them. "Oh, what a lovely name! Are you like fairy royalty?"
Perona blushed. She always liked compliments. Her fair pink wings were more delicate than Zoro's, but that was to be expected out of a female fairy rather than a male's. When it came to fighting the men took over. Zoro found it to be sexist, but he couldn't speak up about it, knowing what happened to the last person who defended women's rights. He felt his stomach sink, but he kept his composure.
Zoro turned to Sanji. "Look, I have to go. I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"But—"
"Gonna miss me, cook?" He couldn't stand to see the slightly confused, frustrated and almost hurt look in Sanji's eyes so instead he teased him. It was better to have the cook pissed than sad.
"Shitty bastard, I'm gonna—"
"Save it for when I'm back. I've seen you practice your kicks. We'll spar when I return."
Sanji blinked in shock and Zoro smirked. It was good to see even the cook could be rendered speechless. He shoved Perona farther underwater, not that it really hurt her at all and then dove in himself, leaving a dumbfounded Sanji at the shore.
Zoro remembered when he first saw the underwater world. It had taken his breath away with its colourful corals and seaweed and various fauna. The fish, the clams, the starfish. And of course, the mythical creatures like the mermaids and the water nymphs.
"So that's your reason, huh?"
Zoro shot a confused glance at Perona. Under the water speech did not exist, only thoughts. It was still weird to have someone penetrate his mind even after centuries of it. He rolled his eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"Mihawk's worried about you."
"Yeah, right."
"No, he is."
Zoro sighed. "What does he want?"
"I don't know."
"Not even the slightest idea?"
"Nope."
"Whatever. I'll deal with him."
They swam in silence until she broke it. "How old is he?"
"Nineteen."
"That's young. Didn't peg you for a pedophile."
"He's legal," Zoro refuted, though what he didn't know. After all, what kind of a future did he and Sanji have? So long as Sanji lived in that house, their strange friendship of sorts would work out. When he moved, Zoro would move on.
"You take too much after Mihawk."
"Need I remind you that I am not related to Mihawk?" Zoro scoffed. "At least I don't have a wine fetish."
"You know what I mean. The fact that you were going out so often was weird. Figured your reason was some sort of human."
Zoro didn't respond to that. The farther down they went the darker it got until he could see the palaces and homes of others. The lake's bottom was rather murky and yet it was clear with Zoro's heightened sense of vision. He instead busied himself with a school of fish so he wouldn't have to deal with Perona's nagging. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered what Sanji would think of this place. Knowing the cook, he'd probably see everything as something he could grill and yet something else told him that Sanji would be just as awestruck as Zoro had been his first time in the water.
"Do you miss it?"
The question was timid, like Perona wasn't sure if she should ask it. She rarely ever sounded so small, being such a loud and energetic girl. She turned to Zoro and he met her gaze.
"No."
"Liar."
"I'm not lying." Zoro paused. "I really don't miss it. I can't miss it. I don't … " Zoro felt a lump in his throat. "I hardly even remember it."
"Do you regret it?"
Zoro stared at her, wide eyed. This was more vulnerable than Zoro had ever seen her, suddenly asking him such questions. Zoro was silent, thinking about his answer before he would project it to her. Finally, he answered. "No. Not once."
Perona gave him a smile that was softer than her usual and the rest of the trip down to Mihawk's palace was in silence.
Whenever Zoro stood in front of the Kuraigana castle, he always felt small. It was part of the reason he rarely left. The doors were so big and the place was so daunting, overshadowing him by much and of course the one who sat inside of the palace was a piece of work so of course he was a bit touchy. It wasn't that Zoro was scared of Mihawk, no he respected the man, but still there was only so much gloom he could take.
The doors opened on their own and Zoro stood his ground so that the ripples the large doors caused would not blow him away. There was a sort of rivalry between Zoro and the owner of the house, in which he did things like this, standing his ground with no opponent because he felt as though he had to, in order to appear stronger to others who may stand at Mihawk's door.
"Come in."
Zoro and Perona walked in and in the living room with its almost stone-like tables and dark furniture there was the man himself sitting in the largest chair. He always did need to dominate the room.
In a palace with no water, words would be said, seeing as the building had been painstakingly made so that speech would occur. Words always sounded softer when spoken through thought. Perona, who usually sounded giggly and girly in speech would sound much softer and gentler in her thoughts, even if Zoro knew her true colours. Zoro would sound more relaxed, less emotion came through in thoughts, though to be honest, Zoro was pretty sure Mihawk just enjoyed the sound of his own voice.
"I don't like waiting, Roronoa."
Zoro rolled his eyes.
"How old are you?"
Zoro scoffed. "You've been looking after me for years, how do you not know my age?"
"Answer the question."
Zoro thought about it. If he had to estimate … "Around three hundred."
"Time to test what you know." Mihawk got that sly grin on his face he always got when he was about to torture someone. "Tell me about fairies and the laws of the folk."
Zoro gave Mihawk a strange look. "Why?"
"Do it."
Zoro sighed. "One can only become a fairy under circumstances such as being born of fairy parents, but there are exceptions to this clause." Zoro shivered at the memory. "A fairy's wings are highly sensitive and are used to help distinguish them from other fairies. No two fairies have the same wings. The wings are a symbol of honour and are not to be taken lightly, should never be touched by others except by intimates." Here, he couldn't help the blush that started to surface on his cheeks. "When a fairy reaches the age of maturity, which is between one hundred fifty and two hundred years, they are to—" Zoro froze.
"They are to?" Mihawk pressed.
Zoro gulped. "When a fairy reaches the age of maturity, they are to be wed."
"Exactly."
"But—"
"The laws are the laws, there is a reason why the Counsel took it upon themselves to implement it. You know fairies are in danger of extinction." Mihawk's critical eyes went up and down Zoro's body. "While I may not see you as one of my own, the Counsel recognizes you as one. A half-breed, but a fairy none-the-less."
This was a big deal. The Counsel only recognized fairies born of fairy blood, more often than not and though the race was on the verge of extinction, they still believed pure-bred to be better than any hybrids. Each fairy wore a piece of identification, Zoro knew. She had worn one. It changed depending on the person, but it was usually some sort of bracelet with an ID number.
"Seeing as the race is in dire need of more young ones, they decided to accept you into the race. Officially." Mihawk held out a green bracelet with a silver identifier on it. The fact that Mihawk, someone who had never accepted Zoro before, was the one giving it to him meant something significant but Zoro couldn't get over the horrible feeling in his gut. Of course, he could deal with being told he had to get married. But knowing Mihawk as he did, he wouldn't just call him to tell him to get laid.
Zoro took the bracelet gingerly in his hand and stared at it. ID #: ZRO70102221.
"Aren't fairies supposed to mate for life?" Zoro said.
"That is the tradition, yes," said Mihawk. "Don't think that just because you were technically married once means you will not be forced to submit to this law."
Zoro wanted Perona to look away. She was still just sitting there, watching this entire exchange without speaking and while Zoro knew that if he told her to leave, she wouldn't, having her see this, especially after seeing Sanji was just awful. She was looking at him with pitiful eyes.
"Why am I here?" asked Zoro finally. "Did you just want to give me a fancy trinket?"
"Being accepted by the Counsel, considering your blood, is nothing short of a miracle and a great honour." Of course Mihawk was like this. Zoro lived with the man along with the pink fairy, but unlike him, he and Perona did not have the same type of bloodline as he did. Mihawk was one of the rulers of the sea, making him someone of great power. It was the only reason why Zoro hadn't been kicked out a long time ago. The man swore he hated his guts, but then after about fifty years or so, there was no reason for Zoro to still be around. He was surprisingly hospitable, despite the way he always acted. "Do not dismiss it as anything less."
"There's something else, isn't there?" Zoro said.
"Yes." Mihawk faltered for a moment, closing his eyes and breathing deeply before he spoke again. "I have chosen your wife."
"Fuck no!"
"Zoro," said Perona softly.
"I believe she would be a good match for you, she is of your approximate rank, of course, not lower than you." Zoro knew immediately what that implied. No one can be lower than you.
"I refuse."
"You're in no position to do such a thing. The Counsel has finally approved of you; if you sully your name any more, you will begin affecting me." Mihawk leaned forward in his chair, his cat-like eyes narrowing on Zoro. "Unless, of course, you have someone else in mind?"
Zoro stared. "What?"
"If you have another person whom you wish to pursue, perhaps I would consider it. If, of course, I approve of them."
Zoro gulped.
"Do you have anyone in mind?"
A flash of blond hair and blue eyes blinded Zoro for a moment.
"No."
"Then you are to meet her later today."
Zoro nodded, his jaw tightly locked. He bowed before the master of the house before walking up the large stairwell. Anyone who knew him could tell his steps were not as calm as they appeared. They were brimming with barely concealed rage and frustration.
He could hear them as he left. Sound echoed. The mind was a much more private place.
"He's going for them." That was Perona.
"Let him."
"You know he does reckless things when he gets like this."
"Serves him right."
Zoro jumped out the window of the mansion, landing on his feet. His three swords were now attached to his haramaki. Others talked about him as he walked on the lake floor, they always did. They noticed the bracelet, but they could also tell he was angry. Fairies were very good at intruding on your thoughts; there was no such thing as privacy. If the wandering man wanted to read his mind while he was storming off, he could. Everyone knew Zoro. He was infamous.
He couldn't help smirking. He owed the cook a sparring match.
Anyone who saw that smirk of his could tell exactly what he was thinking. It was a mixture of anger, frustration and sadness.
When Zoro resurfaced, he found that Sanji was by the lake once again, almost in the exact same place he had been before.
"Don't you have anything better to do?"
Sanji leaned back slightly at Zoro's sharp tone. "Cooks decided to go away for a bit, didn't I tell you? They won't be back for the rest of the month."
Zoro nodded and hoisted himself up on the rocks. His swords brushed against the rock making a scratching sound. Sanji's eyes widened when he saw them. "I said we'd spar, didn't I?"
"I was totally right," said Sanji.
"Right about what?"
"You really are the missing samurai from the Feudal era."
Zoro couldn't help it. As upset as he was, he had to crack a smile at that comment. It was just so Sanji. He didn't react the way Zoro had expected a human who found out about fairies would. Rather he embraced the world wholeheartedly with a curious and open mind.
Zoro walked onto the grass, feeling it tickle the soles of his feet. "Let's see what you've got."
Sanji grinned. "Sure you can handle it?"
This was nice. Sanji had always been something farther from him, a world he couldn't quite reach, a world he could not truly remember, something he could reach for but couldn't fully see. He had thought he had known everything about humans but Sanji was becoming more and more unpredictable as he kept talking with Zoro. Now Sanji was just within reach, he was able to touch him, to slap him in the shoulder, to have his wings brush against him, to let Sanji touch him. A clean slate, someone who knew nothing about his past. Zoro hadn't realized how much he had needed one until now.
"You have no idea what I'm capable of."
Zoro pulled out his three swords. He missed this feeling, the feeling of fighting. But like riding a bike, despite the fact that his last true fight was at least fifty years ago, his hands hummed with excitement and energy. He knew exactly what he had to do. Placing hers in his mouth, he readied himself.
Sanji didn't question him, he only looked impressed. He didn't question why Zoro was risking harming his wings with this position despite the fact that he was the one always nagging him about taking better care of them, he nearly smirked, the way he did when he saw an upcoming challenge.
Zoro didn't know who moved first.
One moment they were a good few feet away from each other and then steel met polished boot and they were both skidding back from the impact. He grinned. He should've known Sanji would never lay down flat.
He slashed forward but Sanji jumped back.
Zoro lunged to swipe at his legs but Sanji kicked him in the face and he recoiled.
He tried to upset his balance, but instead Sanji twisted his leg around his own and gave a harsh pull, forcing Zoro to go tumbling to the ground.
Zoro pushed back against him, using his hilt to gut Sanji in the stomach. The cook stepped back, slightly winded but before Zoro could properly attack, he had recovered and was sending a roundhouse kick at him. He tried to avoid it, but it got him.
Okay, maybe he was a bit rusty.
Zoro made a clean cut at Sanji's midsection but the blond jumped back quickly and raised his leg to strike Zoro in the head. Zoro read his movements and got up in his space, placing himself exactly where Sanji wanted him, before capturing his leg between two of his swords.
Sanji grinned, sweat beginning to fall down his brow. "Impressive." He then launched himself upwards and flipped out of Zoro's grasp, forcing his swords to fall at his sides. "But not quite enough."
They stared at each other again, volumes being spoken without words.
Then Sanji attacked. He jumped up and aimed at Zoro's neck, but Zoro's wings caught the movements and wrapped around Sanji, pulling him close to him until their chests struck together. They were both breathing harshly. There was a bit of space, enough so that Zoro could not strike Sanji with his blade, but just barely.
"Let me go."
"Scared?"
"No." There were no lies in his eyes. "You'll hurt yourself."
And then Zoro was aware of the fact that his sword was dangerously close to cutting off his own wings. He pushed Sanji back and his wings went back to their resting position of sticking out of his body almost like extra arms.
They stood there in silence for a few moments, Zoro's mind racing, Sanji trying to catch his breath until Sanji took a deep breath and sighed.
"Bitch."
Zoro glared. "Asshole."
Sanji laughed, his head tilting back, his neck exposed so gloriously, small drips of sweat making his skin glow. "I wasn't calling you a bitch, though you are," Sanji said. "I meant bitch, like complain."
Zoro stared at him.
"You're upset, right?"
"… No I'm not."
"You hesitated."
"No I didn't."
"You did."
"Did not."
"Did too."
"Did not."
"Did too!"
Zoro threw his hands up in the air. "And if I did?"
"Then you really need to bitch more than I thought." Sanji sat himself down on the grass and crossed his sinfully long legs. "If you don't, then you won't ever be able to relax."
"How do you figure? If I've got problems, they're all my own." Zoro scoffed. "Besides, not like you'd understand them anyway."
"Try me."
"You don't want me to." Zoro sat down in the grass and tilted his head up to the sky. "Trust me on this."
"Fairy thing?"
Zoro nodded. "Just something the old man said …"
"I thought you said you had no family." Sanji's brow furrowed in confusion in an adorable way that made Zoro rather tempted to smooth it out with his own fingers. He shook his head. Going down that path was stupid.
"I don't."
"Then old man—?"
"Old-man-in-law, I guess."
"You're married?"
"Was."
Sanji seemed to put two and two together and fell silent. Zoro enjoyed silence, there was always something about it that just made him feel better, no more noise, no more sound, no more busy thoughts. It was relaxing and being above water meant no one could intrude on his own thoughts so it was private. And yet he didn't mind sharing his silence with Sanji. In fact, he might say he preferred it that way.
"What did the old-man-in-law say?" asked Sanji quietly. "If you still want to talk about it. I'm not a fairy so I might not understand, but I can try."
Zoro sat up and pulled his knees close to his chest. He watched a bird fly above his head. It's so free. And then he heard the unmistakable sound of the bird hitting the trunk of a tree. And so stupid. "You sure you really want to know?"
"I'm your friend, you're supposed to bitch to me."
Zoro took a deep breath and began. "According to fairy custom, once a fairy reaches maturity, they are bound by certain laws of the Counsel."
"The Counsel?"
"Imagine what you people call government." Zoro stretched out his arm to Sanji. "This is an ID bracelet. When you reach maturity, your parents take you to the Counsel and they officially recognize you as a fairy, add you to the population count, stuff like that."
"Like getting a driver's licence?"
"I guess." Zoro shielded his eyes from the sun and leaned back. The grass felt weird underneath his wings but being closer to Sanji made it worth it. Mostly. He readjusted himself a few times until he felt a bit more comfortable and nothing was poking into his back. "Anyway, fairies live a lot longer than humans. Average lifespan's about … a millennia I think." He didn't miss Sanji's gasp of surprise. "Would you believe me if I told you Perona's older than me?"
"That girl? But she's so small!"
"Yeah, and she saw the end of that Feudal Japan you're so obsessed about. She's not old though." Zoro paused to think. "I think she's … twenty-three in human terms? Aside from the wings when we're in our 'big' form, our biology is just about the same as the average human's. We age slowly."
He turned his head to the side, the uncomfortable feeling of grass tickling his nose made him irritable but Sanji was rapt in attention, not asking anymore questions, just focusing on every one of Zoro's words. It felt good to have someone listen.
"Anyway a fairy's maturity is reached at about … hundred seventy-five as an average I guess." Zoro held the bracelet up to the sunlight, reading the numbers once more. "They're over a century late."
Sanji choked on thin air. "How old are you?"
Zoro did some quick mental math. "'bout three hundred and nine."
"You look good for your age," was all Sanji managed to say in his surprise.
Zoro gave him a cocky grin. "You wish you could look this hot." Sanji gave him a gentle shove and Zoro laughed. "I'm not …I'm not supposed to exist."
The confusion in Sanji's eyes was obvious.
"It's hard to explain, but to put things simply, my old-man-in-law should've killed me. Nearly did and that was before the ceremony." He laughed, but there was no humour in his voice. He gulped, feeling a lump in his throat. "Fairies commit for life. And let's just say that once you're married, the honeymoon phase lasts at least a century or two. Since fairies are close to extinction and females are most fertile before they hit the five hundreds, a law was made." He covered his eyes from the sun, his bracelet catching the sunlight and nearly blinding him anyway. "Once a fairy is of maturity, they have until they're two hundred to find a mate. If they cannot, one will be chosen for them." Zoro sighed, covering his face with his hands. "I've been married before." Zoro was silent. It hurt to remember, but what hurt more was that it was hard for him to remember at this point. All of his memories blended together and now he couldn't tell the exact date she died, or how long they had had together. He just knew that one day he woke up and something was missing from him.
Sanji was silent as Zoro groaned. He used his arm to hide his face, scared he might start crying, something he had not done since her death. His other arm fell limply at his side. The cook watched him in silence until, tentatively, he wrapped their fingers together.
Zoro glanced towards their intertwined fingers and realized this was it. He was at the point of no return. He had forgotten warmth and Sanji's hand was so smooth and yet there were tiny calluses and he was so comforting and he just smelt so nice, like spices and the seasons and faintly of nicotine.
"Don't finish if you don't want to," Sanji said softly. "I shouldn't have pressed. It's rude to ask something like that." He bit his lip and Zoro swore it was criminal. "You can stop now, I was too insistent and I don't want to bring up back memories—"
"I'm getting married."
Sanji stared at him.
Zoro couldn't formulate words. He didn't know what he was expecting. Sanji to feel sad? To be hurt? This was why Zoro shouldn't have gone near humans; fairies commit for eternities, compared to that, humans commit for seconds. And he knew Sanji liked women, even if Sanji did have a whole thing about loving the idea of that one perfect someone, what delusional part of Zoro's mind had thought that person could be him? Love was never in the equation for him, it never had been. He rarely ever fell in love. He could now attest it happened twice. And twice, it was a bad decision. Because when Zoro fell, he fell hard. There would be no getting over this.
They sat in silence, Sanji completely oblivious to Zoro's epiphany.
Finally, Sanji spoke. "But you already—"
"Doesn't matter, because of what I am certain rules can be bent."
Sanji nodded slowly, processing. "Who is she?"
"Dunno."
"What do you mean you don't know?" Sanji asked. Zoro knew that this was expected of Sanji the romantic. He couldn't fathom the idea of falling in love with no previous attempts at love before marriage. He was a fairy tale prince, romantic, believing in true love. Too bad he wasn't written into Zoro's book. "That's a violation of your rights!"
Zoro sat up, making sure to keep their fingers intertwined. He wasn't sure if Sanji knew it, but he was rubbing his thumb in circles against Zoro's wrist and it felt heavenly. In case he didn't know, Zoro didn't want to point it out in case he stopped. "Tell that to the old-man-in-law."
"Do you think you can love her?"
"Dunno."
"This is so wrong on so many levels …"
"Don't I know it."
And then Sanji surprised him. He leaned onto Zoro's shoulder, as though the thought of Zoro's impending marriage was too much for him to handle and he just had to rest his head. It fit so perfectly it nearly killed him. Zoro's grip on Sanji tightened.
"That isn't fair to you."
"Life isn't fair."
"Is there any way out?"
Zoro bit his lip. Should he tell Sanji? He had already spilled his guts plenty. What was one more? "Yeah. One way." He squeezed his eyes shut. Was he really doing this? "If the one being forced to marry has someone else they plan to marry, then yeah. I could get out of it."
"Why not marry Perona?"
"She's married. Kumashi's his name I think."
"All the good ones are taken," Sanji said with a sigh. "What's her name?"
"Kami? Something like that."
"Hey Zoro …" Sanji's voice was softer now, quiet like. "What does that mean for us?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean … doesn't that affect us? When you get married, what's going to happen to this?"
"Nothing," said Zoro. Nothing will come out of it, nothing will change. "Why?"
"No reason."
He was blushing. Zoro swore, he would've kissed him then and there, all consequences be damned, had it not been for the simple fact of what it meant to be married.
"So … you're getting married …" Sanji bit his lip and they sat in silence.
"Yeah."
"So … should I give you something blue now?"
"What?"
"Something old, something new, something borrowed something blue. You know, for when people get married?"
Zoro rolled his eyes. "You can forgo all that. I'm still getting over my last wedding gift from the old-man-in-law."
"What was it?"
"Do you remember that scar?"
"Oh shit …"
"Yeah."
"I take it he didn't like you?"
"No one really does." Zoro shrugged. "I'm used to it."
"I like you."
Not the way I like you. "Besides you. And I think you're crazy anyway."
The rest of the conversation just flowed naturally between the two men until it was time for Zoro to convince Sanji that he really did need sleep. As he watched the blond walk away, despite the fact that he knew they were so far apart and yet so close, it had never really struck him till now.
There was a girl in the house when he got back from his visit with Sanji. She was lying on the couch with her legs woven in a way that could not be comfortable as she slept.
What the fuck?
Zoro knelt down beside her and poked her gently in the shoulder. She didn't budge. Not at all. And people called him a heavy sleeper. He laid his swords down next to him and stared. She was pretty, he supposed. She had green hair and fair skin.
Suddenly she jolted awake. Zoro grabbed his swords on instinct and they both screamed.
"DON'T KILL ME!"
"DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT!"
The girl's eyes were large and brown and innocent. And apparently she was a bit dim that she suddenly started screaming the moment she saw his swords again. "Don't cut me into pieces, I'm really young, I'm barely even a hundred!"
Zoro blinked and something clicked in his head. "Are you … Kimi?"
"It's Keimi."
"Shit, I'm sorry."
"Zoro, right? Sorry, that was my bad," said Keimi. "I was just surprised."
"Sorry for surprising you then." Zoro scratched his neck awkwardly. "No harm done. I guess Mihawk didn't mention I'm a swords-fairy?" The words sounded wrong on his tongue. Just … no. It didn't make sense.
"You're all wet."
"Yeah, just came back from the shore."
Keimi stared at him. "You must be really brave."
"The only ones who live up there is this blond guy and his dad." Zoro took off his shirt only to hear Keimi squeal in surprise. "Sorry." He awkwardly bunched it up in his hands. "I'll just change real quick."
When he came back down the girl was more composed, sitting upright and adjusting her skirt.
Zoro sat down across from her and they both fell into an awkward silence. It was tangible and was very close to strangling him.
"Look, you seem like a nice girl and all, but if you're really as old as you claim then there's no reason for you to be getting married," said Zoro. He leaned forward and stared just a bit closer at her. "You're not a fairy, are you?"
"No …" she said quietly. "I thought he told you."
"That old bastard tells me shit," Zoro snapped. She recoiled from him slightly. "Sorry. Um … look, the thing is …"
"Are you trying to let me down gently?" asked Keimi.
Zoro winced. "I wouldn't put it that way—"
"Are you?"
"Yeah. Kinda. Maybe."
She laughed and her laughter was a nice, pleasant sound that reminded Zoro of wind chimes. "It's okay, I don't really know what my father's thinking, trying to get me married. I mean I have my whole life to live!"
"Yeah," said Zoro.
"You're not going to ask me what I am?"
"Huh?"
"You know I'm not a fairy, don't you want to know what I am?" Keimi wasn't mocking him or anything, in fact, her voice was timid, almost as though she was scared of him.
"I don't think it's that important. I mean, you're a nice girl and all but I have no plans to marry you and from the sounds of it, you don't want to marry me either, so I fail to see how your race comes into play here. I don't need to know."
"Do you have a back-up plan?"
"Back-up?"
"I mean since you won't marry me. I'm fine, if I just suck up to my father he'll let me go and we won't have to talk about it for a generation, but what about you?"
Zoro shrugged. "I'll just deal with it."
Keimi was silent for a moment before she spoke up. "You love someone, don't you?"
Zoro shook his head. "Nah, don't be ridiculous." She gave him a pointed look, her innocent eyes practically prying it out of him. "Okay fine, yeah. Is it that obvious?"
"My kind have a knack for this kind of thing, so no, not to most. So why don't you marry her?"
"Can't." Zoro groaned, leaning back in his seat. "It's complicated, but it's not exactly love of the requited kind." That and she's not a she.
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I think I've spilled enough of my guts to you now. Don't you think you should get going?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
Zoro lead her to the door. "It was nice meeting you Keimi." Surprisingly, he found himself meaning it. "Maybe I'll see you around."
"Yeah. Maybe. It was nice meeting you too, Zoro. And good luck."
Then she stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him softly on the cheek. Into the shell of his ear, she whispered, "mermaid" before leaving.
Zoro shut the door behind her and paused for a moment.
Wait. Mermaid?
He pulled the door open again in surprise just in time to see her swimming away but instead of legs, he saw a cream coloured tail.
Perona was in his room.
Why the fuck was Perona in his room? Zoro sat up straighter on his bed and glared at her. "What are you doing here?"
"I live here, can't I just … exist here? Horohorohoro."
"Don't you have a husband to make-out with, or cute things to strangle?" That was a pointless question: her husband had been away on a business trip for the past few years and nothing cute within a five meter radius would let Perona touch them. A survival tactic for sure.
He expected some kind of biting comeback as she always provided, or for her to call him a meanie, but neither happened. Instead she traced a pattern on his floor with her foot before speaking. "So … you kicked her out."
"I did not kick her out, I walked her to the door."
"You still kicked her out."
"There was no chemistry," Zoro said with a shrug. "Besides it was mutual."
"Mihawk's going to be angry."
"Tough shit."
They fell into silence until Perona spoke.
"He's dangerous."
They both knew who he was.
"I know."
"You're going to get burned."
"Too late."
Perona looked at him with worried eyes. "I actually worry about you, you know. Not that you care or anything. And I know you were thinking of saying his name when Mihawk asked if there was anyone else."
Zoro scowled.
"I think you should've told him."
"Why?" Zoro put his arms behind his head and stared at the dull ceiling. "Nothing would come out of it."
"I think something would."
Zoro laughed bitterly. "Right."
"No, I'm serious. I think he might actually fall in love with you."
"Perona," said Zoro softly in a quiet voice. "Sanji can't swim."
"So? Doesn't mean you can't teach him."
"He nearly drowned in the lake a few months ago."
"Oh."
He could tell she was starting to understand now. "See what I mean?"
"But you never know—"
"Perona, you know what it takes for humans and fairies to get married." Zoro bit the inside of his cheek in distaste. "Sanji has a life, and it doesn't matter if he trusts me with his life or not, or whether he'd be okay with leaving everyone behind, which I know he wouldn't be. It doesn't matter how much I might be willing to drown for him, he would never drown for me."
Author's Note #2: Now first, before the thank-yous, another disclaimer that I will admit to now because to admit to it sooner would've spoiled things. The way Keimi works (because I know in the anime she always has a tail) is the same way H2O Just Add Water works. For those of you who never saw that show, it's basically girls who can turn into mermaids when they get wet. The number on Zoro's bracelet are actually references to One Piece. the 7 is for the days it takes till he takes a bath (one a week, if you check miscellaneous for Straw Hats, it's there), the 0102 is because the numbers associated with Zoro are 1 and 2, and lastly, the 21, a nod towards his age after the time-skip. Zoro's age itself, which is 309, is a reference to, if this story takes place in our year (2016), then Zoro has been around since the pirate era, which was from approximately 1650 until 1726. Finally, this whole idea that in order to get married to a fairy while being a human is from an idea of Poisoned Scarlett. It was really good and I had to do it, okay? I don't claim ownership over that at all.
Okay now the thank-yous!
July's fantasies: this is not a YouTube channel, but I am glad you would subscribe if you could. I hope this was as good as the last chapter.
veryfineautumn4869 (x2): I have no frigging idea how you ddi this, but you managed to review twice to the same chapter. I didn't even know that was possible. Clearly you're dying a lot. Maybe I just killed you some more with this cliff-hanger.
Meganehason ZOSAN-LAWLU LOVER: The whole point of cliffhangers is to keep you hanging and wanting for more, so I guess I did a good job.
Okay, now this story is set in an alternate-looking place known as Hokkaido Japan. There is a lake there called Akan lake where there are said to be fairies. Akan Lake is the only place in the ENTIRE WORLD where marimo grow naturally. And if Zoro were Japanese and were to live in Japan, he would come from Hokkaido.
Please review! I will admit I started to ship Keimi and Zoro for a split second while writing this. I like long reviews! I have a question for you: can you piece together Zoro's past? I played around a bit about genetics and children...