AN: there is a theory, and it is hinted at in the manga, that Zoro and Luffy are either on the same island or two that are very close together, I am disregarding that entirely.

Also, time lines, I have messed with them a little, or a lot, in order to keep somethings reasonable, but then i had to make others unreasonable. it may not become obvious in this chapter but i am warning you in advance.

Zoro

Zoro did not swear as Kuina's sword came crashing down on his own and sent him flying, there was no point to it. It the background he could hear the other boys making noise, but it had no effect on him.

He needed to get stronger, that's all there was to it.

No one really understood Zoro, or knew much about who he was or where he came from. They did know that he had a very fierce desire to be strong and a seemingly stronger desire to beat Kuina, if how often he challenged her was any indication.

Kuina, for her part, probably knew the most about the green haired boy, but that wasn't saying much. She knew because she remembered and because he seemed just little bit more relaxed around her, which was odd since she and her father were the only two that could actually beat the hell out of him.

But then again, she realised as Zoro pulled himself up off the ground, we did practically raise him so it's not that surprising. Zoro had turned up one day a few years ago, able to tell them his name, age, and date of birth, and refusing to say where he came from, Kuina was still unsure if it was because he didn't want to go back or if it was because his sense of direction was so bad he wouldn't be able to find it if he tried.

But in the end, it didn't matter, and no matter what she said she was rather glad to have the boy with her. The others, even her father, seemed disapproving of her love of swords, and the fact that she could beat all of them hands down did not help the matter. Zoro was the only one that treated her like any other sword wielding manic that came to their dojo to learn … maybe that wasn't a good thing but oh well.

But even she had trouble understanding him. Zoro was driven, there was something in his eyes that seemed to say that this was a necessity and not an idle wish. Everyone knew that he wanted to be the greatest swordsman to ever live, but Kuina often saw something in his eyes that seemed to suggest that that impossible goal was nothing more than a stepping stone to something bigger.

Zoro was also impossibly strong for his age and even the adults respected him for that, but he also seemed to have a way of already knowing how to use a sword. Even if his forms were clumsy at first, she had watched as he picked them up faster than anyone else she had seen, had watched him practice moves she knew he hadn't learned yet in secrete.

The idiots here were impressed by his two-sword style, she'd seem him use three as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Kuina was fairly certain that Zoro already knew all there was when it came to the art of the sword. Zoro wasn't here to learn so much as practice, and truthfully speaking he could do that anywhere so long as he kept the practice swords on him or found somewhere else to get a hold of them. No, Zoro wasn't here because of the swords, he was here because he wanted to beat her in a fight, and that seemed to be all there was to it.

It both made her happy and rather scared, but if he really was only here for her, she guessed that it was also rather humbling.

ZOROZOROZOROZOROZOROZOROZOROZORO

Zoro quite honestly had no idea what was going on with himself half the time any more than anyone else seemed to. It was just that he got these weird … feelings, that he had more or less given up fighting.

Well, that wasn't quite right, but it was the closest he could get to explaining it.

It was a feeling of familiarity when holding a sword, even just a wooden training one, that seemed to speak from his very soul. It was the feeling of actions he had never seen guiding his muscles to move in ways which he knew from watching others would be devastating. It was the quiet respect he held for all blades when he could feel their very soul buzzing gently in his hands from even the most basic or standard blade they held in this dojo.

He had made himself master one and two-sword styles first, but he never felt more comfortable than when he was using three, three swords just felt right. It didn't take long for Zoro to be fairly sure that he knew everything this place could teach him and he just needed practice, but he wouldn't leave.

He needed to beat Kuina.

There was something … not quite right with the way she fought. Something that, while she continued to get stronger and better as she got older, seemed to grow as well as it held her back. He needed to beat her, if for nothing else than just so that he could find out what the hell was suppressing the strength of the only person that could give him a run for his money in this dojo before he headed off to bigger opponents.

That would always make him frown.

Zoro sucked at directions, even he could admit that the world seemed to turn in ridiculous ways so that north and south always ended up in different places to where they should be, which meant that he was likely to end up somewhere completely different to where he intended to go. So, the fact that knew exactly where to head in order to find something that he knew would be very precious to him was more than a little worrying to him. It was a constant tugging near his heart that had become his compass point because while he couldn't point to north or south and be anywhere close to correct he could always point in the direction of that tugging and get the exact same direction each time.

Well, almost, he had stood absolutely still once and felt as the tugging had moved from the direction it was pointing to so Zoro suspected either it was being moved by someone else or the tugging was going to something alive. He didn't particularly care.

Zoro got weird feelings that he had more or less given up fighting, and those feelings said that if he wanted to be able to keep whatever was on the other end of the tugging then he had to be the best, anything less and he would lose it to someone else.

So, Zoro trained and fought because he needed to be strong, he needed to be the best and he needed to be able to protect what he wanted to protect, and he and Kuina were delusional if they thought being the best in this dojo was any real indication of strength.

ZOROZOROZOROZOROZOROZOROZOROZORO

Zoro had had enough, he had challenged the blasted girl 2000 times, and he still couldn't win, and whatever the hell it was that was eating away at her was only growing and it irritated him to hell that not only was she beating him, she wasn't even using her full protentional.

So, this time they'd use real swords, maybe a fight with another's soul working with her own would force her to unlock whatever was eating away at her.

She predictable won, and then rubs it in his face.

'That makes 2001 times I've beaten you!' and at her words Zoro gave up on trying to keep his cool.

'Damn it! It's so frustrating!'

And apparently his own breaking was what it took to finally get the damn girl to reveal what was eating away at her. 'I'm the one that's frustrated,' she muttered later when they were relaxing outside the dojo, for all their fights they were practically brother and sister.

'Huh?' she's frustrated? He'll never be able to retrieve his treasure at this rate, whatever it is.

'When girls get older, they become weaker than boys. Pretty soon you'll be stronger than me. Zoro, you're always saying … that you're going to become the world's greatest swordsman … dad says that girls can't be master swordsmen … you're lucky you're a boy, Zoro … I want to become the world's greatest swordsman too!

'But I'm starting to get breasts … I wish I was a boy …'

Of all the … she's been held up all these years by nothing more than insecurities about her gender? And she's crying over it, his frustration level just reached new heights.

'What the hell are you crying about? You beat me! That's not fair, beating you is part of my dream!'

'Zoro …' she looked shocked, good, maybe it'll shock her out of her own idiocy. Weren't girls supposed to be smarter? Nami and Robin certainly made them out to be …

Who the hell were Nami and Robin? Oh well, he'd think about that later.

'Someday I'll beat you because I worked hard, not because you got weaker! It's got nothing to do with being a boy or a girl! I'm training all the time to beat you and you go and say stuff like that that makes me look bad!

'Let's make a promise to each other. Someday, one of us will be the strongest swordsman ever, we'll fight each other for the title, and the winner has to look after the others treasure!'

And finally, she dried her sad tears, but then she just started to cry over something else. 'You idiot, you're too puny! It's a promise.'

And suddenly her smile was almost predatory. 'And don't worry, I'll look after this mysterious "treasure" of yours.'

Zoro froze as she ran off laughing, that was not something he had meant to let slip. But at least it meant that if he couldn't protect it himself then there was someone else willing to do so for him.

It was very early the next morning when one of those … feelings of his started playing up. Zoro was in the middle of training in the predawn light when he was suddenly struck by the feeling of absolute terror, the need to get back to the dojo or something very bad was going to happen, something irreversible.

He was running before he was even sure that was what he had decided to do, but then he wasn't deciding much of anything right then other than the need to hurry, hurry, hurry, as fast as possible because he's about to run out of time.

He'd just reached the stairs when he saw her foot go out from under her, watched as she started to tilt over and fall down.

Some would prioritise their own life, hope she gets away with nothing but a few broken bones, but Zoro knew that if she falls then she is going to die, no questions asked.

So, in probably the most foolish decision of his life, he caught her, broke her fall and more than one or two of his own bones as her larger weight comes crashing onto him.

His last thought before pain the dragged him down under is that he hopes she does what he would have done because neither of them, her or him, know what it is he has to protect so badly.

ZOROZOROZOROZOROZOROZOROZOROZORO

Kuina looked down at the surprisingly small lump lying underneath the sheets on the futon and couldn't stop hugging herself and shaking as the shock had yet to wear-off and instead seemed to be getting worse as time went on and the lump didn't move.

He was alive, though the doctors said it was a close thing. The number of bones broken from being trapped between her and the stairs was high, not to mention the rather large bump to the head he took during the fall. Someone had made the comment he was lucky he was so hard headed or he wouldn't have survived, neither her nor her father had thought it was funny.

She was the best swordsman in the dojo, but even someone like her tripped and fell occasionally, and this time it had nearly cost Zoro his life, still might.

Her memories of what had happened were blurry with panic. She vaguely recalled the step not being where it should be, the feeling of wind rushing as she fell and closing her eyes in preparation for pain before colliding with something that was too warm and soft, despite hard muscle, to be the wooden stair she had been set to hit. The feeling of continuing to fall below horizontal as arms wrapped around her, the sickening crack and slight jolt as they hit the stairs and then even worst the bumpy slide as they just kept on going.

Struggling to get up when they finally stopped moving, looking down and screaming at the sight of blood and limbs twisted in the wrong direction and a flash of green hair. She hadn't stopped screaming until help had come and her father had had to drag her away so the doctors could arrive and see if there was anything they could do.

And now here she sat, huddled, staring at Zoro, her friend, her god damned brother, as he lay still on his bed that had been moved to her room and fought for his life. She couldn't stop shaking, or silence that harsh, dark, little voice that whispered that it was all her fault and it should be her lying on that bed.

Her father was the only one other than the doctors that she would allow into the room, he had made no secret to her over the years that he considered Zoro a son in the same way she considered him a brother. He was a part of the family whether he knew it or not.

'Please tell me you're not crying, I got enough of that last night.'

Kuina startled at the voice, she had spent the last few hours (or was it days?) wondering if she would ever hear it again, she definitely had not expected to hear it quite so soon or so clear.

She looked up into Zoro's open, awake, clear eyes and felt such a rush of emotion she didn't know what to do. Part of her wanted to hug the brat, part of her wanted to hit him for being so reckless, the only sane part of her brain reminded her that either action could well cost Zoro his life the way he was now.

'Two days ago,' she corrected him, she knew that the doctors had taken a while to patch him up and she vaguely recalled her father trying to get her to eat Dinner a while ago so it was probably passed midnight at this stage.

Zoro frowned, apparently not happy with the news.

And she lost what little control she had over her emotions.

'You are an idiot. What the hell possessed you to do something like that? Do have any idea …' she had to stop and take a breath to keep from yelling and waking everyone else up. 'You could have died.' It was barely a whisper.

'And you would have.' There was no hesitation in his voice, this was fact and the knowing look in his eyes scared her.

'You broke your back, you won't be able to walk for months and if it had been a millimetre off you would have never walked again, ever. It would have been the end of your dream even if it wasn't the end of your life.'

'But it wasn't, and I will. Your life for the possibility of that was not much a trade-off. Besides, I would have worked around it.'

She stared at him. Something was … different about Zoro, he looked more confident, more determined, she wondered vaguely if the bump to the head had knocked something loose.

She kept quiet for little while longer and then stood up to leave. 'I need to go get the doctors, and father, let them know that your awake.'

'I'm leaving as soon as I can walk,' his words froze her at the door. 'There's something I need to find and this has shown me that I don't have time to waste.' God, she wanted to cry at his words and the knowledge that she couldn't stop him. 'Don't worry, I'm sure we'll meet again on the seas one day.'

And fighting tears she smiled at him and when to get her father.

Several months later Zoro left on a boat with three swords at his side and a teary family left behind.

A while after that Zoro found himself attached to a rubber child, much to the annoyance of said boy's two older brothers.

End note: not that happy with this chapter, would like to go over it a few more times for editing but then it would be late. I hope people like it regardless and the next chapter should be better.

A guest reviewed last chapter and said there should have been more conflict, I thank you for you input and will try to work on that, but it was sort of on purpose because how I set this story up.