A/N: Prompt from Lion-chan!
'Samurai Zoro'
Note: Zoro is a hinin in this story, acting as the villages guard and occasional executioner.
Sakura bloom in the spring beyond the walls of a small village. Children in clothing that barely keeps the chill of the wind from their skin play underneath the trees, but never wander too far off.
"Zoro, I'm thinking that if I go to the next town I'll make more money that way," Usopp thought out loud, pausing in the playing of his flute to see if his green haired friend was still alive.
"Then go."
"Tch. Don't act like you care so much."
Silence.
"Fine. I get it. I'm getting food. You want some?"
"I'm good."
"Man cannot live on air and sarcasm alone, my friend. And you don't breathe all that much."
Zoro stared straight ahead as Usopp walked back down the main road and into the village, his eyes drawn to the movement behind one of the pink trees. A cloaked figure. It didn't appear particularly interested in the three brats rolling around on the semi-frozen ground, but there'd be hell to pay if something happened to them while he was on duty.
"State your business."
The words left his lips before the wind had time to catch up with his flash step behind the stranger's back.
The cloaked person looked surprised, apparently having seen this guard sitting like a statue mere milli-seconds ago by the village entrance. There was a gasp as one of the blades he held at his waist was lifted to the bare neck that still showed beneath the garment.
"I'm…I'm here to-"
"There she is!" came the angry shouts of men behind them, horse hooves thundering over the hill and what appeared to be short blades in their hands.
The cloaked figure gasped and tried to break away from Zoro's grasp, but he held fast, his eyes narrowing at the five horsemen coming straight towards them.
"They're here to kill me," the stranger whispered, trying to pry her hand from his. His eyes widened in surprise at the acutely feminine voice assuring him that what he now had on his hands was a damsel in distress instead of a creep. Funny how things turn out.
"Stay here," he ordered, flipping his hat back from his head and regarding his opponents. She did as she was told. The children had long since stopped playing and ran past Usopp who had just returned with some stew and now found his best friend surrounded on all sides by some big, burly looking bandits.
"Why must five men gang up on one girl in order to kill her," Zoro asked, not sounding particularly interested in the answer they could give.
"Shut up. Give her to us and we'll leave you alone."
"Tch. Fine."
There was the rushing of wind and the disturbance of more pink blossoms from the trees as Usopp struggled to figure out how his friend had managed to get from point A to point B in less time than it took the human eye to take in his feat. And the men groaning on the ground were testament to his victory. Blood oozed from their wounds.
"Get on your horses and leave this place," the green haired man ordered gruffly, replacing the hat on his head and taking the money from all of their travel bags. "This is my payment for having to dirty my blades."
The cloaked woman watched with her mouth agape as the men turned and ran.
"You…I thought all men had abandoned the sword long ago," she whispered as he passed. He gave her a look.
"No man who was brought up with the sword ever abandons it. Would you mind telling me," he asked in an annoyed tone before bringing a bottle he'd stolen from one of the men to his lips, "why in the world five men were chasing you?"
"Zoro," Usopp finally found his voice and walked over to them both. "What the hell just happened?"
"I'm afraid i can't tell you that," she said slowly, shifting a little and trying to move away from them. Zoro shook his head amusedly.
"No, no. I just saved your ass. I wanna know why. And stop it with the goddamn cloak, alright? It's creeping me out."
She turned quickly, trying to run, but he was faster. The hood fell from her face, and as she turned to look at the both of them, their looks of surprise evolved from 'kinda surprised' to 'spitting anything in our mouths out onto the grass and choking'. The cup of stew fell from Usopp's hands and he fell to his knees.
"She's from…she's the daimyo's daughter."
"YEAH, I CAN SEE THAT," Zoro yelled, face pale as a ghost. He stared into the pure blue eyes of the only current heir to the shogunate throne.
"What the hell is she doing HERE?"
"LIKE I'M SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT?"
"Please stop," she said desperately, replacing the hood and clapping a hand over Zoro's mouth. "No one must know I'm here."
"Apparently you suck at being under the radar, because not only do we know who you are, five guys with knives and horses were able to figure it out as well," he said critically, smacking her hand away. Usopp tackled him and put him in a head lock.
"WE ARE SO SORRY YOUR GRACE," the flautist blubbered, punching his friend over the head repeatedly, "MY FRIEND FORGETS HIS MANNERS. HE WILL NEVER STRIKE YOU AGAIN."
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT FORMALITIES," Zoro roared, kicking Usopp off and looking back at the girl he'd saved. She looked surprised at his angry tone.
"Look, I don't know why you're here, or what kind of things the fancy guys do in your court of candy-ass friendship land, but you're in the wrong place. You don't belong here, and if they catch us even conversing with you, we'll be killed. You know that right?"
She was silent, a blush rushing to her cheeks. He frowned.
"What?"
"Nobody…has ever spoken to me in such a way before."
"Yes, well, welcome to the real worl-"
She moved forward and pressed her lips to his, her blush splashing onto his face the longer he stood there not breathing. Usopp's soul left his body.
"I shall come and find you again," she whispered, running back up the hill and out of sight. Zoro stood where he was, half dead.
"How many deaths do you think that earned us," Usopp sobbed pathetically. "You just defiled the lips of the most sought after woman in all of Japan, you asshole."
"I'd say…" Zoro let the sentence trail off, trying to collect himself and walk back to his post. The children from before stood inside the village gate, two girls and a boy giggling to themselves.
"Zoro onii-chan has a girlfriend hee-hee…"
"Shut up," he muttered.
