"I've got a tight grip on reality,
But I can't let go of what's in front of me here.
I know you're leaving in the morning when you wake up.
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream."

- The Only Exception by Paramore

I do not own One Piece, only (G) Oda sensei.

Warning: brace yourself, the feels coming.

If I had the chance to talk to someone who controlled mankind, the earth, the stars, the galaxy, the entire universe— everything, commonly referred to as the one above, I'd like to ask him a few things.

One—why do people leave?

Two— why does it hurt so much when they do?

Three — Will it be possible for them to return?

And Four— if they do, would it hurt less?

I couldn't quite comprehend how and why people enter your crappy life, turn it around, stay for a while, and leave unexpectedly. I didn't know these things were contractual and if only I did, I'd have taken my brain with me and not sign up for these. Because when they leave, there's this hole in my chest that makes it hard for me to breath. When they leave, my eyes continuously stung with tears. When they leave, they leave with my walls in ruins, my armor broken, and my zone defenseless. I become visible to eyes I refuse to be seen. I become naked to the world I detest to be a part of. Only selfish people would do this— heartless, even.

So, really, why do people leave? Why did Valentine take Saul and leave? Why did my mother join the research expedition and leave? Why did my foster father sell our house and leave? And Zoro—just the mere thought of you widens the hole in my chest. I tried to cure the gnawing feeling in my chest with a sigh but it had little to no effect at all.

People leave. And when they do, it's going to hurt so much. People leave. And when they do, they'll take off a piece of you without notice and carry it with them. People leave. And when they do, you'd wish for them to return. People leave. And if against all odds, they return, you wouldn't know whether you'd want the piece back or pretend that piece has never even existed to begin with.

People leave. Some say it's probably out of bravery to leave everything behind and be somewhere else. Others say it's of cowardice to leave and run away from things they didn't want to see, feel, and be in. I may never know why but they do. And I have to be ready enough for it. But honestly, no one can ever be prepared. We can pretend— put on a front and lock fear, anger, and sadness away where no one can see it. Yet it is there, and if no one else can see it, you suffer the privilege of being the only one who does. You can never be prepared for something that will crash huge waves at you. You can never be prepared for something that will open up beneath you and swallow you whole into darkness. You can never be prepared for something that will push you further to the end of oblivion. There are endless possibilities, but there's a limit to how far you will know.

So when Sanji took me out for a long ride this rainy morning to somewhere he wouldn't even talk about, the endless possibilities has run through miles and I couldn't put my brakes on it because as much as I'd like to drive myself through this, someone else was behind the wheel. Not me. Not Sanji. Not even you. And it took me thirty-two cups of coffee and sleepless nights to recognize that it was fear. Fear of the unknown— the limit to what I know. I didn't ask Sanji if this was about you because I already knew the answer. The furrowing of his brows, the dark circles under his eyes, and the disheveled blond hair told me that his two-day trip out of town turned out to be something he was not prepared for. This ultimately heightened the fear in me. The painful gnawing in my chest has gone worse and I willed myself to try to rein my tears back before it completely takes over me.

The silence was deafening. None of us dared to speak. Not even the stereo was turned on. The tension building up inside the car could break the unbreakable. I knew both of us could feel it but we chose to pretend. The skies grew darker and the rain shower turned to a massive downpour which just made the pounding of my heart worse. How could a morning drive be this dark and gloomy? How could the weather reflect what I feel every time I wake up? I shut my eyes and try to picture you in my mind like what I always did since you left.

"A lot of things in life are scary, Coffs." You looked straight into my eyes as the wind tousled your hair "Losing your favorite book is scary. Going to the dentist is scary. Finding out your neighbor's dog has rabies and you were petting it a while ago is scary. Getting lost in a city is scary. Sleeping not knowing if you'll ever wake up the next day is scary. Heck, waking up every morning not knowing what lies ahead is scary, as well"

You knew a lot about fears and told me about it but you were one of my fears as well, Zoro.

I opened my eyes when the car pulled to a stop. I bit my lip too hard it could almost bleed. With shallow breaths, I turned to Sanji, refusing to see where we were. "Why are we here?"

His hands tightly gripped the steering wheel, creases appeared on his forehead as he slowly turned to face me. I could see he was trying to avoid my questioning gaze as he tried to glance at me once in a while as he spoke. "I don't really know, Robin. I don't know the whole story. I just found out yesterday. Please wait for me here. I will be back!"

Before he could open the car door, I grabbed his arm, my fear eating half of my sanity. "Please tell me, Sanji. Please." My eyes were starting to sting and I was going to break down anytime soon.

For the first time since we hit the road, Sanji gazed straight into my eyes with sympathy. "It's not for me to tell!" He looked at me apologetically as he gently pulled me into his arms. "Now, please wait for me here, Robin. I will be back!"

Unconsciously, I had this fear of people saying "I will be back" whenever they leave. And when Sanji said the exact same thing before leaving, I wondered how great of a teacher you were, Zoro. Because no matter how it feared me, I still trusted him. Just as how I trusted you. Just how I trusted you, Zoro.

I dropped my gaze to my trembling hands on my lap, still refusing to see where we were. There must be a reason. And I fervently hoped that the reason wasn't what was on my mind. I tried to shove the thought to the deepest part of my brain and hide it there. But just as I was concealing it, my heart ached and tears were threatening to fall.

No. Whatever I was thinking just now wasn't true. And to prove my weak resolve, I let the stubborn side of me take over and stepped out of the car. I was drenched as soon as I got out, my hair and cardigan sticking languidly to my body. My glasses were fogged up, I almost couldn't see a thing but there was no denying that this place was not something I was fond of seeing. The last time I was in a cemetery was when my grandfather died. I was ten and my parent's marriage was hitting rock bottom. I remembered standing beside my grandfather's tomb while my parents fought inside the car. This place reminded me of too many unpleasant memories, thus my aversion towards it.

When I took another step towards the green grass that only reminded me of misery and grief, I felt weaker. I searched for Sanji, but the rain was making my vision hazy and I couldn't see where he was.

"What am I doing?" I whispered to myself as I removed my foggy glasses and carelessly wiped them with the hem of my wet cardigan which obviously didn't help when I placed them back on.

The rain was hitting me hard and I was shivering from the coldness. I walked further, looking at every tombstone I pass through. I didn't even know why I was doing that. I really didn't know what I was doing and that made me more frustrated. I flinched as a thunder roared. I was walking past on the tenth tomb when the next one rooted me to the spot. The tombstone was obviously newer unlike the others that I have seen.

R.I.P.

Here lies

Roronoa Zoro

June 7, 19xx - February 19, 20xx

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that takes our breath away. You are missed."

And just like that, I was crumbling down. How could this be possible? This is not real. "This is not real. This is not you. Tell me this isn't you, Zoro. Please tell me," I cried, my voice faltering.

Just to remind you guys, Robin here has glasses like in OP Strong World movie. Her parents would be Olvia and Kuzan, but I didn't include their names since I'd like to focus more on Robin. The grandfather would be Prof. Clover. I noted it here so that you'll have a better idea about it.

So, what do you think about this chapter?

please review and fave~