Chapter 10

It was a calm day and everyone was doing their normal thing, Luffy running around looking for anything edible complaining that he was bored, Usopp working on some weapon or something, Nami reading on the deck while ordering Sanji around with him doing whatever she asked, Chopper was in his room doing research, and Zoro and Sakura were sitting together.

They had been talking and watching Sakura's crew train and play a few games with Luffy occasionally joining in, but now Sakura was asleep leaning on Zoro's shoulder. He smiled down at her as she breathed softly snuggling closer to him. He was happy that she was finally spending more time with him; actually it was more like he was following her everywhere like a little lost puppy.

Everyone had noticed this and was constantly making fun of him for it, only to result in them almost being punched. He gently navigated his arm around Sakura and pulled her a little closer. He remembered all the afternoons they had spent under the very tree they had meet under. Some days they talked about their dreams, goals, or memories, other times they would nap.

That was something Zoro had always enjoyed doing, but the more time he spent with Sakura under that tree the more he found it difficult to fall asleep when she did. He always found himself silently admiring her as she sleep.

At this moment he found himself doing just that, he watched as she slowly smiled in her sleep, and he faintly wondered what she was dreaming about. He noted how two of her sharp teeth peeked out from her top lip and lightly pierced her lower lip, and how her nose would twitch every now and again.

He looked away, exhaling deeply as he looked out at the sea. His mind drifted to find a cure for Sakura, could Chopper really do it, he wondered, or would he have to put all his faith in find some apple that was only known by old sailors who usually started drink at ten in the morning. Was it even possible to find a cure? Would he have to except the fact that one day Sakura might not be here?

He shook his head ridding the horrible thought from his mind; that was when he noticed that some of Sakura's crew men were looking at them, more specifically her. They all looked worried and sad; they seemed to be thinking something along the same lines as Zoro.

Zoro had felt hurt and angry at the fact that those men had known of Sakura's cancer but she had held out on telling him from so long. She even went to the point of trying to completely avoid him; he had always been the one she had told first, no matter what it was. He was her best friend; they had never kept a secret from one another, never. Sakura had told him everything and had asked him for advice on everything.

At fifteen Sakura was beginning to look more and more like a woman, Zoro had only just noticed this fact when he saw her walking down the street with one of her other friends. She had been wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top, though she usually wore something like that when they went out into the forest, she looked different to him somehow. She was smiling and laughing, her red hair was pulled up into a high pony tail that swished as she walked.

Zoro thought for a moment trying to figure out how she was different that day. That was when he noticed that she was holding hands with the guy she was walking with, and Zoro blood began to boil. He couldn't stand the thought of someone else touching his Sakura. 'Wait, since when was she mine?' Zoro thought to himself.

He shook his head and turned deciding that training was the best way to get Sakura out of his mind.

Several hours later, Sakura arrived at the training grounds watching him intently as he slashed at the poor unfortunate piece of wood in front of him. "What did that thing ever do to you?" she asked amusement evident in her voice. Zoro turned at the sound of her voice to see her standing in the shade of a tree a lazy grin on her face. "Nothing." He muttered angrily, as he sheathed his two swords, the image of her and the boy holding hands coming to his mind.

"Well don't you sound happy." She stated as she walked over to him, and that was when he realized what was different about her. She was a woman now, not a small child that ran around covered in dirt. Sure she was still covered in cuts and bruises and a little dirt, but she wasn't a little kid anymore.

When Zoro came back from his thoughts he saw he standing right in front of him standing in her tippy toes looking into his eyes, "Hey, you paying attention?" she asked sounding slightly annoyed, Zoro took note of how close she was and felt heat rise into his cheeks and he leapt backwards away from her.

She raised an eyebrow at him before grabbing his hand and pulling him along with her, Zoro looked down at their joined hands and noticed how small her hand was as it wrapped around his own. Soon they were at their tree and she let go sitting on the ground her back against the tree.

Zoro quickly sat next to her and leaned back, "So what's up?" he asked tiredly knowing it had to be something pretty big if she had stopped him training. Sakura thought for a moment, she had her hands clasped in her lap and she was pushing her thumbs together, something she had always done when she was nervous.

"I just had my first kiss." She blurted out all of a sudden, her words came out in a jumble and Zoro had to think about them for a few seconds before they made sense. "What?!" he shouted angrily, causing Sakura to jump. "Yeah, I was hanging out with one of my friends when suddenly he kissed me." Zoro felt his blood begin to boil and he felt like he had to punch something or someone.

"I told him I didn't like him like that though. I don't know what to do now; it'll be all awkward when we hang out now!" Sakura said in frustration. Zoro felt somewhat smug when he heard that she had turned the guy down and came up with an idea, "I guess I'll just have to be there when you hang out with this guy now, you know so it won't be awkward.

" Zoro smiled down at her feeling his anger melt away a little. "Really?!" She asked happily," You'd do that for me?"

"Of course I would." He said with a smile, and at that moment Sakura launched herself at him hugging him tightly, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She shouted again and again. Zoro decided that no other guy would get the chance to be alone with his Sakura every again. 'Wait, my Sakura? What the hell is wrong with me today?'

Yay for chapter 10! Okay so I wrote this last night and I go to school the next day and my friend tells me she had her first kiss I was all like o.O then I was like *.* I'm freaking awesome for predicting that *Nods all cool like* So yeah, tonight was the first Freshmen and Sophomore team Football game. I didn't go... me and my friend are going to go to the varsity games though! Yay Football!

Yay that's about it...

Thanks for reading!

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