Chapter 11: Kuina
((Author's note: Exams are finally over and so is school! Finally! Hopefully now I'll be able to get chapters out quicker! I know I'm a super slow when it comes to getting chapters out, so sorry about that and thanks for sticking with me XP))
((Author's note QnA: Thank you so much Aster Knight Sapphire for the great tips! They really helped and I'll try to keep them in mind as I continue writing!)) ((Warning: There is violence and gore))
The wind blew ominously through the field blowing the grass with a small rustling noise. As soon as the wind past and the two swordsmen where left in complete silence, Zoro rushed at his rival using the sword in his left hand to slash at the girl. Kuina raised her sword over her head bringing it down to block Zoro's strike as a huge clash was heard. Then, the green haired swordsman used his other sword to slash at the girl as she quickly dodged him, having her blue bangs cut by the katana.
Kuina quickly made a counter attack slashing her sword at the small swordsman's head as her rival quickly blocked it. The force of the blue haired swordsman's attack caused him to wince slightly as they pushed off each other and slid backwards.
There was a slight pause as Zoro clenched his teeth unable to find an opening in his opponent's techniques while she stared him down calmly. Finally the two of them cried out as they ran at each other exchanging countless clashes unable to get a hit. Each strike they threw at each other had all of their might in it, both of them using every ounce of strength they could muster.
After they still couldn't get a hit, the barrage of attacks ended. Both swordsmen pushed off each other once again finding themselves back at a distance from each other. Zoro was panting heavily unable to catch his breath as Kuina remained unaffected despite the amount of energy they both used.
"Two real swords are heavier then you thought huh?" She stated seeing her rival's exhausted condition. Zoro gritted his teeth together in frustration as he watched a small smirk play across Kuina's lips. "See? You still lack strength."
The green haired swordsman's face twisted up in anger at her comment. "Shut up!" He yelled at his rival. Before he could regain his focus Kuina was already running at him with incredible speed. Zoro was unable to react in time as she slashed at his chest, knocking both swords out of his hands. The force caused the green haired swordsman to go flying back. As he fell through the air he could see his life flashing before his eyes. He lost, he was going to die.
Kuina quickly flipped her sword so the blade was facing downwards as Zoro widened his eyes preparing for the strike. However, the hit never came. Kuina's sword stabbed into the ground right next to the green haired swordsman's head.
Another ominous wind passed the two of them as they froze, looking at each other in complete silence. Finally, Kuina smiled narrowing her eyes at the defeated rival. "Win... Number 2001." She stated quietly with pride hearing Zoro's swords finally fall from the sky and stab into the ground.
Kuina stood back up whipping her hair to get the sweat off. Then, she pushed the blue back out of her face closing her eyes and hearing the quiet whimpering noises coming from the ground bellow her.
Zoro put his hands over his eyes trying desperately to hold in the tears and keep himself calm. "Damn it..." He muttered taking a few ragged breaths. "This sucks...! I...I hate it...!" He cried again unable to accept what had happened. He should have been dead. Zoro challenged Kuina to a fight with real swords so that he could die in battle or... so that he could finally win against his rival and be strong enough to control the demon. That way he wouldn't have to hurt his nakama again. Now neither of those things happened. He was still alive, Kuina didn't kill him… Zoro couldn't defeat his rival and was still unable to stop himself from hurting his nakama.
"I'm the one who should be crying out of frustration, not you." Kuina said calmly looking down at the green haired swordsman. Zoro slowly brought his hands down from his eyes looking up at the blue haired swordsman with a bit of confusion.
"When girls grow up, it's natural for us to develop into physically weaker beings then men..." Zoro sat up slowly from the ground with watery eyes listening in shock to what his nakama was saying. "Even you will catch up to me soon enough..." Kuina looked up at the clear night sky talking with a tone of complete hopelessness.
"I've always heard you say to me, you're gonna be the world's greatest swordsman. When I told my father the same thing, he said I could never be that. And I know...! I know that! but... It's just so frustrating! You're lucky Zoro... Being born as a man..." The green haired swordsman climbed to his feet clenching his fists. It took all of Zoro's self-control to stay quiet and wait for her to finish.
"All I ever wanted was to be the world's greatest swordsman...!" Kuina put her hand on her chest as she closed her eyes tightly catching Zoro off guard and causing him to blush slightly. "My breasts have even started to grow up now. If only... If I had just been born a man!" Tears escaped the blue haired swordsman's eyes and ran down her cheeks as she clenched her teeth together tightly.
Zoro shook in anger at what his rival was saying clenching his fists with all his might. "Don't fly off at the mouth wining like that after you beat me!" Kuina opened her eyes shifting her gaze to meet Zoro's. "Because it's not fair! You're my goal! You know how this makes me feel!?"
"Zoro..." Kuina muttered weakly widening her watery eyes in shock. Her eyes shone in the light of the moon as her mind cluttered, unable to decide what to believe anymore. There was such fiery determination in Zoro, just like there was when he was fighting.
"Boy this! Girl that! Are you gonna keep up that same kinda talk after I beat you some day!? Like skill is irrelevant...! That's just an insult to all the training I've been pouring on every day! So don't say that crap would ya!?" The green haired swordsman walked closer to Kuina looking into her eyes, she could tell how serious Zoro was from his expression. "Now promise me... Promise me that someday one of us will be the world's greatest swordsman!"
"Huh?" Kuina gasped lightly as her eyes became slightly less watery. Zoro didn't care whether she was a boy or a girl, he never did. He truly believed in her, he believed that she could become the world's greatest swordsman. He believed that they were equals despite her gender.
"We'll compete and see who gets there!" There was a long pause as the two of them looked into each other's eyes deeply, feeling their emotions and understanding each other's thoughts.
Kuina turned away, closing her eyes and smiling to herself. "Dummy... You're so weak." Zoro held out his hand determinedly to Kuina, waiting for his rival to take it. The blue haired swordsman turned back to him slowly taking his hand as they announced their pledge together under the bright full moon.
"It's a promise!" They both smiled at each other releasing their hands. Zoro turned his back to her slowly walking to the two katana and pulling them out of the ground. As he did Kuina walked over to where they put their sheaths before the fight, placing her blades back inside it once again.
"Hey... Zoro..." Kuina said quietly as their backs faced each other. "Don't try to pull anything like that again... That idea of dying to protect me." She turned to him smiling slightly. "Now that we've made a promise, you aren't allowed to die until we've fulfilled it."
Zoro shook slightly as he grabbed his swords a bit tighter turning around and looking at the ground. He nodded in consent at what she said pausing for a moment. "The same goes for you." He responded quietly walking towards her as he grabbed the black sheaths and put his swords away.
"You don't have to worry about me." She said a bit concededly walking towards the dojo with her head held high. "Now common. It's already late. Sensei will be worried." Kuina stated changing the subject of the conversation.
"Ya... You're right." Zoro agreed calmly following his rival back to the dojo. They were both tired from their fight and looked forward to lying down in a nice soft bed. When the two of them got back they quickly stopped by the storage room to put the swords back where they found them so that Koshiro wouldn't find out what they did. When the two swordsman where sure the katana where safe, they ran back to the dojo crawling into bed and going to sleep.
...
The next day started out like any other... Kuina, Koshiro and Zoro ate breakfast together like a family as they usually did. Zoro trained first thing in the morning as Kuina had a sparring match with the referee. She was even stronger than before, so determined from what happened the night before that it caused her fellow students to stare in shock, along with her father. Kuina's power was so overwhelming it was incredible. The blue haired swordsman completely over powered the man she was fighting against.
"Woh...!" One of the students exclaimed widening his eyes almost unable to see her movements. "She's gotten even stronger than before!" The referee was finally unable to keep going as he was pushed back and fell onto his behind. Kuina sighed deeply, watching the man scratch his head with a smile.
"You are quite an incredible fighter, Kuina." The referee grinned in defeat. He chuckled slightly rubbing his back side to stop the throbbing from the fall.
"It's only natural." She responded with a smirk glancing at her father to see his shocked face. "Now if you'd excuse me, I have matters to attend to." Kuina said walking out of the dojo with a smug look on her face. The facial expression her father made was priceless, she loved how surprised he was at her strength. She'd definitely prove him wrong. She was going to be the world's greatest swordsman and prove to her father that gender didn't matter.
"If I'm going to be the world's greatest swordsman I better start practicing with a real sword." Kuina said to herself noticing that in the fight with Zoro her movements where a bit slower due to the fact that she wasn't use to the weight of metal blades. She made her way over to the storage room pushing the door open and laying her eyes on the Wado Ichimonji, still in the same place that she left it the night before. Kuina closed the door behind her walking over to the katana and unsheathed a bit of the sword again to look at the blade seeing that it was a bit worn out from her last fight. "I better sharpen it first." She whispered quietly smiling slightly to herself.
Kuina sheathed the blade again and took the white katana off of its beautiful golden stand. She turned around quickly climbing up the store house steps to get her sharpening stone.
...
After Zoro finished his reps with the giant rocks he sighed quietly letting the weights hit the ground. He was about the pick up the bamboo sword resting on the ground near him until Zoro remembered what Kuina said to him during their fight, her voice echoing through his head. 'Two real swords are heavier then you thought huh?'
Kuina was right when she said that, he wasn't strong enough to use metal swords. His movements where slower and it took a lot more energy out of him then he thought. However, it would be different next time. Zoro was going to practice with real swords so that he'd be able to fight at full strength with them. He wasn't going to become the world's greatest swordsman with a bamboo katana after all.
"Yosh!" He said to himself walking towards the storage room to get his katana. "Once I get the hang of using two real swords I'll start using three! That'll be enough to beat Kuina for sure!" Zoro smiled to himself opening the heavy storage house doors.
He walked out of the sunlight and into the darkness of the storage room closing the doors behind him. There was nothing but silence as Zoro's eyes adjusted to the darkened room. When they did he was finally able to spot the plain black katana leaning against the dusty box, exactly how he left them the night before. Zoro unsheathed one of the swords seeing that the blade was a bit dull from his fight with Kuina the night before.
"I should sharpen these." He said to himself taking them off the box and looking past the light from the open window to see the storage house steps. He made his way over to them climbing up slowly as he heard each of his footsteps echo throughout the big, quiet building. When he finally reached the top, the light from the window could no longer be seen as his eyes had more adjusting to do for the new shade of darkness. From memory, he was able to start walking towards the room with the sword sharpener in it. Zoro reached for the doorknob as his hands just passed through air, his eyes finally adjusting enough to see that the door had already been opened. The green haired swordsman peered upwards as his gaze met with Kuina's who was standing at the door.
"Zoro?" The blue haired swordsman asked questionably seeing the two katana in her rival's hands. Kuina had thought that she was all alone in the storage house; the blue haired swordsman didn't hear Zoro coming. "What are you doing here?" She asked raising an eyebrow at him guessing that it was for the same reason as her.
"I was going to sharpen my katana." He responded seeing that Kuina was about to do the same thing, she already had the Wado and the sword sharpener in her hands.
"Oh I see." She stated walking past him calmly. "You can use the sharpening stone when I'm done." Kuina said starting to make her way towards the stairs. Suddenly, the little swordsman got a heavy feeling in his chest looking at Kuina's back as she got further and further from him. Time seemed to slow down suddenly as his breath caught in his throat. He didn't understand why he felt that way, he didn't understand why he felt as if he should get as far away from her as possible.
"I wouldn't think the Wado Ichimonji would get dull so easily..." The green haired swordsman forced out of his mouth, unable to take the heavy silence any longer. He ignored his feelings and took a casual step towards her to head outside. Maybe he was just tired.
"You aren't wrong." Kuina stated simply, stopping at the top of the stairs to talk and unsheathing the blade. She ran her finger along the metal looking at it carefully. "However, I need to keep this sword in top condition. It would be a shame to let it get worn out." The blue haired swordsman stated smiling slightly as she looked at the beauty of her sword, intrigued by its charm.
"How did you get it?" Zoro asked curiously, wondering how she could afford something so expensive. The question caused Kuina to think back to her past, getting lost in thought as she remained quiet for a moment. As the blue haired swordsman's mind became clouded she didn't notice her finger get a bit too close to the edge of the blade. As she ran her finger across the sharp part and cut herself wincing slightly as a trickle of blood spilled out.
"I guess it was a bit sharper than I thought." She muttered choosing not the answer her rival's question in hopes that he would forget about it. Kuina held her finger in front of her eyes to observe the deep cut as drops of blood hit the ground bellow her. "Oh well... It's not too bad." The blue haired swordsman smiled slightly dropping her hand back down by her side and looking up at Zoro. There was something wrong, his eyes where fixed on Kuina's finger as his body shook vigorously. "I said its fine. Don't worry." The blue haired swordsman stated again in a bit of an annoyed tone unable to understand what was going on.
Suddenly, the truth hit her as the green haired swordsman's eyes flashed red. Zoro quickly grabbed his face and chest hunching over as the bloodlust hit him harder than ever before. He gripped them tighter trying to fight his thirst but it was impossible, the craving was too much.
The blue haired swordsman saw Zoro's eyes peer through the cracks of his fingers and fix on Kuina's injury as he took a shaky breath. "Blood..." He whispered darkly as his gaze grew cold and blood thirsty. The corners of his mouth rose slightly as he slowly licked his lips. There was something ominous about the small swordsman, and Kuina new that something was wrong. Her body shook unwillingly as her mind raced. Something overwhelming was telling her to run...
"Z...Zoro?" The blue haired swordsman stuttered as her heart pounded in fear. The red eyes... That cold look... It took over Zoro so suddenly, just a second before he was acting normal. He wasn't angry, he wasn't desperate... So why…? Why was he acting like that demon!?
Kuina followed her nakama's gaze finally understanding where what his eyes where so fixated on. "Blood." Kuina stated to herself in realization hiding her hand behind her back hoping it would turn Zoro back to his old self. She had flashes of what happened to her the last time Zoro was taken over by his demon knowing that it wouldn't be that easy. Having no other options, Kuina readied herself for an attack.
The green haired swordsman unsheathed his two blades lunging at Kuina with his extraordinary speed and strength. She quickly dropped the sharpening stone along with the Wado's white sheath and used all of her power to parry his sword away. She slid back slightly from the force finding her heels at the edge of the stairs. Kuina kept her balance spinning away from Zoro's sword and sliding back from the stair case.
Despite her fear, the blue haired swordsman took a deep breath keeping her cool and thinking the situation through. Kuina knew that Zoro's power was overwhelming, she wouldn't be able to get out of the battle uninjured or without hurting Zoro. However, remembering back to the first time he lost control completely, Kuina could snap him back if she could just get her voice to reach him.
The blue haired swordsman looked into his cold red eyes deeply, unable to see the fiery determination she loved so much. There was nothing but the empty darkness of pure instinct which matched the expression on his face. She couldn't stand seeing her rival that way.
"Zoro! Get a hold of yourself... Don't be so weak! Letting this thing control you is pitiful..." She stated loudly taking a threatening step towards the little swordsman. "If you give up this easily, then you'll never be able to become the world's greatest swordsman!" Kuina raised her voice tightening the grip on her katana as she took another slow step closer to him.
Despite her attempts Zoro looked the same as he did before. His cold, red eyes still locked on the blood dripping down her finger and onto the floor. Suddenly, his gaze shifted off the blood and met with Kuina's eyes as his expression became darker, the smirk across his lips fading. "I won't lose... I refuse to lose...!" Zoro's eyes widened threateningly as a horrible dark aura enveloped his body.
'An aura...' Kuina thought to herself remembering that when she mentioned Zoro's predicament to her father he said something about an aura. The feeling of desperation to run away became stronger as the aura around Zoro did too.
As she was caught staring the green haired swordsman already started his next attack sending a barrage of slashes at Kuina. The extraordinary speed and power made his attacks impossible to keep up with as the dull blades slashed the blue haired swordsman repeatedly. Despite the fact that his swords where dull Zoro's inhuman strength made the slashes deep. In addition to that, the dark aura surrounding his katana made each cut feel as if she was being devoured. The blue haired swordsman's cries of pain caused Zoro's dark smile to return as Kuina's blood splashed on his face and hands.
The attacks finally came to a stop as Kuina swayed on her feet watching the floor around her turn red. Past the ringing in her ears she could hear Zoro's dark laughter ripping through the silent air around her. The blue haired swordsman couldn't help but think that everything happening to her was only a dream, a nightmare she had to wake up from. Kuina's best friend trying to kill her was something unimaginable.
"I'm not giving up on you yet dummy..." Kuina muttered to herself walking up to her rival while he was distracted and grabbing onto one Zoro's swords with her bare hand as the unsharpened, cold metal cut into her skin. "I said... GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!" She stabbed her sword into the ground and punched Zoro with all her might as his body shook from the impact, his head being thrown back from the force. There was a long silence as Kuina tried to catch her breath. "Zoro, don't you want to beat me with your own power? A fight where you aren't yourself doesn't count, so winning or losing doesn't matter…" The blue haired swordsman said quietly.
Zoro turned his head back to her as his eyes widened, some of the darkness fading out of them to reveal desperation. "I w-won't... Kui..." Zoro gripped onto his head turning his back to the blue haired swordsman as he closed his eyes tightly. Kuina took a step back watching him struggle as a feeling of helplessness overcame her. Kuina wished she could do something to help him, but could only watch as he fought for control. Suddenly, the little swordsman's grip loosed on his katana as they dropped to the ground along with Zoro's body as a harsh thud echoed throughout the storehouse. Zoro had lost consciousness.
...
The little swordsman opened his eyes to see a room filled with nothing but darkness. 'Where am I...?' Zoro questioned looking down at his hands in sorrow. He was... Trying to kill Kuina... Zoro knew exactly what he was doing but he couldn't stop himself. He knew who he was attacking, he knew that she was his nakama, his best friend yet... he still didn't stop trying to cut her. Zoro brought his shaking hand up to the cheek that Kuina punched and remembered being hit but nothing after that. 'How did I get here?'
"Hmm... She's quite a nuisance, isn't she?" A voice echoes as Zoro looked around trying to find the source. He recognized that voice, from the time he and Kuina had their 1999th fight. When he first tried to kill her.
'YOU! Who are you!?' Zoro yelled furiously into the open air around him, looking into an empty void as he spoke. It was right after he heard that booming voice that the bloodlust started to take over him. He heard that voice right before he strangled his nakama. He scanned the area one more time to find the source of the voice taking his hand down from the bruise on his cheek.
Dark laughter from all around him filled Zoro's ears. "That's an easy one... I'm you." The voice came from behind the green haired swordsman that time as he quickly whipped his head around to see a light up face only inches away from his. The face had a sickening smile along with wild, bloodthirsty eyes. The little swordsman widened his eyes in fear as he let out a small yelp in surprise, falling down on his backside and squirming away from it quickly.
'What do you mean... you're me...?' Zoro questioned hesitantly, keeping his eyes locked on to the black figure in front of him.
"You want to be strong right? The greatest swordsman in the world...?" The figure said temptingly, approaching Zoro once again. There was still obvious fear in the little swordsman's eyes as he nodded hesitantly trying to hide the terror he was feeling. "You can't do that the way you are now. You need me!" It sneered as he held his hand out to Zoro. The little swordsman looked at the hand thoughtfully for a few seconds before swatting it away and rising to his feet.
'I don't need your help! I'm going to do it on my own! I won't let you hurt my nakama anymore!' Zoro yelled angrily at the figure clenching his fists tightly to stop himself from shaking. The figure laughed uncontrollably as black hands reached out and grabbed onto Zoro's arm, twisting and squeezing it with incredible strength. The little swordsman cried out in pain trying to pry the figure's hands off him with his other arm, but it was too strong.
"You where the one who hurt your nakama. As I said before, we are the same person..." He sneered narrowing his eyes in delight at the look of pure despair on the green haired boy's face. "I'll break you soon, Zoro... But in the meantime... Let's get rid of that pest..." The figure cheered, laughing at the little swordsman's expression of pure agony.
'N-no... Don't make me do it... Don't make me kill her!' Zoro pleaded quietly in a frightened, submissive tone. However, his begging was ignored as the figure punched Zoro's stomach causing him to cough up blood and lose consciousness again.
...
Kuina stared at Zoro's motionless body for a few moments in silence before she was able to properly process what had happened. "Zoro!" She pulled her katana out of the ground and placed it near the stairs carefully. Once her sword was with the sheath and the sharpening stone she ran over to the small swordsman shaking him gently. "Hey! Answer me... You're alive aren't you?" She called out, trying to suppress the desperation in her voice. As Kuina was shaking him she widened her eyes seeing a trickle of blood coming from her rival's mouth knowing that she wasn't the one that caused the injury. It appeared out of nowhere.
The swordsman's hand grabbed Kuina's wrist as shadows covered his eyes. He sat up slowly not uttering a single word to his nakama. "Stupid. If you were alive you should have said something." The blue haired swordsman said in an annoyed tone to suppress her relief.
"Kuina..." The green haired swordsman muttered as his grip on her wrist tightened immensely causing Kuina to flinch slightly.
"You're... Grabbing my wrist too tight. Loosen up a bit." The blue haired swordsman reached for Zoro's hand to take it off of her when his cold, instinctive gaze met her's. Kuina's eyes widened in terror realizing that Zoro wasn't the one who woke up. "Zoro...?" She said slowly in disbelief. Kuina thought it was over, she thought that her voice had finally reached him. She had dropped her guard and now, it was too late.
With one fluent motion, Zoro snapped Kuina's wrist back as the loud cracking sound of her bone breaking reached both of their ears. It happened so fast that it took a few moments for Kuina's body to process the pain as she looked at her bent back arm with the bone stretching her skin to make it visible. Finally, a blood curling scream escaped the blue haired swordsman's lips as she was pushed back to the edge of the stairs and lifted off the ground by her neck.
Tears formed in the corner of her eyes as she gazed through her blurry vision at the small swordsman. The pain along with the crushing aura flushing through her body made it hard to move as Zoro lifted his other blood stained hand slowly.
"Zoro... S-stop..." Kuina whispered weakly still trying to break through to her nakama. She was about to raise her good arm when Zoro's fingers dug into the blue haired swordsman's shoulder so that he could rip more blood from her body, his nails piercing her skin. More thick red liquid leaked down Kuina's broken arm as he slowly brought his nails down Kuina's side, cutting through her deeply. The green haired swordsman could feel her skin along with blood under his nails and all over his hand. Kuina let out another cry in pain as Zoro's smirked from ear to ear in delight. Kuina's blood dropped down from his hand as he let out a cold chuckle.
Blood loss was finally getting to Kuina's small young body as her countless injuries dripped the warm red liquid onto the wood floor. Her body suddenly became ice cold as the colour flushed out of her face. Zoro slowly raised his hand to tear open Kuina's other shoulder, planning to repeat the same action until there was no more blood left in the blue haired swordsman's body.
Before he could, the blue haired swordsman smiled sadly using all of the energy she had left to speak, knowing that it was near the end of the line for her. "Z...Zor...o..." Kuina stuttered in a barely audible tone. "Don't... B-blame yourself... It... It's not... Your fault..."
Tears dropped down her cheeks as she lifted up her good arm to hold Zoro's shirt and pull him closer. When he was finally close enough, she kissed his forehead gently wrapping her arm around Zoro and squeezing him lightly. "I'm... Sorry... I... I... Couldn't k-keep... Our pro...mise..." Kuina whispered regretfully taking one more ragged breath before losing consciousness, her arm dropping back down to her side.
Suddenly, Zoro widened his eyes in terror quickly letting go of Kuina's neck and causing her limp body to go tumbling down the store house stairs. She cruelty smashed into the floor at the bottom, leaving a trail of blood on each step. The last of her blood leaked out of the new wound on her head and started pooling around her body. Kuina's words had finally reached Zoro, but it was too late.
The swordsman froze as his entire body shook, his eyes open as wide as they could go seeing Kuina's body at the bottom the stairs. Zoro tried to speak but his voice wouldn't come out even though his mouth was already open in shock. The green haired swordsman began to hyperventilate as he looked down at Kuina's blood on his hands, feeling it all over his face as well. He killed his best friend...
Suddenly, an agonizing scream came from the swordsman as he fell to his knees with tears streaming out of his eyes. The screams of terror and regret didn't die down as he gazed at his bloody, shaking hands. If only... If only Kuina would have killed him back then, during their 2001st fight.
Zoro knew that he had to do something quick, before he killed anyone else he held dear. The swordsman's eyes locked onto the Wado Ichimonji, the once white katana now covered in its owner's blood within arm's reach. Zoro slowly grabbed the katana tightly with both hands holding it up to his neck as it shook vigorously. If Kuina wouldn't kill him then he'd have to do it himself... It was for the best, he had to die. His best friend was dead and it was all his fault.
Zoro held his breath and closed his eyes as he prepared to slit his throat when a hard slap sent the katana tumbling out of his hands as it slid across the bloody floor.
"What are you doing Zoro!?" Koshiro's desperate voice reached the little swordsman as he opened his eyes again, looking at his sensei with pure terror. He had been so grief stricken that he didn't even notice his sensei climb up the stairs.
The look on his student's body covered in Kuins's blood along with that expression... the expression of a boy who regretted living and desperately wanted to end his life on that very spot. Koshiro had made it in time to save Zoro, but it was too late for Kuina. "Sen...sei...?" The little swordsman chocked out as his hands shook even more. "GET AWAY FROM ME! GET AWAY!" He screamed trashing the air as his tears fell on to the floor.
When his sensei didn't move Zoro continued to yell trashing around in desperation and fear. "Give the katana back! Don't interfere!" The green haired swordsman yelled scrambling towards the katana to finish what he was about to do. Koshiro quickly grabbed Zoro's arm finally feeling how much he was shaking.
"Stop that!" Korshiro raised his voice harshly for the first time since Zoro had met the man. He tightened his grip on the boy's arm pulling him away from the katana. "Ending your life will solve nothing!"
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Zoro cried at the top of his lungs pulling his hand forcefully away from Koshiro. The volume of Zoro's voice caused the sensei to flinch and lose grip of the green haired swordsman. "S...sensei... I... I... I killed Kuina... SENSEI I KILLED YOUR DAUGHTER!" He screamed again.
Koshiro looked painfully at his daughter's motionless body at the bottom of the stairs. He gritted his teeth together as tears came to his eyes but Koshiro hid his feelings from Zoro, shifting back to his calm, kind tone of voice. "She... May not be dead..." Koshiro muttered attempting to sound relaxed. "But you have to stay put while I go call for help." The sensei said knowing that what he said was probably a lie. However, he absolutely couldn't tell Zoro the truth with the state that the little swordsman was in. Just to be safe, the sensei took the three swords with him as he ran down the stairs beginning to shout for help.
Zoro was left at the top of the stairs in a curled up ball, shaking as he stared down at Kuina. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." He whispered repeatedly with tears still flowing out of his eyes like an endless stream.
When Koshiro was finally at the bottom of the stairs he quickly put the bloody katana in a dusty box so nobody would see them. The sensei then ran outside yelling for help until some students heard him and saw his bloodied grey kimono as their eyes widened in fear. "Sensei what happened!?" The students yelled in a worried tone, running up to him.
"I don't have time to explain. Please, quickly get some help for me." Koshiro asked kindly as the students looked at each other with determination running as quickly as they could back to the dojo. When the students were out of sight, Koshiro ran back into the storage room examining his injured daughter.
A look of anguish took over the sensei's face as he saw her blue lips and colourless face connecting that all the blood round him was hers. From how things looked, Koshiro had enough information to figure out what had happened. However, the sensei knew nothing about medicine at all. Not even how to administer first aid on his own daughter... so he simply sat next to her, waiting for help to come.
"Zoro..." Koshiro muttered hearing his student's heavy breathing from the top of the stairs. "I think you should go wash up..." He said as more of an order then a suggestion, finding it easier to fake a calm voice then before. Koshiro knew he had to get his student out of there quickly before people could see what had happened, and before Zoro's mind could break completely.
Without a word, Zoro got up and slowly walked down the stairs not even trying to avoid the blood puddles. He looked straight ahead of him not even taking another glance at Kuina or the blood all over his body. His soulless eyes became covered by shadows as he slowly walked out to the storage room. The little swordsman didn't even notice the cold rain drops hitting his skin or the dark clouds blocking light from shining through as he walked away from the storage room.
Zoro walked slowly passed the river, unable to look at his reflection in the water anymore as he cleaned the blood off his face. However, the blood on his hands would never come off, no matter how much he would scrub. Once everything looked clean he changed his cloths inside the dojo and headed in the direction of the forest coming across the small opening with the hill in the middle. He leaned against the tree sheltering himself from the rain and curled up into a ball once again, seeing the grass danced in the wind as he wallowed in his own guilt and despair. Zoro stayed under that tree for hours, finally falling asleep from exhaustion.
...
"Oi Zoro! Breakfast is ready!" The sound of Kuina's voice hit Zoro's ears as his eyes cracked open. He quickly looked around seeing that he was back in his bed. The green haired swordsman ran down to the kitchen quickly opening the sliding door to see Kuina and Koshiro sitting around the table just like every other day.
"The food will get cold if you don't eat it soon Zoro." Koshiro smiled kindly motioning for him to sit down. Zoro glanced at Kuina happily watching her eat as she gave him a threatening glare.
"I'd eat his food before that happened." Kuina stated harshly continuing to scarf down the food in her bowl.
"Wait... You... You're still alive...?" Zoro questioned in a confused tone that was also overcome with happiness at the same time.
"Stop dreaming! You really think I'd die!?" Kuina asked angrily slamming down her bowl with a huff of annoyance. Zoro grinned unable to feel angry at his nakama as he ran over to the breakfast table picking up two chopsticks. Before he ate, Zoro looked down at his hands and suddenly froze in fear. "What's wrong with you now, Zoro?" Kuina questioned harshly.
"My hands... Are... Covered in blood..." He turned his head slowly towards Kuina seeing that she was suddenly covered in her own blood, full of gaping wounds that he inflicted on her. Zoro yelled in terror, dropping his chopsticks and falling off of his chair. He quickly scrambled away from her widening his eyes when he noticed her pale, cold skin. "S-sensei..." Zoro turned his watery eyes to see Koshiro crying with blood all over his kimono. The sensei walked slowly towards his student with the Wado in his hands.
"Why did you kill my daughter Zoro?" Koshiro asked in a pleading tone as he took a step closer to the green haired swordsman slowly unsheathing the sword and brining the blade towards the green haired swordsman.
"It's your fault... I'll never become the world's greatest swordsman now!" Kuina cried in a tone mixed with anger and sadness.
"N-No…! I-I didn't…" The green haired swordsman closed his eyes tightly tensing up all his muscles as he prepared for Koshiro to kill him. "I'm..."
...
"I'M SORRY!" Zoro yelled in terror, sitting up quickly and looking around in a panic. The bright sun hit his eyes as the swordsman realized he was back underneath the same tree he fell asleep in… and Kuina... was still gone.
"Zoro..." Koshiro said quickly snapping Zoro out of his dream completely. He waited for his student to make eye contact before telling him what happened.
"What time is it...?" The green haired swordsman asked quietly, still shaken up from his dream. It seemed so real... that was probably how Kuina and Koshiro really felt...
"It is almost supper time. The doctors finally arrived on the island... I left her with them. They'll do everything in their power to save her." The sensei informed the little swordsman kindly. However, when Zoro got a good look at him, Koshiro was pale as a ghost.
"So... There's still a chance she'll live?" Zoro asked emotionlessly, standing up quickly. He observed Koshiro's expression trying to get an answer as quickly as possible but found he was impossible to read.
"Indeed there is." The sensei said calmly watching his student's gaze shift. A slight sad, yet relieved smile came to Zoro's face despite the fact that he wasn't quite out of the darkness yet. The guilt of what he did to her was still buried underneath the happiness that she was alive. "So would you like some supper?" Koshiro smiled kindly watching the student shake his head.
"I'm not very hungry..." The little swordsman responded quietly as he put his head down, walking past his sensei slowly to go train. It was the only way he could get his mind off of everything that happened.
When Zoro was gone Koshiro's smile dropped. He put his hands on his face letting small tears roll down his cheeks. The sensei knew he would have to tell Zoro the truth eventually, but for the time being it would be better to let his mental state heal a bit before that happens. He would keep Kuina's death a secret for as long as he could... even if he could only give Zoro one more day of grace.
"Kuina won't die... She wouldn't die... We made a promise..." Zoro muttered to himself painfully as he walked towards the dojo. 'When Kuina recovers... I'll show her how much stronger I've gotten... By the time she recovers, I'll master three sword style!' He thought to himself closing his eyes and running to where he left his bamboo swords, remembering that his real ones where still with Koshiro. Zoro gritted his teeth together looking at the training swords, lost in thought. Kuina's severely injured... all because of him...
As the thoughts started to invade his mind Zoro gave himself a hard punch in the face leaving a red mark right where Kuina had left her's. Before he could think any more, Zoro picked the bamboo swords and ran over to the training posts staring to practice his techniques. The green haired swordsman spent the rest of the day training, making sure his mind remained blank so he could keep himself sane.
At the end of the day, the sun was setting as Zoro lifted the rocks like weights, having a heavy dumbbell in his mouth. 'Gotta get stronger... So I can hold lots of swords! Two's not enough... I'll use three...!' He thought with Kuina on his mind. He knew she would live... She had to live... They made a promise after all...
Three students hid in the shadows of the trees, their heads down low as they stared at the grass beneath them, unable to make eye contact with Zoro. The green haired swordsman finally looked up from his training seeing the three boys. He was in no mood to talk to anyone at the moment, he didn't want anyone to get near him anymore... "What do you want!?" He snapped putting down his weights in hopes that the boys would go away. However, after a long pause one them looked up at Zoro, clenching his fists in sorrow.
"Kuina... Kuina... Is dead, Zoro..." One of the boys said slowly as the wind whipped across the training field. The green haired swordsman stood there silently staring at the three boys with the dumbbell still in his mouth unable to believe what he heard. Zoro's body shook as the dumbbell fell out of his mouth and onto the ground.
"LIAR!" Zoro shouted suddenly clenching his fists and closing his eyes tightly. "Quit lying to me! Sensei said there where doctors there!" The green haired swordsman continued to scream as he shook his head.
"But... Zoro..." The other little boy said quietly, trying to talk sense into him. "We're... We're telling you the truth." They protested sadly trying to hold in their tears as Zoro continued to freak out, faced with the despair of killing his friend. There was no hope left of her surviving, nothing left for him to hold so he could stay sane. She was really dead... and he killed her.
"She wouldn't die like that! She promised me... She promised!" He yelled as the little swordsman sprinted by the three boys as quickly as he could. Tears came to his eyes as he ran towards his nakama, the only thing that kept him going, the only reason why he didn't kill himself was that hope she was alive. If he opened that door and saw the boys where telling the truth, he would have nothing left to live for. His dream would have died with her... How could he continue his dream when he destroyed his best friend's? How could he steal that dream from Kuina after murdering her? He couldn't...
The green haired swordsman barged into the storage room to find a blanket over Kuina's head and all her injuries cleaned up. His eyes widened in shock as he dropped down to his knees, staring at her dead body. She had died from blood loss before the doctors even arrived...
The green haired swordsman froze on the spot feeling his life drain out of him as he saw Kuina's motionless on the ground. Right there and then... Zoro broke completely... nothing could put those pieces back together anymore.
"We were told to give these to you." One the doctors said handing Zoro his two katana. He slowly took the katana in his hands seeing that someone had cleaned to blood off of them. The little swordsman stared at the shaking katana in his hands as the memories of everything he did to her flooded back into his mind, playing on constant repeat. Zoro snapped thinking about his murder getting up and running towards Kuina's body.
"You bastard! Both of us made a promise last night! And now you're running away!?" Zoro yelled trying to run to Kuina but was held back by a student along with one of the doctors. Zoro wasn't angry at Kuina, he was angry at himself for killing her. He just couldn't accept the fact that she was dead.
"Zoro please don't be like this." One of the students pleaded through tears, unable to understand the amount of pain Zoro was feeling. When Kuina didn't respond tears escaped his eyes and ran down his cheeks as he fell to the ground again. The people let go of him backing away slightly as Zoro cuffed his face into his hands crying loudly. Kuina was truly dead... and everyone was shielded from the truth of what really happened to her...
...
The funeral was held the next day. Zoro had skipped breakfast as he spent the night underneath that tree in his favourite place looking at the same spot in the ground with an emotionless, despair written expression on his face. When it was finally time for the service to start, he went directly to the funeral from there. It was another rainy day, just like it was when Kuina had died...
"They said she slipped and fell down the store house steps..." One of the adults whispered in a hushed tone as Zoro walked quietly behind Kuina's coffin, the rain streaming down his face.
"Store house...?" The other adult replied in a confused and shocked tone unable to think of a reason for such a young child to go into the store house.
"Looking for a sharpening stone for her beloved sword." The adult answered quietly as Zoro kept the same emotionless expression on his face.
So that was the story Koshiro told everybody... He claimed to be on a walk when he heard a scream come from the storage house. When he walked in Kuina was at the bottom of the stairs with a bloodied head, her unsheathed sword along with the sharpening stone lay next to her on the ground. The sensei told everyone that she fell down the stairs with her sword explaining some of the injuries found on her body. It was a weak cover up, however thanks to Koshiro's connections no one looked into it.
"What would she need that for?" The other adult asked as the green haired swordsman had flashes of what really happened, of what he did to her inside that store house.
"I don't know..." The first adult whispered back breaking Zoro's thoughts as he calmed himself down.
"She was just a child too..." The second adult stated shaking his head in sorrow and disbelief.
"Who knows why anyone does anything? There's no way to rationalize it." The adult said remembering Kuina when she was still alive. Just like anyone else, he couldn't believe that she died so suddenly.
"Guess you never know what's waiting for you around the next corner." The second adult whispered. Just the other day everything was fine, the dojo was the same as it always was but now... Everything was different.
Zoro watched as they lowered her coffin into the grave hearing the loud crying and whimpering of everyone that knew her around him. Even the smile that had always been on Koshiro's face was gone... The guilt ate away at the green haired throughout the entire service. It took everything he had not to come out and tell everybody what he did, so that he could get the hatred he deserved but if he did that, Koshiro's efforts would have been for nothing. On top of that, he would turn into a criminal for murdering Kuina.
Zoro didn't speak throughout the entire service or let his emotions show either. The swordsman seemed completely empty inside. Zoro knew that if he let out any emotion he would break down.
As soon as the funeral ended Zoro quietly turned away from the grave yard and walking slowly towards the dojo where he could continue with his training. The rain had finally stopped and was replaced with heavy fog as he walked by the place Zoro and Kuina had their 1999th fight, picking up the two bamboo swords leaning against the tree where he left them the night before. The green haired swordsman looked around the area remembering back when Kuina was alive when he quickly closed his eyes tightly to push the thoughts away. Zoro ran from the area as quickly as he could until he finally pushed open the sliding doors to the dojo.
Zoro peered into the room catching his breath and widening his eyes when he realized it was empty. He didn't really know why he went there in the first place. Maybe... Zoro had thought that he might find the blue haired swordsman fighting in there, alive and well... However, nobody was there. It was just an empty room. He peered down the hall that he ran through to get there mentally kicking himself for what he was thinking. He just came from Kuina's funeral, yet there he was trying to find her... As if she was still alive.
The green haired swordsman clenched his fists slowly walking down the hall to get out of the dojo when he ran into his sensei at the entrance. Koshiro looked down at his student with a kind smile. "What are you looking for Zoro?" He asked gently, noticing the confused look on his student's face.
"Nothing..." The little swordsman responded truthfully in a hollow voice. The two of them stood at the door in silence for a while until Koshiro spoke up, knowing Zoro needed something to get his mind off of current events. At least until the preparations were made.
"Hey, Zoro. There's a match set up for you later today if you feel up to it." Koshiro stated leaning forward to be more at Zoro's height as he spoke.
"I'm up to it..." Zoro muttered taking a couple of steps past Koshiro, finally getting out of the dojo. The green haired swordsman never gazed up from the ground, he found himself unable to look at his sensei.
"Then come by the sparring arena during my first class." The sensei said raising the volume of his voice very slightly, to make sure Zoro heard him. The green haired swordsman didn't utter a word and only continued to walk forward. Koshiro knew he was heard and only smiled slightly wider continuing inside to dojo.
A couple hours passed until Koshiro's first class as finally about to begin. He casually walked to the sparring area finding that his students where already waiting for him. "Today, Zoro will be sparring with one of you." The sensei announced as soon as he walked in, getting straight to the point.
As if on cue, the green haired swordsman opened the sliding doors and walked in, gripping his bamboo swords tightly as a gloomy air followed him into the dojo. All of the adults looked down at the small child feeling the tension in the air around him as he passed. They knew that something was weighing heavily on the little swordsman's heart just by glancing at him.
"Kenzo. You're up." Koshiro smiled glancing at a tall muscular man. Kenzo smiled nervously raising to his feet and facing Zoro. The man chuckled slightly knowing that he stood no chance against the gifted child. The referee stepped forwards starting the fight with their traditional bowing until he swiped his hand down.
"Start!" The referee announced stepping back to the side lines and giving the two fights as much space as possible. As soon as he had the chance Zoro attacked his opponent with a barrage of slashes. Kenzo was overwhelmed by Zoro's speed and power. He got pushed back further and further until the green haired swordsman finally hit his side, causing the man to drop his bamboo swords and go flying across the floor. All of the other student's mouths gaped open in sight of the little boy, despite Kenzo being the best in their class the little kid was still able to defeat him so easily. The fight was over before it even began.
Koshiro observed his student carefully noticing that despite his victory, Zoro was not his usual self. There was no pride, joy, determination or anything in his eyes as he won the duel. There was still nothing there, no emotion at all as if Zoro was being forced to suffer through life every second of the day. When Zoro finally caught his breath again he exhaled loudly closing his eyes gently and making his way towards the exit of the dojo. Without another word, the green haired swordsman silently left.
As soon as he walked out Zoro started training again, it was the only thing he knew how to do. He put a dumbbell in his mouth and vigorously hit the training posts as he practiced his sword techniques. 'I have to leave...' The swordsman thought to himself as he continued training. 'I'm going to train for a couple of more days here... And then go back to living on the streets... I... I won't let anyone else die because of me.' Without even noticing it, Zoro had stopped hitting the post and got lost in thought. When he finally snapped out of it the swordsman decided to continue his training by the river.
Zoro found the rock he lifts in the water walking by the river. He put the rope attached to the rock in his mouth and lifted it off the ground. The green haired swordsman lifted the rock with perfect concentration until he thought he heard Kuina voice coming from behind him. As if she was watching him train.
"You're getting stronger Zoro, but you're still not strong enough to beat me." The voice teased as it echoed in his head. He looked down at the water seeing her sitting on top of some rocks not too far away. He widened his eyes quickly dropping the rock out of his mouth and turning around to see her, but nobody was there. He was all alone...
Zoro clenched his fists closing his eyes tightly as he let out a shout of frustration and regret into the open air. Despite his training, he was still unable to get her off of his mind.
He trained relentlessly for the rest of the day still not stopping for lunch or supper. The green haired swordsman didn't even notice how many meals he skipped.
When the sun was setting Zoro had the dumbbell back in his mouth as he practiced his sword techniques on the three training posts surrounding him. Eventually, he hit them with such force that the posts all snapped in half.
Once Zoro took a breather he turned around to see Koshiro standing next to him, holding the Wado Ichimonji in his hands. The green haired swordsman widened his eyes at the sight of the white katana dropping the dumbbell out of his mouth and onto the floor. "Zoro. May you please come to the dojo with me? We must discuss important matters." He said turning his back to the student.
"Alright..." Zoro muttered walking towards Koshiro when he suddenly bent down to pick something up off the floor. Behind him was a bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks. He picked up the food turning around and holding it out to Zoro.
"You mustn't skip meals Zoro. It isn't good for your health." The sensei said giving his student a slight smile. The swordsman glanced at the steaming rice for a long time before final snatching it out of his hands and devouring the contents inside. "I had a feeling you'd be hungry once you had some. I'll make you more food later." Koshiro grinned taking the chopsticks and the empty plate from Zoro, motioning him in the direction of the dojo.
The green haired swordsman followed close behind as the sensei placed the bowl and chopsticks just outside of the room, sitting with his back turned to Zoro. The swordsman walked into the shaded room and closed the sliding door behind him, sitting down across the floor from his sensei.
"I noticed that you haven't looked at me since the funeral." Koshiro stated breaking the silence in the dojo. "Why is that?" The sensei asked with sincerity in each word.
"Sensei..." Zoro muttered unable to answer his question directly. "Why...? Why don't you hate me!?" The green haired swordsman asked raising his voice as he clenched his fists in his lap. "I... I don't understand. I killed your daughter... Yet... You're still being so nice to me! You're still trying to help me... Why!? If you hated me it would be so much easier to understand!" He shouted looking at the ground.
Heavy silence filled the air as the squeaking of a bug could be herd out the window. "It may appear otherwise to the blind eye but, people are quite, fragile things. Kuina... She was a very competitive girl. From the time she was old enough to make a decision for herself, she practiced in this dojo achieving strength that surpassed many adults." Koshiro began to explain slowly, finding it hard to speak about it daughter.
"It was this fruition of power that caused her to become a bit conceded... And then you appeared, Zoro. And I thank you for this because as you grew ever stronger Kuina felt compelled to practice even more, so as not to lose to you... so as not to lose to a boy. Through this she had begun to chip away at the walls of female swordsmanship." Koshiro stated keeping his eyes straight in front of him the entire time making his emotions impossible to read.
"Despite any of which I speak, I am... above all other things an ordinary parent." Zoro clenched his fists harder closing his eyes tightly shut as his body began to shake hearing what his sensei was saying. "And as any human, I am bound by my emotions as well as well as my blood... When I look at you now Zoro, I... Feel only pain..." Koshiro finished calmly.
Tear drops hit the floor underneath Zoro as he reopened his eyes keeping his gaze fixed on the ground. His body shook slightly against his will as all of his muscles tensed up while he tried to remain calm. No amount of apologies could ever fix what he did... Nothing could heal the pain that he made Koshiro suffer.
"I was with Kuina... During her last moments." Koshiro continued painfully, breaking the silence in the dojo once again. "Her... Last words where for you, Zoro... She asked me to give you a message..." The sensei said slowly, looking at the ground and remembering the final moments with his daughter.
...
"Kuina..." The sensei said quietly forcing himself to use a calm tone as he looked at his daughter's bloody, injured body. "Hang on, help is on the way."
The blue haired swordsman forced her heavy eyes open. Everything around her was a blur and the room was spinning. A sharp pain could be felt throughout her entire body along with a sheering coldness that wouldn't go away. Through her half closed eyes, Kuina could make out the blurry outline of Koshiro hovering over her. "Fa...ther?" Kuina whispered weakly making sure it was really him.
"Yes Kuina, I'm here." The sensei responded quietly. He could hear the pain in his daughter's voice as she spoke, along with her shallow breathing.
"Where's... Zoro...? Is he... alright...?" Kuina asked quietly with worry in her voice. Despite her situation, despite what he did to her, Kuina was still more worried about Zoro then she was about herself.
Koshiro thought about what to say to his daughter remembering when he first found Zoro at the top of the stairs, with the blade to his neck. The look on his face and the tone of voice he used, it was obvious that the green haired swordsman was not alright. However, he couldn't tell his daughter that. He couldn't let her worry. "Yes, he's fine..." He forced out trying to sound as if he was telling the truth.
"G-good..." Kuina whispered in relief with a slight exhale as the corners of her mouth rose into a small smile. After hearing that, she could have some peace of mind.
"Now stop talking, save your strength." Koshiro said worryingly as he glanced at the door with an impatient expression to see if help had arrived yet. He knew it would be impossible for them to get there so quickly but Kuina was running out the time, she kept on losing blood. There were too many injures for the sensei to try and stop the bleeding so he had no other options other than to just wait.
Kuina shook her head slowly, raising her good hand up to her father. It shook as she slowly lifted it off the ground feeling stabbing pain shoot up her body at the movement. Koshiro quickly grabbed his daughter's hand squeezing it lightly as Kuina winced slightly, almost not having the energy to keep her hand there long enough for her father to grasp it.
"P-Please... tell Zoro... something... for me..." The blue haired swordsman forced out weakly as Koshiro nodded leaning in closer to make sure that he could hear what she was trying to say. "Tell Zoro... That... h-he'd better... keep the promise... we... made..." Her voice got weaker with each word until she finished her sentence, closing her eyes once again. Kuina's hand went limp, slipping out of Koshiro's grip and falling on the ground. Kuina took her last breath as the girl's heart slowly faded and stopped.
Koshiro closed his eyes and cried quietly over his daughter, his tears dripping onto Kuina's peaceful looking face.
...
Zoro widened his eyes in shock as he stared speechlessly at his sensei's back. The green haired swordsman gritted his teeth together with watery eyes as his entire body tensed up. Zoro's chest tightened as his stomach twisted with guilt remembering the promise they made.
She really wanted him to become the world's greatest swordsman... Even after what he did to her. That was Kuina's last wish... for him to fulfill their promise... and that's exactly what he was going to do, even if it costed him his life. Thanks to Kuina's last words, Zoro had something to live for again.
"S...sensei..." Zoro choked out between ragged breaths as Koshiro turned his head to look at the little swordsman. "I ask that you let me have that sword..." Zoro stated quietly.
The sensei slowly glanced down at the beautiful white katana shining in the light of the window. "Kuina's sword...?" Koshiro questioned quietly. The little swordsman looked at his sensei in the eyes raising his head.
"I'll get stronger! Stronger than she ever was do you hear me!? Strong enough that my name reaches up to the heavens!" Zoro yelled clenching his teeth tighter, tears still streaming down his cheeks. The look of determination was finally back in his eyes. "I am going to be the world's greatest swordsman. I promised her... I... promised... I did..." The green haired swordsman wept closing his eyes and lowering his head again.
Koshiro smiled slightly enjoying the passion that finally came back to his student's voice. "Yes... The sword is yours." The sensei stated kindly turning to face Zoro as he picked up the sword and held it out to him. The green haired swordsman's tears stopped as he opened his eyes looking at Koshiro with a bit of shock. "I leave her spirit and her dreams in your hands." The sensei said smiling wider as Zoro's shocked expression turned to an anguished one. The tears started to flow down his cheeks again as his body shook vigorously finally letting out all of his emotions and starting to cry loudly.
Koshiro gave his student a moment to calm down before he spoke once again. "However, before I can let you leave today... We have to do something about that demon of yours." Koshiro added letting Zoro take the katana as his crying quieted down so he could hear what his sensei was saying.
"Do something about my demon...?" He asked slowly sniffling as he caught his breath, holding the white katana tightly in his arms.
"Indeed..." Koshiro answered simply as his smile dropped back down to a serious frown. "We are going to perform an exorcism... and seal it!"
((Author's note: Finally done! Wow this was a really long chapter. Some parts of this where so hard to write haha! I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter 12 will be out as soon as possible))