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CHAPTER 28: Final Good-bye
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It was early in the morning. About 2:30am to be exact, when Lacy woke up. She opened an eye to see if Zoro was asleep and found him snoring and exhausted. She sat up and crept out of bed and threw on some clothes. She quickly and quietly packed her things and tiptoed over back to the bed. She stared at Zoro's wonderful face as he snored loudly in the night. She bent over and kissed him on his warm forehead.
"Farewell, Zoro..."
She crept out the door and ran as fast as she could to the Going Merry and packed the rest of her things, then ran towards the other side of the port. She bought a small boat with the money she had left - leaving only a few gold berries for food and supplies - and stored all her things inside. It was a small boat with a shed on one side big enough to fit one person. The boat itself was big enough to fit maybe 3 people. She grabbed what few supplies and provisions, including a cheap yet fairly new island pose, and set sail. She stared back at the Going Merry as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"It was fun while it lasted..." She said out loud to herself. "I'm going to miss you all and our adventures. See you on the big screen..."
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Morning soon approached, but the sun never came out. Instead, a nasty storm slowly began spread over the town, leaving the sky a dark grey color and the smell of rain ready to come.
Zoro opened his eyes slowly and turned to look over at Lacy, who he soon noticed wasn't there. He popped out of bed and ran out the door in his pants. He scanned the town from where he stood and ran back inside. He stomped around, looking for her belongings, but nothing of hers was there.
"Dammit, Lacy! Why the hell do you always think you're a burden to me?!"
He ran out the door and sprinted towards the Going Merry. Most of the gang was already up and ready to dispatch from the town, when Zoro came storming in with the news.
"I'm going out!" He yelled to everyone.
"Out? Where? We're going to leave within the hour." Nami shouted back.
"Where the hell do you think you're going, marimo head?" Yelled Sanji.
"Out! I'm not sure how long I'll be, so just... wait or something!"
"We can't wait, idiot! The navy may have noticed we're here already! Besides, Nami-san's indicator is set and we can finally leave!"
Just then, Luffy came walking in between the two men and stood in front of Zoro, eying him seriously. "Lacy's gone, isn't she?"
He nodded.
"WHA?! LACY-CHWA IS GONE AGAIN?! WHAT DID YOU DO THIS TIME, YOU BASTARD?!"
"Zoro," Luffy began, "We'll wait for you. Hurry back, ok?" Luffy gave him a wide smile and added an additional "Na?" at the end. Zoro nodded and ran out the door.
The clouds grew darker, making the sky black. It began to rain normally at first, then grew heavy every minute.
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Lacy was trying to keep herself warm under the little shelter she had on her small boat, which she figured wouldn't last long if the storm got any worse. The boat rocked, and it was hard for Lacy to keep her balance. She felt sick, but tried to keep her breakfast down as she protected her belongings. Suddenly, lightning streaked across the sky and the waves grew bigger and meaner.
"Aw, come ON!" She yelled. She fell over onto her side and clenched her stomach. "What am I going to do now..." Her arm began to hurt again, probably from the salt from the sea seeping under the bandages, she thought. The uncontrollable rocking of the boat made Lacy finally lose it. She couldn't stand being in a storm with her tiny boat. Normally she wouldn't mind, but since she ate the Devil's Fruit, swimming was definitely out of the question. The storm got even worse, which Lacy thought was impossible for it to, and the boat almost tipped over, scaring Lacy half to death.
"Please, God. Please! I don't want to die... Someone help me..." Lacy took out her necklace from inside her shirt, the Zoro gave her on her birthday, and held it close to her body. Thinking about the storm, out of all her belongings, this was one she never wanted to lose. As she gripped the necklace, she noticed she could no longer feel her body. Her fingers were frozen and her arms stung from the numbness. Just then, she noticed something in the dark floating on the ocean towards her boat. It was a small ship, but much bigger and less vulnerable to the storm's crashing waves. She saw someone, vaguely, standing over on the side of the ship. A hand reached over the side and yelled out her name.
"Grab on, Lacy!"
She recognized the voice right away.
"Zoro?!" How did he find me?! She wondered. In this storm? Especially when I had a head start?! Impossible! I'm NOT going back! I'm not!!
Before she had time to even yell back at him, a huge wave crashed on top of her, crushing the boat. Along with everything onboard, she was thrown into the ocean.
"LACY!!!"
Zoro jumped in after her, remembering her ability that prevented her to swim. He couldn't find her under the water, until he saw something float to the top next to him. He recognized right away that it was her bracelet, took a deep breath, and swam straight below it. He swam a good 20 or 30 feet when he noticed Lacy's body sinking lifelessly away from him. His eyes grew wider as he swam as fast as he could towards her. He grabbed a hold of her and swam frantically to the top.
When he resurfaced, he gasped for air and swam to the ship. He climbed over the side, carrying Lacy's body over his shoulder, and placed her gently on the deck. Her face was white as a sheet and her lips were a blue color.
"Lacy!! Oi, Lacy!! LACY!!"
She didn't move nor breathe. He panicked, wondering what to do. He remembered Nami showing everyone how to perform CPR if needed. He remembered that it was gross when Chopper said anyone may have to use CPR most likely on either him, Robin, or Luffy since they were unable to swim. But this wasn't Chopper, Robin, or Luffy. This was Lacy. His true love. His life. His world.
He plugged her nose and breathed into her mouth. He paused and leaned his ear against her chest. Nothing. He pumped her stomach a few times then repeated the whole process over again and again. No movement or breathing. He panicked.
"LACY!! Breathe dammit!! You gotta breathe!!" He pumped her stomach again until a large amount of water finally shot out of her mouth. She coughed and turned over to her side, spitting more water out of her mouth. Zoro waited until she was done, then hugged her tight. "I'm so glad you're alright..."
"Z-Zoro?" She coughed.
He pulled her back and stared at her. "Don't you EVER do that again!! You hear me?!"
She gave him an angry stare."What are you doing here? Why did you come?"
"What kind of question is that? You know exactly why!"
"I didn't want you to come after me! Go away!" She pushed Zoro from her, leaving him speechless and confused.
"What's the matter with you, Lacy?" He inched closer to her, but she yelled.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!!"
"Lacy, calm down! Tell me what's going on! Why are you acting like this?"
"I don't want to be with you! I'm going home! Now leave me alone!"
Zoro was struck back. "You don't seriously... going home? But why?"
"It's none of your business!"
"My ass it is! Now tell me!" He grabbed her arm and she screamed in a painful way. He quickly let go of her, noticing the blood seeping through her jacket. He remembered her injury was there. "I-I'm sorry. I forgot about that... Now just tell me why you're doing this?"
"Because I can, ok?!"
"That's not good enough!"
"Look! I don't want to be with you! I hate you! Go away!!"
"Hate me?! Whatever happened to 'you'll never leave me'?"
"Well, heart's change. And mine has grown tired of you!"
"That's not true."
"Fine! Believe what you want! But you're just going to have to live with it and without me."
"It's not true."
"Yes it is!! Now shut up and get me to land! Now!!"
Zoro grabbed Lacy and brought her towards him, locking her in a tight embrace.
She squirmed. "Let me go!! Let me go now!!"
"You're such a horrible liar."
"I'M NOT LYING!! LET ME GO!!" She struggled and tried to get out of Zoro's grasp, but kept failing. She never gave up; she tried biting him, kicking and hitting him, but he was stronger and refused to let her go. "STOP IT ZORO!! YOU'RE HURTING ME!!"
"Not as badly as you're hurting yourself!"
"What the hell are you talking about?! I'm fine!! And I don't need you to tell me otherwise!"
"Liar."
"I AM NOT!!"
"What makes you think that you'll forget about me that easily?"
"What the hell are you talking about?!" She was still struggling to get away from him.
"Do you honestly think you can just forget about me? Or even throw away your love for me?"
"You'd be surprised what I can do!"
"Lacy, let's be realistic here. You said you've loved me for 4 years before we met. Right?"
"So?! It was a stupid fangirl fad I was going through. A phase."
"Then why did you do all the things you did for me?"
"Look, it was a stupid little childish crush! Everyone would do those things when they meet their favorite idol, or crush, or sports player, anyone!! Everyone grows out of them sooner or later! And I've finally grown out of you!! Now let me go!!"
Zoro squeezed her tighter. "Liar."
"Let me–!"
"LIAR!!" He let her go for a second, quickly took off his shirt in the cold wet rain and caressed Lacy in a deep, hard kiss. Her voice was muffled as she tried to get away from him. He finally stopped and locked her once again in his arms tight against his body. "You like this, don't you Lacy?"
"You bastard!! Let me go!! You have no right to–"
"BAKA!! YOU LIKE THIS AND YOU KNOW IT!! SO STOP PRETENDING ALREADY!! YOU'RE BEING STUBBORN!!"
"How do you know I like this?!"
"Oh, stop playing dumb, would you?! I know you better than anyone else just like you know me better than anyone! You blush every time you see me shirtless. You squeal when you see my bare wet chest. You melt whenever our bodies press against each other. You die in my arms when I kiss you and whisper your name."
"T-that's not true!!"
He smiled and spoke in a soft teasing tone. "Then why are your ears hot in the cold rain?"
"They are not!!"
"Liar."
"STOP IT!!"
He grabbed one of her hands and pressed it flat against his chest. "Lacy..."
"LET ME GO!!"
He ran her hand slowly down his chest, having her trace his scar and abs with her fingers. "Lacy, you enjoy this, don't you? You want to touch me."
"STOP!! IT'S NOT TRUE!! LIAR!!"
"Oh? Pot calling the kettle black?"
"SHUT UP!! JUST SHUT UP!!"
"Stop being stubborn. You know you love me. You said so yourself you can't resist me."
Lacy stopped struggling and her body went limp in his arms.
"Lacy?" He pulled her away a bit and saw the tears swelling up in her eyes. "L-Lacy!" She hid her face in her hands. She cried out loud. So loud, he could hear her over the heavy rain. "Oh, Lacy..." He held her gently in his arms like a child.
"I know!" She sniffled. "I know I do!! I love you, alright?! I love you so much it hurts, Zoro!! I can't bear this pain any longer with you not being here next to me..."
"Then why did you leave?"
"I had to! I was in everyone's way!"
"You know that's not true–"
But she cut him off. "Don't give me that! I know I am! Especially to you! I caused you a lot of trouble and I make you mad and I even made you lose your chance against Mihawk!! You're dream, Zoro!! Your lifelong dream and I knew that!"
"It's ok! I'll get another chance. He said so himself."
"Cut the bullshit, Zoro!! You know damn well you were pissed off at me when I interfered! I know what I did was wrong and unforgivable!! I know you were mad and had every right to be!!"
Zoro sighed. "Alright. I admit I was mad at you, happy? That's what you wanted to hear from me, right? Yes I was pissed, but to tell you the truth, I was more upset with myself than at you. You tried to protect me. I was mad at myself for failing and not becoming as strong as I thought I was."
Lacy still cried, finally hearing the truth from his lips, but relieved that he came after her anyways.
"I love you, Lacy." He kissed her again and held her close. She was glad he held her. Zoro knew her like no one else ever will, and she was happy. The fact than he knows her every turn on, her every weakness, her every fetish, made her feel like she was in heaven. "Let's go back," he finally said.
Lacy sighed. She was already set for going home, how was she ever going to face her nakama after something like this? She took in a deep breath and replied. "Alright."
Zoro smiled and she smiled right back at him, then a flash of shock ran across her face. "Oh no! My things!!" She tried to get up, but it was no use. She was too weak to move.
"Rest. You have a fever from the cold. I'll grab what I can."
"But..."
Zoro smiled, threw his shirt back on and jumped over the side. Lacy just sat there, wondering why on the world he'd still risk his neck for her? After all she's done. He came back on board a few minutes later with a few crates and suitcases containing her stuff.
"Did I get everything?" He asked, catching his breath.
"Y-yeah. Just some of my clothes are missing."
"You can just buy more in town."
"Yeah, I know."
The storm was letting up now, the clouds started to clear into a light grey and it drizzled. Zoro's ship -who belonged to a nobody pirate Zoro killed to get Lacy later found out - had a shelter piece like Lacy's only it was bigger and had a mattress and a stand with a lamp sitting on it. With Lacy's indicator, they headed back to Luffy and the others.
Zoro carried and set Lacy down on the mattress. He helped her remove most of her wet clothes, leaving her only in her under garments. He covered her with all the dry blankets he had. He realized there weren't enough to keep her fever down, and thought about using his own body heat to help keep her warm. He climbed into bed with her and held her close from behind. She felt a sense of security with him, but her comfort didn't last long when she suddenly coughed in a violent manner.
Zoro felt her forehead. "Eh?! Lacy! Your fever's getting worse! We gotta get you back quickly!"
"I-I'm fine. I can tolerate it. I can handle anything."
"This is serious! You've never been this sick before!"
"I'll be alright. If I try to go to sleep, I'll be fine. Like I always say: When you're sick and feeling in pain, just fall asleep and you won't feel a thing."
She smiled up at him, but her smile - for the first time - couldn't relieve his worry. He held her head closer to his chest and began to whisper softly in her ear.
"Lacy. Let's get married."
She jerked her head back at him. A rush of dizziness swept over her. "W-w-w-w-wha?! What d-did you s-say?!"
"Let's get married. I want to be with you forever, and marriage will bind us together. That way no one and nothing can keep us apart. I'm going to protect you with my life, as your husband."
Lacy couldn't stop thinking of what he just said. The words buzzing over and over again in her head. Marriage?! MARRIAGE?! Roronoa Zoro getting married? Unthinkable! But then again, seeing him being romantic or even having a girlfriend is unthinkable as well...! Roronoa Zoro is... asking me, to... O-Oh God...
"What do you say, Lacy? Please become my wife? Let's live our lives together for all eternity! Together at each other's side."
She opened her mouth to say something, when her dizziness got even worse and she passed out in his arms. You could say she fainted from overwhelming shock, but her fever got even worse. Zoro yelled out her name, but she never opened her eyes. Her breathing grew heavy and she began to sweat uncontrollably.
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When they finally reached shore, Zoro carried Lacy off the ship and took her to the Going Merry, where everyone was waiting for them, as fast as he could. As they all came out to greet them, Zoro ordered Sanji to load Lacy's things onto the Going Merry - which of course, he refused to be ordered by him at first until Nami told him to just do it. Chopper confirmed that she'd be ok with plenty of rest and fluids. He also noticed her bloody arm and said her cut was infected. He diagnosed and treated her immediately and sent her to bed.
They set sail towards the next island. Lacy was lying in bed trying to get back to sleep, when she heard someone walking into her room. She pretended to sleep, until someone flicked her forehead.
"Baka. I know you're faking it."
She opened her eyes. "I was only trying to fall back asleep, Zoro."
He smiled at her and sat in a chair he placed at the side of her bed. "How are you feeling?"
"Much better. Just really tired."
"That's good."
"Um... Zoro?"
"Hn?"
"I'm... really really sorry for the way I acted back there. It was unlike me to do that..."
Zoro flicked her on the forehead again. "Baka. You're always being reckless."
She turned her head away from him.
Zoro laughed. "You take things too seriously! I know you were just trying to do what you thought was right."
"I promise I'll never do that again."
"You swear?"
"I swear."
He moved his head closer to hers until they were nose to nose. "You swear?"
"What's with that look?!"
"Last time you swore, you ran away. I take promises seriously and with pride, but for you I'll give you a second chance."
"T-that was different!! I'm not going to anymore! I swear! I swear! Cross my heart and hope to die!"
Zoro patted her on the head. "Ok then. I'll hold you to your promise."
Lacy paused for a moment and stared into his eyes. "Yes..."
"Yes?" He looked at her, puzzled. "Yes what?"
"Yes... I'll marry you."
His eyes widened. "Na... Nani?!"
"I want to marry you. I want to be with you forever. It's my dream to be with you forever! I love you, Zoro."
Zoro began to shake a little and rested his forehead on hers as he held her hand. "I love you too." He then held out two fingers in front of her face.
"Erm... two?" She was confused.
"Two weeks. We'll get married in two weeks no matter what."
"T-Two weeks?! Don't engagements take a long time before the actual wedding?"
"Doesn't matter. I want to be with you now. No exceptions. The sooner we're bound together in marriage, the sooner you're mine. So I'm giving you two weeks to get better."
Lacy was shocked and happy at the same time. It was all too soon for her, and yet she agreed with Zoro and wanted to be his as soon as possible. She chuckled. "Ok. Two weeks, and I'm yours."
[[ AUTHOR'S NOTE: ]] Waaaaah!!! The drama just never ends!! XD But I'm glad this had a happy ending~ Don't worry there's still PLENTY more chapters to come; I just meant a happy ending to this situation. :) Off to the wedding planner!! XD yeehaw!!
