Hey everybody
so we've made it ;-) This here is the last chapter, I hope you will enjoy it!
Thank you all so much for your support and your patience ;-)
Chapter 12
-Zoro-
He watched Robin follow the cook with her eyes as if to make sure he really wouldn't hear a thing.
"Okay, Robin, what are you weirding out about?"
He knew it, after all, he was not some totally ignorant idiot like a certain captain. He had noticed her odd mood over the last few days, had noticed how she had tried to speak to him alone, but it simply hadn't been possible, with Chopper and the annoying cook watching him like overanxious parents of a sick child.
"Maybe we shouldn't be talking here," she said absently, still looking at the men's cabin, "Sanji will still have to go to the galley."
Zoro nodded silently and followed her slow steps towards the front terrace. At the foot of the stairs, she turned to him and regarded both his legs and the wheelchair for a moment.
"Oh, I'm sorry, how thoughtless of me. May I help you?"
He couldn't help a grin. In one hand she still held the Sake and in the other Sanji's cup. His own had been lost somewhere during his flight over the ship.
"That won't be necessary. Give me the Sake."
She smiled softly and handed him the bottle.
"Chopper won't be happy."
He took two sips and gave it back to her.
"Chopper is used to me not following his advice. What did you want to talk about?"
She paused. "Don't we want to get upstairs first? I don't mind helping... What are you doing, Zoro?"
He grinned as he grabbed handrail and armrest and pulled his heavy body out of the wheelchair, barely standing on trembling legs, actually holding most of his weight with his arms, as his knees had already given in.
"But Zoro, your legs... Why didn't you say anything?"
"I didn't want everyone to watch me fall over the first few steps. Especially not Chopper and the cook. I don't want them to mother me all the time."
He looked at his feet and slowly took a step forward, his legs woodenly following his command, dragging his feet over the floor, his knees barely bending, while he still carried his weight with his arms. It was exhausting, it was hard, but slowly he got the hang of it, as he grabbed the handrail tighter because the weight of his own body was still too much; still this had been a step.
Slowly relief spread through his body as Zoro realized what this meant. The cook had been right, Zoro would never admit it, but the cook had actually been right, he was fine, he was finally able to walk again. His body was still heavy, muscles barely reacting to his will, but there was a reaction, and it would become better, just like his sensation had. And his legs were fine after all, they were still strong, strong enough, he just needed a little bit more time, he just needed to be a little bit more patient.
Robin took a breath of surprise, but he began to speak, controlling his own emotions, because this conversation was not supposed to be about his feelings: "I know what's going on with you. What you're thinking about all the time."
Carefully, he lifted his right leg and put his foot down on the first step. This incredibly banal movement alone brought the sweat to his forehead, he didn't even want to talk about balance and weight. Everything was still heavy, everything was still dull, and if he was honest, he had no idea how to proceed from here onwards. His body was more hanging than actually standing between wheelchair and handrail and he knew that without holding on to both of them, he wouldn't last a second.
"Zoro."
The next moment, Robin was next to him and pulled his left arm over her shoulder, hosting his weight like it was nothing, a serious, relentless expression in her clear eyes.
"You blame yourself for almost killing me when I was injured and now..." Zoro continued talking, as this conversation was more important than his fragile ego about her helping him. Gradually, they walked up the stairs – or rather Robin almost carried him upstairs while he tried to move his legs -, by now she didn't look at him anymore but stared away guilt-consciously. "Now I'm almost fine again."
He would have liked to observe her, to watch her facial expression, to see how she was reacting, but his eyes had to focus on his feet.
"Am I right?"
"Why should I feel guilty? It had been our agreement and how should I have known that you would become better again? No, there is no reason to blame myself."
Quietly laughing, he shook his head, almost throwing off their balance.
"Then why do you do it?"
"Who says I do?"
"Come on. I noticed it, Nami noticed it, the cook noticed it. Even Chopper is already worrying. You're not as mysterious as you used to be, you haven't been for a long time actually."
"You are the one to talk. The unapproachable, rationally thinking, tight-lipped pirate hunter worries about his crew members, is even willing to ask for their help, and grows soft when little Chopper smiles."
They had finally made it upstairs. Carefully, she let him down on the bench behind the steering wheel and handed him the ricewine.
It had been exhausting considering that he had only walked up a flight of stairs and that Robin had carried most of his weight. But his legs still didn't want to obey him and it seemed as if the short time without movement had already taken its toll.
He took another sip and looked at her grinning while still struggling for breath, but he didn't have to fight for an answer, it wasn't necessary. They had never needed many words, always understood each other quickly.
"It's okay. Robin, it's all right."
She smiled softly. "Yes, it is, now."
For a while they enjoyed the silence. Slowly he caught his breath.
"Do you remember that night?" She whispered quietly, "It had been a really nice evening."
He nodded almost nostalgically. "A party, good booze, wasn't really that bad."
"Do you remember that I wanted to dance with you?"
"Yes, it was such an interesting conversation: Roronoa, what do you think about us taking each other out in the case of a case? Would you fancy a dance? "
She laughed softly. "I thought you liked the idea."
"Just for the record, I liked the idea of the deal; I hate to dance."
She sighed. "Yes, I have always regretted that. That evening you were the last sober man I would have wanted to dance with."
"Is this a compliment or are you mocking me?"
He put the bottle down and looked out at the vastness of the sea.
"Anyway, I would have loved to have danced with you," she said, also turning to the sea. Now she seemed to be her normal self again, but he was aware that it would take more than a few words for her to come to terms with what had almost happened. Just like Zoro himself she probably needed to be patient to forgive herself, while he wasn't even blaming her.
He looked at his legs for a moment.
"Robin?"
She turned to him, a kind, questioning expression in her eyes.
"Would you fancy a dance with me?"
She laughed softly: "You can barely walk."
"So?"
"Chopper might go crazy. Is it worth it?"
"The cook might go crazy. That's worth it."
Now she smiled warmly at him.
"I would love to dance with you, Zoro." She silently laughed in disbelief.
Carefully, she helped him back on his feet, showing again that she was stronger than her slender figure would give away, as she carried most of his weight almost effortless. He felt the slight burning of alcohol in his body as he walked a few steps away from the steering wheel with her.
"Are you sure?" She asked, apparently worried.
"Would I ask otherwise?"
She smiled and put a hand on his shoulder, he placed one around her hip, feeling several hands helping him to keep standing.
In quiet movements, they turned to an inaudible beat.
"I'm quite surprised," she confessed with a slight smile.
"That I haven't stepped on your feet yet?" He asked, although it was much more strenuous than expected. He knew he wouldn't last five minutes, as he barely dragged his feet across the floor.
She nodded with a smile. "Yes, I didn't expect that you can actually dance."
"Just because I don't like doing it doesn't mean I can't. My old teacher said that every sword master must have perfected dancing, because the two are connected. Not that we can really call this here dancing. My feet are heavy like lead weight."
"Well, considering that you were chasing the Marines still in a wheelchair this morning, I'm actually impressed that you can even move them. However, you must be aware that from now on I will always ask you for a dance if given the chance."
He sighed.
"Wouldn't you rather ask the cook? I think he would be a lot more pleased about that than I am."
"Oh, but then our dear Nami wouldn't have anyone to dance with. I couldn't do that to her."
For a moment, they looked at each other.
"You're telling me that...?"
Zoro interrupted himself when a soft violin playing swept over the deck and adapted to the rhythm of their dance.
"What the…?"
"Ignore them, Zoro. Enjoy the moment."
He looked at her, could hear the voices in the background, even thought he could hear them calling his name.
"What do you mean? What moment?"
She leaned forward and whispered next to his ear.
"You are walking. You survived. You got another chance to make your promise and dream come true."
And it was only now that he became aware of it.
His nightmare was over. He was able to walk again. With a bit of training, he would return to old strength. He was no longer bound to his wheelchair.
He would no longer be a burden. It was over!
No!
It wasn't over, it had only just begun! He would never give up again, he would never lose again. From now on, he would become the man he believed he had lost.
A slight smile crept on his lips.
"Thank you."
"And how bad is it?" He asked with a grin.
After the others had joined them, Chopper had not waited for another second and dragged him into the sickbay. Needless to say, Zoro had fallen down the stairs and Chopper had carried him the rest of the way like a baby despite his loud protests. By now, Zoro sat on the familiar bed and watched his young friend, who, as always, skimmed through some documents.
"Tell me." Chopper also had a slight smile on his lips and willingly played along. "Tell me how bad it is."
He shrugged.
"It feels like I'm stuck in mud all the way up to my belly button. Everything is kind of slow and heavy."
The young doctor nodded. "It will probably take some time for this lethargy to decrease. But otherwise I would say you are really doing good again. If it continues like this, you might not even suffer any lasting damage."
"Except for my cracked ego, you mean."
The reindeer laughed softly.
"But I wonder how this sudden leap of healing came about. This morning you couldn't even move your big toe and now you're dancing with Robin."
"We didn't dance, we..."
"I know why!" Luffy jumped through the door. "The Sake!"
"Sure, come in, captain," Zoro grumbled sarcastically.
Chopper jumped up.
"What? Luffy, that makes no sense at all. Alcohol is toxic, poisoning the senses and damaging nerves. It's impossible that the Sake helped Zoro's healing process."
"But we're talking about Zoro, right?"
Luffy grinned at him and pulled a bottle from his pocket, questionable how the whole thing had fitted in there.
"Sanji said that we will open it today if you come for dinner now."
"Oh, the first time I'm only too happy to follow that idiot's order."
"Zoro, no! No Alco..."
"Chopper." He placed both hands on his friend's slender shoulders.
"You said it yourself, I'm good again. So why shouldn't I be allowed to drink Sake?"
"But..."
"He's right, Chopper. Everything is good, today we will celebrate." Luffy grinned and chased out of the door, yelling something, Zoro couldn't understand, but the multi-voiced response meant the entire crew was waiting for him.
Still Chopper seemed quite unhappy as he dropped down on his chair again, and Zoro knew that the young doctor doubted his own abilities.
"Okay Chopper, listen to me." He put on the warmest smile he had. "I promise I'm not going to drink too much and tomorrow you'll be allowed to do all the examinations and tests you've always wanted to do. I'm not going to fight and do exactly what you want me to do."
Chopper's eyes grew big. Some things were even better than cotton candy.
"May I vaccinate you?"
Zoro sighed, he didn't think much of these things, but he really wanted to drink some alcohol.
"For all I care."
"And the annual check-up?"
"Fine."
"Oh, and an allergy test."
"Don't stress it."
"Come on, Chopper, give it a rest. Sanji made some strawberry cotton candy for you." Luffy stormed back in and threw himself onto the bed right next to Zoro.
"What? Really?! Okay, Zoro. That will be it for today."
Chopper jumped from his swivel chair and scurried out of the door.
Zoro looked at Luffy, who briefly followed Chopper with his gaze and then looked at him with a broad grin.
"Thank you, Captain, doubt he would have let me go without you."
Luffy just shook his head.
"Nah, I'm just glad you're doing well again."
Zoro struggled to get on his feet, holding on to the chair and Luffy's shoulder. It had not been an understatement. The mobility was slowly coming back, but his abdomen felt as heavy as lead weight. This was probably how devil's fruit users had to feel when they came into contact with Seastone.
"And from now on no more bad dreams, okay?"
Zoro stared surprised at the other. He knew that the cook had noticed, but he didn't expect that even Luffy knew what was going on.
He nodded.
"No more bad dreams."
The next moment, the other grabbed him by the arm and dragged him along, making him fall immediately, but Luffy just picked him up and half-carrying, half-pulling, half-throwing, Luffy brought him through the gally, as his heavy legs could hardly follow his captain's quick movements.
Outside on the meadow, they were already expected by the others.
They walked down the stairs more slowly so that Zoro was able to keep his balance and not fall down face first, one hand on the handrail, the other over Luffy's shoulder, while the other held his waist.
Zoro recalled that night seemingly so far away, that night before it all had happened. He had dreamed of letting his friends down, of failing. Of losing them all. He had been afraid of his weaknesses, of his secrets, of his mistakes, because he did not want his friends to be in danger because of him.
Down on the meadow, he let himself fall to the ground exhausted and unintentionally heavy breathing and was immediately handed a cup of Sake.
By now, he knew Usopp had been right. He had to experience what had happened. He had to cross this abyss just to understand one thing.
As long as he did not give up, as long as he stood up and continued to fight, as long as he did not leave his path and take one step at a time, if he kept this at heart, he would never let his friends down, no matter what. And they wouldn't let him down either, they would always help him, no matter what, if he just allowed them to. But even if he didn't, he knew by now even worst moments wouldn't stop them from caring, from being there.
A moody looking cook settled into the grass next to him.
"What's going on, Princess?" He asked with a grin, offering the other a cup as well.
"Nothing," the cook sighed, and accepted the alcohol, not even reacting to his nickname.
"Luffy's right, you're really bad at lying when something bothers you."
The other rolled his eyes and sighed again.
"It's nothing," he murmured, "it's just my cigarettes, got nothing left, that's all. And according to Nami, it still will be some time before we reach the Red Line."
Zoro laughed softly.
"That's not funny. I'm not in for a cold turkey."
"Actually, I feel you. These days without booze were probably the worst of my life."
"Sure, and just the missing booze was at fault here," said the other sarcastically, kicking slightly against Zoro's ancle, which he did feel, just for the record.
They watched the others in silence for a moment. They celebrated enthusiastically, their loud hustle and bustle suffocated all the quiet conversations.
"Should I tell you a secret?" Zoro finally asked, clearly too sympathetic this evening.
"Huh? What secret?" The other, meanwhile, chewed on his fingernails.
"Go to my locker, at the bottom, under the socks."
"Why should I do this?"
"You don't have to. I don't care."
He leaned back and emptied his cup.
It took less than a minute of curiosity to convince the other and he disappeared into the men's cabin. A few seconds later, he came back. Broadly grinning, he crouched down next to Zoro and pulled a crumpled cigarette pack out of his pocket.
"Where did you get this from?" Sanji asked calmly, lighting a cigarette.
He took a deep draft and immediately relaxed.
Zoro shrugged.
"When we left the Going Merry, I saw it trapped between two boards. Thought it might be needed at some point."
Sanji handed him the cigarette and he took a draw.
"So, if you ever say that to anyone, I'm going to kill you, but right now, I kind of really like you."
Zoro stared at the other, stunned by this declaration, and choked on the smoke. Coughing, he handed the cigarette back.
"Don't worry, that was bad enough to hear. I will never put these words in my own mouth."
"Oh, shut up. I just wanted to say thank you!"
"Then do it like men do, with booze or pad my shoulder with all you got, but not with emotion, Ew. In the end, one could think you could actually stand me."
The other took another draw from his cigarette.
"Oh, just forget it."
For a moment they were calm.
"Now I understand what you meant," Sanji grumbled calmly.
"Hmm?"
"I just really want to throw you overboard right now, with your damn weights on your damn useless feet."
Zoro laughed softly.
"Not that you could."
"Sometimes I hate you, you arrogant asshole!" Sanji growled.
"Ah, that's the manly gratitude I meant, cook. You're welcome."
He leaned back and looked at his legs for a moment before regarding each single crewmember. Robin winked at him briefly before continuing to talk to Usopp, who was sitting on the wheelchair.
"Today is a good day," he whispered. "Yes, today is really a good day."
So this was it for the time being.
I hope you liked the story and that we will see each other for the next fic.
Until then have a great time ;-)
Sharry