Soooo here we go!
I safely returned from my vaccation (it was great, but honestly quite exhaustingas well, and reality hit me like a train today... so much stuff to catch up on... but oh well, you're not here to her my whining ;-) I did have a lot of fun and enjoyed some free time with my niece) and as you guys might have noticed... today is not friday *badumptss*
From now on I will try my best to upload this fic twice a week, on monday and friday that is (thanks LucioL for the idea of posting at first day of the week and at the first day of the weekend^^). I hope you guys will enjoy it and if you have any other ideas, don't be shy ;-)
That's it from me for today. Have fun with this little chapter and I see you all on friday
Chapter 11 - Sleep
-Zoro-
For a moment, he observed his reflection.
Although he was still totally exhausted from the previous day, he didn't look like it and that was a good thing; the last thing he wanted was that Mihawk thought he was weak.
The transformations were draining, but the other did not need to know that.
Taking a deep breath, he left the room, thinking about his crew and his captain, they were more important than some useless aching muscles.
On the way downstairs, he did not meet anyone. The kitchen was deserted as well. It was only in the room with the fireplace, where he had talked with the Shichibukai the night before, that he met him.
Mihawk sat at the big table, reading the newspaper and eating the forgotten dinner of the previous day.
"Good morning, Roronoa," he greeted him without even looking up. "Apparently your wounds heal very well in this form, quite a relief."
"Morning," Zoro muttered, dropping on the chair next to the elder without replying anything to his comment.
"You should eat something so we can leave," Mihawk advised, continuing to read. "After all, you want to be with your beloved friends as soon as possible."
"Sure," he grumbled, reaching for a small piece of bread from the side of the other's plate hidden under the newspaper. The yellow eyes watched him, but there was no other reaction.
"You seem exhausted," the other said after a pause, "or do you only seem to be because you are still wearing the same dirty clothes you borrowed from me in Mary Joa?"
Zoro rolled his eyes and chewed on the dry bread. So much for that.
"You should definitely change before we leave. You certainly do not want to be seen like that."
"Yeah, yeah, stop nagging. I thought we had agreed that you are not my fucking father."
Now the other looked at him again.
"Of course, if I were your father, you would not express yourself like that. No, you are hiding something from me, and I do not appreciate that."
"And why do you think so?" Zoro was so fed up with the other's damn omniscience.
"You are worn out, despite a long night of sleep, and you went to bed quite early yesterday. Very untypical for you. Besides..." Mihawk began to read again. "This girl with the ghost powers made some interesting remarks about you."
Zoro did not ask how he knew about Perona's devil powers.
"You talked to her last night?"
The elder nodded: "She asked about Gecko Moria, who according to the newspaper's reports died in battle. However, I have my doubts about this. After all, he was still alive when I left the battlefield, and the war was already over by then."
Zoro was still chewing on his bread. The Shichibukai had told him exactly what had happened on the battlefield.
"Where is she by the way? She wanted to come with us to the Sabaody Archipelago."
"She will not," Hawk Eyes replied coolly.
"What? Why?"
The elder looked at him again.
"The coffin boat is designed for one person; if you try to push yourself on this one, you will realize that you and I together are already more than one person. She will stay here."
For Zoro, that sounded like an excuse – especially because the other reacted that touchy and openly insulted him - but he didn't really care.
"Does she know that? Won't be thrilled."
Mihawk shrugged.
"I told her yesterday. She was quick to understand."
"Yes, for sure," he replied sarcastically.
"However, I assured her that I will instruct one of the supply ships to take her to the Sabaody Archipelago."
"Oh, really? Given that you don't care about her, you seem to be actually making an effort."
The elder folded his newspaper.
"I simply pay my debt."
"Oh?"
"She took care of you and I know from my own painful experience that this is truly not an easy task."
"Oh, shut up."
A short time later, they set off. Perona hadn't shown up by then, presumably she was sulking in her room or she was just too scared of the Shichibukai.
Zoro meanwhile wore clean clothes and also had his swords with him. The Shichibukai carried Josei and a small bag of Zoro's belongings in addition to his own sword. At least Zoro suspected that it was his stuff because he himself had not packed the bag.
"How long will we take? ", he muttered as they got closer to the sea.
"We should arrive by tomorrow morning. With the coffin boat we are much faster than with larger ships."
That meant they would need a whole day. Not good, that was way too long.
"When we arrive, I advise you to not walk around as Roronoa Zoro on the Sabaody Archipelago."
"What? Why?"
"Alas, Roronoa, are you acting this dull on purpose today? The world thinks of you as dead; the world thinks your captain is dead and your crew is defeated. If someone sees you there a few days after the battle, you lose the only thing that currently offers you and your friends protection."
The other one was absolutely right, but Zoro didn't like it at all. How could he look for hints of his crew, find out where the Sunny was, if he walked around as Loreen?
On the other side, of course, this offered him the perfect excuse to transform into Loreen again when he couldn't prevent it any longer.
Arriving at the sea, as always, he climbed directly on board while the elder loosened the hawser, but this time Zoro simply squatted on the ground and did not sit on the only seat as usual. It would have felt wrong for him, it had been one thing as Lady Loreen in her damn expensive dress that wasn't supposed to wrinkle, but now it would have felt inappropriate.
When Mihawk came on board, he looked at Zoro for a moment with an illegible face, before placing his sword behind his throne and settling down.
"You are behaving quite differently than usual," the Shichibukai said after the small ship finally set off. His face was cool, but he pinched his lips a little tighter than usual.
Zoro looked out at the sea. "Maybe I behave like always and you're just having a problem with it because I'm no longer Loreen."
"Or you try - now that you are a man again - to keep some distance, even more than before."
They briefly looked at each other before Zoro broke the eye contact. He hated it when the other was so annoying.
"Say," he muttered, trying to focus on another topic, "why are you doing this here? Normally, you wouldn't stop bickering that it would be far too reckless to travel to the Sabaody Archipelago now. Besides, I'm not strong enough, we agreed on a month of further training and now you don't even criticize my decision?"
Mihawk looked at him with his head slightly tilted to the side, his golden eyes stood out under the shadow of his hat and his slender lips were now curled into a slight grin.
But he did not answer, only shook his head slightly and turned his gaze away.
Zoro decided not to ask further, shrugging his shoulders and dropping on his back with his eyes closed, his arms folded behind his head. The other owed him no answer.
"I have always wondered why you follow the straw hat boy," the Shichibukai explained out of nowhere. "You are an impressive young man; you could easily gather followers if you wanted to. I even remember two boys calling you brother, back in the East Blue."
The elder laughed softly. "I saw a lot of me in you and wondered why someone like you, who is almost born to the leader, follows some non-serious rubber brat with a straw hat."
Zoro looked up again to the other, who had now crossed his legs.
"I watched him very closely on the battlefield and I think I understand you better now. I understand why you want to go to the Sabaody Archipelago. I certainly doubt it is wise, but I understand your reasons. Even if you are not the captain, we are very similar. I, as well, did not always make smart decisions and I, as well, was aware of that."
For one moment, Zoro took his time to understand what the other had just told him, but then he shook his head.
"You totally don't get it," he said with a grin.
The other's face froze. "Excuse me?"
Then Zoro got serious. " You totally get me wrong. I'm not one to gather followers. I don't like that, I don't need that, and I simply don't want to. I don't want to be a leader; you and I are completely different."
The elder was silent.
"But you're right. Luffy is my captain and I follow him, and yes," Zoro laughed softly, "he's some non-serious rubber brat. But he is also the man who one day will be pirate king."
Still Mihawk stayed silent. After a while, he smiled headshaking.
"You are right, Roronoa. I really do not understand anything at all about what you say. Your motives are, as always, a mystery to me."
Zoro closed his eyes again with satisfaction.
"Well, that's a relief."
And then he fell asleep.
-Mihawk-
Out of the shadow of his hat, he watched the sleeping Roronoa Zoro.
Of course, he knew that Roronoa had been able to transform himself back into his true form. He had known at that moment when he had seen that the three swords had been missing. If Roronoa would not have been able to transform, he would have taken either only one of his swords or Josei.
However, Mihawk was actually surprised that the youngster, despite his hasty action, had been wise enough not to take Josei with him. Together with the third-generation Kitetsu, this sword would have been certain doom for every carrier.
The messy wardrobe trunk along with the ragged dress had then been nothing more than self-explanatory evidence.
Yet Mihawk had not been able to explain how and where to the Roronoa had disappeared. His face was world-famous, and if he had wandered through the corridors of the World Government, he would have been discovered and captured sooner or later.
In the end, it was almost a small miracle - an almost too perfect coincidence - that Roronoa had run into Kuma of all people. So unlikely that Mihawk had immediately dismissed it as a possibility. And the fact that the other Shichibukai had also kept quiet about this unexpected meeting had already been more than a small miracle.
This coincidence was almost as fateful as that Roronoa had landed on Kuraigana of all places, the one island Mihawk had chosen as his home. How likely was such a thing?
But all this had been secondary, because Roronoa had been safe, although far away, but in safety and in hindsight it might have been even better that Roronoa had not been able to watch the war from the front row.
It was surprising to Mihawk that the straw hats, no, the Straw Hat had been involved. Again, Crocodile, G-5, Enies Lobby, Moria, G-6, Sabaody Archipelago, every time the Straw Hat had been involved and now he had also broken into Impel Down, broke out again and had participated in the events of recent history.
No, it was better that Roronoa had not been there, had not seen his friend and captain being thrown back and forth like a game ball between the powerful. It was better that Roronoa had not helplessly seen how his friend and captain had been destroyed for a second time.
Nevertheless, Mihawk had to admit that it had been amazing to see this child on the battlefield. This boy, who was clearly inferior and was still able to successfully free his brother, even if Portgas had still fallen in the end. This boy, who made friends out of enemies and who had even managed to make Mihawk act irrational for a moment, to give fate a chance; this boy was truly extraordinary and certainly very dangerous.
But if that was not the reason Roronoa followed this boy, then why?
No, it did not really matter.
The war was over, Whitebeard, Portgas D. Ace, and so many others were dead and now things would take their course. For the first time in years something halfway interesting would happen.
Mihawk had needed a reason to leave the battlefield quickly, had felt this inner urge to hurry. He had not been able to explain it to himself, had this subliminal feeling not noticed at first, let alone understood, and even now it still confused him.
For that the appearance of the red Shanks had been an almost perfect opportunity, which Mihawk had used directly to take his leave.
He had wondered how to explain to his little frog what had happened, without Roronoa rushing off again, had concluded that he could not prevent it one way or another. By no word in the world he could have prevented Roronoa from leaving for the Sabaody Archipelago. Of course, he would have the strength and ability to restrain Roronoa on Kuraigana, but that was no solution he favored.
So, he had decided to tell the youngster the unadorned truth, not leaving out any information, no matter how small, so that the younger one could decide based on the truth.
It had been a good plan, an appropriate plan.
But when he had arrived, Mihawk had forgotten this plan. Early on, he had noticed that the Humandrills, which normally watched him out of the shadows of the forest, had not been there. This had worried him, after all, their unfamiliar absence had to have a reason. Otherwise, they never missed his arrival, the arrival of the undisputed ruler of the island.
Therefor he had gone to the ruins, deep into the forest, past the tombstone, to their miserable camp. On his way he had noticed a lot of blood, many fresh traces of fighting and he had expected the worse.
The primates had only confirmed his fears. They had all been wounded and injured. Almost like humans, they had converted their tents into sick bays, and they had all worn dirty bandages. In their eyes had been sheer fear when they had seen him, but even he had noted this unwanted feeling of fear rising within him again.
This fear that Roronoa was no longer well.
That the youngster had fought against the Humandrill had been the only reasonable explanation. It was fitting that, despite Mihawk's warning, or precisely because of this, he would challenge the primates, all the more likely after regaining his original body.
But if that had been the case, the scenario had only offered two outcomes, either Mihawk had underestimated Roronoa once again - but he did have his well-founded doubts concerning that - or Roronoa had overestimated himself once again.
He had feared something terrible had happened. It had taken him only seconds to realize that Roronoa had at least been no longer close to the primates, so he had rushed to the castle, unsure what would await him.
But although his mind had constantly told him that the probability that Roronoa would have been actually seriously injured or even dead had been extremely low, he could not bear it again, could not withstand this anxiety again.
Mihawk did not know what exactly had overwhelmed him when he had seen Roronoa, but that incredible sense of relief had filled him.
Yet by now he was sure that his relationship with the boy influenced him more than he had ever thought was possible. It was no longer just that he wanted to protect this boy and that he wanted the boy to become an even better swordsman than he could ever be.
It was selfish, more engaging, more oppressive than anything he knew. It clearly reminded him of his feelings for his sister and was yet different.
He looked sighing at the sleeping pirate.
They both wanted to avoid such feelings. No, the younger one had wanted to avoid it, the younger one had been careful. He, on the other hand, had been so convinced of himself and his control that he had not even thought it would be possible that the younger one could one day become his weakness.
As it turned out, Mihawk had been the one who had overestimated himself and had not been careful enough, so he was now the one who could not sleep.
Hours passed and he could not do much more than observe the sea. The boy at his feet slept blissfully, and his own body also demanded to rest, but his thoughts did not allow him to calm down.
But for once, they were not only concerned with the green-haired devil to his feet, but also with what the world was about to face. It would be fairly interesting; Whitebeard had left a big gaping hole, and this Teach had certainly not stepped on the world stage for the last time.
After a while Mihawk dozed off, but not for long.
The sun had already come quite close to the horizon when he awoke. Roronoa was still asleep at his feet, but now he muttered something wordlessly, holding his chest with one hand, furrowing his brow deeply.
He seemed to be dreaming. Right now, he looked much older than twenty. Oh God, was he just twenty? Sometimes Mihawks forgot how many years separated them, sometimes he forgot how briefly they knew each other.
Except for this one nightmare a few weeks ago, he had never seen the other sleep restlessly, on the contrary, the other usually slept like a dead man, did not move, did not snore, breathing rather calmly. Well, it was the first time he saw the other sleeping in his male form, but that hardly changed anything for him. Whether Zoro or Loreen, both were Roronoa for him.
Yes, it was true, Roronoa Zoro and Lady Loreen had little in common. With the exception of their hair and eye color, they looked fundamentally different and their charisma could not be more contrasting.
Loreen seemed fragile, almost weak and sweet to the ignorant, but to him she had always seemed impetuously and knowingly.
Zoro, on the other hand, seemed evil and cold to strangers, while Mihawk saw a self-confident, almost thoughtful, young man.
Loreen was like an unpredictable volcano, while Zoro was an unconquerable ice storm.
But as soon as he looked into those eyes, he knew that they were both the same person, together they made Roronoa. For Mihawk, it was irrelevant in which body the other was, just as long as the other looked at him like he always did.
Now, however, the dreams seemed to become more restless and the younger one almost looked like he was in pain.
Why was it of such importance for Roronoa to keep the truth hidden? Did he actually think Mihawk had not noticed it by now?
"Roronoa!"
The pinched eyes jumped open. The other quickly sat up, his left hand on the sword handle.
"Did you have a bad dream?"
With big eyes and open mouth, the other looked around, apparently having to figure out where he was. Then he looked at Mihawk without saying anything, the right hand still against his chest.
"How long can you keep enduring it?"
"What?" The short green hairs stood wildly in all directions, the deep eyes were wide open and now the other seemed the same again as always. Like a boy.
"How long can you resist the urge to transform into Loreen?"
Roronoa wanted to say something but stopped and looked away.
"Since when do you know?"
Mihawk shrugged his shoulders. "Since you wanted to hide it."
For several seconds there was silence between them, then Roronoa looked at him again.
"I think until just after sunset if I concentrate."
He nodded thoughtfully. "That would not be as long as it was yesterday."
"Wrong, it would be even longer. I didn't transform into this body here until much later yesterday."
That surprised Mihawk.
"So, you can actually train it?"
The younger grinned. "Of course."
He nodded again.
"Well, you should go below deck until we arrive."
"What? Why?"
Mihawk got up and pushed his chair backwards to expose the trapdoor.
"You seem exhausted, you sleep a lot, much more than usual. These transformations cost strength and drain you. In addition, you need to focus to control it. Go under deck and rest. Sleep and gain new strength. I will keep watch out here and wake you up tomorrow morning as soon as we arrive."
The other got up and saw down at the hole. The boy briefly looked at him, with his mouth open, as if he wanted to say something.
"Yes, what is it?"
The younger man quickly shook his head.
"No, I was probably wrong."
The other climbed down the ladder.
What was he wrong about?
"Wow, it's really great inside! You have everything you need."
Smiling, he shook his head.
"Of course, what did you..."
"There's even a bathroom here and even a bathtub. What the..."
"Good night, Roronoa!"
He pulled the chair forward again and sat down.
Under him it was quiet.
Maybe he would be able to catch a few restful hours of sleep now.
