Hey everybody,
I'm sorry, I know I'm late. Life is busy right now and I haven't been online for a couple of days, on top of that I have an important appointment tomorrow morning, so after posting this chapter I'll be going straight to bed to catch some much needed sleep^^'
Because of all of that I have not been able yet to reply to your lovely comments, but I have read them and probably more often than I should ;-) I will answer as soon as I have time^^
The next chapter will be on time (promised) and I feel bad for letting you guys wait, especially with this chapter here, because it was not an easy one for me. Just FYI there will be something at the end of the chapter you might recall, if you have read the prequel, but just in case, I will drop the link at the end, so if you want to fresh up your memories, you can do that (and maybe that will avoid/solve some questions) ;-)
I hope you guys are having a great weekend and I can't wait to show you the next chapter on monday!
See you^^
Chapter 20 - Pirates
-Zoro-
"Now, the wrists are all that is left and then we're done."
"What? I just need something to put on and not a tailored suit."
The housekeeper's dark eyes flashed at him furiously.
"Not yet. But who knows, maybe you need one next month and then I must have your measurements one way or another, sweetheart."
He blushed because of the nickname.
"I doubt I would ever need something like that, and even if I would, you'd still insist on measuring me again, wouldn't you?"
"But that's just because your body is constantly changing. You're still so young, you're still growing. Especially as Loreen your chest and thigh measurements have already increased so much compared to two months ago. "
Zoro rolled his eyes. Disagreeing with Kanan was hopeless. He pulled his hands away after she had measured both wrists.
"That's just because some muscles grow due to training. Can I get dressed now?" He grumbled in a bad mood as she rushed over to the small sewing table to write down all the measurements.
"Of course, of course, little one. But please stop looking so grim."
"I can't do anything about it, that's my face," he said, moodier, reaching for some trousers that were placed over a clothes rack. "Accept the facts. I'm not your sweet princess."
"These pants will be too short for you, darling. The black ones over there will fit," she replied calmly, pointing to another stack of trousers with her pen.
Without replying, he walked over and pulled out the only black pants from the pile. He didn't even ask why she had so many clothes lying around here. Unlike usual, this room was incredibly messy. Perhaps she had wanted to use the absence of the landlord to sort things out.
"And you can stop marking the strong man in front of me," she continued cooler now. "I knew from the beginning who you are, and I don't have to treat you any different just because you suddenly think you have to act like an uneducated caveman."
Her voice sounded somewhat scolding, as if she were far from satisfied with his behavior. It was annoying. With a quiet sigh, he put on the pants.
"You should stop trying to educate me. I'm a pirate, have you forgotten? I'm a criminal, so stop treating me like a child!"
Now she turned to him, raised an eyebrow, her hands on her hips.
"And that's supposed to impress me now? I raised Dracule Mihawk, nothing you've ever done or could do can shock me. What you do out there in the world is your thing, but I'm the housekeeper, as long as you're at this mansion, my laws apply."
He folded his arms and could feel his temples starting to pound.
"I like you, Kanan, but don't test my patience. Don't try to change me and stop thinking of me as someone I'm not and don't want to be."
Apparently unnerved, she groaned and turned around, shaking her head, and began to rant under her breath. With furious movements, she collected the scraps of cloth lying around.
"Fine," she said and turned around, "fine, now that this is clear..." She took a deep breath and immediately the maternal smile slid back over her face. "Very well. So, my dear child, let's get you dressed."
Zoro took a step back. Her sudden change of subject and mood troubled him.
"I can do that on my own," he murmured.
"Sure. I saw the photos of you in the newspaper, my dear." Now she sounded almost like usual, as if they hadn't fought just a second ago. "Always wearing some unbuttoned shirts, combat boots and then this ugly haramaki. This is nothing a man your age should wear. This friend of yours, the blond, who is often wearing a suit..."
"Don't compare me to the cook!" Kanan continued to pick up clothes while Zoro watched her unimpressed, his arms still folded. "And no matter what you say, I need my haramaki for my swords."
"But it looks so horrible, not even talking about the color. You really have no sense for fashion at all, sweety."
He sighed: "That's not what it's about. It must be comfortable and functional. I don't care if you like it or not."
Unimpressed, she looked at him.
"Well, fine with me, a haramaki. Tze, just as stubborn as his Lordship."
"As if that would surprise you."
She sighed heavily and stopped in her activity.
"No, unfortunately, this doesn't surprise me at all. His Lordship had already warned me that I would probably not convince you. That's why I've prepared something."
She grabbed the stack of trousers that Zoro had previously helped himself from and carried it into the adjoining sewing room.
With both hands, Zoro rubbed through his face and settled on the small pedestal. Kanan could be quite exhausting. Compared to her even Perona was tolerable, who at least could be silenced.
He wondered how long Mihawk would still take for his strange activities, Zoro wanted to go back to Kuraigana, he wanted to continue training. He was not allowed to waste any time.
His nerves were on edge and his temples hurt slightly. He was tired, but at the same time he felt this inner urge within him, which always woke up when he was not pursuing his goal determined enough.
Why was he here in the first place?
Kanan came in again, in her hand a haramaki that looked just like Zoro's old one used to.
"I made it myself and, because I didn't know what material yours was, I took the best yet most robust fabric I could find."
For a moment, he looked at the haramaki in her hands, and for a strange second, the pressure within him disappeared.
Somehow the situation touched Zoro. It was as if this garment, which seemed so insignificant, was part of his identity. When he got up and took it, he noticed that it felt softer, lighter, yet stronger and ruggedized.
Now the housekeeper smiled.
"I didn't have your measurements, so I don't know if it fits you. Maybe you'll try it on briefly and I'll fix it."
Zoro just nodded and pulled it over.
"Like a glove," Kanan whispered, inspecting him from every angle.
"Can you add some straps for my swords?" He asked, ignoring her plucking fingers.
"Of course, sweety, of course. No problem at all."
"And Kanan." She looked up to him. "Thank you."
She smiled softly.
"For you always, my child."
Then she turned around and rushed through the room.
"I've got you two more pairs of boots, so you don't always have to run around in the same all the time. I also bought some new underpants."
"What?"
Kanan came back with needle, fabric, and thread.
"Of course. The same ones his Lordship has. There is only one universal size, because the fabric adapts perfectly to the body. They cost a fortune, but there's nothing better for sporty activities and by the way, you never have to worry about your boxer shorts not fitting you as Loreen."
Zoro recalled a long gone morning when he had found the drunken Shichibukai in his room back then here at this mansion. Back then, Mihawk had not worn more than some black, tight-fitting shorts. However, that morning had caused him far greater problems than the concern for underwear, a wasted teacher, for example.
Kanan knelt in front of him and sewed on the requested straps.
"That's really kind of you Kanan, but I think I don't need them. That's not quite my..."
"Child, we won't discuss that. Believe me, once you've tried them on, you don't want anything else."
Zoro sighed: "Whatever."
"So, already done." She got up and inspected her work.
Zoro nodded in appreciation and stepped down from the podium.
"But somehow we still haven't gotten far with your clothing problem," Kanan muttered dissatisfied, "we couldn't fix much more than your underwear."
"Don't worry about that, Kanan. This here," he pointed at his haramaki, "is enough."
"You're truly one of a kind," she said, shaking her head. "Well, you want some more shirts, too? I assume it should be something simple."
A grin crept onto his features.
"Yeah, a simple T-shirt is enough for me."
She nodded and walked over to a clothes rack.
"This one should fit." She took a simple white shirt and came to him, but suddenly her eyes got almost sad. Zoro could see her looking at him with pinched eyes and biting her lower lip.
"What's wrong?" He asked, taking the shirt.
She shook her head. "Oh, nothing."
He shrugged it off and pulled over the top. If she didn't want to talk, it wasn't his problem. On the contrary, this whole drama annoyed him incredibly, whether Nami, Mihawk, or Kanan. So, if she didn't want to talk, he would definitely not push it.
"Just," she continued, still looking at him, "this scar looks terrible and it must be horrible to carry this memory on your own body and never be able to forget."
He stopped moving and looked over to the housekeeper.
"Does this scar disgust you?" He asked calmly after a moment.
"Oh no!" She answered immediately, raising her hands appeasingly. "That's not what I meant. This wound just seems to have been very painful."
"Yes, it was," Zoro agreed, thinking back to that day that had changed his life. The day of his greatest defeat and at the same time the day when he had renewed his promise. That day he had become someone else. Until that day he had been willing to sacrifice his life for his dream. After that day, he had understood that he had to live to fulfill his dream. It would have been too early for him to die and this scar kept reminding him every day. Since that day he had wanted to live to achieve his dream.
But for the dreams of his friends, for their lives, he had been willing to sacrifice all of this. Zoro had sacrificed his life for his friends.
Suddenly, the throbbing annoying his temples grew stronger. His view got blurry for a second and he had to take a step back to steady his balance.
"Well," Kanan continued, who didn't seem to notice anything, "when I see this scar, I just wonder what kind of monster you must have encountered. What kind of person would do something that horrible to another human being?"
Zoro grabbed his head, tried to ignore the pounding.
"But Kanan, this scar...," he began, but he was interrupted by an opened door.
"You may speak of me, Kanan." The best swordsman in the world came in, a cold expression in his stinging eyes, immediately meeting Zoro's gaze. "After all, I was the monster Roronoa encountered and I was the man who did something that horrible to him." Yet his words sounded anything but angry or harsh, somehow, they made Zoro proud, but with his headaches he was probably just imagining it.
The door fell shut behind Mihawk.
"But your Lordship?!"
Zoro could hear the housekeeper's almost shaking voice, while black dots danced in front his vision. He lowered his head as the world around him got blurred.
"You want me to believe that you did that?"
"You surprise me, Kanan." Mihawk sounded calm but also dismissive. "I thought you know everything. Of course, it was me. I am known for my merciless and ruthless behavior, why does that upset you so suddenly?"
Zoro dropped down to the podium. Something was wrong here, but he didn't know what.
He was not at all interested in that conversation. But their words were so clear and penetrating that he heard them over the throbbing in his head, had to hear them, could not ignore them.
He had been sleeping badly for weeks and had often woken up with headaches, but during the day they had mostly left him alone. So why now?
"So, you want to tell me that beside this innocent child, you have branded other people with the cruel memory of their defeat?" The housekeeper sounded truly shocked.
Zoro wanted to note that he was anything but an innocent child, but Mihawk was faster: "No, Roronoa is an exception. But that is simply because my enemies usually do not live long enough to recover scars from the fight." The words cut through the air like cold ice.
Kanan did not answer anything, but Zoro could hear her quick breath. Several times she started to say something but stayed quiet in the end. He wondered what she was thinking. He had never heard her lost of words. He couldn't hinder a quiet laughter, which hurt his throbbing head even more.
"Roronoa?" Only now did the elder turn to him, not that Zoro cared.
"Didn't you just say that nothing could shock you, Kanan?" Zoro rubbed his temples. The light of the room blinded him.
"Is there something wrong, Roronoa?" Mihawk asked.
"That's something else," Kanan replied huffing. "I know what you're doing out there and it doesn't surprise me."
Zoro closed his eyes and tried to ignore the throbbing pain. He could not remember ever having such headaches.
"Still you are reacting anything but composed," Hawk Eyes remarked, and heavy steps echoed through the room. Next to Zoro he stopped and his familiar scent filled the air. "Roronoa, are you alright?"
"I don't care what you do out there, your Lordship, and I will always love you like my own son." The older woman hesitated. "However, I don't know if I can forgive you for having forced such a stigma on this child who means so much to me."
It was quite quiet in the room, no one said anything anymore.
Zoro knew the other two were facing each other, right in front of him. Kanan to his right and Mihawk to his left.
Slowly, the pain in his head faded.
"Roronoa." The Shichibukai sounded as rational as ever. "If you have everything you need, we should leave. This way we ca continue training at sunrise, making you lose only one day."
"But your Lordship! I didn't want to..."
"Calm down, Kanan." Once again, the steps of the swordsman echoed through the room. "I respect your views and it is your right to disapprove my actions."
"But Sir, I..." Kanan sounded almost desperate.
"There is no need for you to explain yourself. It is alright. I hope that one day you will be able to forgive me, but even if not, it will not change my opinion of you. Rest assured that I always appreciate you. Roronoa, please transform yourself. I will be waiting downstairs."
With a quiet click, the door fell shut. Zoro got up and opened his eyes. Only a few black dots danced in his field of vision. It still felt like the Shichibukai was standing right next to him.
Like frozen Kanan stood in the middle of the room and stared at the door, her hands still half outstretched for someone who had already left long ago.
Zoro sighed.
"Kanan." She swirled around to him, her eyes wide open and glassy. "We are swordfighters, different rules apply to us. We are also pirates, we live in a different world."
"I know that. I didn't want to drive him out of his own home."
"I know." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for your care."
Then he turned around and collected the things she had provided for him. His headache nothing more than a dull memory.
"But you should forgive him. This scar should not burden you."
"But my child. He branded you."
He looked over at her. Lost in thoughts, he touched the upper end of his scar.
"No, you're wrong. He marked me, he didn't brand me, and it's only thanks to this scar that I'm who I am today."
"I don't understand you," she whispered.
"That's because you see only pain and a memory of defeat in this scar. But for me, it's not. In this scar I see Mihawk's recognition of my abilities and the promise of victory."
Doubtfully, she opened her mouth.
Zoro grinned and rubbed his neck slightly embarrassed.
"There's a reason why I always wear unbuttoned shirts, you know?"
When she still didn't answer anything, he shrugged, grabbed the clothes he had come for and went to the adjoining sewing room to transform himself.
When he came out again as Loreen a few minutes later, the housekeeper was still standing in the middle of the room.
"You're really so pretty," she whispered when she noticed Zoro.
He threw the backpack over his shoulder with his new clothes and boots without replying. Maybe she would never understand.
As he stood in front of Kanan, he allowed her to hug him.
"Child, can I ask you for something?" She asked earnestly.
"Sure." He freed himself from her strong embrace and looked at her with half a smile.
"Please watch out for him, can you?"
The tears were still shimmering in her eyes.
He nodded earnestly.
"Of course. I'm not going to let anything happen to him, after all, I want to defeat this bastard."
"But no such words!"
"But such words. See you soon, Kanan." Grinning, he said goodbye and rushed out.
The tension between Mihawk and his housekeeper did not please him, as Loreen he was able to feel it even more clearly and he was grateful to be able to leave the old mansion quickly.
Arriving downstairs, the Shichibukai was already waiting for him. Mihawk briefly looked at him as he came down the stairs. The elder had been waiting in the hallway and had already put on shoes, coat, and hat. Zoro quickly followed his example.
A few seconds later, they walked through the dark forest.
"Are you doing well?" Mihawk asked into the silence. "You seemed to have a headache."
Zoro shrugged. "It's fine."
Again, they were silent. Should he ask? Should he dig deeper? Or should he simply leave the other alone.
"Sure? Or have I demanded too much from you during our journey?" Mihawk sounded as calm as ever. "Headaches are no uncommon side effect in the beginning."
"As I said, it's fine," he muttered again, sighing softly.
"I apologize if my dispute with Kanan has unsettled you. Rest assured she will calm down soon," the other said.
Shaking his head, Zoro laughed quietly.
"Oh please. That's your trouble, it has nothing to do with me. But you left the room quite in a hurry."
The elder was right behind him.
"I did not leave in a hurry, Roronoa, but it makes no sense to talk to Kanan when she becomes emotional. Believe me, you were not our first point of disagreement and this one as well will not burden our relationship in the long term."
"Well, if you say so." He doubted that Kanan was the only one at fault.
By now they had reached the village.
"Of course, it would be quite different if Kanan were right and this scar would be no more than a horrible memory for you." Mihawk did not look at him but directed his stinging gaze straight ahead.
Zoro looked at the elder, tried to read in his facial expressions what Mihawk was telling him, but the shadows of the night made it impossible.
Suddenly the hawk eyes did stare at him.
"Tell me, Roronoa, is Kanan right?"
They had stopped, around them the silence of the village, only interrupted by the quiet flow of the fountain. It was in the middle of the night.
"I thought you know me," Zoro finally replied, and continued.
"That is no answer." The Shichibukai followed him.
Now it was Zoro who looked ahead into the distance.
"I'm glad to have my old body back," he muttered as they left the village, "otherwise I'd probably have lost that scar forever."
When he looked up, he thought he could see the elder's eyes widening a trace.
They had reached the small harbor and in consensual silence they walked along the pier to the familiar coffin boat. Like a well-rehearsed team, Zoro got on board while Mihawk untied the ropes.
"By the way." Zoro stretched and tightened his coat. "Why did you really want to come here? Where were you all evening?"
The Shichibukai shrugged his shoulders and came on board as well.
"I just had to discuss something with Jiroushin. Nothing world-shattering." But he sounded unusually soft.
Zoro settled on the ground.
"I would love to rest for a while, Roronoa. Would that be fine with you?"
The Shichibukai yawned extensively. The boat started moving.
"Just do it. Can we continue training tomorrow?"
"Of course, that was the deal." Mihawk pushed back the throne.
"Roronoa?"
They looked at each other.
"Yeah?"
The elder waved it off.
"Nothing. Just try not to do anything stupid."
"Look, go to sleep, you talk nonsense."
Shaking his head, the elder went under deck.
Zoro looked at the stars in the sky. Everything was quiet.
"You're not dead yet, traveler. Not yet."
Surprised, he straightened up. What kind of voice had he just heard? But there was no one there. Had he just imagined it?
"Humans, who died for a selfless reason and don't regret dying but their mistake that made them die, receive a chance to continue their life."
There! Again! Where had those words come from? They didn't make any sense at all, and yet Zoro had this strange feeling of having heard them, sometime a long time ago.
"You will either find a place you need to find in order to learn what you need to know or you will find a person, who's destiny it will be to change you."
Suddenly, his headache was back, even stronger than before.
"So go ahead, Roronoa Zoro. Return into your life and learn from your mistake. Regret nothing and live your dream."
He stared up at the stars and then it got dark around him.
Here's the link to a specific chapter of the prequel ;-)
s/12269598/36/Protecting-dreams-pay-the-price
