Standing in front of the large mirror, Zoro finished doing up the buttons on the cuffs of the stuffy tuxedo that was a a little too tight across the shoulders. Hands coming up to readjust the collar and bow one final time before snatching up his shoulder holsters and slinging an arm through the straps to properly adjust it. Tugging on the left buckle until he was satisfied before carefully retrieving his guns from the beside table and sliding them comfortably into their holsters.

Pulling on his jacket, he did up the top two buttons to properly conceal the weapons as he gave himself a final once over. Nodding to himself in approval as he gave a tug on the lapels before he turned and made his way out of the room and down towards the lobby. Keeping his gait amiable as he attempted to blend into the high class crowd that were currently attending the gala in the ballroom downstairs.

A terse nod here, a formal bow there. Keeping his gaze shrewdly pinned on the floor as he took a proffered glass of champagne from a passing waiter. Sipping at the bubbling liquid absently as he tried to note anything off about any of the guests in attendance; not entirely sure whom he was looking for just yet.

There were more than a couple important political figures here, but the man he had been ordered to protect was a duke and an ambassador that had several death threats on his head. The CIA had granted his request for subtle protection and so they chose to send the best operative they had, and while the dossier on potential assassin threats was quite thin; Zoro had a particular knack for reading people and spotting potential threats amoungst a crowd.

Approaching his client, Zoro dipped his head forward out of respect and intoned formally, "Sir."

"Mr. Roronoa." The gentleman replied haughtily, huffing around his moustache condescendingly, "From your reputation I was expecting someone a little less..."

Zoro straightened, champagne glass still held carefully in his grip as he raised a single eyebrow at the man which effectively cut his complaint short. There were a lot of things people assumed about him from his reputation – both good and bad – however Zoro had become quite adept at silencing lesser men with simply a look. Despite what anyone thought, he had no qualms about displaying just how easily he could kill a man.

Coughing nervously into his hand and glancing away the duke grunted, "Just do you your job."

"Of course, sir." Zoro muttered stiffly, keeping his face unreadable as he took a careful sip from his glass before turning away to begin once more carefully observing the room. Letting the duke wander and do as he please, but always staying a few convenient feet away while appearing aloof.

If he hovered too closely, anyone that would want to strike would catch on and either leave, or attempt to shoot Zoro first – something he would like to avoid. So as long as he kept a careful distance he would hopefully be able to notice anybody nearing the target long before they had a chance to do anything to him.

The night wore on late into the evening as politics and money were egregiously discussed over various wines and expensive platters of food from passing waiters. All the while Zoro staying on his guard despite the fact that it seemed that nothing seemed out of place amoungst the crowd, and the threat was likely null on this evening. The night had nearly come to an end when a sudden movement had Zoro forcing himself over to his client just as a gun was pulled.

A gunshot rung out through the ball room, echoing high off the expansive ceiling and causing the chandeliers to quiver nervously as shocked gasps followed after in quick succession. The room twisting as Zoro found himself stumbling under the painful sensation of lead that had just entered his body. Lights dimming and faces melting while everything focused in solely on the pressure just above his heart where the bullet had penetrated.

Chest constricting sharply as each breath came in a short, sticking gasp that was barely enough to properly fill his lungs. Eyes widening in panic as he raised a hand to apply pressure to the wound as it wouldn't be nearly enough to kill him, but if he didn't get his shock under control he would likely pass out. Palming his chest as his other hand reached out blindly for anything to support his weight as the floor was beginning to shift under him and the ballroom was less and less recognizable by the second.

Hand tangling in some form of fabric, he found himself being rudely shaken as a distant screaming could just faintly be heard above the rushing of blood in his ears. A few more tortured gasps and a final furious shake had him snapping back into reality in the middle of the well lit ballroom, with pandemonium all around him. A man lying on the ground with blood pooling under him as people crowded around him in horror.

The surface that he was gripping pulled sharply once more and he turned disoriented to see the livid expression of the duke and the fistful of his shirt that he had grabbed. A final, exasperated jerk had him freeing himself from Zoro's hold before gesturing wildly towards the doors, "What the hell are you waiting for?!"

Zoro glanced around in confusion, hands coming up to very quickly pat himself over as he realized in stunned confusion that he hadn't been shot. Utterly confounded over why he had believed he had been, and why his body had so certainly felt like it; the pain and sensations so real it was almost as though they had been pulled from a memory.

"He's getting away!" The duke shrieked hysterically as Zoro quickly put the concerning moment in the back of his mind as his professionalism took over and he was drawing his gun instantly. Several people screaming shrilly as they assumed he might shoot someone else, ignoring them as he darted across the room and made for the exit; military mindset taking over as he began hunting.

~X~

A loud, disconcerting blaring had Zoro's eyes snapping open to furiously glance at the location of the noise assaulting him. Hitting the top of the clock with a vengeance before snatching it up and noting with some credulity the lateness of the hour, a little flummoxed over how much he had overslept. Setting it back down in slight confusion, he pushed himself up until his legs hung over the side of the bed and the late morning sun shining through the window glanced across his naked back.

Bed empty, the smell of breakfast cooking downstairs was only a small distraction from the fact that he had somehow managed to sleep for nearly nine hours uninterrupted. Not by dreams, or memories, or even his own incessant need to wake before the sun that had been ingrained into his psyche after decades. Trying to figure out what on earth had changed to cause such a dramatic shift in his behaviour as he got dressed and slowly made his way downstairs.

Pulling on a rather baggy hoodie, he fiddled with trying to get the cast through the sleeve hole before eventually giving up and heading downstairs with only one sleeve rolled up. It could be that he had been fairly busy the other night, and possibly the fact that he had went to bed a little later than was usual for himself. But as he rounded into the kitchen, a hand running through his sleep tousled hair, he still couldn't quite shake the confusion over the sudden change.

His musings were quickly shaken as Kalifa handed him a cup of coffee which he took gratefully, sipping at it while he took a seat at the table. Noting the hearty breakfast she had taken the liberty to make since she had been the one to wake up before him for once.

"How's everything this morning?" She mused softly, finishing off making her own cup before making her way over to the table, taking a seat opposite him as she continued eating her half finished breakfast. Her movements as beautiful and graceful as ever, Zoro softly watching the way she took a petite sip of her coffee as her enchanting eyes stayed pinned to him.

"Better." Zoro grunted warmly, biting into a piece of toast and groaning happily at the perfectly buttered slice. Humming happily as she nodded at the reassurance and turned back to her magazine as Zoro started on his breakfast. By the time he had shovelled his meal down, Kalifa was just finishing hers and he set about cleaning the kitchen.

Clearing the table and beginning the dishes before slowly edging over to wear she still sat in her black night gown, bringing his uninjured arm around her gently. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head in gratitude as he murmured, "Thanks for breakfast."

Head falling back, he watched the mesmerizing trails of golden hair tip back to shimmer in the morning sunlight as his eyes met her enchantingly icy blue. Her gaze melting when it met his as she angled her head up to give him a chaste kiss on the lips before giving him a warm smile. A final squeeze and he removed himself from her, his emotions pure and their interactions genuine, but they had somehow become lie in the face of the deceit she kept.

Heading over to the sink, he began rinsing the dishes before loading them into the washer while asking absently, "What are you doing today?"

"Baby is redoing her living room." Kalifa mused, and Zoro could tell from her tone that for once it wasn't a lie. They had been at this facade long enough that it was easy to tell when she was simply feeding him falsehoods in order to get out of the house, "She wants me to go along to help pick out a new chaise."

It was hard to tell if her words were a subtle hint or not, but Zoro knew she was also the type that would demand something rather than timidly hint at it. Nevertheless, he closed the door on the washer and turned to her as he asked, "Do you want to get anything?"

"No." She shook her head simply, gazing falling on Zoro once more as he found himself mesmerized by that loving stare that had somehow never wavered over the years. Knowing that what they had wasn't perfect, but also knowing that after the life he had previously led it was more than he could ever ask for, "I have everything I need."

~X~

Zoro braced himself calmly beside Conis as he kept a firm, yet reassuring hand to the body of the large canine on the examination table, casted hand holding a bit more gently so as not to hurt the creature. His normally placating nature a useful tool for keeping the animals relaxed whenever the veterinarian stopped by to inspect the animals. Final shot given, Zoro slowly released the dog as it carefully pushed itself up into a seated position.

Conis immediately giving a few reassuring strokes to his pelt to calm him after the unpleasantness of what had just happened. It only took a few minutes before it was just a second thought to the dog as she once more was yipping and hopping in an unruly manner as Conis attempted to get her back to her kennel.

"Next we need to check Felix." Conis handed off her keys to Zoro, "I'll put Adelle away if you go get him."

Zoro spent the next several minutes wandering through the secluded room they had set up for the mother and her new litter of kittens. Hopelessly picking up kitten after kitten and inspecting as he tried to remember the markers for Felix, mistakenly putting one down to pick up another and then forgetting which one he had already held. It just wound up with him getting scratched unnecessarily and Conis having to come in to save him, but not before getting an embarrassing photo of him on his knees juggling two kittens while third used his cast for a scratching post.

The rest of the afternoon went by fairly smoothly as they finished up with all the pets that needed walking, and then Zoro assisted with the final walk through to give all the dogs their meals for the end of the day. Stopping and giving each some attention – and staying with some of the ones that preferred company when eating – before finally making it to the last kennel of the day.

When he opened the door to place the dish down for Wado, she came trotting over and ignored it completely in favour of nuzzling up into his arms. Chuckling softly as he allowed her a bit of wily behaviour and ticklish licks to his neck before pulling her back enough to pet her neck a bit more calmly. Sitting back on her haunches, eyes closing and panting happily as he made sure to get all the spots that were no doubt itchy in the summer heat.

"You seem to really like her." Conis noted fondly, sidestepping them to place the refilled water dish down in her kennel as well before turning to watch Zoro continue to fawn over Wado. Watching as she always did with her hands clasped in front of her politely and a sweet smile on her soft features.

"I do." Zoro admitted softly, continuing to run his hands over her silky fur as she nuzzled into his palm. There was a bond between them that had begun the moment he had first met her and couldn't quite explain. It was like she understood what he had gone through, that there was a silent mutual understanding of each others pain that they managed to stifle in the other.

"You thinking of adopting her?" Conis needled eagerly.

"I hadn't... I hadn't thought about it." Zoro admitted, but now that Conis had mentioned it he was beginning to wonder what reason there was to not to. Older dogs almost never got adopted, and half the time he spent here now was with her; what was stopping him from bringing her home. The answer of course rung out clearly in the back of his mind as he slowly pushed himself to his feet, "Can't though."

"That's a shame." Conis mused softly, never one to pry as she let the subject go as she continued wistfully, "I'd take them all home if I could."

"Why not?" Zoro asked politely, watching as she locked the cage before following after her back to the main lobby of the shelter. Snatching up a bucket of towels that would need washing and bracing it on his hip to keep from having to put too much strain on his still injured shoulder.

"With a small apartment like mine?" She tittered sardonically, "I'd never be able to fit them all."

"Ah." Zoro noted softly in understanding, feeling guilty at the thought of the backyard of his house that was currently going to waste. Not a play house for a future child nor a kennel for a dog took up the large expanse of beautifully kept lawn; neither of those things that Kalifa wanted anywhere near her anyway.

"Besides I'd need like a farm to properly take care of all of them and give them all the space they'd need." Conis continued to muse, taking the pail from Zoro as she shrugged with a smile, "Just a pipe dream though; plus the adoption rate is actually pretty steady so there's no real need to move."

Zoro just nodded thoughtfully in agreement, as grateful as she was that most of the animals that came to the shelter eventually found good homes. However, there were always those few that ended up living the last few years of their life as a shelter animal before eventually having to be put down or simply dying of old age. Kitetsu was a prime example of a rough, old canine that would probably never have another home again besides this one.

Making his way over to the sink to properly washed his hands – while attempting to keep his cast as dry as possible – he wondered why it couldn't be possible to at least have a more open facility. The shelter was fairly big, and the back yard was adequate as long as the dogs were rotated, but having somewhere large enough for them all shouldn't be that impossible.

Drying off his hands, he helped finish off the last of the paper work with Conis before finally bidding her farewell for the day as she walked him to the door. Unlocking the customer entrance that had been closed since shelter hours had ended as she held open the door for him.

"Thank you for all your help today." Conis murmured sincerely, "I know I say it every time, but it really does mean a lot."

"Only wish I could do more." Zoro muttered softly while giving a modest shrug, as he made his way outside and beginning the short walk across town towards home. The words a resounding echo of everything he currently felt about his life.

~X~

Ducking into the local hobby shop a few blocks away from the shelter, Zoro slowly perused the isles as he mentally catalogued the stock of all his supplies at home and what he had been running low on. With his latest ship almost done, he was already trying to search for another spark of inspiration on what to make for the next; leaning towards something larger and more colourful this time.

Noting the array of woods and materials crammed onto each shelf, and the selection of bottles in the corner he began to get a relatively basic idea of the size he wanted to go for. Arriving at the paint selection and idly looking through it as there was a particular shade of chestnut that he always liked to use on the hull that he was running low on at the moment.

A child came bolting down the isle, and Zoro absently took a step forward so there would be more space behind for the delinquent to keep up his pace as he rounded the corner at a dangerous speed and yelled something as his footsteps faded. Another gleeful scream came from further in the shop as there were no doubt a bundle of children causing mayhem for the store owner. Replacing the bottle of paint he had been looking over, he snagged another as he wondered if he should go for something with an earthier tone.

"Ninjin, put that down or I swear to god I will tell your mother." A familiar voice groaned out, and it had Zoro pausing as he glanced towards a nearby isle. There was a distinct sound a child sticking his tongue out and humming tauntingly, before scurried footsteps fled from an exasperated adult that rounded the corner, "I'm the adult here; where's the respect?"

Zoro recognized the man, just as Usopp looked up and seemed to take note of Zoro's presence as well. The look of exhaustion fleeing his face as he asked in surprise, "Zoro?"

"Hey." Zoro nodded politely in greeting.

"What're you doing here?"

Zoro held up the paint in his hand in explanation, before glancing down one of the isles where two boys went bolting past at break neck speed. Barely catching a glimpse as one in a hat seemed to be chasing the other one that looked to be holding something fairly valuable, "You?"

"Supplies for a school project." Usopp groaned, placing a hand on his cheek in exasperation and casting a glance at where Zoro had been looking hopelessly, "I see you've met my kids."

"Energetic." Zoro noted.

"Oh, you have no idea." Usopp assured tiredly as a third boy slowly made his way up behind Usopp, far too absorbed in his phone to do anything more than stumble along at a slow pace. Usopp glanced back and seemed almost relieved to see the third behind him not causing trouble as Zoro was struggling to understand how the young man could already have three boys that had to be nearly ten years of age.

"This is Tamanegi." Usopp introduced the boy, as the young child held out his hand politely for Zoro to take and give it a firm shake before going back to his phone. Usopp placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a light squeeze as he chuckled, "Tama here's the only one that keeps me sane."

A soft smile touched Zoro's lips before both adults turned sharply at a clattering noise followed by high pitched yell, "Everything's okay!"

"Aaand you've met the other two hellions." Usopp groaned, turning back to face Zoro with a slightly pained expression aging his usually youthful face. Though he didn't appear under slept, there was a frazzled nature to his movements that made him seem a little worn down, changing the topic as he nodded towards the item in Zoro's hand, "What's the paint for?"

"Models." Zoro admitted shyly, the hobby not exactly something he shared with anyone outside of his therapists; the whole thing started as a way to focus his frustration into a time consuming, delicate task. There had been many failed attempts in the beginning, but it had definitely turned into one of the less tortuously mundane parts of his new life.

"Oh!" Usopp intoned in surprise, clearly not taking Zoro for the type as he glanced over the selection before picking out a new brand in a similar colour to the one Zoro was holding, "Then I'd suggest trying this stuff; have you used it?"

Zoro took the bottle and simply shook his head minutely. While he had been doing it for a some time now, he still made most of it up as he went along; finding he had much better skill with a whittling tool than he did with paints and colours. Up until now he had just picked colours that he had found worked nicely to him.

"This one is oil based," Usopp explained knowledgeably, pointing to the bottle eagerly as he continued, "It'll take longer to dry, but it won't crack and the colour will be way more vibrant."

"Thanks." Zoro murmured as he glanced down at the bottle in his hand, noting the brand for future reference before looking back up, "You seem like an expert."

"Like I said; school projects." Usopp chuckled with a exasperated shake of his head, "My house is gonna be a mess until they're moved out."

"A lot of kids for your age." Zoro noted politely, the other man could barely be older than Zoro was himself and he already had three adolescent boys. It was kind of hard to fathom how old the man must have been when he had decided to start having children.

"We adopted." Usopp shrugged casually, "My wife – Kaya – works in prenatal; she wanted a hoard of kids but these three were put up for adoption shortly after birth. The rest is history."

Zoro just nodded thoughtfully, gifting the man a grin at the touching nature of it as he was sure there was a bit more to the story that the other man didn't feel the need to elaborate on. Regardless, it was easy to notice the fondness in his voice when he talked about not only his wife but his kids as well; an effortless love for all of them in his words.

"What about you?" Usopp gestured vaguely towards the wedding ring on Zoro's hand, "You guys got any kids?"

"No." Zoro shook his head, decidedly keeping quiet about the fact that they were likely to never have any. While the discussion had never come up, it was clear from both of their backgrounds that neither he nor Kalifa were in a rush to bring a child into the world; if at all.

"Probably for the best." Usopp jested lightly, turning to Tamanegi – whom was still ignoring both of the adults – and placing a hand on his head to affectionately ruffle his hair. The boy squawking indignantly and batting his father's hand away while never taking his eyes off the phone in his hand, "I'm gonna be grey by the time I'm forty with the way these guys run me."

Another uproarious screech of laughter echoed down an isle as the other two came racing into view, panicking at the sight of their father. Making to turn and run away, one of the boys began pushing the other hectically to get him to move faster before Usopp seemed to finally have enough of their antics.

"Alright, ya filthy pirates." Usopp called out in a horrible attempt at a pirate voice, "Get your butts to the bridge!"

Despite being rambunctious, the boys clearly had some form of respect for their father as they listened and almost immediately darted over to where they were. Zoro had to give Usopp credit, the boys may have seemed delinquent at first but they obviously knew the boundary between when Usopp was teasingly trying to control them and when play time was actually over.

"This is my little crew." Usopp grinned proudly, gesturing to the boy with a toque and then to the other with eccentrically dyed dark green hair, "Ninjin and Piiman; say hello to Mr. Roronoa."

"Hello." Piiman belted out obnoxiously, Zoro finding himself a little caught off guard by the volume level that these particular kids seemed to operate at. Nodding with a small smile as the boy raised a dirty sleeve to swipe across his snotty nose in an attempt to wipe it away.

"Yo, Mr. R." Ninjin offered next, head titled all the way back to look up at him as his vision was poorly obscured by the mop of messy hair on his head and the toque pulled far too low over his eyes. Usopp only rolled his eyes at the boy's attempt to sound cool, obviously not going to even bother to tell the kid off for his lack of manners.

"Yo." Zoro tried back flatly, a little overwhelmed with suddenly having three young children with their attention on him all at once. Something about their unwavering confident behaviour was minutely intimidating in a way Zoro wasn't entirely sure how.

"What happened to your arm?" Piiman asked loudly.

"Fought a bear." Zoro stated flatly.

Enjoying the look of genuine horror that lit up Piiman's face as he glanced wearily to his father, clearly not entirely sure if Zoro was joking or not. Ninjin on the other hand just continued to keep his held titled back to he could see Zoro from under his hat as he stated nasally, "No way."

Zoro just smirked down at the kid.

"Prove it." Ninjin snapped back haughtily, Zoro a little surprised at the bold, stubborn nature of the child. It was beginning to remind him a little of himself when he had been younger; a long time ago before he had seen just how harsh the world could be.

"Oi!" Usopp finally snapped, sending the boy a lighthearted glare as he berated, "Manners."

Ninjin just rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Mr. R." Piiman requested once again using a voice a little too loud for being inside, pointing snot-sleeved arm towards the casted arm hanging at his side, "Can I sign your cast?"

"Guys, come on now, you-"

"Look Dad signed it!" Tama finally chirped up, pointing at the man's signature on the side that was accompanied by a drawing of an interestingly dressed superhero. The other two boys immediately growing insanely hectic at the notion of their father being allowed to do something they weren't as Ninjin joined in, "No fair!"

"Do you mind?" Usopp finally chuckled nervously, clearly not sure how else to calm the rambunctious three as he gifted Zoro with a silently pleading look. Zoro still a little flummoxed over how many people seemed to enjoy such a weird, mundane ritual – even Conis insisting on signing her name to offer some healing vibes.

"By all means." Zoro grunted with a shrug, offering his arm out as one of the boys snagged a marker off the shelf that would no doubt have to be paid for afterwards as all three set to work signing it. By the time they were finished a large pirate ship sporting a modest jolly roger now filled up another large portion of the cast, along with a few stick figure drawings of the three boys.

Once they were finally done, they very quickly lost interest in the conversation the two adults had been having in the interim and immediately began making to leave. Ninjin tugging forcefully on his fathers hand while Piiman started complaining loudly that he was hungry.

"We should get going," Usopp alluded casually, though it was clear that them leaving was not at all his decision and he was simply at the mercy of the three rambunctious boys, "They can't stand still for longer than a couple minutes at a time or else they'll turn into gremlins."

Chuckling softly as the man still was attempting to talk to Zoro as his three kids were now all working together to shove him away and down the isle. Giving a short wave to the father as Zoro offered casually, "See ya."

"See you again Saturday?" Usopp asked over his shoulder, the offer having been made yesterday, but a part of Zoro had just expected it to be out of politeness. A little taken aback that it seemed to be a genuine invitation and that they were honestly expecting him to be there.

"Yeah." Zoro nodded, wondering idly to himself why they had so easily invited him into their group, "Sure."

"Great." Usopp grinned, managing to tear one of his hands away long enough to wave farewell before he allowed his boys to pull him the rest of the way down the isle. Pausing and turning back to Zoro as he cajoled, "Oh, by the way, wear your sling or you're gonna give Sanji an aneurysm."

Zoro found himself a little taken aback by the random comment, glancing down at his casted arm for a moment in confusion before back up to see the man's retreating figure. Raising a confused brow at the notion of the other man and why he would possibly care that much as he muttered, "Uh... alright."

Usopp already out of earshot as he rounded the corner, and there was a moment of scuffling followed by a gasp of horror, "Oh my god, Piiman get that out of your mouth!"

~X~

Turning the television off, Zoro pushed himself to his feet with a weary stretch as the credits had just begun to roll for the old samurai movie. Left hand coming up to adjust the strap of the sling that had been pressing into his neck since he had put it on after arriving home. Feeling a little foolish about allowing himself to be guilt tripped into wearing it, but also unable to stop the nagging sensation in his gut at the notion that the lack of the sling would bother the blond paramedic.

The injury to his shoulder definitely wasn't that bad, but he would begrudgingly admit that it eased the pressure off the joint quite noticeably. Plus, anything he could do to keep a crew of devote medical professionals from criticizing him was something he would gladly do.

As he began making his way up stairs to the bedroom, he began idly undoing the strap and pulling the sling from his body. Oddly noting the parallels between the sling and the old holsters he used to wear; although they were for an entirely different reason and held something far more lethal than an injured arm. Tossing it aside on the dresser he made his way over to the bed wear Kalifa sat reading quietly, glasses perched carefully on her slender nose.

Pulling off his shirt as he neared, Kalifa glanced up from her book and paused as her gazed fixed properly on his visible cast for the first time that day. Hand coming to hold the page of her book as her stare shifted curiously over his arm before coming up to meet Zoro's, "What's on your cast?"

Pausing with the corner of the covers held in his grasp, Zoro looked down at his right arm in confusion before realizing she meant the cast itself. Noting all the signatures and drawings from the past few days fondly before glancing back at her with a small shrug, "Signatures."

Her eyes continued to critically scan it, noting the obnoxious drawing done by Luffy, and the drawing of the pirate ship done earlier that day by Usopp's boys before looking back up at him and stating carefully, "Isn't that... a little childish?"

A spark of rage lit itself in his chest at the mocking words as he instantly thought of the kind smile Sanji had offered when first signing the cast, and the pleasant happiness he had felt when everyone else had signed it as well. The memory suddenly becoming cold with her words as he bit his tongue to refrain from snapping back something harsh as he knew he needed to leave. Instead of facing the thoughts that were going to begin circulating he released the blanket in his grip as began making his way back out of the bedroom with stern determination.

"Where are you going?" Kalifa asked with quiet confusion, obviously oblivious to the fact that he comment had just set him off. Something that he couldn't begrudge her for as he knew that this sudden burst of anger inside of him was completely irrational.

"Basement."

"Now?" She intoned incredulously.

Zoro simply grunted in confirmation as he made his way out of the bedroom and downstairs, not entirely sure why he was filled with a rising anger at her ridiculous comment but needing to control his baseless emotions. Thudding his way across the main floor as he rationalized he was probably just displacing his self directed frustration onto her when she simply didn't deserve it.

It had happened a lot at the beginning – when his trauma had been particularly bad – and it had taken him a long time to learn to redirect it away from others when they did not deserve it. Just like now, his current lividness at her cruel words clearly was just a manifestation of his own frustration over his injuries and his recent relapse; it had nothing to do with her.

Down in the basement he didn't even bother to bandage his left hand as his took a stance in front of the heavy bag, reeled back, and threw his whole weight into the punch. Continuing with vicious hit after merciless kick until his body ached, his breathing was erratic and all he could do was stumbled over to the wall and collapse against it. Legs splaying out under him as he stared at the dull concrete floor of the basement as he let the last vestiges of his anger seep away.

TBC...

A/N: It feels wrong that someone else is making Zoro breakfast besides Sanji... Also yes, Zoro's relationship with Kalifa is very unhealthy; it's supposed to be. Everything will work out in the end though; I promise.