Chapter 26
The Missing Piece is Found! Tori's Confession!
The maid leads Zoro from the basement and up to the foyer, bowing as she turns to leave. Zoro also turns to leave the foyer and go to his room as he and Robin agreed, but his mind goes blank and suddenly he has no idea which way to go. In a stroke of genius, Zoro thinks to call the maid back over and ask. I can't take any chances. I need to get to my room as soon as possible, especially if Robin's found something. Marin happily returns back at his side and leads the way. They land at Zoro's room a few minutes later and Zoro tries not to fidget as he prepares to enter. Marin takes her leave right as Zoro opens the door. Robin appears to have already arrived and she quickly grabs Zoro by his robe and pulls him inside. She slams the door shut behind them. Zoro's about to demand why she insists on pulling him in so roughly when Robin speaks up, "Zoro, you will never believe this. I found it. I found the page."
Zoro's eyes open in amazement as he hurriedly jitters, "Well, where is it?"
Robin quickly grabs a piece of paper out of her pocket. "The paper appears to be the same as the paper in the logbook and it's ripped at the top. This is our paper."
"So the names are…" Zoro reads down the paper until he comes upon two names, "Marin and Tori."
Robin nods enthusiastically.
"Well, obviously it can't be Marin, since she has blue hair. Tori has brown hair as Brooke said. It has to be her."
Robin nods again and says, "And even better, I found the page in Tori's room. I knew it was hers because there was a letter with her name on it. I didn't have time to read the letter of course since it was too risky, but it's her." Robin beams at their discovery.
"It's her," Zoro says again, not quite believing that he finally found the swordswoman that he's been indebted to for so long.
"It's her."
Zoro bursts from his room before coming to the realization that he has no idea where to start looking. "Damn, I have no idea where to find Tori!"
"Zoro," Robin peeks her head outside the door, "may I ask again why you're so set on tracking her down?"
He ignores her question, but her words provoke a thought in him, That's right! I have to track her down… down… down! Zoro makes a sharp turn and goes, well, down. He takes the stairs two at a time and his heart races with anticipation as he continues to race down the stairs until there are no more stairs left to run down. He lands up in the medical facilities and tours down the halls until he happens upon one that he recognizes. Isn't this the room that Ari was in this morning? Out of curiosity, he peeks open the door to see if Ari's still there, half-hoping that she isn't and is better and half-hoping that she's still there so he can tell her about his discovery. To his luck, Tori happens to be lying in the bed before him, coughing up a storm. Her maid uniform is intact, except for the veil which has been discarded on her nightstand. For a moment, Zoro can do nothing but stare.
Tori looks at him strangely. Didn't Ari break into my room earlier too… man this must be a popular room to break into or something… weird…
Zoro, finally getting his words together, speaks up, "I know who you really are."
Tori goes wide-eyed at this and Zoro notes that without her veil, one of her eyes is slightly faded. Tori opens her mouth to speak, but Zoro cuts in again, "I know who you are. I know you're the Fluttering Swordswoman!"
Tori's sharp intake of breath and her slack jaw reveals to Zoro that he and Robin were right. This is definitely her. A satisfied grin surfaces on his face.
Tori closes her faded eye, nods and wheezes, "You got me."
XXX
Marguerite successfully arrives at the palace and is welcomed in through the front doors by a cooing Sanji, "Margueritteee-cwan!" He throws his arms around her enthusiastically and Marguerite allows him, not bothered by him in the slightest.
"Hello, Sanji," Marguerite beams and Sanji practically dissolves into a pile of goo at her greeting. "I just came by to pick up Ari's things. Would you be so kind as to show me to her room, please?"
"My pleasure, my sweet." Sanji extends his arm out to her as if he were escorting her to a royal ball. In reality, he's only escorting her to a royal room, but Marguerite accepts the gesture nonetheless and wraps her hand around his bicep. I wish I could lead her to my room instead, he sighs, but the lady shall get what she wants. So within a couple minutes, the pair lands in Ari's room. Sanji opens the door for the blonde girl and she walks in, packing up Ari's things. As Marguerite finishes up, Sanji offers to carry the bags and Marguerite indulges him. They land back down in the foyer and Sanji sets Marguerite's bags down by the door as he sweeps her off her feet quite literally. She gasps in surprise but her expression soon shifts to a smile as he waltzes her into the ballroom with her still in his arms. He sets her down and Marguerite continues to appease his desire to dance. The only sound in the ballroom is the rhythmic tapping of their shoes against the floor.
They dance for a while, when Marguerite regretfully interjects, "Sorry, Sanji, I really should get going back to the cottage."
"Whatever you say, Marguerritteee-cwan!" He follows her on her way to the door, but pauses when Marguerite comes to a stop and eyes the stage. "Anything the matter, my sweet?"
"Hold on, I think Ari just left her cardigan on stage. Let me go grab it." Marguerite steps up the stairs and grabs the cardigan off the stage when she notices a flute that's been discarded by the microphone. She's reminded again of who her friend really is. If Ari's cardigan is here, and a flute is too... Ari's words echo in Marguerite's head, 'I killed someone.' Marguerite shakes it off and forces the disturbing thought out of her head. She hurriedly pads down the steps and out the door, comforted by the fact that Sanji is by her side.
She finally arrives back at the cottage and hands Ari her bags as well as her forgotten cardigan.
Ari slips the cardigan on and rubs her hands along its soft surface. "Oh, yeah, I forgot I left this thing on the…" Ari stops mid-sentence and Marguerite smiles at her with understanding. Ari smiles back at her friend and changes the subject, "Well, anyway I'm headed off for a walk, okay?" Ari pulls her hair up into a haphazard ponytail.
"Okay, have fun and Ari?"
"Yeah?"
"You are coming home tonight, right?"
Ari laughs. "Yeah, I'm coming home tonight."
XXX
"You got me."
Tori's words echo in Zoro's ears and he stands there for the longest time, unable to say anything more to the swordswoman in front of him. He just lets the information sink in, one bit at a time.
Tori keeps her faded eye closed as she speaks up again, coughing to clear her voice, "So, Roronoa Zoro," she pauses in an attempt to get more of her voice back, but ends up making it worse, "what shall you do now that you've found me out?" She smiles sadly at him.
"Thank you," he whispers, the words coming out before he has a chance to stop them. Tori shoots a confused gaze at him. "I mean, um," he stutters, "you inspired Kuina, before I knew her. I wouldn't be as strong as I am today if it wasn't for Kuina's strength. And Kuina wouldn't have been strong if it wasn't for you, so thank you." Zoro, wanted pirate of the Straw Hats, bows his head to show the extent of his gratitude towards the frail brunette.
She laughs, but that causes a wheezing cough to erupt from her throat. "Kuina was a dear friend," she strains.
Zoro nods in agreement.
"Could we…" Tori coughs again, "keep my identity on the downlow?"
Zoro nods again.
"Good," Tori says and rests back against the headboard.
Zoro, satisfied, exits the room. You weren't able to say goodbye to your friend, Kuina, but at least I delivered your gratitude. For a moment, Zoro swears that he hears his old friend's voice and he chooses to believe that he does. He chooses to believe that Kuina is somehow smiling down on him, happy.