Disclaimer: One Piece is the property of Oda Eiichiro.

Chapter Two:

When their two transitional years on Kuraigana Island ended, Zoro and Perona went their separate ways. The time had come for them to return to their normal lives and pick up where they'd left off…

For Zoro, returning to his normal life meant reuniting with his crew and continuing on their journey. It was comforting to be back on the Sunny. He had missed it.

He missed seeing the confident grin on Luffy's face and was relieved that it was still there despite Ace's passing. He missed Chopper's professional medical attention…a lot. He missed Sanji's cooking, although he would never admit it even under the threat of extreme torture and death. He missed everyone's crazy antics and Robin's quiet companionship as the only other sane person on the ship observing the continually unfolding craziness. He missed life on the open sea.

And as absurd as it might sound, Zoro even missed fighting with Sanji over nothing and everything…an activity he was currently engaged in.

Watching his opponent coming down on him from above with his heel first, Zoro crossed his blades above his head and braced for impact. Sanji stepped on the blades then, using them as a spring board, jumped back with an aerial back flip before landing gracefully upon the ship's deck.

"Oi, oi, oi," the blonde said lackadaisically as he placed a cigarette between his lips and lit it. "Weren't you supposedly doing some special training the past two years?" he asked as he exhaled a puff of smoke. "What's with those weak ass attacks?"

"Don't talk like you're better than me, Seven," the swordsman retorted, matching the cook's nonchalance.

"You're still going on about that Seven thing?!" Sanji interjected fumingly. "That was weeks ago!" It was starting to get old.

Zoro ignored his outburst and continued. "As far as I can tell, all you did was learn how to jump higher than before and stay in the air longer. Congratulations. You got better at running away."

"What was that, you shitty swordsman?!" Sanji exploded. What sucked was that he couldn't deny that he really had picked up that particular technique because he had been running for his life and, more importantly, his manhood. So, he replied with action, kicking their match back into high gear. With his agitation feeding into his adrenalin, he actually scored a hit, grazing his opponent's cheek.

"That was an easy one! You could have avoided it! Pay attention, dumbass!"

Zoro scowled at that routine comment even as he retaliated. "Shut up and mind your own damn business!"

Sanji quirked a brow as he sidestepped the attack, caught between confusion and indignation. "…the hell are you talking about, you shitty Marimo?"

The swordsman faltered as though suddenly remembering where he was. "Nothing," he said with a deepening scowl, determined to continue with their sparring match. It wasn't like he wasn't holding his own, but the moment he took another hit, he heard it again.

"You idiot! Only an imbecile would pull something so rash!"

Irritated, Zoro couldn't help but respond. "Butt out! Nobody asked you!"

Sanji clicked his tongue and frowned. "I didn't say anything! Do you need your ears checked?"

This time, Zoro stopped. He eased up from his fighting stance and returned his blades back to their sheaths. Without giving any explanation, he simply declared, "I'm done."

The cook's expression morphed from annoyance to perplexity before settling on a smug grin. "Admitting defeat?"

"If it'll make you feel better, Pirate A."

"Oi! What's with that damn patronizing attitude?!" Sanji griped irascibly. "And that Pirate A thing was years ago! Stop recycling outdated insults!"

"Got a problem with it?" the swordsman inquired, looking decidedly blasé.

"You are so not cute."

Zoro closed his eyes as he heaved an exasperated breath. Tuning out whatever the outraged Sanji was still hollering at him, he simply walked away. This wasn't the first time he had heard Perona's voice in his head. It was as though, after two years of having her buzzing around him on a constant basis, he had somehow been conditioned to hear her voice even though she wasn't there, responding to things in the way that he had come to know she would. It was something of a mystery to him, and it bothered him that he couldn't figure out what the heck was going on.

For Perona, picking up where she'd left off meant continuing to search for the place where she could belong to, a place to consider home. After leaving Sabaody Archipelago, she had traveled a bit on her own, hopping from island to island. Though, if she were honest with herself, it felt more like she was aimlessly moving around, merely going through the motions.

The truth was, she didn't know where to go. None of the places she'd been to seemed quite right. None of the pirate crews she'd come across even came close to fitting with her style. So, in the end, she wound up making her way back here…to Thriller Bark.

She took her time as she walked through the place she had once called home, taking a stroll down memory lane. She wasn't surprised when she found Thriller Bark deserted. However, even if it hadn't been, she wasn't sure she would want to make this place her home again. Perhaps it was because she had changed and matured in the last two years, but she no longer found the Thriller Bark lifestyle suitable. Before, she had been content to simply have zombie servants do her bidding. Now, she wanted something more real. She would always be grateful to Moria for keeping her under his wing for so long, but she had moved on.

The only question was…what had she moved on to?

In this regard, she rather envied that idiot, Zoro. He had a goal. He knew where he was going. He had people waiting for him. She didn't have any of those things. She was alone, and she had nowhere to go.

Well…that might not be entirely true…

Rounding a corner, Perona brightened when she finally came across what she had been looking for. "Kumashi!" The large stuffed bear was lying on the floor, lifeless but intact.

The pink-haired girl went to its side as she began to brush away the two years' worth of dust that had been collecting on the bear. Once finished, she heaved a sigh and stared at the bear with glazed over eyes. Eventually, after thinking long and hard, her lips tilted up slightly in a small smile with an uncertainty that was so foreign on her features. "So, Kumashi…how would you like to come with me?...back to Kuraigana Island?"

If she really thought about it…perhaps the reason why she hadn't been able to find a place for herself was simply because, somewhere in the back of her mind, she had already decided on the perfect place.

It was a good couple of months after the Straw Hats had regrouped when Sanji finally decided to broach the subject of Zoro's odd behavior with their crew's physician. Dinner had just wrapped up, and most of them had already dispersed from the kitchen. After washing the dishes, the cook went over to the dining table to join the reindeer who was wiping down the table. "So, tell me, Chopper…what do you think is going on with that shitty swordsman?"

Chopper blinked up at Sanji, his eyes filled with innocence. "What do you mean?"

"He's been acting kind of strange these days," the cook elaborated.

"Ah, I know what you're talking about," Chopper replied with a nod of comprehension, "but…I don't know what's going on. Zoro hasn't said anything to me about it." He gave it another moment's contemplation before adding, "I'm a bit worried, though."

Sitting at the far end of the dining table with a book and her after dinner coffee, Robin looked up and listened with interest. She, too, knew of the issue they were currently discussing. Most likely, with the exception of Luffy, everyone in the crew had some inkling of it as well.

Usopp, who had been mopping the kitchen floor, suddenly abandoned his mop and joined the table. "You're talking about how he talks to himself and stuff, right? I've seen it, too!" he contributed with exaggerated distress. "There was this one time he stepped on a bug. Then he started saying something like, 'It's just a cockroach, damn it! Stop screaming!' But there wasn't anybody there! Nobody was screaming!"

Normally, the others would assume Usopp was lying, or at the very least bending the truth. However, since they had all witnessed something similar at one time or another, nobody questioned the sharp shooter this time.

"Remember our fight at the last island?" Chopper began, adding his own story to the discussion. "Zoro suffered some pretty heavy injuries, and I had him recuperate in the sick bay for a few days. Every so often, he would toss and turn in his sleep. Whenever he does that, he would tell me to stop reading, mumbling something about how I was bothering him or he needed ear plugs."

"Let me guess," Sanji said dryly. "You weren't reading or even talking at the time."

Chopper shook his head solemnly in confirmation.

The cook took a long drag of his cigarette before exhaling heavily. "That settles it. That Marimo's gone crazy."

"He spent two years with that Shichibukai, Hawk-Eyes Mihawk, right?" Usopp voiced as he leaned over the table, eyes darting between the three others present. "Maybe the training was too rough, and it knocked a few screws loose. I mean…he came back with one eye missing! Who knows? Maybe that Hawk-Eyes is actually a lunatic, and being stuck with him gave Zoro a mental meltdown!" The swordsman had never given any details about his solo adventure away from the crew. Perhaps it was something that was too horrible to describe in words!

"This could be problematic," Robin said, far too calmly. "If Zoro has developed some psychological issue that escalates, he could easily slit all of our throats in our sleep one night without us suspecting anything."

"Rooobiiiiiin!" Usopp whined pleadingly with tears in his eyes. "Stop saying scary things!"

"So, Chopper," Sanji said. "Any ideas?"

"Eh? Well…" The little reindeer scratched the back of his head with a troubled sigh. "I'm not a psychologist." Psychology was not his area of expertise. "But…let's just keep an eye on him for now. I'll see what I can do."

With her long pink locks wound up into a loose bun, Perona leaned back against the tub with a soft sigh. After a long trip, it felt wonderful to soak in a hot bath in her own bathroom again.

Her bathroom. Connected to her bedroom. In the old castle. On Kuraigana Island.

Somehow, somewhere along the way, she had come to perceive this place as home.

On the day she left the island, all she had said to Mihawk was that she would take Zoro to Sabaody Archipelago. She never really said whether she would return or if she was leaving for good. Likewise, the master swordsman didn't ask about it, nor did he tell her not to return. They had both left it wide open and completely ambiguous. Therefore, Perona had no idea whether Mihawk even wanted her to return or not and couldn't help but feel the gut wrenching nervousness upon her return.

However, when he saw her walking into the castle, he acted as though she had just returned from a routine outing. All he did was ask her when dinner was going to be ready. With that sort of greeting, the only way she could respond was with a complaint about being treated like a servant. And just like that, he had simply accepted. He didn't make a big deal out of it. Then again, he hadn't made a big deal out of it that first time when he had come home to find that she and Zoro had taken over the place and made themselves comfortable. She supposed that was his style, and she was grateful.

It was strange to think how she had made the transition from being a commander on Thriller Bark with plenty of servants attending to her every need to being a personal assistant, medic, and aide of two idiot swordsmen on a lonely island without too much trouble. Thinking back, despite all the head butting, she had slipped into her role much more smoothly than she had thought possible. She kind of missed those days.

It was certainly good to be back, but just being here didn't mean that everything was going to be the same. Now that Zoro wasn't here anymore, she was going to have to find some other way to occupy her time.

Idly, she wondered what that idiot was up to right now. He was probably having the time of his life now that he was back with the crew he was so fond of. He was probably filling his stomach up with more booze than food. He was probably happily getting himself even more cut up. He was probably getting himself lost…then telling everybody else that they went the wrong way. He was probably…somewhere far away…

Perona heaved a heavier sigh this time. "It's definitely going to be a lot quieter around here…"

"Care for a break?"

Zoro turned from his weight lifting to find that Robin had joined him in the crow's nest. Standing behind her, looking as though he was trying to hide behind her but failing, was Chopper. It was unusual for anyone except Luffy to come up here and pull him away from his training routine. "Is something the matter?"

Chopper tightened his grip on Robin's leg nervously, but Robin simply smiled her poker face smile and held up a bottle and a pair of cups. "We brought sake." She knew that if they wanted to get Zoro to sit down and talk, they'd have to provide the proper incentive. Sitting on the bench along the windows, she filled the cups and held one out for the swordsman to take.

After a few moments' deliberation, Zoro put down his dumbbells, grabbed a towel off the rack, accepted the proffered alcohol, and took a seat on the bench as well.

Chopper grinned brightly as he went to join his crewmates, plopping down on the floor beside them. Thank you, Robin! He had picked up a book about psychology at the last port and read up on it. However, since this was a touchy subject, he wasn't sure how to get the conversation started with Zoro. So, he had asked Robin to help him out and be his moral support.

"So, what's up?" the swordsman inquired again after downing his drink. He wasn't about to believe that this was just some random drinking session.

Robin shrugged lightly in response, still smiling as she spoke conversationally. "You seem distracted lately."

Zoro quirked a brow, honestly confused. "What do you mean?"

"You've been talking to yourself a lot," Chopper said with a worried frown. "And you seem to…see things that…aren't there." He fidgeted a bit. The book said that he had to get the patient to talk about his thoughts and feelings in order to figure out what the issue was, so that's what he was going to do. "Is there something bothering you, Zoro?"

"Oh…that," Zoro replied flatly with an annoyed frown of his own. "I'm not seeing anything."

"I see…" Chopper said slowly. Was he in denial?

"I'm just hearing things," the swordsman continued.

"EH?" Chopper's eyes nearly popped out. He was admitting to it? Just like that? That was unexpected.

"I'm getting used to it, so it's not an issue," Zoro finished as he poured himself another cup of sake.

"Isn't that…an odd solution?" Robin asked. Wouldn't one normally want something like that to stop?

"Well, unless I know how to ward off ghosts, I got nothing," Zoro replied, still maintaining a blasé tone of voice. After much contemplation, he had come to the conclusion that this bizarre phenomenon must be the work of Perona's Devil Fruit powers. She was the Ghost Princess, wasn't she? So, this must be some long range technique she had never told him about. The next time he ran into her, he was going to have a bone to pick with that woman. What did he ever do to warrant this long distance annoyance?

"EH?" Chopper was freaking out now for a whole new reason. "There are ghosts on the ship?"

"Don't worry," Zoro reassured as he downed another cup. "She won't bother you." It seemed like she just got a kick out of irritating him.

"You're being haunted, and it's a she?" Robin asked, amused despite the swordsman's predicament. "Sounds interesting."

At that moment, Chopper turned around and pulled out his trusty book, frantically flipping through the pages. He almost let his fear detract him. There weren't ghosts on the ship. Zoro was hallucinating. And if he thought the ghost was after him and nobody else, then maybe he was having some delusions as well. Finally finding the page he was looking for, he began skimming through it at the speed of light. Just as he thought, hallucinations and delusions were both symptoms of schizophrenia. Oh, no! What if Zoro has schizophrenia?

The reindeer launched himself at the swordsman with tears streaming down his face. "Waaaah! Zoro! Don't worry! I'll definitely help you!" Then he detached himself and ran away.

Zoro watched Chopper make his hasty exit with bemusement. "What's he all worked up about?"

"…Perhaps he went to see if Brook could offer any advice about warding off ghosts," Robin offered as cover.

"Ah, good thinking." The thought of consulting their crew's walking skeleton had never crossed his mind.

Robin smiled, silently relieved that he bought the excuse. "More sake?"

"I see there's an overflow of…greenery in your room."

Perona looked up to find Mihawk standing at her bedroom door, eyes sweeping over the piles of pint-sized plush Zoro dolls lying everywhere. Clumped together in groups, they really did appear like moss balls to his eyes.

"He's just a lot easier to make than you are," the pink-haired girl replied nonchalantly. Even now, she was sitting on her bed in the process of sewing together yet another Zoro doll to add to her ever growing collection. "Your clothes are too flashy and intricate. It takes too long to make."

The Shichibukai raised his brow minutely as his eyes picked out the considerably much fewer dolls of himself mixed into the piles. That wasn't the point he was trying to make. Not to mention, he didn't particularly like the idea of her making dolls of him…especially since they all had a pin jabbed into one of their eyes, a silent though not subtle expression that Perona was still upset with him about Zoro's eye injury.

"If there's somewhere you wish to go, then you should go," he said. She wasn't obligated to remain here. Besides, it was unproductive simply sitting here making replicas of what she wanted.

"No. I'm fine right where I am," she replied distractedly, most of her attention still devoted to her task as she carefully tied the mini bandana to the arm of the green-haired doll. "My life's been a lot less troublesome now that I don't have to look after the idiot anymore."

"You seem to have picked up someone's stubbornness," he observed dryly.

"I'm being honest," she retorted with a light shrug. "I don't have any reason to go anywhere." And that was the truth.

Even if she could admit to herself that she kind of missed having Zoro here to yell at and argue with, she had no real reason to go seek him out. He was on a journey with his crew. She wasn't a part of that crew, nor did she particularly want to be. She didn't share in their goals. So, even if she were to find Zoro, what would she do then? She had no purpose where he was right now.

She was more useful here by Mihawk's side. Upon her return to the island, she had discovered that all of their supplies, with the exception of wine, were either out or running extremely low. There was dust everywhere, even in places that were always in use. A mountain of laundry had accumulated, and the kitchen sink was overflowing with dirty dishes; the only things that got washed were the wine glasses. While she couldn't imagine the greatest swordsman in the world doing chores, it still begged the question…how had he survived before she and Zoro had dropped in on him?

Mihawk shook his head with a short amused chuckle, understanding that she would not be persuaded. "Suit yourself." Now, onto the main topic. "We need more wine."

Perona rolled her eyes. "I knew you had a reason for coming up here."

Without either Zoro or Perona realizing it, their definition of normalcy had somehow evolved. Picking up where they'd left off wasn't quite turning out the way they'd thought it would…

A/N: So, I guess this is sort of like the intermission chapter. It was actually kinda hard to write, because I don't have much for this part of the story, so it's kind of short. Oh well. Hope it still turned out ok.

Many thanks to those who reviewed! For a story in a practically non-existent fandom, this got more attention than I thought it would. (I was predicting 0-3 comments at the most) XD

Happy Easter!

Thanks for reading! Reviews appreciated!