Horo-Horo Samurai
Chapter 6: Truly a Princess Finale
AN: It's a bit of a shame, whenever I update this fanfic everyone else updates theirs as well, dropping mine down the first page or even second page so don't be afraid to check the story to see if it's updated even if you don't see it in the top five. Please check for updates...your reviews sustain my fickle ego.
Cutesy, childish moaning sounded from beneath the tower bedroom's blankets, quickly spiraling into irritated groans and coarse growls seconds later. Her arm was hanging over the side of the bed so she pulled it back to her side, a hand inches from her face. Next, she needed to get up and start moving, a new day had arrived. Starting off with a few wiggles, Perona attempted to free herself from the covers only to meet a tight resistance that had locked her legs in a twister of blankets. She wasn't one to sleep in such a rough, indecent manner to the point where the covers would mutate and fuse with her body like this. "I look like a mermaid with a cheap tail! Why am I like this?!"
The shooting pains in her head returned just as quickly as the memories of the day before and along with that familiar scent of alcohol on her it wasn't too difficult to recall what happened. While she wasn't a drinker she always held high aspirations of tasting fine wines and at least knowing what it felt like to have your senses dance through a haze. In Thriller Bark all the reference material she ever had was Abasalom and Hogback getting drunk and rowdy, occasionally inviting the underage princess to the party, always met with a rejection. The zombies would drink but her being among their presence was nothing short of insulting.
"This is why I should have waited until I was older. This must be a hangover...it hurts so much!" She massaged her poor forehead and then snatched the blankets spiraling around her legs, ferociously unraveling them. "There we go! Some movement!" Stretching out her legs and feet with joy, she embraced the coolness of the deserted castle and let out a sigh. Stepping out of bed she slipped her feet into a pair of old, custom made slippers, their material being wood bottoms and cotton stuffed tops. Remnants of her trying to draw a cute ghost face on them were still blurred along the soft surface.
The first stand on the ground surprised her, it took a minute of wobbling and grabbing onto the bed for balance to return, watching her legs move wildly to any random side. Once she was ready to walk again she made her way to the window and pulled open the curtains, shielding her eyes. A few seconds passed before she noticed the lack of heat against her skin or the unique feel of sunlight splashing across her. "Huh?" Pushing open the window doors she could see there wasn't a speck of light over the misty forest tops or even from behind the faded mountains in the distance. "It's still night time? I drank that weird juice after lunch and..." Not knowing why she didn't do it before, Perona turned towards the clock hanging next to her bed. "Oh, it's early morning. The sun'll rise in an hour or two. At least I'm ready to clean this dump up and make some breakfast."
Turning around, her first mission was to use the bathroom, taking the first groggy step towards it. The pain seemed to react to any motion, giving it a bit of whirl as she walked so she took things slowly until she could relax and sit down on the toilet. "Hopefully my youth will take care of this pain soon or I'm going to die..."
Finishing her break from her bedroom quickly, she left the bathroom and sat at her desk. It was a regular brown and wooden table, no different from what an accountant or merchant would work on but she hoped that soon she could stack a lovely arsenal of cosmetics and tools as far as her hands could reach. Looking at the lone mirror nailed above the vacant desk, she saw that any decoration to her face would be greatly needed. Small bags hugged her eyes and a natural fatigue dangled on her face. All that could be done was simply to take off the bows on her pig tails and brush her rather lengthy, bright pink hair. "I usually take off my bows though...was I that drunk that I forgot?"
She remembered about her boots. Looking at her bedside-where she always put them before hitting the hay-she couldn't find them. Instead they were neatly pressed against her wall. At first there was anger that her items weren't handled properly. Even her crown was placed on the windowsill instead of the desk where Perona would place it atop her head after her morning adjustments. "That swordsman must have put me to bed, only he would be stupid enough to put my boots so far away that my socks would get dirty just to get them." That sentence would have been finished off with "dumbass" at the end but he did put her to bed properly after all.
Besides the piercing headache she had no other pains or weird sensations so he didn't pull anything funny. The memories of yesterday were clipped up into quick screen shots as they came back to her. "He carried me around and we went walking....somewhere. Something about a stroll or...he was sewing Batsy up and-Batsy!"
Rising from the desk, she looked at her bed with a blank anticipation, just not knowing what to expect but her heart throbbed with a certain expectation. "Batsy!" she happily cried out, running back to her bed and wrapping her hands around him. She raised the doll into the air and looked him over, he was healthy again, patched up and full of stuffing. "He fixed you! He actually fixed you and did a good job!"
The final screen shot came into her head, one that would influence her actions later that day and change the course of events for both her and Zoro. The sensations and sounds of being tucked away into bed, covered up and a hand rubbing the top of her head. The swordsman had stood over her, slipping Batsy in her arms and leaving. He had muttered something beforehand but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "What a kind thing to do..." she said, feeling her cheeks sweeten. "He put me to bed and took care of me while I was acting foolish. He's probably going to use yesterday to humiliate me though...I better keep him in line. Still, I want to show my gratitude. He did go out of his way for me."
What she would do with the few hours before sunrise became clear. Although originally she planned to finished her chores she missed from yesterday, this new goal instantly outweighed them all with a warm excitement. Besides, she could find her chore list in the kitchen later and just do as much as she could. For now she ran out of her room and excitedly trotted down the staircase, heading off to the Perona's Stuff and Fluff Room for material. There's only one thing a samurai like him would enjoy with the little resources they had and she was determined to give it to him when he woke up.
By the time she finished the sun had started its ascent past the horizons, brightening foggy island and making it slightly more visible for travels. With a few more stitches, Perona took the string out of her mouth and removed the finger guards from her hands. "A mini Zoro doll!" she squealed. "It's adorable! He'll love this right? He might not sleep with it or anything but he'll stick like it." The finishing touch had yet to be added. Carefully holding up a dark green cloth tightly with her pointer fingers and thumbs pinching the sides, she wrapped it around the doll's head. "Perfect! Perfect! Perfect! I'm a genius!"
Like a friendly tap on the shoulder, a glimpse of sunlight hit her eye, reminding her to go make breakfast for the two of them. "Oh, gotta hurry up before Zoro wakes up." Carrying the doll-which she already nicknamed Roar a Zoro-in her arms, she glided over to the door but suddenly stopped. Perona caught herself quickly, realizing what she just said. She floated a few inches above the ground, staring down at the ground below, her face waiting for a feeling to pop up in her heart and make sense of everything. "Zoro...yep!" she happily said, calling him by his name would become a habit from now on, it was one of the highest rewards a servant could receive. With another decision firmly pressed into her mind, she went off to the kitchen to make their breakfast.
Once she arrived at the door she remembered the refrigerator that was supposed to be clean yesterday, a task she volunteered for until she saw the unholy filth clinging and crawling about inside. She had planned for Zoro to do it instead but things were different today. "Maybe I'll get some water and clean it today. It shouldn't be so bad." Flicking on the light, she returned to her feet and walked over to the cookbook, flipping it open to the breakfast section with a U shaped smile on her bright face. "Crap...if the refrigerator is still dirty than we don't have any delicious fruits or vegetables to cook with. It'll have to be grass food again today."
Perona noticed that the fruit was gone though and instead found her checklist of chores on the breakfast table, retrieving it and keeping it in her hand as she walked over to the garbage. There wasn't the scent of rotting food. "Huh? The fruit isn't in here either? Well, hopefully he ate and put it to good use." She opened the notepad. "I'm making sure to do everything on this...what the?" Everything was already checked off. "Don't tell me..." Perona quickly walked over to the refrigerator and swung open the door. Spotless. The fruit stayed in the bowls she left them in and the vegetables were right next to them. Zoro had done all her chores as well! "This is ridiculous! No one can be this nice!" She felt like crying, already sniffling. "What a great person..." The girl wiped her eyes quickly with the back of her hand. "I'm going to make the best breakfast ever!"
A warm motivation ruthlessly stirred throughout her body, making every slice and dice of every fruit and green veggie a delight no matter how many times she got frustrated over the directions for each recipe or received a slight burn on her finger. This unbelievable sensation remained strong in her, at least as strong as it could. Emotions were very fickle things, even the line between love and hate stood thin, a truth she would discover quite soon.
In his distant chamber, Zoro let out a rather echoing yawn as he rose from the covers that morning. He smiled with satisfaction and surprise, his new sleep schedule was working well and managed to remain constant. To add more to that, his body felt lighter and looser than yesterday, even tasks that would cause a normal man to strain every muscle seemed doable as he curled and uncurled his fingers. "Perfect," he said. There was much to be done today.
He then started to hear a rather peppy humming coming from the hallway, it sounded like Perona but he still braced himself. The door to his room was kicked open by a bright colored boot so he relaxed and sat back. "Good morning Zoro," Perona greeted.
"Yeah, same to you." That excited smile on her face began to infect him as well. He watched as she set the tray of food down on the dresser and pulled up a seat next to his bed. "Your mood seems different."
She said nothing as she handed him his plate and poured tea into a cup, only smiling more than ever with a hum in her mouth. "Breakfast looks pretty good too."
"Well, if you think that's good wait until you see this," she said, feeling a nervousness creep into her words. She tried to think of a way to take it back but the words were already spoken, this would be one of the few times in her life she actually gave someone else a present. Cruelty wasn't the reason, she just never really had anybody who she believed would ever appreciate it. Half of her life was spent on Thriller Bark and the closest she had to a friend was Bearsy. Now she sat across from a former enemy, blushing and lowering her head, still keep a shaky stare at Zoro. "Well...here it is!" she declared, pulling out Roar a Zoro with both hands and presenting it to the swordsman full arms stretched out.
"A doll?" he muttered, carefully taking it from Perona's hand. "Thanks." He didn't really know how to react, it was a doll after all. He couldn't do anything and he'd be damned if he was caught sleeping with it. The image alone sickened him.
He squeezed it with both hands, it was rather firm and durable-definitely well made-and felt nice in his hands. Zoro didn't understand what he should do with this and glanced at the worrying look on Perona's face, asking him with just that expression whether or not he liked the present. What he did understand was that it was made for him and with him in mind. It was with this train of thought he noticed its traits. "Hey, this guy looks pretty well made. He even looks like me. You got the bandana and the haramaki down too." he said, finding a natural smile creaking right on in. This doll was kinda cute. "This is really impressive."
"So you like it?"
"Yeah. I'm not going to sleep with it or anything though!" He really wanted to get that message across immediately. "But I'll definitely hold on to this. Thanks."
"His name is Roar a Zoro since you love to shout a lot."
"Not like it's a hobby or something..." He noticed the fangs in its mouth and even small horns on its head. Turning it around, he even spotted a devil's tail on its rear end. "This is what you think of me huh?"
"I just wanted to thank you for taking care of me yesterday and doing all the chores. I was surprised you did all that without me commanding you to."
"Oh, it's nothing. If anything I was just repaying you for taking care of me, despite certain crimes committed against my well being..."
Perona couldn't tell if he was being modest, shy or even something in-between but chose not to press it any further-and clearly ignored that last remark of his. "You'll make a fine servant. Since you're so good at sewing too we can start rebuilding my doll army. I'll teach you how to make clothes, curtains, sheets, pillows, everything essential in changing this castle."
"This entire castle?!"
"Yep."
Zoro sighed roughly and began eating his breakfast, surprised at the decent taste of the fruits mixed in with herbs and other leftovers from their lunch yesterday. It was better than what he made with fresh ingredients. He glanced over at Perona who seemed rather content eating in such serene silence. There was something different about the way she ate today, perhaps it was the fact that her one of her cheeks was stuffed with actual food instead of grassy substitutes that didn't require the same strength one's arm needed for heavy lifting but he found it quite cute.
She seemed more relaxed and easy going. "This is pretty good." he said. "That recipe book is turning you into a really good cook," He quickly began paying excess attention to his plate after the compliment, purposely avoiding eye contact and evading those black eyes as they went from Perona's plate and towards him.
"Oh...thank you." she replied softly with her forkful of food hanging above the plate, the sudden compliment ambushing her from the front. Zoro seemed to be eating furiously now, pouting as he quickly stuffed his mouth. "He's still a weirdo," she thought to herself. "Full of surprises." And another was just on its way. After hearing such wonderful feedback about her cooking, it tempted her to see it action, watching him settle down and enjoy it at a slower, calmer pace, to see the small satisfaction with every bite. That's when the new discovery leapt into her face. "Zoro...your fingers are all bandaged up."
"This? Yeah, I got that from sewing up Batsy. It's my first time handling needles like that so I really got pricked a few times."
"Does it hurt?"
"Not really."
"Well, still...for today Zoro, I think you should just gather supplies to fill the fridge. A whole bunch of good food, nothing disgusting." Today was going to be a good day.
"That's good," he said. "Something I can do over the course of the day. My body's getting better so I can start training."
"Training?" the sudden announcement burrowed a little nail into her chest.
A white, fiendish grin stretched across the side of his face-the same he made when he found that perfect opponent to test his strength-before he placed his plate on the bed and walked over to the table at the edge of the room. Perona watched him carefully, the nail creeping in a bit further, feeling a growing anxiety picking at her chest as the shadows of that unlit portion of the room completely covered him. The swordsman reached for a long object leaning against the table and revealed it in the light pouring in from the window. The imaginary nail was shaking as it started reaching her heart. "While you were sleeping last night I finally found one of my swords you hid."
The nail was drilling into her heart now and didn't stop until it reached it, cracking it. A spark of fear surged through her body as he pulled out the blade from its sheath, admiring it as he turned it in the air. Perona's hand began shaking, making the food on her fork slip off one by one.
Zoro sheathed his blade and then looked at Perona, waiting to see a slight irritation on her face, he knew she wouldn't be too happy about it- a little annoyed but mostly okay about it. Unfortunately he wasn't expecting such a streak of horror smacked across her face, as if she was before the devil himself for all her sins. "Perona...are you okay?"
"H-h-how dare you!" she yelped out. "Y-you're a thief!"
"What? This is my sword that you stole. If anything you're the thief."
"You're...you're not supposed to use that. Put that sword away right now! There was a reason I hid those from you in the first place you dumbass!"
"I'm a swordsman, a sword is pretty much a basic requirement. I'm not giving it up so why don't you settle down? It's just a sword to you anyway."
Perona gripped the side of the chair, keeping her legs in a position to get up and run. She refused to tell him why he had to put the swords up, it would only make matters worst. For now she prayed the obvious fear crawling through her would be enough to make him want to obey. "How can I settle down when you're off looting the castle? And that sword is going to distract you from doing your work!"
"Now you're just making up stuff. I'm not giving up the sword. It was hell just finding it again."
Perona placed her plate on the chair and rose up slowly, her shoulders shaking. "I'm ordering you to give it back to me or I'm going to punish you." She stuck her hand out. "Obey me."
"Go ahead...try and take it from me," he said, grinning at the challenge.
Whatever nail that cracked her heart was long gone. Those dangerous, threatening words of a maniacal killer instantly shot an entire barrage of nails into her chest, into her joints with ferocity. She raised her arms and opened up her hands, letting the ghosts emerge slowly. "Negative hollow!" Zoro flinched.
They came flying at him but he dodged them swiftly, they were like bullets after all and with him knowing how they moved, along with being hit by them on multiple occasions, evasion was a simple task. Perona shot more towards him but he dashed and crouched, snuck and slid past every single one, coming closer to her with every step. "He's really going to kill me...he's..he's actually going to strike!" Perona thought to herself. Zoro was already in front of her, just a breath away. He grabbed her wrist and stared into her eyes.
"What's the matter with you? I didn't think you would actually shoot those things off."
"Let go! Let go! Let go! Let go!!!" she screamed out, moving as wildly as she could. Stepping back, she pulled him along with him and bumped into the chair, knocking every dish on the ground. The sound of shattering was surprisingly loud and only excited the two in more.
"Perona! What's going on?!"
"Let go of me you monster!" Not even looking back at him, she kicked him in the chest and once she felt the air touch her wrists once again it was time to leave, to escape this scene as quickly as possible. Running out of the room, she didn't even consider her room as a sanctuary, he could easily attack her there so she went the other way and went as far as she could. "I knew this would happen, I knew once he got his swords back he'd go crazy! Everything was perfect until he found that damn sword!!"
Zoro stared at the door, trying to make sense of what just happened after such a peaceful breakfast. Was she truly that spoiled or even that serious about the sword issue? Did she not expect him to ever want his swords back? It was times like these that always reminded him that no matter how close he got to a woman, there were just moments where he'd never understand them. For now all he could do was leave her alone and wait until they could talk again. Kneeling down, he picked up the broken dishes and dirtied food. "Perona..." he muttered, frustrated and, as much as he hated to admit it, worried.
Half an hour past after the fight, Perona found herself in an uncharted section of the castle but didn't pay much attention to whether or not she could trace her way back. All her thoughts were focused on Zoro and the occasion rubble she needed to step over. The brief battle replayed in her mind over and over and over again, never about how she could have won but how she lost. She had theorized that the first time the two of them met in Thriller Bark, she had the advantage of surprise. He didn't know her abilities but now it was different. He could dodge them, he could move quickly and, if he so desired, cut her down in an instant. The swordsman was slipping out of her control. "Even in my sleep...he could kill me. I knew it...all that kindness, all those nice gestures, he was trying to butter me up. There's no way I can even stop him! Once I go to sleep my real body is open to any attack. No doors are going to to hold him back."
Vengeance for all her negative hollows was believable, not wanting to take her orders anymore or hoping to own the castle himself. Perhaps, even more likely than all that, she believed there was a chance he felt threatened by her, he didn't trust her and wanted to take her down the second he had even one sword back. As these thoughts planted seeds into her head, Perona began biting her thumb, feeling a spark of anger throbbing in her forehead. "Did he really trick me like that? Does he really want to kill me?"
No matter what she thought, the fear stopped all doubt. He wanted her dead, so she believed. Zoro became a threat and the progression towards rebellion was already visible, that refusal to obey rang in her head with every step. "Should...should I stop him before he can get me? I don't really want to hurt him but..." Bandages began to wrap around her cracked heart, weakly piecing it back together. She hated those bandages, she loathed them. They made everything cold and wrong. "I don't want to...I don't want to hurt him but...he might hurt me first." And already she was forming plans, ways to win and overcome, all leading to the end of Zoro.
After breakfast and a short clean up session, Zoro stepped outside to meditate, hoping his head would clear of all stress and help him explain Perona's behavior. He took off his shirt and boots before sitting on the tree stump, crossing his legs and closing his eyes. Perona was undoubtedly selfish but she was kind as well, he could see that. Spoiled but strong, whiny but determined, and from what he knew, a good person. Didn't she feel that way about him too? "She doesn't trust me?" he asked himself. "What does she think I'm going to do?"
The horrid thought flew by but he caught it. His eyes flashed open as a sense of dread flooded over him. "Does she think I'm going to hurt her?" Alone that was enough to worry him, enough to make him ignore the misery brewing underneath that emotion. She still didn't trust him and worst of all she was now on the defensive, ready to fight whenever she had a chance. Knowing himself pretty well, his challenging her and blood thirsty grins probably didn't help the situation and if they talked now he'd probably say something to make it all worst. "I can't give up my sword though."
He didn't do it out of selfishness, she had to get used to it at some point or another-that was fact. If him just holding a weapon was enough to freak her out than she had a serious issue to deal with. He sighed and stepped down from the tree stump, dropping to the floor with his toes on the grass and his hands flat on the dirt. Exercising would help him think, it had to and today he would exercise the hell out of his body.
Perona watched from the castle entrance, staring at him as he grunted and sweat with each push up. It was the first time in her life she ever saw such passion and effort in the man, it shook her a bit. At first he executed the push ups at a rapid pace, reaching the hundreds at an inhuman speed but then started to slow down a bit. His strength and endurance was ridiculous, she could never hope to match that insanity. "He's completely drenched in sweat too. Listen to all those noises he's making, why does he enjoy tiring himself out like that and working so hard?" She continued watching until he was done and then slipped back into the shadows, hating herself. "Maniac..."
Zoro grabbed his shirt and boots, keeping his sword in his hand, and headed off to the river. He washed up before dressing up again and starting his routine supply gathering. All he could do was keep honest and work hard, it's what allowed him to survive wherever he went and he hoped it would work with Perona.
Spending hours collecting fruit, vegetables, gathering water and going to and fro the castle to drop them off, Zoro worked past his strained muscles and didn't stop until he felt like a week or two's worth of supplies had been collected. With the last batch filling his bag, he returned to the castle, watching the evening sun set at a gentle pace until it vanished behind the trees. He crossed the gate and entered the castle, heading into the kitchen.
Perona was already standing in there, cooking from what supplies he had stored in the fridge. He stopped at the doorway and Perona quickly stared back at him. "Just leave them on the table and sit down," she said, returning to her cooking. The command came out uncaring-not what she wanted to accomplished. Zoro did as she said and watched her worked, keeping track of every little movement of her hands and sway of her eyes. He offered his help but she didn't accept it.
When dinner was ready she set down his plate and sat across from him, watching as he clapped his hands and began eating. "He didn't even check it for poison or anything. Doesn't he realize what's going on?"
All Zoro could do was stay honest and do what he would normally do, hopefully the truth would play out on its own. Perona, however, couldn't wait for it. "Zoro...I was watching you earlier as you exercised..." It was difficult to confess something like that. "You seemed to be pushing your limits. Do you enjoy doing something like that?"
"Yep, That's how I improve. Whether in fighting or with training."
He failed the first question. Or did he pass? Perona wasn't even sure anymore, he could easily try to feed her the answers she wants to hear to lower her guard or decide there's no point in lying and saying something ridiculous. Or this might actually be the kind of person he truly is. "Do you like fighting that much?"
"It's basically all I've done my life. I love it and can't see doing much else."
She bit her lip. It was unpleasant answer after another.
"Do...do you want to kill me?"
"No."
Ironically it didn't matter what he said, she remained unsure about everything and suspected anything. What was the point in even pulling off this sort of mind game? Should she kill him just for a sense of security? Every thought led to more thoughts and he didn't seem disturbed by any of it.
The remainder of dinner was silent. Once they were done, Zoro handled the dishes and the two exited the kitchen, Perona insisting she trail behind the swordsman. "You don't mind right?" she asked.
"Do whatever makes you happy." and he just walked off without a care in the world, with a pair of glaring eyes tracking him like a hungry hawk.
"So...what did you think of dinner?" she asked.
"Even better than breakfast."
"Well, it's thanks to all those supplies you're getting me. The refrigerator is filled with a lot of stuff for me to use."
"I noticed a lot of its missing too."
"I had to experiment and a lot of stuff kind sorta...burnt," she said.
"What did you do? Light them on fire and them cooked them?" he playfully said.
"Shut up! Like you can do any better. That meal you made me the first time was horribly arranged and some of it was pretty nasty."
"It was bad?"
"Well, not really that bad. I really appreciated it but for some reason that orange you gave me first still tasted the best."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah...I-" Perona stopped, catching herself falling and failing, talking casually with him like they did just this morning, fussing and chatting about the littlest things. Zoro must've not noticed because he didn't stop walking or asked why she stopped talking and for this brief period, she was glad he didn't because if he had turned around there wasn't a thing in the world to make Perona stop those thin tears rolling down her face. "How did things get this messed up so quickly?" she asked herself. "It's just a sword right? He's not really going to kill me right...." But he was a pirate just like her. That similarity scared her the most, not being a pirate but being like her.
She hated it, that she knew herself so well that what acts she would commit in most situations were easily predictable by her. Perona knew that had she been in Zoro's position, with his strength, his swords and his condition, she would have beaten-maybe even kill-whoever had nursed her back to health to escape the threats of servitude, to do things her way and to make it all easy for herself. But that didn't completely satisfy her, her heart still stuck together with those thin bandages she despised, knowing the answers but refusing to give them away.
Before she knew it they were in front of Zoro's bedroom. "Everything alright?" he asked.
"Huh? Oh...oh! Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." She wiped her eyes.
Zoro opened the door and stepped in. "I'll be going to sleep in a few minutes so good night Perona."
"Yeah, you worked hard today. Good night...Zoro."
She continued down the hallway and found the staircase up to her room. "He might pretend to fall asleep and then sneak into my room right? That's what I would do. Gah! Why...why is all this happening?! Why can't I be comfortable around him because he has a sword?!" At the top of the staircase, she opened the door to her room and walked in. Perona locked the door behind her, afraid it wouldn't matter anyway, and sat on the edge of her bed. Reaching for a pillow, she placed it over her face and screamed out all her stress.
"Why can't I control him?! Why is he so reckless and scary?!"
The answers didn't come. All that was left was to sneak into his room and let whatever happens happen, whatever her heart told her was right, she would do. Until then, she was shaking in fear.
Hours past and midnight finally came after what Perona perceived as eternity, like waiting for your birthday the week before everyone would celebrate. She rose from her bed and glided out of the room, not wanting to make a single sound. Every inch she moved, she moved slowly in case Zoro planned to lunge out and attack her. Peeking around the corners, Perona continued down the hallway and stopped in front of his room. She was nervous about pressing her ear against the door, imagining a sword piercing right through it but she took a chance.
No sword. She sighed in relief and began to listen closely. From what she could tell, he was snoring. Perona nodded and carefully creaked open the door so it wouldn't make a single squeak. Floating over to his bedside, she could see his blade leaning against his bed. It could easily become the sword she would kill him with. She decided to pull up the chair, remembering the fight that morning and noticing the mess no longer existing on the ground. Perona grabbed Zoro's sword and pulled it out from the sheath, laying it over her lap. "Zoro...I, I really don't want to kill you. I don't even want to hurt you. So why am I doing this?" she shakily whispered. The tears were returning. "You're so scary and messed up but you've been so kind and caring. You've had your chances right? Well, not without this sword."
He continued sleeping, snoring with a face that looked as if it had to put in some effort just to snore. Perona shook her head and dropped it onto the bed, next to his arm and looked at his face. "I'm so scared...there's no security for me, just...just uncertainty. I don't control anything and I don't know anything but I really don't want to die."
The next snore was even louder, like a pig's snort suddenly ringing into the room. "Stupid idiot..." she said. Perona then turned her head over and noticed his hands, wrapped in bandages. "Zoro. You fixed Batsy for me and got your fingers pricked all over, you tucked me and petted me, carried me around and made sure I was happy. But I still can't completely trust you because I'm a bit of a bad person...all I can do is this one little thing and hope you're much better than I am." Perona rose up and gripped onto the sword's handle, curving her arm into the air, past her head.
She tucked in the sheath. Those weak bandages around her heart were torn off, she never needed them, her heart was putting itself together on its own. "You better forgive me." And she left the room.
The next morning Zoro awoke and the first sound he heard was the door being kicked open. Rubbing his eyes, all he could hear was "Good morning servant!"
"Hmm? Good morning?"
"Why are you saying it like a question? Are you stupid or something? Hurry up and get your senses back so you can eat breakfast."
First thing first, Zoro got out of bed and used the bathroom. As he washed his hands he wondered why Perona was so cheery but couldn't come up with a single answer. When he stepped out it became pretty obvious. Perona smiled at him from her chair next to his bed and watched as he walked sat down and grabbed his sheath. It was one of the most retarded things he had ever seen. His original sword was missing and was now replaced by a curvy, rough, wooden blade that couldn't even fit into the sheath. It resembled more of a snake than anything else. "What the hell happened to my sword?!"
"I hid it again," Perona confessed. "I still can't completely trust you with it. Not because I'm afraid! Not anymore...but, can you give me some time?"
"Well, I don't know what you mean-"
"Forget it! I command you to give me some time!"
"Okay, okay. But where the hell did you get this sword? This looks like shit!"
A nervous giggle shook out of Perona as she showed him her hands, now covered in bandages all over the fingers and palm. "Horo horo horo horo horo! I kinda tried to make you a sword out of wood last night and got pricked by a bunch of splinters."
"So...this bent up, snake shaped sword is hand made huh?"
"Yes. You're very welcome. That took hours of hard work to accomplish. I don't usually craft weapons you know." Perona playfully said.
"I can see that. Thanks Perona."
"W-well..." That pale skin of hers lit up and she found herself looking away, unable to take that smile off. "If I were going to take your sword away I wanted you to at least have something a bit less dangerous and scary."
"Still looks like shit."
"How many times are you going to say that?! You're pretty ungrateful you know! It's still durable and strong! Can't you feel the heart oozing out of it?!"
"Still looks like shit."
"Negative hollow!"
"I'm so pathetic...even my organs despise me. My heart should just wrap an artery around its neck and hang itself."
"Horo horo horo horo horo!!"
Another conflict has been resolved by the ever so growing relationship of a swordsman and a gothic lolita ghost woman. Perona truly was a princess, but she just isn't ready for her knight just yet. Will Zoro ever get promoted from Moss Squire? Love isn't far out of reach Zoro, if you don't get lost on the way, snag that first kiss.
AN: This took forever!! So much work I had to do that wasn't fanfic-related but it's all done now. Don't forget to review you know, I lost sleep over this! Oh, and don't worry. This isn't the end of the fanfic. I just called this part "Truly a Princess Finale" to show that this mini arc was over.