Disclaimer: Do I own One Piece and its characters and its wonderful plot? Nope. Eichiro Oda does.
Snip.
Bit by bit, several strands of black fell to the floor and the vanity in front of her. She cut meticulously and carefully, using only her two hands. She was fully aware that yes, she could use multiple hands and she could successfully cut her hair. But she hadn't started this with the intention of getting it done fast in the first place. She had wanted to do this in order to let time slow so that she could remember what it was like before her hair was like this. Before she had been separated from the crew.
Snip.
In truth, it hurt to think about those days even though she had made good use of herself. The revolutionaries she had worked with were people she had been more than happy to help. Not only that, but she had sustained herself successfully through those 2 years, even though she did not see her crew for that exact same amount of time.
Snip snip.
More strands of black fall, some into her lap, which is covered with the purple of a dress she put on. It was an old dress from when they were back in Thriller Bark, before they had gone to Sabondy Archipelago. It had been a time when, although things were never "safe", everything had been perfect. They were a crew with strong bonds, joined together by dreams and hopes, and the reassurance that no one would be alone. She may not say anything on the subject, and rest assured she will not, but she missed those days, somewhat. She missed the time before those 2 years had passed, when she still had evenly cut hair and wore dresses like these, confident in herself and her crew because of all they could accomplish while together.
...Snip.
If she had been the newest addition to the crew instead of Brook, she would not have been able to endure the solitude of those 2 years. Without having anything to believe in, surely she would have perished. They had all been stuck with nothing but a reassurance, even a blind belief, that each of their nakama was thriving in the place unknown by the rest of them. Luffy himself had had no reassurance of what they were doing, because he had not seen any of them when he sent out his message. But he had believed in them, and they in him.
Snip.
She stops for a moment, staring herself down in the mirror, scissors poised to make another move but remaining motionless. Maybe she misses those days before the 2 years, but it hardly matters now. What's done is done; she is too experienced in these matters to say otherwise. And maybe, she thinks, it is better that way. Because of these 2 years, they have been able to believe in each other as well as grow stronger. Maybe now they have what it takes to conquer what is ahead. Maybe this has prepared them for their destinies. She smiles a little as she moves to make the next cut.
Snip.
The door slams open.
"Oy! Will you quit doing that? I'm trying to sleep!"
Her eyes fell upon the reflection of the enraged swordsman, and she almost smiled upon seeing him. Perhaps he was disturbing her, but she had not seen anyone in the crew for 2 years until now. Any disturbance was just another chance to acknowledge that the crew was together again at last.
She turned to look at him over her shoulder, ignoring the scissors altogether. He has grown quite a bit, no longer the young man he was before. His old outfit is gone, and he's missing an eye. He's older, so of course he'll look it, and she decides that it's not a bad look for him at all. His attitude, though, is something that will perhaps stay stationary for the rest of his life. She decides that this too, is not a bad thing.
As to his mild staring of question or study or who knows what, it is all she can do to guess his thoughts when she speaks up.
"Did I disturb you?" she asks, not able to decide whether the swordsman's staring is uncomfortable for its look of scrutiny or study of her. Maybe he is wondering why she is in here, wearing all these old things and cutting her hair back into its original shape.
"Keep it down, will you? I'm trying to sleep." he says a little softer, suddenly a little uncomfortable himself.
This time, she really does smile. She can't exactly "keep it down" with scissors in her hand, and she knows he's realized this because his face is getting red.
"I'll try, Zoro-san," she says lightly with a smile of amusement and warmth. "I'm almost done anyway."
He nods, looking as if he wants to say more, but he stays silent and slowly walks out. But right before he leaves, she sees him smile to himself as he closes the door. It is a secret sort of smile, one that she'd seen him have once in a while and one she'd always been curious about. She used to wonder what it meant.
Maybe she doesn't have to anymore, she thinks as she returns to snipping her hair. Whatever trail of thought it was attached to, it meant he was happy. And the fact that this smile had taken place after seeing her was not unpleasant at all.
...Snip. ...Snip snip.
A/N: So, I've had some people ask if there was going to be an extension of "Haircut", and originally there wasn't going to be. But! I've churned out the inspiration for an extension, and hopefully it does the term "writing" some credit. I've never been great with continuations. 8D Oh heavens.
Come at this one as much as you like, as I'd love to hear what you think about this one. And thank you to all of you who reviewed this story in the first place!
Have a great day, and may your summer be fun!