Hello again! I just wanted to say THANK YOU to atemina91, zorchide, Perisha, FlightWulf, and Pixelizedmario for favoriting this story and following it/me. I also wanted to say thanks to Pixelizedmario for reviewing. I appreciate it! :) For some reason, I have a really hard time writing Zoro so I hope I did okay with this chapter.
Zoro's eye snapped open. It was pitch black and completely silent aside from the sound of waves beating against Sunny and the breathing of his crewmates. Nothing moved in the darkness and he knew there were no intruders on board. It seemed that nothing was wrong.
But if that was the case, then why did Zoro feel so uneasy? What had woken him up? He laid quietly for another few seconds before he heard a sound so quiet he nearly missed it.
It was the sound of one of his nakama whimpering. Zoro shot up, hands already reaching for his katanas as he tried to figure out which crewmate had made such a noise. It was with a jolt that he realized it was Luffy and it was with an even bigger jolt that Zoro absorbed the fact that Luffy was crying in his sleep.
His hand dropped from his blades and he launched himself out of the hammock before he realized he was doing it. He grabbed Luffy's wrist, hoping it would summon the boy from his nightmares. It didn't. Luffy only whimpered again and then he cried out. It wasn't loud enough to wake the others but it sounded like a cannon going off to Zoro.
Which was why he scooped Luffy up bridal style and carried him out onto the deck, unconsciously squeezing his captain in a reassuring way whenever he made another noise. He sat himself down and gently laid Luffy in his lap, fingers absently running themselves through his raven black hair.
"Please...stop…" Luffy choked out and Zoro's eye snapped down to his face, worry pinching his features. He made a move to shake Luffy but his wrist was suddenly stuck in a vise-like grip. Luffy's hand was wrapped around it, squeezing tightly. Zoro pulled away but it only seemed to make his captain all the more agitated.
"Luffy. Luffy you need to wake up. Whatever's going on, it isn't real. You're back on Sunny with your nakama, Luffy. You're safe," Zoro whispered and Luffy's eyes shot open. Tears raced down his cheeks as his eyes snapped from Zoro to the wrist he was holding. With a small cry, he dropped it and jumped out of Zoro's lap.
"Z-Zoro?" he asked quietly and Zoro nodded, slowly getting to his feet.
"Yeah it's me, Cap. I'm here," he answered, reaching out to place a comforting hand on Luffy's shoulder only to freeze when Luffy recoiled away from his touch.
"That's the problem, Zoro. You're here with me," he whispered and Zoro's brow knit in confusion. Why was that a bad thing? Luffy seemed to read his confusion and an involuntary sob escaped his mouth.
"I'll be the death of you someday, Zoro. All of you," he whispered and Zoro felt himself stumble back in shock and realization. Luffy had not been dreaming about Ace's death or the two years he spent alone. He had been dreaming about their deaths. About not being strong enough to save them. He knew that was Luffy's biggest fear.
Zoro also knew it was not an irrational fear. As pirates, each day was a fight for their lives. He knew that they could die at any moment. He knew that Luffy would not always be there to save them.
He knew that Luffy knew that too. No matter how much Luffy seemed like an idiot, he was a genius when it came to his nakama and fighting. Luffy knew that not every battle could be won and the day any of them lost one was the day one of them died. There was nothing in the world that could change that.
And it was the knowledge that his captain knew this and had nightmares about it that destroyed Zoro.
Because he knew that nothing he could ever say or do would change the facts that were staring them both in the face.
