Fallen Skies

Pairing: Zosan

Disclaimer: All one piece characters belong to Oda

Zoro was pulled into another double door, this time the place looked like a cafeteria, just without any chairs and tables. Instead the place had many children lined in rows facing one direction. Zoro followed his line, apparently they were the newbie.

Once in place, the man Crocodile, if his memory served him right, stood up on a platform. "Morning." His deep voice echoed through the wide room, making any noise to cease. "As you all can see, we have fresh meat this morning." As Crocodile spoke, a few people dressed in white entered the crowded room. Each had a baton with them. As they passed in front of the newbie leading, a girl with brown hair, they would hit her body where she was standing wrong.

Zoro watched as they started getting closer to him, he could feel sweat start to slide down his face. Seeing how the people were directing each child to stand and watching the rest of the children that were also there, Zoro did what they were doing. Zoro wasn't stupid, he could see they were going to each of them and going to try to make them stand like they wanted them to stand.

Shoulders back, both feet on floor, spine straight, chin high and hands back. The children behind him, seeing what he had done followed the same example. Each one of them not wanting to get beat into standing -"right".

When the staff reached the green hair child, they smirked as they, with their baton, raised his chin just slightly higher. With that, they continued with the rest of the children, now only fixing minor faults.

"You are to always stand like this when you address me. You must know that you are low lives and must be treated as such. You are the children neglected by the world, trash behind society's eyes. In here you will be treated as you are-trash, worthless, insignificant waste of space. Call yourselves lucky to even be here."

Zoro lips turned into a straight line. He looked with his eyes at the others that were with him, none of them seemed to be affected, of course only the newbie were fidgeting and trembling. Zoro's eyes went back to Crocodile when he heard a bell-like chime.

"Ah! That time already. Perfect, now you newcomers will know."

In unison the place filled with each child's voice. "WE ARE WORTHLESS. WE SERVE NO PURPOSE IN LIFE. WE ARE WORST THAN THE WORMS UNDER THE EARTH, AND WE SHOULD BE LUCKY TO EVEN BE HERE. WE ARE FORGOTTEN BECAUSE WE ARE NOT NEEDED. THE WORLD WOULD BE BETTER WITHOUT US. WE DESERVE EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO US BECAUSE WE ARE TO BLAME. BECAUSE WE ARE TRASH, WORTHLESS AND LUCKY TO EVEN BE CALLED HUMAN BEINGS.

The room went a dead silent. Zoro couldn't believe he would have to say something like that. No way in hell was going to say that. Banchina taught him better than that. She told him he was better than what people called him. He wasn't worthless. He would be betraying her if he were to say that.

One of Crocodile subordinates called one of the newbie up. "Now recite." The boy up front eyes widen.

"But I can't. I don't know it!"

The man who called the small boy smiled an evil glint in his eyes. "Five lashes."

The child was dragged out crying and trying to get free from the men that picked him up. "Now listen up trash, you are to learn this in three days. Every time the bell chimes you are to recite it, standing as you are now!"

The newbie's were murmuring within themselves, all confused on what was going on.

/

Zoro was almost jumping for joy when they were told to retreat to their headquarters. However, the moment he reaches it wasn't how he expected to be. It was one large room, the exits blocked by bars, in the back there was one window and along the wall laid one huge sheet, he guessed was for them to lie down on.

As the older kids entered the room, they threw the smaller one that had laid down on the sheets off making room for themselves. Seeing he was no match for the older teens, Zoro sat by a corner watching as the smaller children fought for a place on top of the sheets, but the older and tougher ones eventually took it at the end.

The green hair child lay down on the cold hard floor. It was then that he felt the stinging in his left ear again. Raising his hand, Zoro passed his hands slowly, touching them lightly, feeling the raw sensitive flesh under his fingers. Zoro closed his eye wishing to be with Banchina right now. To be in her warm arms.

Not here. In this place he felt so far from home.

/

The next day, they were woken early in the morning by the staff banging on the bars with steel sticks, startling most into wakefulness- they were once again divided into groups picked at random. The children walked down the hallway filled with endless doors, until they reached a white double door. Two of the leading staffs opened the door, holding it open as the children pass through.

The cafeteria was already crowded with other children inside, some making the line or already eating. When Zoro got his food after a long wait, it was sloppy cold oatmeal. Taking the tray in hand, Zoro went and sat down. The place was filled with soft whispers. Each person having their own conversation, but in private. Zoro wondered if the reason they spoke like that was because they were not allowed to speak loud.

As Zoro sat down, he could feel as some of the staff eyes followed him, same with some of the other children in the room. Zoro followed the person that was in front of him and sat where he sat, knowing the boy was also a newbie and didn't want to stray far.

After they finished eating, they were forced to clean the cafeteria they were eating in. Some were to do the dishes, other the floor, table and counters. Zoro took out the sponge and squeezed the extra water out, placing it on the floor as he scrubbed. Apparently it was something they had to do each time they finished eating.

They finished around noon and were placed back inside the room. The staff didn't say anything as they closed the door and locked the bar door. Most of the newbie's seemed at lost of what to do.

Zoro sat down in his corner again. Some of the kids that were in this place before him were talking, seated on the blankets on the floor. The newbie's like himself, younger and weaker were on the floor, the ones old enough or strong enough being able to get a space on the sheet even if they were new.

Seated on the floor, Zoro untied the bandana his mother had given him before she left him here from his left arm. He didn't know what happened to his bag; it disappeared when they made him take a bath. Zoro rubbed his small fingers over the bandana. He really missed his mother, even though it wasn't perfect when he lived with her, but her love was enough for him.

"And what's this?" Zoro looked up, feeling a shadow over him only to see three teens, the one in the middle with an ugly scar running down the right side of his face. Each with their arms crossed and a smug grin on their faces. "That on your hand, give it to me."

Zoro eyebrows furrowed, his lips going in a straight line as he brought the bandana closer to his chest in a protective gesture. "I can't give you this."

The boy in the middle crouched down, the same shit eating grin on his face. "I don't think you heard me right." The other two boys nodded their heads in the backgrounds with the same grin plastered on their face. "Now, if you don't want to get hurt… give it to me." The older boy opened the palm of his hand, waiting for Zoro to give it to him. To the boys outer disgust all he got was spit. "You little...!"

"Yuck dude." One of the teen's lackey voiced in the background. Feeling humiliated by the small boy with oddly green hair, he grabbed a fist full of Zoro's hair; yanking the boy's head up. The teen with the scar on his face slammed Zoro's head onto the floor and once he started he didn't want to stop.

Zoro closed his eyes as his head hit the floor repeatedly, the impact making his vision go blurry. Instead of shielding the repeated impacts, he clutched the material in his hands has hard has his little hands could. He was scared that if he let it go, it would be taken from him.

Zoro felt something impact his stomach painfully, as one of the other boys kicked him, his body flew back and hit the wall behind him. Before he could regain the breath he lost because of the impact, the same teen that slammed his head repeatedly on the floor kicked him over the head.

The teen continuingly kicked down on Zoro's head, his grin slowly getting wider and wider. One of the other older kids, which seemed to have seen enough, punched the boy who was kicking Zoro.

Zoro's vision was swimming, seeing the boy who defended him scream at the teen with the scar to leave him alone, while his hands still held on tightly to the black cloth. The older teen spit the blood in his mouth before standing up and going back to where he came from.

The boy who saved him turned around to face Zoro, leaning down as he passed his hand through Zoro's green hair. "You ok?"

"Th-than-" Zoro couldn't finish his sentence as drool filled with blood went down his parted lips, hacked coughs following.

The boy grabbed Zoro by the arm and lifted him up until seated, dusting off the dirt that clung to Zoro. He waved his hand in front of the kid's eyes. "You ok?" He took Zoro's shirt collar and wiped the blood on his chin and lips.

The boy tried to take the black bandana from Zoro, but the green hair kid only tightens his grip. "I'm not going to take it." Slowly, the older kid eased the black material from Zoro's small hands. Now that his hands were free, Zoro's hand instinctively went to the pain to his side.

Holding it in both hands the older boy tied it around Zoro's arm again. Zoro really looked at the boy for the first time, his vision and the pain finally letting him see clearer.

"I see you're feeling better. My name is Saga, what's your name?."

The green hair teen swallowed the blood that was in his mouth before speaking. "Zoro." Saga smiled at Zoro. "Why don't you come with me?"

Zoro kept his gaze on Saga, not sure what he was saying. "Just come." Standing up, Saga waited for Zoro to stand up as well. Once the child was on his two feet, Saga went to where he normally laid down. Zoro stopped right before stepping on the sheet on the floor.

Saga sat down, and motioned Zoro to come with him. Taking the offer Zoro sat down next to Saga head down and gaze on the floor.

"Saga what are you doing?" one of the other older kids asked, two others also voicing their concerns.

"I want you to leave him alone. From now on he is with me. Anyone that messes with him will mess with me. Got it?"More than half the room agreed to leave the strange boy with green hair alone.

Zoro looked at Saga, his eyes wide with surprise. He didn't expect Saga to say this. The teen next to him smiled at him. Zoro turned his gaze away a small smile forming on his lips.

One of the older girls with black hair sat next to Zoro with a bucket and a cloth. Zoro flinched when she dipped it in the water and started dabbing it over his face, clearing the blood that was there.

"Does it hurt?" she asked in a sweet voice. Zoro didn't answer the girl, feeling a little embarrassed, but the girl gave him a warm smile.

Saga turned to face Zoro. "I'll take care of you in here. I can't promise anything out there." He gestured with his head to the door. "However, I can tell you this place is a hell hole." His eyes went back to the pair of neon green eyes that were staring up at him.

The older teen passed his hands through Zoro's earrings, a frown on his lips, "I'll tell you how this place works."

Hope you like :)