"Roronoa Zoro, correct?"
Zoro nodded absentmindedly.
"Nineteen years old?"
Another nod.
"Giggling pixie?"
"Yeah—"
Zoro sat up and glared at his councilor. "No."
The man smiled. "Just making sure you were listening." Zoro huffed and leaned back into the chair.
"Now, you probably think you don't belong here and don't need counseling, and I doubt you want to sit here while I attempt to make friends with you, so just answer my questions honestly, and we'll be out of here before you know it."
Zoro grumbled, but reluctantly agreed. The councilor nodded curtly and looked at his clipboard.
"What's your home life like?"
Zoro rose an eyebrow at the question, but answered. "I live with my foster father, Koshiro, and his daughter, Kuina, at the local dojo."
"Go on."
"It's nice, I guess." He shrugged. "I get food, a house, and I get to practice whenever I want."
The man nodded and scribbled something onto his papers. "Any goals?"
"Not really. I might take over the dojo for Koshiro." Zoro scowled. "Unless Kuina takes that job."
"Your adoptive sister?"
"Yeah, she's always been better than me with swords." His expression hardened. "But I will beat her someday."
The man smiled approvingly. "That's good to hear."
And so they continued, with the man asking questions, and Zoro answering, albeit sometimes with great hesitation. Sometimes not at all.
"I don't need to go to a fucking mental hospital!"
Koshiro only looked back at him calmly. "Zoro. It's affecting your memory and attention. Not to mention how tired you are now. You don't have energy like you used to."
"That doesn't mean—"
"What about your swordsmanship?"
Zoro froze.
"What?"
"You can't focus properly during training, and you're too tired to fight at your usual standards. I know you've noticed." Zoro gritted his teeth. "Zoro, please. It's for the best."
The only response he received was a glare and a frustrated Zoro stomping off to find somewhere secluded.
"Oi, Zoro!"
Zoro blinked his eyes groggily and looked at the face above him. Luffy grinned and said, "Zoro! You're awake! Finally!"
The sleepy fog slowly cleared from his mind and he sat up. They were in the lounge, and Luffy was squatting next to him, in his place against the wall. "What time is it?" He asked groggily.
"It's already ten! You've been sleeping for hours! It took me forever to wake you up!"
Zoro's eyes widened marginally. "You woke me up?"
"Yeah!" Luffy said enthusiastically. "I took a really long time though."
"How long?"
The smaller boy looked thoughtful. "Hmm, a few minutes?"
Zoro raised an eyebrow. "You consider that long?" He shook his head. "Never mind, that's not important. You were actually able to wake me up? How?" Luffy looked confused. "I shook you and called your name. Why?"
Zoro looked at him incredulously. "That's all you did?"
"Yeah."
The green-haired man was shocked. No one was ever able to wake him up. Even when they used more…drastic…methods. Yet, here was Luffy, pulling him from sleep as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Zoro would never understand that kid. He made the most depressed people in the institution smile, the most nervous people speak comfortably and confidently, the most bad-tempered people laugh and look at him fondly. The boy was a miracle in himself.
"ZORO!"
Zoro jumped slightly and looked at Luffy. "What?"
Luffy pouted. "I've been calling you and you weren't listening!"
The ends of Zoro's lips pulled into a slight smile. "What is it?"
"Let's raid the fridge!"
How was Zoro not surprised?
Zoro opened his eyes blearily when he felt a presence next to him. The figure climbed onto his bed and sat cross-legged.
"Zoro."
It was Luffy.
Zoro sat up against the headboard and turned his lamp on. "What the hell are you doing in here at this time of night? And how did you get in?"
"Through the door." Luffy said. He fidgeted. "Can I sleep in here tonight?"
The older male frowned. "Why?"
Luffy shifted uncomfortably. "Nightmare."
Zoro was surprised. Luffy didn't seem the type to have bad dreams. He seemed like the sort of person who didn't have a care in the world—no worries, no troubles, and definitely not nightmares. Still, Zoro guessed everyone had some fears, and Zoro wasn't going to pry. He silently scooted over and allowed Luffy to settle in next to him. The younger teen was asleep within minutes.
Why did Luffy trust him so much? Typically, people only sought out comfort from those they knew well and trusted explicitly.
From the moment he and Luffy had met, the younger boy had acted as if they were old friends and, Zoro had to admit, he also felt a strange connection to the teen. There was a strange familiarity between them.
Zoro pushed the thought from his mind. Who cared? Luffy made good company and, surprisingly, Zoro wasn't annoyed—not always, at least—by his presence. He shouldn't try to analyze Luffy's actions. It would only bring him a headache. Luffy was Luffy.
That's all there was to it.
Whoop! Another chapter! It didn't take as long as I thought it would to get an idea for chapter 2. So, how many of you think you know what Zoro's disorder is? He has two, but one of them wasn't covered this chapter. Thank you all so much for the favorites, follows, and especially the reviews. Your feedback and encouragement is the reason this chapter is out, so thank you.
4 favorites and 5 follows for the first chapter. I don't know if that's good for the site's standards, but it's pretty damn good for mine. If only one person liked it, I would still feel accomplished. I hope you also enjoyed this chapter!
-Spoons