Because you live
And breathe
Because you make me believe in myself
When nobody else can help
Because you live girl
My world
has twice as many stars in the stars
Because you live
I live
~Because you live-Jesse Mccartney
Eve awoke to the sound of an explosion, which later led to pain enveloping her then she heard a voice, a voice thanks to her the visions she had seen, a voice she was familiar with.
"This is all the damage, that was inflicted on him on him during his battle with moria and oars, if you wish to take his place…Naturally you would have to take in all of , if someone who is as close to death as you were to take all would be impossible for you to 'll die."Eve felt herself tense at this, and she slowly opened her eyes and sat up, to see zoro, standing infront of a large blinked confused… when she then heard zoro scream in agony, his body convulsing, till he fell to his knees.
He was planning on taking in all of that?!
wouldn't allow standing up, she made her presence known.
"Kuma. Enough"Zoro, groaned as he noticed the redhead, injured due to was glad, that she was alive, and maybe if he was going to die, seeing the shy redhead before he did, wasn't a bad way for it to he noticed that something was different about carried an aura around her that she hadn't previously possessed. Bright innocent eyes that used to avoid his gaze, where staring at Kuma with a darkness swirling with in held great sadness in them, but also pain.A great deal of pain.
The cyborg looked at the redhead.
"Ah so you were also a member of the Witch Eve"Zoro frowned at the title, wondering how she could have possible gotten it.
"So you know me then Bartholomew Kuma" Kuma regarded her with his usual stare
" government has been after you for quite some are a threat.A big threat"
Eve smiled sadly
"I I suppose you would consider a deal with me Kuma."She began softly. "I will take on Luffy's pain. And you will spare the strawhats"
Kuma paused, ignoring the yells of the swordsman
"You're deal sounds acceptable. I are too big a threat to be left alive, You must die or come back with me to the world government"
Zoro tried to stand up, not wanting eve to get in the way, as sanji had tried, only to find his body wouldn't was eyes widened in realisation
"Eve, Let go of me"She glanced at sadly
"I-I'm sorry Zoro…I haven't been a strawhat long but I was happy that I had nakama…"
"Eve don't you dare do this!"
"I don't have a dream like you Zoro,You have such a great ambition, as well as everyone else.I won't let you throw it away.I mean it would have been nice to have gotten my memories back, but as long as you all live it's fine… They say that when you die, your life passes right before you're eyes, I wonder if someone like me see that"
"STOP!"Tears streamed out of her gold eyes.
"Could you look after snow for me? And tell Luffy and everyone that I'm sorry?"
"EVE THIS IS MY FIGHT DON'T GET INVOLVED DAMNIT"she ignored him
"But you know…"She walked towards the floating paw. "After remembering some of the past, I realised that a thing like me shouldn't be alive."She laughed sadly
"IDIOT! DON'T SAY SHIT LIKE THAT!YOU DESERVE TO LIVE"She wiped her tears
"Sayonara Zoro"and with that the girl placed her hands in the floating paw
"EVE!"At first the pain tingled, but then it felt like her whole body had exploded, as if she was being ripped apart piece by apart of her felt happy in the excruciating had saved her nakama,She had been useful.
Zoro watched in horror as Eve screamed in pain, tears pouring out her eyes, and as she became covered in himself no longer frozen, he ran towards her, into the bubble of pain she dwelled her to her chest, he knew that it was too late to pull her out of the bubble, but at least she would not die would at least protect her on the way to the end…
Sanji awoke, hearing the sounds of his nakama, and remembered zoro knocking him sitting up, he noticed Zoro's swords, and without warning he ran back to the clearing zoro had been at.
"There's no way he could be in one piece!Where is that guy"He thought as he finally found the swordsman standing up to the swordsman, he asked about the war lord, only to pause when he took in the state of the like the surrounding area was covered in blood,His eyes widened as he realised that being held against his chest, was an equally bloody eve, slumped unconscious against the swordsman.
"What's with all this blood?OI what is eve doing here?!Are you two still alive?! Where is that guy!"He still received no response
"What happened here?"
Zoro gripped onto the girl tighter, shaking with the strain of standing.
"Nothing…Happened"
"Chopper! We've bought the stuff you asked for!"Chopper turned away from his two patients to see the rest of his nakama,Snow who was also with the reindeer looked up, before deeming it unimportant and lying back in the crook of eve's neck.
"Oh thanks!"When luffy asked how the pair we're doing, chopper looked at the two bandaged pirates with unease
"This is the first time zoro's been this badly injuryed"The small doctor began,
"And Eve's only just started as a pirate, so I don't think she has ever had this many injuries"Chopper frowned
"They we're both very close to dying"
The pirates began to speculate what happened, when the risky brothers, declared they knew what happened, only for sanji to drag the pirates away, much to everyone elses confusion.
They explained to Sanji that after he had fainted, Zoro had been about to take Luffy's pain from the battle at thriller bark.
"Just touching a tiny bit of it, that swordsman screamed in pain."One of them began
"Sorry,but I seriously thought he was going to die."The other brother said
"But then the red headed girl came around"Sanji tensed at this as the brothers explained that the girl seemed to know kuma, and that she planned on taking zoro's place, after freezing him to the ground.
"I cried a lot you know! She was saying how a thing like her shouldn't be alive"Sanji's eyes widened at this, She had seriously planned on dying!
"I see, so that's why Luffys in shape whilst zoro and eve are like that"He muttered solemnly
It had been two days, and although he had missed the party, Zoro was had visted the grave with Brooke and returned to watch over eve, who had still yet to was angry with her, and was watching over her, till she woke were his thoughts, as her words before she went into the paw print constantly echoed in his mind.
I realised that a thing like me shouldn't be alive
What had she remembered that had made her revert back to those thoughts?She had started to smile damnit, enjoy life!He remembered the hollow look in her eyes, she had lost her usual stutter, and she had just seemed so looked at the sleeping girl, and before he could stop himself, he lifted her bandaged hand, so small and fragile looking wrapped in the gauze, and he held from now on he would keep a closer eye on would make sure he protected his nakama this , Nakama wasn't the word, the pain and horror he had felt when eve screamed in pain was different then with his all he could do was watch her walk happily to her death, he felt as though she was taking a part of him with growled slightly to himself as he remembered a conversation he had had with Robin of all people that very day
Flashback
Zoro hadn't trained today, he hadn't been able to focus, so he once more sat next to the unconscious girl, her fox whimpering as she looked at her seemed to pass, and he heard the door open, but ignored it.
"Zoro-san food is ready"Zoro didn't turn to face her and grunted, but made no effort to 's eyes softened
"You heard chopper, she'll be fine"When he didn't say anything, robin continued
"You really care about her don't you"As she expected this got a reaction, he turned around, denying her claim, quite strongly, and she might have believed him, had it not been for the pink dusting his cheeks.
"Of course I don't!"He paused and looked at the serene expression on the girls face. "I mean… its not like I know, shes' nakama"
Robin, having felt she had teased the swordsman enough she chuckled.
"Then figure out what she means to you, or you'll regret it"
Eve groaned as she opened her eyes, and she held her head, trying to remember where she round she realised it was dark, but she realised that she was back on the thousand her smiled when she noticed snow lightly snoring next to her pillow.
How long have I been?
Her stomach rumbled and she felt her face go red in embarrassment, thankful no one was around to hear her stomach standing up she realised that someone, had changed her torn clothes, and she was dressed in a white nightie, it was too short for her liking, as the hem rested mid exposed more cleavage then she was comfortable she decided that everyone must be asleep at this point, and as her stomach continued to demand she slowly crept out of her room, making her way to the kitchen, hoping she could find some , sanji had wrapped up some sandwiches for finished off he food and finishing a glass of water, eve decided to head walking across the usually loud deck, she smiled as her bare feet brushed against the grass of the deck.
I suppose I could stay out a while.
With this thought in mind, she sat on the grass, and smiled as she looked at the simple their lives must be, she they had to do was thoughts trailed off to the green haired swordsman.
I hope he's okay.
She held no regret to the decision she had made, and would have gladly died for the cheeks heated up at the course for any of her nakama, she shook her head, and decided that she needed rest, with the way her thoughts were didn't like the swordsman like that! She hardly knew the was a stoic, confusing man who she held no attraction to!Sure he was handsome and strong and secretly kind and always seemed to look out for her, but that didn't mean anything!
Its not like he would like someone like me like that anyway
So with that last thought she stood up and turned to head back to her was about to open the door,when she found a warm, tight grip on her into something solid and warm, that smelt musky, and like metal, she glanced up to meet the angry glare of the man that had dwelling in her thoughts
"Z-"
"You idiot"He suddenly hissed, startling the girl. "I take my eyes off you for one minute, and suddenly you're you not realise that you need rest damn it! I mean you're covered in bandages a-"Zoro paused when he noticed what eve was wearing, and he felt heat pool in his mouth suddenly went dry as her red locks swayed gently in the gold eyes, seemed to shimmer in the moonlight, and her lips, were a light pink and looked so felt like he was seeing her for the first seeing her.
"Zoro.I-I'm glad you're okay"She smiled and he couldn't help but think he like the way she said his then he remembered he was angry at grabbed her shoulders
"What the hell we're you thinking"He snapped "That was my fight!You shouldn't have was a fucking warlord!"Eve blinking, before frowning
"I wasn't just going to watch you die"She retorted, paused for a moment, he hadn't seen eve angry he hated to think it but he couldn't help but it was cute…
"And you wanted me to see you die?You think I would have been happy with that!"Eve felt her eyes begin to water, frustration filling put her hand on his chest, her over one, still being held in his iron grip, as she tried to pull away.
"You didn't have to be happy! You would have been alive! I already explained why! L-let me go!"Zoro didn't, and instead grabbed her other wrist.
"That wasn't an explanation." He leaned towards her, causing eve to step back, only to hit the wall behind her. "That wasn't an explanation, that was a fucking goodbye, so don't give me that bull shit Eve"Her name, came out husky to eve's ears, and she felt herself become warmer, her face becoming couldn't handle how close he dark eyes seemed to peer into her very soul, trapped in his piercing gaze, she didn't realise he had moved closer to her, there chests pressed up against one filled her and her attempts at escape were hindered by the mass of muscle in front of her.
"S-s-o what if i-it was! I-i d-don't have any regrets! I was h-appy I was protecting doesn't matter if s-someone like m-me dies"She sobbed as tears slowly fell from her eyes, her shoulders trembled as she felt his anger rise, he released her wrists and slammed his hands next to her head, making the crying girl pause.
"Don't EVER say shit like that life is important, and from now on I'm going to make sure you don't throw it away."Confused by what he meant by this she looked up, only to find his hands, calloused from his constant training, on her cheek, wiping away her tear stained cheek, his other hand threaded through her silk red locks.
"Your life is so important"He muttered, his face serious, and emotion flickered in his eyes as he said this, that eve couldn't place. He was only a few inches away from her now, the hand that had that had been on her cheek, slid to the back of her leaned in so close that she could feel his breath on her eyes Zorro going to…Kiss her?!