The Continuation of The Connector Chapter 6~ Part B--Mugiwara Appears!
The Connector
Chapter 6: Shaman (Part 1) B
“Did you guys just come back from ayakashi hunting again?” Kureha asked as she saw the fresh cut on Zoro’s cheek that he got from a stray twig in the forest.
“Ah, no, it’s a little bit personal,” Ryuuma answered the old lady while drinking his sake. Zoro suspected that the sake was from the urn he brought back from the cave, but he didn’t say anything about that.
“He didn’t rape you, did he, Zoro?” Kureha asked again and Zoro burst out his onigiri he was chewing with a shocked look.
“What!? NO! What the hell are you thinking!?” Zoro practically shouted, face flaming in embarrassment.
“Well, he seems like that kind of guy,” Kureha commented in a huff.
Zoro glanced at his mentor and could almost see the tick on his forehead. He just hoped he would not be caught up inside the catastrophe if both Ryuuma and Kureha decided to have a war against each other.
“Are you speaking about yourself?” Ryuuma commented back with a sneer.
“Try to say that once again and I’ll give you a euthanasia shot,” Kureha glared dangerously at him.
Okay, it’s time to retreat-Zoro thought silently while picking up some onigiris and his sword, wanting to leave so badly, before something caught his collar. Ugh…
“Where do you think you’re going, Zoro-kun?”
It was Ryuuma again and his sick way of calling his name that made him shiver unpleasantly. “Would you please stop that way of calling my name?” Zoro said while sighing in defeat.
“Then stay and eat. I don’t want to deal with this old hag alone,” Ryuuma said before he dodged a chopstick thrown at his direction from Kureha’s seat.
“And I don’t want to be caught up in your war!” Zoro protested nervously.
“Brats,” Kureha huffed again in irritated look.
“Yohohoho. This house is so lively,” Brook commented care-freely.
Damn skeleton…!-Zoro thought in annoyance, face slightly pale.
“Doctorine, I want to ask you something,” Chopper went inside the room looking confused while holding a big, heavy-looking text book on his small hands.
“What is it, Chopper?” Kureha stood and walked to the little reindeer and they began to spoke about something before they went out the room.
“Chopper is studying hard, huh?” Ryuuma said with a smile and Zoro smiled as well.
“He’s a good kid,” Zoro said in response, feeling pretty content staring at the cute reindeer smile at his teacher.
“Then I should fetch some water before making dinner. Smoker-san is coming no?” Brook stood up and left the room even before Zoro or Ryuuma answered the question.
“How did he know about that?” Zoro asked, dumbfounded.
“It’s Brook’s little ability,” Ryuuma said while sipping his sake again from the cup with a relaxed face.
Zoro looked up at his mentor slightly before looking down again. “You know, Ryuuma,” Zoro then started speaking, but as always, his mentor cut him off-
“Sishou.”
-with unnecessary thing; Zoro glared slightly at the older man. “Okay, Sishou,” he rolled his eyes at that. “This past days… I’ve come to realize something about you,” Zoro continued now looking at the bowl of miso soup in front of him.
“Oh, what have you understood about me?” Ryuuma asked relaxingly lit his pipe before smoking from it.
“That you extremely hate ayakashi,” Zoro spoke carefully, looking for any sign of discomfort on his mentor’s face, but he couldn’t see any of that.
“Really?” his mentor asked slowly, closing his eyes in a cool look.
“Yes, otherwise… you wouldn’t bring me to demolish their nests. You have no mercy when it comes to them,” Zoro spoke lowly in an uneasy tone.
“Well, for one, they’re dangerous and harming human. For two, yes, I hate them from the bottom of my heart,” Ryuuma spoke out his reasons with a small smile.
“Even though they were human once?” Zoro asked again with frowning eyebrows.
Ryuuma chuckled slightly at that. “They’re no longer humans, Zoro. They’re just monsters and they need to be destroyed,” he said with a cold flat tone while opening his eyes seriously now. “Let me tell you something good, Zoro. Those ayakashi out there… even though they were humans once, usually they made very nasty human beings. Mostly killers, people who couldn’t accept their death because of their unhealthy obsession and unpleasant ideas; people that worth killing.”
Honestly, Ryuuma’s voice and his creepy gaze once again made Zoro shiver in something close to fear. He refused to be scared of his mentor. Sometimes he thought that his mentor was truly crazy and obsessed in destroying every single one of the ayakashi he met… Wait a second. Then Zoro realized something very strange.
“If you hate them that much… why do you let Brook stay by your side?” Zoro asked with a confused look. That was definitely odd, indeed.
Ryuuma’s expression was blank for a moment before he closed his eyes again, sighing. “You’ve touched a very sensitive subject there, dear Zoro-kun,” he said and Zoro went Goosebumps again.
“S-sorry… you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” Zoro said looking away, face paling slightly.
“Well, I just thought I might want to tell you if you’re ready to hear it, since it is a very nasty story,” Ryuuma said while putting down his pipe and drink some of his sake again.
“Uuh… if you don’t mind to share, I am ready to hear it,” Zoro said, brazening himself to look at his mentor’s face and Ryuuma chuckled at Zoro’s resolution.
“Okay… firstly, I have to correct you about one thing,” Ryuuma began and Zoro nodded slightly. “Brook isn’t an ayakashi,” he said.
There was a brief silence before “Huh?” Zoro made a dumbfounded look. “But I thought… huh?” he was definitely confused now. If Brook wasn’t an ayakashi, then what was he? He clearly wasn’t human since he was a skeleton. And he clearly wasn’t rei because Zoro could actually touch him. Well, of course he didn’t give out evil presence like other ayakashi did, but… What the hell was he then!? He could reconstruct his damn shattered bones for reality sake!
“There is a story behind his existence,” Ryuuma spoke again, earning Zoro’s attention back to him. Zoro then focused on Ryuuma, planning to hear everything out before interrupting him again. “Once… I had ever had a genius pupil. He was gifted with a body and talent to become the best shaman in this world.”
A Shaman…-Zoro thought silently. Now he was about to know more about shaman, apparently.
“He was so brilliant and diligent, clever, and could absorb every-single knowledge I have, noted and spoken, in a very short time. His genius brain was scaring me most of the time, but at that time, I was still immature. I hadn’t known why Shaman was categorized as a dangerous human being and I thought such talent was a waste to be left alone. That’s why, I taught him to be the best connector in the world.”
Zoro gulped as he looked at Ryuuma’s defeated face. It seemed it was painful for him to speak about it. He seemed seeing something very horrible in his mind, and Zoro wasn’t able to picture it even a bit.
“And I did. He became the best shaman that had ever existed in this world,” Ryuuma frowned slightly. He pinched the tip of his nose, probably trying to hold his emotion down. “But, everything went downhill after that. He was my most favorite and the very first pupil I had ever had. I didn’t watch him close enough because he studied hard, he even helped rei and people time to time, and I thought I could trust him to handle the knowledge of shaman just for good things sake. However, I was totally fooled. He had been studying something so forbidden and horrible behind my back. I didn’t even suspect him one bit when some corpses began to disappear from town. I thought it was a work of some wacko nut-jobs. However, when the cemetery was began to be dug up and more corpses went missing, I began to feel something was wrong. The works of whacko nut-job wouldn’t be that organized. I began to suspect that people with ability were involved. So, I patrolled at night alone since most people wouldn’t believe even if I told them. And then….” Ryuuma paused for a few second, taking a deep breath.
Zoro gulped again, anticipating what he would hear after that.
“And then… I saw him, in his dark secret room, with countless corpses; some were patched up, and some were just left rotten, with some nasty foreign symbols on their flesh and in the rooms, hexagram, David Stars, and he actually smiled when he noticed I was there.”
Zoro widened his eyes when he heard that.
“It didn’t end there. The worst part came after that,” Ryuuma chuckled slowly as he continued. “I was so mad at him I asked him what the hell he was doing with those corpses. He began to spout some extreme things like creating an army of the undead, so they wouldn’t have to fear death and had feelings to kill the enemies, and more much crazy shit I didn’t bother listening to because I was too shocked. But the most dreadful thing that came to my sight was when I saw the last corpse that was set in the middle of the room. It wasn’t even a corpse anymore. It was just… a human skeleton with afro.”
It’s Brook!-Zoro thought in a shock.
“My accursed pupil…, Gecko Moria,” Ryuuma spoke the name of his first pupil with such hatred in every tone that made Zoro shudder a bit. “He had been studying Necromancy, one of the most forbidden Shaman abilities, behind my back. He called the rei of people that had crossed over to the other side to come back here and stack them inside the corpses to bring them back alive. He was supposed to be a Shaman; he should have known that rei also has feeling! How could he do something so… so horrible like that!?”
Zoro could only cover his mouth and nose when he was trying to picture what kind of horror his mentor had witnessed.
“Countless of sick experiments had failed because the corpses didn’t match the rei, and the body just rotted alive. How could you imagine seeing something like that happening in front of you?” Ryuuma asked with a very blank expression. Zoro could almost see he was screaming in his head, though. “I was so angry… so furious, I thought I went mad at that time. I killed my own pupil on the spot.” He continued gritting his teeth. “But I didn’t regret that one bit. It was my responsibility to stop him before he could do anymore inhuman thing. Just… one thing that I regretted most was… the fact that Moria’s last experiment before I caught him in the act was a success. And Brook… he woke up from his peaceful slumber.” Ryuuma closed his eyes and covered his mouth. “He asked me why he was there… why he was even alive… why he got brought to life again….”
“Ryuuma…,” Zoro looked really concerned as he heard that.
“I intended to kill him on the spot as well. He was a being that wasn’t supposed to exist. He wasn’t an ayakashi and wasn’t a rei. He was just… a creature that was born from evil practice of an evil Shaman. Yet…, I couldn’t do that…!” Now Ryuuma covered his face completely with one hand. Zoro could see the trace of distress and aggravation, anger and regret. “I couldn’t…! I can’t, not when I know who he is…!”
Zoro widened his eyes again as he realized. “He was your… friend?” he asked carefully.
“No… more than that, Zoro…. Brook is my brother by blood,” Ryuuma said with a very painful look.
Zoro honestly thought that his eyes would really pop out from their sockets as he heard that. “You’re bro-!? But-but… how?” He thought Brook wasn’t Japanese! His name was Brook! He couldn’t be Japanese!
“He’s my brother from a different mother. His mother was a gaijin at that time.” Ryuuma said.
“A gaijin?” Zoro looked confused.
“Hah… your history mark must be something if you don’t even know what a gaijin means,” Ryuuma said with that mocking tone again and Zoro glared at him. “It was a reference for foreign people when we’re in era before and during Meiji,” he continued.
“Oh…,” Zoro nodded slightly at that, understanding.
“Brook’s Mother was from France, I think. My father had an affair with her and had a child from her before he married my mother. You know the marriage between Japanese and gaijin was forbidden at that time because we were still at war with the world outside. She brought Brook to her own country shortly after he was born, and they came back after the war ended thirty years later and Japan began to open up to the world. They both died in Japan because of a carriage accident and both were buried in my Family Cemetery by my father. He told me about them short time later when I was sixteen. I had never met my brother, but I regretted it so much because father didn’t tell me if I had one… when he was still alive.
“And thus… when I finally met him in person for the first time, he had become something… like that. And technically, it was my fault because Moria was my pupil and I taught him the existence of that forbidden knowledge without knowing how sick his head could be. Deep down I know I should just kill Brook like I killed the other ones so as not to let him suffer any longer…. He was forcefully revived against his will, bound in that form for eternity, cursed to see his loved ones die again and again…. To live alone… living dead like in hell…! But I just… couldn’t kill him. He is my brother… and I just… can’t bear to let him die again.
“That’s why; instead of killing Brook, I make an oath. I’ll stay by his side so he won’t get lonely. I’ll stay away from the world outside, bringing him along with me so we can live together as brothers from that point. I’ll stay beside him for as long as I am allowed to… until once again deaths do us apart.”
Ryuuma finished his story and Zoro couldn’t even say anything to respond to it. How many years had he kept that burden by himself? Did Brook know what Ryuuma was thinking? Zoro really wanted to ask, yet he didn’t have a heart to do so. He also didn’t have any comforting words to say because he wasn’t really good in reassuring people. He was afraid, in case he would say something that would deepen the wound. He couldn’t help closing his eyes, though.
Zoro couldn’t help Ryuuma in anyway. So the least thing he could do was… to not see Ryuuma crying and not see Brook standing silently behind the door.
ZORO-RORONOA-ZORO
By the time Smoker arrived in Ryuuma’s residence, it had already been nightfall.
“I guess, Smoker will also stay overnight,” Ryuuma smiled at his ex-pupil as he entered the house.
“Actually, no,” Smoker said in hurry. “I went here leaving some of my works, I should get back as soon as I can to finish them off. I am taking Zoro home now,” the silver haired cop continued expectantly.
“Well, if you insist.” Ryuuma shrugged and pulled Zoro to meet Smoker. “He’s all yours,” he smiled.
Smoker raised his eyebrows. “Huh, I thought you’d fight more to make me and Zoro stay longer,” he said in wonder.
“Well, for one, I have taught him everything I know about our world. For two, he has stolen my accursed katana,”- Smoker widened his eyes at that and Zoro dropped his jaw- “-and the last but not least, I don’t want to see his face in my house any longer,” Ryuuma finished, still with his smile, but Smoker could read it better. Something big must have happened between them, and Ryuuma felt exposed somehow.
“You really stole Sandai Kitetsu?” The silver haired cop asked the green haired boy with a ridiculous look.
“No way! He gave it to me!” Zoro protested while sweating in nervous look.
“So much for a taste,” Smoker rolled his eyes at that.
“Zoro!” Then something came out from the house and Smoker couldn’t help widening his eyes in shock. “Are you going home?” the little hairy strange tanuki asked slowly.
“A tanuki is talking!” The cop stared disbelievingly and pointed at the fuzzy chocolate bundle walking on two feet that put its front foot on Zoro’s leg, with fascinated expression.
“I am a reindeer!” the chocolate bundle shouted back in irritation at Smoker.
Instantly, Ryuuma and Zoro burst out laughing at that.
“What?” Smoker was completely dumbfounded at the sight. Did he just see his ex-teacher laugh so hard together with Zoro? He was more shocked of that fact rather than the sight of the chocolate talking tanuki.
“Oh, jeez…! That’s fucking awesome! Your face…!” Zoro had a difficulty to maintain his laughter.
“Shut up and explain to me, will you!” Smoker said, blushing slightly and sweat dropping in annoyed look.
~~Please wait for a moment when Zoro told Smoker about Chopper and Kureha~~
“I see; a rare creature huh?” Smoker said slowly understanding the situation. “And you got your hands on Sandai Kitetsu after the incident, huh? Lucky bastard,” he added while smirking at Zoro.
“Well, we’re fated to be a katana and its master,” Zoro said proudly with full confidence.
“Freak,” Smoker commented while rolling his eyes again.
“Are you really going home?” Chopper yanked Zoro’s shirt lightly while staring at him with big watery brown eyes that reminded people to a lost little puppy.
Zoro looked troubled as he saw that. Haha… the boy is weak to cute things, huh?-Smoker smirked as Zoro noticed his face and glared at him heatedly in red, embarrassed expression.
“Aah, I have school to attend, and there are a lot of things I want to reach in life, Chopper. Just like your dream of becoming a doctor,” Zoro said with a smile while ruffling the soft-looking fur of the small creature.
A tanuki-reindeer becoming a doctor? Who is he kidding?-Smoker continued his self-asking with an incredulous expression.
“Yeah…,” Chopper looked down with sad, defeated look.
“It doesn’t mean we won’t see each other again,” Zoro added and the little reindeer perked up instantly.
“Really!?”
“Sure thing. I’ll remember to visit when I am in holiday,” Zoro promised the tanuki-reindeer.
“Okay! It’s a promise!” Chopper said with a delighted expression and Zoro laughed slightly at that.
“Okay, let’s leave now, Zoro. Night time is chilly on a mountain,” Smoker said and Zoro nodded.
“Take care of yourself, Zoro, Smoker too,” Ryuuma waved slightly. Smoker and Zoro nodded at him. They were just about to pass the fence when suddenly Brook came out and poked Zoro’s shoulder in silence.
Smoker glanced and saw Zoro turn his face at the skeleton. Brook lifted a box of something he suspected like a dinner box and Zoro accepted it.
“Thanks, Brook,” Zoro said in a genuine caring smile on his face that freaked Smoker a bit.
Since when has the brat warmed up that far to ayakashi?-Smoker thought very-very oddly.
Brook nodded his afro-ed head slightly and went back inside. Zoro stared at the box for a moment and then he picked up something (a paper?) on top of the box. He looked at it for a moment and smiled again. “You’re welcome…,” he spoke lightly in a relieved expression.
“What is it?” Smoker asked in a curious look as they went down the mountain road to the car Smoker had parked on the mountain foot.
“It’s a secret,” Zoro said with a happy smile and Smoker just raised one of his eyebrows.
Huh, well, Smoker could always pry later… after they were home anyway.
ZORO-RORONOA-ZORO
In the morning a day later, a pack came from Roronoa Residence to Smoker’s house.
Zoro accepted the pack, since he was the one at home and Smoker was already in his office to work his ass out. The green haired boy eyed the pack suspiciously. He hadn’t contacted his house these past weeks, months, how come they just sent a pack just like that?
Well, Zoro knew that Smoker had contacted his father or someone in his family, somehow… but it was odd because nobody was actually sent to look for him. Probably Smoker was right about the fact that his father might think to leave him alone, living with a cop would become a good lesson to him since he couldn’t participate in any illegal activity again if he didn’t want to go in jail. Smoker was so likely a type that was capable to do that short of thing if Zoro went out of control again.
Not that Zoro wanted to go there again. He learned his lesson by dying and now was stuck with that stupid ability after all.
But wait. On second thought, Zoro might go if he could challenge Hawk Eye again; or, if Hawk Eye wanted to battle with him again. He wouldn’t turn down the challenge, absolutely.
And after Zoro beat Mihawk, he would become the best swordsman in the world… he kept his promise to Kuina and he might die in peace after that.
Zoro felt good when he thought about it and was quite distracted from his strange thought about the pack until he saw it once more. He looked at the pack from every angle, trying to figure out if it was safe or not to open it. Then again, who would actually send something that could harm him? It was from his family house, for earth sake.
Zoro just shrugged and opened the pack. It was actually filled with his uniforms, clothes, and his text books… and a letter. Zoro tilted his head aside and picked up the letter. He opened it and saw his father’s handwriting.
‘Just come back when you’re ready’- it said.
Just a single sentence; Zoro blinked slightly in wonder as well as in confusion because he wasn’t required to send letters or phone calls time to time like he was used to. Well, Alan wasn’t supposed to be a nagging person, but Aira was, indeed. And it was just odd because Alan didn’t mention anything about her and Zoro’s little brother, Haruto.
Well, Zoro could just call if he wanted too. Despite all the rei inside the house, it was still his home. Yet, he actually had dreamt of living more independently from his family. This change wouldn’t be that bad. Smoker was a cool guy, and he could talk to that cop almost in everything. They had the almost same unique ability after all. Plus, Zoro didn’t need to pay for the rent for staying in his house because he was helping Smoker with his work as a trade. That was a mutualism symbiosis.
“Life is good,” Zoro said with a satisfied smile.
Then… finally, today Zoro actually could go back to school. Johny and Yosaku would be ecstatic, and he couldn’t wait to see his other classmates-best friends again; Luffy, Usopp, and even though he actually didn’t want to see her that much, Nami would be a nice view once in awhile… after seeing those nasty monsters on the mountain at least.
Zoro took out his uniform and went to the bathroom to change clothes and readied himself for school.
ZORO-RORONOA-ZORO
A new life….
Zoro stepped out Smoker house and looked at the blue-grayish sky. It had been awhile since he had a chance to pay attention to the season. When he realized, it was almost winter. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly in a refreshed look. He was feeling good with the cool wind breezing around. He started to walk on the street, enjoying the freshness and the coolness of the morning air. Occasionally, he jogged a bit and stopped to look for a poster stuck on the wall or news on the electronic billboard, somehow wanting to catch up with all the progress after these two and a half months skipping the world outside.
Zoro really enjoyed experiencing the ordinary -normal morning time again after all of the frenzy happening in his life lately; well, at least until he saw many reis lurking around the street though.
End of ordinary life once again…-Zoro thought while sighing weakly in a defeated look. He didn’t expect to have a quiet morning anyway. He rolled his eyes at his own pessimistic thought.
Zoro glanced slightly at the reis walking crossing the street repeatedly with hollow look; some even only had parts of his/her bodies. They must have been the rei from the traffic accidents. The troublesome ones, that was Smoker and Ryuuma said. Usually, they just didn’t realize they were already dead. Zoro didn’t want to have acquaintances with those kinds of rei. Nothing he could do to them because sometimes they asked for impossible things.
Zoro walked passing them and just ignored their presence until he arrived at the street near his school. It was quite a small street and only fit for a car to pass through. When he was about to turn he sensed something coming and stopped just in time to avoid the collision.
Zoro blinked when a body was sent flying, passing in front of him until it slammed to the wall on Zoro’s left side. He could only stare at the man, wearing long sleeved orange-black T-shirt and knee-length blue trousers, pass out now, slumping on the street.
“Fucker!”
Zoro heard someone curse, a baritone voice that tickled Zoro’s ear and was quickly followed by a sight of a skateboard thrown at the fainted man’s direction, accurately hitting his ugly face. Zoro winced at the cracking sound. That must hurt.
“You’re 100 years too soon for messing with me, assholes,” the mysterious baritone voice cursed again and Zoro heard the shrieks of some people (man, obviously) as they scampered away before him, completely blue-pale with one of them dragging the unconscious man.
So violent since morning… and he owns an unbelievable foul mouth as well-Zoro wanted to know what kind of guy would start a fight like that in a morning time like this. He must have looked something if those big guys ran away from him like a bunch of kids….
Zoro turned just slightly enough to peek at the alley, and the sight that greeted him was nothing like he had expected before. Instead of a scary-looking big man, he saw a tall but slender man wearing dark blue long coat and black pants, with soft-looking golden blond hair and the bluest eyes… err, eye, he had ever seen. He had a very interesting eyebrow as well. It was curled at the end. Zoro almost laughed seeing how ridiculous it was. He couldn’t see the other eye because part of the guy’s hair covered his left cheek and he was facing the electric tower on the right side of the road. He had very subtle goatee on his chin and a very attractive face.
The (very nice) sight of that guy was enough to make Zoro widen his eyes in… a surprise? A wonder? Zoro didn’t really catch it. It just felt like a static electric on his skin. He could almost see the guy sparkling. He looked just like… a man from the other world.
Zoro must have been crazy when he thought that, or at least he needed to check his eyes out. It was just a guy… a blond guy. Okay, maybe he was indeed attractive, and blond was a rare hair color in Japan, but he could have been a tourist or something….
As he inspected the mysterious handsome blond guy more, Zoro could see a black gakuran, a school uniform, just from the top of his body on the chest part.
He was a student, Zoro realized; a high school boy judging from his feature. And to have been allowed to have blond hair as a student… he must have been a student from international school. There were four international schools in Grand Line City. Water Seven International Senior High School, Enies Lobby International Senior High School, Grand Line International Senior High School, and Impel Down International Senior High School.
Zoro went to Grand Line International Senior High School. That guy in front of him must have been a student from one of those schools.
Zoro intended to just ignore him and just walked pass him, but he paused slightly from his attempt as he saw the guy bend his body fluidly. He had to hold his breath as he realized how flexible that guy’s body was. The blond boy picked up something from the street. A broken glass and few stems of flowers.
Zoro narrowed his eyes further and saw a photograph on the side of the road, leaning against the electric tower, surrounded by many offerings. A rei of a boy was standing just beside the tower. The guy looked pretty upset as he frowned at the smashed glass and the stepped out flowers. He kneeled and put back the flowers on top of the other offerings and then he clasped his hands on in front of his face while closing his eyes, praying.
I see…, he’s upset because those guys earlier messed the offerings for that boy…. Is he a family or something?
“Sorry, I don’t bring any flower right now. I’ll be back later after school to put fresh flowers,” the boy said as he stood and eyed the place for a moment longer before he went away while mumbling “Rest in peace, boy.”
Zoro came out from his hiding (who is hiding!?) place after the blond boy turned right at the four ways street up front. He approached the rei and looked at the boy. Judging from the appearance he was only ten, more or less. Zoro stood in front of the rei and inspected more. The form was still raw. The boy was still bleeding on his head and some other areas were damaged as well. It was a recent accident?
“Hey, I can see you,” Zoro spoke quietly. No one was around, so it was okay to speak to him. The boy jerked a bit and looked up slightly at him, surprised might be. Zoro looked at him kindly. “You don’t have to speak if it’s hard. It’s okay, don’t be afraid,” he said more with a reassuring tone.
Zoro put his hand on the kid’s head and closed his eyes. He concentrated slightly and saw what happened to the kid from his memory as a third party. Yep, now Zoro could connect to rei’s memory as he pleased. It was in his control and he could even position himself as a third party who could see from different angle. That was the ability he learned inside the cave. To see a memory like a cinema; he didn’t have to feel the suffering and the pain of the victim, so there was almost no side effect. Yet, because he could only see, he couldn’t help either even though he wanted too. And the feeling was worse because he felt like a jerk for just seeing it without doing anything.
“I see…, Akino Yamato, huh? Good and strong name… you died in a car accident three days ago, and a hit and run case to boot,” Zoro opened his eyes again and glared at the other way. “Don’t worry, kid. The guy who killed you will pay for what he’s done. That’s why you shouldn’t be here. It’s no longer your place,” Zoro spoke, convincing the boy slightly so he could go to a place he belonged to.
The boy looked down slightly in saddened look.
“What is it? Is there something else you want?” Zoro asked again.
The boy slowly lifted his hand and pointed at the house across the street.
“Your family lives there?” Zoro asked and the boy nodded. “Do you want to say something to them? I can pass it to them if you want to,” he smiled as the boy’s face brightened slightly. “What do you want to say?”
Zoro kneeled and looked for the boy’s damaged bloodied eyes. He could still see the clear dream in those eyes even though they were just rei’s. That driver… taking a life of this innocent child and just ran off like that… Unforgivable, Zoro would make sure he would pay for this a LOT.
Zoro closed his eyes and put his forehead on the kid’s rei’s, trying to hear his tiny shy voice. He chuckled slightly as he heard it. “Sure thing. Don’t worry about Tama. She will deliver her baby safely. I’ll make sure your mom knows it,” Zoro said and paused slightly as he heard more. He opened his eyes and looked at the boy sadly. “Don’t worry; she will after you’re in peace.”
The boy looked at Zoro in wide smile before his form was fading away in a sparkling light. “Farewell,” Zoro spoke with a relieved smile on his face.
After that, Zoro looked at his watch. The class started at 9.00 a.m. He still had thirty minutes before it started. Zoro eyed the house across the street and decided to approach it. After all, he had made a promise to Yamato to deliver his message to his family. Zoro stood in front of the gate and pushed the bell button.
ZORO-RORONOA-ZORO
Grand Line International Senior High School; 8.45 a.m.-
“Zo-!”
“Zor-!”
“ANIKIIIII! (3)”
Just like Zoro had predicted earlier, both his close friends, Johny and Yosaku, were ecstatic… extremely ecstatic even, when he showed up in class that morning-
“Holy shit-! ZORO!”
-and of course was followed by the most energetic boy in Grand Line City, Monkey D. Luffy.
“Hey, guys!” Zoro waved at them while grinning in front of the class.
Instantly a punch from Luffy came to his face.
“WHOAH!” But of course, Zoro could dodge that, since his motor skills were awesome. Yet, he couldn’t dodge when he was tackled down to the ground by the other two boys. “Ouch! Jeez, what the hell-!?”
“Zoro, how could you!!” Luffy, a cheery boy with overly excited vigor and short black messy hair and dark coal eyes, grabbed his collar and shook him wildly with an angry face from his right side. His slightly tan slender body didn’t really show the power he could use to kick other people’s ass or break people’s neck.
“Uwaaah, anikiii! We thought you’re a goneeer!” while Yosaku, a boy with a neck-length light brown wavy hair and a pale skin was crying while hugging his chest from Zoro’s left side.
“Why didn’t you inform us anything about your well being, aniki!? We’re so worried to death!” and the last was Johny, a tan skinned boy with short black hair, who always had his sunglasses on his face, following with the same hard cry as his other friend, Yosaku, of course while hugging Zoro’s waist from on top of his leg.
“G-guys…! I can’t breathe…!” Zoro was helplessly shaken around and crushed by his friends’ hug. He almost passed out from the lack of air as they screamed and yanked and pulled and even hit him everywhere. Didn’t they know he had just recovered!?
“Live it down, you guys… do you want to kill him the moment Zoro can go back to school?” A pretty girl with neck-length orange hair said while rolling her eyes, looking at the wild, too enthusiastic boys on the floor. “Give him mercy already,” she continued.
“But Nami!” Instantly Luffy stood and confronted his orange haired friend with almost crying face. “It’s too cruel!! Why won’t he see us even though we came so many times to his house!?”
“Eh?” Zoro had just heard that. “Wait, you came?” he was surprised hearing that.
“Yeah, we also came to the hospital, but your father wouldn’t let us see you,” Yosaku sobbed slightly.
“Huh? Dad didn’t say anything about that,” Zoro was confused. Why wouldn’t Alan inform him if his friends were looking for him? Well, he never wondered why they didn’t come to see him when he was in the hospital though… but for his father banning his friends to see him… Why?
“Yeah, we could guess why he banned us to see you though… He probably thought it was our fault that aniki was involved in something like underground fight,” Johny said while sobbing as well. “We’re bad companions for you, so he doesn’t want us to get near you or something….”
“No way,” Zoro quickly cut. “You guys are my best friends. He maybe my dad, but he can’t control my life. I am sure he had other reason not to let you guys see me… Oh, and these past months, I wasn’t home. I was recovering on Mount Fuji, so…,”
Nami walked forward and smacked Zoro on his head… hard, effectively cutting his rambling.
“OWW! What the fuck!?” Zoro was surprised and in pain as he stroked his abused head and glared at Nami, confused and annoyed at the same time. “What the hell was that for?” he protested.
“At least, give us a damn call, moron! We’re so worried about you!” The orange haired girl glared at him in that annoyed look as well, but of course the hint of worry was still there.
Zoro looked around once again and he saw his best friends were frowning and sniffing, looking at him in worried faces. Zoro sighed. “I am sorry for worrying all of you these past months. I am okay now, so we can go play again as you wish,” Zoro said sincerely.
Yosaku and Johny were tearing up again and cried more on Zoro’s arms while Luffy hugged his neck and messed his hair while grinning, telling him ‘welcome home’ to their circle, and Nami sighed while smiling slightly in happy relieved look.
“Okay, to celebrate Zoro’s fine recovery, our lunches today is on Zoro,” Nami said with her devilish grin.
“What!?” Now Zoro looked shocked and the other laughed at his face.
The other students, who happened to be in the same classroom, looked at the four boys and a girl in amused looks as well, even though they’re not in the circle. After all, they were Straw Hat Gang, a bunch of troublemakers in that school.
Straw Hat Gang was one of the gangs existing inside Grand Line International Senior High School. This gang was pretty unusual since the members were people from various nations while the other gangs usually stood for people in the same nation. The leader of Straw Hat Gang, Monkey D. Luffy, was a Filipino, a very energetic boy with monstrous appetite and power. He had that precious straw hat that became symbol of his gang. He said it was a memento from someone he respected a lot, so he treasured it like it was his body part. He was rarely seen without the hat as well. Luffy looked cute with his innocent face and bratty attitude, but he could be quite deadly and dangerous if he was angry, especially if he was fighting or stand up for his friends.
Next, the first in command after Luffy, was of course, Roronoa Zoro, a mixture of Ireland (his father) and Japanese (his mother). He was Luffy’s first choice of friend because he was interesting and strong, Luffy said. Actually, Zoro also didn’t know exactly why he agreed to join Luffy, but he felt the boy could see him through every wall he created around him, and successfully amazed him with his strength and fighting skills. So, Zoro accepted the honor and followed Luffy, because Luffy was more out of the ordinary than he had ever imagined. Being with him was never boring and Zoro liked that feeling. As for Zoro’s ability… well, everyone knew about that since Roronoa’s family was famous with sword fighting, but not only his family; Zoro was strong and -not that he wanted to brag-, but he was quite popular as well. He was a High School National Champion of Kendo, Iai, and Naginata. He also learned multiple Japanese sword fighting styles, but he was still in training for all of that. Nobody knew about his three swords style, except people who saw him fight in an underground tournament.
The third one to join was Bellmere Nami. She was an inhuman witch from England who cared only for one, money; two, money; three, her friends; four and the rest, money. She was really stingy, but could be passionate if it was about her friends. Of course they’re required to pay back her passion if they asked for a favor from her. Zoro often became her victim in that area, so she pissed him off most of the time. Luffy chose her to be second in command because… well, many things happened, and even though nothing good would happen if she joined them, she proved she was capable of handling them all with their craziness sometimes. Her ability in handling information and used it for her and her friends benefit were outstanding. But the most important thing, she was a strong determined girl both inside and outside; and Zoro (maybe Luffy as well) respected her for that. But still, she could be so annoying too that Zoro wished he didn’t know her that much.
The fourth one… was not there yet. His name was Usopp. He was a strange Japanese boy with extra long nose that he claimed as his charm point. He had black curly hair and eyes, and a funny personality. He was a very good liar to top it all. He was great in handicraft and painting, and he often made stories and wrote for their school newspaper (even though he wasn’t in any club). Sometimes he could be a coward in cute funny ways, but he was a good guy who would do anything to protect his friends and something precious to him. Luffy seemed interested in him because of that, so he asked him to join.
The fifth one was also not there yet. Her name was Nefertari Vivi. She was an Arabian Princess with long wavy crystal bluish hair who came to Japan to study their culture. And the princess part was true because she was indeed a next queen in training. She was very polite and elegant, but sometimes could act clumsy as well. She was a strong willed girl and actually willing to fight to stand up for weaker people. Luffy found her personality so interesting, so he boldly asked her to join his gang and she was more than happy to accept. She was repeatedly almost kidnapped for ransom because her family was so rich, but with Luffy and his friends around now, she was well protected and her usual body guard, Chaka and Pell, could enjoy their time more than before; even though they’re quite worried about her friends, but only Zoro knew about that and he didn’t plan to tell Luffy and the others because it would cause problems.
Johny and Yosaku were not in the gang, yet they stayed inside the circle. They were just there for Zoro, but they also respected Luffy and the others. They were Zoro’s childhood friends… or more like, he was their guardian or something. It wasn’t because they were weak; they were just clumsy sometimes… and couldn’t read the situation and the opponent very well, so they were often involved in a losing brawl. Zoro made sure they were okay, but didn’t babysit them either. He was just… watching out for them, and only helped if they really needed him to. But of course, they rarely came to him because they didn’t want to use Zoro for something like that. They respected and liked Zoro as a big brother and wanted to be like him, so they trained hard and tried not to depend on him too much. They were good people, though. They offered help to a lot of people who needed help even though sometimes the help was unnecessary, and they ended up making trouble for the one who they were trying to help.
Anyway, Straw Hat gang was unique. They weren’t bad even though sometimes they caused trouble and little mischief. They were like a cheery color inside the school which made the students’ day brighter each day. They were popular and well liked unlike the other gangs, which of course, made them a target of jealousy and envy from the other gangs’ members; so, they were often challenged in a fight. Luffy always accepted the challenge and kicked their asses after that together with Zoro, sometimes with Usopp if he wanted to help and Nami if she wanted to distract their enemy and rob them afterwards; and Vivi always cleaned up the mess in the end with her influence in school and town, so they were considered powerful in every regard.
“Where is Usopp?” Zoro asked then, realizing his long nosed friend wasn’t in the class after Johny and Yosaku excused their selves. After all, the bell had just rung and the first period was about to start.
“Oh, he’s still in Kaya’s class. You know, they’re already more than friends,” Nami grinned happily at that.
“Oh, really? He finally asks her out? I should congratulate him later,” Zoro smiled as well hearing the news.
Kaya was Usopp childhood’s friend, but not anymore if they were dating now. She was a beautiful shy girl with pale fair skin and long light brown hair, just until bellow her shoulder. She was the only daughter of a rich family in town and was very kind and polite to everyone. Usopp had a crush on her since forever and in Zoro’s opinion; Kaya was in love with him as much. It was just recently, it seemed, from what he heard from Nami, that Usopp brazened himself to ask her out, and it went well, he guessed.
“What about Vivi, I haven’t seen her as well,” Zoro said as he looked around looking for the pearl-blue haired girl.
“Oh, are you worried after rejecting her?” Nami asked with that teasing look that irked Zoro very much.
And she actually sniffed Zoro’s personal business to boot. How the hell did she know about that anyway!?
“That’s not your business, Nami,” Zoro growled at her in annoyed face.
Yep, Vivi and Zoro had a history… or actually a one-side crush from Vivi to him. Right before the day of his last match with Mihawk, Vivi asked him to date her. But, because he only considered her as a friend, he politely rejected her. She was okay with it. Well, in front of him she appeared okay, but most girls would cry after her love was rejected. She might come to Nami and cry in front of her after that; that’s why Nami knew about it.
Zoro suddenly felt bad about it. He would ask her later whether she would feel easier if Zoro wasn’t around. He had rejected numerous girls since he was in the middle school, but he felt much heavier rejecting Vivi. It might be because she was a close friend. He didn’t want to hurt her… wait.
That feeling was close to his feeling for Kuina back then. He might have a crush on Vivi as well, right? But he already rejected her… and it had been two and a half months after that time. She probably had moved on.
Right, Zoro should just consider her as a friend, no more, no less. That was better than creating an uncertain relationship which would only end up hurting each other without proper understanding.
“Okay, okay, don’t be so angry. After all, Vivi already had fiancé named Kohza back in her nation,” Nami said while sighing lightly. “And he is a rich prince too. How lucky,” she continued while daydreaming.
She never said that… she was straying from the right course?-Zoro thought in disbelief. Vivi?
The world would end soon, it seemed.
“Oh yeah, news for you, Zoro!” Luffy bounced and once again latched his grip on Zoro’s neck, almost strangling him.
“Uh… what is it, Luffy?” Zoro asked while trying to loosen the shorter boy’s arms around his neck.
“When you’re out, I decided to add a new member in our group,” Luffy said with a wide grin.
“Huh?” Zoro looked at the boy’s face on his shoulder in an inquiring expression.
“Ah, yes. He is a transfer student from France. A very attractive blond haired boy with aquamarine eyes color who steals almost every girl’s heart when he came to our class. He speaks like a Don Juan in otome-game (4) character. It’s really amusing!” Nami giggled heartily, looking very amused, indeed.
“Really? Sounds disgusting enough. Why pick him, Luffy?” Zoro asked, sweat dropping. It seemed an idiot had joined their circle. He had to find a good thing from him or he would just pick a fight with him to drive him out.
“Because he cooks delicious foods!” Luffy yelled and brought his arms to the sky with a very happy, excited look.
“On top of being a womanizer, he has a cooking as a hobby?” More and more disgusting in his mind, how girly this guy could be.
“Oh, don’t get him wrong, Zoro. He’s strong, you know! You should have seen him kicking some asses of the other gang members in the first day he came to our school. Every girl instantly fell in love with him. He has a very flexible body and his kick can actually break the tables!” Nami said again enthusiastically.
Flexible…?
Zoro instantly remembered the boy he met, err… he saw, this morning. Blond hair, blue eye, flexible body… Could that be that guy? But a womanizer and a cook?
Zoro remembered again how the blond boy picked up the flowers and put them back in the offerings and when he prayed in front of the dead boy’s photograph. Nah, it must be different person…
“Okay, so… who is this guy?” Zoro asked again.
“His name is Blakleg Sanji,” Nami said, and she was about to say something again when suddenly-
“Did you call me, Nami-swaaaaan!?”
-the same boy Zoro had seen this morning barged inside the class like a storm and threw a big hug at Nami, which of course was dodged by the red haired girl. Plus, she kicked him on his back until he fell down on the floor, his nose bleeding.
“Aah, your kick feels like a loving heavenly pain for me, Nami-swaaan!” he said again while making face as if he were in bliss.
Zoro could only stare the event with a flabbergasted expression. “-and he is quite a masochist to boot,” Nami continued her words with an annoyed look.
“Are you serious, Luffy? A guy like this…!?” Zoro had begun to feel nauseous seeing the blond boy on the floor. He couldn’t believe he had had thought the guy was attractive this morning. Really, he should get his eyes seriously checked out later for sure.
“I don’t care he if is a moron or a masochist! He’s cooking for me for the rest of his life!” Luffy declared childishly without care of the world.
“That’s impossible, Luffy!” The blond guy suddenly woke up and grabbed Nami’s hands. “Because my talent and body is only dedicated to this flower, ah, mademoiselle Nami-swan~, once again your beauty steals my heart,” he spoke with all of his heart while closing his eyes… with his nose still bleeding too boot; rather than a Don Juan or a character in Otome-game, he behaved completely like an idiot, really. Zoro went even paler if he could.
“Buy me an eighteen karat diamond, and I will go out with you,” Nami said to the blond in front of her.
“Aah, such high prize to give my love for you. But I’ll work days and nights to bring you the stars!” Sanji said more ridiculously than before.
“I don’t want stars, Sanji-kun. I want diamonds,” Nami said again indifferently.
Nami is seriously a devil in human disguise-Zoro thought, sweat dropping.
“This guy seriously makes me sick,” Zoro said then, not patient enough to witness such stupidity even more.
Sanji perked up slightly as he said that and he “Excuse me for awhile, Nami-swan,” let go of Nami’s hands and glared daggers at Zoro’s direction. “What did you say, Marimo?” he asked after looking at Zoro’s hair.
“Marimo…!?” Zoro was surprised at the sudden use of nickname and seriously insulted. “So, what, curly eyebrow? Do you have problem with that?” he glared back at the blond with a tick on his forehead, and electricity seemed sparkling between their glares.
“Asshole!” Sanji was about to lift his leg and Zoro was about to deliver a punch when suddenly Usopp came inside while shouting very loudly.
“The teacher is coming!”
Both Sanji and Zoro halted their attempts, but still glared at each other, not letting their guard down while everyone was staring at them in silenced-surprised looks.
“Eh, what happened guys?” Usopp who didn’t get what was happening looked confused, but then he brightened tenfold when he saw Zoro in the middle of the class. “Zoro!” he called while waving at him frantically.
Zoro was still glaring at Sanji for awhile before he took a deep breath and unclenched his fist. Sanji seemed noticing that Zoro backed down, so he slowly put his right leg on the floor as well. They were still glaring at each other for a few seconds later before Zoro looked at Usopp.
Zoro smiled at the long nose. “Hey, Usopp! Long time no see!” he said, waving back.
“Okay, class. We’re starting,” the teacher then entered the classroom, cutting every conversation and events that happened inside the class just now; everyone went back to their seat and of course, Zoro and Sanji as well.
“Hump, damn one celled alga,” Sanji muttered in annoyance and Zoro heard that.
“Shitty cook,” Zoro hissed back in pissed off look as well.
It seemed Zoro wouldn’t get along well with this new member. He should do something to convince Luffy to drive him out of the circle, or obviously, there would be bloodshed and bloodbath in the future of Straw Hat Gang.
End Chapter 6
Tbc…
Note:
(1)…-sama: it’s a suffix added after the name to call a person who is highly respected by the addresser
(2)Bakeneko: literally meaning cat-monster
(3)Aniki: one of a way to call big brother, and it’s the most informal way. I’ll just use aniki for Yosaku and Johny to call Zoro to differ the way Haruto calls him. Since he calls Zoro ‘big brother’ which in Japanese, I intended to use ‘onii-sama,’ a very polite way to call a big brother, before I change it into general ‘big brother.’
(4)Otome: literally meaning ‘girls.’ Otome-game is a game dedicated for girls such as a dating game or something like that, in which all the characters are beautiful boys that spout so many sweets cheesy lines to flutter girl’s heart.
A/N: Yeah… longer and longer chapter each time… Well, you said you like long chapter, so I give you longer and longer chapter. Just tell me if it’s troublesome to read a too long chapter (but I hope not). I need to describe things in detail in this story… that’s why; so the long chapter is unavoidable. I hope you don’t mind… So, what about this chapter? Like I promised, Sanji and the other Straw Hats come up! XD. Luffy~!! *loves* XDD I haven’t brought up Robin and Franky, but that would be for the other time. Please, I need your opinion, guys… anything is fine. So, I can be more and more pumped up to write down the next chapter! XD
Oh, and I will give you a little spoiler for the next chapter: the hints of shounen ai will start to be visible in the next chapter! XDDD Just wait for it, kay? *excited to write the next chapter ASAP*
Next Chapter: Chapter 7
Previous Part: Chapter 6 Part A