Heather (lightningrapier) wrote in lightningfanfic, @ 2007-12-09 05:58:00 |
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Entry tags: | monkey d. luffy, one piece, roronoa zoro |
One Piece - Zoro/Luffy - PG - Promise Me, Again
Title: Promise Me, Again
Author: Emily (lightningrapier)
Fandom: One Piece
Pairing: Zoro/Luffy
Rating: PG?
Warnings: This isn't even really creative, because the dialouge is straight from One Piece. I just dramatized it. I win.
Summary: Zoro makes Luffy a promise. Luffy gets called the Pirate King, so he's pretty happy.
Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece, and therefore is my god.
Notes: Dialouge taken from episode 20-something (it could join a singles group--!), right after Zoro is defeated by Mihawk. I didn't change the dialouge at all.
Also, Johnny and Yosaku are in this, which makes it fucking sweet. I'd cosplay Johnny if I was cool enough, but alas, I'd fall miserably short. I'm just not that awesome.
"If you don't become the greatest swordsman, Zoro, I'll be disappointed."
It was, without a doubt, the last words that went through his head before everything went black. Somehow, it stung even more than the visions of Kuina's tears, of her coffin being lowered into the ground. It hurt more than the memory of Saga's smile, the first person who'd taken his dream seriously. It... hurt.
"Zoro!"
He thought he heard Luffy scream his name -- but maybe it was all in his mind. He sank down through the water, the salt eating through his wounds. It burned in a dim sort of way -- Zoro wasn't entirely certain how in tune with reality he was anymore, how together his soul remained with his body.
He'd failed, and beyond having broken his promise to Kuina, he'd also disappointed his captain--
"Zoro!"
There it was, again, louder, and Zoro was certain he'd heard it this time. Rather than anger and the clear tones of let-down in his voice, Luffy sounded--
worried.
Zoro coughed, choking on water.
What was he doing? Allowing himself to sink, to fall? Couldn't he still live through this, too? Couldn't he still keep his promise? Couldn't he still make his captain proud?
He couldn't disappoint that boy... that boy with the stars in his eyes, the boy who refused to think anything was out-of-reach. When Zoro had joined his crew, he'd made Luffy promise that he'd kill himself if he impeded Zoro from reaching his goal...
But only Zoro was impeding himself, now.
Fighting against the water, Zoro's body burned with each frantic pumping of his arms, but he broke surface-- and Luffy's cry was even louder. He couldn't see anything... but he felt strong hands grab his arms, and he felt relief.
Luffy, he thought, but when he'd been pulled up onto the small boat and laid back against the deck, his eyes cracked and he saw that it wasn't Luffy at all. Johnny and Yosaku looked down at him with tears in their eyes, seemingly frantic.
"Zoro-aniki!" they chimed, as if on cue, but Zoro ignored them, completely. Luffy was, for sure, watching him, and even though Zoro couldn't see, he ignored the cries of his two former companions and held Wadou high into the air. Johnny and Yosaku were silenced.
The sun shone off the blade, blinding Zoro, but he didn't move a muscle. Gripping the sword even harder, he yelled his captain's name.
"Luffy!"
From across the water, Luffy stood on that bit of wood that hadn't yet managed to submerge, suddenly strangely erect. Something in his stomach twinged and his fists tightened with the realization that Zoro was going to be okay.
"Luffy," Zoro cried again. "Can you hear me?"
"Yeah!" Luffy yelled back, taking a few steps closer. He ignored everything for a minute -- the Baratie, Sanji, Zeff, Don Krieg, even Mihawk. It was only him and Zoro and the wide, shimmering ocean -- the ocean that held their dreams.
"Do I make you feel insecure?" he called back, and already, tears were welling in his eyes. But Zoro didn't care -- he was talking to Luffy, and if there was one person he could cry freely to, it was his captain. Luffy just stared towards that boat, eyes slightly wider than normal, his mouth hanging open. "If I can't become the greatest swordsman, I'll disappoint you, won't I?"
He coughed, then, the strain just too much for the weaknesses of the human body to handle. Blood spurted over the deck, and Johnny and Yosaku seemed to jump, both shouting for him to stop. Zoro ignored them as if they weren't even there.
"I...I will never... never lose again! Before I become the greatest swordsman and defeat that man--"
Luffy's face slowly turned into a smile, which widened into a grin.
"--I will not lose! Do you have a problem with that... Pirate King?"
Something jumped in Luffy's stomach and his smile got even bigger.
"Nope!" he cried back, and even though the words were simple, that moment between the captain and his first mate could not be deeper.