Chapter 8

A/N Oh a song I've chose Zoro's feelings towards Katou is 'Always' by Panama. Look it up.

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💚Sneak peak into Zoro's mind 💚

I think I almost stabbed myself in surprise when I saw her at USF.

She is full of surprises, does she have any fear? She did chase a duck into a lake that looked seriously filthy...

She's crazy...

No, she's actually crazy.

But why do I still think about her all the time?

ALL THE SWORDING TIME!

It's different. It was different when from the beginning...

She's different...

When the hell did I go all mushy, soft, bleh, bleh?

I'll just go train.

💚💜

Katou's POV

It's Sunday, Sunday calls for dojo time!

Every Sunday I go up to my dojo I inherited from Xiou, just behind my house.

I spend some time training there all through out the week.

But Sunday I maintain it and fix up anything that needs fixing.

It was left to me in Xiou's will.

The house was actually Xiou's as well... Left to Sanji and I...

It's quite warm, welcoming and spacious, oriental and traditional.

Kind of like Xiou himself.

Except not spacious... That would be weird, he wasn't a cupboard!

I reached the dojo and stood back to admire it. I haven't been here all week, I've been to busy hanging out with Zoro.

Maybe I should show him the dojo? He might like to train in it.

At his place you only really have to forest to train in... So many trees would get in his way...

Yeah, I'll show him tomorrow.

I dragged my bucket of cleaning stuff into the dojo, turned on my music playing contraption and started to clean.

Cleaning always lets me relax and think about things.

"You make me laugh, you make me cry, but I want you right by my side and if you go, I could die. You bring me low, you bring me high." I started to sing along.

It just comes naturally.

Dusting a corner I started to dance a little to the music.

"Mmmhmmm...." I hummed sweeping some dust outside.

I continued like this for a while, but then my thoughts turned to Zoro.

I wonder what he's doing today...

Training probably.

If he wants to be the greatest swordsman in the world he must train a lot.

I hope that I don't keep him from his training...

If there was only a way he could train and hang out with me...

Only because I really like hanging out with that aqua smurf! He is fun to tease!

It's not like I 'like' him or anything...

No...

No...

NO!

No. Just no.

That's wrong.

I went back to cleaning just when it came to me.

Zoro can train at my dojo and I can watch him! Or train too... Or something like that.

That's it! Huge revelation for Monday!

Plus, I now have a buff friend so I can do what I've always wanted to do!

I hate Mondays... But I'm going to love tomorrow.

💜💜Monday💚💚

Instead of lying on my table like usual, I was up and ready for today!

Man he is always late!

"Natsumi-san..." I hear someone behind me. I turned around quickly, my hair nearly attacking whoever was talking. Hehe... Hair attack!

"Yes?" I ask narrowing my eyes at a guy I've never seen in my class before.

"Are you working with them? Or have you come for my weapons?" I question the boy.

"Wh-what? N-no... Those people forc-told me to say you're really sexy..." He pointed to a couple of boys holding in their laughs.

I sighed, shook my head and walked over to the jerks.

I pick the two of them up by their shirts.

"You pigs! Leave me alone! Don't give the new kid advice like bothering me! You think it's funny when I tear your voice box right out of your scrawny throats!" They gulped and shook their heads.

"No." They said shaking and eyes darting around.

"No what?" I pull them closer.

"No miss Natsumi!"

"Better... For now..."

I walk back to my seat and the new kid was seated behind me, still looking at me. I glared at him and turned around upon hearing the door open.

"Zoro!" I said running to then green haired man walking through the door.

"Katou... It's still morning and I don't have rum!" He held up his hands.

"I have big news for you! That's why I'm so excited!" I said jumping up and down like a purple smurf on rum.

"Okay... Let's sit down first." He said laughing a little trying to calm me down.

We sat down and before I could say anything he said, without even looking. "We have a new kid sitting behind us you know." "I know."

We both turn around and the poor kid looked like he almost jumped out of his skin.

"Uhhh... I-I-I... U-ummm..." He stuttered adjusting his crooked glasses under his long fringe.

Zoro and I laughed in sync and turned back around.

"I know you fought Mihawk!" I blabbed and his eyes widened.

He seems to do that a lot when I'm with him...

"You know?" He said in hushed tones.

"Of course! Chikoro told me!"

"Who's Chikoro?"

"Anyway... Yeah, Mihawk taught me a couple things before he went back to the grand line. You know, he only comes back to his hometown twice a year. And dude. This is his hometown!" I told him quietly so no one would here.

"Yeah, but he didn't come on schedule this time. Apparently he comes on his beloved cousin's birthday for a week. And that's the first week of November... I wonder why he didn't come..." Zoro rubbed his chin and look back to me.

I clenched the table and stood up suddenly. Stopping the teachers talk about Adams or atoms, or oranges... Some crap.

I quickly opened the window and jumped out. Forgetting to tie my hair AGAIN, now it's flying everywhere!

I heard the teacher call out.

"Not again Natsumi-chan!" I looked up expecting to see the teacher or Zoro, instead the new guy, his face wide. I guess he expected me to die or some shit.

Then Zoro pushed the guy away and jumped out after me.

"What's wrong?" By now the whole class had come to watch.

"It's nothing, I'm fine..." I looked down.

"Did I do something? Or say something?" He asked lifting my chin up.

"Shit, your crying. What's wrong?" Zoro grabbed my shoulders.

"You didn't do anything..."

Instead of walking away or saying 'alright then' he did the unexpected.

He enveloped me into a hug. Tears dripped down his back, my tears.

"C'mon... I'll tell you in the forest."

"Piggy back ride?" He questioned me letting me go.

"Was there any reason to ask?" I raised an eyebrow at him seriously.

He smirked at me and I hoped on his back.

We got to the forest and I explained everything. Well not everything, nothing about my parents, my arms and legs and all that... Just about Xiou and Mihawk.

When Xiou died I was fifteen and Mihawk had come and looked after us for a year.

He was like me and Sanji's uncle.

He may seem cold and cryptic to strangers, but he was a big softie when it came to us.

I do wonder why he couldn't come this year...

"Your really close to Hawkeye... My rival... And Xiou's Li was your trainer... He was- still is my idol. They both are really... Amazing." Zoro processed the new information.

"I suppose. But the other day when I went to visit Xiou, I told him about you and I promised him I wouldn't let any harm via Mihawk come to you." I told him blushing at my own honesty.

"You promised you wouldn't let any harm come to me?" He asked moving closer to me. "Via Mihawk!"

"Xiou would've liked you. And I think you are going be the greatest swordsman in the world!" I said bravely, receiving a shocked expression from him.

He backed away slowly and smirked.

"Just as I think I got you figured out..."

He kicked a couple of sticks and I said to him.

"Can you do something for me?" I asked him walking back to the school.

"Okay... What?"

💜BACK AT THE SCHOOL💜

"You are not doing this!" Zoro shouted at me from the ground.

"I AM!" I shouted back not able to wipe the smile from my face.

By now most of the school kids had come to see why I was standing on the roof of our five story school building.

"Zoro! All you have to do is catch me! I want to feel like I'm flying and your strong enough to catch me! Think of it as a trust exercise!" I shouted down to Zoro.

Hey there's that new guy!

He must be wondering what I'm doing...

Ever since I came to this school when I was twelve I have always wanted to jump off the roof.

The day Shanks told me he would catch me was also the day he died...

So I've never really had anyone to ask that was strong enough.

Except Luffy and his gomu gomu no mi powers... But then students would wonder who he was.

"There's no stopping you is there?" I heard Zoro say from the ground.

And with that I leapt off the building, I felt so free, wind through my hair. Everything was light.

I could hear screams below, some shrieks, some squeals.

And before I knew it I landed in Zoro's arms.

I laughed, hugged him and he sighed.

"You know, I may never get used to your spontaneous lifestyle." He put me on the ground and smiled at me.

"THATS THE THIRD TIME YOU HAVE SMILED AROUND ME!" I jumped up and down in celebration.

"You're such a weirdo..." I heard a skanky girl behind me.

I turned around and asked her.

"Please say it to my face."

"You're a fucking weirdo." She said slowly.

"And your a little bitch. But life continues." I say pushing her backwards into her friends.

"Wait." Zoro grabbed my shoulder as I began to walk away from the slut.

"That may be enough for you. But no one calls my friend a weirdo!" As Zoro was just about to knock out the girl I jumped in front of Zoro.

"You'll kill her baka! You're stronger than you think! Even if you were weaker you'd still kill her! Chill out." He lowered his hand and looked at the shaking girl darkly.

"I know. I just can't stand it when people who have a stick so far up them think they are better than everyone else!" He looked at all the teenagers around us.

I quickly jumped on Zoro's left shoulder and hit his head.

"MUSH MAN MUSH!" He growled at me and I laughed.

He is like a wolf or a tiger!

"Your shoulders are so big you should get a parrot!" I tell him avoiding the stares of everyone around us.

"I have you don't I?" He responded and I poked my tongue out at him.

"One day I met a green haired man and he told me I was a parrot! So I told him to shut up and fed him a purple carrot" I sung loudly in his ear and he groaned.

"Get off if you're going to sing!"

"Then get me out of this crowd of people! Mush!" I gestured to the crowd still observing our strangenessness (new word for my fictionary)

"MUSH!"

He walked out of the crowd and walked to the oval at the back of school, I jumped off his shoulder and sat on a bench.

"So! Do you want somewhere to train?" I ask him, he was taken aback by the question and sat down beside me.

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you want to train in my dojo? It's super big with lots of heavy weights that Xiou used to train with. Some look as big as a house or a fire hydrant... Anyway... I thought in the forest the trees might get in your way and I have a private dojo I inherited from Xiou! What do you think?" I explained super fast and was out of breath.

"Really? Train in Xiou Li's dojo?"

"MY dojo. Yes, you can use Xiou's equipment if you want too. It's all in there."

"Seriously?" He looked at like 'pinch me, am I dreaming?'

"Seriously!" I laughed at him and poked his nose.

"Thank you so much!"

I nodded my head and looked at my invisible watch.

"I think I might go to chemistry class today." I said randomly and left him on the bench.

Strange green guy... So hyped up about a dojo...

A/N don't even ask. Just don't ask. I can't do today.