Chapter Text
Zoro's POV
It had been a week or two since it was announced by the Dojo's master/ owner, Koushiro, Kuina's father and his sensei, that it's time for Kuina to look for worthy man to take her hands.
It had been week or two too that Zoro is feeling more irritated and helpless than usual.
When his best friend (other than Kuina), Saga, asked why the news upset him, he denied it at first, until he himself realized that he had just started being hot-headed than ever when he heard that devastating information.
He had been avoiding Kuina for one whole week as well.
It wasn't a secret and he should not be surprised. Kuina had always known her father's plan and she brought it up in their spar often.
Whenever she did, he would turn into a screaming angry match 0.01 seconds after she would tell him the exact words his sensei told her when they were alone.
Words such as, "You're wasting your time training everyday. You should start taking classes to get ready to be a good wife instead." "It was a great thing you make Zoro stronger by duelling him, but you can stop now." "Aren't you getting tired working hard for something you couldn't be? Zoro would surpass you soon, it's only a matter of time."
Hearing those makes his head boil. When it came from sad Kuina, there's no doubt it is true. And remembering just how his sensei always smiles and compliment him made him feel bad and disgusted.
He respects the man and was forever grateful to him for introducing him to Kuina, who then became his source of inspiration and motivation to get better and better and more better through the years.
But how dare he, her own father brought melancholy in his own daughter by crashing her hope for her dream and controlling her life?
That's what makes him angry.
So when the said devastating 'fate' came, he was more angry than when he just heard it before from Kuina.
He had expected it, but just because you know it's coming, can prepare you enough and decrease the negative emotions that came with it.
It was the results of those actions. How sad it would make Kuina. How she would feel more locked-up than she already is. How marriage can affect her own plans and their promise. That he couldn't accept.
To be honest, he feels guilty. It should be her who should react more violently, one who should be more distant.
But it was the other way around. Kuina had always been the one to stay calm and composed, always meditating, only showing her strength in fights, not wasting it in something childish and not so important matter.
He wished that was all the reason, he wanted to convince his self she was just lazy and too high to mingle with lower skilled people, but deep down he knew it was not. He had been with her way before he can lift a true heavy metal sword, he knew her more than anyone, more than her own father and teacher could.
He knew how much she's hurting inside whenever her father call him the best student, how hard she fought her tears from falling but chose to not let it through her stone armour exterior. He knew when and how many smiles she had faked. And how was pretending to be okay was all she'd ever known. He knew it in himself.
When it dawn on him how much Kuina need help now, how he's the only one who knew she was just preventing her self from asking for help because she was afraid of proving people she was weak because girls are emotional and how he can comfort her if only he stayed by her side when she needed him the most, he endlessly cursed himself for being a fool afterwards. How can he, out of all people, leave her, now, out of all times?
Finally deciding he was done turning his back like a coward, he's planning to rekindle their rival-friend relationship.
He cared little if she would tell him to go away, he's best at being stubborn. He was worried about her being angry in him though, he was used to it by now, she was either mocking, smirking, or frowning at him but it still feels awful, and her declaring it to his face stings.
In addition, he was not the best at saying sorry, or thanking, or asking for something. He was not good at words and actions in general.
He now feels lost, having no idea what to do.
Realizing his plan wouldn't be easy to work out and that he's risking a lot of things. He stand up from where he was sitting and wandered off to shake the helplessness he was feeling and to plan his operation better.
Apparently, he was not good at direction either.
He's now literally lost.