Chapter Text
Zoro was trying to nap under the large tree, curled in the sun warmed grass, light peeking through the leaves and branches. The birds chirp and sing among the branches, while the squirrels skittered along the bark of the tree trunk. He had worked hard and deserved a good nap. Zoro's long black tail tumped against the soft grass as he tried to snooze. He swore he got closer than ever to finally beating Kuina, the puma had beaten him yet again. Zoro swore her alpha father must have given extra tips and tricks.
He also was trying to skip kokugo class, it was stupid and why did he need to learn how to read? It wasn't like books would help him beat Kuina…even if Koushirou insisted on everyone being learned. Sansū wasn't so bad, the numbers at least made sense, there weren't all those weird rules, Zoro was good at it. He could count way higher than everyone else and he was much better at solving the problems too.
“Did you hear?” Zoro's ears twitched at the sound of gossip as two omega's passed by the tree he was napping under. "The clinic has two outsiders."
"No I didn't hear. Who are they and what happened?" The other person quickly asked, Zoro could hear the eagerness in their voice.
"Well, it looked like a father and son, they were found starving to death on a rock. The father cut off his own leg and gave all the food to his son." Zoro sat up, this was more interesting than a nap. They didn't have many new people in the village.
"I heard that a cruise ship was attacked by pirates a few months ago. Maybe they were the only survivors?’ Or maybe they were pirates, Zoro thought. He could remember his parents a bit. His tousan had been a swordsman and yet died during a pirate raid, Zoro knew how strong swordsmen were yet the pirates had been stronger. Zoro knew he wasn't the only one who lost someone to pirates. Pirates were supposed to be tough so it made more sense for a pirate to survive than a random guy.
The voices began to fade as they moved on.
Zoro stood up and stretched, it looked like he found a reason not to go to the rest of his lessons, and there was the possibility of a new fight. Maybe fighting a pirate or if they survived a pirate attack he could learn a new trick or two to gain an edge on Kuina. He picked up his bokken from where he rested it against the tree and headed off in the direction of the newcomers staying in their small village's clinic.
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Sanji didn't like hospitals, even if this one was vastly different from Grema's, even if the old geezer was in the same room, even if the doctors and nurses were nice to him. Sanjil wanted to escape. But with the old alpha in the same room that would be near impossible. The old goat was too aware of his surroundings for him to slip out without being caught. He missed the water so much, he wasn't used to being on the shore for so long. Sanji's long black and white tail flicked with annoyance as he stared out the open window, his head resting against his arms.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he was allowed real food, Zeff snoozed the day away in the bed while he was stuck in the room bored out of his mind. He closed his eyes and began to drift away, drifting to the all blue in his mind. The water would be clear, so clear you could look all the way to the bottom from your boat, so many fish and sea creatures living all together in one place. Sanji would jump into the clear waters and the fish would swim up to him with curiosity because he was the first human they have ever seen.
"Watcha doing?" Sanji jumped, his ears folding back as the fur on his chest and tail stood straight up. A green head of hair with floppy black ears that ended in a point and a long black tail wagged behind the green haired boy as he stared at Sanji. "Why so jumpy?" He asked, cocking his head to the side.
"Well if you must know I wasn't expecting some dog to pop their head in front of the window out of nowhere!" Sanji hissed his ears laying flat against his head.
"Yah whatever," the boy rolled his eyes and glanced behind him and nodded towards Zeff. "That the pirate?" Sanji looked back at said pirate, he knew better than to tell the truth.
"Nah," Sanji shook his head looking back at the dog. "Just an old geezer who can swim well." The dog boy's face dropped and his tail sagged. "Why?"
"Cause I was gonna fight him,"
"What! Even if he was a pirate he can't fight right now, he almost died. Besides, you don't want to fight him, he kicks really hard." Sanji spoke from personal experience.
"Fine, I'll wait till he's all better then challenge him. It won't be a fair fight if he's hurt." The dog shrugged and looked at him. "What's your name curly brow and can you fight? I'm Zoro, I fight with swords, I'm trying to beat Kuina."
"Sanji, I cook and kinda." Sanji had no idea who this Kuina was.
"Huh? Kinda?" Zoro cocked his head to the side in confusion.
"Well, I've been trained but I'm not very good, I'm really weak." Sanji looked down, he had been reminded of that fact his whole life. He hated how weak and pathetic he was, his brothers and sister could have taken down the pirates easily and he almost died instead.
Sanji's ears remained pinned to his head as he looked down at the window ledge. His long fluffy tail dropping behind him. Weak, pathetic, useless. Words he heard a thousand times echo in his mind.
"Then you'll just have to get stronger." Zoro made it sound so easy and a part of Sanji wanted it to be so.
"How?" Sanji was bewildered. Zoro hadn't berated or sneered or anything else when Sanji confessed his weakness.
"Come to the dojo!" Zoro grinned, showing off his teeth. "It's where I live, sensei can train you!" Zoro yipped in excitement, his ears perked upward and his long whip-like tail wagging behind him. Sanji watched as it slowed and his ears dropped as Zoro leaned closer. "But you'll have to learn to read and write, maths not so bad though." Sanji couldn't help but to laugh at the pout on Zoro's face.
"I already know how to do all that....moss head." Sanji was well educated, so why did people assume otherwise? Was that why no one even bothered bringing him a book to read at the very least?
"Oi!" Zoro snapped. "It's Zoro, not moss head. Stupid curly brow, you gonna come or not?"
"I can't, they won't let me leave. They said I need to get better first.” Sanji guessed starving to death on rock takes forever to get better from. Sanji sighed, shoulders slumped, ears pressed against his head.
"Weird, then I'll come visit till you're all better and then we can go to the dojo!" Zoro's tail wagged excitedly behind him.
"How do I know you'll come back?" Sanji asked, eyeing the boy with suspicion.
"I pinkie promise." Zoro held out his pinkie and Sanji stared at it.
"I don't get it." Sanji was baffled. What did a pinkie have to do with promises?
"It means I promise to come back or I have to cut my finger off." Zoro explained. "Do not ya not know about pinkie promises?" Zoro asked, cocking his head to the side. Sanji shook his head. Maybe it was a local thing?
"Nope," Sanji slowly stuck his pinkie out and watched as the other bow warped his pinkie around Sanji's and shook it.
"I pinkie promise to come back as soon as possible." Zoro spoke solemnly and Sanji actually believed him, Zoro was nothing like his brothers.
The sound of the door behind him opened, breaking the spell between them. Sanji glanced back as a nurse walked in carrying a tray with bowls and cups on it. When he turned back Zoro was gone.