While Zoro was wandering through the hallway leading to the school courtyard, he came face to face with the principal. The latter was surprised to see Zoro, but the moment he noticed Yuki in his arms, his cursed energy flared up.
He immediately took a fighting stance and said with hostility, "Who are you and why is the Star Plasma Vessel in your...?"
He didn't have time to finish his sentence, Zoro instantly knocked him out with his Conqueror's Haki.
"Sorry, I'm tired of questions for today," he said as he resumed walking.
He finally arrived in the school courtyard and saw that it was already night. This time he didn't bother creating a diversion to get through. As soon as the guards spotted him, they too were instantly knocked out by his Conqueror's Haki.
Zoro was counting on Tengen to deal with the commotion these actions would cause.
He didn't stay there any longer. He leaped into the air and began kicking it.
Geppo
Poff!
Poff!
He stayed at a lower altitude and moved relatively slowly so as not to inconvenience Yuki. His destination was clear: his home.
Yet even though his outward attitude hadn't changed, everything was in turmoil inside his mind.
"Is destiny really the cause of all this?" he wondered. "And am I supposed to just accept that and move on?"
It tormented him. He knew that destiny had no hold over him due to his status as a non-sorcerer, but that wasn't the case for all those close to him.
Truthfully, he didn't have much to worry about because his only real loved one was Toji, and Toji was in the same situation as him, meaning he too was free from destiny. But what about the people who would become close to him in the future?
Because contrary to what Toji thought, Zoro had no intention of spending the rest of his life single. And that worried him greatly. To the point that he forgot one fundamental fact: being free from destiny, he could influence and break the destiny of others. So all of his worries were unfounded, but that's another story.
Lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice that they were already a good distance away from the school and, by extension, from Tengen. So if there was ever a moment for Yuki to wake up, it was now.
"Mm... mm..."
Yuki's eyelids fluttered as she slowly regained consciousness.
When she opened her eyes, her gaze fell directly on Zoro's masked face, and her mind was struck by the unsettling closeness between them.
Huh? What's going on? she thought.
At that moment she realized that not only was she remarkably close to Zoro, she was literally in his arms.
Poff!
"T-the Training Maniac, w-what are you doing?" Yuki stammered, blushing.
Hearing her voice snapped Zoro out of his thoughts.
"Yuki, you're awake?"
Poff!
"No, I'm still unconscious, and I think your observation skills are in the same state as me," she said sarcastically.
"Haha, very funny. Sorry for worrying about you," said an annoyed Zoro.
Poff!
She wasn't even slightly moved by Zoro.
"I'm serious, what am I doing in your arms? And what's that noise I've been hearing this whole time?"
"As for the first question, you literally fainted. What else did you expect me to do? And for the second..." a small smile appeared on Zoro's face, "you should look around you."
"Huh? What are you ta—"
Fwsh!
It was at that precise moment that Yuki became aware of the wind whipping against them. And the moment she turned her head and saw that there was no ground around her, something inside her snapped.
"ZORO, WHAT ARE WE DOING THIS HIGH UP?!" Yuki screamed.
She immediately wrapped her arms around Zoro's neck and clung to him so tightly that his vision was partially obstructed.
"Yuki," Zoro said, stopping in midair.
"I WANT TO GET DOWN FROM HERE!"
"Yuki, calm down," Zoro removed the piece of cloth covering his mouth.
"PUT ME DOWN!" she demanded.
"YUKI!" Zoro said, raising his voice.
That sudden change managed to calm Yuki down a little, and she stopped screaming.
"Look! We're not going to fall." Zoro pointed downward with a movement of his head.
When she looked down she saw Zoro's legs striking the air with such force that there were literally shockwaves.
Yuki's mouth fell open in shock.
"How is that even physically possible?" she said, dumbfounded.
"Haha! I'm just built differently," Zoro replied. "But now you know there's nothing to be afraid of."
He started moving again, although even slower than before.
"So tell me, what happened?"
Yuki's attitude changed. Instead of panic, what she felt now was anxiety. Her breathing quickened, as did her heartbeat.
"I..." she said before stopping. "I heard voices."
"What kind of voices?" Zoro asked.
"I think they were the voices of the previous Star Plasma Vessels," she said with difficulty. "None of them were directed at me. It was just a mess of cries and screams, but..."
She pressed herself even closer against Zoro's chest, finding a strange sense of comfort there.
"When I heard them, I felt like I was directly feeling their emotions," tears began to run down Yuki's face. "There was so much suffering, so much loneliness... so much despair. I-I'm scared."
"You're scared?" Zoro repeated in surprise.
Yuki had never been the kind of person to show fear, or even have any for that matter.
"I wonder... is that what's waiting for me? To become nothing more than a girl whose body was stolen, forced to wallow in my regrets forever."
Images of a hypothetical future began to appear in Yuki's mind. She saw herself as an adult, sacrificed to Tengen.
She saw her dream go up in smoke, cursed spirits continue to multiply, and the massive human casualties they caused.
The more she thought about it, the more tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Yuki," Zoro called calmly.
She turned her head toward him and the two stared into each other's eyes. When Yuki saw the calm expression on Zoro's face, she was surprised to feel all of her anxiety slowly disappear.
"You have nothing to fear. All you have to do is say the word, and I'm ready to go to war against the entire jujutsu world," Zoro said with conviction.
Yuki's blush returned with even greater intensity. And so did her cheeky attitude.
"Of course, my brave knight," Yuki said before planting a kiss on his cheek.
Kiss!
Zoro frowned.
"What are you doing? Are you feeling okay?"
"Shut up and just let me enjoy this," Yuki said as she rested her head on his shoulder, then she closed her eyes.
Zoro wanted to make a comment but stopped himself at the last second, preferring to focus on moving. Not even ten minutes later he felt her fall asleep against him.
"What a marmot, seriously."
The next day
Yuki woke up in a bed she didn't recognize, in a room she didn't recognize.
Yet when she smelled the scent lingering in the sheets, she knew she was safe.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
She was pulled out of her thoughts when someone knocked on the bedroom door, and she sat up slightly.
"Yuki, it's me. Can I come in?" Zoro asked from behind the door.
Once she was sure it was really Zoro, she relaxed and let herself fall back onto the bed.
"Yeah, you can come in," Yuki replied.
Zoro opened the bedroom door and walked in, but there was one detail.
He was shirtless.
"Hiiik! Why aren't you wearing any clothes?!" Yuki screamed, covering her eyes.
"Hm? Oh, that. It's because my brother and I just finished our morning training," Zoro admitted nonchalantly.
Yuki grabbed her blanket and threw it at Zoro.
"You damn training maniac."
"Anyway, I just came to tell you breakfast is ready. We're waiting for you downstairs."
After saying those words, Zoro left the room and closed the door behind him, leaving a flustered Yuki behind.
"So he really has no shame?" Yuki complained as she got out of bed.
She noticed she was still wearing yesterday's clothes, and they were honestly uncomfortable. When she turned her head she spotted a wardrobe that seemed to be where Zoro kept his clothes.
A mischievous smile appeared on her face.
"Let's see which one of us has less shame."
In the dining room, Toji was already sitting down eating, while Zoro, not far away, was making an omelet.
"Is your girlfriend coming down soon?" Toji asked between two bites.
Zoro didn't even lift his head from the stove to answer.
"I already told you she's not my girlfriend."
"Hard to believe considering how many classes you've skipped just to visit her," Toji teased.
"We've already talked about this. You know why I do it," Zoro insisted.
Toji finished his plate and drank his orange juice in one gulp.
"Yeah, yeah, debt and all that. Whatever helps you sleep at night. Just don't complain when Aunt Hyo starts haunting you because you've got your eyes on her daughter."
He stood up and started walking toward the stairs, where he came face to face with the subject of their conversation.
"Good morning," Yuki said politely to Toji without reacting at all to the absence of clothing covering the upper half of his body.
Toji returned the greeting with a nod and walked past her.
Yet those with sharp ears like Zoro would have heard something else from him.
"It's crazy how much she looks like her."
Yuki finally entered the dining room and sat down in the chair Toji had just vacated.
"Your brother seems like a man of few words. So, what are we eating?"
Zoro looked up when he heard her, and what he saw caught him completely off guard.
"Are you serious right now?"
The smile on Yuki's face widened.
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
"I'm talking about my suit that you're wearing right now," Zoro clarified.
Indeed, Yuki had gotten rid of her traditional clothes and had instead chosen one of Zoro's suits, which was obviously far too big for her.
Well, it was actually quite convenient since she wasn't wearing anything else. The oversized suit at least covered everything that needed to be covered.
"I had nothing to wear, so I had to make a choice. Does that bother you?"
There was a challenging gleam in Yuki's eyes, and that was when Zoro realized she was doing it on purpose.
"You know what? Forget it. I don't have time for this," he said, giving up.
He walked over carrying a plate and placed it in front of Yuki.
"Here's an omelet. There's bread on the table and orange juice in the fridge. I have to get ready for school. I'll be back tonight with Toji."
As Zoro walked away, he heard one last comment from Yuki.
"Humph! To think that the Scythe of Certain Death is just an ordinary high school student."
Spam power stones please