Jealousy

Levi bounced into view with her mother's blue hair and her father's wide, bright smile. A large book was clasped in her chubby little arms and Zoro couldn't help but crack a smile as she tried to climb the stairs to the upper deck with her arms full and her knees bumping against the hard book cover every time she took a step. She was dressed in a sunny yellow dress that reminded him of Kin, and her hair was pulled up into two curled pigtails.

Only just two years old, Levi hadn't yet learned to read—a chore which had somehow fallen on Zoro as it had with all of the other kids—and so she wasn't yet allowed in the school room. He'd sworn up and down after Mine's disastrous lessons that he'd never teach another child, but Levi wouldn't let him alone. And though he would never admit it, he'd known from the start that he never stood a chance when she pulled out her famous puppy dog eyes. The complete innocence packed into that one look was enough to make Luffy look like Blackbeard returned from the grave.

"Ready for your lesson?" Zoro asked, his gruff voice distinctly softer than normal-remembering distinctly when it was Kin climbing those stairs. Levi nodded vivaciously, her pigtails bouncing around like springs as she struggled to climb the last step. Unfortunately her nodding threw off her balance and she began to tilt backwards.

Horror raced through Zoro's veins like ice and faster than lightning he'd leapt across the deck and snagged the little girl by her arm and pulled. She landed against his chest with a light thump and the heavy book dropped from her arms and onto his bare foot. He grunted in pain and Levi's perpetual smile vanished as she looked at him with worry.

"Uncle Zoro's okay?" she asked, her chubby little hands resting against his cheeks. He smiled just a bit and nodded.

"I'm fine Levi. Just be more careful." And suddenly her grin was back and she wriggled out of his arms to grab her book.

"Look'it Uncle Zoro! Daddy boughted it for me at the is-land yes'aday. In'it petty?"

"Sure kid," Zoro said as he ruffled her hair, mussing the pigtails just a bit. "What's it about?" She handed up the book as best she could and he carefully took it and ready the embossed gold title on the soft leather cover. "The Adventures of Gol D. Roger huh? That figures. Alright Levi come sit down and we'll start."

Levi let out a squeal and bounded across the deck with all the grace of a hippopotamus as her running leap and landed her on Zoro's lap like a cannonball shot pointblank. The air in his lungs went out with a rush as she smashed his stomach but he quickly pushed it aside, not wanting to make Levi upset, and evened out his breathing.

"Gol D. Roger was born like any other man, but he wasn't just another man. He was the first King of the Pirates—"

"Like daddy!" Levi chirped and Zoro grunted an affirmative.

"Roger spent his youngest days on the edge of the Grand Line until—what's this word Levi?"

Her nose scrunched up and she leaned in closer to the book, her eyes narrow with concentration.

"'He'?'" She asked hesitantly and Zoro nodded before continuing. Zoro found reading to Levi to be a rather enlightening experience. Unlike Tori who barely needed any teaching or Akira and Kane who'd always fallen asleep after the first or second word, Levi clung to his every word and followed his finger as he trailed it across the page.

Still, attentive as she was there was only so much of 'Gol D. Roger's great adventures that a two year old could take. Not even half way through the first chapter the girl's eyes were already getting droopy. Zoro grinned and silently wished Kin was still this young. Not that his daughter was 'old' of course, but for some reason she'd fallen into the idea that cuddling with daddy was 'uncool'.

"She asleep?" Luffy asked quietly as he tiptoed, overdramatically, up the stairs. Zoro nodded and Luffy grinned as he reached for his daughter. For a second Zoro didn't want to give the girl up. He was the one that had watched her and read to her while she drifted off. But then he shook off the irrational feeling and let Luffy walk off with Levi nestled sweetly in his arms. He was about to take a page from the toddler and drift off himself when a familiar presence touched his sense and his left eye drifted open.

Kin was standing next to the deck railing with an extremely sour look on her face. Her brow was scrunched and her lips turned down into a scowl while her small arms were crossed firmly across her tiny chest.

"What's the matter Kin?" Zoro asked but the young girl didn't respond as she suddenly stomped off in the direction of the main hallway. Feeling a little confused Zoro watched her disappear and stared at the empty doorway for a few moments more before he shrugged and settled back into his nap. He'd just started to doze when there was a sudden, no-nonsense throat clearing sound and he looked up again. Kin was back, the sour look still in place, but this time her arms were occupied with a large red book.

"What'cha got there princess?" Zoro asked but Kin just motioned for him to sit up—which he did—before she dropped into his lap and opened up the canvas cover.

"Well?" Kin demanded when it became obvious that Zoro wasn't going to say anything. "Read!"

For a moment Zoro was flabbergasted—his daughter was as unpredictably loony as her mother!—but then he realized she'd been watching him read to Levi and he chuckled. His little girl was jealous.

"The Reign of Swords," Zoro began and Kin settled in for the long haul. "In the ages before ages and the times before times, there was the man who forged the first real sword…"

End Jealousy

Kaliea: That's not exactly what I was going for in the beginning but I actually kind of like how it turned out. Zoro's such a big softy ^-^ Anyway, don't forget to review!

*Just to remind everyone, Kin means gold which is the reason Levi's dress reminded Zoro of his daughter.