Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. If I did... there would be a few changes.

This is an old story I've decided to make whole. Starting by rewriting some of the first chapter.

Dark Passion

Chapter One - Betrayal and beginnings

Tonight Roronoa Zoro saw red. Every other night he prided himself on his unwavering control. It had always been as simple as breathing deeply and slowly while imagining a completely different scenario to what was laid out in front of him. This night, he reflected, was the first and only night that Zoro had been broken. The world closed in on the green haired swordsman as his breathing quickened, like a sudden onslaught of claustrophobia he never knew he had. It sent him spiralling downwards to connect with the hard ground where he knelt. His shaking hands barely holding his weight against the cold concrete floor, head bowed down until his green hair brushed dirt. Faint sounds of city life bounced off the alley walls, simple proof that the world had continued around him, obviously and selfish. For the very smallest period of time he was aware of the loud splatter of rain as it rolled down his arms and pooled at his fingertips as if the rain were trying to comfort him. All he could see was the reflection of the man who was not good enough to keep what he cherished. The man who had lost the one fight he desperately needed to win.

When Zoro had seen the phone sitting unattended on the bench he never had planned to pick it up and see what the message was. As curious as he might have been he was not going to become a hypocrite - often he complained at his boyfriend for going through his own phone – so the thought vanished as quickly as it started. The small black cased phone started to come to life, singing the tune of his boyfriend's favourite song. Zoro continued to ignore the phone. Whoever it was would get the picture. Then the person tried the house phone and after a moment of regarding it curiously, he answered on the second ring.

"Hey Luffy? Is that you? I need you. Please."

He recognised the voice but not well enough to say anything. No one needed his boyfriend except him of course! He was about to grumble a response to the person asking after his Luffy when he spoke again, this time his tone was urgent and heated.

"Luffy! I don't want to talk about it over the phone in case you-know-who is listening, but please! Come and meet me at our spot. I have no one else to turn to and I need you so much right now."

The voice ended on a choked note although Zoro couldn't tell if it was from pain or passion. He threw the phone across the room in disgust and looked towards the room Luffy was eating in. No words could explain his confusion when he heard Luffy mutter a quick goodbye and run off through the back door.

So of course being the innocent swordsman he was and wanting to make sure everything was okay, Zoro followed.

Suddenly snapped out of his trance-like recall of the phone conversation, Zoro looked up from the ground, his eyes dull and lifeless with just a hint of agony hidden inside as he stared towards the two figures - two that appeared melting into the darkness of night. Bright flashes of lighting lit up their faces just enough for him to get a good look at them. He had been right. It was who he thought it was. Zoro had found him after only briefly being lost. Two men pressed against the alley wall, wrapped in passion as one pressed his lips against the other's smooth neck. One was a stranger as Zoro had only met him once before - the other... The other he knew perhaps too well as the faint outline of an old straw hat fell softly to the ground, not making a single sound over the roar of rain.

Why? Why are they doing this? Why is he doing this? Can't you see me? I love you!

"No! No… no, no!" Zoro called softly, choking on every word. He laid his heavy head back on the concrete, pressing into the ground as if he could disappear or awaken from a dream if he pushed his head hard enough. Instead all he received was a dull throb.

He bit down on his bottom lip, drawing forth a stubborn drop of crimson blood. Fists tightened and knuckles turned pale white - as pale as the moon. Fear, shock, anger and desperation, so many emotions ran circles around his mind, consuming, breaking apart his mind with wordless chaos. It was going to destroy him, Zoro realised moments before slamming his knuckles into the pavement. The sharp pain was welcoming as it drew him back from the demons eagerly rampaging through his skull.

He wouldn't allow himself to believe what was in front of him. It couldn't have been possible. Everything had been perfect. Everything had been his. Everything had been Luffy. It was just earlier that day that they had made the promise. The one that had lifted the last of his heart's long held boundaries away completely. It left his young battered heart vulnerable. Too vulnerable. The sadistic bastard did it on purpose. He promised me the world.

Earlier that day

It was a warm day with a subtle hint of bad weather noted by the slowing approaching dark grey clouds on the horizon. The night before had been the first time either of them had gotten really passionate and taking their relationship all the way, Zoro thought cheerfully. They had been taking their relationship of the last few years slowly due to his boyfriend's often childish way of thinking before tonight while Zoro was waiting patiently for Luffy to make the first move towards more. It was a night Zoro would have on constant repeat. There was no better feeling, he decided, than having Luffy quietly and peacefully wrapped around his torso humming softly to himself. He was looking forward to have much more of that in the future. With that thought in mind, he left the window and returned to the lounge where he was immediately climbed on.

"Zoro, promise that we will always be together, please?" A childish voice giggled, snuggling comfortably against Zoro's arm on a large black leather chair.

Zoro blinked in happy surprise, wordlessly regarding the young man nestled against his chest with open fondness. Zoro smiled. What did I ever do in my messed up life to deserve someone like you? Your energy makes me feel alive. He knew he had had a bad childhood. Both of them had as they mentioned to each other late one night hiding under a blanket playing Twenty Questions. Looking back their pasts were probably the reason the two of them had trust issues. One of them had been abandoned as a child with only a grumpy grandfather and a kind red-haired man while the other was doomed to lose the first love he had ever held, unable to move past her death for years and getting caught up in the wrong crowd. Both had their issues. Zoro wondered briefly if this was the reason Luffy had chosen now to bring up his thoughts. How should he answer the question? He thought Luffy knew by now how he truly felt. He scowled brooding over the question when Luffy bumped his head against Zoro's chest like a friendly cat.

"Zooooro, answer me! I don't like it when you get all sullen. Don't do it!" Luffy finished his thoughts with a cute whine and stared at Zoro pouting. Of course Luffy thought it was that easy to snap his mind out of the dark place it had fallen. The guy was never even slightly unhappy! Zoro envied Luffy for it, the ability to spend half his life in ignorant bliss would be amazing. Zoro sighed before answering Luffy's question as simply as possible. He could never leave Luffy, he knew that.

"Yeah... sure, just as long as you don't leave me, I won't leave you." He smiled affectionately and ruffled Luffy's dark hair.

Beaming, the other hugged his chest, still giggling innocently though Zoro was well aware of how serious Luffy actually took his question. "Thanks, Zoro!" He paused, deep in thought for a split moment. "Hey, wait a moment! That wasn't a proper promise! You have to say 'you promise' for it to be proper! Promise me that we will never leave each other. No matter what?" He chirped, running his index finger down the scar across Zoro's chest. Zoro shivered, his mind momentarily retreating to the previous night when it had been Luffy's tongue dancing across his body like that. No, bad Zoro. Focus. This is a serious conversation. Don't think about sex.

The moss-headed male rolled his eyes while he thought about how to respond. He bet anything Luffy just enjoyed hearing him say he'd never leave him. "Luf-" He started before being immediately interrupted.

"Please?"

"Fine. I promise that neither of us will ever leave the other. No matter what." He paused, wanting to continue speaking but was interrupted once again by the handsome young man eying him delightedly. Silently he wished Luffy was slightly less obvious to when other people were still talking and didn't want to be interrupted. Maybe he'd teach him to behave later on, if Luffy was interested. He could make a game out of it. Mmmm. Damnit mind, stay out of the gutter. You are not an overimaginative teen anymore!

"Shishishi! Thank you Zoro I love you." The younger chimed - clearly content with his answer - snuggling further into the older human's warmth as if trying to force their bodies to merge together. Smiling, Zoro removed his arm from the cuddle attack and prodded Luffy gently in his left side.

"Oi! If I have to promise, then you have to do! Don't think you can get away with it just because you're cute." Zoro ended his sentence with a short laugh, hoping Luffy wouldn't pick up on how nervous he was at their declarations. Luffy frowned as he was forced to shuffle as Zoro's arm moved. Luffy listened to Zoro without a word. For once. At least Zoro thought he was listening. With the way Luffy was longingly staring at the arm he had removed from Luffy's snuggle space, it was very possible his mind was completely focused on being loveable and not paying attention. Luffy looked up at Zoro, a curious look on his face and he poked Zoro's bottom lip before kissing it gently.

"I won't leave you Zoro. Ever. No matter what happens I'll always be with you. I'll always protect you, I promise." Luffy whispered the last sentence, watching Zoro with the same curious look as if he dared Zoro to question him.

These were the words that pulled Zoro's heart out of his chest and stamped the words 'Luffy's swordsman' across his very being. He'd never felt love this strong being poured towards him and it threatened to overwhelm his senses if he didn't take control of the emotions crushing him and own them. He kissed Luffy tenderly, one hand cupping his cheek to keep Luffy from demanding control. He knew right now he needed the control, thirsted for the pleasure of captivating his partner. "I love you. So much." Zoro whispered in reply as they parted.

Can this last forever? Just me and him. I don't want anything else. Can I be that lucky?

Back to present

He'd been taken in heart and soul by the cheerful childish antics of the boy who wore a straw hat. The boy whose smile stole his breath; he often told himself he would die to see this man accomplish everything he dreamed about if only for that smile. Had it all been one huge lie? All a way of gaining and destroying his trust and his heart? Some fucking sick twisted mind game that Lu- No, he wouldn't even think of that name. Not after this. It was just static buzzing in his ear.

But, what was it he saw? Truth, lies, pain, betrayal? Something more than that? Or maybe he was completely wrong and off the trail? Now that wouldn't be hard as he always seemed to be. This, however, felt too real to be a mind trick. He could see it. See them together against the wall. Moaning softly over the cry of wind and storm. Their bodies moving together. No, Zoro decided, there was nothing fake about this. What he saw was what was happening whether he liked it, wanted it, died inside, or not. This was the truth. Cold, hard, cruel and unfair.

A sudden noise escaped his lips like nothing he had heard before. It was a loud tortured moan, like the howl of a sorrowful wolf who just stumbled upon the murdered remains of his family. With the cry, Zoro felt his mind recoil and his emotions lock themselves deep inside him where they couldn't be hurt. He heard the two shadowed figures gasp. He didn't care if the subject of his despair heard his scream. That fucking bastard meant nothing anymore. He wanted him to notice. Look at me! Do you see me? I fucking exist. You've broken me. Do you see it?

Crawling to his feet, Zoro bolted from the dark alley. He knew the two had stopped and seen him. He could feel the dreadful gaze on his back, burning an inch deep hole into his shivering skin. As he paused to rest, it started. The calling for him. He could picture with clarity Luffy's awful tears in the hiccupping sobs between his calls for Zoro.

"Zoro... Please... Zoro... I didn't mean to. Wait. WAIT."

A heart wrenching cry that only a being who had lost everything that mattered echoed all around the alley as Zoro turned to see Luffy fall to his knees in the distance. He knew it was over. He fucked up, he got caught. The sound would have crippled Zoro if he didn't feel void of emotion, an empty husk of a man.

Not even waiting to gain back his breathe, Zoro ran again. Away from the pained noises. Whispers of sorry words surrounding him, threatening to pin him down right then and there. His will power wouldn't allow it though. He wouldn't stop and go back to that parasite. The toxic relationship he was too blinded by love to notice. How could he have seen it when everything had seemed so different?

The boy's soft cries followed him all the way back to his lonely apartment like ghostly daggers stabbing him hard in the heart, tearing it into a bloodied corpse. Forever scars upon his harden heart.

I'm dead inside. Your poison got me good. I was so intoxicated. How could you be so cruel? I will never look back. Never go back. I'm leaving now before I'm lost forever in this chaotic mind.

I will survive.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Two Years Later

Zoro awoke with a jump. Luffy's cries twisted into haunting laughter as he remembered his nightmare. It was the same as usual, it made sleeping near impossible on some nights. He sighed, resting his head in his hands. That shouldn't bother him like this anymore. It's been a whole two years. Sometimes he considered seeing a shrink but he never did. Part of himself felt like he deserved the punishment of nightmares for not being good enough to keep the love of his life to himself. Enough moping. Time to live for another day.

Zoro became vaguely aware of two sources of noise. His phone was buzzing somewhere in the distance. He kept it on silence because the sound of a ringtone made him flinch. He supposed he subconsciously compared ringtones to terrible events, ever since that night. Thinking about it made him feel dumb. He grabbed the phone and swiped his finger lazily to accept the call. He answered and reached for the remote. He'd left the TV on all night. A nasty habit he had picked up around a year ago when he realised by keeping the TV on, his thoughts couldn't wander to subjects he wanted to stay away from.

Click. Off with the annoying buzz of the T.V.

Holding the old flip-style phone to his ear, the man sat up on the brown lounge with a sharp scowl on his face. Running a hand through his hair and groaning, Zoro greeted the person on the phone with a half-awake mumble.

"What'd you want? 's early."

"Mr. Roronoa, it is 3 in the afternoon and I had already started to speak the moment you answered. Sometimes I worry about you." A business-type response that quickly awoken Zoro from his daze. He knew this man! It was his boss.

"Sorry boss man. Had a rough night. Alcohol, hang over, the usual." It was a lie but it was a whole lot easier than explaining to your boss that the reason you sounded half asleep at 3 in the afternoon was because of reoccurring nightmares of your ex-boyfriend. That wouldn't be the easiest to explain to anyone so he kept it as quiet as if it never existed. Being an alcoholic was a much easier lie for anyone that met him to swallow.

"I was trying to tell you that plans have been changed. You are no longer heading where you thought you were heading. Instead we are moving you to a small quiet city. Also for this mission we have assigned you some partners. I believe you have worked with one or two of them in the past." A calm clear voice responded at the other end of the phone line after a short second pause of silence.

His large hand tightened on the phone as he growled back into the phone, "WHAT?! Why didn't anyone tell me about this earlier? Explain, now."

While the voice started to explain countless and pretty pointless reasons for Zoro moving to small city instead of the large noisy one he had wanted to visit, Zoro tuned out. Partners? Zoro didn't need to work with anyone. He had always worked alone! He didn't trust anyone enough to be partners on any mission. He ignored the stray thought that actually he had worked with people in the past. That was different, they weren't his partners on a mission. They were usually just sources of information he'd been told to speak to. He replied with a grunt and took his thoughts to his current not-so-normal life and job.

For one, Roronoa Zoro was a demon slayer. A merciless slaughterer of dangerous and deadly creatures. Creatures that would give nightmares to even the strongest athlete or send shivers down the spine of any normal being. Werewolves, vampires, zombies, dark spirits, even dragons. If there was a reasonable amount of cash up for grabs he would go find and bring back the monster. Dead or alive, it never mattered.

Secondly, he was a swordsman. A famous one at that and an absolute expert at using three blades at once. No one dared question or touch his blades if they knew what was good for them. They say he would slice up anyone who tried. This 'rumour' is what led most to being afraid of the demon hunting swordsman. Which really he didn't mind as he preferred to be left alone majority of the time anyway. He did fancy his second title somewhat more. He had never lost a fight, no matter how badly luck was against him, he got out of the absolute worst of situations without so much as a scratch. People used to say there was an angel watching over him, but he beat that rumour down with deadly glares. Now people simply called him the 'Wonder Swordsman.' Yes he was a devil in disguise and not afraid to prove in in swords fights across the country. He lived for the thrill of fight. He dared to think that it even made him happy on occasion, like he was still alive and not a walking husk.

Aside from his abnormal job, Zoro had an abnormal boyfriend. If anyone could call what the pair had a relationship. It was mostly just sex and mutual understand. They both enjoyed emotionless straightforward sex. They were both relatively good at it. They both enjoyed silence. And probably the most important part they both loved to clash swords to work off steam and train against each other.

Zoro was happy. It was a strange sort of happy. Life was not bad. He had a great job and a boyfriend he could rely on without the possibility of getting emotionally hurt but he felt empty more often than not. He went through the motions of acting like a normal human; he laughed, he cried, he helped the needy and helped little old ladies across the street with a friendly smile. When he thought about happiness, he knew he could say he was truly happy. But it still felt so empty. Was it for fear of expressing emotion would leave him too vulnerable? Probably. After all he had just gotten over most of his horrid past events; although if he saw a straw-hat he would still flinch in unseeable pain and nightmares still plagued every night he actually managed to sleep.

He was snapped back to reality by the calm voice on the mobile. "Anyway, Roronoa. Pack your things quickly please and leave the building by 5 pm. I think you will be quite pleased to know that Trafalgar Law is here waiting for you and he'll explain everything."

"Whatever." He muttered darkly, a clear sign that the conversation was over. The sudden silence was replaced by a slow, soft beeping - the sound of a one sided phone. The black mobile fell from Zoro's hand, as he laid back on the lounge, thinking. Thinking of what he needed to take. Nothing more than what would be necessary of course, but still what was that? The guy hadn't really told him what he would be up against in the quiet city. He hadn't said a single word. Not that it mattered, Zoro would take on whatever he had to if his katanas were there. Packing, packing, packing. His boss never gave him enough information! He figured he'd just throw whatever in a bag and finish the movie he had been watching last night before he headed off to the train station. Hopefully he could remember what direction it was in tonight. Was it left? No, it was right. Actually he was sure it was left. Was it?

Roronoa Zoro left the large room in a hurry, heading up his twisting staircase towards the place he called his room. It was his one private place - the bedroom. It wasn't much, but it was all his.

The room was, as usual, a total mess. Almost as if something like a wild board had gotten into it, tossing clothing, books, food wrappers and the sorts all over the place. It was the typical kind of room for a young bachelor of twenty-three.

A mountain of clothes tumbled from the bed as Zoro worked to pick out a few clean items, chucking them into a small day bag. With the clothes out of the way, the swordsman groaned and flopped lazily onto the bed. He needed to clear his mind. Meditation was something he liked to do when he wasn't working out at the gym and practising his sword fighting on one of his poor old wooden target dummies. He had always found meditation did one good if they were about to head into an unknown place. He set up in the only corner of his room that was somewhat tidy and let his mind fall away into sweet oblivion.

He had no idea what was coming his way, or who.

I have decided to pick this story back up. I started working on it in 2008. The next chapter is not a proper chapter but an explanation for this story's past, present and its future. Yes I have changed some things. I had added a lot to the first chapter. It was doubled in size when I finished it but I decided to move a part to the next chapter. I wanted to really hit home on how Zoro was feeling, the sense of betrayal that'd close him off for a long time to come. If you want more, say so! C: I am determined to make this story of mine work.