Yes, the title is from a Tom Jones song. Judge is you will but he is my idol. Not really . . .

It was hot.

It was so damn hot. Usually he didn't take notice of the weather until someone pointed it out to him but this time it was unbearable enough for him to notice. He would have gone back inside but all of his sensei's students were inside the dojo right now. It wasn't his class, and he just didn't feel like being around them. But he wasn't going inside for a more, simplistic, fundamental reason.

He hated their guts. They didn't take swordsmanship very seriously considering they were in a dojo but he also really didn't like talking to people in general. But they were a special case; they were just a bunch of dumb asses. Not just in the sense that they talked out of their asses but they couldn't tell the difference between the edge of a blade and the edge of a cliff. And every time he talked to them he had the urge to tell them exactly what he thought about them. But since he was living with his Sensei, he had told him not to be so rude. Zoro had argued he was being honest but the old man didn't see it that way. His bluntness always seemed to get him into trouble so he settled on not talking very much. And avoiding people like a normal person would avoid lepers.

Which led him to being outside the dojo, under the blistering hot sun. Swinging his bokken like a wild woman trying to beat her cheating husband. He felt a tan coming on. And he used to be so pale before he started to live with them. Working out under the sun sure changed your skin color. That, and he had fallen asleep outside plenty of times before. Waking up darker than you were awake was always a bit of a puzzlement no matter how many times it happened before.

Zoro continued to swing his practice bokken, swinging with all his might until his arms started to shake. He shook his head, still too weak. He needed to be able to make movements like that without his weak arms hurting so much. Also, every time he stepped forward to deliver a blow to his invisible opponent his calves would ache. Sensei had told him he was young; exerting himself this much wouldn't make him stronger just wear out his body. Zoro smirked, he'll prove him wrong, show him what's what. He was in the middle of such thoughts when he heard a scream.

His bokken froze mid swing as he turned his head towards the sound. It had come from the house. He wondered whose scream that was, it sounded somewhat familiar. It took him forever to register that it had been Kuina and he ran towards the house after it clicked in his mind.

She wasn't the type of girl to scream very much. She faced things head on and wasn't afraid of much. So for her to be screaming, well, it had to be important. Not like other girls he had met where they screamed at the sight of a spider. As if something so tiny compared to them could possibly harm them. It confused Zoro to no end. But he supposed that was the mystery of girls he would never understand.

He was burst through the door and went running down the hallway that led to her room; sure she was in there and called, "Kuina!"

He was a little worried. It was the first time he heard her scream. He stopped outside her room; the sight of his Sensei putting him to a halt. It would be bad to run smack into your teacher after all. Her father was outside her room, knocking on the door and looking as patient as ever. His face showed genuine concern, but Zoro knew he wasn't the type to barge in through the door to demand an explanation. Koshiro gently asked her, "is everything all right?"

"Go away!" she yelled from inside.

Her answer came out almost as soon as he asked. She was hiding something. Not to mention her voice wavered a bit. It was like the time she tried to sharpen her sword herself and accidently cut her palm. She tired to hide it from her father that time too. But even then, she hadn't screamed. The same thoughts must have passed through her father's head because he asked with less control in his voice, "are you hurt?"

"No!" she answered sharply, then added almost in panic, "just, g-go away!"

And just as Zoro had never heard Kuina scream, he had never seen his Sensei lose his cool. Not even the time Kuina and him cut down the tree to see who can cut it down faster only to result in the tree landing on the house, more specifically, right on Koshiro's room. Her father looked to Zoro, silently asking if he knew what was wrong but Zoro only shrugged. He didn't have a clue what was going on. Her father took in a breath, "Kuina? Open the door."

There was an eerie silence coming from her room. Zoro was about to ask if she was even still alive it was so creepy. He didn't know what would make her flip out so epically, she usually kept her cool with most situations. He was really worried at this point as was about to ask his teacher if they should kick down the door when her voice came from the other side of the door. She whispered nervously, "can you get Hyakurin for me please?"

Her father looked surprised, and a little doubtful but then he sighed and looked down at Zoro, "would you please?"

Zoro nodded and ran to the other side of their house. Hyakurin. The thought of her made Zoro smile a goofy grin. She was so pretty despite her being so old. He heard from Kuina that she was twenty-one, a full eleven years older than him. She came in three times a week to clean their house and cook some meals for them, as well as prepare snacks for Sensei's students. The days she was there Zoro always made sure to practice in front of the window so she could see him. It was worth the trouble because she would always smile and wave at him.

Kuina told him that when her mother died, her father had hired Hyakurin to come in as a housekeeper of sorts since he had never learned to cook or clean in his life, being raised in a tradition Japanese home where men were not expected to do such things. Sensei would tell her it was a woman's place anyways. Kuina would get mad and stick out her tongue and call him old-fashioned.

He found Hyakurin in the kitchen after about ten minutes of frantic searching through the house. She was at the stove, one hand at her hip as she stirred a long wooden spoon in the large pot with the other hand. It smelled like stew. She only cooked so many meals when she came over. He straightened his back and tired to control his breathing after all the running around he did and walked over to her. "Hey, Hyakurin," he said as he stepped next to her, "Kuina asked to see you."

She had brought the stew to her mouth and was slurping on the wooden spoon that she had been mixing the stew with. She chapped her lips after tasting it before setting the spoon down. She looked to him and raised and eyebrow, "oh?"

Zoro didn't blame her for being surprised. While she wasn't exactly the most feminine woman he ever met, it was still enough for Kuina to avoid her. He had never seen Kuina talk to her for the pure sake of talking. She had said 'please' and 'thank you' to her for meals, but never much else. Now that Zoro thought it, he couldn't remember a time where Kuina had talked to an actual girl. They were always together and she always talked to the other boys, never the few girls that came in. Weird.

Zoro nodded, "she's in her room." He lifted his hand to point in the direction where he assumed her room was. Hyakurin smiled warmly at him as she bent down and ruffled his hair, she straightened her back and pointed to the other side, "her room is that way silly."

She giggled at him and they walked down the hall together leading to Kuina's room. Hyakurin greeted his Sensei outside of Kuina's room and then turned and knocked on the door. "Kuina, it's me. Can I come in?"

There was no answer as the open creaked open a bit and Hyakurin made her way in. It wasn't open enough to see Kuina inside, and Zoro figured she was hiding behind the door. Worried about his friend, Zoro took a step closer to her door and Zoro asked, "hey-"

His sentence was cut short as her shoe flew his direction but he managed to duck. How she threw it while still being hidden was beyond him. He was a bit startled, as was her father. He raised an eyebrow as he stared at the door. Then her voice carried out from behind the door. "Stay out!" and the door slammed shut.

Zoro looked at the door with a confused and slightly pissed off expression. Did she really have to throw her shoe and slam the door in his face? It could have broken his nose if he was any closer. He looked up to see his Sensei shake his head, and mumbled to himself, "just like her mother." He sighed and walked away, he was half way down the hall when he called over his shoulder, "keep practicing Zoro. She'll be out soon enough."

Seeing that her father was walking off and that the closed door didn't look like it would open anytime soon he shrugged and walked back outside and continued to swing his bokken. His concern for her was slowly forgotten as he went on with his practice. With each swing thoughts of his friend's weird actions that day was replaced with thoughts of being a great swordsman. Thoughts of beating his best friend were soon all he could think about.

He would get better. He would beat Kuina. Ha. That'll show her.

Birds. There were two in the sky. He squinted his eyes further, the sun was still high in the sky but thankfully it was a little less hot. They were soaring directly above him, flying in the sky making circles overhead. They probably thought he was dead. The way they he was lying with his limbs spread out didn't help much. They were circling him, he figured they and were thinking about picking his flesh. But he wasn't dead. He was lying on his back after exerting himself too much. Damn that old man. Why did he have to be right? He was almost as obnoxious as that little monster he called a daughter.

She wasn't a girl. Girls weren't that strong. Girls were supposed to be sweet a bit on the dainty side. Like Hyakurin. He smiled just thinking about her. Kuina was cocky and irritable and pissed him off to no end with her attitude and the stupid condescending smirk. Zoro frowned.

But she was his best friend. He smiled a little at that. When his Sensei first took him in he expected Kuina to act jealous like Zoro had when his little brother was born. It was a rational thought, she would obviously get less attention from her dad and he had thought she would be a 'daddy's little girl' type chick. But she acted the opposite. She was happy for his arrival; he supposed it was because she was the only child. She immediately made known that teasing him would be her new favorite pass time. And though her and her father were close, she was anything but the spoiled little girl he imagined the only daughter to be.

She was as much a ruffian as he was. She was confident in almost everything she did and fought with passion and grace that he envied. She could make him smile or just about go red with blind rage at any given moment. She was really the best friend anyone could ask for.

It was nice to rival against her then go out and play afterwards. And later get yelled at together by her father for causing too much trouble. They would blame each other, but that only resulted in an unforgettable ass whipping from the old man.

Koshiro reminded him of his father in a way. But his old man had died long ago, along with his little brother. Illness took his entire family away, his mother first. After they died he didn't know what to do. All he had ever known were swords, so he went to every dojo's door to challenge them. And up until he challenged Kuina he had never lost a fight. That was the first time he went to a dojo and didn't take down their sign.

Kuina.

Making trouble together and going down together in flaming glory was what he imagined he would do with his little brother if he had lived. But it was with his best friend. But he had never thought his best friend would be a girl. It's funny how things in life work out.

Speak of the devil there she was, making her way towards him. She came walking slowly and looked bothered by something. The ungraceful way she walked and her slightly pursed lips gave it away. She continued to stagger her way towards him and it made him wonder why she was acting so funny.

She stood before him and he sat up, looking into her face with curiosity. She hadn't told him to get up and fight. She hadn't even made fun of him for exerting himself, or the fact that he was sleeping in broad daylight. No, she was quiet, and it was beginning to upset him even more. Immediately his defenses were on high alert. He lifted his eyebrow, "why aren't you making fun of me? Are you sick or something?"

She sighed and looked away from his eyes. He crossed his pathetically skinny arms over his chest and frowned at her. Normally she would laugh at him and reminded him how small and skinny he was by poking at his collarbone that stuck out too much or by pointing out that she was taller. But she only sagged her shoulders a little more then finally looked into his eyes. She opened her mouth and began with uncharacteristically uncertainty. "Umm," she looked around, then said in a low voice, "hang on."

Just then the class from the dojo was dismissed. The kids ran out past Kuina, some waving and bidding their goodbyes. Very few even paid attention to Zoro. And if they did, he only lifted his head their way, the only sign that he had heard them at all. They waited for them to leave, standing there side by side and saying bye but not really caring that they were leaving. Zoro was just waiting for them to leave, because when they did, Kuina would talk. He saw the last kid coming out and Zoro looked up to see the sky. The birds had moved on.

Kuina waited until the last kid was gone and out from earshot. But even when he was gone the silence continued. Zoro's patience all gone he glared at her, "what's up with you?"

She looked at Zoro with an annoyed expression; her face revealing her killer instinct. " I started my period."

Again the uncomfortable silence took hold of their world again. It was dead quiet until Zoro's eyes went wide. "Whoa."

Kuina frowned, "I know." She dropped herself on the floor and crossed her legs and put her elbows on her thighs, her chin resting on her hands. "This is bad Zoro. Really bad." She let her face be buried in her hands and groaned, "this is so stupid." She made a frustrated sound and rubbed her hands furiously over her face like she was trying to wash something off.

She ranted on and on, telling Zoro how bad it was to get her period. She knew it was the first sign of becoming a woman. She would eventually stop getting stronger. She would stop improving her skill and polishing her swordsmanship. She would get weaker as Zoro got stronger. She felt like crying but held it in; it would do no good if Zoro saw her crying now. "Stupid period. Why did I have to be a girl? You're so lucky you don't have to deal with this."

She sighed as she pulled her knees closer to her chest. She then noticed that Zoro had yet to say anything. He had been quiet the entire time. It wasn't that odd that he didn't speak while she ranted; many times they walked to the lake to go fishing and she would talk about swords and he would just nod here and there, not really saying much. But this was different. This was important. Maybe Zoro was shocked to hear that she had her period. Maybe he was panicked that she would no doubt be less useful during sparring matches. Or maybe he was grinning in victory knowing he would be able to beat her soon.

There was no telling what was really going on in that head of his. Usually when she thought she had an idea he would shock her with something she hadn't expected him to say. In all his complexity and mystery, he was actually quite simple. Not a simpleton, but clearly someone who didn't fuss over the little things.

Like she was at the moment. She was worried how Zoro was taking this. And why he hadn't answered. She looked up to see him with a sparkle in his eyes like a new revelation was being made in his tiny brain. He had the traces of a tiny smile on his lips. No doubt he figured out it was only a matter of time before he beat her.

Zoro then laughed, startling her a little. He looked to her with a smile on his face and he pointed at her, "so you really are a girl!"

"Zoro!"

His head had snapped up when he heard his name being called. Kuina had called his name. She never did that! She usually asked her father or Hyakurin for something, not him. He had been sitting outside her room waiting for her to get dressed into her workout clothes so they could go and spar. The tutor had just left, so that left them time to get a good work out in before they had to practice with Koshiro's students.

Her father insisted she dress in something else when meeting the teacher. Her workout clothes were not suitable for guest, as he had put it. He never said anything to Zoro though, which only served to infuriate Kuina more. Thus the reason Zoro sat outside waiting for her to change.

Because of the two-year difference between them the tutor always had to bring two sets of books and taught them separately. He hated that she was two years older. That meant he couldn't copy her answers. Life was cruel.

He rose and sighed, walking into her room after opening her door and entering. "What?"

Inside she was standing in front of her bed, wearing her black shorts, her white shirt still on the bed. Her back was to him but he could tell she was irritated by something. But Zoro noticed something about her that made him stop in his tracks and quickly became confused. She had gauze wrapped around her chest, with about a yard left to wrap around. She was gripping the end of it tightly and looking angrily down at herself, like there was something that shouldn't have been there. She turned around and looked at him, "can you tighten this?" She gestured to the gauze wrapped around herself.

"What are you doing?" He asked, stepping forward, still a little unsure of what was going on.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, "my chest is growing stupid." She looked down at her herself and pointed to the small lumps on her chest with an annoyed expression. "I'm trying to –" she started but then shook her head. "Just help me." She snapped and waved him over so he could assist her.

He growled and walked behind her, grabbing the end and pulling it back so it could tighten. "That good?" he asked.

She shook her head, "just a little tighter." He pulled a little more, afraid if he pulled too hard he might hurt her. Or her chest, he cringed just imagining doing something so brutal to one's body. He was sure pressing her boobs down like that would hurt. "There, that's fine," she said, cutting his thoughts. "Now wrap it around some more until you reach the end."

He furrowed his eyebrows; this seemed like a task someone else should be doing, not him. He grabbed the end and brought it to her front, raising his other arm to go around her so he can grab the gauze. With his arms around her like that he felt like he was giving her a retarded hug or something but ignored that. He was about to get the gauze with his free hand when she spoke, "don't do anything funny." She said this as if he would try to do something to her, the taller woman who was capable of kicking his ass. "Or I'll kill you."

Or killing him, she was capable of that too.

Zoro shuddered, nearly dropping the gauze but stopped himself. If he did that, she would most likely make him start over, and he really did not want that. He instead said to her, "eww, why would I touch you?" The thought didn't even occur to him before she mentioned it.

She threw her arm backwards, elbowing him in the ribcage. He grunted from pain but managed to grab the other end of the gauze and bring it back to himself again. "Just keep working," she ordered.

So he continued to work, wrapping it around her over and over until there were a few inches left. Zoro had brought the gauze back to her backside, pulling hard, but not hard enough, according to her. "Come on! Pull!"

He bared his teeth and put his foot on her bed frame and pulled harder, tugging on the gauze, "I am!" He yelled. God, he was trying as hard as he could without hurting her.

Finally he finished wrapping. Kuina sighed as she patted her chest, still looking a little saddened. She turned around and looked to Zoro, who was glaring at her. She ignored it; she knew he really wasn't upset with her, just the fact that he was missing out on sparring. Whatever, either way he'll get over it.

She turned to her bed and grabbed her white shirt and pulled it on. She walked over to her mirror against her wall and looked at her profile, putting a hand to her chest and pressing down hard and sliding her hand down to her stomach, seeing if there was a noticeable rise. She frowned slightly. From the mirror she saw Zoro walk to her bed and sit on it, staring at her, no doubt wondering what she was doing.

Zoro only sat there looking at her. He knew she hated being a girl, he felt bad for her sometimes. Like this. He couldn't imagine looking in the mirror and hate what you are, what you're becoming. He hated not being able to do anything to cheer her up either. She was so strong and she didn't know it. She only insisted that it was a matter of time before he beat her.

He was brought out of his thoughts when she turned around to face him. "Does it show?"

She didn't mean the gauze. She meant her chest. Were her boobs noticeable? Not really, they were just growing, so even without the gauze, under her huge shirt nobody could tell. He shook his head, stating bluntly, "no."

Her sad face was momentarily gone as she smiled at him. She walked over to where he was sitting, stopping before him to reach out her hand and ruffle Zoro's hair. His eye twitched and was about to slap her hand away when she said, "thanks."

He looked up to see her smiling at him. He didn't slap her hand away but instead set in down on his lap. Looking down a little at his lap he said quietly, "you're welcome."

Today was the day; he could feel it. He woke up that morning feeling so good. He would beat her sorry ass. He could see it now; in his mind it was so clear. He would beat her and she would cry. That'll show her. No, he really didn't want to make her cry. He wanted to make her proud maybe, but never cry.

He was bouncing outside, landing on the tips of his toes and springing himself up and down. He let out a breath and threw his head side to side. He could feel it. The way the sun was shining down on his face, it was destiny was congratulating him a little early for his victory. The birds were singing, as if the universe was finally alleged for him. Or, that's what he thought.

Today he would kick her ass. He stretched out a bit, feeling so much stronger than other days. This was what he was trained to do, today he would-

He heard giggling to the side and turned his head to see her standing there, laughing at him. Usually he would get pissed if she laughed at him, but he let it go. She won't be laughing too long.

"Feeling good today I see," she smirked at him.

"That's right." He smirked right back, "today's the day. Ready to get your ass handed to you?"

She shrugged, her smirk gone for only moment before she said, "I don't know, ready to get your ass handed by a girl?"

He snorted, "you're no girl."

She narrowed her eyes, "get your bokken kid."

"You're only two years older!" He exclaimed, then narrowed his eyes at her, "old lady!"

"Call me old lady if you want, I can still kick your ass."

He really wanted today to be the day he would wipe that smirk off her face.

Twenty minutes later he was on flat on his back, could barely see out of his left eye, the blood dripping from his forehead was impairing his vision. But he could clearly see her above him with his right, staring down at him. Then she bent down at the waist to get closer to his face, she smiled at him and said in a sweet voice, "are you sure you're a boy?"

He threw an arm over his eyes and groaned. It wasn't fair. It simply wasn't fair. He was sure that today was the day.

He was still grumbling five minutes later when Hyakurin brought him inside. She had seen the fight, which was a blow to his pride and went out to suggest he go in to mend to his wounds. He reluctantly went in and sat himself on top the kitchen table. Kuina was sitting on a chair close to him and laughing at his expense.

Hyakurin. He didn't just like her just because she was pretty. Well, at least to him. He didn't think anyone else paid much attention to her. She wore tie her hair in a ponytail and sometimes cover it up with a bandana as she cleaned the house. She would clean her hands on her pants or her skirt after she finished washing the dishes.

He liked her because she was nice to him. All around nice. She would watch him fight when he asked her to, she would patch him when Kuina's father could not, even though her shift was over and she could have gone home. She would listen to his rants when he was mad and stormed into the kitchen to talk to her. Also, she baked him a cake on this 11th birthday. That year, it was the first time he had ate cake on his birthday.

Ever since Kuina started her period her and Hyakurin had grown closer. So thus, Kuina would stick around even if Hyakurin was in the same room. Hyakurin smiled at Zoro, "my shift is over and I have to go home but I already told Koshiro. He said he'd be out in a minute, ok?"

Kuina looked at Zoro with a sadistic smirk, "think you can handle waiting a bit?"

"Shut up!" he snapped.

Hyakurin smiled at them both, then looked at Zoro, "don't be too upset hon," she winked at him, "you'll get stronger." With that she turned around and left, grabbing her purse on her way out the door.

He could feel his face brighten up and his face curl into a stupid smile. She called him hon.

Kuina eyed him, "wipe that stupid grin off your face or I'll beat it out."

She looked disgusted. He didn't care and continued to smile. She was such a prude. It's like sort of affection grossed her out, even if it wasn't directed at her. Zoro stopped to wonder if she ever liked anyone. He was going to ask her when her dad walked in, stopping in the doorway to eye Zoro up and down. He sighed as he settled down in the chair in front of Zoro. With a shake of his head he mumbled, "you kids."

Kuina laughed, "you should have seen us dad! He went down like a bag of sand!" She slapped the back of the hand against her palm and laughed at her own joke. She was so corny like that.

"Now Kuina, don't make fun of others, it's-"

"Rude. Yes, we know," Kuina and Zoro both said.

Koshiro stopped his hands from dabbing the cotton ball in alcohol for a moment to eye them, then rolled his eyes and went to work again. Zoro flinched when he put the alcohol on his forehead, it burned up after he removed the cotton ball but it felt better when his teacher blew on the wound. It always felt like heaven.

He felt way better when he put a bandage on his forehead. His sensei sat back a little, "ok, Zoro, remove your shirt, I need to see your chest and back."

Zoro sighed, knowing his teacher's eyes would budge out from his head when he saw the state his body was in. He grumbled and grabbed the bottom of his shirt and slid it over his head, ignoring the pain when he did. He hated raising his arms over his head, his rib cage always showed. He vowed one day for it to be covered in muscles.

As soon as it was off Kuina laughed at him when she saw the nice bruise she left on his ribcage. Kuina's father turned to her, "what did I say?"

Next to him he heard Kuina groan. He turned to look at her to find she was looking at him too, "I'll be outside. Hurry up."

Zoro didn't say anything as he watched her leave. She seemed different somehow. She seemed smaller to him. He had always been shorter than her, but lately there wasn't much a difference between them. Maybe he was getting taller? But she was changing in different ways as well. Try as she might, her boobs were now visible under her shirt even with the gauze. It wasn't so noticeable all those weeks ago but lately it was. He looked after her as she disappeared out the door.

He wanted so badly to beat her in a fight. Now he was almost fixated with the idea of beating her. How could he win against the adults in advanced classes, beat kids twice his size, but not a cocky five-foot girl with that funny looking birthmark on her thigh? It really pissed him off.

He looked back to her father, surprised that he was looking right back at him. He had a small smile on his face with that knowing look in his eyes. It was making him nervous. That was never a good thing. "What?"

Koshiro only chuckled, bending his head down to treat the wound, "the turmoil's of youth. I remember the days."

Zoro raised an eyebrow but didn't ask. He probably wouldn't understand anyways.

"Oh, and Zoro?"

Zoro turned back to look at him in the eye, his teacher having lifted his head to do the same, "hmm?"

Kuina's father smiled a little, "I saw you fighting today. You're getting better." He bent down to wrap his rib cage with gauze, the same kind he used to wrap Kuina's chest in the morning. "So don't get too upset."

He frowned, "not good enough. She still beats me."

He didn't see his sensei's face, since he was still looking down, but even with his tone he wasn't sure what to make of the statement. "it's ok. One day you'll beat her."

They got into the city a little later than usual; things were a little hectic at the house so they left way later than they usually did. They hurried as quickly as they could but still ran a little late. Kuina was ahead of him telling him to hurry up because they would close soon. She knew what time they closed for God's sake.

Their lives were like clockwork. Wake up, train, then go to the living room when the tutor came in. Then him and Kuina would go to her father's afternoon class. They would eat their lunch then go outside and train some more. Then they would go into town for some fun (mainly Kuina's idea) or to the lake for fishing (mainly Zoro's idea). Then they would come home, have dinner with her father and 'go to sleep.' Truth was they would wait until they heard snoring and sneak out and fight each other again. Then came the real sleep.

They were walking briskly down the road on their way to get ice cream. Man did she love the stuff. She couldn't go more than two days without asking her old man for money and dragging Zoro into town with her. She had the biggest sweet tooth. Zoro did enjoy the occasional sweet, like most kids did, but she was obsessed with them. They always went after dinner. The best time for desert, according to her anyways.

The three of them had been sitting at the table, leaving their plates sparkling clean after devouring the meal; it was almost unnecessary to wash them. Though they probably would. Waste of time, in Zoro's humble opinion.

Kuina had looked to her dad. Her dad always let them go out for ice cream. It was a futile effort to try to stop her. It only resulted in her escaping the house and dragging Zoro along. So he always gave them a chore before they left. Thus, the reason Zoro had to help Kuina clean the house when it was she that wanted ice cream. She was like a crack addict. She couldn't go very long without her daily sugar intake.

Her father was about to open his mouth to tell them their chore of the day when Kuina let out a narly burp. Zoro's jaw dropped. He didn't think that she could do that. She was giggling and looking to her father like she just showed him a new ballet move. That would have been fine except her dad was not impressed.

"Young lady!" he yelled, ignoring Zoro's snort and continued, "that is not proper behavior. And you're older, set an example for Zoro here."

"Yeah Kuina." Zoro couldn't help it. It would get him in trouble, but it was wor-

"Zoro, your sparring with me tomorrow."

He grumbled. He was a tough old man. He didn't miss Kuina sticking her tongue out at him. Neither did her father.

"Kuina, you're helping Hyakurin in the kitchen tomorrow."

He had never seen Kuina looked so scared.

After their chores were done she asked her father for money and he had grumbled about her being spoiled but gave it to her, like he always did. As soon as she put her money away she grabbed his hand and they both bolted out the door, her father only blinked and they were gone.

Zoro was about to make a left at the end of the street when he felt a hand grab the back of his collar and drag him the other way. He shrugged out of the hold and glared at Kuina, "you could just say, 'not that way,' you don't have to push he around everywhere." He grumbled as she shrugged his shoulders, fixing his shirt back in place, muttering under his breath, "and Sensei thinks I'm the rude one."

"You are the rude one," she said matter-of-factly. She smiled down at him, "you know where we're going but you still manage to get lost," she let out an exaggeratedly long sigh, "where would you be without me?"

"I can make it there without you."

"Ha!" she said, smiling down at him, "I would love to see that."

"I can make it there on my own!"

She smiled, "ok," she began to walk off, "I'll meet you there then, I won't correct you if you're going the wrong way." She walked down the street and turned a corner, disappearing from his sight.

Zoro snorted in contempt. She thought she knew everything. He grumbled and walked down the street and turned just like she did. She made him walk this direction practically everyday. There was no way he could get lost on the way to the stupid ice cream shop.

He hated to admit it, but he was lost. All the buildings looked the same. He gritted his teeth. He was too used to living in the countryside, every time he was in town the buildings just looked the same. How was he supposed to differentiate them? He sighed, he wasn't kidding anyone, in the country one tree looked just like the one next to it. A tree was a fucking tree, no way around it. He got lost in all kinds of places. But this was killing him. It had been ten minutes since he had separated from Kuina and he didn't think he would find her anytime soon.

He grabbed a handful of his own hair and was about to rip it off his head when he saw her. Speak of the devil there she was. Apparently she thought it was cruel to completely lose him and decided to wait for him halfway.

She was standing there, waiting a few yards away from the ice cream store. She was whistling to herself and twirling the little string of coins that her father had given her absently, not having seen Zoro. She always had a habit of whistling when she was bored. He shook his head, her father had told her many times to keep her string of coins inside her pocket or tied to her belt, swinging it around like that was asking for trouble.

He grumbled and began to walk to her. She still hadn't noticed him; she was too busy staring at the window of the store in front of her. But she also didn't see the two older boys walking over to her.

They stopped right in front of her and smiled down at her, saying something that he couldn't hear. Her back was to him so he couldn't see her expression but he could guess that she was mildly annoyed by them. It wasn't cause for alarm so he kept his calm and continued to make his way towards her. Then the taller of the boys shoved her. That was all it took for Zoro to start in at a sprint towards them.

Kuina was furious at the fact that those two shit heads would choose to pick on her. On her of all people, on such a nice day. She was supposed to be waiting for Zoro and had somehow gotten dragged into a verbal fight that soon became physical when this guy had shoved her. He was a lot bigger than her and had managed to push her quite a bit back. She growled in frustration as they laughed.

Fucking jerks had to make fun of her for being a tomboy, asking her why she was dressed like a guy. Then they had the gull to tell her to hand over her money. She told them to go fuck themselves when he had pushed her back. She found her footing and clutched her fists. I f she had her swords they would be dead by now, or at least bleeding and close to death. But she had to rely on her punching. She was mad because it wouldn't hurt them as much as she would hope.

She took a step towards them, about to shove the guy right back but never got close because before she knew it something jumped in the air above her. She saw Zoro's black shirt in front of her. He had been running to get good momentum, she could tell because he was mid-air when she spotted him. His arm slung back and propelled it forward as soon as he was within reach and punched the guy square in the face, sending him backwards.

She felt her mouth drop. She had known he was strong, she had seen him he beat the adults during sparring matches. Hell, the adults were afraid to fight him. It was only the newbie's that laughed at him, thinking a shrimp like him couldn't even land a hit on them. They didn't laugh when they were on the floor moments blacking out though.

The kid that had shoved her was on his back, clutching his nose to try and stop the bleeding. He groaned in pain and his friend was at this side with a shocked expression, his mouth hanging more than Kuina herself. He then turned his anger towards Zoro and ran at him. Zoro easily avoided his punch as he ducked and side stepped out of the way. Zoro made to punch him in the chest but the boy saw it coming and kicked Zoro in the side. He bent down to grab his stomach but only for a moment before he got pissed off and quickly made a start towards him, startling the older boy with his speed. Zoro punched him in the stomach, making the boy bend at the waist to clutch his stomach. Zoro, then noticing his face was more his level punched him in the face like he did to his friend. The boy let out a muffled feminine squeak and fell to the floor.

He stood over them panting and almost jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around he saw it was Kuina, looking almost as shocked as when she found out she started her period. She wasn't even looking at him, but the older boys who were still grumbling on the ground. She was looking at them with a strange look on her face and the hand on his shoulder was almost limp and lifeless, almost as if she was in a trance or something.

He turned his attention back to the guys and they both stared down at them until they helped each other up, and too ashamed to look at them in the eye, limped away and out of sight. Kuina's laughter broke the comfortable silence that had fallen between them. She looked at Zoro, "that was awesome! Did you see that guy? He looked like he was about to cry!"

Zoro puffed his chest from happiness. "I know!"

She let out another laugh, "wow, I never knew you could jump that high, you were like a little frog or something!"

"I can jump higher too!" he exclaimed, smiling.

"And that punch, you gave him a bloody nose!"

Zoro laughed at that, "I can't wait for their other friends to laugh at them!"

They shared a hi-five. Kuina was grinning as she looked him up and down and smiled, "they were way bigger than you too! Looks like you're getting a little stronger," she nodded, before realizing her big mistake. She was complimenting him. Then she turned her smile to a sadistic smirk and added, "though I could have taken them on myself."

Zoro's face went neutral, as did his voice, "gee, you're welcome." He saw the gratitude emanating from her, it was blinding really. And he expressed his own thanks to her with a monotone. That'll teach her.

She laughed at him and things went silent after that. She stared off at nothing, occasionally nodding to herself as she thought something over. Zoro stayed quiet during her little meditation when she looked down at him with warm eyes, "you know, I think you fight better when you have a reason to."

He was about to ask her what she meant; he did have a reason to fight, to kick her ass. He would have said it, but she spoke again, "when you saw me in trouble, you came to defend me. That brought out something in you," she murmured, almost to herself, "it was," then added in an even lower voice, "different."

He grumbled. Crazy board. It wasn't different. He was always strong. She was just a freak of nature, that's all. She reached out her hand and wiped the dirt away from his cheek. He grumbled even more, she did it to piss him off, he knew.

He glared up at her and she only snickered so he raised his hand to push her hand away. She giggled and let him shove her hand from his face. She was in a good mood so she wouldn't smack him for that. So he kept glaring at her, wondering what game she was up to when she bent her head down to be leveled with his. He had thought she would say something cocky, or maybe stick her tongue out, but instead she kissed his cheek.

Zoro's eyes went so wide he thought they might fall from his head. She stepped back and smiled at him. But he stood there unmoving; his eyes still like saucers, staring at her like she was completely mad. Her only reaction to him was to giggle. She titled her head to the side, her lips turning to a smirk, "first kiss?"

When he didn't say anything she turned around and walked down the street. She called over he shoulder as she casually strolled down the street, "the shop closes in seven minutes. Wipe that goofy look off your face and hurry up."

He slowly raised a hand to his cheek and touched the spot where she kissed him. It was warm. And wet. And nice.

It took him thirty seconds to listen to her instructions. Thank God he really couldn't see the dumb expression on his own face. It would have completely killed his pride. He ran and caught up to her, now walking by her side he looked up to see her face, "I'm your friend, I know you!"

Kuina looked down to see his face, wondering what he meant by that. His eyes were wide; he looked crazed, almost wild. "That was your first kiss too!" he exclaimed.

His face made her smile. She couldn't help it. He had huge eyes and looked a little bewildered as he searched her eyes for answers. It was like the time she hid his yo-yo from him and he barged in her room looking crazy and asking her if she hid it. "Oh? And what makes you think I tell you everything Mr. know-it-all?"

She had that cocky grin again. She could be lying to him; or telling the truth. It was kind of hard to tell with her. He narrowed his eyes, "you wouldn't lie to me." He accused. At least he hoped she didn't lie to him. She didn't seem like the type. She had never lied to him. At least, not for the sake of making him feel better. Although she did lie to her dad. A lot. "I'll clean my room. I won't use this on ice cream. I won't sneak out at night again. I'll be nicer to Zoro."

She laughed, her grin growing wider. "Doesn't mean I don't hold out from telling you things."

Darn. She had him there. But he knew better. "You wouldn't do that."

They stood outside the ice cream shop, staring at one another, not moving away from the door even as people complained that they had to squeeze their way around them. They ignored everything else as they shared a staring contest. Finally she spoke. "No," she put her head down, hiding her eyes with her bangs but he could see her smiling, "I wouldn't."

He was trying to sleep when he felt small hands move his shoulders and shake him with all their might. He groaned as he blinked his eyes, slowly waking up. There in his room was Kuina. She was one lucky girl; if she were anyone else she would have a black eye already. He groaned when she saw her; grabbing his pillow he sat up and tried to hit her with it. When that failed, he dropped himself on the bed again and closed his eyes, "the ice cream shop is closed right now Kuina. We can go tomorrow." He muttered, barely audible to her.

They had ended up going fishing that afternoon and by the time they got back from the lake, the ice cream store had closed. She really loved ice cream, so she was really upset when she missed out on her daily treats. It was sort of like a junkie without their fill. And now she was shaking him to get some.

She shook her head, "I'm not here for that stupid." Even though she wasn't sure he could see, she glared down at him, did he really think she wanted ice cream at that hour?

He looked at her with beady eyes, "go away Kuina."

She shoved him again, "come on, get out of bed."

He looked out the window; the moon was still out. It was nighttime, he should be sleeping. Not arguing with her. He would do that in the morning, not now. He grabbed his pillow and pulled it over his head to hide his face and groaned into it. "I'll wrap your chest tomorrow, go to sleep."

She rolled her eyes; he always thought the weirdest things. Then an idea suddenly hit her and she smirked as she jumped in the air and dog-piled on him. He grunted on impact and tried to push her off when she started to giggle and looked in his eyes, "come on, let's fight."

And he thought the other ideas were stupid. This was crazy. Groaning again, he said, "too early."

"Afraid I'll beat you?"

He shoved her and the blankets off himself all at once. "Let's go!"

They fought and for the 2000th time and he lost. That was his 2000th lost. Before he met her his number of loses was 0. Now look at him. On the ground, beaten and humiliated by a girl, for the 2000th time.

He couldn't take it anymore. He cried.

It just wasn't fair. How could he train all day and night, almost kill himself from over-extrusion, and still lose to her? It wasn't right. How could he claim to be a swordsman, even a man, when he was constantly losing to her?

It truly killed one's self esteem.

He was in the middle of wallowing in self-pity and drowning in tears when he heard her cry as well. He sat up quickly, not believing what he was hearing and stared at her. She was on the ground hugging herself and crying her little eyes out. He didn't understand for the life of him why she would do that. Hadn't she won? Or did she pity him so much she had to cry for him? He hoped that wasn't the reason.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, confused. He would have snapped but he didn't like to see her cry like that.

She sniffed and harshly wiped the tears away with the back of her hand, "I'm growing weaker, I can feel it," she looked up at him and gave him a sad smile.

Was she mad? He stood to his feet in a hurry, "you're not weak!" He went over to her and put his hands on her shoulders, "you're the strongest person I know!"

He looked down angrily and shook his head, "how can you say that when you beat me all the time?" he shouted this time, shaking her a little too to reinforce his statement, "how can you sit there and call yourself weak when you constantly beat me?"

She still had tears in her eyes as she shook her head, "you don't understand Zoro. You're a man, you'll only get stronger as time goes on." She still had that sad smile on her face as she shook. In confusion, Zoro let her shoulders go and looked at her. She continued, "I, ever since I got my period I knew, I knew I would get weaker. And now," she put her hands to her chest, "I'm growing into a woman and soon you'll get stronger than me. I asked you to fight me so I won't forget what's it like to be able to fight."

He just stared before asking, "so you're saying you wanted to kick my ass for one last time."

She laughed a little at this, not really with humor and sighed after wards. She sniffed and put an elbow to her raised knee to rest her head on it, "I guess so. I mean, when you're my age you'll probably be taller and much stronger. You'll be able to beat me."

Zoro looked at her, how could she think that? He was so mad with her. "Women can be strong too!" For a brief moment he remembered his mother. He had considered her a strong woman.

Kuina looked down at herself, mumbling, "swordsmanship requires really good footwork. But ever since I got my period, I get cramps. It doesn't stop me, but it impairs me, sometimes hurts to move away from an attack. Ever since my chest started to grow, I can't swing my sword in front of me at chest level because it hurts my chest. If I swing too fast I hit my boobs with my arm. Things like that used to be so easy, but now, it's getting in the way."

"Just because you're a girl doesn't make you weak. You can still beat me now, you can probably beat when even when I grow taller and bigger than you."

She smiled a little, but not with humor on her face. He really didn't like that look on her. "Zoro, how many famous swordsman do you know that are women?"

Zoro opened his mouth but closed it again, when she didn't say anything after a while she chuckled a little and said, "exactly."

She sighed and looked up at the moon. "You're lucky you're a boy, you can actually achieve your dreams of becoming a great swordsman. I got my period and my dad is already saying I shouldn't daydream of being a famous swordsman. He was raised old fashion samurai style or whatever. He only let me practice to entertain me for a while. But he always considered me weak. He told me you'll beat me sooner or later. At first I didn't want to believe it, but now I know its true."

Zoro saw tears sliding down her face again. She sniffed and bought her other leg up and rested her head on her knees. "It's not fair," she whispered.

He had never seen her like this. He always viewed her as strong and confident. Arrogant even. But now she was crying over the fact that she was girl. And he had thought life wasn't fair. He couldn't bear to see her like this. So without thinking he exclaimed loudly, startling her a little, "then let's make a deal! Let's try to be famous swordsman together!" He grabbed her shoulders again and shouted desperately, "you and me, let's work so we can be a great swordsman one day." As an after thought, he added, "or swordswoman."

She looked at him with wide eyes, "what? Zoro, that's," she paused, "stupid."

He frowned, "you're not giving up?" he glared at her, "are you?" he gripped her shoulders tighter, "come on! I thought you would be all for it, you sadistic woman who likes to see me get beat up."

She laughed and smiled at him. She took in a breath and wiped away her tears, the first true smile of the night, "all right, you're on then!" She stood up looked down at him, "of course, don't cry when I beat you at getting the title."

He really didn't mind that insult too much, as long as she was smiling again, but he did fake being highly offended by her, "ha! As if, I'll become the world's greatest swordsman and you'll be the one crying!"

She smirked at him, "not gonna back out later, are you?" She stood closer to him and looked down at him, hands on her hips. She really loved looking down at him, silently reminding him that she was still taller.

He puffed his chest and raised his fist to eye level and extended his pinky, "I pinky swear I won't." His word was his word, dammit. And if he swore to something, he stuck by it.

Her smirk widened and she wrapped her pinky around his, "alright then, we'll fight for that title till the day we die."

He grinned at her, "until that time, no backing out."

He stared at his sensei. No. It wasn't true. It couldn't be true.

He shook his head and lowered it, looking in his eyes he knew he wasn't lying. He wasn't playing a sick trick on him. God, he wished he were.

"It's not true!" he yelled. He couldn't help but deny it. His brain might know the truth. It didn't mean that his heart was willing to accept it though.

"Zoro,"

He shook his head violently, "it's not true!" His face was hot. And he felt tears running down his face. It slid off his chin and was running down his neck. The wetness was a shivering contrast to his burning neck. "She wouldn't die!"

"Zoro," he lowered himself on his knees to look Zoro in the eye, "it hurts me too." He flinched when his teacher's hand touched his small shoulder.

She was gone. And he would never see her again. Cruel fate had to slap him in the face and laugh at him that yes it was true.

Wasn't it enough that he had lost his entire family? He had been alone for so long. He had thought he had learned to live without needing anyone. But he had to go and make a friend. He should have known it was too good to be true.

He heard himself screaming, his throat hurt from crying and yelling at the same time. He cried until his throat felt raw and it was dried up until his voice was raspy and he couldn't even breathe right. His head was beginning to hurt. His chest hurt, his heart pounding painfully against his rib cage it felt like it would burst. His body was exhausted and his heart felt more burdened than he could ever remember.

It was more pain than when his parents had died. He was too younger, and was able to get over it more quickly, as cruel as that sounded. But he did miss him. He was pained when they left him.

But this was different. Kuina was gone.

Kuina would never come back. He would never hear her voice again. Would never see her smile. Would never walk into town again to get ice cream after they sparred. She would never beat him to a bloody pulp again, and she would never tease him afterwards. She would never call him into her room to help her with wrapping her chest. She would never laugh at him while her father bandaged him. He would never see the day where he kicked her ass.

Inside he felt his insides being torn apart. His throat was getting raw from all his loud cries. He knew he was acting like a child, a snot nosed brat. But he would do anything for Kuina to rise from the dead and make fun of him for crying.

He hated her for leaving him.

He hated his sensei.

He hated that he was so calm over this. He did look sad, he could tell. The glasses maximized the hurt in his eyes.

But he wasn't crying, he wasn't even yelling of hitting things. He just kneeled in front of him and held out his arms. When Zoro didn't move but kept crying he pulled him close and squeezed him hard.

Zoro kept shaking and sniffing and breathing in sharply and letting more and more tears roll down his face, some on his sensei's shoulder.

Why couldn't he have anyone by his side? Why did everyone he ever loved have to leave him? Leave him alone? He felt cheated out of so many things.

He lost his best friend. His rival. His goal.

They never settled it. And they never would either.

His heavy boots crushed the leaves under him as he made his way over to her. He had been there so many times before, but today was different. He was leaving today. And he wouldn't come back until he held his end of the bargain.

He had woken up early that morning and trained like usual, keeping the thought of her in mind. He showered after wards and dressed in a white shirt that reminded him of the over sized white shirt she had wore so many times when they had trained together.

He slipped on his green haramaki and tied the laces of his boots. He had debated if he should dress up to see her, maybe make the effort to comb his hair back instead of spiking it up. But he smiled when he thought about her. She wouldn't have liked that at all. She would have made fun of him for wasting so much effort. She had hated dressing up, and she wouldn't like the image of Zoro dressing up either. Especially if it wasn't him; so he had stuck with his casual clothing and thought it was enough for her.

He had slipped out the door and made his way to the small town and went to get flowers from the market. Just because he didn't dress up didn't mean he wasn't making an effort to make it special. He went to buy her flowers instead of plucking them from the ground like he normally would. No, he was getting flowers for her with his money.

When the vendor asked him what kind of flowers he wanted he had no idea. He didn't know what her favorite flower was. He had never asked, and she never told. He stood there, his hand touching his chin as he was lost in thought. "She's kind of a tomboy, I have no idea what flower she likes."

"Try the red roses. It's a classic, you can't go wrong with those."

Oh but you can. Red roses weren't exactly the type of flower he wanted. Or that she would have liked. Though it held a lot of sentiment, it wasn't the type of feeling he was going for. "Nah, I don't think she would like them. It's not her taste."

"Well, do you know her favorite color?"

He did know that answer. Looking at the flowers in her favorite color he looked them over before making his pick. So he pointed to the white ones.

"You want a dozen?"

Zoro nodded. A dozen was good. Plus, she had been 12 when she died.

The vendor only shrugged and grabbed them, counting a dozen before tying them together and handing them over to Zoro. He looked Zoro over, "so what's the sword for?"

"Oh," Zoro looked down at the small white sword at his hip and placed his hand on top of Wadō Ichimonji. "It used to be hers."

The man laughed, "that's some woman."

He smirked, "you have no idea."

The vendor accepted the money and smiled, asking Zoro if they were for a pretty woman, ending his question with a wink. Zoro had smirked and nodded, "yeah, its for my girl."

The vendor had smiled and told him good luck. Zoro had to smile at that. "Thanks."

Leaving the market he smelled the flowers and smiled. He liked to think she would have liked them. He held them carefully as he made his trip to her. Walking down the hill to her he took in the scenery. It was springtime and the flowers were beginning to bloom. He wouldn't be there to see them blossom this season.

He crossed the gates that surrounded the area where she was. He walked by others, countless loved ones, but went straight to the person closest to his heart. He spotted her grave and felt a slight pang in his heart. It had happened so long ago now, but it still hurt. He supposed that pain and emptiness might not ever go away.

Sure it hurt less now. But a part of him always welcomed the pain. It made sure he would never forget her. Or their dream. Despite that hole she left in him, she also gave him something to live for.

He placed the flowers at the foot of her grave, the white petals looking like silk. He kneeled down and put his hands together, bowing his head a little in respect. If she had lived she would be 18 now. A grown woman. He pitied himself on not being able to witness that.

He sighed and opened his eyes and lowered his hands. He sat on his knees, staring at the stone that had her name craved into it. "I don't know what hurts more. That you left me," he breathed in, "or that you never said goodbye."

It was true. Even though he was angry that she had left, a part of him thought that if had had a chance to say goodbye, the impact, or blow might have been easier. But some nights after he dreamed of her, he knew it would have hurt more. But how could one ever be sure?

He shook his head, "you're such a bitch." He smiled, "just had to piss me off huh?"

He sat back down on his ass and faced her tombstone. It was quiet as he thought of her favorite pass times with her. How he had come to know a good friend. It was bond he hadn't shared with anyone else. He treasured her so much he didn't dare make new friends.

He still remembered all those times with her like it was yesterday. Sparring with her in the early mornings, the birds sitting on the tree branches like they were watching them. After they finished they would walk to lie under the tree and take naps or point at the clouds and tell each other what they saw. Or simply watch the birds fly away.

He remembered walking to the ice cream store to get a cone. The little shop was still open, but he couldn't make himself walk inside. To this day, he couldn't eat sweets without thinking of her. Because of that, he mainly avoided eating them.

"Coward. Ran off before I could beat you huh?" he smirked, "afraid I would kick your ass?" he chuckled a little.

She had been so strong. After her death he trained night and day, fighting new students and beating them all. Then moving into town to challenge travelers that looked strong. He trained till he passed out and nearly killed himself with his training. He couldn't afford to get weak.

So he grew strong for both of them. Because it was now up to him to achieve their dream. The dream she never got a chance to see with her own eyes. Before, his training had been to beat her. But when she died, he focused on her, only her. He wanted to keep his promise to her. He never broke a promise.

He touched the white sword at his side. Wadō had been hers. But now it was his to carry. With that sword he would keep his promise. Even if she couldn't be there with him when he finally achieved his dream, a part of her would be.

He didn't know if there was an afterlife. If there was, he liked to think he would see her there. He picked up her sword and held it for a moment before pointing it at the grave, "the day we meet again," his face grew into a smirk "I'm kicking your ass little girl. You hear?"

Thanks to Phalanx for catching some grammar and spelling issues. There are some things I didn't change because…I'm lazy. I just changed the ones that really bothered me.