Chapter 1 :Greetings

When they announced there was a new student coming to Sunny academy, the whole school was buzzing with excitement and anticipation. To be honest, we never get new students… ever. For all the years I've been here we've never once had a new student and I've heard that it's even longer than that. So even though they were just going to be in one class, this newbie would be the centre of attention of the whole school. Like the sun and the planets; everyone's conversations and interests will revolve around them for quite some time. Well not mine of course. I don't really care about any new kid. My name is Roronoa Zoro. I'm head of the Sunny kendo[1] team and I plan on winning the championships to become the world's best. Swords are my sun and I am its earth.

There had been rumours going around for a while now; that there was going to be a new student arriving at Sunny Academy. However, nobody believed it until Mr Franky announced in assembly that it was true. So now, when I hear girls gossiping over it I just roll my eyes. It's boring to me already. Though, that's to be expected since I don't take an interest in the latest 'news' or 'goings on' with this school anyway. The only reason I go here, the same reason I've started here, is because this school has the best kendo team out of the schools I could apply to. However, no matter how hard I try, I can never seem to escape the gossip and usually end up 'in the know' weather I like it or not.

We were told a little about this transfer student in home room. I'm always hit when I try to sleep during lessons so I'm forced to listen and learn about whatever Mr Whitebeard is talking about. And of course, today our morning was opened up with an introduction for the new student who was arriving tomorrow. We learned that it's a guy and that he's the adopted son of a famous chef so, of course, that got the girls gossiping and fawning over their predictions on what he will look like; typical. Why do they care so much about what he's like? I mean, since I was forced into thinking about it I bet he's just another stuck up jerk who thinks he's so amazing and better than everyone just because of his connections. Tsk, whatever.

After five agonizing hours of dribble we're finally released and I'm able to seek solace in the school dojo[2]. I'm the only one in the team who trains in here after school every day, the rest of the team trains with me on Mondays, Wednesdays and Sometimes Fridays. I come here whenever I feel like it and train separately. The dojo is quiet and I'm able to relax and let go here. I live in a dojo anyway but it always has lessons going on and it's usually kids. So I can't get any training done and I'd interrupt if I tried to train at the back or something. So I worked it out with my sensei[3] to let me train here for two hours after school every day. He's almost never here anyway. So I make use of the empty training space. The way of the sword is my way of life, so I'll train hard to become the best. I won't accept anything less.

I've been training for half an hour now; running through moves, techniques and mind tactics. Kendo's not as easy as it looks, there's way more too it. However, although I love kendo, at around this time the teachers will be sealed in their classrooms for an hour of marking so there's no chance of me being seen… so I can pull out what I really love to train with; three REAL swords. This is my real style; what I'm best at. When I swing these deadly blades I feel a sense of power surge over me and imagine that the air I'm cutting is really a future enemy, getting in my way of being the best. Anyone who dares to…

"Three swords is a lot of weight to be swinging around. You should just dump two of them already." I stop dead in the middle of my attack and turn quickly to see the face of the arrogant statement clearly directed at me.

"Who the…?!" I don't know the voice and now that I've turned around I can see that I don't know the face either. He's blonde and has blue eyes (well, eye since only his right eye is visible since his left is covered by his hair), the eyebrow above that eye curves up into a swirl, he's tall but still an inch shorter than me with a slender figure. From what I can tell, he's skinnier than me he's not just skin and bones… He's standing in the entrance of the dojo smoking a cigarette and looking cocky as hell. And I am sure as hell not letting him get away with saying shit like that!

"Look, whoever you are, it's my style. So piss off."

"Do you really not trust your own strength that you have to hide behind three blades? You must really be weak."

"What the fuck would you know? You don't know me! I bet I'm a hell of a lot stronger than you; Skinny asshole!"

"LIKE HELL! There's no way a shitty marimo[4] like you is stronger than me!"

"M… Marimo? What the fuck?!" I yell. I've never been called something so idiotic! "Why would you call me that?!"

"Your hair is green." He pointed out. "Like moss. Hence, marimo."

"That's it, you want to fight you swirly brows?!" I can tell that struck a nerve because he flicks away his cigarette and walks up to me with a fiery look on his face.

"Sure, if you want to lose, asshole." I angrily hold out one of my swords for him to use. He snorts.

"You think I'd fight using one of those toothpicks? I use my own physical strength." That's it. This stuck up punk is going down.

I was surprised. His style is strange and I didn't expect it. When he placed his hands in his pockets I thought he was mocking me, until I nearly had my head kicked off! His kicks are fast and, I could feel from the strength of the wind caused by the kick that, they were bloody strong kicks. He seemed surprised that I dodged but smirked and released some of his attacks onto me. Muttering their names as he performed them, like I do, he struck me again and again with inhumanly powerful kicks. Whenever I used one of my own attacks he was prepared and either dodged or blocked it with his feet. I couldn't believe it. I was using real swords, with very real blades. Yet, he can block them with his feet and I can block some of his kicks with my blades and not cut him! We both end up going full out and after just 10 minutes we're standing across from each other; breathing heavily, our faces flushed and sweat dripping from our brows. It's incredible… we're so evenly matched. I realised this and replaced my swords back into their sheaths.

So our spur of the moment spar ended in a draw… he was too good for me to teach him a lesson and damn, fighting me just with kicks… He's definitely better than I predicted.

"You're pretty good, stranger."

"Not too bad yourself, Marimo." I frown. Was that meant to be a compliment?! I couldn't tell over the sound of the insulting name.

"Tell me." I start. "What's the deal with the kicking? You don't use your hands at all?"

"Nope. I use my hands only for cooking, not fighting. If I damage my hands in a fight then I won't be able to cook." He's different when he's not being critical or being an arse. He sounds passionate…

"What's your deal with the kendo getup?" He asks me indicating to my training uniform.

"Hm? I'm Roronoa Zoro; leader of this schools kendo cub and soon to be best swordsman in the world." I undo the top half of my uniform and allow it to drape around my shoulders. I see him staring intensely at my chest from the corner of his eye.

"What?" I grunt, turning fully towards him.

"Scar…" He doesn't raise his eyes from the long, bumpy scar that runs long my chest. I look down at my chest and shrug.

"Oh, this; it's just a result of a motorbike accident." I state bluntly. He mumbles something to himself, turns, and starts walking towards the exit.

"Wha…? Wait! Aren't you going to tell me who the hell you are?!" He stops at the exit and looks back and for some reason my heart thumps once loudly in my ear.

"You'll find out who I am soon and we'll fight again for sure so that I can win. Remember it." He stresses the word; remember. And with that, he left. Leaving me here wondering what the hell had just happened and who on earth he was.

It's now five hours later and I'm no closer to understanding the events that had just occurred or understanding why I can't get his image out of my head or why my heart thumps loudly when I remember how he looked against the light at the exit; with his cheeks still flushed from the spar and his hair being slightly brushed by the wind… I mean, I'm not head over heels for the guy; he said some shitty things and clearly has an attitude that clashes with mine. But… there's something about him that mesmerises me… not the mystery behind his identity or fighting style (although those are both bugging me too), it's something else; something more… interesting and almost, familiar.

I lied about my scar; I was told I received it in a motorbike accident and that I didn't remember anything about it because I'd also hit my head but I'm not 100% sure that's the entire truth. You don't get a vicious scar like this from an accident on the road. Of course, I still use this excuse since I don't know what actually happened and I wouldn't give a stranger any other information other than the basics.

He said we'd fight again so I guess today I made a new enemy… and that disappoints me for some reason. He's strong so if we do fight again I'm sure I'd get some good experience from it, which is good, but I have this nagging feeling like I don't want to just fight with him… I mean, not that I'd want to do anything else with him… hell, I don't even know what I mean when I say else. What else would I do with a guy I just met and don't even know the name of. I shouldn't be concerning myself with this. The only thing I should care about is my training… yeah; the dojo should be vacant of kids now so I'll go train to get that damn swirly brow guy out of my head. I've been lying on my bed whilst I thought about all this and as I stand I can see my reflection in my window next to my bed. I look up at my hair and run a hand through my green spikes. 'Marimo'…? Shitty swirly brows.

Today started off in the same old routine. I met Luffy, Ace and Ussop as I left my family's dojo and listened as they all yammered on about fantastical tales of adventures and great tasting foods. These three are the closest to friends that I have. Ussop is a long nosed compulsive liar with long curly brown hair. Everyone knows all the amazing stories he tells of him being brave and doing heroic things are just lies but nobody minds because his lies never hurt anyone and he's genuinely a good guy who just likes to put a smile on people's faces. He's probably the only one out of the four of us who's good at more than just one subject in school. He's amazing in science (especially chemistry), able to write entire professional-level novels for Japanese Language and as for any long range type sports; He's the best.

Luffy on the other hand is a walking time bomb. He's always constantly getting laid into by the teachers from stealing from the cafeteria or doing something else ridiculous like climbing the school's flag pole and just sitting on the top for an hour. He's a magnet for trouble and a complete moron in school. The only reason he still goes to Sunny academy is because his father holds a great influence in the local schools and because Luffy enjoys going here he's able to continue going here because his father makes it so. His brother Ace is just as hopeless. He's a few years older but has been held back two years because he didn't complete his final exams... twice. He has a tendency to fall asleep in the middle of things like tests, P.E lessons, talking, walking and eating. How? I don't even know how to begin to explain it… You'll just be talking to him whilst walking and in the middle of a sentence he'll just stop dead in his tracks and start snoring.

I don't get these people, but I'd be a complete loner without them and I enjoy their loud company. As we walk, I can tell Ace is itching to ask me something and he waits until Luffy is engrossed in one of Ussop's lies to ask me. (I swear, Luffy is one of the only people who genuinely believes his embellished shit).

"So hey, Zoro, I was walking past the school around four yesterday and I saw you leave with a pissed off expression on your face. You usually train until around five, right? Why'd you leave so early?" He asks me directly.

"Nothing serious, I just got bored of training yesterday so I left early." I lie.

"You sure? You looked somewhat annoyed, like someone had said something to you."

"As if I'd let anything anyone said bother me so much as to leave training early." I cross my arms to emphasise my point.

"I don't know; you are kind of sensitive when people say things to you that you don't like or agree with."

"I am not!" I yell defensively, not realising until afterwards the smirk on Ace's face because I just proved his point. "Tsk, whatever." I mumble.

"Well if you don't want to talk about it, I guess, I can't make you." He sighs. "Just don't let whatever actually happened plague your mind too much, it's not healthy."

"I told you all there is to it; there's nothing more to talk about." I protest.

"Sure." He smiles. I frown.

Ace knows that more happened, hell I wouldn't be surprised if he knew exactly what happened; he's always been that sort of guy who's able to read people's expressions and figure out what's wrong. It's probably because he's very charismatic. He's also surprisingly good when it comes to giving advice; he's helped me before so I should know. But in this case I just don't feel like talking about it. I mean, I don't even really understand what happened and I'm the one it happened to. He probably can't guess the entire situation because he's never met the swirly brow guy, which is good I guess because I just want to forget it.

We reach school and split up to go to our different homerooms (Ace and Ussop are both in different classes, Luffy is in the same as me). When Luffy and I enter our homeroom I can see loads of girls from other classes talking to girls in my class, but I don't know why. There's never usually this many students from other classes here before the final bell rings. As I walk past a group to reach my desk I hear some of the girls giggle and say things like 'you're so lucky to be in this class'. 'Lucky'? This class is nothing special, we're one of the smallest classes and nobody in here is particularly amazing, so I wonder why now the girls in this class are lucky.

The final bell rings so the bundles of girls are forced to leave and return to their own homerooms, which is good because it was way too crowded in here. We stand as Mr Whitebeard enters the room and sit when he tells us to and, as we sit, I see the principal (Mr S Franky) enter just after him. Mr Whitebeard stands beside his desk and Mr Franky stands in front of it like he's just about to announce something to the class.

"Good morning students. As you've all heard; a new student has arrived at Suuuuper Sunny Academy today!" He yells, falling into his ridiculous signature pose. Oh, yeah. I forgot about that, not that I care. I'm not in the slightest bit interested. "And your class has been chosen as our new student's homeroom." Well, of course. Our class is pretty much the only one with spaces and we are the smallest. "So, let me introduce our new student; Sanji. Be sure to make him feel welcome."

And with that introduction, Mr Franky ushered in the new student and, I swear, my heart stopped for a moment. When I saw that golden hair, shiny blue eye and twirly right eyebrow I realised that I actually was… quite interested…

TBC

Please leave feedback and reviews! Feel free to ask questions, I'll answer all. However, I won't be releasing any spoilers (=^‥^=).

This is my first EVER fanfic so let me know EXACTLY what you think :3

In case you didn't know;

[1] Kendo – A Japanese sport using wooden swords and heavy armour.

[2] Dojo – The training hall for martial arts students

[3] Sensei – A formal way of addressing your teacher

[4] Marimo – A type of moss

BTW: The rating may change in the future, i'm not sure how far I should make them go yet. Fufu ;)

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Eiichiro oda; the creator of One piece.