Across the Ocean (Zoro x OC)

2 - Mira

"My God!" he was greeted, when the door got opened for him. The corpulent woman, who ran the inn he had stayed overnight, blinked in disbelief. Him again! She blinked a third time when she also saw the girl on his back, who seemed to be unconscious. "Did you run into pirates?" she hissed, pushed past him and checked quickly all directions whether he had been followed by someone or not.

"More like running into me," Zoro explained, but was already dragged into the building by his forearm. The landlady closed the door behind him immediately and rearranged the bolt again. Precautions against uninvited visitors! The common room of ​​the inn, normally lit up by the daylight, having set up some simple wooden tables and seats, was completely dark. She had not lit a lamp or a candle.

"You got some nerve to show up!" she put both hands on her hips.

Rolling his eyes because it had not been his choice, he went straight to the actual topic: "Can you help her?" He nodded slightly at Akiko, whose head was resting on his shoulder. "She got injured, and this town's people seem to be pretty serious about their curfew!" He had passed two or three doctor's offices on his way - basically just a coincidence, of course, that he ended up at the inn again - but not a single one had been opened! And there was not a response to his calls and knocks, either.

"I told you that everything will be closed at dusk! No exceptions!" the landlady grumbled and then stepped around the two of them, so she could take a candle from the counter and light it with a match. The curtains in front of the windows were closed and also thick enough, so no one could peek in. After illuminating the room a bit, the woman almost recoiled once more, as soon as she discovered the gaping wound on the girl's back: "Oh, God!! How did that happen?"

"Two strange guys were after her."

The landlady did not comment further, but asked Zoro to bring the injured one upstairs. "I'll get a few things and come with you, then."

"Where should I go exactly?"

"Just take the room you slept in. I just made the bed."

And so he carefully carried Akiko upstairs. Zoro had already been the only guest since yesterday, but now, he understood the reason: thanks to the pirates who were rampaging the city, no traveller would make their way to Evida. Maybe you could not even cross the official border? The swordsman had wandered along side-streets to Evida, so he did not know, but he could guess, that the landlady would probably have to give up her inn entirely, if there was not a miracle to happen soon...

Reaching the end of the stairs, he turned to the left, as there was only a bay window on the right. Then he kicked open the second door from the right, which was ajar. The sign, that the room would actually be available. The swordsman entered. The last sun rays of the day came through the small window and illuminated the room at least a little. "Hey, can you hear me?" Zoro turned his head in Akiko's direction, but she didn't answer. Still unconscious. Gritting his teeth, he walked three meters to the bed, turned, and crouched down carefully to let the young woman slide off his back. At first, he had imagined a more difficult journey with her on his back, but her actual weight had hardly bothered him.

After the redhead's body touched the mattress, he guided her to lie on her side. As soon as he stood up again, a warm yellow glow fell on the injured woman from behind, and his own shadow fell protectively over her body.

"I hope that the wound is less bad than it looks!" the inn owner said. She carried the burning candle that provided the light in one hand, and a small bowl - like the one being used for washing your face - in the other. A cloth and various bandages were placed in the bowl. She put the needed supplies on the night stand next to the bed, then pulled the only chair in the room to her side and sat down. Leaning forward, she rolled the young woman over, onto her stomach. "I can only provide basic treatment."