The Blind Brawler [ Roronoa Zoro X OC]

Chapter 6: Visitors in the Hospital

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Two voices seemed to drift into my mind from an early memory. My mother and father never knew that I could hear them. Even though I was in the next room and the doors were closed, when I pressed my ear to the wall I could hear every hushed and panicked word.

"Katsuro, dear, please!"

"Miku, I'm sorry, but you know my family's customs."

"I know and I never had any objections to this until she was born."

"You know I can't do anything about it. It's tradition!"

"But she can't possibly-"

"She must!"

"Katsuro!"

"This isn't a debate, Miku! Do you want to lose her?!"

"No! I-"

"Then stop fighting this! Please! ... Please... I'm worried sick about her, too."

"I just can't help but worry. What if the Elders won't accept that the next heir is a blind girl?"

"If Kaori accepts her destiny to become the next Korudosuton Warrior, then the Elders cannot lay a finger on her. It is her decision and her decision alone. She will choose whether or not to take on this dangerous responsibility, and you know as well as I do what happens if she ever says no."

"She's only a child."

"So was I when I decided."

"But you aren't blind. You aren't a fragile little girl."

"She isn't fragile, Miku. Kaori grows stronger every day. I know if she really tries, she can do this. She must!"

"But what if she can't?"

"She will."

"What if you're wrong?! I can't lose my baby!"

"... If Kaori does not choose to take on the duty of the Korudosuton name on her fifth birthday, then she will be disowned. There is nothing either of us can do."

I heard my mother cry and my father's hushed whispers to try and calm her fears. Tears sting my own sightless eyes as I worry about my parents and my future. I curl up under my covers and silently vow that no matter what the Elders say, no matter what the world throws at me I will never let my mother cry, and I will never let my father down.

That night, at only three years old, blinded from birth, and driven by my father's blood, I decided my path: I will bring honour and pride to the Korudosuton name.

Those same bitter tears of pride stung behind my eyelids when I woke. The first thing my mind registered was the stiff bandages covering my torso. Soon everything else came to me slowly. Sounds and smells gradually became more real. Starched clean linens caught my nose, as well as the metallic scent of blood. I heard the steady beep of a heart monitor, the clacking of shoes as girls scampered around the room, and the hushed voices behind a thin closed door.