Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.
She was leaning on her arms outside on the deck, the moonlight reflection off the waters of the ocean.
It was past one, and everyone on deck was asleep. They all got themselves drunk in celebration for some random reason.
Nami was not asleep.
She could not. It was September 10, the anniversary of Bellemere's death nine years ago.
A lone tear fell on her cheek, yet she hastily wiped it away.
'No, I'm not going to cry. I haven't cried in so long, and I won't now' she thought. She closed her eyes; her tears weren't listening to her.
Belle-mère was her mother, even if she wasn't her birth mother. Nami never knew her real mother. She wasn't sure who it was. Her father disappeared from her life, that's all she knew. Then Belle-mère found Nojiko and herself, and they became a family. Even though she didn't live the best life, she never regretted the fact the she indeed, loved Belle-mère.
When she opened her eyes, she found her cheeks soaked with tears. She wiped them away, yet they kept coming.
"You know, it's okay to cry."
Nami looked at the area the voice came from; leaning his back on the ship with an emotionless face was the former pirate hunter: Zolo. He seemed to be staring at the sky.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, not even looking at Zolo.
"You never answered my question."
"Go away Zolo."
A silence passed between them.
"Why are you crying?" he asked. 'Why is he so persistent?' she thought.
"I'm not." She said, refusing to look at him.
He walked up to her. He brushed his finger against her cheek, wiping a tear.
"Either I'm hallucinating, or you're crying." He told her.
"I guess you're hallucinating then. Should I call Chopper?"
He smirked. He leaned his arms on the deck, like Nami, and started talking again.
"It's okay to cry." He said, looking at his reflection. Nami looked away.
"Yea right. What would you know about crying?"
Zolo chuckled. "I've cried. I know how it feels."
"Why are you bothering me?" she asked, facing him. He looked at her from the corner of his eye.
"Simple. You're crying because you're upset. You shouldn't be upset, you should be sleeping."
"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" she asked again.
"Couldn't. I heard you crying." Nami raised her eyebrows. "Sleeping on the deck." He answered for her. Nami nodded, showing she understood.
Another momentary silence passed.
"Why were you crying?"
She looked down. "I don't want to talk about it." Zolo looked at her.
"You should. It helps, trust me."
"I don't care."
"Well I do."
Nami looked at him with disbelief. He was staring at the calm ocean waters, not looking at her any longer.
"If it helps… I cried when I found out my best friend was in an accident."
"Really?" she gulped. "What happened to him?"
He closed his eyes. "Her. Her name was Kuina, and she was a girl."
Nami felt jealousy rise within her. 'What? I can't feel jealous. Why do I care?'
He sighed. "She was a girl, and a great master with swords. One day, she defeated an older man, who couldn't take the embarrassment. He came back with friends, and then she had an injury that would forever stop her from becoming a swordsman… er, swordswoman."
Nami was silent. She didn't know what to say.
"Crying isn't a crime. It only destroys a bit of your pride." He said.
Seeing as Nami wouldn't talk, he got up to leave, but she held him by the arm, not facing him.
"Today is the day my foster mother died."
He sat back down, seeing as this was a moment where Nami would need someone by her side, even Zolo knew that.
"I loved her, and miss her…"
He did something unexpected. He embraced her in a hug, and she took the liberty to cry on his shoulder, while he soothed her by rubbing her back.
"It's okay to cry." He whispered, and kissed her forehead.
She soon fell asleep in his arms, exhausted from crying. She carried her bridal style and placed her in her room. Before he left, she grabbed his arm once again, and whispered "Thank you".
He smiled, and left her to sleep in peace.
AN: This is a one shot, wanted to see how it came out. What did you think?
Please review.