Sorry I aint up-dated a quick as usual, my Horse wasn't very well and near enough fainted in my lesson (I thought I was putting on to much weight), but thank god he's okay the vet said it was just an allergic reaction. Phew, I was in tears! I know, but I am a softie for my animals!

He couldn't believe his ears. Did he just hear everything about her and got the wrong end of the stick? Or had he just hit the nail on the head? What ever it was he didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to hear that the girl he was feeling for had suffered. He didn't want to know that anyone had abused her in all areas. He didn't want to believe this. It was too much for him to cope with.

Flashback:

It just sounded suspicious that Nami was still crying and he wanted to knock when the time was right, not while they were still talking. So he leaned his head towards the door s that his knock would be on the right time rather then while she was crying, it would have been to awkward if it was about him and he just walked through the door. And it most certainly wouldn't get him back in Shanks' good books. Not that he was in there to begin with…

End of flash back

Zoro mentally cursed himself for eavesdropping in on the conversation. He felt UN believably angry. He hated the fact that a group of men, he didn't even know had the cheek to touch her. His anger just started to explode like fireworks.

Wondering what all the commotion was outside Shanks lay a sleeping nami on his office sofa at the side of the room, carefully removing some of her brightly orange colored hair from her wet face, before he went and opened the door with a frown. He looked around the reception and his eyes went straight towards the direction that he heard sobbing, where he laid eyes on a stressed out Zoro who was sitting on the floor in the far corner with his tanned hands covering his face, he was till letting out quite sobs. Shanks then sighted and released his frown. He knew Zoro must have over heard. And if he was honest his heart poured for the green-headed boy. He didn't like to see any of his students suffer and he was face to face now to suffering students who needed his help. But by looking at Zoro's reaction to Nami's emotional confession, it wasn't rocket science to work out that Zoro was distraught. This told Shanks the problem because it was painfully obvious. The kids fallen for her.

Zoro was then fully alert when he heard the office door close. And much to his dead, he looked around to find his red headed head teacher looking directly at him with a smile. Not know ordinary smile; a knowing smile. So now Zoro knew he had nothing to hid from his head, he know knew that he was falling for nami. Zoro stood up and started wiping his blotchy puffy eyes. The old mans never going to let me live this down.

Zoro and Shanks both took a seat next to each other. The room didn't have an atmosphere; all that could be heard were kids in the background moving around to get to their next lesson. Zoro started to tap his legs and looked around the large room as he waited for Shanks to speak, which he eventually did.

"Well you know what happened to her now don't you?"

"Yes."

"Good, what do you know exactly?"

"*takes deep breath* I-I know that she has been s-s-sexu-"tears started to form in Zoro's eyes. He didn't want to talk about it. It just caused to get this great ball of pain grow in his chest. Shanks saw this and decided to push him no further. It was hard for him and Shanks knew that.

"You have feelings for her."

"You know that" zoro replied rubbing his eyes before the tears had a chance to escape his eyes again.

"You going to tell her"

"I don't think it's the time"

"I do"

"That makes you so sure"

"She needs this kind of closer, to know that there is more then must me who cares"

Zoro looked at shanks. How does he know all this? Then something clicked in his mind. How did shanks know nami so well in the first place? And he asked.

"Well it goes back a long way, well with her mother to be honest. It started with a promise…"

flash back

belle-mere walked into the local bar and was immediately contaminated by the stench of cigars and booze, she loved it though. It took her way back, before she took in nami and her sister. Her eyes wondered around the small squared place and found the man she wanted.

She walked up to the bar and placed a bag full of coins infront of shanks, who was just about to start his drink.

" I want you to look after my cilden. Here is all the money I can give."

Shanks looked at his friend in shock as he placed his drink down. In all their years of growing up together never did he ever expect belle-mere to give up like this. It was noty in her nature. In fact she'd rather die then allow defeat.

"Belle-mere are you being serious?" he yelled causing all the rooms attention to flood themselves onto them. Belle-mere saw this and decided to hide no secrets everyone here were her friends and their was no point in blocking them out. Not any more.

Belle-mere grabbed a stool from the bat and stood on it as she took center stage for her speech.

" everyone, I may not be acting myself, I know that. But I'd rather be dead then watch people even spill I tiny drop of blood for my safety. That is something that would damage my pride. But this isn't about my pride guys. This is about my promise. My promise to 2 kids that I have used blood sweat and tears to bring up. Now I am sure you all remember the day I brought nami and noiko here. That was the day I found them, the day I made the promise that, even if not by blood. I'll still be as much of a mother that I could be for them. And at no price will I break that promise." Belle-mere stood there and wached her audience stand there with the warmest smiles that she had ever seen. And in some she had never seen so many mixed emotions. She couldn't tell wether tjhey were proud, disappointed or just upset. But that didn't matter. She turned her head behing her and here body followed when she found a sack of money in her face, with a smirking shanks behind it. He didn't figt back the tears but continued to smile and his friend.

" in that case belle-mere … I PROMISE TO WATCH OVER YOUR CHIDREN!"…

End of flash back.

Zoro watched shanks with amazed eyes. It was like shanks was reading out his favourite story book and zoro being the kid was really intersested. The zoro snapped into reality and his thoughts rushed straight back to nami.

"where is she?"

"robins watching her"

"oh…" sanks knew that zoro wasn't going to ask. So he thought he'd help him out a little and just give him a hint to.

"However *shanks started to twiddle with his fingets* … me and robin are quite hungry and it luch so we would like to get something to eat… would you mind?..."

zoro smirked. Shanks just knewe him to well.

"sure I will"

READ AND REVIEW and I promise to put up the next chapter real soon. In the next chapter I am going to open it up with nami making up to find zoro sitting next to her …