A/N: Haha, it so didn't take me 'til 3 to get this one done! *is 2AM*

Gabu: Graff Grrr Gruff Grurrr!

Chopper: He says 2AM ain't any better and to go to bed otherwise your teacher's gonna kill you for not doing the homework that's due on monday!

A/N: It's cool, it'll all work out..!

Gabu/Chopper: BAKA!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rippling Regrets

~A Few Minutes Later~

Zoro stopped rubbing his hair and placed the towel around his neck.

'Idiot...' He whispered to himself. Suddenly he slammed his fist into the wall and within a few seconds his head followed suit.

"Idiot! You could've ruined everything!" He yelled at himself, his face pressed to the wall and his sweat soaked green hair sticking to his forehead.

"Ruined what, Marimo?"

Zoro whipped around upon hearing the annoyingly familiar voice to see Sanji sitting on the edge of the crow's nest hatch door, he was holding a tray with food and a mug of sake in one hand while balancing himself with the other.

"What're you doing up here?" Zoro asked in a demanding growl. Sanji simply placed the tray next to himself and looked at Zoro with a bored glare in his visible eye.

"Robin-chan said that you would be training up here and asked me to bring your lunch up to you." He said calmly as the smoke from his cigarette drifted from his mouth. Zoro only grunted in reply and put the towel back on his head and began rubbing again, hoping to avoid eye contact with him.

"So what was it that you regretted so much right now..?" Sanji inquired as he took the cigarette out of his mouth and crossed one leg over the other, but only got another grunt in reply.

"Reaka-chan looked a bit shaken up on her way down... Just what did you do to her up here for so long...?" Sanji demanded, sounding more serious this time. Zoro stopped rubbing his hair, his face turning red with anger at being accused of something as dishonorable as that by someone like Sanji.

"Nothing. Stop accusing people of things they didn't do and get lost, Butterfly Face!" Zoro yelled as he picked up a nearby weight and threw it at Sanji, who quickly slipped down the hatch to the ladder.

'How did it come to be that he of all people would accuse me!' He asked himself as he walked over to the tray of food.

~Grass Deck~

Reaka had just finished making her slowly down the rope ladder, still thinking about what had just happened. She was making her way towards the women's quarters when she saw Nami sitting on the mast bench next Usopp, they seemed to be talking about the three blue poles he was holding.

"Hi Nami, Usopp." She said putting up her best face. Nami and Usopp both looked up and smiled.

"Hi Reaka, need anything?" Nami asked her as Usopp went back to examining the poles.

"Umm, yeah. I wanted to know if I could take a bath and if so, where?" She asked, slightly embarrassed at the question. Nami stood up.

"Sure, I'll take you there. I need to take a shower anyways, c'mon! Hey Usopp, can you take care of that for me?" Nami asked, once seeing him nod she took Reaka's hand and led her to the women's quarters to get their stuff.

~Bath Room~

"So, Sanji-kun said he was gonna make us some nice desserts when we get out. Doesn't that sound great?" Nami asked as she finished putting up a curtain between the shower and the bath for Reaka's privacy.

"Yeah! Sounds great, wanna play some cards while we eat?" Reaka replied as she poured some soap into the gathering water while she undid her ponytail and started to remove her cloths.

"Alrighty, deal. We'll play cards while we eat, but in the mean time lets clean up." Nami said as she rubbed shampoo through her hair.

'That was kinda awkward, I mean other men have always tried to grab me but this time was different... But why?' Reaka asked herself mentally as leaned her head against the tub side, her hair floating all around her. She gently grabbed the soap bubbles floating on the water, then she playfully piled them on top of each other into a mountain shape and blew at them, making the mountain turn into a volcano as the soap exploded into clumps and flew into the air. Playing with soap bubbles always helped her get her mind off of things.

'Oh, well. I'm sure it was just a random hug, we are friends after all, right?' Her innocence trying to lie to her as she slid deeper into the water so that it covered her mouth but she could still breath through her nose.

"So Reaka, how'd training with Zoro go?" Nami inquired, now scrubbing her arms with body wash. Hearing Nami's question, Reaka went bright red as her nose then slipped below water level and her breath made bubble in the water.

"Hey, Reaka! You ok over there?" Nami called, sounding worried this time. Reaka brought her head out of the water and took a deep breath.

"Uh, yeah... Sorry. Training was good, I was able keep up with Zoro for the most part until he got his second sword." She said, finally responding. Nami sighed at hearing this then nodded.

"Great, glad it worked out." She said as she turn the knob to shut off the shower and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around herself.

"Hey, Reaka? Need any help washing your hair? You sure got a lot." Nami told her, smiling as she pulled back the curtain and sat on the tub side.

"Sure, thanks." Reaka said as she moved under the water towards Nami. Wrapping her arms around her breasts for privacy, she let Nami gather her hair together.

"Nami, I do have one question for you." She said, shivering as she felt Nami pour the cold shampoo onto her scalp.

"Hmmm.. What's that?" Nami asked as she began to lather the soap in. It was a special shampoo she had bought at the market that made hair softer and shinier, it smelled of strawberries and cream.

"Where did Zoro get that scar on his chest?" Reaka asked as she handed Nami some conditioner.

"Well, Reaka. I.. I was off doing something at the time it happened." Nami said, trying figure out a way to not tell Reaka that she stolen the Merry at that time and ditched the boys.

"But I heard from Usopp what happened. It was when we first met Sanji-kun at the restaurant he was working at, at the time," She continued.

"A man by the name of Hawk-Eyes Mihawk showed up and Zoro challenged him to a dual so that he could see how good his skill was compared to Mihawk's, and Mihawk agreed to it. Needless to say, the fight didn't last long. Zoro, knowing that he had lost and that it would be dishonorable as a swordsman to die by a wound to the back, he opened his front to Mihawk, who landed the last devastating blow that ripped across Zoro's chest. But Mihawk was fond of Zoro's strong will so his last words to Zoro before leaving, was that he openly invited Zoro to surpass him at his highest strength and for Zoro to become the strongest swordsman. So there you have it, that's the story behind the scar that stands as a lasting promise." Nami said, finally finishing the story and slightly out of breath from telling so much at one time. Reaka sat in silent shock, eyes wide and mouth agape, then suddenly blurted out.

"He challenged Mihawk! Was he insane!" Nami simply chuckled at the question as she rinsed Reaka's hair.

"Yup! That's Zoro, not the brightest lanturn on the wall sometimes. But it gave him a good standing point of how far off he was to his dream and promise." She said as she walked over and got two towels, one for Reaka's hair and the other for her body.

"Dream and promise?" Reaka asked, wrapping the towel around herself as Nami let out the water.

"Yup. He's never told us who he promised, all we know is that it was an old friend of his. But becoming the world's strongest swordsman is his dream. You see, to be part of the Straw Hats, Luffy will only truly let people in who have a dream they hold dear and are willing to die for. Such as his is to be pirate king." Nami told her as she fluffed up her orange hair.

"Dreams... It's nice to know people still believe in dreams..." Reaka said softly, a sad smile on her face as she tied the towel around herself.

'I wish I could have a dream... But I won't make it past the Jadefyre islands. Since I was little I've always wanted to find someone nice and caring to marry. But it looks like that will never happen, at this point I won't even be able to see mama and High Cloud again...!' She thought to herself, tears starting to dampen her eyes. Nami turned to her, slightly worried.

"Reaka, you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. The steam's just getting to my eyes. By the way, Nami, what's your dream?" Reaka responded as she placed a very real looking fake smile on her face.

"Well, I want to make a map of the whole world. I promised my mom I would before she died and I plan to keep that promise!" Nami said, smiling back.

"Now come on and dry up, we got desserts and cards waiting for us." She cheered as the two of them slipped their clothes on.

~~~~~~~~~~A/N: Aww, poor Reaka! And man, it took forever to summerize what happened between Mihawk (who has the most epic fashion sense evar) and Zoro! *anime fall!* Yeah, this was just one of those lame fillers until we get to the island in front of Jadefyre island! Hope you're enjoying the story. ^^

Gabu/Chopper: GO TO BED!

P.S. I really do use a "Strawberries and Cream" shampoo, it smells really good. I think Zoro's gonna like xP o_o! That might be why I can't get rid of the little bugger!