The pitch-black sky would have perfectly matching the dark ocean below had it not been for the flecks of light that dotted its face. A smiling lion figurehead lead an elaborate vessel over the serene ocean surface causing ripples to deface it. All crew was asleep onboard except for one restless mind.

Nico Robin sat on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, accompanied only by a slowly burning candle which she had been using for reading light. But now her book lay useless on her lap and her eyes directed themselves skyward.

Small, the open sky made her feel so small, insignificant even but she knew that everyone under that sky knew her name and were howling for her death. The world's evil and hatred had become her shadow. And that shadow had attempted to consume her precise nakama. Out of fear she had fled, hoping they would hesitate to follow. However, with the world's evil pointed at their hearts her nakama stood by her and among the calls for her death they asked her to find the strength to live. Luffy had promised Robin they would never leave her. She believed him, and knew that in his eyes she would never be seen as a burden.

Despite her faith in Luffy's words one thought still encompassed her mind. Was the rest of the crew just following orders? Was she simply a burden to bear for their captain? At this though one man came to mind, he seemed to be twisting his way into her thoughts a lot lately.

As her thoughts ended so did the steady rhythmic snoring that had been coming from the opposite end of the deck. Heavy boots began to make their way towards her, stifling her thoughts. Calmly she opened the book on her lap and moved her eyes across the words, but not taking any in. As a loud drawn out yawn sounded behind her. Her eyes returned to the sky and she allowed her mind to whirl with thoughts for one more second. She was Monkey D. Luffy's nakama but was she Roronoa Zoro's?

"Don't you ever sleep," said Zoro, lazily rubbing the back of his head.

Robin tore her eyes away from the dark sky, her lips curling mechanically; she turned to face the swordsman. "I'm sorry Mr. Swordsman. Did I wake you?"

"I was just heading into the cabins," he paused, grimacing at her smile. "Shouldn't you be in the crow's nest?'

"Mr. Cook is on watch tonight. He was kind enough to bring my some coffee before he took his post," she said, gesturing to the steaming cup on the table.

"Baka! Then why are you awake," grumbled Zoro. Robin smiled up at him and giggled softly.

"I enjoy the night. Its much more peaceful especially on a ship as lively as this one."

Zoro eyed her critically. Robin had been acting strange ever since the Enies Lobby incident. Her behavior had gone unnoticed by the rest of the crew, who were too overjoyed to have her back to see beyond their happiness, but the ever watchful swordsman had noticed the shift in her attitude.

"When was the last time you slept?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Robin giggled at his stern expression. "Are you worried about me, Mr. Swordsman?"

At her last words Zoro slammed his fist on the table causing the coffee to spill. Robin winced at the sudden movement but kept her face even.

"Why would I worry about you?" he hissed. "All you do is distance yourself from us. You claim to care about this crew but you can't even call us by out own names!" Robin took a sharp intake of breath at his words.

"I'm sorry," said Robin, trying not to let tears fill her eyes.

Zoro sighed at her words. "Go to sleep. Who knows what kind of shit we'll get ourselves into tomorrow." He turned and walked towards the cabin.

"Goodnight," she said in a barely audible whisper. Zoro could hear the sadness in her voice and turned towards her. Ruffling the hair on the back of his head he stared at the woman. He should be angry with her but instead he felt rather guilty about his sudden outburst. Something about her made him go soft and he found himself thinking of someway to comfort the woman.

"Listen woman, to be part of this crew you can't go around sounding depressed all the time. Your our nakama, and its time that you accepted that fact and learned to live with it," he said.

These words had been his attempt at comfort but despite his effort they still sounded rather punishing. However, Robin was an intelligent woman and could see beyond his tone. Her sadness melted away and a small giggle escaped her lips.

"I'm part of this crew," she said, in a questioning tone. "When you say I'm nakama does that mean that I'm your nakama as well?" Zoro stiffened at the question. This damn woman just didn't know when to quit.

"Unfortunately yes," said Zoro, in his best attempt at an indifferent tone. Not being able to handle anymore of the woman's prodding, he promptly turned and headed toward the cabins.

However, halfway to the cabin door he stopped in his tracks, thin graceful fingers had enclosed around his wrist. Looking down he saw Robin's disembodied hand growing from the railing. As if on cue, the hand disappeared in a shower of petals as footsteps sounded behind him. Zoro turned to see the archeologist striding towards him. She stopped just a foot away, severely breaking Zoro's code of personal space. He began to back up but was once again stopped by her hand, her real hand this time. Robin had placed her hand gently on Zoro's cheek.

"I'm glad that we're nakama now," she said with a smile. "But I wonder… could we ever be more." Her voice faded on the last word and she began to move closer and closer to Zoro. He was paralyzed. The mighty Roronoa Zoro could not find the strength to push the woman back. Her lips connected with his in a delicate kiss.

Zoro stood pacified, completely confused. He blinked and Robin was walking away. At this point his instinct took over. Reaching out he grabbed Robin's wrist and spun her around to face him. To his annoyance she had a rather knowing look in her eye. Ignoring her gaze Zoro leaned in closer to her. Just before their lips made contact Luffy gave a yell below deck, something about a midnight snack. The yell seemed to reawakened the logic that Robin's kiss had taken from him. With his perception of reality back in place, Zoro stopped inches away from her and released a heavy sigh.

"You can be rather cruel, you know that?" he said, letting her go and stepping back. A smile spread over Robin's face. Not her usual painted on smile but a toothy grin that looked… genuine. Zoro was taken aback by the smile but did not let it show on his face, he had shown enough emotion to this woman for one night. He simply grunted and walked below deck without another word.

"… could we ever be more." He hadn't answered. But he had left Robin with something, a clearly defined sense of hope. Her smile changed back into a mechanic smirk as her fingers touched her lips. They were still tingling from when Zoro's breath had passed over them.

"You can be rather cruel yourself, Zo… Mr. Swordsman."