Description
Two years. It has been two years since you were split up. Two long, hard, and eventful years since you have seen the Straw Hat crew. Walking on the soapy grass of the Sabaody Archipelago brought back memories, both painful and joyful. You sighed deeply, remembering all the fun you had, bouncing up and down on the soap bubbles a couple of years ago with the crew. Just being back here was extremely nostalgic, causing your mind to overflow with the memories of the past. But, they were only memories, and you were so giddy on the inside, knowing that you would soon be able to see your fellow crewmates again, and out of them, there was one you wanted to see for so long. You couldn’t wait to see everyone again. Smiling brightly with a confident step in your stride, you picked up your pace and headed over to grove 41, where the Thousand Sunny has been docked for all these years.
Quickly approaching the ship, your smile grew wider as you saw the faint outline of someone on the ship. As you got closer, you realized the person wasn’t wearing any pants, which made you giggle slightly, knowing that the cyborg Franky was on the ship at the moment. Soon, you were standing just beside the ship, gazing up at it in awe. Not a single scratch, just as it was left. You noticed a slight glaze over the ship, meaning that Rayleigh had done the coating on it for the trip to Fishman Island.
Bursting with excitement, you climbed aboard the Sunny and on to the lawn, now covered in the tough bubble coating. The sound of your feet raised awareness in Franky, causing him to turn around. At first, his expression was alarm as he poised himself to attack, but he soon dropped his stance upon realizing that it was you. He smiled widely, storing away his weapons, and approaching you for a happy greeting.
“_______! It’s you! It’s suuuuuper to see you again!” He said happily.
“Nice to see you to Franky!” You greeted him back. “I can’t believe how much you’ve changed! You’re like a robot now! That’s so damn cool!” You said in awe. “How will you work on the ship with those huge hands of yours?!”
“Check it.” Franky said with a goofy smile as he held out his hands. “I’ve got HANDS INSIDE MY HANDS~!” He said as two smaller yellow hands came out of the palms of his red ones.
“Oh my god that’s awesome!” You replied, laughing. “That has got to be one of the coolest things you’ll ever be able to apply to a regular task!”
“Quite the suuuuper change, huh?” Franky grinned. “I can see you’ve changed a bit too _______! For starters, your hair changed in length! It suits you quite well!”
“Aww, thanks man!” You said with a smile. “So, has anyone else shown up yet?” You added.
“As a matter of fact, yes! Chopper, Nami, and Usopp were here a while ago, but they left to go do some shopping most likely.” Franky said.
“U-usopp was here?! Damn! I guess I just missed him then!” You said with a hint of frustration in your tone.
“Well, they shouldn’t be that far off. The shopping district is near, so try checking over there.” Franky suggested.
“I will!” You said. “I’ll just leave my stuff by the swing, kay?”
Just as you put your things down and started to leave, you were stopped by Franky for a moment.
“_______, I have a question.”
“Ask away bro.” You said.
“The reason you’re heading out, well, just my intuition, but even after two years, do you still, you know…” Franky hinted, trying not to sound as rude as he thought he was.
You understood what he was hinting at and a light blush dusted your cheeks. “Yes Franky, even after two years, I still do kinda… care for Usopp.” You admitted.
“Heheh, I kinda thought so. You two DID have the strongest friendship out of all of us.” Franky said.
“That’s something about me that hasn’t changed.” You laughed lightly. “See ya around!” You added, hopping off the side of the ship and running off in search of your crewmates.
“Bye!” Franky called, waving you off.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Hmmm, I wonder what stores Nami would be in at the shopping district.” You thought aloud, wandering from store to store.
It couldn’t be that hard to find her. She would most likely be the one walking around with extremely expensive stuff in her bubble bags. Then again, there were a lot of people walking around with expensive things in bubble bags. Sighing, you kept of walking around, hoping to find someone soon. Then, you heard your name being called. Looking up, you scanned the area in the direction you heard the call. Your name was called again and you ran in the direction it was coming from, Soon, you finally found the source of the voice calling you. It was Nami with Robin!
“Nami! Robin! Oh my god that was you calling me?!” You asked.
“Yep! We saw you from a distance, so I called you over!” Nami said, smiling.
“Jeez! It’s so great to see you!” You said, hugging her and Robin.
“Great to see you too _______!” Robin said. “By the way, your hair looks great! It suits you better!”
“Thanks! Your guys’ hair looks absolutely fabulous too. Like Nami, your hair being that long, GORGEOUS! And Robin, well jeez its increase in length works out for you SO well!” You complimented.
Both Nami and Robin thanked you for the compliments, just as you remembered something you should ask.
“Oh, hey! Have you seen Usopp anywhere?”
“Hmmm, nope. He left the moment we went to go look for “girly” things top buy.” Nami laughed.
“Aw. Well, whatever! I’m going to see if I can find anyone else! Give them a good old fashioned _______ greeting!” You smiled.
“See you!” Nami and Robin said, waving you off as you ventured further into the archipelago.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
On your walk, you ran into Zoro and Sanji near a fish market. Your greeting to Zoro was a fist-bump and a bro hug, like a baws. When you turned to Sanji with your smile, he let a nosebleed rip and sent himself flying back into a tree. When you asked what his deal was, Zoro told you that he was sent fling to an island full of cross-dressers for two years. You laughed with Zoro and started making jokes on how he had to live the “okama way!” Though you pitied Sanji slightly for landing on such a shitty island. He hasn’t seen a woman in years.
“Awww, Sanji hasn’t seen a girl in so long!” You said in a sappy voice, bending down to where he was lying on the ground. “Things will get better!” You added, petting him on the head and causing him to unleash a fury of hearts around him.
“_______ stop teasing him! Our cook doesn’t need to die from blood loss. That’s our food source!” Zoro said, intending to be serious, but couldn’t help to chuckle slightly at how you were being an ass to him.
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m going to go look for the others now! See you two!” You said, waving and running off in the direction of the amusement park.
Even in the daylight, the amusement park shone brightly with the smell of treats and the sound of rollercoasters around. Now this place held some epic memories. All the fun you had here was something you could never forget. As you passed by a bulletin board, a poster with the words “Soul King” written across it caught your eye. Pausing to look at it, you smiled, realizing that Brook’s face was on the poster, meaning he was holding a concert here on this little archipelago. You wished you could go see, but from where you were standing, you could see the crowd trying to push its way into the giant building where the concert was being held. Shrugging your shoulders, you took a long walk around the park in search of your crewmates.
After a while, you grew slightly tired of walking around, so you decided to take a seat on a nearby bench. Leaning back and relaxing, you let the scents of the various foods fill your nose. One scent caught your attention. It was the smell of cotton candy. You had a thought that maybe, just maybe, a certain little reindeer would be around here somewhere, and sure enough, when you turned you head to the cotton candy stand, you saw Chopper standing there, gleefully eating a giant wad of cotton candy.
“Chopper!” You called, waving at him.
When he looked over in your direction, he smiled happily and waved back, calling your name. Before he headed over, he bought another stick of cotton candy and rushed at you. Chopper stuck the sticks into the ground and jumped at you, hugging you tightly.
“It’s so great to see you _______!” He laughed.
“Same to you Chopper! You’ve gotten cuter~!”
“S-shut up! You think that’ll make me happy, asshole~!” Chopper said, blushing.
You laughed. “Your attitude still hasn’t changed! You’re still the same, awesome Chopper I knew a couple of years ago!”
“Oh! Here! I got you this!” Chopper said, handing you the stick of cotton candy.
“Thanks Chopper!” You said happily.
The two of you sat and ate your cotton candy while chatting away happily for a few minutes. After you finished, Chopper said he had to go back to the Sunny and do something. You nodded and waved him off as he left the park. Sighing, you leaned back on the bench and wondered where Usopp could be. You’ve seen everyone but him and Luffy. The whole archipelago shouldn’t need to be explored to find him. You really wanted to see him too. It’s been two years since you saw him. You missed him so much.
“Where could that dork possibly be.” You thought aloud. “I’ve been to the shopping district, and around the amusement park. Where else could he be?”
In your thoughts, you started to just remember everything that you did here before. The rides, the games, everything. Maybe while you sat here, you would just take the time to immerse yourself in all the memories. Glancing to your left, you saw a familiar area just beyond the park. The trees position, the ruins of a building, something about it was familiar. Then, it hit you. The memory you never wanted to remember.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Run! Focus on escaping! Meet back at the ship in three days! Just get out of here!” Luffy yelled.
You ran in a panic, dodging the fire of the enemy. Lasers were flying everywhere, and two pacifista were taking down the crew. You heard a cry of fear, causing you to stop and jerk in the direction it came from. Dissappearing. Everyone was slowly disappearing. The real Bartholomew Kuma was sending away your crewmates with the touch of his hand. An aim for Usopp was taken, and you smashed his arm with your feet as hard as you could.
“DON’T TOUCH MY NAKAMA!” You yelled. “RUN USOPP!” You added, bolting in the opposite direction of Kuma. “I’m not losing you now!”
You and Usopp ran as fast as you could. Kuma resorted to taking out the closer targets for the time, sending them away to wherever they would go. Tears started to flow from your eyes as you watched them disappear. Suddenly, you tripped on something. You hit the ground hard and you tried to get up as fast as you could, but Kuma was soon upon you. A look of fear was reflected in your eyes as you looked from Kuma to Usopp. He was the last thing you saw. Running at you, trying to save you, or get you away from him for a moment, Usopp ran at you, screaming your name.
Knowing this was your end, and you couldn’t do anything about it, you wanted to say one thing before you were blasted away by Kuma. You never had the courage before, but now, you wanted your last words to him to be this.“U-usopp! I-I lov-!” You tried to say, but with a swift swipe from Kuma, you were sent fling off in a random direction, completely unsure of if you would ever see him again. The only thing you remembered, was the both of you screaming, and the tears in both your eyes as you were sent flying away from your nakama.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“I never finished the sentence when Kuma sent me flying. I wish I did.” You said to yourself, crying slightly. “I wish we were never separated. That would have been even better. Living on that island without him, was just too hard. I missed everyone, but I missed him more. Friggin Kuma.”
You pulled your knees up to your chest on the bench as you remembered the painful memories for two years ago. You wished you didn’t remember it. It was something you wished to disappear and never come back. Living on that island you landed on sucked. It was boring, people were mean to you for the first week, and the worst part, you suffered without your closest friend beside you. Usopp was someone that you had bonded with in a way no one ever has before. Over time, you began to like him, and you were always at his side in battle, and in play. You willingly admitted that to everyone on the crew but Usopp of course. This is why you were so excited to be back here today. It was to see the crew that you missed dearly, and the one person that you cared for the most. Even though he’s kind of a dork, you still liked him. He was the only one that could make you blush.
“I hate these shitty memories. Why did I look over there. Now I miss Usopp more than ever. Why is his ass so hard to find?” You said, face palming and wiping the few tears that came to your eyes.
“Miss me? Someone missed me?” A familiar voice asked.
You froze in realization. That voice could only belong to one person. You removed your hand from your face and looked up to see Usopp standing in front of you, looking a little different from the two years he was gone, but still the same as ever in a way.
“Usopp!” You yelled, grabbing him and hugging him tightly. “Oh my god I’ve missed you so much! Where were you?! I’ve been looking for you!” You said frantically, starting to cry slightly.
“I was just getting off a ride and I saw you! Man it’s nice to see you too! Your hugs are as strong as ever!” He laughed.
You composed yourself and let him sit down next to you. A huge smile was spread across your face as you tried to get rid of the stupid tears that kept persisting to flow forward.
“S-sorry! I just kinda… miss people after two years.” You said.
“It’s alright! So you were looking for me?”
“Yeah. I went on a hunt to find everyone so I could say hi again. I got excited and just wanted to see them all early I guess!” You said.
“You’re naturally excited!” Usopp laughed, but then turned slightly serious. “Hold on, you were shedding a few tears a moment ago. Why?” He asked.
“Oh… I was just remembering some shitty memories. Ones I wish I could have forgotten. See over there? That’s where we fought Kuma when he… sent us flying away from each other. Not the greatest memory here.” You said, looking down. “But whatever, right? I’m just really glad to see you! I’ve missed you so much!” You said, hugging him again.
Usopp hugged you back, but a memory of his own soon came back to him. “Oh! That incident. I remembered, even though it’s been a while I have to ask what you said before Kuma sent you flying away. I never caught the full sentence. Even over these past two years, I’ve kept on wondering what it could have been. Can you tell me?” Usopp asked.
You stopped moving for a moment, not sure what to say at first. He had been thinking of what you tried to say that day? For a whole two years, that was one of the things he remembered more strongly? That was something you didn’t expect at all.
“Well…” You started, releasing him from the hug. “I don’t know how to put it. I mean, it’s been two years!” You said, starting to blush slightly. “Um, nah, forget it. It isn’t that important.”
“Yes it is! I can tell it is.” Usopp persisted.
“U-um… what it was is… I… don’t know!” You said frantically.
“You don’t know, or you don’t want to tell me?” He asked.
You pounded yourself in the face mentally. Why did you not have the balls to say it again? How did you even manage to find the words two years ago, even if you were cut off. Was it because you were in a near death situation, and as something to say before you die, it was that? Even though you didn’t die, you had no courage to say it again. It was just too embarrassing to even think about! You fidgeted on the bench, looking down while blushing slightly.
“I can tell you want to.” Usopp said.
“Fine! Um… back then, I thought I really was going to die, so one thought stood out in my mind above all the rest. Since I thought that I was never going to see you again… w-which is the one thing I dreaded, believe it or not…” You scoffed lightly, seeming evasive.
“Go on…” Usopp said, blushing slightly, yet intent on hearing the last bit.
“I… before I was cut off, I was going to say…” You sighed deeply, knowing that you’d have to come clean sooner or later. “I was trying to say that, I-I loved you! Because… just because!” You stammered, blush increasing.
Usopp didn’t say anything for a moment, and it bothered you slightly.
“What? You want me to explain why now? Fine! That’s what I was trying to say because just the idea of being away from you for so long or dying was real shitty to me okay? You’re the asshole that created such a friendship with me. And being on that shitty island for two years wasn’t the greatest. I missed you.” You admitted in a slightly frustrated tone.
Usopp was now smiling at you in your flustered state. He then pulled you into a warm hug which caught you off guard.
“That’s what I thought. I kinda thought that’s what you said. Thanks for confirming it! I’ve missed you so much, and you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this.” He said, turning you towards him and kissing you.
You were speechless. Not that you could talk anyway. After being separated for two years, you finally got to see Usopp, and he missed you just as much as you did. The proof was in his kiss. It was sweet and joyful, like his personality. Him remembering that you said something before, and persisting through your stubborn nature was worth it. Hell, him remembering that in the first place was amazing. He never forgot you, and you never forgot him.
When he pulled back, you looked at him in a slightly startled nature, but then you smiled and hugged him tightly.
“I think I do have an idea how long you’ve wanted to do that. Do you think two years is a good guess?” You said playfully.
Usopp chuckled. “Yes, I think that’s a pretty good guess. Im just glad to see you after such a long time.”
“What a way to meet up again, huh?”
“Yeah, but I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. Like I’m guessing your previous greetings were saying hello and a chat?”
“Yep.”
“Well this is better. Still, I wish that I knew two years ago.” Usopp said.
“Maybe that whole incident was for the better. I only started to say it because I thought I was going to die, and you were the last person I saw. Even though it’s been two years, look at where we are now, and if anything, it made us want to be together more. Because we’re nakama.” You said.
“Correction: more than nakama.” Usopp said with a smile.
“Right!” You smiled back.
In the middle of your moment, you heard a loud crash from a few groves down before hearing the voice of your captain. Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy appeared in the distance, taking out two pacifista and running towards the ship, yelling for everyone to group together.
“Looks like it’s time to set sail again!” Usopp said cheerfully.
“Let’s make new adventures and greater memories together!” You said.
“Yosh! Together!” Usopp agreed happily, jumping up with you and dashing off in the direction of the ship.
The two of you broke through a wall of marines no problem and jumped aboard the ship, high fiving with huge smiles. The rest of the crew saw you two together and smiled.
“Looks like they’re reunited!” Nami said.
“More than reunited Nami! Take a look quickly!” Robin said, pointing at you.
Nami turned and saw Usopp sneak a quick kiss on your cheek before the rest of the crew came on board. Nami laughed quietly at the sight.
“I knew it! Even over these past two years, they would never forget each other. Those two were the greatest friends, and now, a little more~!” Nami said gleefully.
“I wonder how Sanji-san will react to this?” Robin chuckled.
“Well, we’ll have to wait and see! Then add it to our log book of greatest memories together!” Nami laughed.
“For sure!” Robin agreed.
Soon, Luffy gave the order to set sail once again after the long break, and everyone cheered. You were finally back with the crew! You hugged Usopp out of sheer happiness, and you were ready to start some more amazing adventures with Usopp. Together, after those two, long years.