"

Nami and Usopp, Usopp and Nami, they had a unique relationship among the straw-hats, well. When more people were around Usopp was just a typical boy just like most other in the crew, and Nami sat him in his place when he was being to silly.

It was when the two were alone together, it happened very rarely as the ship was always full of life, and when it did happen it wasn't for very long. But some-how, their relationship was a little bit more different when it was just the two of them and nothing was going on.

They had a special bond, being the two weakest in the entire crew, the two 'normal' ones.. though normal in this crew standards still meant Usopp, whom was a very peculiar person as far as Nami was concerned. But they shared a certain understanding.

And when they were together, both seemed more relaxed, Usopp didn't act like such a brat, always boosting, running around and telling lies.

And Nami didn't behave like such a witch, slapping the boys around, yelling how immature they were.

When they for a rare instance were together.. they could just be. Like a brother and sister where very little had to be said for each to understand. They were family, brother and sister, always ready to look out for each other, no more needed to be said.

This relationship had taken a while to form, in the beginning Nami didn't think much of Usopp, he never spend time with her as he was to busy running around with Luffy being an idiot.

Well, she did like him, even admire him and his inventiveness, but he was just that, one of the boys.

Then, it had broken open before Alabasta, where Nami had come to Usopp with her request, and Usopp had understood her immediately, he knew exactly how she felt!

And Nami knew he knew how she felt, and they shared some-thing, some-thing no-body else in the crew had. This common understanding.

It was after Alabasta that Nami decided to spend some more time with Usopp, when she caught him in a very very rare moment of being alone.

He was never alone! Either he would work on his projects, either on the deck where every-body else was, or in the galley where Sanji was cooking or in the infirmary where he kept Chopper company when Chopper was making his medicin, and both could work in silence.

Or, Usopp would run around being an idiot with Luffy while playing or fishing. Or he would actually be training his marksmanship with his slingshot. Or he would be fixing up the entire ship singlehandedly!

It's funny that when you start really paying attention, you realise the person you thought of as an idiot wasting his time away on silliness were actually working incredible hard all the time, and the time he used for fun was well earned.

But some-times Nami did succeed.

"Hallo Usopp what are you doing?" Nami asked as Usopp was sitting alone in the galley working on some project

"ARGH!" Usopp screamed in surprise as he almost dropped his things, apparently he had been in deep concentration. "Don't do that! I could have blown myself up."

"Oh." Nami blinked.

Usopp sighed. "I am making fire-bird stars." He told showing a little black ball in his hand. "it's a lot of gun-powder compacted into this, with a few other secret ingrediences." He told.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Nami asked.

"Well that is the point." Usopp pointed out. "If it's not dangerous, then how can it do any harm to the enemy?" he asked.

And Nami shook her head amused.

Soon, Usopp would surprise Nami by starting to search her out as well.. in the few instances she wasn't together with a bunch of people. When you life on a tight packed ship in the ocean, that was just rare.

One such instance, was when Nami was alone on night watch, it was chilly up there, and Nami sincerely wished she had brought a blanket.

Then her rescuer came. "Hallo Nami." Usopp greeted as he crawled up with a blanket over his back and a thermostat most likely filled with either tea, coffe or hot chocolate. "Sanji asked me to get you this." Usopp told as he threw the thermostat at Nami. "I thought maybe you would be needing an extra blanket." He grinned as he threw the blanket to Nami, then swung both his legs up in the look-out barrel. "How are you doing."

"You're a life safer Usopp." Nami smiled as she opened the thermostat and was rewarded by the smell of hot chocolate. "I'm surprised Sanji didn't come up with this." She admitted.

"Oh he wanted to, but he had a soup cooking on the bones from our meal, and he had to watch over it so Luffy wouldn't watch past and eat it all." Usopp grinned. "I wouldn't wonder if he is going to sleep in the galley tonight."

Nami chuckled. "If that is the only way." She shook her head as she sipped to her hot chocolate. "Ahh, Sanji makes the best hot chocolate." She told.

"Sanji makes the best every-thing!" Usopp pointed out. "I especially love his fish-soup, I swear it taste just like the one my mother used to cook. Maybe the baratie stole her recipe." He laughed.

"You can really remember your moms cooking?" Nami asked. "Even though you were so little?"

"Oh yes sure, I remember my mother." Usopp told.

"How was she?" Nami asked. "

"She was really nice and gentle, kind of shy and quiet. She tended to be really nervous around people" Usopp told in a happy voice, filled with nostalgia.

"Couldn't you have inherited more of those traits?" Nami asked with a lifted eye-brow.

"Hey!" Usopp exclaimed. "I did inherit a lot, she's the one whom taught me how to draw! She loved to paint herself you see, she especially loved to paint oil paintings of the ocean."

It was kind of refreshing that Usopp didn't lie and told his mother was a sea goddess, but then again why would he? She was his mother, and obviously Usopp had loved her just as she was.

"How about you?" Usopp asked. "How was your mother?" he asked.

"Strong." Nami told. "Very passionate, I could always feel safe with her. She was a former marine you know." She pointed out and Usopp nodded. "She left the marines just to take care of me and my sister, and she could sure handle it, even with two irresponsible kids like me and my sister. She could put herself in respect and keep order in the house, but it was just because she loved her, you always felt so safe when she was around." Nami sighed.

"Sounds like we had two incredible different mothers." Usopp pointed out.

"Hm yeah, I guess that's sort of funny." Nami chuckled. "But I am sure they were both great people."

"Hai!" Usopp grinned.

Beginning to know people, you started to realise how their mood swings actually worked.

Luffy would be obvious, he never tried to hide any-thing, if he was sad he would be sad, if he was happy, he was genuinely happy.

Chopper would try to hide his feelings… but he was terrible at it, if Chopper was sad, any idiot would be able to tell.

Sanji and Zoro were to very proud stubborn men, whom wouldn't let such a dumb thing as feelings get in the way of their pride. But they could still be read as open books by Nami.

Robin how-ever.. Nami could just never tell what the woman was actually feeling, it was impossible. And then there was Usopp, and being a liar, Usopp would try and hide his feelings.

Slowly Nami started to realise more and more. The lies, the boosting.. it was all a mask, that Usopp used to hide his true feelings.

And the more he lied, the worse he actually was. And lately, as Merry had gradually become worse and worse for wear, Usopp's lies had grown more and more frequent, Usopp had become louder and louder, which Nami now knew meant the opposite, Usopp wasn't well.

It had been ages since the two had had a quiet conversation where no lies had been involved, and ones again it has been impossible for Nami to capture the teen.

Though finally, after they had left Skypia and they had that whole stupid incident with the foxy pirates, Nami managed to find him, as he sat on the railing alone, working on some-thing with a screw driver.

"Hallo Usopp." Nami greeted him quietly. She had learned not to be to brash when he was working. Usopp thought didn't answer, obviously trying to ignore her. "How are you doing Usopp?" Nami asked.

"Oh Nami." Usopp turned to her with a vague smile on his lips. "I'm great." He told in a smile.

It was not the answer Nami had hoped for at all and she pouted. "Really?" she asked.

"Yeah." Usopp told turning to his work, and Nami jumped up, sitting on the railing next to Usopp, front to the ocean.

"Usopp why do you have to lie all the time!?" Nami asked annoyed. "It's a bad habbit you know!"

Usopp blinked, then looked surprised at Nami. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Just answer me." Nami asked.

"Erhm well." Usopp swallowed. "I guess… it's just the only way I know of." He muttered silently returning to his work.

"And?" Nami asked in a enquiring tone.

"It's the only way I know how to cheer people up." Usopp muttered. "It was the only way to cheer mom up, only way to make Kaya happy, only way to give my young long-nose pirates some fun. It's just the only way I know." he flat out told.

Nami nodded as she silently sat beside him. "I all-ready knew that." she at last admitted. "But what about the rest of the time?" she asked.

Usopp blinked as he turned to Nami.

"When people don't need cheering up persay, but you lie about your pirate crew any-how." Nami pointed out.

Usopp exhaled deeply. "Trying to make myself look big an imposing I suppose." he murmured collecting his knees in his arms.

"It's not working." Nami pointed out.

"I know." Usopp admitted. "I just don't know what else to do, I don't know of any other way to defend myself." he finally told in a sigh. "The truth is, I am of cause terrified in battles, some-times I am so scarred that I am about to go blind with fear." he whispered. "But it's not just in battle, it's the rest of the time to." he murmured.

Nami blinked. "The rest of the time?"

"At least ones a day, even though we are sailing around just relaxing.. often more times a day." Usopp whispered. "But I don't want to be so scared, I don't want any body on this ship to see me as a coward! I don't want to let this crew down, so I lie."

Slowly Nami moved closer to Usopp, before she collected her hands in her lap. "What are you scared off?" she asked.

"I don't know, lots of things I suppose." Usopp shrugged. "That a big sea-king will come and eat us all, that Sanji will come after me and Luffy again." then Usopp leaned his head in his hand. "That they will all figure out that I am not in their league at all, and don't belong here after-all." he muttered more sadly. "That I'll never catch up to them, that I'll just be their burden, that I'll never become a brave warrior of the sea, because I just don't have it in me." He sighed deeply holding his project. "It seemed so obvious back in the day, you know?" he asked turning to Nami. "Back with my tiny make belief pirate crew, I was like their cool big brother, I made things up for them. I made it all work by myself, it was just me and my little house, my little gang, Kaya. And I made it work, it was all just me and I was the big boss, helping every-body. It seemed so obvious that I could do more" he told clutching his project. "But it's so different out here.. It's nothing like I could ever have imagined."

"Do you regret it?" Nami asked.

"What? NO!" Usopp exclaimed looking almost shocked on Nami. "Not one second of it, being here is the best thing that ever happened to me, I just." He exhaled deeply as he looked to the ocean. "Wonder if I am of any use to this crew, if I'm not just in the way and nothing else.. And I wonder whether they are going to realise that sooner or later or not."

Nami hesitated slightly as she leaned over the railing. "Have you talked to any-one else in the crew about this?" she asked.

"No." Usopp muttered hanging his head.

Nami blinked honestly surprised. "Why then are you telling me it?" she asked. "I mean, out of all of the people here."

At that Usopp turned his head and met Namis eyes, for a second their eyes were locked as Usopp answered truthfully. "Because you are the only one here on this ship, whom would understand."

Nami lost her breath, as if she had received a slight punch as she looked at Usopp, then he turned back to his work as if nothing had happened.

Nami shook her head, as to shake it all off, then she finally took courage to herself, and crawled up to sit beside Usopp on the railing, her feet dangling across the ocean.

"I guess we are both kind of out of our depths out here some-times." Nami at last had to acknowledge in a slight nod. "I mean just look at me and my stupid money." She shook her head. "for me, that is just the only way I know of to keep people safe! If have lots of money, I have a way to keep people safe, to be of use. Silly isn't it?" she asked.

"I don't think so." Usopp told. "You're right after-all, we do need you to worry about such things, and there is one major difference." Usopp pointed out as he held up a hollow iron bar and look through it with a squinted eye. "You may not be the strongest in battle Nami, but without you." At that he lowered the pipe and grinned at Nami. "We would be sincerely screwed at sea!" he stated.

"Ah, it's nothing, any decent sailor can plot a course." Nami stated, though blushing by the compliment.

"I sure can't." Usopp pointed out. "And for god's sake, don't ever ask Zoro to do it!" he asked, that indeed made Nami laugh.

"Okay I see your point." Nami smiled amused as she leaned back, looking smiling up in the sky. "Though Usopp, come to my cabin one day, I'll teach you." She offered.

"Huh?" Usopp looked at Nami.

"To plot a course." Nami elaborated. "It would only be sensible if more people on this ship could be able to do some-thing as simple as plotting a course." She told with rolled eyes.

"I would love to!" Usopp almost beamed. "It sounds great, though, I'm never going to be as good as you." He pointed out, again making Nami smile amused.

"Of cause not." Nami told. "But that doesn't mean you are useless Usopp." She told as she brushed her hand over the railing.. she was sitting untop of a patched up part, definitely Usopp's handy work, because it was the nicest looking patchwork on the ship, Zoro's and Luffys attempts all looked very more sloppy, and if it was their patch work, Nami and Usopp for sure wouldn't have been able to sit on it like that. "For one thing, without you around our flag would still look like shit!" Nami pointed out.

At that Usopp bursted out laughing. "Oh thank you." He laughed as he wiped a tear away from his eye. "I needed that." He smiled looking up at the flag above them. "It was nothing though." He told.

"Usopp stop being hard on yourself!" Nami demanded as she hit him over the head. "You have some very rare talents, so quit it all-ready." She hissed crossing her arms.

"Auw!" Usopp hissd. "Careful! I almost dropped it!" he told turning to Nami, true enough clutching the metal objects he had been sitting with.

Nami lifted an eye-brow. "What is it any-way?" she asked Usopp looking at the strange device.

"Well, I just thought now that you've become used to use the clima-tech, maybe it was time you wanted an update." Usopp told raising the pipe looking into it again. "The first one was mostly just about me trying to figure it out really, so it's not perfect, I thought I could do it better now, and by putting in some impact dials from Skypia, the power can potentially become massive."

"It's for me?" Nami asked in a blink, at ones feeling incredible bad about scaring Usopp like that.

"Sure it is." Usopp grinned. "I think we are both due for better weapons, don't you?" he asked Nami.

"You build some-thing for yourself as well?" Nami asked interested.

Usopp blinked at her, in that mischievous way of his.

"What is it? what is it?" Nami asked excited grabbing his overalls straps.

"Oh easy Nami, you'll see soon enough." Usopp blinked. "I want to make my reveal at the right time, but trust me, it's awesome." He grinned. "Here." He handed over the pipes he had been working on. "Maybe this time, the two of us could take some time off to do some test runs before you use it in battle." He blinked.

"Ohh." Wide-eyed Nami looked at the object in her hands, then held it up. "It's heavier." She noted.

"I took out the party tricks and replaced them with the impact dials, which will magnify the energies, such as heat and cold, so it's a lot more powerful." Usopp told.

"And you keep insisting you have no uses to the crew." Nami turned to him, pointing tongue at him. "Usopp, have you any idea how amazing it is you can build stuff like this?" she asked.

"I don't really think about it, I just build." Usopp confessed. "It's nothing special, really."

"It's so odd you don't even know." Nami commented weighing her new clima tech. "Didn't your parents ever praise you or any-thing? They must have been proud."

Usopp silenced, and then Nami realised. "Oh.. sorry." She mumbled, remembering how young Usopp's mother had been when she died, and that Usopp had no memory of his father. "But the villagers at least." She asked.

"Njaah, I was a trouble maker." Usopp grinned. "If I ever let them catch me, all I got would be a good portion of spanking." He chuckled. "And well deserving so." He at last admitted, rubbing his cheek, as if he had just been hit right there.

"Usopp, you're impossible." Nami shook her head.

Unfortunately.. Usopp and Nami didn't get to practise with the new clima tech, because before either one of them knew it, they were at Water seven.

And in Water Seven.. things just became awfully complicated.

AN; Well... I can see how romance could be implied in this fic.. But let me assure you, this is not intentional! i do think Nami and Usopp has a very special relationship, and if any-body on the crew would ever work as a couple.. well.. I just don't see any-body else working together to be honest.

Any-way, by very furthest, romance will only be implied and nothing else, this is the furthest this fic will go, you'll have to write your own fic if you want Usopp Nami romance.

Hope you enjoy regardless though, cause I do indeed think that Usopp and Nami has a nice relationship going on in the Manga, they actually do spend a lot of time together if you think about it, not in the down-time though.. only when there is danger around Oda apparently just LOVES putting the two weakest out there all alone... I'm sure Usopp and Nami are very greatefull Oda... of all people you could put out on a Zombie island, you picked Usopp, Nami and Chopper.. it was awesome and funny. But still.. cruel Oda, very cruel.