A/N: Haah, don't kill me old readers. This is just an idea I needed to write up. Yes. This is yet another 'Insert falls into another world' that I'm so fond of. With a twist. I love making twists. So I hope ou read this anyways and review so I know should I continue this one And don't worry, I won't abandon my old fics. I'm just having some difficulties with the current chapters...

And new readers... Hello, this is my first OP fic but not my first fic all in all so no worries. I'm quite good writer(I guess). I hope you like this and review too. Or review even if you don't like. Contructive critism is always welcome.

But that's enough of my babbling. I'll just let you trudge onwards now. A little warning though. This chapter contains a lot of character death...

Chapter 1: Wake me up when it's all over.

"Do you believe in afterlife? Do you believe in another chance where you can start again? I don't. I don't believe but I have always hoped it could be possible. It is my wish to live again in a world where I'm not sick or weak. Where I can be free. Yes, that was my wish. Maybe it still is as these hours tick by."

A harsh cough could be heard and blood drops splattered on the page. Girl with sickly pale complexion and black hair bended over the desk she was working at and tried to hold back the next coughing fit. With a shaking hand she grasped the pen again and stubbornly continued writing.

"Hours… I doubt I even have that much. A year was given to me until my lungs fail and now it's been past that year mark. I became a ticking time bomb. No, not ticking. Coughing."

Blood covered the girl's left palm as she tried to keep herself from soiling the page anymore.

"Dark humor and irony… What have I become? I used to be so happy… Or was it only for the sakes of my older brothers? Dear Dominic who worked at home so he could be here when my condition worsened and take me to the hospital. He was the one to see the worst of me. And dear Rosario who spent as much time with me as possible. We all smiled a lot. I was at home about all the time. If I saw my friends, they were instructed to take me to the hospital and call Ros if anything happened with my condition. But were I truly happy or just pushing aside the worry of leaving everyone behind. Pretending that everything was alright while that shadow of death loomed over me."

The teen girl took several heaving breaths and glanced at the open doorway. There were bangs and clangs coming from the direction of the kitchen. Rosario was making dinner in there. Dominic was probably in his room, working…

"I should not think like that. But look at me. Already using past tense when writing about myself and my family… I love them. I love mum who died when giving birth to me. This sickness that is killing me now, had weakened her too… I love Dom and Ros. They raised me and were always there for me. I guess I also love father even though I don't even remember what he looked like. I love my friends. I love Samuel who I've known since ever. I love Nicole who began tutoring me when I had to drop out of school. I love Vivian who lives in the neighborhood. I love the flirty sushi cook Satoshi who always gave me some extra pieces. I love Samuel's brother Isaac and little Lucas. I guess I even love Nancy and Zachary who I never really got to know. I love everyone that I even remotely know in this little town. I've made no enemies in my life."

Her lungs hurt. They hurt so much. It was hard to breath. "Not yet… I'm not ready yet." The girl leaned back in her chair and tried to calm down. "I got to write this one…"

"I've lived without regrets this far. Of course there is a lot I would've wanted to do but considering my situation… Yeah. I have had everything I needed. So please… Dom, Ros, everyone… Please live on. I'll be fine. And if there is an afterlife or a chance to be born again, I hope I can take it. I also hope I can remember you all."

More blood fell to stain the page.

"And this is the last words I, Lana Waters, write."

When the last dot was on its place, the girl, Lana, began coughing again. This time it was louder. This time it sounded like she was choking on her own blood that was slowly filling her lungs. Her frail body shook by the force of each forced cough trying to expel the red half-coagulated substance out of her system. She could barely breathe and blackness was starting to fill her vision.

The chair fell down and Lana with it on the floor. The sounds in the kitchen quietened immediately. Rosario ran to his little sister's room to find her unmoving form lying on the floor, face down.

"Lana!" The blonde man in his twenties gasped and kneeled beside the girl's still form, carefully turning her on her back and lifting her upper body on his lap.

"…Ros?" The girl whispered. She was tired. So tired. She could barely even open her eyes. The eyelids just felt so heavy…

"I'm right here, Lana… I'm right here." Rosario didn't need to be a genius to understand that any breath she took would be her last. And while he should've been yelling at Dom to grab the car keys so they could take Lana to hospital but… Rosario knew they wouldn't get in there in time.

"Where's Dom…?"

"He… Oi, Dom, get here now!"

There was a clattering sound, like something being dropped on the floor before a door at the end of the room opened and a blonde head with aviators a top of the nest of hair peeked out. As soon as the eldest of the siblings saw Rosario kneeling on the floor with Lana on his arms, he ran to them.

"Lana…" Dominic whispered in horror as he looked down at the girl's bloodied face and closed eyes.

"Hi, Dom…" The girl smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not hurt." Quiet cough escaped her lips again.

"Lana, please, you're…" Rosario talked, not really knowing what to say. Dominic just stood quietly, stony faced and completely detached from the situation. It was the only way he'd been able to function around Lana whenever she'd had her worst moments. Rosario in the other had was always also emotionally present. He was such a gentle person.

"Ros… Do you think I'm able to become the Firefly now?" The last breath left the fragile girl's body and she fell limp on her brother's arms. Tears poured down Rosario's face as he held the dead body of his little sister's close, not caring at the blood staining his shirt. And slowly, Dominic woke up from his frozen state and kneeled down to envelope his younger siblings into an embrace.

Bells tolled and the coffin was lowered to the ground. The funeral wasn't extremely large but it wasn't small either. Majority of the guests were Lana's friends and people from neighborhood. Tears stained young faces and people were holding each other tight. Even though many had tried to mentally prepare themselves for the sweet girl's passing away, in the end it had been for vain. Lana had been tragically torn away from them.

And in the back row, one person was silently wowing to himself to help the little girl, even when she was beyond the grave.

"Don't worry, Lana. You won't be alone for long…"

A small group was sitting at their regular table at All Sushi Blues, the place they'd gone for two years every Saturday. With Lana.

"It's so weird…" A girl with blonde hair with light blue highlights sighed while leaning her chin against her palm. "So come here without Lana."

"Yeah. It's strange. And I can't even cry anymore." A young woman opposite the girl agreed, crossing her arm over her chest and flicking a lock of silky black hair behind her ear. "No more Thursday lessons to give her… She was doing so great."

"She left a hole on all of us." A boy around the girl's age added, pulling his fedora to shadow his eyes. "I didn't even…"

"We know, Samuel. She knew it too." The woman patted the boy's forearm. "She just didn't want to hurt you anymore than she would like this."

Samuel hiccupped. "I just wish I could've told it to her even once." He whispered.

A stool scraped the floor and another teen sat down. His hair was limp from the rain that had started shortly after the funerals. On his lap was a little kid with similar hair and bewildered look in his eyes.

"Hey." The older of the two said.

"Hey, Isaac." The girl with blue in her hair smiled wearily and gave a peck on his cheek.

"You okay, Vivian? I know Lana was your best friend." Isaac questioned.

"I… I will be."

"And you Samuel?"

"… I suppose." The other male member of the group whispered, looking down on the table and his red puffy eyes hidden with the rim of his hat and blond locks falling down the sides of his face.

"Where's Lana?" The kid on Isaac's lap asked. All of them froze at the question. They understood it, yes, but it didn't make the situation any better.

"Lucas… Lana is in another world now." The woman tried to explain gently."

"Nicole…" Isaac warned.

"Another world?" The seven-year-old boy repeated in confusion.

"Yes. It's a good place." Nicole continued. "It's a place where Lana can be free… She can do whatever she can and where…"

"And Lana doesn't hurt?"

"No. Lana is healthy and strong there. She isn't sick anymore."

"Can I go to meet her?"

"…With time yes. But now you need to grow up and live happily. Like Lana did."

"Is it a place for happy people?"

"It is a place for good people."

Lucas looked down thoughtfully. Silence filled the space between the people there. No one spoke.

"I guess… If Lana is happy, it is a good place." The little boy eventually decided. Nicole smiled.

"That's right. It is a good place."

"On the house." Six sushi plates were placed on the table and the person who had brought them, sat behind one of them, next to Nicole.

"Hello, Satoshi." The woman greeted.

"Hello, Nicole-san. Hello, Vivi-chan." The apprentice sushi cook greeted the two females at the table and offered nods to the male population. "I was listening to your conversation… It is weird indeed that Lana-chan isn't here. She always encouraged me to continue chasing my dreams and take the apprenticeship here despite what my parents told me… She was such a ray of sunshine."

"Kept making references to One Piece." Vivian chuckled. "That manga she got me to read."

"Little Otaku couldn't always even concentrate on her studies when she was waiting for the next chapter." Nicole mused with a smile. "We could talk hours end the history and geography of that world. It is intriguing even though it's just an imaginary world. I guess I need keep up myself now that she isn't summarizing the events to me all the time."

"She once called crying to me and told me not to die because it would make so many people sad." Isaac stated quietly as he watched Lucas eat the sushi in front of him.

"Lana gave me this shirt on my birthday. She made is herself." The little boy announced proudly. Samuel glanced at the painted anchor on the white background.

"Yeah, you still need to learn how to swim." The blond boy mused.

"When this place was opened, she participated in the naming process." Satoshi grinned.

Unknown to all of them, a figure in a shadowed corner table ordered a dish of flambé whitefish. Only to leave as soon as the order was done. The little group continued quiet chatting and reminiscing their late friend and her quirks.

"You remember that hat she made for Rosario? The red one with hearts at the end?" Vivian grinned.

"Or the blue and yellow bird made out of beads?" Samuel chuckled. "Didn't she name it 'Pineapple'?"

"Yes, she did. Rosario told me he put it in the coffin with her." Nicole informed the other teens.

"Lana-chan would always compare us to the characters even though half of the time we didn't even know what she was talking about." Satoshi mused. "Though during the time they became really familiar."

"It is funny…" Isaac began. "It's funny how many people she could find from our town that have their counterpart in that manga."

"Like Mihail Juraquille and James Redstone?" Nicole quirked an eyebrow.

"And your boyfriend Zachary and his twin sister Petra." Isaac added.

"And Nancy with her sister. And the guy from the bed and cushion shop Maritime Dreams. I forgot his name though…" Vivian remembered.

"Maritime Dreams?" Samuel frowned.

"It's at the other side of the town nowadays but when we were nine and began reading One Piece, it was right around the corner. The heating system was always broken back then and the owner slept every time there was no customers. Lana and I used to sneak in and pour ice water on him any time we found him like that."

"His name was Aosato." Nicole told them. "I spoke to him once. Strange fellow."

"You know… I'm worried." Vivian stated suddenly.

"About what?" Isaac frowned.

"About Rosario and Dominic. Lana really held them together during the last year. I'm afraid to know what will happen now. Especially considering… Dominic's behavior every time Lana was hospitalized. I heard he always locked himself up in his room and didn't come out until Lana was back home. And afterwards he'd hang nearby whenever Lana was with us."

"That's right. I wondered that too." Samuel frowned. But from Vivian's tone he knew that was another reason for her uneasiness. "Vivs? Which character was Dominic compared to again?"

"Huh? What does those have anything to do with this?" Isaac frowned.

"Lana is a great expert on personalities and can read people well. The people she compares us are spot on. If not noticeable to all but what she sees in people, are very accurate." Nicole replied. "No matter how much one tries to hide it."

"So… Who is it then?" Satoshi quirked an eyebrow.

"It's-…"

But Vivian even got to answer, as the restaurant was engulfed by flames caused by a gas explosion. And everyone inside died. As people gathered outside to gawk, a lone figure headed towards an apartment complex in the upper town. His next prey would be there.

"Soon, little Lana. Everyone is with you. Just wait."

James Redstone was having a nice conversation with his friend and business rival Mihail Juraquille at the latter home. The two men weren't talking about business this time though. No, it was private matters.

"Zach came home today, didn't he?" The ginger man grinned, sipping the wine poured to his glass.

"Yes. He won the kendo competition he was attending." The other man nodded. "He did quite well indeed."

"Of course he did. He is your son!" James scoffed. "And you used to win those competitions all the time!"

Mihail just smirked.

"And how's Petra? Is she still in her rebellious phase?"

"Yes…" A long suffering sigh escaped the dark man's lips. "Her newest stun is to dye her hair pink… As if those goth-loli clothes aren't enough already?"

If James was going to come up with a smart quip, he never got a chance. A scream pierced the air, followed by a heavy thump. The two men were instantly on their feet, Mihail grabbing a katana that was hung on the wall and which he kept sharpened just in case. He knew when his daughter screamed in disgust (when facing cockroaches) or in excitement (when seeing something cute) and this was neither.

The men made their way towards the room from which they presumed the scream had come from. And there… The children they had been talking about were lying on the floor. Zachary was lying on his back, a narrow fishing line tied tightly around his throat. There were mark on his neck that he'd been clawing the lines for air but for vain. And Petra… One moment her body was on the floor, bleeding from the slash wound on her neck and the next she was hoisted upright, like some Victorian porcelain doll.

"Kukukuku… She'd make a pretty marionette." A creepy laughter echoed from a shadowed hallway. The speaker was not seen but Mihail recognized the voice. Unfortunately.

"Dominic Dominguez. What are you doing here?" The father of the two dead teens growled with narrowed eyes.

"Wasn't your sister's funerals just today?" James added, his eyes scanning the room for something to use as a weapon.

"Yes… She is in the next world now. And I? I'm just doing my duty as a big brother to make sure my little sister isn't lonely." And Dominic stepped into the light, one hand holding the fishing lines hoisting Petra up. A manic grin was adorning his face. "And you are next."

The two men were completely taken by surprise when they realized they'd walked into a trap. First Petra's dead body was dropped down. That started a chain reaction constructed of piano wires. The sharp metal dug into the skin of the men, trapping them in the middle of the room. Even the katana that Mihail had brought was useless as he couldn't move at all.

"Now… I hope you have a nice adventure, Taka no me, Akagami…" Dominic smiled in sinister way as he strolled to them with a knife in his hand. Mihail was first to go. And when the blonde walked around the tied up pair and faced James.

"Oh, don't make that face, Akagami." The marionette maker chuckled. "I know you are worried about your adopted sons… But it's alright! Isaac, Samuel and Lucas are already gone. They died an hour ago with their friends."

"What!?" James roared. "What did you do you bastard?!"

"Silence." Knife slashed across the ginger haired man's left eye. "Aren't you happy of meeting them in the next world? They don't need to be alone here…"

As a reply he got a one-eyed glare that was gone as soon as the knife dug into the man's heart.

"Two more stops to go…" Dominic hummed, not caring about the blood staining his shirt. It could be covered with a jacket after all…

Rosario ended the call he'd just received with a sigh. It was his friend and mentor Seno from the law enforcement. They already had the results of the primary investigation on the All Sushi Blues. Someone had released odorless gas in the restaurant and when a flame was lit in the kitchens to cook flambé whitefish, the fire had spread throughout the restaurant. While it had been a quiet day, everyone who had been inside, had died instantly. And all the customers at the time had been Lana's friends.

"There was one more customer though… He disappeared right after making an order. A witness we managed to find described that person as your brother Dominic." The man had told Rosario. "We are coming to arrest him soon."

Dominic wasn't home yet. And to be honest, Rosario wasn't surprised at all of what had happened. Well, he was surprised that Dominic had actually gone a killed people Lana held dear but it was surprising that he had snapped. It had been coming for a long time. Lana's death was only a catalyst in the process.

With another sigh, the blond man picked himself up from the sofa and headed for his older brother's working room. It was a room that was always closed. Not locked but closed and out of bounds for both Rosario and Lana. The middle child pressed down the door handle and pulled open the door of the darkened room. What he witnessed there was something he did not expect.

"I knew he made marionettes out of One Piece characters per Lana's request but…" The walls were filled by them. Pirates, marines, civilians… Almost every notable character introduced in the series. Those marionettes hung from their strings in rows, their heads slightly tilted forward. It was a creepy sight to say the least. Like they all had been hanged.

At the end of the room was a desk with materials and tools scattered all around it. In the middle of it was a lone marionette sitting and leaning against some books. It was a girl doll. One Lana had designed herself. The Firefly.

"Firefly? Is that her name?" Rosario asked as he looked down at the drawing Lana had finished.

"Yes. It's me in the One Piece world." The teen girl grinned and began writing on the edges of the picture.

"What does she do then?"

"She tells stories to everyone. She is a Legend, whispered throughout the history."

"Why is she a legend?" Rosario could only barely hold back a chuckle at his sister's antics.

"Because everything she tells is true." Lana replied with 'well, duh' look.

"Ah, because she is you, she knows the story of One Piece."

"That's right."

"But she must be strong too then. Because people surely will try to hunt her down."

"Yes, she is healthy and strong. She can use tonfas that can be connected together as a bo-staff." Lana pointed the weapon drawn on the Firefly's hand. Currently it looked like a staff with two handles sticking out of it.

"I see… You said she is whispered throughout the history. Wouldn't she be really old then?" He couldn't help but tease the girl a bit and find a hole in her character's backstory.

"Nope, she can warp through the time and space to be where-ever and when-ever she wants to be. And skip the boring parts."

"And skipping the boring parts is the most important thing?" This time Rosario grinned at the girl. He received a pout.

"Not the most important… But yeah… She'd meet a lot of people and tell them stories. And later she'd meet the same people when they are older but she isn't. Convenient don't you think?"

"And that's what you want to be? The Storyteller Firefly?"

"Yes!"

Rosario poked gently the sitting marionette's head. It fell back for a moment and he could see the human-like face painted to resemble Lana's before the head fell forward again. In the hall the front door opened and a bit later a shadow appeared in the doorway.

"Didn't I tell you not to come in this room?" Dominic's voice was menacing, angry and growling. Rosario turned around slowly. The light in the hallway was intruding into the shaded room and making the older of the two look like one big shadow.

"You were the one to kill Lana's friends." Rosario countered. It wasn't a question. Time of questions had been over a long time ago.

"She won't be lonely now~… Besides, her friends weren't the only ones."

At that moment the phone that Rosario still had in his hand buzzed, informing him about a new message. It was from Seno. The police were on their way. And three other places had been attacked. Marionette strings left all over the crime scenes.

"I see."

"And none of those places were the last ones either." Dominic chuckled.

"Wha-…" The younger man's words were cut short when a knife plunged into his stomach. He wanted to shout but the pain was too much. The older man's free hand curled around the blond head of the shorter man and stroked the younger brother's hair.

"Don't worry, Ros… You'll surely see her soon too. Firefly always will find who she wants to." The words were gentle, soft and almost comforting as they were whispered into his ear. And if Rosario hadn't been in such an agony (the knife was being twisted in the wound every now and then) he maybe… just maybe would've believed them.

Dominic pulled the knife out of his brother and let the young man fall on the floor. He stepped away from him – he'd be dead soon enough anyways – and pulled a rope attached to the ceiling down. A loop was tied to its end.

"Let's play hang man… We loved the game, didn't we Ros?" The only one alive chuckled. He casted one more glance at the fallen brother. Human instincts had caused Rosario to cough out the blood in his stomach and now his lips were stained red and trails of blood fell down his cheeks, creating a grotesque imitation of a smile on his face. "Or maybe I should call you Corazon, hm? Lana even made you that funny hat…"

"Ros is like Rocinante." Lana laughed, placing the newly made hat on her brother's head. Rosario laughed along with her.

"Is that so? Are you Law then?" The middle brother took a look at the white teddy bear sitting on the girl's bed that Lana had named Bepo.

"Sure thing. Law is cool. And Ros is always taking care about me, just like Rocinante took care of Law."

"And Dom? Is he then… Who was that person again?" Rosario didn't really know the plot of One Piece but he did know the relations of the characters.

"Oh, you mean Doflamingo?" Lana frowned. "He is one insane character… He killed Rocinante… I don't like him. But I like Dom so…"

"Maybe Dom can be not insane Doffy…" Rosario suggested. "Didn't Rocinante want to help him?"

"Yeah… That's true…"

"And if I get to the same place than you two…" Dominic smiled sadly. "I hope you can forgive my future actions." He glanced at the marionette with pink-feathered coat hanging in the middle row. "I hope you can stop me in time… And remember what I used to be…"

And when the police officers busted the door in, they found the two brothers. One lying on the floor and one hanging from the ceiling, like the marionettes around the walls of the room.

A/N: I killed about everyone I introduced in this chapter. Only Seno is still alive. Aren't I mean?

The two other stops Dominic mentioned was Nancy's house and Aosato's place. Yeah, he snapped. but he was only thinking of Lana. I hate Doflamingo but I like Dominic... do you see my dilemma here?

I sure you can recognize all the counterparts to OP characters from this story so I probably don't need to go through them... And yeah, this is sort of reborn story but the amount of memories of the past life varies a lot. For example Zach, Petra, Nancy and Lucas don't remember anything. Dominic, Nicole, Satoshi and Mihail have some vague flashes. James, Isaac and Aosato have recollections but aren't sure what do they mean. Vivian, Samuel and Rosario remember the most while Lana remembers her entire life. This means that the Plot won't be disturbed.

The ages of these counterparts:

-Lucas: 7
-Lana, Samuel, Vivian, Nancy: 19
-Zachary, Isaac, Satoshi, Petra, Nancy's sister: 22
-Nicole: 24
-Rosario: 29
-Dominic: 36
-James, Mihail: 37
-Aosato: 43

Here this is... I shall now crawl into a hole and wait for your comments, 'kay? ;)