And we're back! Yay! Wow this thing is really becoming a pain in the ass, though. I'll try to update as often as I can, but I cant say for sure how regular that will be. Sorry.

For all the references to what has happened in OP between the two timeframes, I am purposely keeping it vague, to avoid any spoilers. I might touch on some of them later, just a forewarning. Lots of ideas for this one. Also, probably not going to keep up with the main story very well and just be a small side-story again.

As always, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.

Warnings: Brief Language


I continued to stare at the swordsman in disbelief as he stood over me, frowning.

"Well?" he said after a moment. "Are you dead?"

"I- don't think so," I hesitated. "I didn't feel anything this time, anyway. Just sort of…tipped over."

Zoro snorted. "Go figure. You hurt?" When I shook my head he reached down and took hold of my arm, pulling me carefully to my feet. "What are you doin' here, then?"

"I have no idea," I answered numbly. I thought back to the moment right before the flash of light. I had seen a boy in the park with black hair and a red shirt. He had reminded me a lot of Luffy, although I doubted just thinking of the Straw Hat captain would have pulled me back in. I thought about them all the time.

I turned away momentarily to assess my surroundings, confirming that I was on the Thousand Sunny. I had already guessed this of course, but it still felt strange to really know it.

"So, this is the Sunny," I mused out loud.

"Huh?" Zoro looked confused for a second before shaking his head. "Ah. Right. Your freaky mind power thing. I'm guessing you've already seen it."

"Yeah," I nodded. On my last visit the crew had come to the false conclusion that I was some kind of Seer and I hadn't corrected them. It was easier than trying to explain the truth. "It's a lot bigger than I though it would be, though." My sweeping gaze returned to the swordsman next to me. He was watching me patiently, stance relaxed and his frown down to a minimum now. In the faint light from the cabins, he still looked a little scary.

I took in the soft-looking black boots, half hidden pants and the dark red sash at his waist over the traditional haramaki, over to the katana on his hip before moving back up to his face. The scar across his left eye kept it closed, although it didn't seem to effect expression, apart from making him look even more intimidating than he did already. "How," I started, feeling like I already knew the answer, "how long has it been?"

"Damn near three years," Zoro scoffed. "You sure as hell took your time getting back, didn't you?" He motioned for me to follow him and began walking toward one of the two staircases that flanked the mast.

"You say that like you were expecting me," I directed at his back, trying to keep my balance on the slightly tilting grass. I still possessed nothing resembling sea legs, so to speak.

"This is the Grand Line," the swordsman answered without turning around. "I never know what to expect." He reached the top of the stairs and stopped, tilting his head around to look at me with his good eye. "It's the middle of the night, you know," he said, frowning.

"Well, it's not like I chose to come back right now," I folded my arms defensively. "Sorry if it's such an awful inconvenience for you." Honestly, I doubted some things would ever change.

"It's not," Zoro shrugged. "Luckily, some of this crew doesn't seem to know the meaning of the word 'sleep'." He reached out with one hand and opened the door in front of us. Immediately, I was enveloped in light and sound and voices, so many recognizable voices.

I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face when I saw the kid standing next to the table. "Luffy!"

Luffy whipped around at the sound of his name, some kind of pastry sticking half-way out of his mouth, and stared at me. He chewed the food, swallowed, and continued to stare.

I waited patiently, eyes stuck on the captain, as the noise in the kitchen died down to complete silence around us. Luffy was a little slow sometimes, but eventually-

"Mermaid!" Luffy jumped excitedly before running across the room and into me with enough force to knock me into Zoro, but not enough to cause any damage. Instead of moving out of the way, the stubborn swordsman planted his feet so I was effectively sandwiched between the two men. "You came back!"

"Yeah, I guess I did," I patted Luffy patiently on the shoulder and felt Zoro's rumbling chuckle against my back. Maybe the thought 'some things never changed' wasn't such a bad thing, after all.

Luffy pulled away enough to look me in the eye, frowning thoughtfully. "You know you're not actually a mermaid, right?" he said. "I've met them before."

I was about to tell him that I had never actually claimed to be a mermaid when I felt two small arms wrap around my leg at the same moment as I heard the light voice of the doctor.

"Renna!" Chopper managed to push Luffy aside and pulled me further into the warmth of the kitchen. "What happened? Where've you been?"

The door closed behind us with a click and I knelt down to pull the deer into a brief hug. "Sorry about that," I apologized, letting go again. "I don't really seem to have any control of when I come here or leave again. I didn't mean to make you worry."

"Who said I was worried, you bastard?" Chopper bawled. "I wasn't worried, you were worried!"

"Yes, yes," Another familiar voice snickered. I looked up and got to my feet as Nami walked over to us. She smiled down at Chopper, then turned her brown eyes to me. "It's good to see you Renna. We've always wondered what happened back on that island. So, did you return home?"

I took in her long, bright hair and subtly changed features before returning the smile. "Yes. For about a year now. I don't know why I'm back though," my smile faltered a little. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, of course."

"Come eat with us!" Luffy attached himself to my arm and began pulling me toward the table. "Sanji's making a midnight snack. It's really good."

I allowed myself to be guided along, raising my eyes to see the blonde cook standing on the other side of the counter. He was leering at me with what he probably thought was a polite smile. "Sanji," I nodded, trying not to laugh at him.

"And we'll have to show you around the ship," Luffy continued his babbling as he pushed me down into a chair at the table. "And of course you haven't met Franky or Brook yet, either. Just wait, you'll be so excited! One of them is a cyborg! And the other one's a talking skeleton! Isn't that great?"

"Two years and he still hasn't gotten over it," Nami sighed. She seated herself across from me and looked me over. "Well, the tour can probably wait until morning, and I think Franky is asleep anyway. Brook could be anywhere. Robin's still awake in the study, though. Maybe after we eat we can go see her, as I'm sure she'll be relieved to see you in good health, too."

"Eh," I sat numbly in my chair. As wonderful as it was to see them again, I was still feeling a little over-whelmed from the whole world jumping business.

"Let's not rush her," Sanji said over my shoulder as he set a plate of sweet rolls on the table and began to pass out tall glasses of fruit drinks. "She's been gone for a long time, after all." He gave me a genuine smile when I looked around at him gratefully. "Renna, you're looking as lovely as ever, I see." He raised his head and glanced toward the door, frowning suddenly. "Where'd that moss head go?"

"He's on watch tonight," Nami answered as she passed a roll to Chopper.

I looked up, surprised. I hadn't even realized Zoro had left. "Not one for long greetings, is he?" I mused. I turned away and was met with a sweet roll less than an inch from my face.

"Here," Luffy offered. "Eat."

I took the pastry and smiled. It wasn't every day the infamous Rubber Man parted ways with some of his food so willingly. "Thanks."

"Well," Sanji sat next to me and pulled out a cigarette, "what happened? When you went back, I mean?"

"I remembered," I shrugged. "I kept living." I looked from one to the other. "I watched."

"Did you remember your name?" Chopper asked innocently.

I wrapped my fingers around the glass in my hands. Yes, I had remembered my name. Did I think it was a good idea to tell them? No. This world and mine were completely separate, it would make sense to keep myself separate, as well. I couldn't really say why, but that was I felt, and I felt it strongly. "I…"

"It doesn't matter," Nami saved me from having to answer the doctor's curious question. "You're still Renna, right?" She gave me a knowing look and smirked.

I was reminded once again just how astute the navigator really was, and nodded at her. "That's right."

Chopper looked confused for a moment before shrugging, apparently having decided that if Nami said so, it must be so.

We continued to chat, the conversation going from what I had 'seen' to what had really happened in this world, and I was surprised at how different the two actually were. It seemed like, although the key elements were all there, a few more subtle personal stories had been left out of the show. I was interested to learn some of them, which even in such a small amount took a great deal of time to retell, and by the time we had reached the group's re-gathering, both Chopper and Luffy were yawning widely.

"That's probably enough for one night," Sanji stood from the table and began to clear away the empty dishes.

"Would you like some help?" I offered.

"You're a guest," Sanji insisted. "Just relax, my dear. I'll take care of it." He picked up the dishes in one arm and moved around the counter to the sink.

"So, how long are you staying?" Luffy asked. He was leaning forward on the table, head pillowed on his arms and his straw hat over his face.

"Not sure," I answered honestly. "I don't even know why I'm here."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, I guess," Nami sighed and stretched her arms, her pink shirt pulling tightly across her chest. Honestly, sometimes I wondered how the girl didn't tip right over with those kinds of curves. "For now, let's go to bed."

"Nami's right, of course," Sanji returned to the table and plucked the half-asleep Chopper from his chair, tapping Luffy on the shoulder. "We can discuss this more in the morning."

It wasn't really that late to me, but after the shock of finding myself on the Sunny and the delicious food courtesy of Sanji I was beginning to feel a little tired, myself. "Agreed," I said. "But where-"

"With me, for tonight," Nami explained before I could even voice my question and ignored the gooey look the cook was giving her at the announcement. She was, as always, two steps ahead of the rest of us. "We'll work something else out tomorrow."

I nodded in agreement and waved at the boys as Sanji dragged them out of the kitchen, then followed Nami to the women's room. It was very…pink. Pink walls, pink boards, pink blankets. And flowers, everywhere. I felt very much like I had just walked into a garden, or a nursery. "Ah," I started, looking around. "It's nice."

Nami snorted. "No reason to pretend," she grinned. "Zoro already told me how you feel about pink."

"He did?" I was a little surprised at that. I frowned thoughtfully as Nami pulled a long nightgown out of one of the dresser drawers next to her bed. "What else did he tell you?"

Nami threw the gown to me. "Not much," she said. "Just that you don't like heights, or being carried. And you had nightmares last time you were here." She had turned away at the last one, and I had a slight suspicion she was trying to hide a grin.

"What's funny?" I asked.

"Nothing," Nami said, but her shoulders were still shaking with mirth. "I'm not laughing at you. It's just...surprising, is all."

"What is?"

Nami composed herself and walked over to the bed opposite her own, spreading another blanket across the one already neatly tucked around the mattress. "Of all the people to turn Zoro into an over-protective mess, you did it in record time. I've still never seen anything like it." She stepped back to admire her handy work and turned to face me. "Robin isn't coming down tonight, so you can sleep in her bed." She motioned at the nightgown still in my hand and began digging for her own.

I stood still in the middle of the room. "What do you mean?" I asked after another moment. "The guy was an ass."

"Yeah," Nami agreed as she finally emerged with a suitable nightgown and began to change. "while you were here, anyway." She pulled the gown over her head and gave me a long, considering look. "When you disappeared," she started seriously, "Zoro made us stay on that island for another two days to look for you. Although Robin finally managed to convince him that you had returned home, I could tell it really bothered him."

Not sure what to say to that, I changed out of my clothes and donned the nightgown, frowning in thought. What a complicated man, I mused.

"It bothered us, as well," Nami continued as she climbed into her bed. "I mean, you just vanished. It was really weird."

"Sorry," I said again, not really sure what I was apologizing for. The vanishing part, or the making them worry part. I walked over to Robin's bed and slid under the blanket as Nami extinguished the lamp next to her head.

"It's fine now, though," she said. "You're back, aren't you."

"Yeah," I agreed, not voicing what I was really thinking. But for how long?

Listening to the navigator's breathing even out until she was asleep, I finally drifted off, still wondering what the hell had brought me back to their world a second time. Unlike the last time, I really didn't think I was dead. If that was the case…what happened?

Eventually I drifted off into a dreamless sleep, only to be awoken a few hours later by a distinct, loud sound coming from the deck below me.

"Yohohoho!"