AN: I couldn't stop myself from uploading this because the idea had been bugging me ever since one very particular chapter cover. I've been writing humour fics for a while now, so I really wanted to test out my drama skills a bit since it's been so long since my last tragic fic.
The pairing is very obviously LuffyxVivi, so don't like, don't read.
I have the second and third chapter ready, too, so let's hope for the best with this one. I don't think it'll be longer than 5 chapters or so. It's set in the future, three years after Marinford, and I'm gonna let my imagination run wild a bit, so bear with me, okay?
Disclaimer: I'm on the brink of tears just thinking it, but I most certainly don't own One Piece.
Heaven Isn't Far
Chapter 1:
Dark Clouds
Not so long ago, I met heroes.
In the darkest of hours, I practically ran into their arms - well, into his arms, anyway; or rather, he ran into me. And he was the brightest of them all, he was really shining. He's so carefree and reckless, they all are. I was so frustrated with him most of the time, trying to lecture him and stuff... I guess I constantly got all uppity on him.
It was only when he saved me, saved my country, that I completely realized how awesome he is, he and his crew. I can never thank him enough. And I will never forget it, or them - least of all him. They asked me to go with them, but I couldn't. Alabasta needs me after all... and if I'm honest, I was scared of what would happen once I left everything behind that I love.
I just hope that despite all of the fun they're having, and in between all of their amazing adventures, maybe, just maybe, they would think of me for a second. Because I'll always be thinking of them.
I'll always be thinking of him.
Vivi puffed a little air of laughter through her nose, her fingers tracing the neat writing in her diary. The ink was smushed with dried up tears. She remembered that night well, the night they left, and the night she first wrote in that notebook her father had given to her as a present on her 14th birthday; shortly after that, she had come up with the plan to infiltrate Baroque Works, and thus, met them two years later.
Monkey D. Luffy and the Strawhat Pirates.
A smile danced across her lips as she leaned back against Carue on the sandy ground, digging her bare toes into the warm sand, and saw his grinning face appear in her mind subconsciously. He had always been grinning, that doofus. Always managed to cheer everyone up somehow, and ended up making a fool of himself and others, which often resulted in Nami beating the hell out of him. Though honestly, Vivi had dished out quite the beating sometimes, too. Only when he deserved it, of course.
She loved thinking about it. Not about the beatings, mind you. About Luffy and the others, and how fun it had been to play pirate for a few weeks. She was so grateful that Luffy had taken her along on that adventure on Little Garden. All the parties on deck at night, and the first time she had tasted alcohol - and learned its side effects.
And the never ending sea, the same that she was looking at now.
Back then, she had been too young to realize that she had probably been in love with Luffy. Or she'd had no time to think about it, during the war and its after effects, and then he'd been out cold for three days straight, and then... left. It had all been over so quickly, and Vivi got left behind with a strange emptiness in her chest that downright physically hurt. Being older and smarter, she could laugh about that now. Laugh at herself for not getting it back then, even though he'd held her so tight that day on Pell's back, high above the battleground.
Vivi had never stopped collecting the articles on them or their wanted posters. She had it all stuck inside her private little diary, carefully and neatly, together with her thoughts and insecurities and everything that mattered. She couldn't really say why she had decided to read through it all the way today of all days. Maybe because it made her happy, and forget everything for a while.
Had it really been three years already since she last saw them?
She gave a deep sigh, and Carue worriedly nudged the side of her head, which made her laugh lightly and pat his head in return. "This is crazy, right," she said softly, looking down on her luxurious black dress, now all dusty from the sand, "I'm just running away."
A dark cloud moved in front of the high standing sun, and very faintly, there was the sound of thunder slowly approaching the shores of Alabasta. When Vivi saw it, she couldn't help but smile sadly, tucking up her knees and resting her head on them.
"Look, Carue," she whispered, "The sky's crying, too."
lllllll
"Vivi-sama!"
The captain of the royal guard of Alabasta, Igaram, was pacing through the palace restlessly, stopping various servants and guards and demanding information from them. It was just not possible that the princess had just vanished into thin air. Though it was exactly like her to disappear so shortly before important events. She'd always had a knack for dramatic entrances.
"Mah-mah-mah! Good lord," he seethed through his teeth, unnerved, "Where is that girl?"
"Give her a breather once in a while, why don't you."
Igaram turned around to the gruff male voice, finding Kohza walking up to him, as always wearing his sunglasses. The first thing Igaram noticed about the new Environmental Minister of Alabasta though, was how pale and slumped he looked. Kohza walked right past him, probably not even sparing him a glance, but who could tell with those glasses.
"This day has to be tearing her apart, more than any of us. Besides, she's just a brat still."
Igaram sighed deeply, "I understand that. But she has to be there. There's no way we're doing it without her."
His fists were shaking.
"Her father could never find his peace if she doesn't see him off."
lllllll
Vivi must have dozed off for a few minutes, because she startled violently when the horn went off. A horn installed especially at the coasts of Alabasta for safety - a horn warning when unidentified ships were nearing the shore, most of the time pirates.
On all fours, she hurriedly crawled to the edge of the hill she was on, searching the horizon with hopeful eyes. Every time that horn went off, she kept praying it was him. She knew it was ridiculous, and maybe quite simply pointless, because he was probably the most wanted man in the world, but she couldn't help herself. Even now, she could hardly breathe in excitement, because right now, it was what kept her going. The silly thought of him coming back one day, a reality where the two of them were together, going on adventures. She needed that illusion so desperately so that she wouldn't lose herself.
And when she almost gave up, she saw it, on the far right and very small, a really big pirate ship. It was approaching Nanohana. The first city they had visited back then. Though far away, the silhouette of the ship looked quite familiar, and her heart stopped right then. Her fingers clutched at the sand, eyes wide with hope.
Could it be true? Could it really be...?
She jumped up and ran over to Carue, stumbling over her dress along the way, but her duck caught her. Vivi climbed on his back in a hurry and gently nudged his sides with her feet. "Let's go, Carue," she said to him, and the duck honked in response before dashing off towards Nanohana.
This time.
This time for sure!
lllllll
Pell was standing at the port of Nanohana, arms crossed and face solemn. Just waiting for that ship to come closer, waiting to recognize it. He'd had a hunch they'd come. Figured they were waiting for the last possible moment to show up, but it would have been outstandingly extraordinary if they hadn't come for this important and sad day in Vivi's life. He was glad he'd decided to check up the monitor in Nanohana for the ceremony later on. Or else he might've missed their arrival. He was glad to be the one to welcome their saviors back into their country after three years.
It was an honor, truly.
"P-Pell-sama," stuttered one of the soldiers that slowly appeared behind him, courtesy to the horn, "I-is that... possibly...?"
Pell allowed himself a small smile. "I'd put those weapons down if I were you," he said to the soldiers, "You wouldn't even stand a chance against their small fries. That's the ship of the Pirate King."
The soldier next to him suddenly got pale as ashes, cold sweat forming on his forehead as he gulped. "M-Monkey D. Luffy... He's back..."
The majestic Thousand Sunny slowly floated into the port, docking at one of the more spacious spots, and there the big, heavy anchor hit the water surface with giant splashes. Pell almost started laughing. How bold, just docking in their port like it was the most normal thing on the planet and they weren't the most wanted criminals ever recorded that had declared war on the World Government. The royal head guard just stood there, motionlessly, observing the shadows on the deck of the ship moving. He could make out the enormous form of Cyborg Franky, and the tall Humming Brook. And Jinbei really had quite the distinctive figure of his own.
A relatively large crowd of civilians had gathered by now as well. They were muttering among them, unsure how to react to their visitors. A gasp went through the crowd when two men came down first, one with three swords attached to a belt around his hips, and one in an elegant suit smoking a cigarette. Behind them, enveloped in a black, pompous coat over a black button-down shirt and black pants, wearing sandals like usual, and his signature strawhat, was Monkey D. Luffy.
He looked nothing like Pell remembered him. The child that defeated Crocodile was gone, and a man with an impressive aura was walking straight towards him. Following the three men were the rest of the crew. First were Burglar Cat and Nico Robin in long black dresses, then came Tony Chopper and Sogeking. And lastly, Humming Brook, Cyborg Franky and Jinbei. Every single one was dressed in black. And every single one was looking down, humbly.
They were mourning.
The Pirate Hunter and Black Leg stopped a few feet away from Pell, but the Pirate King walked straight ahead until he was standing right in front of the royal head guard. Luffy's face was unreadable in that moment, a look of nostalgia ghosted across his eyes, and he took the strawhat off his head - respectfully.
"Welcome back," said Pell, and held out a hand to him.
Luffy nodded and shook his hand. "I hope we're not too late," he mumbled carefully. "We were in the New World when we heard it, but we came here as fast as we could. Good thing we still had that Eternal Port."
Pell smiled slightly and put a comforting hand on the man's shoulder. "Thank you. She'll be relieved to see you all."
"Is it alright for us to dock here?" asked Black Leg, pointing his head towards the ship.
"For now, yes," Pell replied, "We declared national mourning, so the marines should stay peaceful for a few days more."
There was another gasp among the crowd, louder and painful this time, and from the corner of his eyes, Pell saw the people and soldiers slowly turning around to something behind him. He knew who it was even before anyone said something. He saw it in Luffy's eyes, in the way they widened and then narrowed to a worried frown. It was clear who he was looking at with those remorseful eyes, why he was twitching with restraint.
And then, Luffy whispered so only Pell heard, "Vivi..."
lllllll
Vivi felt as if she was looking at a ghost.
She must be dreaming again, it had to be another illusion. She felt nothing and everything all at once facing him and looking into his onyx eyes. He was the only person with black eyes she had ever known. Her mind was blank and breathing was a real feat all of a sudden. It felt as though someone had knocked all the air out of her lungs. Her heart was pounding so hard, it was pulsating in her ears and she heard nothing of the stunned whispers of the crowd.
Vivi had only eyes for him, Luffy.
He looked so different, so grown up. His face had lost all his naivity and childishness, and was now full of maturity and experience. The scar under his eye looked the same as ever though, and his hair was still the same shade of black she remembered, even if it was now slightly longer, but just a little - nobody but her would have noticed. His shirt wasn't buttoned up all the way, so she could make out a tiny bit of the scar he had gotten from Admiral Akainu three years ago.
They were just a few feet apart now, and Vivi realized only then that she was standing still and Luffy was the one walking towards her. When she had stopped walking, she didn't even know. But he was coming to her now, he was really here, he really came, and with that ended every thought she had, and her eyes started burning with suppressed tears. She was happy and endlessly sad. She wanted to laugh and scream hysterically.
Now he was right in front of her, so close that she could feel his warmth. She had to lift her head, because he had grown to be one whole head taller than her. How weird - back then, they'd been almost the same height. He looked her deep in the eyes, uncertainly opening his mouth, and closing it again, as if he didn't know what to say. How to find the right words.
"Vivi, I..." he finally rasped out, voice slightly cracking, "My deepest condemnation."
Vivi blinked at him in confusion.
"You idiot!" Nami both barked and sobbed at once from somewhere behind him, "It's condolences!"
Luffy flinched and glared indignantly at the ground, but Vivi could see that his ears had gone red. "Y-yeah, that's it. Sorry... I don't really know what to-"
Vivi interrupted him by pinching his nose.
"H-hey! What the hell, Vivi?!"
Luffy swatted her hand away out of reflex, but paused when he saw her face. She looked so lost, but so awed as well, it almost broke his heart in two. Slowly, a small, and very, very sad smile appeared on her pretty face, and he knew she was trying to keep herself from crying. Because she was just proud, and tough, and stupid like that.
"You're really here, aren't you?" she whispered then. "I'm not dreaming?"
His gaze softened, and he smiled back. And before he could stop himself, he joked, "Wanna punch me like you did back then in Yuba to make sure?"
Thankfully, Vivi actually laughed, even if it sounded slightly desperate, and shook her head. And the next moment, she threw herself at him, thin arms encircling his neck in the warmest embrace he had ever received. Luffy actually stopped breathing for a few seconds. Compared to the last time she had been in his arms, she was so tiny now - or he had grown a lot. He was almost scared to crush her lithe flame, but brought his arms around her fragile waist to hug her back anyhow, ignoring the loud yells of disbelief from the crowd about how the princess was hugging the Pirate King. He didn't care about anything right now. All that mattered was the woman in his arms, and the way she buried her face in his neck, and the way she still smelled the same as he remembered.
He was almost a little mad when Nami joined them, and then Usopp and Chopper, and everyone else just kind of gathered around them then, except for Robin, Franky, Brook and Jinbei who all kept a distance. Somewhere along the way, she had let go of him, and he felt disappointment, but tried to smile it away. Nami and Chopper were crying, but Vivi remained strong, even though he could see tears in her eyes as well.
"I hate to interrupt your reunion," Pell said after what felt like an eternity, "But we need to be on our way. We only have four hours left, but we can make it to Alubarna in time if we leave right now."
Vivi nodded as Pell lead her away from them. Luffy watched her when Pell instructed some soldiers to guard the Thousand Sunny with all their might, watched her as she went back to Carue. Then she turned to him and their eyes met, and he tried to smile, but couldn't.
The sky was clouding over more and more.
lllllll
With the help of the much larger and faster Shark Submerge V that Franky had finished building just recently, and then one of those giant crabs thanks to Chopper, the crew reached Alubarna just a bit after Vivi, Carue and Pell. Chaka and a few royal guards welcomed them at the gates of the city. A few court nods were shared, but no words. They walked together, and the streets of the capital of Alabasta were empty and deadly quiet, completely different from when they were first there.
The Central City Square was a sea of black umbrellas and it was only then that Luffy realized it was already raining a little bit. When the first people noticed them, they quietly stepped aside to make way, opening a path for them that lead up to a podium in front of Alubarna Palace. And there he saw a flash of azure beneath a black veil next to Igaram and Pell. The former leader of the Rebel Army was there as well. And behind them was the reason they were all here today.
Nefertari Cobra in his beautifully ornated sarcophagus.
Luffy took a deep breath, dreading each step towards the podium. He could hear Nami's quiet sobs behind him, mixed with a few sniffs from Chopper, and of course Franky was crying by now, too. There were soft cries all around him. Everyone was crying, all of these thousands of people were shedding tears for their deceased king. His chest clenched painfully when he took the last step on the stairs, and his gaze was glued onto Vivi, feeling a wretched kind of awe at the vision of her. And damn it, a woman like her was supposed to wear a white veil, not a black one. This didn't suit her at all.
She looked so small and fragile between the monstrous quartet of Igaram, Pell, Chaka and Kohza. It made Luffy want to pull her close against him, and protect her from the stares of the rest of the world, shield her from this terrible day. But he knew she had to go through this all by herself, like he had when Ace died, or Nami when her mother died, and Zoro when his childhood friend died, and everyone else in his crew who had lost someone dear to them. He couldn't help her, nobody could, and there was nothing he could say to make her feel better - nothing would be good enough, he knew it well.
Luffy did as previously briefed by Brook, as the swordsman had been in duty to a kingdom once, and gave a small, courteous bow to Vivi. He could see her eyes widen slightly behind her veil - she was probably completely dumbfounded by the gesture, and yes, Luffy felt a little stupid doing it, but since the whole kingdom was watching, and since this day was special in a devastating way not only to Vivi, but also to them, he sucked it up. Brook had said to him that it was necessary to show Alabasta his respect and condolences, just like every other royal should; though a king only in speech, Luffy was now a king in a way. Still a concept entirely foreign to him.
Vivi returned the bow to him after a moment of wonder, and he along with the rest of the crew took their places on the sidelines. He made sure Robin was positioned right next to him, just in case he had some questions, like everyone knew he would. A man he only noticed now, dressed in a pompous robe with some kind of generously ornated turban, stepped forward to the microphone, and Luffy shot his archaeologist and historian a confused look.
"The high priest," whispered Robin without looking at him.
Luffy knew that meant the whole ordeal would start now, even though this was the first funeral he'd ever been to. He usually skipped this part, because it meant goodbye forever, and he hated goodbyes. The only other funeral he would have gone to was Ace's, but he'd been on the verge of death himself at that time. So he couldn't help but feel anxious now.
The high priest started his speech about the fragility of life and the path to the afterworld or something, and Luffy tried to really listen to it, even though he felt like it was so unpersonal and had nothing to do with Vivi's father. The subject of King Cobra's vicious illness that had slowly taken his life was carefully avoided. No word about how caring and generous or selfless he had been, just a bunch of crap about ancestors and a proud and ancient bloodline reaching back long before the Void History. Eventually, Vivi and her deceased mother were mentioned as well in the only heartfelt sentence in the whole speech: That Cobra may rest easy reunited with his wife in heaven, as his kingdom is in the loving hands of his beautiful daughter now. Luffy actually smiled a little at that. Yeah, Cobra would be really proud of her.
The speech was concluded with a prayer by the high priest in which he blessed the lost king with a peaceful journey and asked him to take his rightful place among the kings of the past to watch over Alabasta. By the time he was finished, it was downright pouring from the sky onto them, but Vivi refused an umbrella. As did the Strawhats and the royal guards, maybe simply because she did. She lifted her veil and let it fall to the ground so everybody could see her face, features expressionless and eyes downcast.
It must have been some kind of code, because the moment it happened, Chaka and Pell turned towards the sarcophagus, to lift it up. It was time. Time to forever say goodbye to a king, a father, and a friend. Luffy clenched his fists when he realized this was actually happening to Vivi, to Alabasta. He momentarily thought about the consequences, about what that meant for Vivi, what she would have to go through after this, but he needed to focus. He needed to focus on this, no matter how hard it was.
Chaka and Pell gripped the front of the sarcophagus and two other guards bent down to take the rear, and before he really knew what he was doing, Luffy walked forward to the unknown guards closest to him. Maybe it was his sheer presence, the Haki that everyone close to him always felt, that made the guard turn around, because Luffy didn't even make a single sound. But then the words were out almost automatically.
"Can I do it?"
The guard looked at him incredulously, but Chaka and Pell were smiling softly. When Igaram nodded his okay, the two guards moved away from the king's last bed, and Luffy stepped forward. He raised a hand, touching the golden surface, and it was cold. He ran his hand over it for a moment, allowed himself to reminisce of three years prior when he had met the king. He'd been a great man, one of greatest he had ever known. He had created the most amazing things, one of which was his daughter. And Luffy silently swore something to King Cobra right then.
You can rest easy. Leave everything else up to me, he told him in his mind, I'll take care of her.
He looked up and his eyes met with his first mate. "Zoro," he said to him, "Can you-"
"It'd be an honor, Captain," Zoro replied with a small nod and stepped forward to grab the rear of the sarcophagus together with Luffy.
Chaka gave them a nod, and the four of them simultaneously lifted the large coffin up in the air, onto their shoulders. Nobody needed to say where they were going to take him to. Luffy knew it better than anybody, because he'd been there, he'd saved them there. Alabasta's holy place where every royal had been entombed up to this day. They were walking down the stairs first, and Vivi followed directly behind them. Only then were the others allowed to move.
They made their way through the seemingly never ending crowd of a thousand black umbrellas, and Luffy fought the urge to turn around to Vivi a million times. He wanted so desperately to reassure her, and tell her everything would be fine, that she was amazing and so strong and he admired her for everything she was. For everything she had taught him and for all the wonderful things she would do for this country in the future.
But he simply continued carrying her father to his last resting place - the Tomb of the Kings.
tbc