A/N: At the top because I don't like post-story AN's anymore.

This idea bubbled to the surface of my overactive imagination one day (quite a while ago I suddenly notice o_O), but I can't seem to finish it. Right now I'm about 4 paragraphs and a dialogue into the second part, but seeing as my writing-style (or whatever it is that we can call my seemingly unproductive and incessant typing) is loooooooong paragraphs with few mono- or dialogues...

And then I wonder: "Is this what they call a writer's block?"

Anyway, if you decide to read the text beneath the bold line: I hope you'll enjoy it, and if you're willing, tell me what you think about it. Maybe it'll jump-start my fingers into typing more (I hope so!).

Bandana's, Brushes and Hats
Written: January 11 and 12
Edit: January 15, February 25

First part: A Story for the Girl

"...But then the little things noticed I had actually saved them from both the fall and the tigerlion, and they started chirping happily again, getting off of my hand and hopping on my shoulders. If I hadn't lost my hat during the fight, they would've started nesting on it!"

Happy laughter filled the air, soon joined by the chuckles of the storyteller. "Real-...ly, Usopp-s-san? Did those- small birds really w-walk all over you?" Kaya asked, laughing and stuttering all the while.

"They did! My arms, my shoulders, they even tried climbing my hair! Of course, at the age of 6 it wasn't that long yet, and they had been far more interested in my hat anyway," the long-nosed boy said, grinning as he leaned back on the tree-branch. "For you see, Stone-coloured Chitterbirds don't actually make new nests every time they want to lay eggs. It's much too difficult to make a new, safe nest that's both big and soft enough for their young on the cliffs: it takes years to get enough material from the other islands! So they just go back to the nest they grew up in and change it to their own liking. Why, as I climbed up that stony wall to find their nest, I saw nests as big as a bush!"

"No way!" Kaya cried, eyes wide and a smile on her face.

"I did! And others were so soft, they looked like little clouds! All nests are unique, so I was just waiting for my little group to recognize their own. When the chitterbirds on my shoulders noticed I was trying to find their nest, they just sat down and waited silently. They kept silent the whole way back up the cliff, all six hundred feet, and when we reached the top and I pulled myself up, they were all hustled together, making very sad noises. I think the wind that made them fall down had also ripped their home from the stones," he said, actually making himself feel sad with the tale.

"Oh no, those poor things." Even if she knew the story wasn't true, it was a sad thing to hear.

Usopp nodded, crossing his arms. "That's what I thought. At first I wanted to take the birds with me on my ship, but they were so small I was afraid I would lose them during my adventures. On the other hand, they didn't have anywhere to live anymore, so I couldn't just leave them either..."

"So what did you do? Did you take them with you anyway?"

"No," he said with a small grin, "I remembered something."

She saw the spark in his eyes, and smiled as she recognised it as one where he was about to tell her something great. "Remembered what?"

His grin widened. "My hat."

Queue confused blinking. "But didn't the tigerlynx knock it off your head?"

"Tigerlion," Usopp corrected after a moment. "And yes, he did. But the wind had blown it straight into the eerie little forest on top of the cliff. So as I kept the chicks with me to keep them safe, I searched my hat in the trees. I found it in this reeaally big tree in the middle of the forest, almost reaching the clouds! That's also when I realised why the island looked like it was made from two different parts from afar: it was actually a gigantic tree on top of a high cliff!"

Kaya's eyes sparkled with wonder and she was once again amazed by Usopp's ability to create stories like this one.

"As I stared up the giant tree, I spotted my hat, stuck on the third branch. Mind you, it was a really big tree, so the third branch was as high as two hundred feet!"

"So high! And on top of that cliff too!" she gasped, getting into the story as much as Usopp was.

"I know! But I climbed it anyway, using only the bark of the tree. When I got my hat back, I climbed back down again and walked along the edge of the cliff, looking for the spot the chitterbirds had their nest before it was blown away. When I found it, I climbed down to it and fastened my hat into the small niche. The chicks were practically dancing in the air when they saw that!"

"That's so sweet of you Usopp-san," she said, smiling as she saw a bit of pink coming to his cheeks. "But didn't you tell me once that a captain's hat is his pride and joy on the seas?"

"It is!" he quickly defended, turning back, "but a hat can be replaced easily. Their nest was destroyed, and making a new one would take months at the very least! They had been quite taken with it anyway, so I just gave it to them. There was one small problem though..."

"What? Please tell me!"

Usopp smiled at her enthusiasm. "Chitterbirds are very small, and while some enjoy having large nests, they all want it to be warm, soft and strong enough to raise the young ones on the windy cliffs. Luckily, my hat was made out of leather. It was already very soft where they sat, but it was also slightly large. When a breeze came into the niche, they were shivering in their fluff."

"The poor things..." she muttered, putting her hands over her mouth.

Usopp nodded grimly. "They could've frozen to death if I hadn't helped them."

"What did you do?"

Now he grinned again, jabbing a thumb in his chest. "As a pirate, I usually only wore very light clothing so I wouldn't be hindered when fighting, but I always wore a bandana made of several feet of soft cotton to keep my hat in place. So I also took off my bandana, put it in my upturned hat and arranged it just like a comfortable nest should be!"

Now Kaya was smiling happily again. Usopp really could be so kind, even if it was in his stories.

"The birds were so happy they danced all over again, twittering to no end. It was such a nice sight I almost wanted to stay. But a pirate will always be a pirate, so I soon said my goodbyes to them and climbed back down to my ship, waving as I sailed off. They saw me off for about twenty feet down the cliff, then I convinced them to go back: the wind made them fall once, a second time could be the last. They were sad off course, but they kept chirping happily, even as they saw me sailing away."

She sighed happily, smiling at the nice end. "You really are a kind person, Usopp-san, even though you say you're a pirate."

"Of course I am a pirate! Giants shiver in their skin when they hear of the Great Captain Usopp!" he told heatedly, pumping his fist in the air.

Laughing again. She always felt so at ease with the long-nosed teenager, she barely noticed she was sick. His stories always gave her an almost carefree feeling, the thought that someone could walk in and try to catch Usopp only giving her a small thrill. Usopp would always escape from the butlers, even Kurahadol! His daily escapes from the villagers had learned him how to!

"That's great Usopp-san!" she cheered, still laughing. He chuckled along, though not so sure why.

"H-hey now, what's so-"

-knock, knock-

"Ojou-sama." Kurahadol! "Is everything alright? I'm coming in right now."

Kaya turned back to the window, only to see a shoe disappear in the leaves as the door opened.

"Standing at the window again, Ojou-sama? You know you could catch a cold like that."

"But it's been really warm lately, and isn't fresh air good for one's health?" she timidly said as she was steered back to bed again by the stiff caretaker. Of course she felt awful for lying to him, but sometimes –just sometimes- she knew she shouldn't bother asking him permission. Even she tired from his resolute 'no'.

He seemed to hesitate a bit, but still closed the window after he had put her in bed. "Fresh air is indeed healthy, but it has been very dry lately, and I wouldn't want to risk any allergies with the hay-fever." He slowly walked back to the door, adjusting his glasses as he passed the bed. "Therefore, the window stays closed for today."

"Stingy," she muttered as he opened the door.

"I'm okay with being stingy. No means no."

-clack-

As soon as she heard his footsteps disappear down the hall, Kaya shot up from the bed and silently opened the window. Whatever shred of guilt tore through her for the act of disobedience was quickly shot down and thrown out the window at the sight of her dear friend.

"That was a bit close," came as a greeting from the darker-skinned boy, once again sitting on the branch.

She nodded. "I'm sorry if it troubles you, Usopp-san. Kurahadol only means well..."

He shrugged, grinning as he leaned back again. "No problem for a brave warrior of the sea like me!" She smiled back, already relaxing again.

"Mmmmh...So, where was I again?" he murmured thoughtfully.

"You just finished the story, Usopp-san" she said, giggling as his expression turned perplexed.

"I guess I did, didn't I?" he laughed, putting his hands behind his head.

"Say, Usopp-san..." she started.

"Hm?"

"You said you gave your bandana to those chitterbirds, right?"

He grinned. "That I did. A small sacrifice to help those animals."

She smiled back. "You always wear a bandana, don't you?"

He blinked, then looked up, crossing his arms as he hummed thoughtfully.

"I guess I do" he said eventually, still not looking at Kaya. "My hair's a bit unmanageable, but I can't really tie my hair back... A bandana is the next best thing... Perhaps a hat..." He hummed again.

Kaya blinked. She had almost expected a tale of how he had acquired this bandana on a brave voyage long ago, but this contemplative answer was...nice, in a strange way...

For a few seconds more, Usopp just sat there, probably thinking, or remembering. Then he jerked, almost falling off but catching himself just in time. "Oh! There's something I need to do back in the village. Right now. See ya tomorrow, Kaya!" And he was off, jumping off the branch and hooking a rope around it to slide down harmlessly. He ran back to the hedge, turned around once to wave back at her, then disappeared.

She smiled as she watched him go, also closing the blinds after the windows. Usopp had a way of making her feel energized with his stories, but he always came just before she had to take her medicine. As the pale girl picked up the small package, her thoughts drifted back to her storytelling companion.

'Come to think of it, I've never seen him without his bandana... And his hair is kind of long...'

She sighed as she settled back in her bed, feeling drowsy. Indeed, the youth's hair was almost as long as hers, perhaps even longer if it had been straight. She gave a small giggle: perhaps he'd even need to comb it more often than her, what with the thick curls and his daily runs around the island! A last thought flitted through her mind before she succumbed to sleep, giving her no chance to think where it came from or why she thought it.

'Wonder what it feels like...'