Ten points for whoever can name all the references I have in here.

Seriously, it's reference city in there. Even the title is a reference. I was inspired by so many different movies and such that it all kind of found its way into the story. Like the blatant references to Skyward Sword. Sorry about that. I'm obsessed with the game, and I couldn't resist.

At any rate, I now present to you Chapter One of the sequel to Coming Closer: At the Price of Oblivion.


Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, or any of the characters affiliated with the series.

I do, however, own Hikari Oshiro.


Two years had passed since the events at Sabaody Archipelago. Two years since the War of the Best. Two years of training, of isolation, of tempering their minds and bodies. After two years, the Strawhat crew had finally been reunited, and was sailing the seas again.

Except for one.

One crewmember had not yet returned. The Strawhats hadn't been able to wait for her to return, but every day they scanned the skies, hoping they would see her come flying back home.

And every day they were met with the same disappointment.

A certain swordsman was suffering more than the rest of the crew. At the current moment, he was sitting in the galley, absentmindedly stirring a pot while the cook ran to the hold to grab some ingredients. The swordsman's thoughts had turned to the missing crewmember, and he stared out the window, not noticing that the concoction was giving off black smoke.

Sanji walked into the galley just in time, screeching, "What the fuck are you doing, shitty Marimo?" Sprinting over to the stovetop, he knocked Zoro out of the way, fanning the smoking pot with a rag. Zoro stood off to the side, arms crossed over his chest, scowling at the floor. The potential disaster averted, Sanji spun on the swordsman, jabbing a smoking cigarette in his direction. "You almost ruined a perfectly good meal, asshole!" he snarled. "Get your head out of your ass!"

When Zoro didn't respond to his insults and instead sat at the table with a heavy sigh, Sanji knew what was wrong. "She'll come back eventually. Now stop moping and help me cut these vegetables."

Zoro absentmindedly picked up the knife that the cook had placed next to him and began to quickly slice the food placed in front of him. "I'm not moping," he muttered under his breath.

Sanji rolled his eyes at Zoro as he attempted to salvage the burned meal. "You're obviously head-over-heels for her. Look, why don't you stop moaning and moping around and just… just marry the girl?" he grumbled, tossing the now dirty rag at Zoro's head. The piece of cloth found its mark, landing on the green mess of hair. Yanking it off, he glared daggers at the cook.

"Marry her?" the swordsman asked incredulously, taking Sanji's sarcastic comment seriously. "You don't just walk up to a girl, hand her a bouquet and say, 'Hey, remember me? We were kids together. Will you marry me?'" Laughing bitterly, he balled up the rag in his hands, grumbling, "It just isn't done that way…"

Sanji scowled as he listened to the swordsman whine. "I honestly could care less about your damn problems, Marimo. Grow some balls! Tell her how you feel. Unless you really are incapable of emotion…"

Zoro growled angrily at the cook's last comment, but his anger quickly faded. "It's no use," he sighed, defeated. "I've thought it all out. It just wouldn't work. I mean, what do I have to offer her?"

"Your charming personality," Sanji drawled sarcastically, dodging quickly as Zoro flung the knife he had been using at the cook's head.

"I'm serious, dammit!" the swordsman snarled. "She's sure to have cleaned up her life in these past two years. I'm still an outlaw. That's no life for any decent woman: always on the run. I'm sure she has plans set out for her future. What kind of future does she have with me?" He scowled darkly at the table, and Sanji couldn't help but feel just a tad bit sorry for him.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Brook cried out, waltzing into the kitchen and startling the swordsman out of his reverie. "You're not an outlaw! Someday, you'll be called the greatest swordsman who ever lived!"

Zoro grumbled under his breath, unable to think of anything to say. The skeleton laughed as he seated himself across from the swordsman, propping his head up on his hands. "Why do you care, anyway?" he continued. "If you really love her, none of that should matter."

Zoro snarled half to himself, running a hand through his messy hair. Standing up, he started to pace. "It's just… It's been two years. What if she met someone else? What if she's given up on me?" he babbled, unable to stop the flow of questions he had been asking himself for two years.

Brook hummed happily, chuckling under his breath. "I wouldn't be so sure about that, Zoro-san," he replied in a sing-song voice. Zoro ignored the musician, continuing to pace until the rest of the crew filed in for dinner. Nami and Luffy appeared to be in the middle of a heated debate, neither refusing to give in.

"I told you, it's too dangerous!" Nami snapped, sitting down in a huff.

"But I'm the captain!" Luffy countered, crossing his arms and pouting. "And I say we're going!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Zoro interrupted, plopping into his chair. Sanji shot him a scathing look for talking to his dear Nami-swan in that manner, but stayed silent as Nami proceeded to explain.

"There's a really famous sky island up ahead known as Skyloft. It's supposed to be an incredible island, but the only way there is to take a ferry, which would mean leaving the Thousand Sunny in a foreign port."

"Skyloft?" Robin asked, sounding intrigued. "Isn't that where the Sky Knights are based out of?"

The rest of the crew looked at her like she had sprouted a second head.

"The Sky Knights are an elite force of warriors," Robin explained with a sigh. "They are an extremely powerful force in the New World, and also one of the only forces that isn't allied with the World Government."

"Seems safe enough," Zoro grunted, shrugging his shoulders noncommittally. The rest of the crew seemed to agree, and Nami soon found herself completely overruled by an excited crew. With a defeated sigh, the navigator gave in to the will of the rest of the crew. "Alright!" she announced, scowling at the table. "We'll go to Skyloft!"

The cheers of the crew lifted Zoro's spirits slightly, but his worries still buzzed around in the back of his mind, an ever-present murmur in his thoughts.


Adjusting the swords on his hip, Zoro walked out onto the deck. The rest of the crew was scattered around the tiny ferry that was soaring skyward through the clouds. He walked over to the railing, peering over hesitantly, and immediately wished he hadn't. They were thousands of miles above the ocean, and he got an intense feeling of vertigo as he looked over the edge. Leaning back, he opted instead to look up at the island that they were quickly approaching.

He was surprised to discover that the island wasn't made of clouds. It instead appeared to be chunks of earth floating in the sky. He stared in awe, wondering how the islands stayed where they were.

"Incredible, isn't it?" a strange voice asked beside him. Glancing to his right, Zoro saw a young man wearing a yellow Sky Knight uniform standing next to him. The soldier turned to face him, bowing respectfully and then offering him a hand in greeting. "My name is Pipit, sir. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Zoro nodded, grasping Pipit's hand in a firm handshake. "Roronoa Zoro," he replied, liking the soldier's respectful nature. Glancing back at the islands, he commented, "I've seen sky islands before, but none of them looked anything like that. How do they stay there?"

"No one knows," Pipit replied with a sigh. "Personally, I think that it's the power of the Goddess."

Zoro rolled his eyes and snorted. "I don't believe in crap like that," he grumbled under his breath.

The soldier shrugged. "Believe what you will. At any rate, we'll be landing soon. It was an honor to meet you, Roronoa-san." Bowing, Pipit walked over to the other guards on the ship, who began to prepare for landing. Zoro turned and made his way over to the rest of the crew. Luffy ran over to him and grinned out from under his hat.

"Isn't this cool, Zoro?" he chirped. Zoro nodded curtly, crossing his arms over his chest. He was still uncomfortable with being this high up on such a rickety small ship.

A loud trumpet sounded out across the clear morning air, announcing the arrival of the ship. The ferry finally docked at the port, and the passengers disembarked. The Strawhat crew stood on the dock, staring at the brightly colored banners and the bustling crowds. It felt as if the crew had just stepped into a painting. Colors whirled about, both in the form of people and animals. Enormous, multi-colored bird soared through the air, some carrying Sky Knights on their backs. It was both overwhelming and breathtaking.

Luffy clapped his hands together, running out in front of the crew. "Amazing!" he cried, spinning around as his attention jumped from place to place. "I knew it was a good idea to stop here!"

Nami rolled her eyes. "Stay close," she called to the crew, ignoring Luffy's antics. "I don't want anyone to get lost and end up falling off the island." The rest of the crew cheered and ran after Luffy, everyone eager to enjoy themselves. Zoro lagged behind, taking in the whole scene. His gaze was drawn to the soldier dressed in yellow. He stood at the edge of the docks, waiting as a large brown bird flew up next to him, allowing him room to leap onto its back. Clutching the saddle on the bird's back, the soldier soared elegantly overhead atop his steed. Zoro watched silently, a pang shooting through his heart as he remembered flying with a certain bird many years before. As he watched the birds dance through the air, his mind wandered, leading him back to that painful question. What if she didn't come back because she's moved on?

He vaguely heard one of the crew call out to him, urging him to catch up. Tearing his gaze from the skies above, he made his way over to where the crew was standing, listening as one of the locals recounted his tale to them.

"I swear it's true!" the man protested, pleading with a very skeptical cook and an unbelieving navigator. "A Sea King has been swimming around in the Sea Clouds! It's attacked the market a couple of times. If you don't believe me, ask the others!"

"And how the hell did a Sea King get all the way up here?" Nami drawled, crossing her arms and glaring at the local.

The man opened his mouth to respond, but an earsplitting roar ripped through the air. Everyone froze as the echoes faded, and then all hell broke loose. Zoro wheeled around, one hand immediately flying to the hilt of his favorite sword. He saw the Sea King erupt forth from the clouds, huge teeth flashing as the beast roared. People ran screaming in all directions, trying to get away from the potential danger. The entire square was empty, save for one person.

Whoever it was stood calm in the middle of the square, refusing to move. The green Sky Knight uniform seemed to shine in the sunlight as the soldier stood tall and unafraid. The long cap fluttered in the breeze, drawing Zoro's eye to the elegant sword slung across the soldier's back. Other than a clearly fantastic sword, the soldier was unarmed.

"That idiot's going to get himself killed!" Nami cried out, backing away from the feral monster. The Sea King reared its head back, shrieking to the heavens before turning its gaze to the lone soldier. The beast narrowed its eyes, lowering its head to near ground level before letting out an earsplitting roar and lunging at the soldier, who made no effort to move.

In that instant, time seemed to slow. Zoro saw the monster's teeth flash before snapping together. Someone behind him screamed, but in that moment, he could have sworn he heard the sound of steel ringing through the air. The Sea King surged skyward again, towering over them with an ominous growl. Usopp and Chopper yelped as the creature stared at where the crew was standing.

"It ATE him!" they screeched, clinging to each other and staring in horror at the suddenly quiet monster.

"What are you talking about?" a voice called out from behind them. Zoro turned to see the soldier in yellow trotting over, his yellow hat bobbing behind him. Pipit came to a halt beside them, a frown on his face. "Sempai is standing right there."

Zoro heard a strangled gurgle, and slowly turned to face the sound. The Sea King had a strange glazed look in its eyes. The beast swayed slightly, before its head separated from its long snake-like body and came crashing to the ground. Zoro stared at the dismembered head before raising his gaze to see where Pipit was pointing.

The soldier in green stood a few feet from his original location, seemingly unperturbed by the events. One hand was slightly extended, as if he had just been holding a sword. Not a speck of blood sullied the soldier's perfect uniform. "Impossible," Zoro murmured, staring wide-eyed at the Sky Knight. He hadn't even seen the soldier draw his sword. No one moved that fast.

Pipit walked up to a few feet away from the soldier, laughing as he surveyed the scene. "Flawless as ever, I see," he grinned, returning his gaze to the soldier. "Although, you didn't need to step in. I could have handled it by myself, Sempai."

The soldier in green chuckled airily, and Zoro felt a shiver run down his back as some small part of his brain recognized that voice. "What's the point of sitting back? If I don't practice, I'll get rusty," the soldier complained in a smooth voice as he turned around to address the soldier.

Zoro froze as recognition struck him. He found himself staring at a face so familiar to the one he had longed to see for over two years. The soldier was, in fact, a woman. A few strands of white hair fell over her face, almost obscuring her sparkling gray eyes. She smiled back at Pipit, and Zoro felt a pang as he wished that the woman she resembled would suddenly appear and smile at him in the same way. Her smile soon disappeared though, a frown replacing it as she put one hand on her hip and jabbed a finger in the yellow soldier's chest. "And I thought I told you not to call me Sempai."

Pipit laughed as he put his hands up and stepped back. "Sorry, sorry," he apologized, one hand rubbing the back of his head as he tried to put more distance between himself and his superior. "But you're just so cool, Hikari-san! I can't help but respect you."

Zoro swore he could hear his heart stop. He stared in shock at the woman, his jaw dropping as his suspicions were confirmed. The rest of the crew reacted in a similar manner, simply staring dumbly at the soldier.

"D-did you say… Hikari?" Nami choked out, a look somewhere between horror and awe on her face.

The woman started at Nami's question, turning to look at the crew for the first time. Her eyes widened as recognition flashed across her face. Zoro heard footsteps, and saw Luffy walking slowly toward Hikari, his face strangely blank. It appeared that the young captain was forcing himself forward. Small steps turned into larger strides, which in turn became a trot, and then a full out sprint. Hikari yelped as Luffy flung himself at her, wrapping his stringy arms around her slender figure. She staggered backward, trying to keep her balance as the young captain seized her in a tight hug and burying his face in her shoulder.

"Oi, Luffy, you're suffocating me," she gasped, lightly patting the captain's shoulder as she hugged him back.

"We thought you weren't coming back, Shiro," he mumbled, his muffled voice sounding as if he was terribly close to bursting into tears. "We thought you had forgotten about us."

Hikari smiled sadly down at Luffy. "Of course I didn't forget about you, silly. We're nakama, aren't we? Nakama don't forget about each other." Luffy's grip on her tightened momentarily, but then he was back, grinning in her face with his usual stupid grin.

At this, the rest of the crew was broken out of their trance. Running over, they all greeted their long lost crewmember. Zoro was the last to approach, standing just outside the group and watching silently. A small smile crept over his face as he watched Hikari laughing with the rest of the crew. Finally, after she had been greeted by the others, she turned to him. The two stood a few feet apart, neither saying a word to the other. Hikari's eyes bored into Zoro's good one, as if she was trying to read his mind. After a few minutes, Zoro coughed uncomfortably, shifting slightly and glancing away. A smile tugged at the corners of Hikari's lips, and she laughed at the swordsman. Zoro scowled, and was about to demand what the hell she was laughing at when he realized that her attention was diverted elsewhere. He could hear a commotion from within the crowd gathering behind them. Turning, he looked to see what was going on.

A small child, no older than two years old, wobbled out of the crowd. The boy was wearing what appeared to be a dark blue child-sized Sky Knight uniform. His hat sat low on his brow, and was clearly too big for him, as the end came near to dragging on the ground. Sobbing uncontrollably, the boy's gaze darted around until he saw Hikari. With a wail, the child sprinted toward her, arms outstretched and babbling senselessly. Concern flashed across Hikari's face as she brushed past Zoro, running over to catch the child and pick him up. Cradling the little boy in her arms, she examined him for any injuries as she whispered to him comfortingly. After a few moments, the child began to calm down, curling toward Hikari's body.

"Who's that?" Chopper asked hesitantly, vocalizing everyone's confusion.

Hikari glanced at the crew, a wary expression on her face. The child seemed to sense the shift in her mood, tugging on the front of her uniform with a tiny hand and whimpering slightly. Glancing down at the little boy in her arms, she seemed to relax, a broad smile replacing the apprehensive look from before. Sucking in a deep breath, she faced the crew, still clutching the boy in her arms.

"This is Kichirou… my son."


TBC

O-ho-ho! Betcha didn't see that one coming!

If you did, I applaud your psychic abilities.

Thanks for reading! Comments, questions, and constructive criticism are always welcome. Suggestions are appreciated. Seriously, I can always use new suggestions for plot and such.