Author's note: Wow, I finally came back with a ficlette! Nothing big, just a little look into one of the more overlooked minor characters, but my favorite of them--Kaya! Many thanks to karaleyn, whom I really don't know past her fanfic, but whose fanfic you should go read, for making me want to take a look at Kaya via fic. And wow, I just plugged someone I don't even know! Can I do that?
Oh, and One Piece and all its glory is not mine. Sad thing.
One more thing. "Oujosama" may or may not be correct; "Meri" may or may not be correct. But you know what I'm talking about, so read on anyway.
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No
"...Oujosama?"
A tentative knock at the door.
"You're going to have to answer me someday."
Had the young woman on the other side of the beautifully-carved door not been so distraught, she might have chuckled at the maternal tone her butler's voice carried. But her mind could not be contained by the large room she called hers, and she hardly focused on what was going on around her.
She had started the day most normally, taking a seat at her desk to study the latest assignment on the road to becoming a doctor. Something nagging in the back of her mind, however, would not allow her to concentrate as she wanted to, and so she allowed her gaze to wander. Over the desk, to the wall, to the window, so often closed now to keep the wind and memories out. To the calendar that hung perfectly on the wall.
Her deep eyes had widened as they settled on the date, and what she was certain was the cause of her subconscious distress. For on the same day, three years prior, her world had begun to collapse around her. In two seemingly entirely unrelated cases, both her mother and her father had lost their lives in the course of that twenty-four hour period. And she was left completely alone, with only her increasing frailty for company.
Somehow she had managed to push out of her mind the knowledge that it was the anniversary of that day. But in the recognition, a thousand memories flooded back to her, and she had instantly fallen to her knees in sobbing misery. And there she still sat, shaking and wailing and completely ignoring the man at the door who considered her wellbeing his sworn duty.
"Oujosama, please, just unlock the door."
And finally, a shrieked reply: "Go away, Meri!"
Undaunted by the cry of a young woman he had cared for since her babyhood, the butler leaned against the door. "Oujosama, I am going away. But I am coming back with something for you to eat, so please make an attempt at calming yourself down." And his footsteps faded into the distant din of kitchen noises.
Kaya was once again left with silent memories. She settled her sobs as best she could and crawled into her bed, hugging her legs and burying her face in her knees. It was three years ago. She should be able to put it out of her mind as easily as she had the past year. But what was it that had made this day easier a year ago?
A tanned, grinning face and a loud laughter to accompany as many stories as it took to keep her mind off of things.
Fresh tears slid down her face as she turned her head towards the window and shut her eyes. If she thought hard enough...
If her imagination was strong enough, she could see that window open, and Usopp, standing on the strong branch of the tree just outside. And in her mind's eye, he bravely stepped out of the tree, onto the windowsill, into the room...He was there to comfort her, and make her feel like everything would be okay again. Though it had never happened in actuality, her memory-Usopp held her tightly and spoke in soothing tones of a voice nearly forgotten. And just for that moment, time stopped and all was right again.
Meri knocked at the door, bringing Kaya out of her reverie and back to reality. She shuffled slowly from the bed to the door, unlocking it. Her eyes stared at the ground.
"I'm being so foolish..." she sighed as she stepped back to allow the man and the tray of food he bore into the room.
"No, Oujosama. You're actually doing much better than I expected." He placed the tray of food on the end of the bed, motioning her to sit and eat. She obliged, not tasting a bit of it. "May I open the window?" he continued.
"Oh...I...I suppose." She sipped at a glass of water and blinked against the sunlight. And tears again fell from her eyes.
Meri sat next to her, smiling, as per usual. "Of course memories can be painful; that's perfectly allright." He lightly rubbed her back, a trick he had used when she was very young to get her to relax. She met his gaze and noted the presence of tears in his own eyes with no more than a small smile.
"I feel as though everyone is gone from me," she confessed, adding quickly, "Oh, but I'm very grateful that you're here."
Ever understanding, he nodded. "I miss your parents, too. Although I can't say that I miss that boy with the nose as much as you do..."
"Usopp-san," she either corrected or reminisced, and Meri could not tell, but he nodded again.
"And didn't you promise you'd be strong?"
It was her turn to nod. Without realizing it, she had eaten most of the food on the tray. She blinked at the empty plate. "I guess I was...more hungry than I thought."
"It does my heart good to see you eat," Meri replied, and Kaya was lost in a giggle at how very motherly he continued to sound. He patted her on the shoulder and stood to go.
"Thank you, Meri," she spoke up, wiping the last remaining tears from her eyes.
He sighed over-dramatically. "It's no fantastic tale of pirates and pillaging...but you're welcome, anyway." And with a smile and a nod, Kaya was alone again.
"No," she said to the door, "no, it isn't."
And she stood and walked to the window.
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Hm...I don't know about that. I never like my own writing though. Anyway, it wasn't supposed to go anywhere in particular, just be...Kaya, reflecting and such. So, reviews are welcomed!