"Where are we?"
That was never a good question to hear asked when standing in the middle of a vast, barren, frozen valley. But Luffy had decided it was necessary after wandering around for what seemed like forever.
Now, you might ask, how did the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and his sniper end up in the vast, barren, frozen valley?
Put simply, fleeing the Demon Snowball hadn't gone as planned. As it turned out, running in snow was harder than one might think, and with its increased size and speed the monster ball of snow had eventually caught up with its prey, squashed them, and then rolled itself, along with its passengers, right off a cliff.
Usopp was happy to be alive. He would have been happier if he knew where the hell he was.
"I don't know," the sniper said as he crossed his arms and eyed the distant scenery with annoyance. Stupid scenery with its whiteness.
"I'm hungry," Luffy pouted, clasping his hands behind his head and kicking snow into the deep footprints he had left in his wake.
"Well then you better start looking for food, 'cause I don't have any," Usopp informed him, and Luffy huffed. "Now, with my superior navigational skills I shall find our way back to the ship!"
"You said that an hour ago," Luffy pointed out. Usopp threw a snowball at him.
----
Back on the Thousand Sunny, Nami sat comfortably in a chair on the lawn and studied her newspaper. Next to her on a small table was a steaming mug of hot chocolate, courtesy of Sanji. On the other side of the table was Robin, similarly comfortable but with a book instead.
Chopper was playing in the snow a short distance from the ship when Zoro wandered back into view.
The little doctor perked up, then tipped his head quizzically at the swordsman. "Where're Luffy and Usopp?"
Zoro shrugged. "Dunno." Honestly.
"Weren't they with you?" Chopper asked as he patted his short little snowman into shape.
"Nope," Zoro said, and walked by the reindeer back to the ship.
"Oh well," Chopper said, and stuck a carrot on his snowman's face for a nose.
We can all be sure that the little doctor's concern for his absent nakama warmed their spirits, wherever they were.
----
"We're gonna freeeeeeze to death!" Luffy whined as he hopped through the knee-deep snow after Usopp, who was leading the way 'towards the ship.'
The sniper sniffed and rubbed his arms. "I'm not cold."
"You're shivering," Luffy informed him.
"They're sympathy shivers. For you," Usopp said.
"Oooohh," Luffy nodded.
Usopp suddenly stopped walking and Luffy crashed into his back, sending them both tumbling face-first into the snow.
"Ow ow ow! Why'd you stop?" Luffy groused, hauling himself up and smacking snow off his coat.
"Mmmff mmnnnn mmmmmfffmmm," Usopp said.
"... What?" Luffy stared, and then Usopp jerked his head out of the snow and repeated, "I heard something."
"Like what?" Luffy asked, looking around. "There's nothing here."
It was true; to their direct left was the steep incline of the mountain and to the other side was the desolate landscape with its few leafless trees.
"Dunno, like a rumbling," Usopp said with a shrug as he, too, rid himself of clingy snow.
"Probably your stomach," Luffy said sagely, stroking his chin.
"Was not," Usopp snorted. "It sounded almost like -"
The rumbling grew louder. It was coming from their left.
Both men looked up the mountain to see a growing wall of pure white charging down the mountainside towards them.
"- An avalanche?" Luffy finished with a wide grin, feeling clever.
"Yeah, an avalanche," Usopp concurred with a nod.
Pause.
"OHMYGODAVALANCHERUUUUN!"
----
Nami folded her paper and set it aside as Sanji refreshed her hot chocolate. She fluffed the collar of her coat, eyes scanning the deck, and only then did she realize something was missing.
How could she have overlooked something so important?!
"We should have cookies," Nami said with a sharp nod, thumping one closed fist into the opposite palm.
"That sounds wonderful, navigator-san," Robin agreed.
Sanji twirled and held the small silver tray he carried against his chest. "Coming right up, Nami-swan! Robin-chwan!"
Across he deck, Zoro snorted. Then had to dive sideways to avoid the silver tray which embedded itself in the side of the ship he'd been resting against, right about where his head had been. "WHAT THE HELL?! You bastard--"
Sadly Sanji had already twirled his way to the kitchen, so the swordsman's cursing failed to reach him.
Nami sighed contentedly and cuddled into her coat.
----
If anyone had been present to witness the avalanche, they probably would have laughed. Watching the two pirates trying to shuffle away from the coming rush of snow was just that funny.
The fact that running in snow was difficult was simply reaffirmed as the pair attempted to flee, so despite their best efforts, Luffy and Usopp were soon overcome and disappeared from view under the crushing wave of the avalanche.
All was still for the span of about a minute after the last of the falling ice had settled. The rumbling quieted, and somewhere, a bird "caw"ed.
Luffy's head broke the surface and he gasped for breath. Being run over by an avalanche was less fun than it sounded like, he decided.
But he was aliiiiive! ... And aloooooone.
Luffy screwed his face up and fished around in the snow next to him until his hand found something to grip, and then he pulled hard.
Usopp's head popped up through the snow. "DON'T PULL MY NOSE!!" he sputtered, swatting Luffy's hand away from his face.
"You're aliiiiive!" Luffy informed his companion cheerfully, arms thrown up.
Usopp looked down at himself with a surprised blink to see that he was, indeed, alive. Then he set to work freeing himself from the snow.
A short time later, once both men were on their feet and had shaken off all of the snow that clung to their clothes, Luffy shaded his eyes with a hand and surveyed their surroundings. "Yup."
"What?" Usopp looked to his captain.
"Next time there's an avalanche, I need a sled."
They were going to die.
~ ;3 ~
Told ya. :'D
LOOK, ohemgii, it's the elusive second
chapter in it's natural habitat. Quickly, capture it for it may never
rear its head again!
8D Well, this was fun to write, I'll admit.
It feels kind of weird to e writing a follow-up chapter for
anything... :O I could fool myself into thinking I'm... I'm...
PRODUCTIVE! OHGASP!
XD We'll see what happens.
8D And thanks so much for the reviews, guys! They made me all squee and happy and totally helped me continue!!
