Star Crossed:
a prologue
"Usopp?"
Nami's curiosity had obviously gotten the better of her at last. She peered in the bright morning sun, trying to see what was taking place in the bow of the ship.
"Usopp, what are you doing?"
Usopp was sitting by the sheep's head, his back to her. He held a small box in his hands. Luffy and Nami crept up beside him, wondering what was going on indeed.
Usopp looked up, smiling. "Don't you guys know what day today is?"
"Um... Sunday?" Luffy guessed.
"Right, but it's something else, too." Usopp nodded.
"Sou da! Kyou wa Luffy no Hi!" Luffy grinned.
Everyone stared. Except for Zoro, who was fast asleep.
"No," Usopp sweatdropped. "Today is... Mother's Day."
"Mother's Day," breathed Nami. "You're right."
"Mother's Day?" asked Sanji, bringing a tray of breakfast rolls out from the kitchen. "What about it?"
"Well..." Usopp looked a little shy. "I'm celebrating."
"Celebrating?" Luffy blinked.
Usopp produced a small shoebox. Inside were old letters, notes, photographs. Nami peered over Usopp's shoulder, interested.
"Wow... Usopp, these look really old." An old photo caught her eye. "Who is that?"
"THIS," Usopp said, holding up the picture and beaming with pride, "Is my mother."
Nami took the photo and smiled. "Oh! She's pretty!"
"I know!" Usopp agreed.
"She's got your nose," Sanji pointed out, passing the photo to Luffy.
"She looks like a nice person." Nami sat down next to Usopp. "What was she like?"
"She was the best." Usopp sighed.
"Tell us about her?" Luffy asked. "Yasopp I know, but I never met your mom."
"Oh..." Usopp looked bashful. "Nah... it's a long story. Maybe another time."
"Aw, come on," Luffy whined.
"Please tell us," Nami asked, her brown eyes shining.
Even Sanji seemed interested. "Sure, Nagappana." He sat down and lit a cigarette. "I'm in the mood for a good story."
Usopp blinked. Why would they want to hear about his....
Oh. He looked from Sanji, the orphan; to Nami, the foundling; to Luffy, whom Usopp had never heard mention "family."
I see.
He cleared his throat dramatically. If his friends wanted to know, he would tell them.
His favorite story.
The best story he knew.
The story of his parents.
Translation & Notes
"Sou da! Kyou wa Luffy no Hi!"= "That's it! Today is Luffy Day!" is a line from Luffy's song, Holy Holiday!
Nagappana- "Long Nose", Sanji's favorite nickname for Usopp.
Notes From Author:
--Spoilers for Kuro Arc, but if you know Usopp, then, *shrugs* you know what happens.--
This fic is going to be my little version of how Usopp's parents might have gotten together. According to numerous folks on the OPFFML, Usopp's mother's name is given in the BLUE chara book as "Bankiina", which seems to be a katakana-zation of Vanquina, which is apparently a word in Italian for "port". Thanks to all the folks who informed me of this fact.
As you know from the show, Usopp's mother is shown briefly during the Kuro arc. I thought she was really cute, and I liked her. She was really pale and sickly, because in the scene, she was dying and she said that she didn't know where Usopp's father was, but she was proud to have married him and glad she was out at sea.
At first I thought Usopp's dad must be a jerk, for abandoning his family, even though he is supposedly always talking about them... I felt very, very sorry for Usopp, being left behind. But after a while I thought about it more and more and I thought, these two (Usopp's parents) must have a really cool relationship. They don't need to be together to love each other. And I thought that was very interesting.
So I decided to write about them. Here it is. As I have not read all of OP, there may be contradictions, but I hope that they can be overlooked in the purpose of story-telling.
As far as characterization, I tried to bring out parts of Usopp's personality in each of his parents. I hope that this shows.
I also thought it interesting that both Usopp's mother and Kaya are shown as gentle, frail, sickly, and almost bird-like. I thought that maybe this was something that drew Usopp to Kaya in the first place... not only her similarity to him as being an orphan, but also her similarity to his own mother, whom he was so attached to. So when I wrote about Bankiina I wanted to show a little of this as well.
Finally, "Bankiina" is kind of a mouthful, even though it is an important piece of symbolism, so I decided to give her a shortened nickname. Her papa calls her "Kiina" for short. I thought it suited her better.
Thank you to all for your patience and understanding in reading.
--Sylphiel
"Usopp?"
Nami's curiosity had obviously gotten the better of her at last. She peered in the bright morning sun, trying to see what was taking place in the bow of the ship.
"Usopp, what are you doing?"
Usopp was sitting by the sheep's head, his back to her. He held a small box in his hands. Luffy and Nami crept up beside him, wondering what was going on indeed.
Usopp looked up, smiling. "Don't you guys know what day today is?"
"Um... Sunday?" Luffy guessed.
"Right, but it's something else, too." Usopp nodded.
"Sou da! Kyou wa Luffy no Hi!" Luffy grinned.
Everyone stared. Except for Zoro, who was fast asleep.
"No," Usopp sweatdropped. "Today is... Mother's Day."
"Mother's Day," breathed Nami. "You're right."
"Mother's Day?" asked Sanji, bringing a tray of breakfast rolls out from the kitchen. "What about it?"
"Well..." Usopp looked a little shy. "I'm celebrating."
"Celebrating?" Luffy blinked.
Usopp produced a small shoebox. Inside were old letters, notes, photographs. Nami peered over Usopp's shoulder, interested.
"Wow... Usopp, these look really old." An old photo caught her eye. "Who is that?"
"THIS," Usopp said, holding up the picture and beaming with pride, "Is my mother."
Nami took the photo and smiled. "Oh! She's pretty!"
"I know!" Usopp agreed.
"She's got your nose," Sanji pointed out, passing the photo to Luffy.
"She looks like a nice person." Nami sat down next to Usopp. "What was she like?"
"She was the best." Usopp sighed.
"Tell us about her?" Luffy asked. "Yasopp I know, but I never met your mom."
"Oh..." Usopp looked bashful. "Nah... it's a long story. Maybe another time."
"Aw, come on," Luffy whined.
"Please tell us," Nami asked, her brown eyes shining.
Even Sanji seemed interested. "Sure, Nagappana." He sat down and lit a cigarette. "I'm in the mood for a good story."
Usopp blinked. Why would they want to hear about his....
Oh. He looked from Sanji, the orphan; to Nami, the foundling; to Luffy, whom Usopp had never heard mention "family."
I see.
He cleared his throat dramatically. If his friends wanted to know, he would tell them.
His favorite story.
The best story he knew.
The story of his parents.
Translation & Notes
"Sou da! Kyou wa Luffy no Hi!"= "That's it! Today is Luffy Day!" is a line from Luffy's song, Holy Holiday!
Nagappana- "Long Nose", Sanji's favorite nickname for Usopp.
Notes From Author:
--Spoilers for Kuro Arc, but if you know Usopp, then, *shrugs* you know what happens.--
This fic is going to be my little version of how Usopp's parents might have gotten together. According to numerous folks on the OPFFML, Usopp's mother's name is given in the BLUE chara book as "Bankiina", which seems to be a katakana-zation of Vanquina, which is apparently a word in Italian for "port". Thanks to all the folks who informed me of this fact.
As you know from the show, Usopp's mother is shown briefly during the Kuro arc. I thought she was really cute, and I liked her. She was really pale and sickly, because in the scene, she was dying and she said that she didn't know where Usopp's father was, but she was proud to have married him and glad she was out at sea.
At first I thought Usopp's dad must be a jerk, for abandoning his family, even though he is supposedly always talking about them... I felt very, very sorry for Usopp, being left behind. But after a while I thought about it more and more and I thought, these two (Usopp's parents) must have a really cool relationship. They don't need to be together to love each other. And I thought that was very interesting.
So I decided to write about them. Here it is. As I have not read all of OP, there may be contradictions, but I hope that they can be overlooked in the purpose of story-telling.
As far as characterization, I tried to bring out parts of Usopp's personality in each of his parents. I hope that this shows.
I also thought it interesting that both Usopp's mother and Kaya are shown as gentle, frail, sickly, and almost bird-like. I thought that maybe this was something that drew Usopp to Kaya in the first place... not only her similarity to him as being an orphan, but also her similarity to his own mother, whom he was so attached to. So when I wrote about Bankiina I wanted to show a little of this as well.
Finally, "Bankiina" is kind of a mouthful, even though it is an important piece of symbolism, so I decided to give her a shortened nickname. Her papa calls her "Kiina" for short. I thought it suited her better.
Thank you to all for your patience and understanding in reading.
--Sylphiel