'So I guess there is some sort of conspiracy thing. Or maybe we're all psychic, and they can all read my imaginative dreams? That's highly improbable... Or perhaps we're really shifting alternative realities? But then, there's that 'memory' feeling... so maybe it's not--'
Usopp's thoughts were unceremoniously interrupted by a sudden, sharp pain from his thumb. He was momentarily stunned, his thumb numb for the first few seconds before bursting into pain. Usopp's reaction, of course, was immediate.
"OOOWWWWW!!!"
He stuck his reddening thumb into his mouth, looking furtively around to see if they had seen him absent-mindedly driving a screwdriver into his thumb until he had finally felt the pain. Hopefully, no one had seen him be an idiot.
"Errr... you seem a little distracted, Usopp,"
Usopp felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment as the elderly woman, in charge of the Matilda Charity House, looked concernedly at him.
He couldn't help being 'a little distracted', though - he was full to bursting with unanswerable questions, and he kept replaying the conversation between him and the two university students back at noon.
"I'm okay Mrs. Ella,"
He said, smiling as reassuringly as he could with a swollen thumb in his mouth,
"I'll have this fixed in no time..."
He hastily spun the screwdriver round and twirled the final screw in. He pressed against the square of metal, checking its stability, and satisfied, he flicked a switch underneath it.
The lights Usopp had spent the entire summer installing outside every single door and on almost every outer wall shone brightly, lighting the halls with soft yellow light, causing several children sitting on the staircase outside to squeal with surprise and delight.
"There,"
Usopp said cheerfully,
"Now no more kids crying about dark hallways when they make trips to the bathroom."
Mrs. Ella's eyes reflected the soft light, her face glowing with happiness.
"Usopp, you do so much for us,"
She began, but Usopp waved a hand about, dismissing her words as he collected his tools.
"I like helping,"
He said with a smile,
"So don't worry about it."
He slung his bag over his shoulder, and walking into the main corridor he waved.
"Good night."
He called out, and as he walked along the hall, he felt relieved that none of the lights were malfunctioning.
As he neared the main entrance, three kids tumbled into him.
"Usopp!!"
"Lights! Lights!"
"You're leaving?"
Their exclamations came simulataneously from three different directions. Confused and over-blanced, Usopp ended up smacking onto the floor. The children clambered over him, laughing.
"Silly Usopp."
"No story today?"
"Lights! Lights!"
"No story today,"
Usopp answered, trying to get his breath back,
"Because you little jerks were complaining about the lack of lights, and you made Mrs. Ella worry. And me work."
"We're not jerks!!"
"Well,"
Usopp said with a roll of his eyes as they started to pummel him with their small fists,
"I was thinking of giving something to you guys, but..."
Quite suddenly they were still, perfectly obedient and listening with rapt attention. Usopp stood up, tossing over a round, plastic bag. The children curiously looked inside, and squealed with delight.
"Oooh!!! Marbles!!"
"Yeah. Have fun, jerks. Story next time,"
Usopp said with a grin. Their response was pelting him with the marbles, and Usopp hastily retreated out of the Matilda Charity House. Stepping down the stone steps, he checked his watch, and saw it was past eight already.
Sighing, Usopp stuck his hands into his pockets, slowly walking towards home. The lamp-posts appeared to be lit even more brightly than usual.
'This feels like a really long day,'
Usopp thought,
'I had a really insightful talk with Zoro and Nami, which also lasted over an hour, and in the meanwhile worked out a weird idea about an 'alternative reality'... plus I finally completed the circuitry in both the Tepshire and Matilda Charity Houses. I feel a little drained after Zoro and Nami, though... I wonder why...'
Scuffing the toe of his sneaker into the concrete, he wondered,
'Or maybe it's just the end of a really long day. I mean... it's not like anything exciting is waiting for me tonight...'
Hurried footsteps sounded suddenly behind the engineer, but the heels clicked to a stop. Something about the shift in feeling within Usopp made him stop walking. A familiar pain started to stir in his chest.
Something about the pause in the person's actions made Usopp feel as though the person was greatly hesitant. Then, in a soft and breathless voice that Usopp easily recognised wtih a sharp pang:
"Usopp-san?"
He spun around, and his jaw dropped open, his glasses slipping down his long nose as he saw her.
The soft white light of the lamp posts glowed against her, casting her blonde hair into a lighter honey hue than usual, her strands loosely framing her milky complexion. It looked as though the hood of her jacket had just fallen back.
Her violet eyes were confused, yet she stood with determination, her hands clutching the ends of her blue jacket tightly.
Usopp swallowed, and finally found his voice.
"Kaya."
He said. His voice held no question. Her purple eyes lit up briefly with a mix of emotion - surprise, relief and happiness shone through. Then it quickly dulled again.
"I--"
She paused, unsure of how to state herself.
"I... I know you, don't I?"
Hearing the uncertainty in her voice, Usopp replied with conviction.
"Actually, I think we know each other."
She blinked, and he watched her confusion mix with curiosity.
"We..."
She began, and stopped. Usopp saw her cheeks redden, and with no surprise to him, a hazy image filled his head - a sweet smile on her lips as she laughed, her cheeks rosy - and it gently faded back to blushing girl in front of him. He knew that it was different - the image in his head was of Kaya with a pleasant blush of laughter, and the Kaya before him had a flushed face of embarrassment - but he knew that somehow, the two were connected.
Usopp smiled.
"...we need to talk?"
He suggested. She blinked again, and slowly, she nodded.
There were no reporters or cameramen to shove Usopp back now. No physical barriers between them. Their surroundings were quiet, and there was hardly anyone passing by.
Usopp observed this as they took a step towards each other, and decided, with slight amusement, that his 'long day' was going to get even longer.
His white and blue striped headband dipped into black as Gin slinked into the welcome looming shadows of the gas station, and entered the garage. Everyone else was snoring loudly somewhere, but Krieg was wide-eyed and resting his feet against the table, tipping his chair back. The tall man tossed a bottle to Gin, who caught it deftly. Uncapping it, he started to chug down its contents.
"Any luck?"
Krieg asked. Gin smiled thinly.
"Tomorrow at eleven."
He answered. Krieg's lips pulled back into a gummy smile.
"Excellent,"
He said softly, uncapping his fourth bottle,
"Time to formulate a plan, Gin."
Gin leaned against the table, his face wan but his usually dull, black eyes glittering under the pale yellow light of the bulb hanging above him. A smile spread across his pale face.
"Agreed, sir,"
He answered softly.
"Okay,"
Sanji said, flicking on the light switch and flopping onto his mattress,
"What is it you want to talk about? Is it about what we were talking about this morning?"
Zoro nodded as he shut the door and peeled off his jacket. He settled backwards in a chair across Sanji, looking thoughtful.
"I met with two people today,"
Zoro began,
"Nami and Usopp. I recognised Uso--"
"NAMI-SAN?!! You met Nami-san?!"
Sanji cried. The green-head stared at his room-mate.
"Uhh... yeah. She was meeting Usopp at the front of the school, and I met her by coincidence..."
He had to sweatdrop; Sanji was glowering at him as though he had just thrown him into a pond.
"What's up with you and 'Nami-san'?"
Zoro asked, his eyebrow arching. Sanji blinked.
"Nami-'san'?"
He echoed, looking slightly confused. He realised with a pang he had just addressed her as that just now.
I always call her that.
The thought registered, and Sanji's mouth opened slightly. He turned to Zoro, who was looking at Sanji strangely.
"You recognise her?"
Zoro questioned. Sanji closed his mouth, and furrowed his brow. He groped his mind for the sense of familiarity. Was it there...? Sure enough, he found it nestled just where he called the orange-haired girl 'Nami-san'.
"I don't know her much personally... but I think I sort of recoginise her..."
He said slowly. Zoro's eyes widened.
"Then-- then you are part of 'it'!"
Zoro exclaimed. Sanji looked at him blankly.
"Part of what?"
"Part of this--"
Zoro shook his head quickly, clearing his head before starting again.
"Just listen. I met Usopp and Nami--"
"Who's Usopp?"
Zoro waved a hand in dismissal.
"Later. I met those two today, but when we met, I recognised Usopp, and he knew who I was, too. But we've never met each other before today."
"Recognition."
Sanji murmured, his eyebrows raising as he thought of all the flickers of familiarity that had flitted into him ever since Zoro had arrived.
"That's right. So we ate lunch together, and--"
"With Nami-san?"
The model interrupted. Zoro nodded, ignoring his glare of jealousy.
"Yeah, yeah. We--"
"Don't speak of the experience as though it was nothing!"
Sanji snapped, throwing a book at Zoro, who caught it easily.
"Geez, all we did was eat lunch together!"
Zoro said, clearly irritated.
"Only with the most smartest and beautiful navigator in the world!"
Sanji said, hearts popping around him. His room-mate looked at him in disgust before rolling his eyes.
"I suppose every lady you see is smart and beautiful. Seeing how you lunge at every female you see."
Sanji snapped out of his reverie of Nami to chuck another textbook at Zoro.
"The hell!! Just because you don't have hormones! And I do not lunge at every female I see!"
"Yeah?"
Zoro retorted, a nerve twitching at the hormone remark,
"Well, how about back at the Barate? At Kokoyashi village after the whole Arlong thing? When you first met Vivi? And back at Whiskey Peak, when you were--"
"They were affectionate young ladies, but nothing like Nami-san! And it's Baratie, you idiot!"
A short silence followed before Zoro snapped,
"We just argued crap, didn't we?"
"It sounds really familiar."
Sanji said with a sweatdrop.
"Right. What did we just mention? Nami as a navigator, Whiskey Peak, Vivi, Barate--"
"--Baratie!!--"
"--whatever, and Kokoyashi village with the Arlong thing..."
He remembered her trembling fingers curled around her spoon, and added,
"Hang on, I just remembered. Nami is linked with that Arlong thing. And she's a navigator? Of what, I wonder..."
"What did you guys talk about?"
Sanji asked curiously.
"A lot of things... things we had in common, and a theory Usopp thought up."
"A theory?"
"I'll explain, but let's brainstorm for a second. Hand me that pen over there. We need to jot this down before we forget..."
"Okay, Vivi-chan is at this university. She's Nami-san's room-mate."
"What?!"
"Write that down. And Whiskey Peak."
"Barate thing, too..."
"Baratie cabbage-head, get it right. And that coconut thing..."
"What the hell, pretty-boy, it is not 'coconut'... K--... Kokoyashi, that's it."
"Would that be... Arlong Park?"
A sharp pang through both of them. Then, Zoro:
"I think we're onto something here."
"Me too. Keep writing."
[A/N: Thanks for bearing with my poor wit and writing - just hope this chapter finally sparked a few things. Because I'm writing in a way that just lets the characters make the story up for themselves, it looks like they're finally getting the hint. Ooh! :P Well, thanks again. Leaving a review makes me happy. ^_^; But you don't have to.]