'How ironic…'

The tanned man's lips quirked into a small mockery of a smile, staring around at the village and its residents he had once fought so hard to protect. The smile was as bitter as the memories as he pulled back the rubber in his slingshot, eyes covered by protective goggles. Blood already stained his clothes and lapped at the brown boots around his feet as he calmly made his way forward after firing into the sky as a signal he had done his job, lowering his arms.

"Stand aside, idiots."

Piiman…Ninjin…Tamanegi…

A small part of him – the part that had played pretend-pirates with them when they were younger – was proud to see his friends had grown into fine young men. What would they be now? Seventeen? Eighteen?

But this wasn't pretend anymore. This was real.

All too real.

Raising shaking hands, Piiman gripped the steel sword, sweat mingling with the blood already dripping down his face as he breathed heavily. "No…no. We won't let you get past…C-Captain…"

His grin turned feral and he raised the goggles off from his eyes, meeting each of their gazes with deadly precision. He could see their Adam's apples move as they swallowed nervously, could imagine the denial running through their minds. "You're not worth my time. Stand aside…unless you have a death wish."

Ninjin stood, or at least tried to; the kneecaps of his legs had been snapped back and broken by pachinko, ensuring he'd never walk again. "We…we won't let Kaya-ojousama be disappointed…" The youth gritted his teeth as pain laced through his legs, but it was too much and a howl of pure agony echoed through the village. Blood spilled from his lips, and he collapsed into Tamanegi's arms. Still, he managed to complete his sentence, gripping the arm of his long-time friend tightly. "We won't let Kaya-ojousama be…disappointed…by what you've become."

Usopp's sour smile grew slightly as he tossed three pachinko up into the air, a part of his heart pleased that they had lasted this long against him – they had obviously been training, wanting to please him when he returned a successful pirate.

And they had done.

As he tightened his grip around his slingshot, as they readied themselves for their last stand against their own, he thought back on the events that lead to this massacre, and his own damnation….

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Darkness on the Horizon
II: Blood-Dipped Sunrise
Written by Takato Metallium
Plot: AU, dark, slash (Luffy/Zoro and Sanji/Usopp, mentions of Luffy/Usopp), one-shot. Usopp returns to Syrup Village…to prove his worth to his Captain.
Disclaimer: I disclaim all rights to One Piece, as it belongs to Eiichiro Oda-san. If I owned OP, Sanji and Usopp (not to mention Zoro and Luffy) would've had sex already. 'Fraid not, kiddies. I only own the fanfic, the idea and not much else.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"It's your turn, Usopp."

These were the words the sniper had long since been dreading.

"H-Hai, Senchou-sama."

The tanned man stood in his Captain's quarters, fidgeting nervously with the hem of his shirt as he watched Luffy play with Kuina's green hair; his daughter taking her afternoon nap in his lap. She mumbled something about food and turned towards his left, almost falling off, and drew a small smile to his lips before he raised his eyes, leaning his elbow onto the arm of his chair and resting his chin on his palm.

"We'll be approaching Syrup Village in a couple of days and should reach it by nightfall after that," the Captain purred, his small smile becoming wicked. He narrowed his eyes, leaning back slightly. "I expect you to be ready by that time."

Usopp swallowed deeply, trying to still his hands. "Hai, Senchou-sama. I will be ready." The look in the other man's eyes told him that his Captain wasn't convinced and he forced a cold smile to curl on his lips as he took an almost coy stance. "I've been looking forward to massacring the fools who didn't believe me."

The smile on Luffy's own lips grew all the more and he laughed, the sound making Kuina murmur in her sleep and the long-nosed marksman shudder. "I'm sure you have. I will give you forty-two hours to get it done and grant you permission to take your son and husband with you. They should be more than enough backup."

Time seemed to stand still as sweat continued to drip down his tanned face. He licked his suddenly dry lips, swallowing again. "T-Tony, Senchou-sama? He…he's a child!"

A disapproving look crossed into Luffy's eyes and he shifted in his seat. "He is eight; Kuina's age. She has killed whereas he hasn't. It'll do the boy some good to learn what awaits him. The world is a cold place, Usopp – I'm sure you want your dear child to be able to survive."

"S-Senchou-sama…!" Hands gripped into fists and for a moment the curly-haired man considered attacking as he read the double meaning in that sentence. He relaxed however, dark locks of hair falling into his eyes. "S-Sanji has taught him to fight…that's more than enough…isn't it?"

Fingers began stroking lightly through Kuina's green hair again as she gave a sharp cry in her sleep, as though having a nightmare. "It is…but it's worthless in a battle if he never gains experience. You mother the boy too much…he'll never become a real pirate if you keep doing so." Luffy's eyes narrowed and he reached forward, snatching an apple from the fruit bowl sitting on the desk in front of him. "Now get going. You have two days to prepare for our arrival in Syrup…I don't want a failure coming back to my ship. You fail, you should have died there. Understood?"

Gritting his teeth, hands clenched at his sides, the sniper ground out a "Hai, Senchou-sama," before turning swiftly and exiting the cabin.

Luffy's gaze trailed to the apple in his hand as the door slammed in his sharpshooter's wake, thumb moving deftly over the red surface, his other fingers jerked by the slight movement of his daughter's head as her sleep was momentarily disturbed. His smile darkened, lips quirking open to reveal his teeth. "This should be interesting," the Pirate King murmured to himself, giving the apple a slight toss into the air before catching it again and sinking his teeth in, closing his eyes blissfully as he heard the fruit break under pressure.

If you listened just right, it almost sounded like the ominous cracking of a skull…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two days had come and gone too quickly. With a slightly ironic twist, they landed at the north coast – the very coast that he, Luffy, Nami and Zoro had fought on to stop the Kuroneko Kaizokudan from entering Syrup Village and the same coast that had started his travels as a Mugiwara.

"It's been nine years," Usopp murmured to his husband as their son led the way up the slope with all the youthful enthusiasm he held. "Nine long years." He laughed softly, the sound dripping with soul-rending grief. "I should have just let Kuro attack. Then I wouldn't be doing this."

Sanji let his cigarette fall to the ground from his fingertips, snuffing the butt out with his boot as he went and taking the younger man by the hand. "Chin up," he encouraged softly, linking their fingers. "They say it's better to die at the hands of someone you know and love rather than those of a murderer."

"I'm nervous," the marksman admitted in a whisper, hand sweaty and clammy to prove his point as it slipped and pulled in the other's pale grip. "I just…hope nobody recognizes me." A finger flicked at his nose and he slapped the offending appendage away, glaring slightly at his husband. "Okay, okay. You made your point."

"Ah mou; touchan's village is so small." Tony bounced on the balls of his feet, swinging his arms as his face fell in slight disappointment. He looked over his shoulder at his parents, jabbing a finger in the direction of the huts. "Is that really our target?"

Usopp smiled slightly, reaching down with his free hand to pat the boy's back between his shoulder blades. "Hai. And don't mention the mission to any outsiders." He playfully tapped his son on the head, earning a whine. "Baka. We're supposed to be a normal family while we're here. Got that?"

Tony rubbed the sore spot on his head while his other father chuckled lowly. "Hai, hai. Wakata. You didn't have to hit me so hard, touchan." The pout on both their faces only made Sanji laugh harder.

The village was still in the early stages of waking as they made their way towards the entrance, seemingly the normal family Usopp had hoped they could pass off as. He found all his worries drifting away, however, when Sanji wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close. The marksman sighed and, although he tried focusing his mind on the task ahead, he just couldn't.

"So how're we going to get their attention?"

Usopp paused before he cleared his throat, drawing a deep breath and, with both his son and husband looking at him strangely, let out a long scream. "KAIZOKUUU DAAAAAA!"

"Touchan no baka," Tony murmured, flinching at the sound of his 'mother's' loud voice. "And here I thought we weren't supposed to let them know…"

"Urusei, kiddo." Sanji lit another cigarette, using the hand holding his lighter to bop the younger blonde on the head again. "Touchan knows what he's doing."

"KAIZOKUUU!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The villagers had been such fools – welcoming him back with open arms even when they had knowledge of his bounty and dark reputation. The mothers and older women had all gushed over Tony, exclaiming that he was the spitting image of his 'father' as they pinched his cheeks, much to the young boy's chagrin.

Usopp tightened his grip on the rubber of his slingshot, looking over his former crew with cold eyes, his mask firmly in place as they stood their final ground. He truly was…proud of them.

"It's not too late for you, Captain," Tamanegi whispered, his voice carrying out over the 'battlefield'. Countless bodies littered the ground – all people Usopp had known and loved through his childhood, killed by his own hand as his captain had ordered. Tamanegi strived to see, his glasses having been broken earlier in the fight and sharp shards of glass scattered and embedded across his face. The brunet struggled to uphold Ninjin's body even as his friend's breathing became erratic and slow. "You don't have to do this. You can renounce them! Come back to us!"

The curly-haired man's stance slackened slightly, hand almost loosening his hold on the rubber sling. He heard footsteps behind him, knowing Sanji and Tony had returned from the other side of the island where another small country town lay. Sanji's arm wrapped around his waist comfortingly, fingers running deftly along his hip as two words were whispered into his ear in sultry, husky tones.

"Do it."

Usopp's hand retracted back, and the slingshot fired.

His former 'crew' died instantly, gurgled sounds coming from their throats as blood and brain organs splattered along the tiny town's walls. He savored the sight, breathing deeply as Sanji wrapped him up into a hug.
Tony watched his parents embrace each other from his perch on a wooden box that had been tipped upwards during the 'battle', swinging his feet as he spared a glance towards the trio of villagers that had been the last. Although he had been conditioned in a certain way since babyhood, he knew that somehow those three meant much to his 'mother'.

"Usopp-san." The soft voice that came from behind them made the small family turn their heads, watching Kaya drop to her knees into the surrounding blood. The fair-haired girl had a shocked and scared expression on her face, her hand sliding from the side of a hut as she looked at him incredulously. "How…how could y…"

"Kaya," he whispered, flinching as she fired every curse word she knew at him, the shock becoming rage. The slightly younger woman stood, her skirt drenched in the townspeople's blood, and stalked over towards them, fury evident on her face. There was a loud smack and Usopp raised a hand to his face, cradling the burning red cheek as he stared at her. "Kaya…I…"

Again there were whispers of comfort and commands in his ear as Sanji took hold of him from behind, hands and fingers trailing deftly across the bared skin not hidden by his overalls. The sniper swallowed, shakily holding out his slingshot again as he pulled back the elastic for the last time.

A pain shot through his chest the same moment Kaya died, the pachinko having been shot upwards through her neck to the top of her head where blood poured, coating her pretty long-flowing golden hair with crimson. Her body crumpled into a heap at his knees, blood spilling forth from his lips as he swore he somehow heard her whisper his name.

Usopp collapsed into Sanji's waiting arms, his slingshot finally falling from his fingers as he let out a shuddering breath, clutching at the cook for dear life. Cold ice ran through his veins as he looked at the ruby liquid splattered on his form, drenching his overalls and coating his hands more than it was figuratively. No tears came, however much he willed them to, and by the time the Mugiwara Kaizokudan entered the village to survey the damage and ransack the huts, their captain came back to a much colder man.

Luffy smiled darkly, bearing his teeth as he looked around. The Pirate King returned his attention back to his sniper after his eyes had landed on Kaya and the three teenagers, stepping close enough to whisper into his ear.

"Congratulations," he purred, smirking as he allowed his fingers to play with Usopp's curls, remembering a time when bed partners were different and Usopp had been his. Of course, the slightly younger man was still his, just in a different sense now. "You've earned your dream."

It wasn't until they were back on the Going Merry sailing away from Syrup Village, until he was in his shared bed with Sanji's arm wrapped around him from behind and exhausted from the day's and night's activities, that Usopp allowed himself to cry silently.

– Fin –

Notes: Well, this has been on the backburner for months on end, ever since I wrote Darkness on the Horizon. There will be chapters from each of the Mugiwara Kaizokudan's perspective, one chapter each. I have no clue when they'll all be out since I'm so busy lately, but I have things planned for Chopper and Nami, so expect them sometime within the next two months.
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a review!