Author's Notes: Just want to say thanks to all those who keep reviewing my fics; it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, don'cha know. :3 This series will be more like drabbles than anything--short, sweet, and to the point.

Warnings: None. Fluff. Usopp/Kaya. Enjoy:D

Nothing changed for her; every morning, she awoke early to open her window, breathe in the fresh air from the sea, and dress to join Merry for breakfast. After that, she spent a lot of time studying, practicing her doctor's abilities, and generally making her presence known throughout the village. At night, she would stand on the cliff at the edge of the ocean and gaze out until her eyes were sore from staring, then return home and go to sleep. Nothing ever changed.

Except for the day when, while staring out at the starry horizon, she could swear she saw the faint outline of a ship.

This was not so uncommon; in fact, ships came and went all the time at the little port town. However, this ship, out there in the stars, looked strangely familiar to her, and something within her soul bubbled over when she saw it. She could hardly contain her excitement as she tried to sleep that night, and the next morning, she wasted no time in any of her morning rituals, save for opening the window. She then dashed out, still in her nightgown, to the edge of town, where a small crowd had gathered.

The little orange-haired boy she'd known for all these years, along with his two friends--all of them now teenagers but still as nosy as ever--were there, jumping to get a good look over the heads of the others. And then Ninjin said, "Captain!" and Kaya felt all the blood rush to her head. A moment later, she was shoving the boys aside, pushing over the others who were welcoming back their long-gone traveller, and forcing her way with all of her strength through the throng of people.

Before she even had a chance to completely make it through all the bodies clamoring to see, she felt her feet leave the ground and she was spun effortlessly through the air, coming to rest in a tight hug that smelled of salt and weathered wood and gunpowder. And she knew she was crying, but she could do nothing to stop her tears; she only wrapped her arms loosely around the dark neck she cried into and whispered his name over and over again.

"Kaya!" he was saying. "Kaya, please, don't cry! Kaya... look at me, will you?"

So she did. His eyes were sparkling as he smiled at her, and she saw that his face, too, was stained with half-hidden tears. She laughed gently and touched his hair, his cheeks, his nose, and tried to will herself to believe that this was really happening. But her heart was telling her the truth, and she knew undeniably that he was there, holding her, and that he was getting ever closer to her as her pulse began pounding in her ears. When she felt his lips connect with hers in a gentle and long-awaited kiss, she could have fainted--if not for the desire to just keep kissing him until the end of forever.

She didn't care who saw. She didn't care that Merry was making protests or that Nami was giving a cheer. And clearly, neither did Usopp.

Post-notes: If there's a couple you want to see in this series, let me know and I'll consider it... I need some inspiration. Don't be upset if I don't write the one you want though, there are some couples I'm no good with. Thanks for reading, and please review!