SURPRISE!

Two days in a row! YAY! ;)

Chapter 2

Broken

Usopp glared at our captain but before he could say anything I spoke up again. "I knew this would happen Usopp." I said trying to get the point across that this was real, that we couldn't ignore it any longer.

Suddenly Usopp was on his feet and he fisted the front of my shirt, lifting me slightly off the floor. The crew stepped forwards protectively, Luffy jumping off the bench he had been seated at. Usopp shook me roughly and yelled in my face, his words drowning out the protests and threats of the crew. "YOU KNEW!? THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU DO SOMETHING!? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SOMETHING!? WE COULD HAVE HELPED HER EARLIER! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" His words stung horribly and I barely felt him shove me back, only realizing he had done so when I was suddenly looking up at the ceiling.

I heard a crack and something sharp poked me in the back.

The others had all reacted immediately. Sanji growled and stomped his cigarette into the floor. "Damn it Usopp! You went too far!" I heard him yell. Nami was covering her mouth with both her hands, her eyes wide and scared. Zoro swore to himself and tried to calm everyone down and Chopper immediately rushed to my side.

Just before Luffy tackled Usopp I caught a flash of regret on the sniper's face as he looked down at me.

"Don't ever touch her again!" Luffy yelled, pinning Usopp to the floor.

My mind went blank as I realized what the cracking noise had been. I drowned out everything else in the room, Chopper trying to get my attention, Luffy and Usopp trading hurtful words, the others trying to get control of the situation. Slowly I slid my bag out from under me and sat up. I kept my face blank, not sure what emotion I should show because so many were tangled together inside me. I barely heard Luffy get kicked into the table by Sanji.

Everything went very quiet, making the sound of the zipper of my bag seem all the louder and more menacing.

I reached in, fingers shaking so badly I was only just able to pull out the shattered remains of my camera.

My nakama stared at the broken shards in my hands. Glass and plastic shattered and snapped. I could hear Nami crying now, her soft gasps and shaky breathes. That wasn't good. Don't cry Nami, I wanted to say. I tore my eyes away from the pieces and looked around at everyone.

Sanji's mouth was open, like he wanted to say something but didn't know what. Zoro was gritting his teeth, fingers curled around his katana. Chopper was sniffling but doing a good job at being strong. Luffy looked torn, like he wanted to be angry but he was too sad to be. His expression scared me. You should smile Luffy.

Usopp's expression was the worst. He looked horrified and scared. Self-hatred and regret mixed together behind his brown eyes in a chaotic mess. His hands were shaking now as he reached towards me, but hesitated half way. "Asa I-"

I laughed.

Though the air felt thick and suffocating.

Though I felt empty and overloaded at the same time.

I laughed.

The sudden sound made the crew flinch but I continued to laugh. A full hearty laugh that filled the room and made my stomach hurt. Because if I didn't laugh, I would cry. Every ounce of me wanted too. To just let it go. To scream and cry and give in to the pain. I wanted to so badly. But I couldn't.

I still had a chance to fix this.

I wasn't going to waste it.

So I shoved the pain down. I tried to hide it with the rest that had been building for so long. Behind a wall that held it all in. I crammed it down tightly and tried not to choke on the sob that was forcing its way up my throat.

The wall cracked with the pressure.

I grinned as widely as I dared at the boy in front of me, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. The smile was obviously not what they had expected. I twitched slightly when Nami started crying harder. "Don't go Usopp." I said in the happiest voice I could muster. The slight shake in the words made me want to frown but I kept up the smile, though it softened a little.

"Asa…" Someone muttered. I wasn't really sure who.

"I've watched you leave. Please don't make me live it." I paused to regain my courage. "We're family right? We're nakama. You can't leave." My throat was thick as my smile wavered. Usopp dropped his hand back to his side and looked at the floor, eyes shadowed. "Who will tell us stories and play games with us? Merry wouldn't want us to fight over her." I let out a shuddering breath. The tears were welling up in my eyes but I choked them down. "P-Please don't let one of Merry's last memories be of us fighting."

Usopp stood suddenly and headed for the door. Seeing the action, I wanted to scream and shout at him not to go but all I could do was whimper pitifully.

"Usopp…?" Chopper whispered quietly. The sniper looked over his shoulder at all of us.

"I need to take a walk."

And he left.

For a moment, no one moved. No one made to go after him. I stood slowly, dropping what was left of my camera back into the bag as I went, pretending that the sound of it didn't cause my heart to ache. Taking a deep breath to compose myself I set my bag down in the corner of the room and turned back to everyone. Luffy stood up from the debris of the table.

"Well, we should probably go and find Robin. I wonder if she found some really cool history stuff and forgot what time it was. Or maybe she got held up at the library reading. She does like books-" My rambling was cut off when a sturdy hand gripped my shoulder. I was surprised to glance up and see Zoro giving me a stern look.

That just wasn't fair. How do you expect me to hold it together if you give me a look like that?

The sound of Luffy's sandals drew my attention forwards again. He stood in front of me, arms opened, with a small sad smile on his face.

Something in me broke.

Before I knew it I was in Luffy's arm's sobbing. Screaming out my pain until my throat was raw. I tried to stop them but the tears kept coming and the sobs ripped through my frame, threatening to tear me apart. He held me tightly, brushing his thumb across the base of my neck comfortingly. He didn't say a word. He didn't need to. He just needed to be there.

An hour later, Asa had cried herself to sleep.

Sometime in that hour, Luffy had moved them over to the wall so they could sit, cradling her in his lap. He didn't even think she was aware that they had moved. Sanji had gone to get a few crates to use as a make shift table and began boiling some water for tea. No one had said anything for the longest time.

It wasn't until Asa's sniffles and hiccups reduced to deep even breathing that Nami spoke, her hands clamped tightly around the cup in front of her. "I hate it." Despite whispering, her voice sounded loud in the silent room. "I hate how she does that. How she redirects the burdens on herself."

Sanji chewed the end of his cigarette, not noticing that it had gone out. "It's just who she is."

Chopper was leaning into Nami's side, burying his face in her shirt. Nami let him.

"No," Zoro said quietly. "It's just who she's had to become. She knew that Usopp would freak out about the ship. Had she not taken the blame the outcome could have been far worse."

Nami stood up, causing Chopper to sit up, and glared at the swordsman. "How could it have been worse!?" She hissed, still being mindful of the sleeping girl. She jabbed her finger at Asa's bag in the corner. "That camera is her dream! That breaking… is like if someone burned all my maps. The only difference is, is that I can start over! We don't have that kind of technology here! We can't fix it!" Nami was breathing heavily when she finished, her voice becoming desperate and sad by the end.

No one knew what to say. Nami sat back down and put her head in her hands.

"No one should have to live with the burden she does." Name whimpered.

Zoro closed his eyes. "You're right. No one should. But she does. And she doesn't stop there. She goes out of her way to try and change the outcome, even if it means putting herself in the cross fire."

Sanji smiled fondly. "She's selfless to a fault."

Chopper tugged on Nami's shirt, making the navigator look down. "I'm worried about her."

Nami scooped the little reindeer into her lap and gave him a hug. "Me too." She said into his hat.

Zoro glanced over at his captain. Luffy was resting his forehead on Asa's shoulder, his eyes closed. The swordsman could tell he wasn't sleeping despite his silence. His shoulders were too stiff, his breathing too irregular. Asa's cheek resting on his shoulder in return. Her face was turned towards Zoro and the tear tracks down her cheeks stood out all too well. "Luffy." Zoro said quietly, not wanting to wake the girl. "Why don't you take her below deck. We'll stay up and wait for Usopp and Robin."

It was well in the night after all. The sun would be rising in a few hours.

Luffy lifted his head at his first mates voice and nodded. It would be more comfortable for her in her bed. He stood with her and carried her gently out of the galley. With a little difficulty he managed to make it down the ladder and into the men's quarters. Instead of taking her to her own bed, he brought her to his, laying her down and climbing in after her, being careful not to tip them over.

Luffy pulled the blanket over the both of them and stared at Asa. She looked so sad. He wanted to help her but didn't know how. What could he do?

Luffy was worried. He was worried about Usopp. He was worried about Robin. He was worried about Asa.

But… he also felt a swell of pride for Asa as well. She was so much stronger then she gave herself credit for.

He brought a hand up and brushed a strand of her chestnut hair out of her face. He then gently leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead. When he pulled back he was pleasantly surprised to see a soft smile on her tear stained face. Her features had relaxed and she looked peaceful again.

He could only stare in awe before he snickered quietly. He closed his eyes and let himself drift into a light sleep.

When I woke up, I was alone.

The warm spot beside me however, told me that Luffy had been here not too long ago. I wasn't sure how long I had slept for. My eyes were sore and my head hurt from all the crying. It felt a bit ridiculous for a moment before I shook my head to dismiss the feeling. My body ached as I clambered out of the hammock. When my feet hit the floor, I noticed I felt lighter, like I could breathe easier. I guess I should have let out the pent up emotions earlier, I hadn't realized how much of a toll they were taking on me.

For the time being, I had tried my best. Whatever happens now was Usopp's decision.

I thought about my broken camera. Secretly I hoped that Usopp wouldn't blame himself for that but I knew he would. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't anyone's fault.

Still though… What would I do now? This world didn't have that type of camera or anything even remotely close to it. That camera was the only thing I had left from my world that meant something to me.

But…

If it really meant that much to me then why was I not more worried about the fact that I might have to give up my dream?

Unless…

And like someone flicking a switch it all seemed to fall into place. The foggy picture became clear.

I smiled, a weight lifting off of my chest and I took a deep breath.

It made sense now.

It surprised me that I hadn't realized before.

Feeling so much better than before, I made my way up to the deck.

Everyone, with the exception of Robin and Usopp, was on deck with bags and boxes of stuff. Nami's trees had been uprooted and put into burlap sacks. Luffy looked up at me and grinned. More weight was lifted when I saw that smile. "Asa! You're up!" I gave him a nod and returned a bright smile. The whole crew relaxed almost unnoticeable. Almost.

Chopper ran up to me and hugged my leg. I gave his head an affectionate pat.

"We were just getting things ready to go." Nami said sadly.

Another revelation struck me and I had to resist face palming. "Yeah, we should probably go now." I suggested. The crew gave me odd looks and Chopper tilted his head up at me.

"But we have to wait for Usopp!" The doctor insisted.

"I know but we'll leave a note for him here. We have to get everything out of here before the Aqua Laguna hits."

All I received where blank looks.

I sighed. "It's a massive tidal wave that's going to flood the entirety of the lower city. And it's going to hit tonight."

"WHAT!?"

It didn't take long for us to get all of our stuff and check in to a hotel on the upper levels of the city. I thought it best to avoid the risk of our stuff getting eaten by the giant wave. We had left a note on the Merry for Usopp, telling him where we were going and about the storm.

From there things seemed to go downhill. Again. But at least this time I expected them too. We found out that we were being hunted by the citizens, having been accused of shooting the mayor, Iceburg I think his name was. Luffy had given each of us orders to follow before he left with Nami to go see the mayor.

I was going to go back to the Merry and secure her someplace safe so she wouldn't get swept away by the Aqua Laguna while the others would search the city for Robin and Usopp.

We wasted no time. I took the fastest route I could remember back to the ship, running the whole way there. I was pleasantly surprised that I could run faster and longer than I thought before I started to feel it. Living in this world had certainly built up my endurance.

"Please…"

"Come back another time! I'm going to find shelter! You're too persistent!"

The voices caught me off guard as I had seen no one in the streets at all. Everyone was gone trying to find shelter from the storm. It was the first voice that snagged my attention though.

Just as I rounded a corner the voice spoke again. "Please. I have money."

My eyes widened and I was only just able to stop myself from running into Usopp. My heels dug into the ground and I lost my balance, falling onto my butt. "Usopp?" I gasped, trying to regain my breath. "What are you doing here?" I looked between him and the bewildered man he had been speaking too, then up at the sign on the building behind him. It read 'Timber & Hardware'.

"Asa?"

Seeing the money in the shop owners hand, I caught on pretty quick that he was trying to buy supplies for the ship. I jumped to my feet. I ignored the ache in my chest that told me that this had happened in the anime and that probably meant that he would try to repair Merry himself even if the shipwrights couldn't do it. There wasn't time for this. Luffy and the others were no doubt in the middle of fighting to get Robin back so we had to get the Merry somewhere safe quickly so we could go help them. Or… so I could go help them.

"What supplies do you need?" I asked quickly.

Usopp's brow furrowed at me. "Lumber, tar, ropes, nails, latches and tin plates should do. But wh-"

Ignoring whatever he was going to say next I spun towards the shop owner and pulled all the money Nami had given me a while back out of my back pocket. "Here," I dropped the money in his hand. "This should be more than enough."

The man looked between the two of us and the money. Usopp's stomach groaned but we all ignored it. "I'm sorry but the shop's closed."

The water in the canal behind us was sloshing rapidly, the water level rising gradually. "Please, Sir. It'll be quick. You'll still have time to get to shelter." I begged.

I felt Usopp's eyes on me. The man sighed. "I guess I don't have a choice."

Grinning widely, I threw my arms around the man and gave him a big hug. "Thank you!" I didn't notice the guy blush. Letting him go I grabbed Usopp's hand, gently (he was still injured) but insistently and lead him into the store. We grabbed everything we needed, thanked the man one last time and left.

Neither of us said a word until we arrived back at the ship.

Immediately Usopp got to work on repairs. I stood there awkwardly not really sure what to do with myself.

"What's going on in town? When I came back I got your note and a whole bunch of guys showed up and searched the place."

I stared at him in shock.

Usopp continued to hammer at the mast a few more times before he noticed my lack of an answer. He turned around with a questioning glance which quickly turned into bafflement when I slammed into him, almost knocking him over. "O-Oi!" He stuttered.

I hugged him tightly around the waist. "You came back." The words came out in a whisper.

I felt Usopp relax and he laughed. "Of course! What would this crew do without Captain Usopp!"

Stepping back, I shook my head at him. "We don't need Captain Usopp. We just need you Usopp." I poked him in the chest, trying to get the point across. He was just as important a crew member as everyone else.

Apparently the words meant more to Usopp then I thought they would as the sniper started tearing up, only to wipe them away stubbornly. He shot me a grin.

I felt completely elated. I had actually done it. I don't know how or why but Usopp had stayed. Thank goodness for that. I wanted nothing more than to jump around and cheer!

"Hey, Asa?" Usopp started, his voice timid.

I hummed in acknowledgement.

"About your camera… and those things I said… I'm really-"

"No." I cut him off, crossing my arms defiantly. Usopp blinked at me.

"I'm trying to apolo-"

"Nope."

"Hey com-"

"Nuh uh."

"Seriou-"

"La la la la la! I can't hear you!" I sung annoyingly, sticking my fingers in my ears. Usopp glared at me half-heartedly and when I was sure he wasn't going to say anything I removed my fingers. "You have nothing to apologize for. If you even try anymore I'll kick your butt."

Usopp gulped. "Yes, ma'am!"

I could tell he wasn't content with that, but we could address the situation after all this was over.

We settled into a comfortable silence. Not even remotely like the one that filled the galley the other night. It was such a relief. Things seemed to be getting better. All we had to do was get Robin and then set sail to our next adventure! All of us together. Of course, I was simplifying that to the extreme. It would be a hard fight when we reached Enies Lobby but I was determined to give my all.

I would admit that I was nervous. This was the first time I would be fighting head to head with the main enemy since I got here. I'd only previous had an encounter with Crocodile (in which I got my butt kicked) and that was pretty much it. I wouldn't really count the incident on Little Garden. I'd never gone up against anyone on the same caliber as the guys from CP9 before.

"So, are the other's alright?"

Usopp's voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Well," I started. I proceeded to explain to him everything that was going on as I remember it from the show.

The sun had set and the clouds had thickened enough to cover the sky. The waves were rough and they were only getting worse.

Usopp hung off the side of the ship by his grappling hook, hammering in the last few boards we had. "That should do." He said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "She should be good enough to sail somewhere safe."

I nodded down at him from the deck. "Good, we have to get moving, the storm is coming."

Usopp dropped down to the ground and recoiled his grappling hook. "Hey now, I didn't know you had a girlfriend Long Nose boy." My head snapped up at the voice and I was startled to see Franky and those two girls with square hair approaching.

Alright, normally I wouldn't be afraid of Franky but he isn't exactly on our side just yet so I had a reason to be cautious. I hopped down from the deck and landed gracefully next to Usopp. As Franky walked up to the sniper and began teasing him I thought about our situation carefully. If I remember correctly, Franky took Usopp and the Merry hostage to try and draw out Luffy. Instead Franky and Usopp end up getting captured by CP9. The best bet we had to get to Enies Lobby was through this method.

I tuned back in to what was going on when Franky raised his fist to smash it over Usopp's head. Thinking fast I threw a shield around the sniper. Franky pulled out of his attack in shock and glared at me. "A Devil Fruit user huh?" He practically growled.

I raised my hands up and let the shield fall. "No need to get testy. We surrender."

Everyone, including Usopp gapped at me. Discreetly I gave Usopp a wink, silently asking him to trust me. I knew he understood when he let out a groan and raised his hands up too. Franky looked at us suspiciously then glanced at the Merry. "Guess we don't have a choice but to bring the ship too." He said. Leave it to Franky to respect a well-cared for ship. Okay well, Merry wasn't really well cared for but she was certainly well-loved.

Understanding dawned on Usopp's and he glanced over at me. I returned a smug look and he rolled his eyes.

The interaction was short and silent but I'd take it over screaming and yelling any day.

Sorry if it feels like I'm rushing anything, I'm not trying to but there's just so much that has to be covered. It's pretty intense!

I hope you all enjoyed! That's really all I hope for while writing this. When I started I hadn't expected people to really notice this story because of all the other amazing OC stories out there. I mean, the whole plot of this is kind of over used. The last thing I had thought when I posted the first chapter was that I was going to be making a six book series!

It's still pretty insane to think about...

Anyway!

Love to all you angels out there!