Chapter 9: Midnight Flight
She had no idea where he was taking her, or why he had grabbed onto her wrist and was practically dragging her through the city like their lives were in danger, but she found herself feeling both curious and a little excited. Usopp had a delighted look on his face, like he'd just come up with the most amazing idea ever, and she hoped for his sake that it was a good one, otherwise her feet would be aching from running in high-heeled shoes for nothing.
"Hey, where are we going?!" Nami loudly inquired as she was yanked down side street after side street and past people who shot them confused glances.
"You'll see," Usopp replied with a smirk. After running for another minute they ended up at the edge of town, with nothing but forest ahead of them. He let go of her wrist and led her around thick tree trunks and fanned out plants, their shoes crunching on the dirt beneath their feet. They were once again walking in a sea of green, and for a moment both pirates found themselves appreciating how nice it was to walk around without bumping into people or listening to pointless chatter.
They reached a small clearing that wasn't far from the forest's entrance. Usopp walked into the middle of it, stuck his nose up in the air, and before Nami could even begin to ask what he was doing, he began to loudly whistle. She recognized the song after a couple seconds, and suddenly realization hit her.
"Wait, are you-"
"KAAA!"
Biri swooped over them from above with a gleeful cry, almost ramming into them both from so much excitement.
Nami chuckled as she gave the yellow bird a pat on his head. "You must have been a little lonely huh? Well, I suppose it's nice to see you again." She winked at him and scratched him below his beak.
"Biri, I have a favor to ask of you. Can you-" the sharpshooter leaned over and began whispering in the spot Biri's ear would be. She raised a brow as she studied them, trying to figure out what Usopp was up to. When the bird nodded and gave a cry in confirmation, the long-nosed man gave a thumbs up in appreciation and jumped onto Biri's back.
"Alright Nami, hop on!"
She stared at the bird, who had bent down slightly so she could get on easier, and then back up at Usopp. She sighed and allowed him to pull her up, as it was a little difficult to do so in her dress. What he was planning was still a mystery to her, but she trusted him, so she was going to go along with whatever little idea he had going and hope for the best.
"KA!" Biri jumped upwards, spread out his wings, and began flying towards the city.
[Iron Man 3- New Beginnings]
In the sky they soared, the trees disappearing below them in an instant. Nami sat Usopp's lap, his arm protectively wrapped around her waist and the upper bare part of her back pressed into his dress shirt.
As soon as they entered over the city, a loud crashing sound echoed around them.
BAM!
A burst of blue and red lights lit up the sky, and it was with glee that Nami noticed they were flying right next to the fireworks. Her face lit up as purple and gold erupted right beside them, and then green and orange, and suddenly all at once all colors of the rainbow were sparkling and falling down below like little magic particles.
It was loud, and even a little frightening, but it was also so, so beautiful.
She spread her arms out, uncaring of how foolish she might have looked as her finger tips reached out and grasped at the night air, little traces of heat from the fireworks radiating onto her skin. Usopp chuckled, his warm breath tickling her neck. For some reason she felt her face growing hot, and she lowered her arms. She turned her head around to look up at him, and saw him smiling at her. Trying to ignore the unfamiliar feeling in her chest, she quickly turned her head back around and took a deep breath to slow her pounding heart.
Biri landed on the top of the clock tower, the people below too distracted by the fireworks to even notice the strange creature flying above their heads. Usopp hopped off first, and then helped Nami off. It was when he slowly lowered her down and their faces were a mere couple inches apart that the situation grew awkward, and they quickly pulled away from each other with reddened cheeks.
Nami sat down and removed her shoes, her bare feet dangling off the edge of the roof. Usopp plopped down beside her and together they watched the show with youthful smiles on their faces.
"This was a really great idea."
Startled, the sharpshooter looked over at the navigator, who was still focused on the light show above them. He opened his mouth to speak, to brag that the Great Captain Usopp would of course come up with such an amazing idea, but decided that maybe for once, his self-appreciation could wait. Instead, he beamed and looked back up, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Yeah. Thanks."
The show lasted about another ten minutes before it finally ended. The people watching below clapped and cheered at the spectacular display they'd just seen, while the sharpshooter above howled and loudly applauded. Biri joined in by crying out in approval, but Nami kept silent and instead chuckled at her friends' antics, mentally repeating to herself the same thing she had thought hundreds of times since she'd officially become a member of the Strawhats.
"I sure picked an interesting crew to join, huh Belle-Mere?"
"Wanna see something cool?"
She raised an eyebrow and looked over at him. He was smirking and holding out his goggles, appearing seemingly rather pleased with himself.
"You had those the entire time?"
"Ha! I don't go anywhere without them! Now, put these on."
She hesitantly reached out to them before she stopped and frowned. "I don't really want these to screw up my hair."
Usopp clamped the goggles in Nami's hand and then reached up to pull his hair out of his ponytail, his curls springing out and touching the top of his shoulder. "Look, my hair is down, so it's ok for you to do the same. Besides, we're probably not going back to the ball, and your hair will have to come down when you go to sleep tonight anyways."
Nami stared at him for a moment before she sighed in defeat and reached up to undo her hair as well. Her thick orange strands twirled down, having taken shape after being up for so long. She placed the goggles over her head, while Usopp lowered the lens down for her.
Now, she really could see everything.
She looked around the city, amazed at just how much detail she could see when they were so high up. She could see people sleeping, eating, or relaxing through windows, and in the street she was able to see couples holding hands, or late nighters conversing with each other. In a way, she felt like a spy, and for some reason it sent a thrill through her.
"Now, look over..." Usopp gently placed his fingers beneath Nami's chin and slowly turned her face a little to the left before lowering it a little. "...here."
A little gasp escaped her lips, which then curled up into a smile. "Wow," she breathed, "that's beautiful."
From their spot she could see the entire island, and even the ocean that surrounded it. Above the island the moon shone brightly, its reflection dancing among the waves at sea.
"Can you see them?" Usopp quietly asked.
Biri made a sad sound as Nami sighed and carefully lifted the goggles over her head. Usopp was facing straight ahead, his eyes focused solely on the distant water.
"No," she responded, her brows furrowed and eyes lowered. She wished she had a better answer for him. "I think that worrying about it won't really help though, and besides-" she reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder. "-we're having a pretty good time, right?" She dropped the goggles in his other end and tilted her head as she smiled.
Usopp looked over at her in surprise, his eyebrows raised and mouth slightly gaped before he grinned and nodded. "You're right. We're doing pretty okay for ourselves. I suppose the Great Captain Usopp and Cat Burglar Nami make a good team." He gently elbowed her and the two chuckled.
The two enjoyed the view a little longer before Usopp yawned, signaling that perhaps it was time for them to return to the hotel. Like in the forest, Usopp climbed on Biri's back first, whispering something to their feathered friend before he reached down to help Nami up. Once she was sitting comfortably on his lap, Usopp firmly held on to Biri's neck feathers, and their giant bird friend leapt off the clock tower's roof and soared forward. Behind them, the clock tower's hands lined up vertically on its glowing ivory face.
BONG! BONG!
With a proud cry, Biri flapped his wings and lifted the pair up higher.
BONG! BONG!
With one last mighty flap, they were suddenly above the clouds, with stars twinkling all around them.
BONG! BONG!
Even the city lights, that had once glowed so brightly beneath their feet, had completely vanished below the field of white.
BONG! BONG!
Nami's eyes had widened with awe, her hands tightly gripping Biri's feathers as she leaned forward and peeked and turned her head slowly to try and see everything. "Usopp, this is..."
BONG! BONG!
The sharpshooter smiled. "Pretty cool, right?"
BONG! BONG!
The twelfth chime of the clock echoed in the night air before it faded into nothingness, and suddenly it was just them flying quietly among the stars. Not a single sound could be heard except for the occasional flap of Biri's wings and their quiet breathing.
Nami closed her eyes, basking in the beauty of the moment. It was probably the most silence she had ever experienced in her life, and the fact that she was sharing this with her closest friend made things even better. Her eyes suddenly opened, and she slowly turned her head around so she could face him.
"Did you plan this as well?"
Usopp's thick lips spread into a grin. "You could say that."
Her heart pounded heavily against her chest. "Why?"
His smile shrunk and he shyly looked away. "Well, while you were having your nightmare last night, you were talking a little in your sleep."
Nami gulped, feeling embarrassed that he'd heard her. She'd probably sounded really childish. "Oh."
"And I remember you mentioning the words "trapped" and "free". While flying on Biri earlier, I saw how happy you looked, and I thought that maybe, just maybe, if we left the world behind for a little bit and saw all of this open space around us-" he gestured upwards towards the stars,"- then maybe you would actually be able to experience what real freedom feels like." He lifted his gaze up and met her eyes.
At first, she said nothing, only stared at him as he looked right back at her. Suddenly, her eyebrows lowered, and her eyes filled with tears as her lower lip trembled. "You.."
Usopp's eyes widened as a tear slid down Nami's face, and he looked panicky. "I didn't mean to make you cry, I'm sor-" His words were cut off as Nami threw her arms around his neck and buried her face against his chest.
"No, thank you so much," she whispered into his shirt with a smile on her face. "This is beautiful."
Surprised, but glad that his idea had made her happy, he wrapped his arms around her back and gave her a quick squeeze before they both pulled away from each other and exchanged smiles. Nami dried her tears and face forward, beaming and enjoying the feeling the being free.
Biri carefully dived downwards again, this time into the forest. He swooped around once before lowering down in the same place he'd dropped them off at yesterday. Usopp hopped off first and then held his arms out to help Nami get down.
"Thanks for everything Biri," Nami said with a soft smile as she rubbed his beak.
"Yup! Thanks! We'll call for you later, ok?" Usopp gave bird's head a gentle pat before taking a few steps back. Nami followed after him, and the two pirates waved goodbye to their friend as they exited the forest.
[+]
Like before, they walked up the stairs into the city and were greeted once again with the water fountain. This time, it was glowing a beautiful golden color, like the sun was shining up at it from beneath the water. Usopp held out his arm, and with a smirk, Nami interlocked her arm with his and they began their late-night stroll through the city.
"I should charge you for this," she teased with a smug smirk on her face.
Usopp pouted. "I was thinking that after tonight my debt would at least be cut a little."
Nami giggled and stuck her tongue out. "Oh, so because you've been a gentleman for one evening you think I'll take it easy on you, huh?" Her eyes trailed upward, as if she was thinking really hard. "Well, I suppose I can take it easy on you, at least for a day or two."
He sighed, but the corners of his mouth were turned up. "I guess it's better than nothing."
The two enjoyed their little walk, and appreciated the fact that they hadn't bumped into anybody yet, knowing that tomorrow things would be hectic in the streets once more.
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They arrived back into their room around twelve thirty feeling exhausted and with aching feet. Nami changed into her pajamas as Usopp took the shower she forced him to take, claiming that she refused sleep around a man who went a day without washing himself. By the time he emerged from the bathroom, Nami was standing on the balcony wearing purple shorts with lipstick marks all over them and a matching short-sleeved shirt. She gazed at the city below, watching as people wearing fancy clothes walked down the streets either holding on to each other and talking quietly or laughing loudly in a tipsy manner with other guests who had attended the ball. Usopp quietly opened the sliding door and went to stand out next to her.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked as he leaned on his elbows and watched the people below as well.
Nami stood up a little straighter and crossed her hands over the railing. "I miss Luffy and everybody else, but I think that maybe getting caught in the storm was a good thing."
Usopp raised a brow. "Why?"
"Because I'm having fun, and even though I'm a little embarrassed I think you seeing me upset over Belle-Mere's death helped me release all these thoughts that I've had hidden for a long time." She looked over at him, the calm night air rustling the bangs across her forehead gently. "I've never been able to actually confide in somebody about the nightmares and the depression I feel, not even Luffy."
"Were you ever planning to actually tell somebody?"
She shrugged. "I honestly don't know how I would've even approached somebody about it. Good thing you're so nosey, huh?"
He chuckled and nodded, and then they both stood side by side and watched as house and store lights began to flicker out one by one.
The city had finally begun to fall asleep.