A/N: Bam, bam and BAM! Three stories updated in the course of twenty-four hours. How's that for a burst of inspiration?

This chapter is shorter than a few others in this story so far, but I'm kinda just glad I got one together! As I'm sure many of you are. It's chapters like this that make me feel like I'm not quite as out of touch with the characters we love as I sometimes feel. In all honesty, re-reading the entire series might do me some good. Or maybe I'll watch the anime for once. I've watched a lot of anime, but I've only watched the odd episode here and there of One-Piece. I'm the type to choose either reading or watching, and most of the time I fall into the category of reading.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy! We'll be getting back to the running and screaming in the next chapter :)

08:
One night's end, a friend gone away
With no recollection, so goes on the day
But night will fall, and more horrors will ensue
And soon, so soon, away will be two

Nami

When I woke up, Luffy was gone, and after yesterday, it worried me. I got to my feet, limping to the door. The ship looked empty, but I heard laughter coming from the kitchen. I struggled over, pressing my lips together as if that would help numb the pain. It didn't.

I opened the kitchen door, and all their heads swung around to look at me. Usopp still wasn't there.

"Nami, you should rest today. Last night really took a lot out of you," Chopper rushed forward. He helped me over the table.

"Still no Usopp?" I asked, looking at Suki, who shook her head.

I closed my eyes, only able to wonder what had happened yesterday at the circus.

"Are you okay?" Luffy asked, touching my arm gently.

"I'm going to the circus tonight," I told him.

"No, Nami," Chopper shook his head. "You can't. You need to get better first."

"Something messed up is happening on this island, and I want to know what it is," I told them.

"We'll look into it," Robin promised. "In the meantime, why don't you draw us a picture of him so that we know who we're looking for?"

This was unbelievable. How could they just… forget him? My hands shook with frustration and helplessness.

"If he's really our nakama, I'm sure we'll recognize him when we see him," Luffy said confidently. He reached between us, giving my hand a small squeeze.

"I'll… I'll go and find his wanted poster," I said, standing up.

"Tell us where to look," Franky said, putting a hand on my shoulder and gently easing me back into a sitting position.

"It should be on the wall in the men's quarters," I told them. Luffy looked at everyone for a moment before leaving to go and look. We all sat in silence. I didn't know what to say. I was frustrated beyond relief.

Luffy came back, clutching the poster in his hand.

"Did you find it?" I asked.

"Is this… is this him?" he opened the poster. It was the Sogeking poster. Didn't we have an up to date one? "Sogeking?"

"That's an even weirder name than Usopp," Chopper whispered to Franky.

"That's him, but he's wearing a mask there. There should be another one, one with his funny hat and his nose and –and –"

"We'll find him, Nami," Luffy conquered the distance between the two of us. He crouched in front of me, taking my hands in his. "I promise."

"You believe me?"

"Of course," he clenched my hands, reassuring me. "So, let us handle this."

"Zoro and I will head out right away," Robin said, getting to her feet and pulling him right along with her. "We'll get to the bottom of this."

"We'll figure things out, Nami," Chopper assured. "So let's get you some medicine and back to bed."

"Fine," I muttered, letting Luffy pick me up and carry me over to the infirmary. He set me down on the bed there, and waited patiently as Chopper took care of me. When he carried me back into the kitchen, Robin, Zoro, Franky, Harumi, and Brooke were gone. Sanji and Suki sat at the table. Both were silent.

"I guess it's me and Suki again," I commented as Luffy sat me down again.

"I was thinking one of us should stay here with you guys," Sanji said. "To make sure you're safe."

"What? No – the danger wasn't here on the ship, the danger was out there, at the circus –we need everyone out there to make sure this doesn't happen again. We can't lose another crew member."

"Agreed," Luffy cut in before Sanji could argue. "We'll go to the circus, Sanji. And we'll be on the lookout for anything suspicious. If Usopp is our nakama –"

"He is," Suki and I said in unison.

"Then we'll find him. And we'll get him back," Luffy swore to us.

"God dammit, Luffy," Sanji stood up abruptly. "I know things have felt off since we arrived at this island, but are you kidding me? We shouldn't be worrying about this guy when we should be focusing on fixing the boat and getting out of here."

"We never leave nakama behind. Regardless of whether we all remember them or not," Luffy stood his ground, squaring his shoulders. "I believe in Nami and Suki. And if the two of them believe one of us is missing, I will find him."

Sanji looked angry as he slid a cigarette out of his pocket, heading outside to smoke it.

"Thank you, Luffy," I clutched at the hem of his shirt as he began to walk away. "Really. Thank you."

"Get some rest," he kissed the top of my head before leaving the room.

"Do you think –"

"Of course they'll find him," I interrupted. "Without a doubt. Luffy won't stop until he does."

Robin

"Back to the library?" Zoro let out an aggravated breath. "I thought we were searching for that Usopp fellow that Nami and Suki keep going on about. I feel like they had a little bit too much to drink while we were out at the circus yesterday."

"What if we've really forgotten? And they weren't drinking," I told him. "To believe so much that a person exists isn't something brought on from having a drink. It's more like a drug. But the only drugs anyone takes are issued directly by Chopper –and the only one getting any medication right now is Nami. So that doesn't explain why Suki is on the same wavelength."

"And we're at the library because –"

"Because we're missing something vital about this island. And I really feeling like figuring out the riddle is the first step in making everything, well, make sense," I glanced over my shoulder. "You don't have to be here. You can look on foot with the others. But I'm going to search the way I know best."

"All I'll be doing is sitting here again," Zoro said. "So I will go out with the others. We'll meet up before the next show at the circus."

"I'll be here," I waved to the shelves upon shelves of books.

"Don't forget to eat," he warned.

"I'll try not to." But I probably would.

He left, and I turned back to the shelves, putting my hands on my hips. Where do I start? Yesterday we conquered history of the island. After that a good place to start looking would be…

The local newspapers. We had a missing person –how many people went missing around here exactly? How often did the circus come around? The questions I had should be answered though whatever local reporters had heard or saw. Newspapers.

I found them easily enough. And I grabbed them all, bringing them to the closest table. Although thin, there were a lot of them. Twelve piles at least two feet tall. I was going to be here all afternoon.

Zoro

"Anything?" I asked, sitting down at the bar counter. Harumi was on the otherside, disguised as a man again. I don't know how she managed to get a job almost instantly each time we needed information, but she did. I suppose it was a hidden talent. A charisma she hid while she was out of character.

"Nothing. They haven't seen him, haven't heard of Sogeking. Nothing," she said gruffly, pouring me a glass of water. I would have preferred rum, or sake, or anything else, really. This felt like a wild goose chase.

"What about the circus?" I downed the water anyway. It was, admittedly, refreshing.

"It circulates between twelve islands. Consists of twelve acts a night. Goes on for seven nights," Harumi splayed both hands down on the counter, a sign I've come to know as frustration in the few months she'd been with us. "Everyone loves it when the circus comes. It's the greatest show that everybody's ever seen. That's it. That's all anyone has to say. So far, anyway. I'll keep asking around."

"I'll go let Robin know," I got to my feet. She acknowledged me as I left with a nod, then went back to cleaning glasses and serving other customers. I walked down the street, wondering how everyone else is doing with their search. Did it feel futile? But Robin was right. We've come so far with Nami to not trust her now.

Back at the library, Robin was still there, elbow deep in articles and newspapers. She looked up at me as I approached her, her eyes a little hopeful. But I shook her head, and she slouched back, running a hand through her hair.

"This is… this is bullshit," she muttered. "All the articles I've gone through have nothing. No missing people, only slightly weird affairs, much like our boat and the destroyed building." We'd walked by that building earlier. It hadn't been like that yesterday, and no one knows how it came to be. Had Nami said something about that, too? I couldn't remember anymore. Everything was starting to blend together. She went on, "But no reason as to why they happened. They get rebuilt, the money coming from an unknown source, and then they get forgotten."

"What are you saying?" I sat on the edge of the table and picked up a paper, flipping through it, looking at the pictures but not bothering to spare a glance for the words.

"I'm saying that these are probably a dead-end," she gestured to the piles. "I'll keep at it, but I'm going to have to come up with something new quick."

"I have confidence in you," I put the paper aside and leaned forward, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "You haven't eaten, have you?"

"You caught me," she grinned sheepishly.

"Let's go grab something," I told her.

She cast a glance around the newspapers, then turned back to me and nodded. "Let me just put these all away. I'll come back tomorrow."

"Nami better annex our debts after all this," I stretched as I watched her many hands take care of the clean-up. I was trying to lighten the mood.

"Really? You're playing that card?" she chuckled.

"She plays that card all the time," I defended.

"Well, I'm sure if you bring it up, she'll forget all about your debts," she rolled her eyes.

"You think so?"

"No, I'm pretty sure she'll triple it."

Nami

"Bye, Nami. Bye, Suki," the crew waved as they headed off into the night. Suki and I were left there again. And it frustrated me to no end. Stupid, stupid ankle.

"No running off tonight?" Suki made me promise.

I didn't answer, just turned and headed toward the women's quarters. Time would fly faster if I was sleeping. It had to. Suki tried to help me, but I shrugged her off. I wasn't quite sure she understood what I felt. Usopp was the fourth member to join our crew. We'd been together for so long. We'd been through so much. And then having no one remember who he was on top of everything was just…

I curled up in my bed, bringing my knees up to my chest and pulling the blankets up to my chin. I closed my eyes, but unlike the night before, sleep didn't even seem to be close to settling over me. Surprisingly, tears rose to my eyes. What was wrong with me? I couldn't cry. They were going to find him. Usopp couldn't just up and disappear without a trace. All the adventures we'd been on couldn't be easily erased.

I didn't want to believe it either. But I had to have faith in Luffy and everyone else to find him. Because if they couldn't do it, then no one could.

And that scared me.