'cause with all that has happened

I think that we both know the way that the story ends

„Usopp, no!"

Desperately, Luffy tugged at his best friend's arm, as the taller boy determinedly pulled the other way, trying to reach the Going Merry with all his might. With lessons having ended for the day, the schoolyard had emptied quickly, settling into its typical afternoon quiet, if not for the sounds of the two struggling boys and the creaking remains of their storm-ravaged hideout.

"Iceburg-sensei said we shouldn't go up there! You're going to hurt yourself!"

Rather than stopping, Usopp gave an angry growl in response. "Bullshit, Luffy! We just need those extra boards and she'll be okay! I'm sorry about the money alright, I'll get it back, I swear-"

Trying to rip himself free, Usopp yanked at his arm, but only succeeded in almost downing Luffy, as the smaller boy was suddenly dragged forward.

"It's not about the money, Usopp!" Luffy insisted, moving around his dark-haired friend and planting himself firmly in his way. He had felt a sharp pang at the guilty tone in the other's voice. "I …," he swallowed and then gave a shaky laugh. "The Merry's really old, anyway, wouldn't it be cool to get a new hideout?"

More quickly than he was aware, Luffy was lying on the ground, his cheekbone throbbing and Usopp sitting on top of him. His right fist was still raised. "Take that back!"

Stunned, Luffy just looked up at Usopp. He could feel blood collecting inside his mouth.

There was a moment – and it was over all too quickly – in which Usopp almost seemed shocked by his own reaction, his eyes wide as he stared at Luffy on the ground. But then, shaking in anger, he grabbed onto the other boy's collar. "The Merry's not old Luffy – we just have to take better care of her! Iceburg-sensei doesn't like us playing there, so-"

"That's not true," Luffy interrupted, frowning up at Usopp. "He said he'd help us build a new Merry – wouldn't that be fun, we could-"

He nearly bit into his tongue, when Usopp once again pushed him into the ground. "Just because you never looked out for the Merry – I won't let you just leave her!" the other boy growled. "Stop thinking only of yourself!"

"I'm not-," Luffy started to reply angrily, hurt by the accusation, but was cut short when Usopp began shaking him.

"You're so selfish, Luffy!" he shouted, but there was a desperate edge to his voice. "I thought we were friends! I thought you cared-"

"I-!"

"I hate you!"

And freezing, Luffy could only stare up into his best friend's face, contorted in anger, as he let the other boy continue to shake him.

"Luffy! Luffy, hey!"

The shaking continued, but it somehow took on a gentler quality, as Luffy all of a sudden blinked awake. He was looking up into another face, but instead of anger, he could only find concern in it, as he slowly came to recognise the familiar features of his elder brother.

"There you are," Ace said, rubbing a hand over Luffy's cheek, which the younger boy now noticed was decidedly wet. "Did you have a bad dream again?"

Feeling far too disoriented, Luffy just reached for Ace, breaking into sobs as soon as his elder brother had gathered him up and settled the both of them against the bed's headboard. "Shhhh."

Squeezing his eyes shut against Ace's collarbone, Luffy tried to get a hold of himself, focussing on the other's voice to anchor him back into the present. A desperate feeling was spreading through his chest, compressing his lungs, making it difficult to breathe. He did not understand. It was weeks ago now, why couldn't he stop thinking about it? Usopp had stopped talking to him, he had come to accept the new reality and he was fine. He was fine, he was fine, he was fine …

Through his spiralling thoughts, Luffy dimly became aware of the mattress dipping, as a different but not less gentle hand joined in the soothing pattern Ace was drawing on his back.

Turning his head, he reached out and caught Sabo's t-shirt in a tight grip, as his blonde brother carefully settled down next to his two siblings. There was a sad smile on his face, as he reached up to wipe at Luffy's tears.

"It's alright," Sabo whispered, his thumb stroking over Luffy's cheek. "You can go back to sleep now."

Unable to stop the tears from coming, Luffy bit his lip, shaking his head. "I'll d-dream again."

There was another shushing noise, as Ace slowly shifted onto his side, letting Luffy slip into the newly created space between himself and Sabo. "We'll be here to wake you up."

Surrounded by the comforting warmth of his two brothers, it was still a long time before Luffy fell back to sleep.

"-can't believe how much homework we got-"

"-breaking her up right now-"

"-that was so gross!"

Suppressing a yawn, Sabo tiredly leant back against the school gates, as he scanned the crowd of excited children for his little brother. Once again, he decided that sleep-deprived was definitely not a state of being for him - particularly not in the face of the screaming mayhem at the end of a schoolday. He really wished Luffy would hurry it up for once.

Unsurprisingly, it had been a slow start to the brothers' day, after they had spent the better part of the early morning hours wide awake. Even when Luffy had finally dropped off sometime around four a.m., Sabo had lain awake for ages, trying to figure out how to best position himself in a bed that was at least three sizes too small for him - and filled with at least two bodies too many. Still, taking in the sight of Luffy's tearstained face, smushed against Ace's arm, the thought of just returning to his own room had not even crossed his mind. Even when he eventually received the expected kick to his ribs and the crick in his back..

The thing was, both Ace and Sabo had thought the nightmares to be over, as Luffy had gradually come to accept that he could not fix Usopp's feelings on the matter of the Merry. It did not stop him from missing his friend - his avoidance of the reptile house at the zoo or the sudden disappearance of Usopp in Luffy's tales had not gone unnoticed by his brothers - but it was evident that Luffy had slowly been rebuilding his confidence in the relationships that remained him. If the nightmares were now resurfacing, that was a definite cause for concern, however, with neither Ace nor Sabo knowing what to make of this new development.

Sighing, Sabo ran a tired hand across his face and was just about to slide down the gates to the ground - because fuck being an adult - when his eyes caught on a little boy Luffy's size heading directly towards him. Taking in the dark, curly hair, partly hidden beneath a bandana, he stiffened.

In hopes of not having been spotted yet, Sabo was just about to discreetly move out of his way (and perhaps hide behind the next tree), when the boy in question suddenly looked up - and froze.

It was probably one of the most uncomfortable silences Sabo had ever endured, as he met Usopp's gaze and tried to read what the little boy was thinking - with little success. If the situation had been less awkward, the contrast might have been comical. A month ago Usopp would have come running up to him, hand in hand with Luffy, bursting to regale Sabo with some wild tale about their day – and now the wall of silence between them was almost palpable.

In lieu of having something to say, Sabo let his eyes drift downwards, frowning when his gaze caught on the wooden object Usopp was clutching protectively against his chest. He stared. That almost looked like-

"It's a piece of the Merry."

Usopp's voice was so quiet, Sabo almost did not hear it at first, glancing up in surprise once he had correctly matched it with the child. He had not thought that the ordinarily fearful little boy would be brave enough to speak to him after everything that had happened.

"They – they're tearing her down today and everyone gets to keep a piece of her."

Blinking, Sabo looked at Usopp. And all of a sudden, the reason for Luffy's nightmare the previous night became perfectly clear. 'Oh, Luffy …'

The distraught expression on Usopp's face gave Sabo's heart a sharp pang and almost succeeded in making him walk over to the boy whom he had comforted so many times in the past – over a scraped knee, a lost tussle, a mean teacher – and finally the departure of his first friend.

But he held himself back. "Everyone …?"

Usopp nodded, his gaze drifting to the ground. "He didn't say anything."

It was not a question, but still Sabo shook his head. There was no need for clarification on who the 'he' was, Usopp was referring to.

Clutching the piece of the Going Merry more tightly to his chest, Usopp swallowed and then moved to walk past Sabo.

"They're still by the tree the Merry used to be in," he muttered just before he passed the blonde and then, looking up with a fierce glint in his eye that quite succeeded in flooring Sabo, he continued, "He's sad."

The 'so are you' was on the tip of Sabo's tongue, but he managed to bite it back. He nodded at the boy, Luffy's former best friend, who obviously still cared a lot for Luffy – enough to want him to stop hurting, even when he himself seemed more than ready to break down into sobs where he was standing. All of a sudden, Sabo ached to comfort Usopp towards whom, if he was honest, he had harboured no little amount of ill will over the last few weeks. But it was not his place.

"Thank you," he said, responding to the boy's nod with a genuine smile, before hurrying away to find the little boy who it would always be his place to comfort.

"So that's what it was."

"Yeah," Sabo nodded. They were sitting down to dinner, with Luffy digging into his plate of sausages, mashed potato and tiny portion of vegetables ("No, Sabo, groooss!"), while Sabo had updated Ace on what he had found out during the day.

Frowning in consternation, Ace turned to his little brother. "Why didn't you tell us, Luffy?"

Bending down further over his food, Luffy pretended to not have heard the question, evidently hoping that he could fool his brothers into believing he was concentrated on eating. As always, the nervous set of his shoulders was a dead giveaway, however.

One of Ace's eyebrows twitched, as he irritatedly drummed his fingers on the table near Luffy. Sabo could not help thinking that the lack of sleep and worry over Luffy were catching up to his brother, too. Normally, Luffy's antics would have provoked no more than a light-hearted comment.

"Oi," Ace growled. "I know you heard me, Luffy!"

Swallowing, their little brother sat back and briefly looked at them both, before averting his eyes. "I … I forgot."

"That's a lie and you know it," Sabo calmly said. He inwardly sighed when all the reaction he got was a nervous twitch and Luffy's customary attempt at whistling when he knew he was caught.

"Oi, listen to me-"

Figuring that Ace losing his temper would get them nowhere with Luffy right then, Sabo reached out and put a placating hand on Ace's forearm, fixing the tiny seven-year-old with a look. "You know we can't help you if you keep things from us, Luffy. You need to tell us what's going on - especially if you're getting nightmares from it."

The reaction this prompted from Luffy was not one Sabo had expected, as his younger brother sank down in his chair, his eyes downcast. It was silent for a moment.

"I just …," Luffy eventually started, his voice catching. "Why is it such a big deal? It's been ages since Iceburg-sensei told us he would break up the Merry."

"And you didn't think you'd feel sad?" Sabo asked, a comforting note to his voice now. "I know you accepted that the Merry couldn't be fixed weeks ago, but of course it was going to affect you when they actually took her down. There's no shame in that."

Staring fixedly at the clenched fists on his knees, Luffy firmly pressed his lips together, as Ace moved over to pull his little brother in a sideways hug. "You know it's okay to feel sad, right?" he asked.

Momentarily caught off-guard, Sabo looked at his brother in surprise, before a smile stole onto his face. It was of course possible he was only saying it for Luffy's benefit, but the progress Ace had made from the angry little boy Sabo had met who thought that all emotions were a weakness never ceased to astound him.

"I can't."

Luffy's shuddering voice drew Sabo's attention back to the seven-year-old, who was now trembling. "Why-?"

The answer broke forth before Ace could finish the question. "How can I be sad when Usopp's so much sadder than me?! It's not okay - he still thinks it's my fault - I'm not allowed - I couldn't even take a piece of the M-Merry-"

The desperate torrent of words drew to an abrupt halt when Luffy's voice caught and he dissolved into heartbreaking sobs. Taken aback, Sabo quickly moved around the table to crouch down next to his young sibling whom Ace was already holding tightly.

Stroking Luffy's fringe back from his forehead, Sabo contemplated his little brother in confusion. "Where's this coming from? Is that what you've been thinking?"

Luffy, however, was far too caught up in his distress to answer. For a while, no one said anything as the two elder brothers tried to calm the younger down. Eventually taking pity on Sabo's uncomfortable position on the floor, Ace moved them to the living room where he arranged himself and Luffy on the couch, as their blonde sibling took his place next to them.

"Feeling better now?", Sabo asked, running his hand through Luffy's hair once again, as the sobs quietened down to sniffles. Luffy turned his head on Ace's chest to tiredly look up at his brother. "You didn't take a piece of the Merry?"

Dejectedly, Luffy shook his head.

There was really only one way to truly fix this. Sabo would have liked to see how it played out first before raising Luffy's hopes, but in the face of the young boy's misery, he drew in a breath, steeling himself. "Luffy, do you know who I met today, when I was picking you up?"

Curious brown eyes looked up at him, as his little brother shook his head.

"It was Usopp."

Pausing in order to let Luffy absorb that piece of information, Sabo was acutely aware of the hitching in Ace's breath. He could not blame the other for being worried about where he was going with this.

"You … you talked to Usopp?" Luffy murmured.

"Yeah," Sabo affirmed. "He was the one to tell me about the Merry actually. And you know what else he told me? He told me you were sad."

His eyes welling up with tears again, Luffy tightened his grip on Ace's shirt. "He was angry?"

"No," Sabo immediately countered, shaking his head. "He was worried. He told me to go look for you."

Eyes wide, Luffy seemed properly floored for a moment, as he looked at his blonde brother.

It was Ace who ended up breaking the silence. "He did?" he asked, impossibly sounding both sceptical and pleased. "Why didn't you say?"

"Didn't get the chance," Sabo shrugged. "But do you see, Luffy? It would be okay to be sad about the Merry, even if Usopp didn't think so - she was important to you, too. But Usopp knows how you feel and he doesn't mind - he only wants you to be happy again."

"But … but-!" Confusion was written all over Luffy's face as he seemingly tried to adjust for this new piece of information. "But - why didn't he talk to me then?"

"Must have chickened out again," Ace muttered and then glared at Sabo, when the blonde promptly shoved him. It figured that Ace's one sensible contribution earlier would be his only one in trying to explain things to Luffy.

"He probably thinks you're angry with him," Sabo calmly told Luffy and then smiled, as the comically large eyes of his younger brother turned to him. "What? But that's stupid!"

"It's not as stupid as you think, Luffy. Usopp's reaction was understandable, but he hurt you, when you were only trying to look out for him. He should apologise to you, when he comes to talk."

"I'm going over to his house right now!"

Determinedly, Luffy made to get up, but Sabo grabbed onto his arm. Huffing in frustration, he looked up at his elder brother.

"Wait for him to come to you, Luffy," Sabo said. "Think about how he must be feeling right now. When he's ready to talk, he'll come."

Frowning, Luffy threw a baleful look at Sabo. "But what if he never does?"

"Then he would be pretty stupid."

Clenching his teeth, Luffy immediately growled at Ace who raised his eyebrows at him. "He's not stupid, stupid Ace!"

Ace gawked. "Who are you calling stupid, stupid?"

Rolling his eyes at the exchange, Sabo shook his head. "He will, Luffy." He reached out to envelop his fuming little brother in a comforting hug. "But are we clear on the whole 'telling us stuff that happens' matter?"

There was a pause. "Yeah," Luffy agreed and Sabo was pleased to hear the smile in Luffy's voice. He sighed and began to relax. Crisis averted.

"Oh!" Sabo's teeth knocked painfully into one another, as Luffy suddenly shot up, smashing his head into his brother's chin. "Ouch … sorry, Sabo! But I nearly forgot - Franky told me that the new Merry would be ready on Saturday. We should all come by the school in the morning!"

Rubbing his chin, Sabo threw a glare at Ace, who was shaking with barely suppressed laughter. "When's this?"

"I don't know. I think Franky said eight-ish."

"On a Saturday?!"

Ignoring Ace, Sabo ruffled Luffy's hair. "Alright, we'll be there," he agreed, impishly laughing at his freckled brother.

'Serves you right.'

The weekend came bright and early - to Ace's misfortune much earlier than was welcome, thanks to the boy-shaped rocket that launched itself onto his duvet as the first rays of sunshine started tickling his face. "ACE!"

"Luffy …," he groaned, one bleary eye peeking from his warm cocoon at the little boy now sitting atop his legs. A tired glance at his bedside table told him it was 07:05.

"If you're going to ask why it's impossible to get him out of bed during weekdays, don't."

Sabo had appeared in his doorway, yawning and sporting an impressively messy bedhead. "You won't get an answer."

Evidently, Ace had only been victim number two today.

"Well, then," he murmured, lifting a hand to tiredly rub at his eyes - only to suddenly change direction and launch himself at his already giggling little brother. "Time for punishment!"

"HELP!" Luffy shrieked, as he went down under Ace's tickle attack.

"Nope," Sabo shook his head, already heading to the kitchen to get a start on breakfast. "Should've thought about allies sooner."

"Sabooooo~"

The shrieks followed Sabo as he made his way down the hallway, grinning like a madman.

They headed out after breakfast, Luffy cheerfully dragging his two elder brothers along, even as one of them was still grumbling unhappily under his breath. It was a ten minute walk from their flat to the school and once there, they made quick work of the closed gates by simply vaulting over them, Ace carrying Luffy across. Looking at the security camera trained on the high gates, Sabo just shrugged. It would not be the first time they would receive an angry e-mail by the headmaster about respecting school property come Monday.

As they approached the school's backyard, they could already hear the voices of several of Luffy's friends who seemed to be chatting excitedly amongst themselves.

"She must be two times as big as the Merry!"

"No, three times!"

"Guys, oh my God! Do you see that lookout at the top?!"

Even if Ace and Sabo had tried, there would have been no hope of holding Luffy back, as the little boy ripped himself free and skidded to a halt next to Chopper who was gaping up at the new hide-out with a dreamy look on his face.

She certainly was a sight to behold, Sabo had to agree, as he took in the polished new boards, some of them across the hull coated in a crimson red, the luminously white railing spanning the length of the treeship, and at the front … at the front …

"Is that … a sunflower?" Ace asked, forehead wrinkling, as he tilted his head to the side.

"More like … a sun?"

"It's a lion."

Both teenagers whirled around and then felt their hearts drop to their stomachs, as they came face to face with Dawn City Elementary's headmaster Iceburg, who had seemingly appeared out of thin air. He cleared his throat.

"Nmaaah, good morning, boys. You could've taken the side entrance, you know, it was wide open."

For a man who had just caught quite the group of people trespassing on his property, Iceburg looked awfully cheerful, as he serenely stroked his pet mouse Tyrannosaurus, peeking out of his shirt pocket as per usual. Even more strangely, it seemed that Ace and Sabo were the only ones caught unawares by the headmaster's sudden appearance.

"Luffy … did you know that Iceburg-sensei would be here, too?" Sabo asked calmly.

"Yeah, sure," Luffy piped and then grinned at his headteacher. "Hi, Iceburg-ossan!"

Sabo hung his head, as Iceburg acknowledged Luffy's greeting with a smile. "Your acrobatics are getting better, boys, I'll have to show the new video to the P.E. teachers come Monday. I expect it'll get full scores."

"Full - what?!"

Ace never got his answer, however, as at that moment, Luffy threw his hands up in the air and started towards the rope ladder hanging from the tree. "Let's go up already!"

"Nmah, hold your horses, Luffy," Iceburg called, halting his pupil in his tracks. "The ship needs a name first."

Forehead wrinkling in concentration for a moment, Luffy gave a curt nod. "Right! Okay, I've decided, we'll call her Tiger Wolf Lion!"

"What kind of awful name is that?!" Nami screeched.

Grinning in amusement at the ensuing argument between Luffy and his friends, Sabo spared a quick glance in the direction of the school's clock - and promptly froze. He discreetly nudged Ace's arm and subtly drew them both back a few steps.

"We should name it Boss Lionel."

"What the hell, Zoro, no way! I'm for Monsieur Sunflower."

"You … you all have no naming skills whatsoever, do you?"

The indignant response was cut short, when Chopper interrupted with a sudden gasp. "U-Usopp?!"

As one, those who had not spotted him yet spun around to openly gape at the dark-haired boy in the bandana, who was slowly approaching them from across the yard. He was trembling with nervosity, Sabo could tell, but he had managed to plaster a nervous smile onto his face.

"H-hey, everyone! I heard you were meeting up today! What are we playing?"

There was silence for a moment as everyone looked between Usopp and Luffy with various degrees of tension on their faces. Before the latter could say anything, however, it was Zoro who stepped forward. "What are you doing, Usopp?"

Usopp swallowed. "W-what do you mean?" he asked, trying to hide the tremble in his voice. "I-I'm here to play. Aren't we friends?"

"Friends don't usually say 'I hate you' to each other," Sanji said, as he moved beside Zoro, firmly pushing Luffy ("O-oi!") behind him. He could hide his conflicting feelings less easily than Zoro, but the protective glint in his eye and the firm set to his jaw were just as pronounced as his best friend's.

"O-oh, did I say that? It was a joke, a joke, haha!" Usopp stuttered. At the unimpressed looks he received from the others, he looked down at the ground, clenching and unclenching his hands. Even Luffy seemed bewildered, hurt briefly but unmistakably flashing across his face. Usopp swallowed again.

"I- I see," he murmured. "Well, if you're going to be like that, I only came here for one thing anyway …" And reaching into the brown satchel he always carried around, he turned to Luffy, thrusting what seemed to be a small wooden object into the other boy's face.

No one said anything for a moment, as even the wind seemed to pause in anticipation. Then Usopp spoke up again. "Please take it," he said, his voice suddenly steady as he lifted his eyes to directly meet Luffy's stunned gaze. "I know you didn't. But you should have a piece of her, too."

Slowly reaching out, Luffy's eyes widened as a tiny wooden figurehead, shaped like a lamb, was carefully placed into his hands.

"I-is that-?" Luffy's voice broke off.

"Yeah," Usopp agreed and in the ensuing silence, both boys' eyes slowly started tearing up, as weeks of misunderstandings, barbed words and feigned indifference suddenly crumbled away.

"I'm so sorry!" Usopp finally burst out, at the same time that Luffy wailed a tearful "Thank you!" and in the next moment, the two boys were hugging one another desperately, as their friends and family looked on, the surprise on their faces quickly turning into fondness.

"I never meant any of it! I was upset about Kaya and I took it out on you! I'm so, so sorry!"

"I swear I didn't want to leave the Merry, Usopp! I'm sorry, I should've been more careful with her!"

"It wasn't your fault, idiot!"

The words started to become unintelligible, as tears and snot gained the upper hand in the tearful reunion. Not just Luffy's either, as Nami, Franky, Sanji and Chopper joined in the hug of the two boys, until none of the onlookers could tell which limb belonged to which kid.

Smiling fondly, Ace spared a sideways glance at his blonde brother and then gave him a playful nudge. "Hey, come on … I didn't know I had two cry-baby brothers."

"Sh-shut up."

Shaking his head, Ace grinned at Sabo and then looked back at Luffy, soaking in the pure joy on his little brother's face, as he hugged Usopp to his chest. He would let it pass just this once. After all, all was right in the world again.

BONUS:

("So, how about we name her Captain Sunflower?" Usopp suggested, staring up at their new treeship in thought.

"NO WAY, USOPP! There can only be one captain and that's me!"

"The ship wouldn't really be the captain, Luffy …"

"I don't care! And we've agreed to name her Squid Octopus Chimpanzee anyway."

"NO, WE HAVEN'T!"

"Nmaah, I might have an idea for a name, if you want it …")

lately, I've been, I've been thinking

I want you to be happier

I want you to be happier

There you have it, everyone - the five part series draws to a close. Originally, the ending to this was supposed to be the ending of the first part - but then the muse ran away with me, and made me write three more parts in between ;). There's still one extra that's on my mind, I hope I'll get around to writing it. We'll see :).

Thank you all for going on this journey with me and taking the time to read - I hope you had as much fun reading this story, as I had writing it! And thank you to my one reviewer wishfull-star! Your comment meant the world to me!