One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda
Kingdom Hearts characters belong to Square Enix and Disney
OCs belong to me.

-Chapter One Hundred and Ninety-Three-

"Take care on your way home, old man!" Usopp waved.

"You too! Wherever you may go, I pray for your safe journey" Tonjit smiled.

"That's that—time to head off!" Luffy grinned. "Nami, is the Log ready yet?" he asked.

"Sure is, we're all good to go" Nami nodded.

"Alright, it's about time" Zoro said, pleased to know that we were finally leaving this island behind us.

"Yeah" Sanji agreed.

"So what now?" Usopp curiously asked.

"Yeah, what now?" I echoed in agreement. "Are we finally going to go off and snag ourselves a shipwright?" I questioned.

"Yeah" Luffy nodded. "Just hold on, Merry, we'll find a shipwright to fix you up in no time" he smiled as he gave the ship an assuring pat.

"Yeah!" we cheered in agreement.

-That Night-

"Really? You and Zoro were childhood friends?" Nami asked, surprised. Currently seated in the women's quarters, I had just finished answering most of her questions after being forcibly dragged in here once dinner was finished under the guise of much-needed girl time...which really just meant she wanted alone time to interrogate me.

"Yeah, that's right" I nodded, mindlessly fiddling with the corner of the pillow I held as I carefully thought over my words. "For a while, my brothers and I were living relatively close to Shimotsuki Village" I explained, silently thinking back to that day Zoro and I met. "Our meeting was kind of by...accident? Yeah, I don't think he was expecting anyone to be that far out from the village, but after that, we kind of got to know each other" I continued, recalling how he had been angrily crying over his humiliating loss to Kuina that day when I had stumbled across him. It was such a silly thing to get upset over...then again, with how many times he lost to her back then, I guess it made sense why it frustrated him so much back when we were just mere children.

"I'll admit though...it was just a silly child's crush I had on him back then..." I blushed as I started to recall when those feelings of mine first started to develop. I couldn't really pinpoint exactly when they first popped up, I just knew that one day I realized that my feelings for him felt far different compared to my feelings for my brothers or anyone else I've ever met up to that point in my life...even now, I have yet to find someone that made me feel the exact same way he makes me feel. "Honestly, I thought it would have disappeared by now, but...that day when you all came to the island and I saw him again...it was like a flame was reignited in my heart..." I softly smiled, my blush only getting worse at how cheesy that sounded despite how true it was.

"Talk about love at first sight" Nami whistled. "So you're both finally official now?" she grinned as she eagerly leaned forward.

"Yeah..." I nodded, unable to really look at her as I shyly looked to the floor. It felt rather strange to say that aloud despite it being true...felt strange to finally put a name to what we had going on between us.

"Well, I'm glad!" Nami happily clapped. "Although," she slyly grinned, "I better not hear, let alone catch, you two doing anything naughty on the ship" she playfully teased, wagging her finger in a chastising manner.

"N-Nami!" I choked, face now flushed a blazing red as she burst out laughing before pulling me into a tight hug—pressing the side of my face against her bosom as she joyfully began to sway the both of us from side to side.

"I'm joking! But I'm seriously happy for you two!" she grinned. "It was infuriating watching you two—I thought I was going to go mad over how long you were taking" she chuckled, now holding me at arm's length before suddenly that smile of hers dropped as her eyebrows now knitted together in thought. "Although, I do have one more question for you" she said.

"Argh! Another one?" I playfully groaned. "This is like the twentieth one you've had since we set sail!" I know I was being dramatic, but I was seriously starting to grow tired of all these questions of hers. I understood her curiosity to an extent as her confusion and frustration toward mine and Zoro's behavior up until this point was relatively understandable—there was obviously a lot of context she was missing up until this point.

"This is the last one, I swear" she promised.

"Alright, fine—shoot" I said, motioning for her to go on ahead and ask her question—I doubt it mattered anyway what I said knowing she'd probably still ask even if I were to say no.

"Why...why exactly were you and your brothers on Zoro's home island to begin with? Why did you have to move again after only being there for three years?" she curiously asked as if it had only just occurred to her how strange it was that three children had moved all on their own onto a new island only to quickly leave said island after a measly three years without any real explanation. I instantly tensed up, causing her to give my shoulders a comforting squeeze as if to silently coax me into relaxing as her frown deepened.

"That's two questions...you said you only had one..." I muttered, avoiding both questions as I wasn't really comfortable with answering either one. Quietly, she stared, looking conflicted for a moment as if she was wondering if she should push or not. "Would you look at the time? It's getting rather late—don't you think?" I awkwardly chuckled, attempting to break the uncomfortable silence that now settled between us. "You know, I think I'm going to sleep in the guy's room tonight..." I suddenly muttered...

Not like it actually mattered where I slept.

After the discovery of my gender back on Drum Island, it became commonplace in the crew for me to bounce back and forth between the women's quarters and the men's room depending on my and everyone else's mood. Since I had been sleeping in the men's room for so long, the reveal of my actual gender didn't really change much when it came to my sleeping arrangement. Sure, Nami has occasionally gotten me to sleep in here with her and Robin as she personally found it more appropriate, but I know that she probably appreciates the extra space my absences give her and Robin at night. Not only that, but...I actually felt more comfortable sleeping in the men's room, having gotten used to the sounds of the men's snores and sleep talk after sleeping in there for so long. I knew they felt the same since I have yet to hear any complaints, if any of them acted off since the discovery of my gender it was mainly Sanji who now felt he and the others needed to pick up around their room more as if embarrassed by how messy they could be despite my assurance it was fine.

"Yeah, night..." Nami mumbled, hesitantly releasing her grip on my shoulder.

"Night..." I weakly smiled before leaving the room completely. Heaving a tired sigh the moment I came up into the storage room, I leaned against some nearby crates and stood there for a moment needing time to gather myself back up before I even thought about going anywhere else...

Today's been a long day.

-Later-

Night had completely fallen now and once again like so many times before, I found myself curled up on the kitchen floor—arms wrapped tightly around my legs as I quietly sat there as if I was waiting for someone to come...

This wasn't anything new.

No. I always tended to do this after certain nightmares...especially ones that were best left forgotten. Heavily sighing, I peered down at the floor through hazy eyes as I suddenly found myself recalling a pleasant memory I probably hadn't thought about in years.

-Flashback-

"Shh, you must be quiet, or else your father will wake up" Mary shushed, quietly leading the sniffling six-year-old down into the kitchen. Upon finishing the last of her chores, she discovered the crying child wandering the halls of the manor—mindlessly shuffling the halls in search of comfort from whatever nightmare she had awoken from. Quick had she been to approach and give the frightened child the comfort she so desperately sought—hastily ushering her down the hall and toward the kitchen, frightened that if she didn't soothe the child's tears soon then she'd risk either of the girl's parents waking...

Just barely did she suppress the shiver that wanted to tear down her spine the moment she thought about the Master waking up so early.

"I-I can't..." Skylar whimpered, unable to suppress the hiccupy sobs that came tumbling past her quivering lips. "I-I can...can still hear its p-painful whim-whimpers..." Mary didn't dare question the brunette on what her nightmare was about...though, she had a sinking feeling she knew exactly what it was about as she recalled the events that had transpired earlier that evening.

"I know, I know, it's not your fault—you didn't know he would do that" was the only thing the raven-haired woman could think to say as she picked up and sat the child down on top of the counter. Patting the top of her head, she set to work—quietly doing her best to pull out a decent-sized pot from one of the cabinets, milk from the fridge, and anything else she felt she needed without making too much noise. It took a while, but eventually, she poured the heated milk into a glass once it was ready. "Here..." she softly murmured, carefully handing it to the whimpering child—making sure she had a good hold of the glass and wouldn't drop it.

"What's this? Milk?" Skylar quietly sniffed as she looked down at the warm glass in her small hands. Mary quickly looked away the moment she spotted the blistering bruise that had formed on the child's hand from where the gun had jerked back and painfully scraped against her skin. She winced at the painful reminder of what had transpired earlier that day, her stomach churning as she recalled the frightened sobs and desperate pleas that fell on nothing more than deaf ears...

She felt sick as she recalled the agony she had felt earlier that evening...felt disgusted and frustrated with not only herself, but everyone else within the manor's walls as she harshly bit down on her lower lip and swallowed back the tears that now pricked her eyes.

"My...my mother before she fell ill used to warm some milk up for me whenever I had trouble sleeping..." Mary quietly explained, expression softening a little as she watched the brunette take a tentative sip from the glass. She felt her heart practically melt when she saw the way the child's eyes brightened—her sad frown instantly turning around as she quickly started to chug down the rest of the milk as if frightened the glass would be taken from her if she wasn't quick enough. Mary felt her gaze saddened at the sight, her heart aching as she quietly started to clean up the mess she had made. She was mindful not to leave a single piece of evidence behind, aware of how upset the Master would be should he find out what she had done...he always hated it whenever any of the help showed any kind of kindness to his children...

Always claiming that it wasn't something they deserved—that they didn't earn it and that it would only make them weak.

It didn't take long for Skylar to finish her glass and slowly start dozing back off, head drooping as she sat the glass aside and sleepily yawned. She took comfort in the warmth that filled her, blooming from her stomach and through her entire body as she cutely held her arms out to the maid who sweetly smiled.

"Come now, let's get you back to bed..." Mary softly murmured as she picked the child up and started carrying her back to the twin's shared room. "I'm sure your brother is wondering where you are."

-End of Flashback-

She only did it a few times, I recalled...

But it was during those few times that I would truly find solace from the terrors that would occasionally plague me in my sleep. Perhaps somewhere deep inside of me, I wished to experience that same solace once again every time I suffer from a nightmare. Perhaps it was that desire that had me wandering to the kitchen—that had me sitting here on the floor, patiently waiting for Mary's gentle face to show up and tell me that everything would be alright while she warms up some milk. I felt my jaw clench and my vision blur the longer I thought about her and all the things she did as she desperately tried to give me and my brothers the love she felt we deserved while in that hellish place...

It hurts...

It hurts so much knowing that I'll never be able to see her ever again—it hurts knowing that she probably blames me for what had happened all those years ago. Blames me for her—I flinched, instantly jolting upright the second I heard a weird and suddenly loud sound. One that seemed to eerily echo through the night and carry itself upon the wind that I couldn't tell exactly how far or how close it was.

"What the…?" I frowned, slowly relaxing as the sound died off before eventually coming to a complete stop...perhaps it was an animal? That...that sounded reasonable as there were plenty of creatures lurking in the sea that made all kinds of odd noises, surely one of them was capable of making such a boisterous sound. Shaking my head, I swiped at the tears that leaked from my eyes and tiredly leaned back against the wall. Staring up at the ceiling, I silently listened to the comforting sound of the waves gently lapping up against the bottom of the ship.

-Next Morning-

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was just how sore I was, the next second I noticed was the fact that I was still on the kitchen floor...

Strange...

Normally I always woke back up in the men's quarters on the couch. I suspect that Sanji's the one responsible for that happening since he tends to get up really early in order to start breakfast. Frowning in slight confusion, I quickly brushed off his absence as him just deciding to sleep in today—which despite how strange that sounded, it wasn't abnormal to think that he'd want to eventually sleep in every now and then since he was still human. Stretching, I stood and exited the kitchen as I made my toward the women's room since that's where I mainly kept my belongings now. Though I was fine sleeping in the men's quarters myself, I no longer felt it safe or wise to leave my personal belongings in there with the men—especially unsupervised.

"Morning" I tiredly greeted Robin the second I entered the room and saw her already awake and reading.

"Morning" she nodded, standing and putting her book away. "Oh, you're awake" she remarked when Nami started to stir.

"Morning, Nami" I yawned, leaning up against the doorway before growing confused by how quiet the ginger was suddenly being as she cautiously looked around the room—nervously eyeing Robing and me as if we were complete strangers.

"You feeling okay?" Robin questioned, tilting her head when she too started to notice the ginger's odd behavior.

"Who are you two?" Nami nervously asked, taking me aback as I quickly looked toward Robin for answers seeing how she had spent the entire night here in the room with Nami, only to find that she was also taken aback by this.

"We have a bit of a problem, you guys—it's our navigator here" Robin said as we quickly ushered Nami out onto the deck. She kept silent the entire time, warily eyeing everything she saw as she put up very little resistance to being led outside.

"She doesn't seem to remember anything" I worriedly frowned.

"Oh! Who are those three?" Luffy asked, causing me to halt. "Are they a part of your giant pirate crew, captain?" he asked, looking to Usopp.

"Pirate crew? Captain?" I raised an eyebrow, mind spinning for a moment in confusion as I tried to register what was happening. Surely they hadn't lost their memories as well...right?

"Uh...yeah...that's it" Usopp nervously lied.

"Not you guys too" I groaned when I realized that what I had feared was the truth.

"Don't tell us you guys lost your memories too" Robin frowned before blinking when she spotted the way Sanji began to sparkle as he lovingly stared back at the two of us.

"I now understand how foolish a moth must feel as it's helplessly drawn to the flames—I'm irresistibly compelled to leap headfirst into the brilliant radiance of the beauty before me" he cooed as he produced a rose from somewhere and held it out for Robin, Nami, and I. "Hello, gorgeous ladies, I'm Sanji" he introduced, giving the rose he currently had to Robin before producing another one to give to me and then another that he held out to Nami. "I would love to treat you to a gourmet dinner tonight if you're available" he flirtatiously offered.

"He's almost as funny as you are!" Luffy laughed.

"He's like a different person all of a sudden" Usopp sweat dropped.

"Still the same as ever..." I softly huffed, smiling at the familiarity of the blonde's behavior despite it being far different compared to his treatment of me when we had first met. He had been a lot more casual if not a bit rude and aggressive back then—sometimes kind and sometimes harsh depending on his mood and whatever it was I was asking of him. I'm aware that such behavior was due to thinking me a man the first time we met...I wondered, is this how he would have behaved right off the bat back then if he had known I was a woman from the get-go?

Maybe it was a good thing I had held off so long on telling the others I was a woman, certain that such treatment would have been harder to handle from the get-go. At least by the time the cat was out of the bag, I was semi-adjusted to his flirty nature after witnessing it so many times being directed toward Nami.

"Alright, who are these creeps and where am I?" Nami frowned, finally growing annoyed with all the commotion and confusion going on around her. "Also—" she stopped midsentence when she finally spotted Chopper who was attempting to hide—and failing—behind a barrel.

"Isn't that backward?" Robin questioned.

"Hon, you need to be behind the barrel if you're going to hide" I breathlessly chuckled, watching as the reindeer now took a tentative step behind the barrel before nervously peeking back out at us.

"What is that thing?" Luffy curiously asked.

"A deer?" Usopp questioned.

"Shut your pie hole! I'm a reindeer!" Chopper snapped.

A/N: Enjoy

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