Oh my, this is sadder than I meant for it to be. I like it, though.

So, after a tough math test that was a BITCH to take, a week-long visit from a friend and other complications, here it is. To The Sacred and Profane, and sorry about the delay.

THIS HAS CHARACTER DEATH. BE WARNED.

Well, this was it. This was definitely it. After many long, good years, the time had come.

He was gone.

-ooo-

She couldn't say they'd had a peaceful life. When you knew people like Luffy, peace was barely an option. But they did have a marvelous, full and exciting life.

It started when Luffy was officially crowned Pirate King. One Piece was…beyond what any of them had ever imagined. Shocking, but beautiful in a way.

As soon as they crowd cheered for their new pirate king, and every one in their crew was looking happier than ever, Usopp had kissed Nami, flung her in a circle and asked her to marry him. Just like that. Nami didn't even have to think twice; she'd sailed with him long enough to know her decision was already made.

They knew the people were cheering for Luffy, but the ones that really mattered- Luffy, Zoro, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook and even Sanji- were cheering for their friends-turned-couple.

-ooo-

Just because Luffy was pirate king didn't mean the adventure was over, oh no. Nami figured he was like a seagull, you just couldn't break it away from the ocean. Luffy kept sailing for years after, somehow managing to make each day just as interesting as the next.

If anything, Nami felt more complete than she ever had, with her family, sailing on their home, the sea.

-ooo-

It wasn't long before one of the crew left them, forever. He was the first to come, and the first to go.

After battling Mihawk, Zoro finally won, gaining the title of World's Greatest Swordsman at last.

When he collapsed, everyone thought he'd sustained more injuries than appeared at first glance, but a short analysis by Chopper told them he had a very serious and far-gone disease that he'd been hiding, ever since their reunion. Apparently he'd been walking on willpower alone, and now that his goal was reached, he could die in peace. His last words were that he was glad to be able to stand next to the Pirate King, as the Greatest Swordsman.

Nami whispered to him that he'd always been the best, in their eyes. She fell asleep in Usopp's arms that night, having asked him not to leave her. He didn't let go for even a second.

-ooo-

Zoro's death woke them up. Contrary to what they felt, they weren't immortal. Usopp and Nami explained that they wanted to try and live on the mainland again, and Luffy only smiled and said he "totally understand, guys. Just remember to stay in touch!" And so they bought a house on Loreley.

Usopp couldn't resist building a small ram's head on one side and a lion's head on the other. Just between the two of them, they called it the Merry Sun.

-ooo-

Sanji had taken Zoro's death hard, not used to having his best friend/brother/rival/whatever their relationship was around. He kept on sailing with Luffy, who was now on the quest to find All Blue. Luffy was never the same after losing his First mate, but when asked, he said that it was okay because Zoro was ready. Nami and Usopp didn't get it, dubbing it as one of the strange quirks Luffy and Zoro had shared. Chopper stayed on the ship as well, saying they'd be dead within a minute if he left them alone, and Brook couldn't possibly be alone again, so he stayed as well. Robin and Franky had rounded up a nice home on a peaceful island, determined on settling down and taking it easy. From the letters Nami received, things weren't so calm, though. A baby was on the way.

-ooo-

They all kept in touch, of course. Sanji wrote practically every week, expressing how much he missed his little angels and how lonely it was without them. Usopp was a little pissed, at first; after all, Nami was his wife. But soon he remembered that Sanji was Sanji, and thankfully, nothing would change that.

He wasn't completely women-less, though. Vivi had decided to join them for a while. Arabasta was doing better than ever, and she decided to take a few years off to sail the seas once again. Kohza was waiting for her in Arabasta, training their son to be king.

Sanji told Nami she'd named him Zoro.

-ooo-

Things passed relatively well, until Nami got a letter different from Luffy's crumpled ones, Robin's neatly folded ones, or Sanji's heart-filled ones. This one was from Gen, explaining to her that Nojiko had passed away. When Usopp found her sobbing on the floor, and after having scooped her up in his arms and just shushed and held her for a while, Nami choked out "I don't want her to go, I can't be alone."

Usopp told her what she realized was obvious, all along. She was never alone.

In the flurry of remembering sharp teeth and a saw nose, she'd forgotten that.

-ooo-

It wasn't until they were well grown up that Nami got a visit from Luffy and everyone, and she'd told Chopper about some morning sickness and other things, that he inspected her and proudly told her she was going to be a mother. He seemed way more excited than her, though.

"A BABY? I can't have a baby! How much will that even cost me?"

Chopper nearly fell from the chair he was standing on.

Some things never change, he happily thought.

-ooo-

Nine months and the most painful 36 hours Nami had ever lived later, a baby girl was born. After much disagreeing and arguing, they decided to name her Banchina Bellemére. Strange name, but once you said it out loud, it had a nice ring to it. She had Usopp's dark eyelashes and thick lips, and Nami's auburn hair and caramel eyes.

Thankfully, she didn't inherit her father's nose, though Nami never mentioned to Usopp how relieved she was in that aspect.

-ooo-

Banchina, or Banchi as they'd started calling her when she had trouble saying her own name at the age of one, grew faster than any child they'd ever seen…or maybe that was just their parental eyes seeing. The phrase "Oh, they grow up so fast"? Nami and Usopp lived that. When she came home with her first girlfriend, Nami and Usopp were shellshocked to find out she even had romantic feelings. Once the shock wore off, though, they watched with a melancholy-proud smile as she and Rietta -her girlfriend- went to the spring festival together. They definitely didn't tear up, and if you said they did, you were a dirty little liar.

-ooo-

Banchina moved away at the age of 22, determined to see the world. Nami guessed that since she was born from not one, but two salty-heart sailors, it was only natural she wanted to explore the seas herself.

That didn't stop Nami from crying as she waved her daughter goodbye, and continuing to do so even after the ship had disappeared. Usopp stood with her all those hours, waiting until she was ready to head to the childless house.

But not alone. Never alone.

-ooo-

Banchina, Luffy, Robin, Sanji, Chopper, Gen and Kaya continued to send them letters constantly. They had two closets filled only with letters now, but neither of them had the heart to throw even one away.

Each one was a pathway to their earlier lives, filled with different kinds of adventures and romances.

-ooo-

Nami hated being so old, but most of the time she barely acknowledged it. Every time she commented on her graying hair or wrinkled face, Usopp would scoff at her, tell her some lie about how "graying her is the mark of royalty" or "with each wrinkle comes a new year of life". And then he'd kiss her and tell her she was still the fairest maiden of them all. Even if it was only to Usopp, that was plenty enough for Nami, and she never went to bed unhappy.

-ooo-

"Usopp, what would happen…if either one of us died? Not both, but just one?" Nami asked one night when they were lying in bed. Neither her nor Usopp were at their best anymore, and Nami feared the future. She didn't know how she'd survive alone, even if she had the neighbourhood kids coming over every day to play in her garden or try her tangerines.

Usopp seemed thoughtful for a while, before he smiled and turned over to her. "Then one would wait for the other, and once it was time, we'd start a new, different life, all over again. I just hope Enel won't be there, or it'd be more like Hell…"

Seeing that Nami wasn't completely assured, Usopp reached over and pulled her into his arms.

"Nami, we've seen giants, dinosaurs, God, a devil, flying island in the sky and sakura blooming in winter, dragons, ghosts, zombies…I don't think anything is impossible anymore. So if I were to die, I'd find some way to reunite with you someday, and I know you'd do the same. I don't care what it takes, but I'll wait forever." Nami was in tears now, because even if she dreaded even thinking about leaving her husband, she knew that what he was saying made sense, if even in a little way.

"I love you, Usopp."

"I love you too, Nami."

And that was no lie.

-ooo-

There was no funeral. Usopp and Nami both knew that it was an unnecessary painful ritual. Nami sent letters to everyone, letting them know what had occurred. But she dug the grave herself, having it point out to sea, to the east. Usopp always liked seeing the sun come up, when he wasn't too lazy to wake up.

On the home-made cross, Nami had carved

Usopp

Brave warrior of the sea, treasured nakama, and beloved husband and father.

We will always love you

Nami sighed as she went to bed that night. She couldn't say she hadn't cried her eyes out all day, but she was at rest.

You promised, so wait for me.

Goodb-no, not goodbye.

See you later.

END