Star Crossed, chapter
9
Kiina arrived at the port, out of breath, just in time to see the pirate ship sailing off into the distance.
She dropped the pie she had been carrying, and burst into tears.
Curse her weak, stupid body! She hadn't been able to walk fast enough, and now....
Now...
"Damn you!" she shouted, at the disappearing ship. "You can't just leave! How dare you leave?"
Silence.
"I don't care if you're a pirate! You're an idiot! A pie-thieving creep, a kiss-stealing jerk! And if I don't say it now I'll never get to say it ever again..."
"I love you!" she cried at the top of her lungs. "Do you hear me? I love you and I want you to be happy! No matter what! Yasopp-saaaan!"
Kiina screamed it until she had no more breath to scream it with. She fell to her knees, breathing hard. Her chest hurt, her throat felt like it was on fire. She looked down at the pie she had brought for him to take with him on his journey, and choked on her tears.
Now she would never be able to give it to him.
But at least...
She watched the white sails flap in the wind.
At least she had done all she could do. Life was short, and even though she knew hers would be shorter than most... she was going to always live this way.
And yell it if she had to, even when there was no one to hear. Just because she wanted to say that she had had the courage to.
And if that was the best she could do, then that was the best she could do.
"Miss Kiina?"
Bankiina's eyes opened wide. She turned slowly.
There, standing behind her, was Yasopp. With a huge bump on his head.
She cried out with joy, running to him. "Yasopp-san!"
"Miss Kiina," he whispered, looking amazed. "Did-did you really mean that?"
Kiina threw her arms around him. They were weak, but they were hers and she was proud. "Every word!"
"I'm a pie-thieving jerk?" He smiled, looking down at her.
"No," she replied, shyly. "I said a pie-thieving creep. You're a kiss-stealing jerk."
Yasopp laughed and bent down to kiss her.
At their feet, a note fluttered in the breeze.
Dear Yasopp,
By the time you find this, you will no doubt have recovered from the pistol-whipping. We'll be back in about five years. We figure we'll need a gunner again by then. You better stay put until then. Best of luck!
--Shanks and the guys
"Yasopp-san..." Kiina gasped. "Are you... are you staying?"
"Looks like it!" he laughed, embarrassed.
"Don't you want to go?" She asked.
"I do," Yasopp said, "but I think... I have some business to take care of here first."
He touched her cheek softly. "Kiina... would you ever consider... being married to a pirate?"
She turned away. "No."
Yasopp's face fell. Kiina turned back to him with a shy smile. "Except, if the pirate were you."
He beamed. "Are you sure?"
Kiina tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "That is, if you didn't mind having a wife like me..."
"Who would mind being able to marry the most beautiful girl they know?"
Kiina's eyes began to fill. She looked over at Yasopp. "Yasopp-san, I... I'm not very strong. It might not be easy."
"That doesn't matter to me." He took her hand. "I don't want it to be easy."
Kiina bowed her head, finding herself choked up. "But, you know, my mother... she died so young..."
Yasopp held her close. "That's part of life."
"But Yasopp-san? I have to ask you to promise me..." she took a deep breath. "If we marry... you have to promise me that you'll still follow your dream. No matter what."
"What do you mean by the 'no matter what'?" He looked a little suspicious.
"Promise me," she begged. "I want you to sail the Grand Line... for me. And don't give up, for my sake."
Yasopp looked down into Kiina's starry eyes. He did not know what she meant, but he understood that she meant something very solemn and important. He couldn't see the future, but maybe she knew something that he did not.
"Kiina, I'll do anything you ask me to."
"Promise then!" Kiina pleaded.
"I promise." He hugged her tight, and kissed her forehead.
Kiina burst into tears, relieved. Yasopp pulled away and tried to wipe the tears away.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't start that now. You should be happy!"
"I am happy!" she sniffled. "I'm happier than I ever thought I could be. And--" she stopped suddenly.
"What?" Yasopp looked confused.
Kiina laughed, tears trickling down her chin. "Papa is waiting! He must be going crazy by now!"
Yasopp grinned. He lifted Bankiina into his arms, carrying her back towards the cottage, as the stars began appearing in the night sky.
"Then let's go tell him the news."
******
"And so, that's it?" Nami asked.
"That's it," Usopp finished. "They were married later. Dad stayed there for about five years. And sure enough, the pirates came back for him."
"And so he just left. Just like that." Sanji blew a smoke ring. "Kinda cold."
"No," Nami interrupted. "I bet she wanted him to."
"Hell," Zoro put in, opening one eye. "If she was anything like you, he probably begged to go."
"No, you dummy!" Nami huffed. "Didn't you hear that part? Bankiina wanted him to live her dream out for her, because she couldn't."
Zoro blinked, looking almost touched. "Oh."
Luffy looked thoughful. "So... she didn't want him to come home?"
Usopp sighed sadly. "Well, I never understood it. I don't understand sometimes now. He wanted to go, she wanted him to go."
"Because they loved each other, right?" Luffy took of his hat and rubbed his neck. "It's difficult, but I think I see it."
"How can you love someone so much you want to be apart from them? I think that was an understanding between them." Usopp stared at the photograph of his mother, in deep thought.
"Love is a complicated thing..." Sanji mused.
Nami lay a hand on Usopp's shoulder. "What... happened?"
Usopp looked down. "After I was born, and then Dad left, my grandpa died, and my mother... she started to get sick."
"Oh." Luffy's face fell.
"And I thought that if my Dad came home... it would be okay." Usopp blinked back a tear. "But you know what my mom told me, before she died? She said she was proud."
"Of course she was." Nami patted Usopp's shoulder. "She sounds like she was very strong, and she wanted the best for him."
"She wanted the man she loved to be happy..." Sanji sighed. "Even if it meant being lonely. That's so poetic."
"I guess it is." Usopp smiled back at his mother.
"Nagappana..." said Sanji, unexpectedly. "Thanks."
"It was a good story, Usopp." Nami looked like she just might have been a little misty-eyed. Zoro gave a grunt, his way of agreeing.
"Your mom was cool," Luffy told his friend.
Usopp nodded, as he lay Kiina's photo on top of the letters in the box.
He smiled down at his mother.
She seemed to smile back at him.
Usopp gently placed the lid back on the box, to keep safe and sound. Until next year.
"She was the best."
Owari...
Kiina arrived at the port, out of breath, just in time to see the pirate ship sailing off into the distance.
She dropped the pie she had been carrying, and burst into tears.
Curse her weak, stupid body! She hadn't been able to walk fast enough, and now....
Now...
"Damn you!" she shouted, at the disappearing ship. "You can't just leave! How dare you leave?"
Silence.
"I don't care if you're a pirate! You're an idiot! A pie-thieving creep, a kiss-stealing jerk! And if I don't say it now I'll never get to say it ever again..."
"I love you!" she cried at the top of her lungs. "Do you hear me? I love you and I want you to be happy! No matter what! Yasopp-saaaan!"
Kiina screamed it until she had no more breath to scream it with. She fell to her knees, breathing hard. Her chest hurt, her throat felt like it was on fire. She looked down at the pie she had brought for him to take with him on his journey, and choked on her tears.
Now she would never be able to give it to him.
But at least...
She watched the white sails flap in the wind.
At least she had done all she could do. Life was short, and even though she knew hers would be shorter than most... she was going to always live this way.
And yell it if she had to, even when there was no one to hear. Just because she wanted to say that she had had the courage to.
And if that was the best she could do, then that was the best she could do.
"Miss Kiina?"
Bankiina's eyes opened wide. She turned slowly.
There, standing behind her, was Yasopp. With a huge bump on his head.
She cried out with joy, running to him. "Yasopp-san!"
"Miss Kiina," he whispered, looking amazed. "Did-did you really mean that?"
Kiina threw her arms around him. They were weak, but they were hers and she was proud. "Every word!"
"I'm a pie-thieving jerk?" He smiled, looking down at her.
"No," she replied, shyly. "I said a pie-thieving creep. You're a kiss-stealing jerk."
Yasopp laughed and bent down to kiss her.
At their feet, a note fluttered in the breeze.
Dear Yasopp,
By the time you find this, you will no doubt have recovered from the pistol-whipping. We'll be back in about five years. We figure we'll need a gunner again by then. You better stay put until then. Best of luck!
--Shanks and the guys
"Yasopp-san..." Kiina gasped. "Are you... are you staying?"
"Looks like it!" he laughed, embarrassed.
"Don't you want to go?" She asked.
"I do," Yasopp said, "but I think... I have some business to take care of here first."
He touched her cheek softly. "Kiina... would you ever consider... being married to a pirate?"
She turned away. "No."
Yasopp's face fell. Kiina turned back to him with a shy smile. "Except, if the pirate were you."
He beamed. "Are you sure?"
Kiina tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "That is, if you didn't mind having a wife like me..."
"Who would mind being able to marry the most beautiful girl they know?"
Kiina's eyes began to fill. She looked over at Yasopp. "Yasopp-san, I... I'm not very strong. It might not be easy."
"That doesn't matter to me." He took her hand. "I don't want it to be easy."
Kiina bowed her head, finding herself choked up. "But, you know, my mother... she died so young..."
Yasopp held her close. "That's part of life."
"But Yasopp-san? I have to ask you to promise me..." she took a deep breath. "If we marry... you have to promise me that you'll still follow your dream. No matter what."
"What do you mean by the 'no matter what'?" He looked a little suspicious.
"Promise me," she begged. "I want you to sail the Grand Line... for me. And don't give up, for my sake."
Yasopp looked down into Kiina's starry eyes. He did not know what she meant, but he understood that she meant something very solemn and important. He couldn't see the future, but maybe she knew something that he did not.
"Kiina, I'll do anything you ask me to."
"Promise then!" Kiina pleaded.
"I promise." He hugged her tight, and kissed her forehead.
Kiina burst into tears, relieved. Yasopp pulled away and tried to wipe the tears away.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't start that now. You should be happy!"
"I am happy!" she sniffled. "I'm happier than I ever thought I could be. And--" she stopped suddenly.
"What?" Yasopp looked confused.
Kiina laughed, tears trickling down her chin. "Papa is waiting! He must be going crazy by now!"
Yasopp grinned. He lifted Bankiina into his arms, carrying her back towards the cottage, as the stars began appearing in the night sky.
"Then let's go tell him the news."
******
"And so, that's it?" Nami asked.
"That's it," Usopp finished. "They were married later. Dad stayed there for about five years. And sure enough, the pirates came back for him."
"And so he just left. Just like that." Sanji blew a smoke ring. "Kinda cold."
"No," Nami interrupted. "I bet she wanted him to."
"Hell," Zoro put in, opening one eye. "If she was anything like you, he probably begged to go."
"No, you dummy!" Nami huffed. "Didn't you hear that part? Bankiina wanted him to live her dream out for her, because she couldn't."
Zoro blinked, looking almost touched. "Oh."
Luffy looked thoughful. "So... she didn't want him to come home?"
Usopp sighed sadly. "Well, I never understood it. I don't understand sometimes now. He wanted to go, she wanted him to go."
"Because they loved each other, right?" Luffy took of his hat and rubbed his neck. "It's difficult, but I think I see it."
"How can you love someone so much you want to be apart from them? I think that was an understanding between them." Usopp stared at the photograph of his mother, in deep thought.
"Love is a complicated thing..." Sanji mused.
Nami lay a hand on Usopp's shoulder. "What... happened?"
Usopp looked down. "After I was born, and then Dad left, my grandpa died, and my mother... she started to get sick."
"Oh." Luffy's face fell.
"And I thought that if my Dad came home... it would be okay." Usopp blinked back a tear. "But you know what my mom told me, before she died? She said she was proud."
"Of course she was." Nami patted Usopp's shoulder. "She sounds like she was very strong, and she wanted the best for him."
"She wanted the man she loved to be happy..." Sanji sighed. "Even if it meant being lonely. That's so poetic."
"I guess it is." Usopp smiled back at his mother.
"Nagappana..." said Sanji, unexpectedly. "Thanks."
"It was a good story, Usopp." Nami looked like she just might have been a little misty-eyed. Zoro gave a grunt, his way of agreeing.
"Your mom was cool," Luffy told his friend.
Usopp nodded, as he lay Kiina's photo on top of the letters in the box.
He smiled down at his mother.
She seemed to smile back at him.
Usopp gently placed the lid back on the box, to keep safe and sound. Until next year.
"She was the best."
Owari...