Summary: It is the final day. A pianist tries to follow her family's lead in leaving without a word out of guilt and mixed feelings. For better or for worse, the pirates and her Marine caretakers aren't keen on letting her resemble a lost butterfly.

It's been hard to keep up this story. But we're at a place where I can look at it and think, "There's a place to stop." The plain sadness I get when looking at this work as an incomplete one has been hard to ignore.

Wendy's creator has been off-on on Tumblr for a while. I haven't talked to Eli, Davy's creator, in what feels like months from some kind of ghosting. I don't want to pressure either of them into anything. Abalisk thankfully is a text away, and she agreed with my sentiment in ending things here.

So I think it's about time I lay my pen down for this story.

The last theme songs I'll be recommending you include: (1) both the music box version and the original song of Tiny Light from Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun; (2) the track titled After You Wake Up from No Game No Life's soundtrack; (3) Zacky The Pianist's cover of First Love, originally by Utada Hikaru; and (4) the orchestra version of Sagitta Luminis from Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Have to bring some of my favorites to the end of the story. But don't let me be a sap forever. Please enjoy the finale. :)

Everyone was snoring. Whether they were passed out drunk or just in their own beds, the pirate ship was quiet. A large contrast from the day before, but that apparently was the norm when alcohol was brought into the picture. Also, partying. It took all I had to not stare after them once someone was gently tapping my shoulder.

"Tomoko." Kakashi's voice was soft but stern. "We have to get going."

I felt myself nod, but the weight in my chest made my throat feel dry. Kakashi followed my gaze, and I knew by then he had noticed my looking at Thatch and Izō-san. They were slumped against one another while leaning against the wall. Since they were loudly snoring and barely covered by the only blanket in the hallway we were in, I couldn't help but kneel down and grab the cloth in my hands. Tucking them in didn't take much effort and, to be honest, it felt wrong leaving without doing something for them.

"You're going to miss them," Kakashi said quietly. One of his hands was on his kunai pouch, and I didn't miss how he immediately retracted the limb so that it didn't look threatening. "Aren't you?"

Once Thatch let out a sleepy noise akin to a snore with the blanket covering his chin, I turned back to my housemate and smiled wryly. "Aye," I whispered. "Aye."

It was all I could really say when we were essentially leaving this world like the wind. There wasn't even a chance to say goodbyes. My family couldn't wait forever, and judging by the conflicted look in Kakashi's eyes, he wasn't all that keen on the process either. But he was still a shinobi on a mission and I was the charge that needed rescuing. I couldn't stop them.

These days, I was starting to feel like I never could stop them.

Kakashi turned his head away once it became obvious I was staring in his direction. His dominant hand was on his hip now, and even in the darkness that was early morning, I could see the furrow of his eyebrows. "…When we get home, I'll make dinner," he said.

I blinked while slowly standing up. "Repeat that?"

"When we get home," Kakashi grit out, his masked nose turned up towards the ceiling, "I'll make dinner."

The tension left my shoulders a little. I smiled. "I'll help."

Kakashi turned to me to give me the stink eye. "You overwork yourself," he deadpanned half-heartedly. "Just let me do it."

I tried not to roll my eyes. "Fineeeee. You'll have to ask Mama first when we do get back, though."

"When we get back," he echoed. He still turned his back on me so that he could face the ending of the hallway. "Let's go."

I allowed myself one last glance towards Izō-san and Thatch, whispering, "Thank you," before running after him.

The chalk in Minato-san's hands almost looked like a weapon with how quickly he was drawing the fuinjutsu seals against the ship's wooden planks that made up the deck. I would've expected him to use blood considering the usual ninja thing, but then again, we didn't want to make too much of a scene.

It didn't stop me from shivering at the cold wind.

An arm gently draped itself over my shoulders and I looked up to see Papa's gaze. His brown eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, but it didn't diminish the warmth in them as he stared down at me. "You could stick closer to me, hime," he chided, an equally warm lit in his voice. "We'll be going soon."

"I-I know, Papa, I know…" I still leaned against him, feeling the slightest bit guilty. Closing my eyes felt like I could block out the eventuality that I'd be leaving as fast as I came. At least this time it wasn't by black hole. But—

Hisako sighed loudly, breaking up my train of thought. You feel guilty.

It took all I had to not tense up and alert everyone else in the vicinity with my far-too-expressive chakra. How did you know?

Honey. I'm your Nobody. Of course I would know first. I live in your head. I tried not to wince at the subtle burn, but Hisako still pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose with a huff. Even after all these shenanigans, you still love Davy and Leith and don't want to leave them.

I bit my lip and shook my head once Kei was glancing in my direction. This was an internal talk, and as much as I loved Kei, admitting that I didn't want to leave yet felt like admitting there was a chance I would be better off here and not back home. These ninja worked their asses off to just find me — going home empty-handed would be a giant slap in the face, especially when the past seven months weighed harder on them than me.

Still…

It's hard not to feel bad when I'm not even saying anything to them after all this time, Hisako, I confessed inwardly. They took care of me, and yet we're going without saying anything.

Hisako smiled wryly, the gesture accentuating the dimples in her cheeks in a rather ironic manner. You really are too nice for your own good, she chided, but she still pulled me into a hug. But I don't think this will be the last we'll see of them.

What do you mean?

Hisako kissed the top of my hair and went silent afterwards, pointedly avoiding the answer to my question.

At the same time, Minato-san made one last fuinjutsu stroke with his piece of chalk against the ship deck before standing up and brushing himself off. "This should be sufficient," he murmured, breaking the chalk with a clenching of a fist, and with that said and done, everyone stood to attention. It was hard to miss how Papa too was tense, and I leaned into him a little more. "Everyone, link hands."

I barely reached out for the nearest person in the area aside from Papa, that person being Obito, before that voice graced my ears.

"Were you all really going to leave without saying goodbye?"

Obito froze, his jaw dropping just as I felt my blood turn cold. With all my restraint, I slowly turned around to catch a glimpse of messy brown hair hidden under a familiar white-blue Marine cap, and Nii smiled.

It was Jack-nii. My Nii. Today was supposed to be a he-day.

"Really, Tomo-chan," Nii said softly. "Like I'd let you go with your family without a word."

Something seized up in me and it took a moment for me to realize that I was close to crying. His smile turned all the more sad as he strode over, and I belatedly realized Papa let me go, pushing Obito along with him, before Nii was kneeling to my height, his gaze reflecting no one but me. His brown eyes looked watery. "Hey, you," he murmured, and I felt a small hiccup leave my lips. "You don't have to cry."

"I-I'm trying not to," I insisted after a moment, raising my hand to wipe at my eyes and doing my best to hold back a sob. How did he find me? Just, how? "Nii…"

I don't want to leave you alone, was on the tip of my tongue, but the barely-hidden sobs in my throat made it hard to voice. The rest of my family being here made it hard to voice anything.

Sometimes, I hated being this emotional.

"Oh, baby, I'm going to miss you too," he said shakily, and I didn't fight him once he reached over and pulled me into a tight hug. "I'm going to miss you so, so much."

Why did he have to put it like that?

Behind me, I could faintly hear someone calling my name, but through the massive wave of tears, all I could really do was grip Nii's jacket and hang on for as long as I could.

I don't want to leave you behind.

This world wasn't that great. As much as I helped, what would happen when I was gone? Where would my absence leave Nii? Where would that leave Nee, when she was the pirate on the run?

Someone else was joining in on the hug too, and it took a second for me to realize Nee was here too. "Don't worry about us, Tomo," Leith-nee said softly above my head, a chin bonking the top of my hair. "We're the adults. We can handle life. Besides," a breathy chuckle echoed above me. "I was able to find you time and time again. Who says we can't meet somewhere else in another time?" Her arms were muscular and strong as she tightened the hug. "This is a 'see you later,' not a goodbye, Tomo. Don't cry over it."

Even with those words in mind, I still had doubts. Wiggling a bit to look into Nii's eyes merely confirmed that he was resigned to letting me go, and, and—

Hisako raised one hand towards me. Wait, honey—

I let go of the hug, turning around to face my family and blurted out, "P-Papa, could we take Nii with us?!"

"…What?" Minato-san said faintly, and I realized way too late that every single ninja in the area was giving me funny faces. Obito specifically was discretely wiping what looked to be like tears out of his goggles as Kei's eyebrows furrowed against her head. Kakashi himself didn't look all that happy, but the look in his eyes screamed sympathy and hurt.

"I-I mean," my voice was losing its strength. "The Marines aren't the greatest to be employed with, and, and, Jack-nii and Wendy-nee deal with a lot in their daily lives as is just trying to chase Leith-nee and other pirates in a never-ending war, so…" My breath caught in my throat just as I could faintly make out through my blurry vision Wendy-nee and Whitebeard-san running into the scene. "I-If we could help, a-again…"

"Oh, Tomo," Nii said softly, and in that moment, Papa came into view again, kneeling to my height, and Papa—

Papa was shaking his head.

No…

Hisako's expression looked all the more pitiful when I glanced in her direction.

"Hime, I understand this hurts you, and I'm sorry that you are feeling this way, but please, please hear me out." Papa gently laid a finger against my lips, silencing any thoughts I had in mind while smiling wryly. He was shaking his head again. "It would be great to have Jack with us, not to mention Wendy, but I'm sure they both have a family too. They have things to do here. And we can't interfere with another world's order. We can't take them away from his loved ones because we selfishly want them with us." Papa's expression might as well have put a knife into any hope I had in calming my heart down. He lowered his arm almost mournfully as he said, "I'm sorry, hime."

Nonononono… no…

The tears were welling up in my eyes again. I did my best to nod, but still found myself turning my head towards Nii.

Nii — Nii was tearing up too. Leith-nee was uncharacteristically solemn, standing back just as Wendy-nee was there in the background with Whitebeard-san to watch, some waking up pirates carrying large hankies to snort into, and, and…

Why was no one saying anything?

A wind blew past all of us and without meaning to, the first sob left the reins of my self-control and bluntly entered the air of the entire ship.

Someone gasped, and I could faintly hear Kei say, "Tomo," but the tears were still coming. Kei wouldn't be able to help this time. I knew she wouldn't be able to when she had already outlined her side of things. So, I did my best to shut my eyes and try to inhale as much air as I could, covering my face with my hands and stepping away from anyone close by.

I couldn't cry. I just couldn't.

I was going home. I was finally going back to the café, to see Mama, Miyako-bachan, Hayate, everyone still waiting at home. I should've been happy that I was leaving a chaotic place such as the New World behind. I was supposed to go along with this impromptu goodbye without complaints. I was supposed to leave without regrets.

But it had to come down to me and my heart. My heart was such a traitor.

Regrets kept gathering like moths to a flame.

I don't want to leave him. I don't want to leave anyone else when it's possible they could die, even here.

I don't want to say goodbye.

I don't want this to be the last time.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" The whimpers were leaving me before I could think about them, the tears trickling down my face and starting to seep through my fingers as I shook my head. "I-I know we were supposed to go, th-that we have to go home, but, but—"

The sobs were clearly audible now. God fucking dammit. I was such a coward. I couldn't even say it when the moment counted.

I don't want to leave them alone!

I don't want them to die!

All it took was one shuddering breath. Then hands larger than mine were gently prying my fingers away from my cheeks, forcing me to keep my eyes closed as my fingers were squeezed. "Tomo-chan? Baby sister, please look at me."

Nii's voice. Nonononono, no. Don't call my name like this. Don't—

A sob left my lips. "No, Nii. N-No."

"Baby, please," Nii's voice begged while squeezing my fingers. Nii never begged. "Please open your eyes and look at me. Please."

Another sob left my lips, but as much as I wanted to hide, it was Nii. I couldn't resist him forever. So all I could do was open my eyes, as watery and itchy as they felt, to look into his brown eyes.

Nii — Nii was crying too. Snot was trailing down from one of his nostrils, but he sniffed it away, a shaky smile on his face. "There we go. There's those blue eyes I fell in love with," he murmured softly, and I felt myself shiver. A thumb was rubbing the back of one of my hands. "Tomo, I would do anything for you. Kill for you, care for you. But I can't leave Wendy. I can't leave my family. And considering how your own family wanted to sneak away with you, you know that too, right?"

My bottom lip was quivering before I could think about that either. "N-Nii…" My vision was blurring even more, to the point where I could barely make out the blue bandana tied around his neck. Everything felt hot, felt wrong. "Nii… I'm sorry. I'm sorry—"

Hisako merely sighed.

How did we come to this?

"Oh, Tomo-chan," Nii said, a teary laugh following my nickname as he let go of one of my hands, reaching over to cup my right cheek. If he minded the tears and all the wetness that came with them, he didn't seem to be up for voicing it, that same shaky smile on his lips. "Don't make that face. You were the greatest ward a Marine like me could have. That Wendy and I both could have." He sniffled — Nii was sniffling.

Nii was crying.

A lump formed in my throat as the reality set in.

"I wanted you to see so much more. Meet my mom, my siblings, my step-dad. For you to have a properly decorated room back at the Marine base." Nii wiped at my eyes, tugging at my cheeks in a half-hearted attempt to make a smile while ignoring his own tears. "You deserved so much and I'm sorry I couldn't do more with you. Tomo. My huggable, sweet baby sister."

Something in me snapped.

NO!

I didn't know if it was Hisako's urging or my own unconscious desire. But I still did it.

I held back the newest sob to reach up and tug at my hair ribbon. The knot came apart almost instantaneously from the force I applied, and it took what remaining energy I had to shove the white ribbon into Nii's personal space bubble.

My arms were shaking, my fingers felt wet from all the tear-wiping, but the ribbon was there in my palms and my hair felt bare.

The first ribbon I wore, and the ribbon I came with when falling into Nii's office.

It deserved to be with someone else now.

"…Tomo?" Nii choked out softly. Mr. Hat was still sitting on top of his head and giving me a "?!" sign on its front bill.

"D-Don't apologize, Nii." I was hiccuping, but at this point, I didn't know if I could even give a damn about that now. "D-Don't ever apologize. You, Wendy-nee, everyone here — you made the New World feel something close to home. Don't — Don't apologize for lack of time when being here with you made up for some of the greatest t-time I had." If there was a time to choke on sentimentalities, it would probably be right now. "J-Just," my arms were still shaking as I reached over to grab some of Nii's brown hair. "T-Take my ribbon at least. As a good luck charm, souvenir, any of that k-k-kind of silly thingie."

The bow was sloppy, barely even sticking together thanks to all the fumbling my fingers were doing, but once it was in place, tying down a messy strand of Nii's hair, Nii was staring at me with stars in his eyes as I sniffled.

"I-I love you, Nii," I confessed. "P-Please keep that for when we see each other again and don't die. I-I want to see you and everyone else again, in another place. Just, if anything, know that I'll always love you."

I don't want us to meet up when we're all dead, I thought. Not even when we're too old to even remember each other. I want to meet you like this, at least one more time. It all went unsaid.

Still, it was such a strange way to go about a goodbye. But once Nii was tearing up anew and straight up pulling me into his arms, I squeezed him as hard as I could, clutching his clothes and trying not to soak his Marine jacket with more snot and emotions. For all I knew, this would be the last time I'd hug him.

He smelled of a mix: laundry detergent, the slightest hint of alcohol, and minty shampoo.

But it was still my Davy Jack-nii; still as warm as ever in our last hug.

"I-I love you too, Tomo-chan," he sniveled above my head, a hand on my head to start threading through my hair. "I-I'll always love you too. Be safe going home, okay?"

"A-Aye," I sobbed. "Aye…!"

Pulling away felt like a waste. Like pulling out the plug on a ventilator connecting us. But Nii let me go, pushing my forehead with one shaky pointer finger as I stumbled backwards. "Go on, Tomo-chan. Go brighten up your family's worlds again."

Amidst now loud, pirate-y protests of, "DON'T GO!" I nodded my head. Looking towards the others elicited similar nods, with Whitebeard-san in particular giving off almost grandfatherly pride as I stepped back and found my shoulders coming into contact with friendly hands. Familiar hands.

Kei sighed softly above my head, but I didn't have to look up at her face to know she was smiling. "You dork, Tomo," she mused. "Let us know when you need your emotional valve on, really." Her hand still squeezed my shoulders, and I leaned into her while shutting my eyes for a small moment.

Another hand was landing atop my head, and I could already tell by the sleeve and calluses that it was my housemate. "Let's go, Tomoko," Kakashi said softly. "Let's go home."

I nodded to them both, the fuinjutsu circle I coincidentally stepped in starting to glow as I did, and before everything turned white, I looked back once.

Nii smiled once we made eye contact, waving his hand the entire time the fuinjutsu did its thing. The white ribbon on his person almost didn't fit if not for the white that came with the Marine uniform. On the other hand, Wendy-nee was openly crying but doing the same waving thing, contrasting Leith-nee and Whitebeard-san who barely shed anything the entire time. In the background, I could've sworn I saw Ace-nii with Thatch, Izō-san, and all the other pirates, either jumping up in the air or openly bawling at our departure while wrapped in comforter blankets, but it all made for a scene that I knew I wouldn't forget.

With the last fuinjutsu light and the rising of the sun, I put on my best smile and waved my hand.

"I love you all!" I screamed.

One flash was all it took for everything to disappear.

One displacement later, and my stomach rumbled uncomfortably. Before I could cover my mouth, Kei was tightly gripping my shoulders for support as Obito suddenly came into view, fumbling with a candy wrapper. "Hold still, Tomo-chan," he said, and I didn't have any energy in me to protest Kakashi reaching over to suddenly grip my chin, opening my mouth wide enough for Obito to throw candy in.

Wait. Candy? This wasn't candy…

Hisako scoffed under her breath. Ninja are frightening.

I rolled the thing around on my tongue once Kakashi pushed my chin upwards to close my mouth, tasting ginger amongst all the salt before feeling my muscles relax.

Obito gave me a near-identical candy to the ginger drops that Leith-nee carried.

"Hiraishin was a success," I could vaguely hear from Minato-san behind me. I couldn't make out Papa's voice after that, registering only, "We're back," because my legs decided just then to give in to all the emotional stress.

Kei let out a soft "Oof," once I nearly collapsed against her. Thankfully, Obito didn't miss out on the trust fall like he did two years before, this time grasping my waist so that he could work with Kei in tandem to lower me to the ground.

Tile. Another fuinjutsu circle of some kind. Lines of red instead of white chalk underneath my dress.

I felt myself give out a shaky breath of carbon dioxide, barely going around the ginger candy on my tongue.

The scent of the forest and old wood.

This really was Konoha.

Obito's smile was shaky, almost teary like Nii's before him, but there was a sense of triumph and joy in his uncovered black eyes this time. His goggles were actually pushed upwards for once, covering his hitai-ite and thus not concealing the bittersweet happiness I could see in his stare. "W-We're home, Tomo-chan," he said. "We're home. A-And now that we are, we're gonna need to get you another ribbon."

I could barely move once he reached over to take the now freed strand of hair into his hand, a wry smile of my own faintly forming in return. Oh, Obi. Even after all this time, he was trying to be considerate of me. How was I blessed with so many wonderful people?

"A-Aye," I said instead. "Aye. We're home, Obi."

Kei gave me a tight side-hug. "Yep," she muttered above my head. "You did good, Tomo."

I shivered, leaning against her. "I-I hope so."

Kei let out a laugh. "Don't question it."

"O-Okay." But… wait. Wait.

Wait. If Obito was in front of me, and Kei behind me, where did Kakashi go?

My question was then answered once I heard footsteps and a door slam open.

"TOMOKO-CHAN!"

My mind vaguely thought, Mama, before Obito ducked out of view and I was being lifted from the ground, a warmer, drier shoulder becoming my newest pillow. Mama smelled of flowers as she hugged me tightly to her chest, wet droplets starting to fall into my hair. "Oh, Tomoko-chan. Oh kami, Tomoko-chan… my baby." Mama was sniffling. Just like Nii, like Wendy-nee before her. Her usual long ponytail wasn't even high up on her head, drooping behind her neck as she hugged me. "You're alive. You're alive. Oh, my baby girl." A hand was carding through my hair, not even caring about the lack of ribbon holding a part of it together as the hug became tighter.

There wouldn't be enough water to go around to help treat all the tears at this rate.

Still, Mama's tears had to be addressed sometime. Kakashi must've brought her here, and judging by the loud yells and shuffling nearby, it was obvious the rest of the extended family — Gekkō, Hatake, and all — had come too.

Holding back yet another urge to start crying, I weakly reached up to wrap my arms, as thin as they were, around Mama's neck. My Mama.

She wasn't as muscular as Leith-nee or Wendy-nee, but she was still Mama. My Mama.

"Hi, Mama," I said faintly. "I missed you too."

Papa's arms were encircling my back just as Mama pulled back from squeezing me like a rag doll, bumping foreheads with me. "You silly daughter of mine," she smiled through unshed tears, her cheeks red. "Where have you been all this time?"

I turned to Papa, and in spite of his own small tears dotting the edges of his brown eyes, Papa shrugged with a smile. His hitai-ite wasn't even glaring against his forehead and two-toned brown hair as he met my gaze. "Go ahead, hime."

"Judai," Mama said slowly, bouncing me once.

"Hey. It's our daughter's story, not mine, Hikari," Papa responded just as easily, and his arms went past me to hug Mama too, and with both of their chins on my head, well… "It's up to her on how much to tell."

But one thing's clear. We're back, Hisako said softly. Jack and everyone else might be sad, and I know you'll regret it, dear, but—

I'm where I should be, huh?

Hisako grinned proudly.

In the real world, I just hung onto Mama by putting my hands on her shoulders, smiling wryly. "I met a lot of kind sailors and pirates, Mama. It… It was a lot of fun."

Inwardly, I knew I wouldn't tell Mama about the given-away hair ribbon. Papa would probably tell her, and to be honest?

I wanted to keep it as a "family" secret.

And maybe. Just maybe.

Maybe Nii and Mr. Hat could see that white ribbon as a sign of protection.

Kushina-nee did use her red hair as a red string of fate connecting her to Minato-san. What stopped me from believing in my white ribbon as something similar?

Platonic and familial bonds were just as important too.

And once Mama and Papa were hugging me again, with Miyako-bachan, Wataru-jichan, and so many others piling onto us afterwards, we made a good huddle.

There was nothing quite like traveling like the wind to come home.

Note: I will leave it up to you, the reader, as to whether Tomo and Davy meet again. I'll just say as the author, it's very likely. :)

Here's to the end of a story, and as of this chapter's publishing, the end of my undergraduate career. Still have things to do, but you'll see me around.

Until the next update with another story.