I don't own One Piece or it's characters; that's the good fortune of Eiichiro Oda.  But the way the words go together - that's all mine.

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"I'm home," Nami called out.  She threw open the door and, for a moment, thought she would see Bellemere standing at the counter, grinning at her.  But there was no one there.  Nojiko was not at home.

Nami dropped her things on the floor and went in search of her sister.  She'd made her announcement that she was back at Arlong Park. She desperately needed a bath but she wanted to see her sister first.

She strolled down the rows of trees that were perfectly straight, like Marines in formation.  She'd never quite understood that part of Bellemere when she was younger.  She was usually so easy-going but then there would be bouts of sudden strictness.  She'd require absolute order on how they made their beds or that they should always brush their teeth, no exceptions. 

And then one day it had made perfect sense.

The orange blossoms filled the air with their scent and Nami breathed it in, reveling in the fresh air, devoid of any hint of salt or fish.  She loved the ocean, but it was nice to come home.

Nami turned the corner and found Nojiko on her knees, face in her hands, shaking from the violence of her ragged sobbing.

Nami raced to her side and hugged her tightly, trying to gather her up in her arms. "Are you hurt?"

"What are you doing here?" Nojiko looked up, surprised at her sister's sudden appearance.

"Coming to see you, silly.  What's wrong?"  Nami smoothed Nojiko's short hair; something Bellemere had always done.

"It's nothing.  The petals are falling and I'm getting sentimental." Nojiko pulled away and wiped the tears from her eyes.  She put on a brave front; the one Nami wore all the time.  "You're home already?  That was a quick trip."

Nami decided to play the same game.  "Profitable too.  Plus I got a hot tip out of it.  Not much longer before the treasure box is filled up."

Nojiko stood up and took off the pruning gloves she wore.  She stuffed them into the front pocket of her smock, nary a hint that she'd been sobbing moments before.  "You must be famished.  Let's go inside.  I'll fix you something."

They walked through the orange blossoms, side by side. Nami could easily touch some of the higher branches and it made her sad.  The trees used to tower over them when they were little; the grove had been a forest of continental proportions, like the legendary woodlands of the Redline.  The island had been the world, Kokoyashi the capital city…and now it had shrunk around her.  Her boundaries had increased, but everything else stayed the same.

She'd seen so much while she searched for the ransom of her village.  She'd have to tell Nojiko a few of the funnier things, so that she could get that tiny wrinkle out of her sister's forehead for a few hours.

Nojiko hustled her off, telling her to stow her things.  Nami did as she was told, stashing a few maps under the mattress of her bed.  It was little used; she was either gone on another solo voyage or she was at Arlong Park, throwing herself into mapmaking and trying to drown out the sounds of the others in the lower floors, eating and playing cards and planning how they would torture her people…

Her fists were balled in the sheets.  She had to concentrate to get them to relax again.

When she finished, she sauntered into the kitchen.  Nojiko pointed to the table.  "I made you some tea.  Now what would you like to eat?"

"Pancakes with orange sauce." Cheap, easy to make and one of her favorites.  Though once upon a time she'd hated it.  It was funny how her tastes changed as she got older.

Nami sipped the hot tea carefully. "So what's been going on?  How is everyone?"

"Well, the Deans' had their second baby and" - Nojiko began a litany of common, every day occurrences, things that happened regularly in villages all over the orld.  Births, marriages, family quarrels, businesses sold and made and lost, deaths and illness, and close calls; Nami let the list wash over, dredging up faces to put to names, trying to imagine exactly what happened while she was gone.

She was fighting for a normal life for everyone.  She had to keep that in mind or she would break.

"How's your guy?" Nami asked, realizing that Nojiko hadn't mentioned him yet. "Is he still fishing?  How's his sister?"

Her sister shrugged and rummaged through the drawers for the fry pan.

Nami leered. "Why hasn't he moved in here yet? Come on.  Last time I was home, you were babbling on about him for hours at a time. It was 'Mac' this and 'Mac' that. Now you're all tight-lipped." 

"We aren't seeing each other."  Nojiko's voice was all steel - steel that had been cooled too quickly and now was cracking under the load it had to bear.

Tea sloshed over the side of her cup when Nami slammed it on the table.  "Did he do something?  I swear if that guy hurt you in any way, I'll kill him!"

The pan slipped from her sister's hand and crashed to the floor.

"There's no need," Nojiko said, turning around slowly. The color had drained from her face.  "Arlong beat you to it."

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It'd been months since the execution, but Nojiko still couldn't get away from the half-smile Mac had given her as Arlong had pointed the gun at his head; a too familiar pattern repeating over and over again.

But Mac hadn't gotten the chance to say 'I love you.'

Nojiko looked at Nami and gathered the will to begin the story.  She stuck to the facts, which were cold and hard, like her heart today.  "He was smuggling weapons onto the island.  And he got caught.  He wouldn't talk, he wouldn't say who he was helping, and he was made an example of.  That's the end of it."

"Gen - "

"Everyone is fine.  Mac didn't talk, I told you." Nojiko said impatiently.  The black eyes, the broken lips, the bruises and the pinky finger that was missing from his left hand had told her that.

Arlong had made them gather together, the people of Kokoyashi and Goza, to watch the 'execution of a dangerous rat.'  That's what they were to the fishmen - rats and bugs and things not worth considering. But Mac had been nobler than the fishmen could ever be. While he was alive, he was an example of what humans were and what they would endure. Arlong had killed him for it.

Nami ground her teeth together.  "If I had - "

"You?" Nojiko exclaimed. "This isn't about you! You couldn't have done anything."  Nami began to protest but her sister cut her off.  "He was caught red-handed and you have to keep up this masquerade of yours.  You would have ruined everything if you'd tried to defend him.  Eight years down the drain like that."  Nojiko snapped her fingers for emphasis.

Nami walked around the table, opening her arms wide to embrace her sister, but Nojiko held out her hand, refusing to take the offered sympathy.  The pain was too raw right now and the only thing Nojiko could see was the vibrant blue tattoo on her Nami's shoulder.  "You smell.  I'll draw you a bath."

She left Nami alone in the kitchen.

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