A/N: See, I do eventually finish things. :S Hopefully you like the ending to this one. I honestly think it's one of my favorites. I didn't really pile on the deep thinking. Thanks for reading!

Some months later…

—

Dear Nami-san…

—

One of the things Kaya always marveled at when the season came around was the strange sense of disappointment the fallen, browning cherry blossom petals brought her. They floated lazily in the puddles that dotted the walkways and were pushed into thick little mounds where the concentrations were larger. They were beautiful to look at when they were falling, but once they had, they became just another piece of the perpetual growth and death cycle.

She ought not be so sad for them. It seemed silly to dwell on it, especially since she had more work to do than was probably comfortably done by the average person—but she could hardly consider herself an average person now, could she.

"Kaya-san!"

She waved to a group of her peers, all four in their second year of study at Todai, a year ahead of her. One of them hollered over, asking if she wanted to join them at a café for coffee. Her smile was just as shy as it probably would have been last year when she graduated from high school, but aside from her modesty, a lot had changed. She caught sight of her ride and hollered a cheerful goodbye to them with a shake of her head.

—

…I know you've been busy, and I wouldn't blame you if you've been throwing these away as I send them, but this will be my last letter. I promise. After this, I think I'll be able to let it go. It's been so long since that time. Nojiko-san told me you wanted to stay in America longer. I hope it isn't just because of what happened between us. Although, that's probably much too presumptuous of me…

—

Usopp waved from the car a few yards off, urging her to go faster lest she be stopped by another one of her fans. As he predicted, she advanced much too slowly with all of the books in her hands and was approached by a tall brunette walking off the branching sidewalk. From far away, she seemed excited, her pretty blue eyes gazing at Kaya while she spoke with a grin on her face. She looked like a foreigner. Kaya politely pointed out her ride, the girl giving a final sad smile and waving as the blonde booked it over the pavement.

"Miss International Superstar," Usopp grunted, arms moving to take the top few books from her arms and throw them in the back seat like they'd been fished out of a sewer. "Honestly, it was nice at first, like I was happy you were getting so much attention, but now I'm just scared you're going to run off with the first bimbo that coax's you out of your footie pajamas and leave me behind."

"Not possible," she laughed, sweeping over the hood of the car and jumping into the front seat. "I have too much studying to do over break."

"Right. Or you just need something to distract you from all the interviews everyone keeps trying to schedule you for…"

"You said you were proud of me," she whined, pouting at him. He tugged at her bottom lip and smirked.

"You're finally using lip gloss, so yes, I am."

"I only did one TV interview," she huffed with her hands up. "What's done is done, and I have no regrets."

"Well I'm glad everyone is being so supportive of The Girl Who Came Out At The Ceremony," he said jokingly. She shrugged.

"It's only because I scored highest on the testing and had to give that speech. Otherwise I wouldn't have done it."

"Well, you inspired a nation, and I can finally let my flames grow higher now that my parents know the nature of my pyre," he rhymed, earning an eye roll from his best friend.

—

…I told you I got the highest test scores a while ago, and that I finally came clean about my feelings to my family…and the rest of the country…but it became a big deal here, and I'm handling it in the best way I can. I don't know if you saw my interview, but if you didn't, I want to say something…

—

"But…you still haven't heard anything?" he asked quietly after they'd gotten onto the road, her straightened hair blowing with the wind through her cracked window. She gave him a sad smile.

"No. Nojiko-san gives me updates when they come, but none of the letters say anything about me…and we're both busy, so…"

"How often do you send letters?"

"I send one about once a month now. I stopped sending them every week like over the summer when I didn't get replies."

Usopp sighed exaggeratedly and leaned over his steering wheel. "I'm sure it's not her being cruel, Kaya, but…I don't really know what to make of that. Luffy and I don't talk much, but that idiots too easy-come-easy-go in the first place. Our relationship thrives on mutual understanding of our laziness."

"Well, our relationship…it wasn't really like that to begin with," she muttered lightly, watching the trees flash past her window.

—

…You were the best thing that ever happened to me. You were a real friend, and even though I didn't really give a lot of anything someone like you could want, you loved me, and that was the best anyone's ever done for anybody, I think. I know that whatever you do and wherever you go, you'll find people just like me who cherish your smile…your sunshine…the way you make things grow. I've changed, and I know it's all because of you…

—

The drive was quick, though Kaya knew it couldn't have been. Four hours in a fairly silent car had made her a little dreary from what Usopp could tell, though he'd tried to give her plenty of prompting. He shooed her into the house ahead, and went back to get her luggage.

"Kaya!" her mother called from another room. "Welcome home!"

"Hi, kaa-chan," she said as cheerfully as she could. Her mother kept speaking, but she didn't feel like listening to any rambling right when she'd gotten home. She stole an orange from the sack on the granite counter and peeled it as she walked up the stairs, vaguely tuning in to something her mother was saying about someone visiting…

—

…I will keep growing, because I know that is what you would want me to do. I know that wherever you are, you really just want me to do my best and try not to cling to you…

—

"Kaya."

She froze, half a fruit wedge between her teeth and one foot in the door to her room.

—

…If someday I could see your smile again…

—

Nami's brown eyes peered over at her from the bed, grinning face framed by her burnt sienna hair and long fingers. Her arms were propped on her knees, as if she had been waiting there for hours.

Kaya felt her face swell with blushing, unbelieving and whirling within her mind. Was she just supposed to accept this? After so many months without correspondence? Nami was just sitting in her room?

She then spied the huge stack of letters on the floor in front of her, tied together with a pretty gold ribbon.

—

…I think that would be the best day of my life…and I would tell you exactly what you meant and still mean to me…

—

Seeing Kaya wasn't going to find the words after about a minute staring at each other, Nami picked up the letters, put them in her lap and nodded at her.

"I want you to read them all to me. With your voice. I want to hear your voice."

She set them aside, strode over to Kaya's frozen figure and leaned over while taking her feverish face in her hands.

With a mumbled, "And to everything you wrote, this is my reply," she bit the exposed half of the orange piece and kissed her. It was returned through hiccupping and a longing neither of them would probably ever be able to properly explain.

—

…Forever …

—

Kaya choked, burying her hands in Nami's hair, her lips ghosting near her ear.

—

…Yours…

—

"I am yours."

—

Kaya

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