A/N: I apologize for the wait!

Chapter 13: I will be here

"Chamomile."

"Reduces swelling and helps with sleep."

"Elderberry."

"Used for fevers."

"Yarrow."

"Also for fevers."

"And what else?"

"Stomach problems."

"What kind?"

"Uh…" Adalina pursed her lips in thought. "Diarrhea and loss of appetite and…"

"Gastrointestinal tract discomfort," Dr. Moors added.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that because your bowels aren't working the way they should, your abdominal is in pain," Gaston said as he passed by them. He unloaded the paperwork from his arms onto the desk and turned around to click his tongue at the old man. "You're not giving Ada extra work, are you?"

"Of course not," Dr. Moors denied with an affected look of offense, but the slight upturn of his lips betrayed his ruse. Adalina ducked her head to hide her own smile.

"Then I suppose you've got time to sort these all out, huh?"

"My own apprentice—running me ragged like a servant," Dr. Moors lamented to Ada. "I miss the days when it was the other way around."

"Hey, hey, I hardly push you as much as you did back then, old timer," Gaston protested. "Ada knows. Ada, back me up!"

"He's got a point," Adalina admitted.

Dr. Moors sighed. "Now I'm being ganged up by two brats." He shook his head and smiled at her. "I could use something to lift my soul up. Like to come over to help me make grilled fish for dinner, Ada?"

"Did you see the look on their faces! Ha!"

"Usopp, you're going to get yourself beat up one day if you keep egging those kids on," Adalina chided. "The next time you're here, it won't be because you tripped on the shoreline."

"Trip? Me? I did no such thing! I got these injuries from battling an enemy pirate who wanted to pillage the village," Usopp insisted, gesturing at the bloody gash on his knee. "Isn't that right, Dr. Moors?"

"Hm? Ah, yes." Dr. Moors glanced over before returning his attention to the cabinet. After scanning the materials inside, he closed the cabinet and sighed. "It seems that I have run out of supplies. What an oversight for a doctor."

"Is it because you're old?"

"Hush, boy." He pinched Usopp's cheek, eliciting a squawk out of him. "I'll be back. You two wait here, alright?"

"Yes, sir," the two dutifully intoned.

When the doctor left, Usopp began to swing his legs. Adalina swatted his shoulder. "Stop it."

"Ow! Ada, it's not that bad."

"How do you know? You could be agi-agi-agitating it or something."

"Sheesh, you are such a nag. How is it that Molly and Brenda are still friends with you?" Usopp huffed. There was a moment of silence, and Usopp looked up with a worried frown when he didn't hear his sister respond. "Um, just kidding? You know that I didn't mean that—I know that you're a great friend—!"

"They aren't."

Usopp paused. "Huh?"

"They aren't my friends." Adalina's head was bowed, her fringe curtaining her eyes. "They stopped talking to me and playing with me."

Why… She knew why. Usopp had made himself the outcast, the loser, the freak. He was the pirate wannabe, the one who aspired to be like their deadbeat father, and no one wanted to associate with the likes of him. And because he was her brother, everyone rejected her too. That was why Molly and Brenda started acting like she didn't exist anymore, and that really hurt.

It would be oh-so simple to play along with the crowd and be scornful like them, to turn her back on Usopp. If she had everyone see that she wasn't anything like him, would they take her back? Would they treat her as kindly as they had done before?

But if she did that, then Usopp would be alone… And she couldn't do that to her brother, to her only important person. Mom was dead. Dad was gone. They only had each other. But while Adalina would remain steadfast by her brother's side, it felt as though the pain of loneliness was eating her away. She didn't want to be stuck like this anymore.

Suddenly, she felt warm hands close over hers. When she looked up, she was greeted to the sight of Usopp's beaming face.

"You don't need those guys! You got me, Captain Usopp!" he declared. "And once I'm all better, we can go to the fields and pick flowers and make crowns! And then offer them to the goddess of the seas so that she could give us her blessings."

Adalina reflexively sighed at this. "You mean blessings to go sailing?"

"What else?"

She opened her mouth to berate him for making up fanciful stories again, but then paused. It had been a while since they had made flower crowns together. A few years, to be precise. Memories of weaving yellow daisies together filtered back into her mind, and her heart felt heavy from nostalgia. Adalina nodded slowly and said, "Okay. And we should make one for Mom too. I think she'll appreciate that."

Usopp's eyes widened before he returned her nod fervently. "As if we wouldn't!"

"Ada? Can you hear me?"

"Ada, wake up!"

"Ada!"

"Ada."

Adalina perked up at her name being called and smiled brightly at the approaching figure. "Mommy!"

The woman lowered herself, and the tall stalks of grass and wild flowers blanketed her lap. Usopp, who had perched on the crook of her elbow, released his hold on her neck. He jumped down and raced after the butterflies that flitted on by.

Adalina took over for her brother, bounding into her mother's embrace. "Mommy, look! I made a crown." She proudly held up a ring of interwoven flowers. "Is it pretty?"

"So very pretty." Banchina smiled. She took the crown and placed it on top of her head. "Do I look pretty now?"

"You're always pretty, Mommy," Adalina giggled. "Is it time to go home?"

"Yes. Supper is almost ready. We're having stew tonight." The woman scooped Adalina up like how she did for Usopp and straightened up to her full height. Over her shoulder, Banchina called out, "Usopp, it's time to go!"

"But, Mommy! I found something cool! Just five more minutes?" came Usopp's plaintive plea.

"We're having stew, Usopp," Adalina announced. "Come on!"

"You can always come back tomorrow," Banchina reasoned.

"Alright," Usopp huffed out, marching his way back to them. He took a fistful of Banchina's skirt and said, "But you have to come with me to see the cool thing tomorrow, Ada."

"If it's really cool, I will," she vowed.

The walk back home was a peaceful moment. The gentle glow of the evening sun casted a golden hue over the rolling hills. From a distance, chatter and laughter could be heard. She could imagine Molly and Brenda being there; her friends were oftentimes so loud. Alongside them, Usopp skipped along, having forgotten his previous disappointment in leaving the field.

Adalina smiled to herself. Times like these made her feel warm and content, as if she was bundled up in her soft blankets.

"Mommy, could you sing the song?" she requested.

"Hm? But it isn't bedtime yet," Banchina chuckled. "You know lullabies are sung to sleepy children."

She tugged on her sleeve. "Please?"

"Very well." With a gentle smile, Banchina adjusted her hold on Adalina and sang softly. The melody seemed to be carried up high by the dancing breeze, and the low humming lyrics brought forth a lulling comfort. Adalina tucked her head between her mother's collarbone and chin, and let the song wash over her.

"Ada!"

Adalina gasped and jolted upright. Pain exploded at her torso, causing her to wince and curl an arm around herself. Her movements were restricted, her chest felt tight, and her head was swimming in vertigo. Two hands firmly pushed her shoulders until she was lying on her back—again. In a daze, she noticed two carrot-topped faces floating above hers.

"Hang on. Just—just hold still, okay?" one of them said. Adalina blinked rapidly, her eyes focusing. Gaston?

"Everything is going to be okay. Luffy's beating the shit out of Kuro," the other one—Nami—said. Promptly after she spoke, there was a crash—something like earth shattering. The panic that welled up within her was washed away by the outburst of cheers that seemed to engulf her surroundings.

Adalina tried to survey the area in her prone position. "Wh-who's with us?" she whispered.

"The villagers." Nami looked back her, her eyes shining. "They came charging here with pitchforks and rakes and bats and—they came here to defend their home."

"We only scared off the weaklings," Gaston said a tad sheepishly. "It's your friends who took care of the strong ones. That guy—Luffy—is taking care of Kuro right now. Everyone stayed to witness."

Another rallying roar swept up across the land. There was an undeniable mix of emotions that took hold of everyone. Elation. Relief. The feeling of receiving retributive justice. For Adalina, it felt a bit more than that; it was as if the tight knot in her chest had finally been loosened and she was finally allowed to hand over the reins.

Which was what was happening. By Nami's account and the exultant noise taking place, Luffy was doing a successful job in defeating the famed Captain Kuro. Just how that childish, idiotic loudmouth managed in accomplishing such a thing, she didn't know, but she had a good feeling that it had to do with his rubber powers.

But seconds after she had settled into her reprieve, Adalina jolted when a thought came to her. "Kaya! Gaston, did you see—"

"She's safe. Don't worry, Ada."

"What about Jango?"

"Oh, the hypnotist? Um." Gaston licked his lips. "Klahadore—Kuro—ordered him to set out to find her, but he was subdued by the folks."

"Gaston. Tell me what happened."

"Well, many of them sustained wounds, but—!" he hastily added when Ada attempted to rise up again "—they'll be okay. They'll live."

Hearing all this good news made Adalina decide to test her luck. She pressed on, asking, "What was Zoro doing?" Was he okay? Was he alive, after all?

"Fighting against two of Kuro's men," Nami took over to explain. "After Zoro wiped the floor with most of them, Jango hypnotized these two guys—the Meow-something Brothers—into becoming incredibly strong. I know—sounds crazy, right? But we've seen it happen—that Jango can make someone strong enough to punch craters into the ground with just hypnotism alone."

"The power of what the brain can do," mused Gaston, unwittingly slipping into his doctor mode. "To think that manipulating the mind into performing physical feats such as obtaining supernatural strength…"

"Zoro took a nasty beating from Kuro before he won against the brothers, so he's resting right now," Nami continued. "I told you before, right? Luffy and Zoro are tough; they won't go down so easily."

So it would seem, and Adalina was all the more glad for it. "And the kids?" Were they alive too?

"You mean Ninjin, Piman, and Tamanegi? They're going to be fine too. They suffered from lacerations, but their injuries are nothing too troubling. Their parents aren't happy, though, understandably." Gaston frowned. "They think that you convinced them into following you."

As happy as she was to hear that the boys survived from their attack, she couldn't help but feel annoyed by the assumption. Adalina mirrored his expression. "They came on their own accord. I wouldn't…"

"I know, Ada. You're not that kind of person. Once this is over, we'll straighten things out once and for all."

At the "once and for all" part, her eyes widened. "You mean…?"

He smiled. "I think after what's been happening this night, people will be more inclined to listen to what I have to say now."

The fighting continued from what Adalina could hear. Sleep was the last thing that she felt like doing for the time being, but she was simultaneously weary to her bones and didn't want to move a single muscle. She was content in lying where she was, flanked by both Nami and Gaston. She didn't need to see how Luffy was faring, and she didn't care to witness how battered Kuro was. Luffy's continual shouts of his "Gum Gum" attacks gave her an idea, anyway.

Adalina stared up at the dark skies. She hadn't thought of this as possible, that the villagers would actually rise up to an occasion like this. She had played with the idea back when Gaston, Luffy, and everyone else were gathered in her house, but she didn't think that this would become a reality. How Gaston managed to convince them—if it was him—she would have to ask him about it later.

"You won't bring me down," Luffy's voice pierced through the cheers, loud and clear. "I made a promise to Ada to help save her village!"

"Foolish boy, you think that I'll go down so easily as well?" was Kuro's snarling response. "And just who do you think you are in trying to oppose me?"

"I'm the man who's going to become the King of the Pirates!"

At his declaration, Adalina smiled wryly to herself. For someone who was able to take on Kuro, he still acted like a kid.

"And I won't let you hurt Ada or anyone from her village! She's going to be my sniper!"

Adalina felt hands clasp around hers. Her eyes slid over to where Nami was, meeting her broad smile. "You hear that? Luffy's got you covered," Nami said.

Nami—she came back—she didn't run away.

Just this once, Adalina thought to herself, things just may go as she wanted. For a moment, she wondered if she could possibly dare to dream that she could be this hopeful, this happy. A tentative yet warm feeling ballooned within her chest, and the corners of her eyes were actually wet from tears. She felt silly for even being emotional about this, but she had endured this for years and years. Perhaps…this was it. This was the day that Adalina could break away from her self-imposed confinements of solitude and muster the courage to establish a connection.

Just as Gaston had always encouraged her to do. Previously, her uncertainty and reservations had kept her from reaching out to others, but those chains were now broken. She wasn't going to be held back anymore. Everything seemed possible because she had Gaston by her side. His promise and earnest eyes caused her heart to swell with elation at what possibility the future may hold for her.

Adalina returned Nami's smile, and then turned her head to look up at Gaston.

Gaston grinned. "Everything is going to be alright—"

Bang!

"Do you remember the song?"

"Of course I remember the song." Adalina rolled her eyes. "Mom used to sing it to us every night."

Usopp idly swung his legs, and Adalina vaguely wondered if she should get him to stop. But his knee was fine, so she let it go. "I know that Mom did," he said, "but I just can't remember the words."

"How can you forget? That's ridiculous."

"Well, do you remember them?"

"Staunch the bleeding! Quick!"

"We're losing him!"

"Yeah, its…" Adalina trailed off when she, in fact, did not remember. The lyrics somehow eluded her despite having heard them for years. She frowned. "Huh, that's weird."

"You forgot too, didn't you?"

"I… Yeah, I guess I did."

"Heh. I remember."

She directed her frown onto him. "You just said that you didn't."

Usopp stuck his tongue out. "I lied! Or did I?"

Unamused by his antics, she shoved his shoulder. "Tell me the words," she demanded.

"Nah!" He stuck his tongue out.

"Usopp!"

"I don't need to tell you," he said with a grin. "You already know. You just have to wake up."

"Ada!"

"Ada!"

"Ada!"

"Why would I do that? The song is a lullaby. It's meant for sleeping children."

"Ada." Usopp's smile dropped, and he now looked sad. "Ada, you have to let this go."

Confused, her brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"Ada, none of this is your fault. None of this Dad's fault either. And you can't keep relying on Gaston for everything. You have to let this go and move on."

Dr. Moors's office shifted and twisted and vanished. They were now sitting in the middle of the meadow, flowers and tall stalks of grass surrounding them like a nest. They weren't nine anymore. Or, rather, Adalina wasn't nine. She was seventeen, and her brother, her twin, was still nine. He was looking up at her with sad eyes, but the smile on his face was hopeful.

"You were the one with common sense," he said. "So use that brain of yours, alright?"

"But…" Adalina trembled and shook her head. Her world was beginning to eclipse, and she desperately grabbed his hands. "I don't remember the words!"

"You will. Just don't forget what I said, okay?"

When Adalina woke up, she was lying on the medical bed of Gaston's office. Sitting by her was Cecelia, who looked away from the window and towards her. The woman's eyes were red and there were tear stains on her cheeks, but her expression was composed, closed-off.

The room was shrouded in darkness, yet the early morning sun lightened the sky into a hazy azure hue. Adalina pushed herself upright and winced at the ache. She looked around and found that she and Cecelia were the only occupants here. She gave a shuddering sigh and returned her attention to the woman.

"Is he…?" she rasped.

"He's gone," were the first words that Cecelia said to her, and that was the confirmation that Adalina needed to hear.