One Piece: Pride and Reunion

17: breaking the news

(a/n, warning, there is a mention of suicide)

Usopp's POV

"Hey kid, how's Banchina doing these days?" Yasopp asked, I hung my head as tears started coming down my face again' now or never.'  I thought looking up at him straight in the face" can I talk to you, Shanks as well in your room because by the end of this you might be choosing to end your life before the party even starts." I said starting to choke up.

"What do you mean?!" Monaco demanded, the others looking shocked" he'll tell you when he's ready, you have more in common with Benn than you think," I said slapping a hand on his back walking toward the door when Benn and Robin walking out passing them, it's like slow motion to the inevitable breakdown in the next few minutes. 

Getting to his room I turned to Shanks" stay out here, you can listen with observation." I said" what's up with you? It's like you have a grudge against me." Shanks said," I don't hold anything against you, when I met Luffy I knew my chance to meet you again was right in front of my face, and my early childhood was revolving door parenting until I was 7 and you were just gone..." I said then trailed off.

Opening the door I shoved Yasopp inside and followed him in the room collapsing on the bed after slamming the door in Shanks' face.

Yasopp's POV

When Usopp mentioned I have more in common with Benn that's when the bad feeling started to rise in my stomach that something bad happened to Banchina like the one I had 12 years ago, a few months after we got to the grand line especially when she shoved me into the room and slammed the door in Shanks' face before collapsing on the bed and broke into tears.

"Kid, what happened?" I asked"I wasn't looking forward to telling you this, a month after you left for the grand line mom got sick with cholera and over the next 3 months she got worse and I had to watch as she became worse before she succumbed to it. Do you want to know what I did to cope? 

I ran around town screaming pirates are coming in a futile hope to see you again for 10 years before Luffy came and that hope reignited in a raging fire and here we are 2 1/2 years later in your bedroom wondering how you'll take it, either go above deck and tell everyone or just have a mental breakdown and do suicide." Usopp explained.

My eyes widened, it's like everything stopped when he said that Banchina died and I didn't even know other than the feeling I got, just feeling so sorry for what he had to do to cope as I put my hands in my face trying to deny it's true, but I know it's 100% true" I'm sorry for your pain kid but when I left for the last time you weren't around when Banchina told me off that the island to me was like a little prison and I should be free." I said.

He looked over to me" what did she say?" He asked, I smiled sadly.

12 years ago

"This will be the last time I'll be seeing you, we'll be shoving off for the grand line tomorrow morning." I said," Be safe out there." Banchina said," I've been coming back here periodically and spending time with my son and he's going to miss me when I just don't come back after a few years, should I just quit the pirate game?" I asked.

She punched me in the shoulder" don't give me that crap! When we met you were a wild gunslinger wanting to become the best at what you do, you hung out on the cliffs all the time and that's where we would have our dates since you didn't want to be in a restaurant talking about boring stuff and found the village to be boring.