Abandoned and Lost
Chapter One: Abandoned For a Deal

Summary: Luffy thinks Ace abandoned him. The truth is Ace was pulled away, forced to leave behind the life he had come to know and love so dearly. He had to sacrifice his freedom for the sake of Luffy. But his brother didn't know that. So when they meet nearly ten years later, things do not go as well as Ace hoped they would.
Warning: Slavery, abuse, mentions of rape, probably overuse of F-bombs (I've grown unusually fond of writing this word lately… Not a good sign seeing as I never swear), ooc, AU.
Parings: Now, I'm not quite sure if there will be any pairings in this. I was thinking maybe a AceXLuffy, but I'm torn between that and leaving it a brotherly fix. So leave a review and tell me if it should be a brother thing, or an AceLu thing.
Disclaimer: I own Ace, goddamit! I own Luffy too! And Marco! And Whitebeard! But I'm dead so it doesn't matter that Oda stole them from me! *Gets a fist of lava thrown at me by Oda* Fine, fine! Leave Akainu out of this, dammit! I do not own any of the characters mentioned above, nor do I own One Piece. If I did, Ace would never have died and Marco would appear more often! With Ace bugging him! Along with Thatch! So yeah! *Shakes fist at Oda* You'll never kill me off, Oda! *Dies*

XxXxX
It's my obligation to never again allow this to happen
I rage again, dispelling my anger
Where do I begin? The choices are endless
My art, my redemption, my only salvation
I carry the gift that I have been blessed with
My soul's adrift in oceans of madness
I'm no slave, are you feeling brave, or have you gone out of your mind?
No more games, it won't feel the same if I hold my anger inside
My soul is bleeding, I've had enough of your kind
The thing I treasure most in life cannot be taken away
To change myself I'd rather die, though they will not understand
I won't make the greatest sacrifice, you can't predict where the outcome lies
You'll never take me alive
-Disturbed (I'm Alive)
XxXxX

Luffy had always been a happy kid. By the Gods, there wasn't a single day that passed where Luffy didn't crack at least one smile. That's why, at this very moment, Ace was worried for his brother. The kid hadn't smiled once since he woke up several hours ago and it was really starting to freak the fuck out of Ace. Seriously, what the hell happened to his giddy, hyper, idiotic brother to make him so damn depressed? Thinking this as he walked into his brother's room, Ace set a plate of freshly cooked meat on the nightstand near Luffy's bed. Said boy was on the bed peering out the window at the beautiful ocean that was miles away, his eyebrows nearly meeting as he thought about something deeply.

"I brought some meat for you," spoke up, wearing a grin as he placed his hands on his hips. No matter the situation, meat always cheered up Luffy, even if it was only for a minute or so. But this time, it didn't work.

"Not hungry," the boy murmured and was Ace downright dumbfounded. Did… did Luffy turn down the meat? Preposterous! Ace grabbed Luffy by the shoulders and stared him hard in the eyes.

"Alright, who are you? Where's Luffy?" Not even a twitch of a smile appeared on Luffy's face. This scared the shit out of Ace. "Luffy, tell me what's wrong. What happened, why are you like this?" Luffy just continued to stare at the bed with now watery eyes. Panic started to build in Ace as his brother continued to stare at the bed quietly. He quickly hugged the boy tightly, something he didn't do all the time, in hopes of comforting his brother. "Did something happen, Lu? Did someone threaten you? …Did someone break in here last night and hurt you?" Ace prayed to the Gods that didn't happen. It couldn't have, right? Ace was a light sleeper in the middle of the night, he would have heard the commotion. "Luffy, please," he whispered into his brother's ear. "You're scaring me. Tell me what's wrong."

"Do you like me, Ace?" The words came out shakily as the eight year old clenched the front of Ace's shirt, burying his head into his brother's strong shoulder.

"Do I like you? Of course I do, you're my otouto. Why, what makes you ask such a question?" He felt tears absorb into his shirt and he gently rubbed his brother's back soothingly, waiting patiently for the boy to answer.

"I-I had a nightmare that you l-left me because you hated me," Luffy sniffled, trying hard not to cry. He knew that if he cried, Ace would call him a crybaby and dammit he wasn't one!

"Hey, calm down," Ace spoke quietly. "It's okay, I'd never leave you. I'd never ever leave you, Lu."

"B-But you hate me, don't you," Luffy stated. "Because I'm so reckless and w-weak and loud and stupid."

"Baka, I could never hate you!" Exclaimed Ace as pulled away to look Luffy in his tear-filled eyes. "Look, it was just a nightmare. You shouldn't let it get to you. Nightmares don't come true, you hear?" Luffy gave a strong nod as bit his lip to stop crying. "And I could never leave you, Lu. You're my life, my sole reason to live," he whispered quietly, a sad look flashing in eyes only for a second before it was gone. He ruffled Luffy's hair and put on a grin. "Now stop crying and eat your damn meat."

"Meat!" Luffy literally launched himself towards the meat and gobbled it in seconds, earning a chuckle from his brother. Really, leave it Luffy to worry about a simple nightmare that'd never happen. Ace glanced out the window towards the sea.

"Six years," he mumbled with a smile. "In six years, I'll be on that sea sailing to so many islands with new friends and exploring in the unknown." He looked to his brother who also had a smile. "Then one day you and me'll meet up one day and sail together. It'll be us against the world." Luffy gave chuckle and they hi-five'd each other. Yes, it was their dream. To one day set sail and live freely by their own rules. Freedom, something they both dreamed to live by.

Something that could easily be taken away.

XxXxXFive Weeks Later XxXxX

It came out of the blue, way out of the left field of surprises. Their town was being attacked. They were at least eight miles up a mountain from the sea, yet these pirates still made their way up to this harmless, small town and started raiding it. It pissed Ace off, he wanted to go out there and help fight them off but he didn't want to drag Luffy into any danger whatsoever. So instead, they hid in Ace's bedroom with door locked and blocked by his large wooden dresser he found several days ago in the forest. Weird place to put a dresser but hey, free dresser! Luffy was curled up next to him in a corner near a window incase they need to bolt out of there, even if they were twenty-five feet from the ground. Luckily though there a tree outside they could climb down, so it made a perfect escape route.

The sounds of gunfire and screams echoed below their house and Ace grit his teeth. They were only a mile above the town on a hill and prayed the pirates wouldn't bother coming up for just one house. But of course, in a pirate's eyes, one house could possibly be holding nothing but gold, so nothing went unchecked. Their front door was kicked in and the brothers quickly stood up, ready to launch themselves out the window when the time came. Yelling and shouting erupted from the living room and things crashing and breaking could clearly be heard as they approached the boy's bedroom. "Okay, Luffy. Start climbing, we're leaving." Luffy gave a nod and searched for a good place to land on the tree. However as he was about to jump, Ace noticed several pirates with swords and guns standing at the base of the tree.

Shit. They were trapped. Unless…

"Luffy, remember that move I taught you last month when we took down that tiger?" Luffy thought for a second before nodding and giving a small grin as he knew where this was head. Ace grabbed onto Luffy's back as his brother gripped the sides of the window and pulled himself back, stretching his arms beyond humanly possible. Luffy glanced back at his brother to make sure he was ready when Ace suddenly held up a hand to hold for a second as he grabbed him and Luffy's pipe-like weapons incase they needed to fight. Tying them to his back with a small blanket, he grabbed onto Luffy again and gave a grin of approval. The rubber boy turned his attention back to the window, they same grin glued to his face.

"Gomu Gomu no Rocket!" They went flying from the window at a high speed and soared through the air as their house fell farther and farther behind. The wind blew through their hair as their flying turned into falling, the town just below them. And it was nothing like it was before. Half of it or more was all gray with ash and smoke and the other part was partially still on fire. The scene boiled Ace's blood but he pushed the feeling aside as he suddenly thought how he was gonna land. Hell, Luffy wouldn't be affected, but Ace was still human and falling from these heights could break a few bones, if not kill someone. He thought fast and quickly grabbed his brother's hands in one hand a feet in the other to make a makeshift parachute from his brother's body. Luckily it worked and they gently floated to the ground. But as soon as their feet hit the ash-covered cobblestone road, pirates turned their attention towards them and rushed them, ready to kill anything that stood in their way of any treasure or merchandise. Ace quickly gave Luffy his weapon and they wasted no time in engaging their enemies in battle, defeating some quicker than others. Ace constantly checked on Luffy to make sure he wasn't injured or losing a fight, worried for his brother's life.

They had taken down at least nine weak pirates or so until a nearby explosion went off, sending both of the brother's flying through the air and landing roughly on the ground several feet away. Scratches and bruises littered their bodies after they were scraped against the hard ground. Ace picked his head up slowly, spotting Luffy face down on the ground covered in soot. But before the freckled boy could even get up, his ribs were met with an oncoming kick, sending him tumbling to his other side in pain. He let out a cough and looked up at his assaulter with a glare who was giving a rather angry scowl. A barrage of kicks and punches fell on Ace as he tried to cover his head from any serious injuries. Several minutes passed and Ace gave a slight groan of pain before he felt himself get pulled to his feet by his collar. Staring into the man's eyes, Ace found himself feeling no fear. He never felt that emotion unless Luffy was in danger.

"Damn brat, you sure got a lot'a guts attacking us Bluejam Pirates," the man snarled and Ace spit at his feet.

"I don't care who you are, no one messes with my town," Ace growled back, earning another powerful punch to his ribs. He probably had one or two broken ones now by the way he had a hard time breathing. Several of the pirate's henchmen engaged Luffy in battle, but one finally managed to find an opening. He swung at Luffy and the tip of the blade connected with they boy's forehead, opening a gash the squirted blood. Falling to the ground, Luffy tightly held the wound as he yelled in pain, unaware that the pirate who attacked was about to plunge a sword into his stomach. Seeing this, Ace's eyes widened in pure, absolute horror.

'They're gonna kill Luffy,' Ace thought as he desperately struggled to get free from Bluejam's grip. 'They're gonna kill him.' He bit down on the man's wrist and felt himself fall to the ground, but was captured by another pirate who held him strongly in place as Bluejam held a gun at him to make sure he didn't escape. "Let go of me! Luffy!" The sword began to come down and Ace mustered every bit of strength he had.

"Don't you dare touch Luffy!" And suddenly, the air around them became unusually thick and time seemed to slow down. There had been no wind, yet the flames surrounding them had blew out and all the pirates in are suddenly fell to the ground unconscious except Bluejam. But most importantly, the sword that was about to come down on Luffy completely missed and landed near the whimpering boy. After another second of nothing happening, the flames suddenly reignited and Bluejam just stood there, staring in shock. He looked to his men, not understanding what exactly happened. They were all out cold, but how? Ace quickly ran to his brother's side. "Luffy, you okay?" His brother gave a weak nod before Ace was picked up by his neck and met Bluejam face to face again.

"What did you!" He roared before throwing Ace to the ground powerfully, raising his gun to shoot the boy. He stopped though, an idea growing in his mind, but suddenly realized this error. It left him open for an attack. Ace's weapon met the pirate's face and he was almost positive he broke the man's jaw or nose. The man fell to the ground and grabbed his now crooked nose. 'Brat's got fuckin' power alright. Took out several of my men with ease. And that wave of thickness in the air, what the hell was that?' He looked to the other boy who was passed out on the ground. 'And him, he has devil fruit powers. Both of these boys will do perfectly.' He got up and pointed his weapon at Ace and fired it, grazing the boy's arm. Ace gave a curse and hid behind a rock. "Listen boy," Bluejam said as he picked up the limp body of Luffy. "I'm taking you both as slave and if you try to fight me, I'll kill your rubber freak right now." Ace quickly jumped out from behind the rock to face his enemy.

"You will not lay a hand on him!" Bluejam raised an eyebrow. This brat didn't seem to care about himself at all, but only sought the protection of Luffy. Interesting. "I'll… I'll give myself up if you leave him alone."

"Oh? And why should I give up this brat? He's got devil fruit powers, so his price just went up a few thousand berries."

"Because he's weak," Ace stated, throwing his weapon to the ground. "He'll never be able to beat me and he tires easily. I doubt a seller would want a weak slave. But I'm strong and smart. You'll fetch a lot more for me than him, devil fruit or not."

"You care so much for him, that you'd sell yourself to slavery for him?" The thought seemed to amuse Bluejam and Ace knew if he answered yes, there was a chance Luffy could be killed right there. So he decided to lie, unaware Luffy had just woke up.

"I don't care about him!" Ace exclaimed, catching the pirate off guard. "Why should I? I'm only watching him because his stupid grandfather placed him in my care! If I don't take care of him, he'll murder me. Otherwise I'd never take of a weak idiot like him! I had to call him my brother or he'd cry like fucking baby! Kill him if you want, see if I care! I was gonna ditch his ass anyway in a few years!" Ace grew angry with every word he spoke, hoping the pirate would buy the act.

He did.

So did Luffy.

The boy was shocked beyond words to hear his own brother say that. But it was a joke, right? But the expression on Ace said otherwise. He meant every word. Luffy's heart fell and his stomach felt like it was tied in knots. He was suddenly dropped on his head and kicked to the side, knocking him out once again. "Fine, you win." The man replied gruffly. "Wake my men up and we'll leave. We got everything we came for." Ace proceeded to wake up the men, feeling a few knots in his own stomach. He didn't want to go through with this, but Luffy's life depended on it. A sacrifice had to be made and Ace didn't hesitate to give himself up.

Luffy's eyes fluttered open as he propped himself onto his elbows, looking up from the ground to his surroundings. The fires around had died, leaving no color in sight except for the green mountain in the background. Dirt, ash, bruises and scratches littered Luffy's small face and he winced at the gash on his forehead. Looking around, he spotted Ace through the dust and smoke and a feeling of relief came over the small boy, knowing his brother was alright. But Ace wasn't walking towards him, he was walking away. Luffy's smile faded. "Ace!" But the boy didn't turn around. A sudden feeling of betrayal, fear, and loneliness came over him as his brother continued to walk away with a slight limp and he suddenly remembered the word Ace had spoke earlier. Tears started to form in his eyes as he wondered why Ace hated him so much, why he was leaving him now. And most of all, why he was leaving with such bad people? "What you doing? Ace!" A smile made his way back onto Luffy's face when he saw Ace stop and finally turn around to face him. But the look Ace gave him made him freeze and sudden realization came over Luffy. He could tell by the cold eyes and hateful expression Ace was giving that we leaving for good at this moment. He wasn't going to come back, and that he could care less if Luffy died right then and there. Tears of pain rolled down the small boy's cheeks and he pressed his forehead into the ground hard, curling his fists so tight his nails nearly cut into his palms. "Ace…" He sobbed and sniffled, trying hard not to cry. But how could he not? His brother of almost two years was leaving him to die and he couldn't care less.

But if Luffy had looked up to see his brother's face again, he would have seen the pained and regretful expression Ace had given at the scene of his brother falling apart. He would have noticed that Ace had shed a tear of guilt and regret as he was roughly and cruelly pulled away from the life he had finally began to love; hoping that, if he lived long enough to see Luffy again, they hyper boy would have the heart to be able to forgive him someday.

Luffy lost his brother that day.

Ace, on the other hand, lost a lot more. His brother, his home, his freedom. THose weren't the only things Ace would lose on that day either. By the end of that horrible day, Ace would be left with nothing but an empty void inside him. He had absolutely nothing left, everything was gone from his life.

Absolutely everything.

XxXxX
*eats a yummy taro chip* I torture Ace a lot and yet he's my favorite character. *Sighs* I'm a horrible fangirl. :/ Anyway, there it is. I got this idea from the watching Kung Fu Panda fight between Shifu and Tai Lung when my mom suddenly woke up talking about abandonment. Thus, the plot was born. So tell me if it should be an AceLu story or just a brotherly one. (Still excepting requests by the way~) And yes, Marco and Whitebeard are in this. Along with Thatch… Hopefully.

Please review! All reviews are welcome, even critics! It tells me you care enough to tell me I need to improve. (I know I make several mistakes I can't believe I miss every chapter. My apologies. *bows)

The cold ice I liveth, the darkness I love
~roo the ice elementa