A/N: Just a heads up, my stories are either romantic or gen. It's 50/50 though.

Pairing: Ace/Sabo

Disclaimer: One Piece©Eiichiro Oda

Ace remembered a summer's breeze, the smile of an idiot, and a stuttering mess of a boy, all in a blur of yellow and blue. It was a beautiful thing, Ace decided as he blinked his eyes from sleep, his mind clearing up from a fog of memories. He stared at the wooden ceiling, felt the gentle rock of the waves, and once again a familiar laughter echoed in his ears, it's voice sweet and soothing. Something thrummed in his heart and he smiled.

"Ace, don't pick on Luffy too much!"

"We were supposed to hunt today, remember?"

"Stop it idiot, you're making me all weird again..."

"Hey, Ace, I lo-"

Ace frowned, smile forgotten as the thrumming in his chest grew louder. What was it that he said all those years ago, when they were kids? He closed his eyes, trying to remember again the feeling of warmth he had when he basked himself in countless, precious memories. The ever present summer's breeze, the smile of an idiot (was that himself?), and a stuttering mess of a boy-

"I love you too, Sabo-" Realisation sinked in and Ace took a sharp intake of breath and snapped his eyes open, because in that moment of remembrance, he forgot to breathe, don't know how to as his heart shattered again, a reminiscent of the day he had died-

The thrumming in his chest grew louder, louder, and louder still, and what he had thought was the feeling of affection turned into something more sinister as his heart began to hurt, began to tear itself apart.

Blood ran frigid inside his veins, his eyes wide as he held his hands close to his face.

They were cold.

He's been missing him a lot lately. Because of that one dream (that one nightmare), he started seeing things. Things that weren't supposed to be there when he wakes up to a new morning, got up every night, turn into every corner. Sabo was everywhere, judging him for what he was, for what he had done.

"You killed me."

It wasn't true.

"Even though I loved you."

Loved?

Ace wondered if it was going to stop as suddenly as it started. He didn't mind it as much as he should, and he guessed this was some kind of retribution for his wrongdoings. But beneath all those scathing remarks Sabo had flared against him, there was also a sliver of the good person Ace remembered he was.

"You slept in your food again, Ace? Geez, you're so clumsy."

"Luffy would've liked that."

"I wanna grow up just like you-"

But sometimes, at other times, it was a bit too much for Ace to handle. Ace bowed his head low, forehead touching the railing as he allowed a tear to ecape his eyes, his lower lip bitten hard by his teeth to muffle a sob.

"I wish I was as free as you, Ace."

Yes, sometimes, it hurts when Sabo's here.

It hurts even more to know he deserved it.

"Who's that?"

"Oh, just a revolutionary. They come in once in a while to exchange information with Pops. Though this guy's different than the last one. A new recruit maybe?"

Ace shrugged, leaving Jozu's side to walk on by himself. The revolutionary was in Whitebeard's room but Ace didn't really care all that much. He had other needs to fulfill; his stomach, for example. As he walked by the room, he let his eyes wander to the blue clad man again, his blonde hair a bit familiar to Ace. The pirate's eyes narrowed before he tore his gaze away from the man, sauntering off towards the mess hall with a forced tune under a whisper.

"Hey, that guy looks a lot like me, don't you think?"

The merry tune ended instantly as Ace remembered to breathe again. Shut up.

"...No. No he doesn't. Sabo's dead. You're dead, Sabo."

It was the first time Ace had spoken to his own figment of imagination, to his own consciousness, and that was also the first time little Sabo from all those years ago replied to him with a slight shake in his voice.

"And whose fault do you think it was?"

Mine, mine, all mine. Ace didn't say any of that as he pushed open the door to the mess hall, an unreadable expression on his face. Today was a feast yet again.

The day was almost ending but Sabo was still nowhere to be found. From dawn until in the afternoon Ace waited for the same slander to hit him in the face, only for it...not to arrive? It was when the sun sunk into the horizon Ace began to speculate that the whole ordeal was over, that he was no longer seeing things that were not supposed to be there.

What in the world caused his hallucinations though? The familiar ache in his heart (pain, pain, pain, oh Sabo how I wish-) was still there, and more so his desperate longing. It had not lessened, so obviously it was not that. Ace pondered over this silently as he once again, for the second time that day, opened the doors to the mess hall. Laughs and chatters of different voices seized his ears as fast as lightning, and he allowed himself a small smile as the smell of food wafted and mingled with the air. Without a moment's hesitation, Ace strode towards the commanders' table.

"-it was ridiculous. He didn't even- Oh, Ace! We were just talking about you," Thatch greeted when his eyes noticed the movement from beside him. Ace seated himself next to Thatch, a grin on his lips when he saw the wide spread of food. Ace turned his head to Thatch and with a curt nod, he replied.

"Hey." Ace grabbed a chicken drumstick and bit through it as the chef took on a perplexed expression.

"Wait, I thought you came here a few hours ago already...?"

"And I came back again," He downed a mug of rum. "By the way, you were talking 'bout me?"

Perplexity now gone, Thatch grinned widely, an aura of mischief surrounding him. "We were talking about how you always sleep in your food." Shoving a spoonful of rice in his mouth, Ace raised an eyebrow, confusion written all over his face. He took a moment to swallow, and with a deadpanned gaze, he stared at the chef.

"I thought this was common knowledge," he said, tearing a chunk of meat apart from the bone. "And I'm pretty sure Izo knows what you're talking about already."

Thatch shook his head. "No, I wasn't talking to Izo. I was talking to this guy over here," He jerked his chin to the person next to Izo. "Real interesting fella."

Ace leaned forwards, peering at the spot right next to Thatch and Izo as he chewed the meat in his mouth. His eyes widened in recognition before narrowing. "You're here again." He helpfully supplied. The blonde smiled at Ace.

"So I am," he nodded. "Fire Fist, Portgas D. Ace, correct? I've heard many things about you." Suspicions thrown out of the window, Ace snorted, back straightening as he rolled his eyes.

"About the many tales of how I sleep in gravy I'd reckon."

The blonde laughed, the sound almost akin to the chime of bells. His smile was radiant when he fully turned his head to face Ace, leaning forward to meet him in the eyes. "And wasn't that an interesting story," Ace couldn't help but return the smile. "Should've been the headline of the year."

" 'Fire Fist Ace, death by drowning in his own food!' " Thatch bursted out laughing, elicting a number of chortles from the others who have also decided to listen in. Ace laughed along, deciding it wasn't worth wrecking another early dinner by hitting Thatch for that joke. The laughter died down and the commander stuffed another chunk of meat in his mouth.

" 'y the way, I din'nt cach yer nam'," Ace spoke through a mouthful before swallowing it with a large gulp. Thatch cringed. "Or is confidentiality a thing with you revolutionaries?"

The blonde blinked, not expecting Ace to ask him about his name- or anything for that matter. In that moment Haruta pitched in his thoughts. "Oh yeah, we don't know your name either. Even though we've been chatting like we're friends."

"Like we're friends? Haruta, he is our friend!" Thatch turned towards the revolutionary. "We are, right?"

Blinking for the second time now, the blonde opened his mouth, closing it after that before smiling once more, though with a slight dimness to it. "Sure," he simply said. "If you want me to be, that is."

"Sure we do!" Thatch declared, raising up a bone as if it symbolized something. "We're now your friends- everyone on this table- and nothing can change that!" Ace would've thought that Thatch was drunk, but when the blonde's smile turned a little more genuine, it doesn't really matter anymore. Instead, he clapped with everybody at Thatch's declaration, grinning as he turned to the blonde once more.

"Since we're friends now, I think it's high time we learn what your name is." The clapping died instantly, fading away in the air of other noises. Ace noted the revolutionary going slightly tense for a millisecond before he went back to his usual, smiling and all self.

The revolutionary gingerly spun a forkful of noodles on his plate. "Well, given the nature of my job, it's really important for me to not go around giving my own name away, but I guess I can lower down the hurdle for you guys." He shoved the fork in his mouth, gulped down and placed the fork back on the plate. "Anything that starts with the letter S will do. It's the initial of my real name." Taking a handkerchief from his breastpocket, he pressed it to his mouth, oblivious to Ace's inner turmoil.

"S huh..." Thatch mused, crossing his arms and thinking real hard. "...What do you think, Ace?" He asked after a moment, turning to Ace only to pause. "...Ace?"

The man was pale, his mouth slightly open as he stared at the revolutionary. The feeling of suspicion came back to Ace in full force and he crushed it down instantly because this can't be- This man, he's not-

Ace grinned, mood flipped over but the way his hands still trembled although slightly, just a little, was a clear indication that he was not okay. "How 'bout Sally?" His tone was forced, as if he wanted them to forget what they had seen. Thatch narrowed his gaze, and the revolutionary snorted.

"I'd be dead before anyone starts calling me that the next time I'm here." He refused, putting back his handkerchief inside his pocket. Haruta was the next to shoot up a suggestion, which then started up the lot of them on the table. Clearly they had nothing better to do.

"Ooh, Simon! Let's go with that!"

"Lame. I say Semmy."

"The hell kind of name is that? It's Sebastian and don't anyone dare to change it."

"Just because of how he's dressed? Bah! I say Seymour!"

"Stelly's another one too if you think about it."

The blonde revolutionary cringed at each of their suggestions, more or less. "The hell do you people think I am, your pet? And no, that last one just sent shivers down my spine and I don't even know why." They laughed, people from other tables joining in for the conversation, asking what was up before throwing in their ideas. Ace looked on, food abandoned to occupy his mind for a while. His smile was gone, and in it's place a heavy line formed. He took in a shuddering breath.

He's blonde. His clothes- blue. Name- something with S as an initial. His scar is a burn mark- Ace knew it when he sees one. He should be- He must be him-

"What exactly are you thinking right now?"

Eyes wide, Ace slowly glanced to his other side, gaze meeting the one he forgot. No one noticed how Ace immediately became tense, they were too distracted to. His breath stilled to a stop when Ace realised what was in his mind before. The thought he was entertaining, indulging in before.

Was he about to...?

Sabo's dead. Sabo's not alive. Shut the fuck up and move on, that's. Not. Him.

"But since you're an idiot, you wanted to believe, right? That he was actually me."

"But that's not possible, Ace." The voice was smooth as silk, as sweet as honey, brushing up to his ears as his heart beats faster than usual. "Because I'm dead. And now, you want to replace me for him? How cruel. I hate people like you, Ace."

He should've laughed when his own mind quite literally declared that it hates him, but when it was said in Sabo's, sweet little Sabo's voice, Ace couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Not fright, not broken hearted (though a little bit), but only discomfort. When he almost replaced Sabo with that revolutionary, it was not fear that he felt but unbridled shock. He was not scared. This was not fear he felt at the moment.

He felt like he was lying to himself.

Sabo had cried, once upon a time.

It was during a raid at one of the many slavehouses in Grand Line. A simple job as it was, as it usually is with Koala and Hack, there was this one casualty that had his attention in a vice grip.

"Was it good that I was born?"

If someone asks you a question, it is common sense to answer back. If a child - a slaved child, beaten and bruised, how dare they- asks you a question, it is common sense to gently answer back, say words of encouragement, and smile, no matter how fake you feel at the moment.

Sabo did none of those.

He did not answer the question. He did not say encouraging words. He did not smile.

Instead, he cried. Held the confused child close to him, buried his face to the crook of their small neck, and let his heart out because there was something to that question, something that held a great significance in his life, something that he should remember but simply couldn't. And as the bombs dropped, as Koala pulled them away from the slavehouse's destruction, as he rubbed his tears away- He sensed a stir in his chest, and a burn at the back of his head.

"Was it good that I was born?"

A flash of black, grey, and orange melded together in the form of a young boy.

"Yes. Of course it was."

Himself, yellow and blue clashed together as tears once more fell to the ground, eyes staring at the flames that ate the slavehouse away. As their ship sailed further, the island no longer in sight, Sabo could only stare at the vast sea, its colour now a sunset blue.

"Will you be sad if I'm gone?"

"Of course, Ace." A murmur escaped his lips, his eyes fluttering to a close. "Without you, I..."

A cloud of darkness consumed his vision and another memory slipped from his fingers yet again.

"So, you picked Seymour."

At Fire Fist's disbelieving stare, Sabo couldn't help but laugh. "Yes," he said between chuckles. "Out of all the things they recommended, it was the most acceptable. I still don't know why they were so adamant in calling me Sally."

"Eh, would be better that way."

"And pray tell, why is that?"

"It's funny."

He hit Ace behind the head and sighed, but the smile on his lips was undeniable. Beside him, Ace tensed, no doubt feeling the familiarity of it all. "It's not." They lapsed into silence after that, enjoying each other's company and the view of the night's sky as they leaned against the railing of the crow's nest. Though Sabo could feel Ace's uncomfortableness- It was strangely infectious.

"I see you're quite bothered by something, Portgas." Sabo could see Ace jolting out of his stupor, surprised that he was abruptly addressed. The pirate dumbly looked towards the other. Sabo felt his insides curl, suddenly abashed. He shifted his eyes elsewhere. "Just know I'm always lending an ear, if you ever feel the need to get something out of your chest. Assuming you have a problem, that is..." The lapse into the quietness after that was more awkward than anything, Sabo decided as he twiddled with his fingers. During that moment, Ace strayed his eyes away from the revolutionary.

"It's just...your name." Ace said after a minute or two. Sabo raised an eyebrow, turning to Ace.

"Seymour?"

"Yeah. It doesn't fit."

Sabo hummed. So it was about him. He had suspected that much- Ace never seemed nervous when he was with others after all. It was blatant that the infamous pirate, Fire Fist Portgas D. Ace, Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, was err...intimidated? By him, Sabo? That doesn't sound right.

Maybe the blonde was just getting a bit big-headed from his recent promotion.

Sabo straightened his back. "Well, I suppose it doesn't," He admitted. "But it's definitely better than Sally." Ace scoffed at this.

"Anything's better than Sally to you."

Sabo held up a finger to him, "Not true. I'd rather pick that up than Stelly."

"Why?"

"Sounds disturbing as fuck is all. Though I have to ask, Ace; Why is this bothering you so much?" The revolutionary turned around fully to raise an eyebrow at the man. "Surely my name isn't all the reason why you're so moody this whole day."

When Ace did not give him a reaction, not a flinch of any kind but only silence- Sabo frowned. "Seriously..?"

And for some reason, there was something to that comment that simply made Ace snap.

Ace turned to him now, eyes blazing with sudden hellfire. "Fine! I know it's weird as fuck but- But it's not my fault that you look so much like- like," He took a breath, and as Sabo backed up a little in surprise, Ace fully turned to him hands gesturing towards the other. "Like him! I don't get it, okay, and- You've always been so goddamned insensitive, Sabo, this clearly is not what I... wanted to..."

Oh.

He messed up.

(This guy's not Sabo, what the hell, get your act together you idiot-)

Within seconds of him trailing off, Ace found the end of a pipe right up his face, the austerity from before replaced by something dangerous and far more menacing. His guard went up in an instant, obsidian black eyes shifting from the pipe to the hand that held it, and to the person who owned it. Beautiful blue eyes glared back at him, caution imbedded in his very being. "Where did you hear that name." A demand for an answer, but Ace did not respond. Sabo's (not Sabo, oh god, stop-) change in stance, from friend to enemy was too quick for him to follow, and it was jarring his mind. Ace opened his mouth.

"What-what's it to you?"

Was that a stammer Ace heard in his own voice?

You've gotten weak, Ace, you're weak for this man-

Sabo ploughed on, voice a frozen tundra. "Well, it's kind of suspicious to hear your name spoken by someone you didn't tell it to. So tell me, Portgas," the blonde leaned in almost casually as he lowered his pipe, making it look normal to anyone watching but Ace knew. The steel pipe that was positioned on his abdomen could drive him through in a second. "Where the hell did you hear that name?"

But it wasn't the weapon threatening to stab him that made him go so still, rigid and pale. It was the blatant statement of how this man is actually Sabo and how Ace was not really wrong and Ace's brain is still processing, because Your name is seriously, "Sabo? Th-That's...That's your name?"

Then Sabo became the whole definition of unimpressed.

"I've seen people lie better, Portgas, this is pathetic." Coating the pipe with haki, Sabo gave the other a not so gentle nudge. Ace did not retaliate. "Are you a spy? What's your motive, to overthrow us? If you know my name already, I wouldn't put it past you to know anything else-!?"

His pipe fell to the floor and Sabo found himself in an embrace. Ace's.

...Why?

As quick as it was initiated, Ace pulled away and stepped back from the dumbfounded Sabo, face a ridiculous shade of scarlet. "Um, sorry, it's just that you- Sabo- You reminded me of him and I just can't help it, I mean, you got the same name and I just- Sorry!"

What?

The suspicion of Ace being his spy dissipated into the wind as Sabo stared at Ace, jaw slacked and in disbelief. Meanwhile, the aforementioned man was already at the railings again, leaning against it with hands on his face, his mouth a babbling nonsense. "Goddammit Ace, that's not your Sabo, it's a different one- but he looks the same though?- Oh god, just shut it already-" Sabo can't hear it, but it was strange how Ace had the courage to stay here after all that flustering. He half-expected him to bolt down the ladder.

"Um...What was that?"

When Sabo finally had the voice to speak, Ace turned to him quickly, a reason already on his tongue. "You look like someone I know, then I accidentally called you that, sorry, but when you said that that's your name- I just had to, cause he had the same name too. Sabo," he took in air, exhaled, bit his lip and continued. "That's his name too."

The quietness of the night caught up to them once again, it's presence impalpable and not meant to be disturbed. Sabo took that time to put away his pipe and slowly got near to Ace (was that a flinch?) and settled himself next to him.

Sabo, huh. He thought it was an unusual, uncommon name, but the probability of someone having the same name was not impossible. This was a vast world after all, who knows how many Sabos are out there. As an afterthought though, he marvelled at how fast he accepted Ace's reasoning. There was just something about him that told Sabo that he wasn't lying.

Sabo pondered a bit, and asked before he could stop himself. "You said 'had'... What happened to him?"

Already feeling exposed to this Sabo, Ace let his loose lips run. He told him about how they met. He told him about Dawn Island, and Gray Terminal, and how they spent their lives there, robbing the homeless of their valuables. He told him about Luffy, how he was annoying but too kind, and how they became brothers, the three of them. He told him about the Tiger Lord of Mount Corvo, how they tried to beat it but can't until they worked together. About his noble father, his capture, the fire, and his boat; He told them all.

He told him about how he had died.

By the end of it, Ace's knees buckled beneath him, and Sabo caught him before he fell. Snores reached his ears and Sabo sighed. After setting Ace in a sitting position against the wall of the crow's nest, Sabo thought about the story he had been told, and how his brain tingled every time his name came up in the tale, making his stomach churn with ready anticipation. As if he knew what was to come. As if he was there.

Ace didn't really help in that matter, replacing the name 'Sabo' with 'you' in the middle of the story. That only made him more immersed, not wanting to call Ace out on it. Not that he should though, the man was clearly reminiscing about Sabo. About him.

Was that him?

He faintly recalled that Dragon told him that his boat got shot a Celestial Dragon, an uncanny resemblance to Ace's story of Sabo. Even when Ace described Sabo to him, he felt as if he was describing him, the revolutionary. If he was truly Sabo then...

The hope that stemmed in his heart diminished, and the blonde frowned.

...Why the hell can't he remember anything, even after hearing his own past?

A/N: Even though I do this partly as an apology for those who waited for my other story, I feel like all I did was make them suffer by not continuing this.

Well whoop-de-doo, I guess.