Author: The Dark Crimson Blood
Story Title: Reality
Genres: Angst/Tragedy
Main Character(s): Luffy/Ace/Sabo
Summary: Reality is harsh and unforgiving; three children find this out in the worse possible way; and only because of the death of the third. He had lost too much blood, and now; he was dead, and it was their fault and they would never forgive themselves for it.
Words: 1,501

Reality

Reality is harsh and unforgiving; three children find this out in the worse possible way; and only because of the death of the third. He had lost too much blood, and now; he was dead, and it was their fault and they would never forgive themselves for it.

The only thing he could register was pain; and he knew it hurt.
It hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt!
It felt as if his skin was being pierced by thousands of needles all over his body; he tasted the tangy taste of blood and the stinging of his many, many wounds as they were hit again and again and again; even more mercilessly each time. He hated it! He wanted it to stop, and yet there was nothing he could do to make it better.

"It could all stop if you tell us where the treasure is," Well, there was something he could do, he could simply tell this 'pirate' where Ace and Sabo's treasure was; but he couldn't do that. It went against everything stood for, it broke and took away all his morals; and perhaps even the chance for a friend. He wanted a friend; he needed a friend, he didn't want to be alone anymore. It was so painful, so painful to be alone; so he wouldn't tell them.

If he did tell them, Ace and Sabo wouldn't trust him anymore. So, he didn't care whether or not he got killed or not; if he was slowly tortured from day to night that was fine too, because he would have friends; and the loneliness would go away.

He smiled at that idea.

But that very smile flushed off his face as hours passed by and his eyes couldn't even cry anymore; he couldn't even manage to find the slightest bit of strength to simply upturn the corners of his lips. It was night now, and he had decided that he was the only one who wanted to be friends with Ace and Sabo; they didn't want to be friends with him, they hated him, right? Ace had always tried to kill him whenever he chased after the older, it was a wonder he was still alive; so maybe this was his downfall? Maybe it was karma.

No, it couldn't be; he hadn't even set out on his journey to become pirate king yet. He took in a shuddering breath; it was painful, it hurt to breathe without coughing or choking on that horrible red, metallic tasting substance in his mouth that kept increasing.

Suddenly, the man stopped hitting him; stopped ripping through his skin and planting his spiked glove covered fists through his skin and looked Luffy dead in the eyes; "Have you had enough?" Luffy didn't reply, "Just tell me where the god damn treasure is!" Luffy spat blood in his face; and the man growled before releasing a crazy laugh, one that sent shivers down Luffy's spine.

The man's mouth closed and he glared at Luffy, a dark; creepy glare that promised death and nothing else, "You'll pay for that, brat" and just like that the pain, the suffering, the punching continued; but this time it was harder, rougher, and before he knew it, he had completely stopped felling it all.

His vision went blurry as he hung limply from the rope tied to the ceiling, he wouldn't have been able to understand what one person said to the other if he hadn't known how to read lips; 'I think that's enough, he can't even scream anymore'

'If you have enough time to complain, go find the other brats'

Luffy only stared with half lidded eyes before they lingered on the window, right outside this torture area; laid his precious straw hat that he hoped was okay; he hoped nothing had happened to it, because it was his treasure and because it was Shanks' treasure.

If he died here, he certainly didn't want the hat to be destroyed; he hoped Ace or Sabo found it and were keeping it safe for Shanks; he knew they wouldn't save him, so he at least hoped they had found his hat. That hat meant the world to him, and at that point; he had time to think about it now that his mind wasn't overridden with pain.

What would he say to Shanks if he died?

He pondered for a brief moment before inwardly smirking and looking at the ground, where a puddle of his own blood laid. He wasn't an idiot, after losing that much blood; he would surely die. What would he tell Shanks'? He asked himself again.

Well, nothing. He'd be dead; there would be nothing to say. Luffy could only hope that after he died; that he would have the proper chance to apologize to Shanks' who saved him from being eaten by a sea king just a little while ago… No one would save him from this, he knew that; and he was oddly okay with it. It was simply his time to die, his time to repent for Shanks losing his arm and maybe even for annoying Ace and Sabo—and those mountain bandits he hated so much…

His breath hitched and his lungs seemed to stop drawing in air for a minute; he was dropped to the ground, a pirate whose name he didn't know checked his pulse, which was most likely still there; but it was the pirate who had asked for him to stop hitting Luffy. Luffy couldn't help but feel lucky when the pirate said 'I'll get rid of the body' despite knowing his pulse was still there; he felt lucky as he was carried out gently and left in the woods to die of blood loss. "I'll let you live; but you'll probably die of blood loss. Sorry, kid." The man had told him, and Luffy being Luffy; gave the man the brightest smile he could manage before the man was out of sight.

Now he could die in piece? He turned to his right at a painfully slow pace; catching view of a blurry straw hat by his side. He felt content knowing he'd die next to it, next to Shanks. He saw two blurry figures run over to him, having placed themselves on his right side; where he was currently facing. They didn't make a move to jolt his body; they knew he was still alive, but they didn't know he was dying, and he was; at a painfully slow pace, he was dying.

He flashed them a smile that went from ear to ear; ignoring the blood that trickled out of his mouth as he did so, "You guys came…" he drawled out, stuttering with each word; he was barely able to form a complete sentence, one of his lungs had been mercilessly pierced by 'accident'.

"Luffy! Why didn't you tell them where the treasure was?" He heard Ace ask him, his voice held an angry tone; but he replied as happily as possible. "Because then we couldn't be friends…!"

"Stupid! You could have gotten yourself killed! Isn't there anyone else you can be friends with?" It was as if they were ignoring the fact that he was indeed, dying; or maybe they didn't know yet; either way they would know soon because he would die.

"There's no one else! Shanks' isn't here anymore and I hate mountain bandits; there's only you!" He cried out, but no tears were left after such a brutal treatment.

"Is it really that important?" Sabo interrupted; and Luffy nodded as much as he could, blood seeping out of the right side so they couldn't see it. "Of course it is! Being alone…" A breath that should not have been needed was taken, "Is worse than any physical pain I've known!"

"Being alone…" His eyelids slowly dropped, energy leaving his body. His skin was getting paler by the second and his pulse was disappearing, "Is painful…!" Tears finally managed to slip their way out through his burning red eyes; they were tears he didn't even know he had anymore.

His eyes closed, they would never open again.

His heart stopped beating and his pulse disappeared.

The innocent eyes and wide smile would never be seen again.

Ace and Sabo would regret it for the rest of their lives.