A/N: LMAO I NEED TO STOP here's more of Sabo and Ace reuniting I guess, lord help

Disclaimer: One Piece©Eiichiro Oda

Brother O' Mine (1)

Seven years have passed since Ace was shot at the age of ten, when he thought sailing in front of a Celestial Dragon's ship was a good idea.

Seven years was also all it took for Sabo to assimilate himself into a world without Ace. The boy hardened himself to be the sole caretaker for Luffy (because lord knows Dadan can't give a rat's ass about how Luffy'll turn out) and adapted his thinking to be completely devoid of his memories of Ace.

Because, see, Ace was screwing with his mentality even after his death. Everywhere Sabo turned his little head- There he was, a pipe on his all too dependable big brother-ish back, clad in more grime than any animal he'd ever seen. He'd shoot Sabo a grin, one that promised reliability should Sabo ever mess up in some way.

(And that was the irony, see? As Sabo had already messed himself up by thinking about him, him, and only him at the age of ten.)

Sabo hated that a lot; The way his heart burned like the Terminal fire everytime he heard his brother's chides fleeting in the forest even when Sabo knew it wasn't real, after all the time he argued with Luffy and waited for someone- the missing third- to hit them on their heads to tell them how stupid they were being.

Not long after they made Ace's grave, Sabo realized that yeah, this wasn't really working and subsequently pulled out his memory of Ace, crumpled it into a paper ball and threw it inside the metaphorical wastebasket. It was his birthday and the closure it gave was Sabo's best present yet.

This is fine, he thought. It's not like I'll really forget about him. I just have to do this until I'm fine again. As long as I don't have to see his ugly mug everytime I hear him talk-

So Sabo vowed to never think of Ace from then on.

It worked, for the most part.

Luffy slipped up a couple of times but he soon came to realize that Sabo stopped talking about Ace. He did the same too.

Sabo took comfort in the fact that Ace was not in the forefront of his mind anymore, and instead was pushed back deep, deep, deep down his headspace. It helped in his missions after he joined the revolution at seventeen- He didn't think to blink an eye to dark, wavy haired gents on some islands they visit. He focused entirely on the mission at hand, and the missions he took since the very first he was assigned to- he had to brag, puff his chest out a bit in pride- always came out successful.

Koala said it was creepy how most of the shit he took turned out to be a 100% guaranteed success. What can he say to that? He smiled at her, teeth white and gleaming- hiding his silver tongue that he claimed to have toppled several kingdoms.

"The trick is to not get distracted. I'm used to it."

He then took a jab at Koala's own inability to focus because her distraction to sweets was a bit too much. She didn't take that too well and proceeded to chase Sabo around town. It was lots of fun.

Ace was so, so far away from his mind and it was so much fun.

He didn't even think twice after seeing that wanted poster of a rookie named Fire Fist Ace. Didn't acknowledge the man's all too familiar freckles. Didn't bother to look at his face long enough to bring up buried memories. Didn't let his mind linger on the burn scar this Ace had on the side of his face, no matter how interesting.

He only did what he was told to do, see. Look up new rookies, note the ones that looked like they want to overthrow a government, pass it to Bunny so he can double check his list. He didn't think much of this Ace character aside from the fact that he appeared as Whitebeard's Second Division Commander with no warning at all- with no prior wanted posters to back up his background as a pirate.

It was intriguing, Sabo would admit, but he refused to think about this man anymore than usual.

His indifference towards this Ace was brought up again a few days after he turned eighteen, when he chewed on a slab of meat and at the same time, trying to decipher the letter Luffy had written for his birthday.

He raised an eyebrow at Koala, perplexed. "Dragon-san wants me to what?"

His partner stood vigilant near him, back straight as she stared down at Sabo in disgust. She hit his head with the roll of paper she was carrying around like a stick. "Don't talk with your mouth full." She chastised, a huff escaping her lips. Sabo swallowed almost immediately. He asked his question again.

"Discuss with Whitebeard about the island he's protecting next week. You know, the one with the slave trades?"

Sabo bit through a bone with a crack. "Feltor," he remembered. Koala nodded her head. "That's all the way in West Blue."

"You're visiting his ship, dummy."

"Visit sounds a tad too tame. How 'bout infiltrate?"

Koala told him to do whatever he wanted with a nonchalant wave of her hand, leaving Sabo with an earful of "as long as you do it right and come back with another one of your successes, Mr. Perfect" that made Sabo exhale a long, suffering sigh. Because he knew he was far from perfect; what's with Ace's blurry face crawling back into his mind because of the mention of Whitebeard, and he connected it with the thought of that cursed, cursed wanted poster and the face is blurry, Sabo can't- shouldn't- remember-

He shut down that part of his brain with a click.

With no change in his expression, Sabo shoved the last of his food into his mouth and stood up. His eyes wandered around the mess hall, checking if he'd caught anyone's attention. He smiled. (Everyone looked the same.) With no rush in his steps, Sabo retreated into his room.

Brother, brother, give me your answer do,

I'm half crazy all for the love of you,

I'm off to sail the seas, and I'll leave you finallys...

On another part of the world and in a different time, one Portgas D. Ace woke up in an unfamiliar ship. He didn't know his last name though; Amnesia, the nurses called it, and he only knew of his first when he heard someone call out for him, someone not entirely there.

Marco was the one who brought him to the ship after the man saw a child's body drifting on a piece of wood in the middle of nowhere. It was a miracle that he had survived, they said, because half of him was covered in burns from the top of his head to the tip of his toes, untreated for a significant amount of time- but they said he survived. (He didn't feel like a survivor.)

Ace felt that his memories were the price he had to give god as an exchange to keep him alive. Ace didn't feel... alive? For some reason? There was a nagging in the back of his head that begged him to realize that he was missing a very, very important piece of his life, and Ace nearly went mad searching for that missing piece.

But then Thatch came in, arms laden with food, and Ace forgot about it all! (again.)

The Whitebeard Pirates, as they have introduced themselves as, told him that they found him near Shimotsuki Village- a few kilometers away from its ports.

"Is that not your island, yoi?"

Ace shook his head. No. Can't be. He didn't feel any kind of connection to that place. Maybe he didn't have any connection anywhere at all.

(Ace felt fear in the face of solitude and he knew it wasn't the first time he'd felt it.)

They took him under their wings in the end, thankfully. Trained him to be a pirate. Didn't have much problems with that- Izo had pointed out that he was plenty strong for a ten year old. It showed that he had been training in the past so why not continue? There was no sense in stopping.

At the age of eleven (on the day Ace woke up from his coma, the 20th of March, his now birthday), he was happy to call Whitebeard his father and the rest his brothers. The void in his heart felt filled! It was like he'd been a part of the family his whole life.

(On the same day, two boys clumsily put together two sticks and tied it to form a cross, stuck it in the earth and prayed for their dead brother so he can rest in peace.)

Ace thought of himself as blessed for the next years of his life. Did pranks with Thatch, ventured on a number of islands with Namur, made himself stronger so he didn't feel inadequate around his brothers, and-

-the devil fruit.

(They weren't kidding when they said it was cursed.)

He didn't think eating it was wrong. He'd been eager, to be honest, when the 20th of March came around and Oyaji tossed him a bright orange fruit resembling fire. Said it was Marco's idea. His brothers were all smiling at him and Thatch in particular was fussing over cake ingredients, because Ace at fifteen had an appetite much larger than before. Ace offhandedly offered his thoughts on Seaking cake and laughed at Thatch's disgust.

He brought the fruit up to his eyes, examining it's unnatural shape. "Mera Mera no Mi, huh?"

"Yep," Marco quipped up from beside Oyaji. "Eat that and you'll be a fire logia."

Blenheim snorted then, an amused smile on his face. "Mama bird jus' wanted another fire person around."

"Huh? Say that again, yoi."

"Ooh, Marco's mad!"

Ace chuckled at his brothers' antics. He didn't think he could be any happier. Soaking in the sounds of laughter and being in the joyous company of the Whitebeard Pirates... He didn't think he'd be so blessed. He blushed a bright pink when the noise quieted down and everyone was looking at him expectantly again.

Thatch put a hand on Ace's shoulder, flashing him an encouraging smile. Ace returned it. "Go on. Take a bite!"

It took a few seconds for Ace to refuse.

Not really refuse, no. He just wanted more time to think about it. He liked swimming after all. Namur would've rued the day Ace couldn't swim anymore. On another hand, Marco said something about closure; How even though he didn't remember who or what caused his scars, eating the fruit that'll give him literal fire powers would make him move on. The thought was noble.

He was conflicted, to be honest.

It took him two days to decide what he would do with the fruit, in the end. He was giddy at the thought of course (he would match with Marco's blue flames and won't that just be the best thing?) but as any other person, he was afraid of change.

Jozu was the one who caught him staring out to the sea late at night. Ace knew he was behind him, but he didn't make a move to let Jozu know he was aware of his presence. He let the commander lean on the railing beside him instead, and silence reigned for a moment before Jozu talked.

"Made up your mind yet?"

Ace snorted. It was so like Jozu to be straightforward. He juggled the fruit in his hands nonchalantly, as if he wasn't worried it might fall. He wasn't- He could always swim to get it back. Ace furrowed his brows at the thought, lips pulled to a frown.

"...I like swimming." It wasn't just that, Ace knew, so he kept talking. "And becoming fire when I have..."

"The scars?"

"I know I don't remember. Eating fire when I've been burned already leaves a bad taste in my mouth, is all."

Jozu hummed beside him. There was a pause before the diamond man piped up again.

"I liked swimming too, you know." He began. Ace could hear distant sounds of the rest of his brothers on the other side of the ship. There was a dull orange glow washing over their backs because of the lanterns hung on a nearby cabin, and Ace glanced at Jozu, attentive.

"Didn't mean to give it all up for a fruit, though. Ate it on accident. If I had known it was a devil fruit, I would've given it to someone else."

Ace blinked curiously. "Do you regret eating it?"

Jozu smirked and held up his arm, willing his devil fruit to work. Diamonds plated his skin in an instant. They shined brightly in the night, reflecting off what little brightness the dark gave. "I got stronger, Ace," he said. "Didn't really have time for regrets when all it's ever done was protect my family."

Ace's mouth opened a bit in silent awe and he looked at the Mera Mera no Mi again. "Stronger," he murmured. He brought the fruit closer to him then, suddenly untrusting of himself to not drop the thing straight into the sea.

Jozu watched it all, bemused. "Stronger." He repeated. And as Jozu brought his sake bottle towards his lips and tipped his head back to drink, Ace, with underlying hesitation, ate the devil fruit in just a few bites- plowing through it quickly after he realized how fucking bad it tasted. He gagged as he threw the stalk to the side.

"Fuck, Jozu-"

"Language,"

"-It was rancid! Horrible! Like, like concentrated rat piss. I could've died from just the taste..!"

Jozu rolled his eyes at the boy's theaterics. "You wouldn't. Also," he pointed out with a finger. "Why don't you try it out?"

"Huh?" Ace managed to say. He was about to sass the other then, was about to say something along the lines of alright, I guess, let me just take three years off to actually learn how to use it first, before he saw smoke rising from underneath him. He looked down, tentatively, slowly, with the curiosity of someone who already knew what was happening but was inclined to see it anyway.

He recognized it as flames. Fire burning his toes.

In turn, something in his brain just sparked.

(-in a short second, his world turned upside down and he was no longer on the deck of his home but instead, he was on a wasteland full of garbage upon garbage, and the fire was higher than him, much higher than the walls he could see off in the distance. The smell was prominent- It stank of filth- wealth- corpses he knew were a lot because everyone was screaming, running towards the sea like madmen-)

Ace jerked, shouted, and swung his foot forward from underneath him. His arms flailed. Fell on his behind and turned his head around. There was panic on his face and Jozu could see it clearly because he laughed. "Shocking ain't it? It was the same for me too-"

Ace was breathing a tad too heavily.

Jozu frowned, realizing that something had gone wrong and all but dropped the bottle and quickly stepped to Ace's side. "Oi,"

"G-get it off."

The words trembled quietly and Jozu had to strain his ears to hear them. "What was that?"

Knee-jerk reaction. A pavlovian response. Ace turned to him so fast Jozu worried he might've gotten whiplash. The boy (fifteen years old, fresh off his birthday) had his hands raised as if he was indecisive on whether to grab Jozu's shoulders or not. His face was pale, eyes crazed as if he hadn't slept in weeks. Voice full with pure, unadulterated terror when he screamed, "Get it OFF!"

(He couldn't feel his legs first. It was only a second until he couldn't feel his arms next. He thought he'd surely be free but this... All this fire in one place was mortifying. Even more so with himself in it.)

"It's- It's hell on earth," Ace blurted out incomprehensibly, looking back to his feet and seeing the fire rise, spreading, higher and higher-

He let out a strangled cry, screaming again, and tried to back away from his own fucking feet and god, it's following him, the fire's following him and he doesn't know why! His mind spinned; Confused and beyond scared. He could hear footsteps and voices coming in all directions, raining thunder in his ears. His mouth was dry and his skin felt clammy. Yet he still chanted phrases like they were mantras, mouth working too fast to catch up with his brain.

"I don't wanna burn, I don't wanna, can't die yet, I still have- They're still there, they are!"

It was all gibberish though- By then, he was a sobbing mess after all. Can't speak properly, see. Didn't realize the fire was already put out, see. He pressed his palms to his eyes in an attempt to not see anything and he heaved.

Ace fainted, in the end. He woke up in an infirmary bed, confined in seastone cuffs with Thatch and Marco beside his bed, their expressions clear with deathly worry. The nurses said it was some kind of a flashback (Amnesia, they called it) and Ace's mind couldn't take the memories in. That explained why he didn't remember anything before he fainted at least.

He was relieved, to be honest. If fire can trigger his memories that badly, Ace didn't want to know how bad anything else can get. (Like a fleeting reverie, his scars itched something fierce.)

He knew the devil fruit was a bad idea. It wasn't worth all the headaches he went through.

But then, when he lit up one hand on fire, Ace felt comfort instead of fear.

Oh.

It took some time before Ace found himself completely in love with his powers when he made artificial fireflies out of them (gave that move a name, Hotarubi Hidaruma), and Thatch chortled at the fact that it took Ace some floating balls of fire to fully accept his devil fruit. Ace then found out that his fruit had other uses as well, when he shot said ball of fire to Thatch's precious hair. (That one he lovingly called Higan.)

His fire also made his wanted poster cooler, so that was that.

...It wasn't all that bad. Not bad at all. It was all good but Ace still found it scary how he seemed to adapt seamlessly into some situations like it was nothing.

He guessed that was a blessing too.

"I think... his nose looked like that? And his hair was longer. Eyes were sharper too, now that I think of it..."

"Sabo? Oh, you're drawing again."

"I just can't seem to get it right, Koala."

"You keep drawing the same person and you never tell people who he is. Mind telling me, at least?"

"Well. I guess? He's my... Never mind. It doesn't matter anymore. He's just a somebody."

"I don't mind secrecy; It's fine. Also,"

"Hm?"

"...Clean up other drawings of him from behind your desk. It's piling up."

"..."

"I'm worried about you, Sabo."

"...Alright."

Brother, brother, give me your answer do,

I'm crazy half for all the love you of,

I'm seas off to sail the, and leaving finallys you I'll-

A/N: Sabo's not entirely fine. Ace is a bit fine but not really. Also, this gon be 2 chapters because fucK I can't handle anything more oooof I want friendsss to talk about fanfic ideass aaaaaaa

The whole 'brother, brother, give me your answer do' thing is based out of a play called Philadelphia, Here I Come! by Brian Friel.

It's a tragic comedy about a son who wants to fix his relationship with his distant, taciturn father (who wants to do the same thing) before he leaves for America but doesn't know how. The whole story's about the lack of communication and in the end, hopelessness in trying to mend whatever relationship they have left! It's about failure! I saw the similarities and I took it! I'm MEGA SAD

See y'all! Mwahs