Day 1 - General
The pile of branches and sticks was haphazard at best, but considering the pyre had been constructed by two young boys, it really wasn't so bad.
It had been Ace's idea, mostly for a sense of closure for himself and for Luffy. The younger boy was too little to understand he needed such a thing, but Ace had caught him awake and silently weeping to himself more nights than he cared to keep count of. He knew Luffy was trying to be strong, but he also knew something was missing. If this would help Luffy, it would be more than worth it.
They didn't have much of Sabo's to burn. The clothing he'd worn was gone, as was his usual fighting pipe and his personal flag. There were the blankets he'd used to sleep in, still laid out as if he'd be back to sleep on them that night. Burning them seemed impractical though. On a cold night, extra blankets would always be welcome. Aside from that, there were the three sake cups they'd used to commemorate being brothers hanging on the wall of their home but… Ace could never burn any of them. It didn't matter if Sabo was gone or not, he was their brother, and that would never change.
A thorough scouring of their tree house and usual haunts found one of Sabo's oldest pipes, badly damaged and beyond repair, and an early version of a Jolly Roger he'd made for himself and then rejected. That was all they found that was exclusively Sabo's, but it was enough to make due.
"Luffy!" Ace called, placing his last armful of kindling around the base of the pyre. "Did you get the stuff I asked you to?"
"Yeah!" Luffy appeared. "Ace! Listen! Dadan was just sleeping outside! These were really easy to steal!" The youngest brother laughed and proudly presented the book of matches Ace had asked him to get.
It was suspicious that Dadan had been sleeping outside and so soundly that Luffy was able to take her matches from her without being caught, but Ace wasn't going to question it. "Okay, give them to me," he instructed.
Luffy handed the matches to Ace when he saw the now completed pyre. Ace had already laid Sabo's things on it. All it needed now was a light.
"This is what a funeral is like?" Luffy asked. His voice was uncharacteristically quiet, and Ace could detect the sadness in it.
"Yeah," Ace muttered. He could see his own sadness reflected in Luffy's eyes. Sabo had been gone for a week already, but it was still strange not to have him there. There were still moments when Ace thought of something he wanted to say, something not suited for his little brother's ears, something he could only tell Sabo. But his brother wasn't there and never would be again, and sometimes remembering that threatened to bring the tears Ace had been pushing down back to his eyes. He needed to say goodbye.
"Come on, Luffy," Ace struck a match, tossing the matches back to his brother. "Help me light this."
Luffy jumped at the chance to play with the matches, struggling for a moment to figure out how Ace had gotten his lit. Once he'd figured it out, he tripped forward and nearly fell onto the pyre in his haste to catch up to Ace as he had already ignited several patches of kindling. Ace bit back an annoyed sigh, resisting the urge to snap at his little brother for his stupidity.
The fire grew quickly once they had it lit, and Ace and Luffy had to take several steps back to escape the heat. They watched silently as the flames spread, rising up the pile and encompassing the items laid on top. Sabo's old flag fluttered in kicking flames before they burned at it, and it sank back against the wood, blazing brightly in the eager fire.
"Ace," Luffy spoke, his voice unsteady.
Ace looked down at him. Luffy's overly large straw hat hid his face, but no tears fell from beneath it.
"Is this goodbye?" Luffy asked, the tremor of sadness evident in his voice. He was biting his lower lip, fighting back the tears he promised he wouldn't shed anymore.
Ace looked away. If Luffy cried, he would ignore it, just this once.
"Yeah, Luffy, this is goodbye."