One Summer Morning
One summer morning I woke up, except I didn't.
I thought that I'd made it. I thought that I'd finally escaped the cage the my parents' home was to me. I thought that I'd be able to stay on the street with the friends that I loved so dearly I could call them my brothers.
But I suppose that I was naïve. That's what the guards usually say anyways. Or stupid. Like my parents said. When they did speak to me at least. I thought I'd be rid of the loneliness and the harsh words and the guards and the tutors. I didn't want to be a bird in a cage; trained to respond like its owner wanted. I wanted to be free. And I knew that I could never be free while I stayed at the big house that always felt so epmty it might as well have been haunted. I could never be free if I stayed with them.
But I could be free with my brothers. Or that's what I'd thought at least. I'd been so close. Just a dozen more yards and I'd be close enough to home to be safe. I'd be with Ace who would protect me and Luffy who would cheer me up.
But I never reached home. I was so close. But then I'd been pulled into an alley and shoved against a wall and the thug's hand had been on fire when he told me to give him all my valuables. I told him no. Because I'm stupid or naïve or something like that, and I wanted all the money I'd stolen from my parents to go to the Pirate Fund and to food for the three of us.
Then it hurt. It hurt so much. I felt like the whole left side of my face was on fire, and it might've been for all I know. It would probably have scarred if I had ever woken up again. I screamed. I'm not proud to say it, but I don't think I've ever screamed that loudly.
I think my brothers heard me all the way in our hideout, because before everything went dark and my life burned out I heard a scream of my name.
"SABO!"
I think it was Ace. It could've been Luffy. I think the thug ran when he heard them anyways, because I fell to the ground, staring up at the summer night sky with my remaining eye, at the stars. And I knew that I'd never be as free as I'd wished, but maybe my brothers would be. I hoped so. They deserved all the freedom in the world.
Water drops dripped onto my face as my view of the sky was obscured by dark hair and terrified eyes. I tried to smile. I tried to tell them I'd be alright, I couldn't.
I closed my eyes on a summer night, and the next summer morning I didn't wake up.
AN: I managed to give myself feels in the middle of English class while writing this, it was horrible. To explain; this is an AU in which Ace and Luffy are street rats in Goa Kingdom and they meet Sabo in much the same way as before, except when Sabo runs away for the last time he is cornered by a thug who was the consumer of the Mera Mera no Mi before Ace. Feedback is very welcome.