My first story! Woohoo~
As this is a work of fiction, I made slight alterations to the original storyline, in order to let my story work better. However, these adjustments are very minor, I hope it won't bother any reader. It's only about how Ace recieves Sabo's letter. That is all. Enjoy. Or at least, I hope you enjoy.
''Where do you think you're going?!''
I ignore the old hag screaming at my back. I don't want to listen to her. I don't want to hear the wails and cries of my little brother. My only brother now. I keep a steady pace as I walk the familiar path I have walked so many times. But this time, there is no destination. The destination is gone.
Gone.
Disappeared.
Dead.
I shake my head. I can't believe it. I won't believe it. He didn't die. He couldn't have. We were going to sail the sea! We were going to be pirates! We were going to be the strongest on the seas!
I bite my lip and shake my head furiously. This had to be some kind of nightmare. Some dream. I was sleeping. This couldn't be reality. He wouldn't die on us like that. He just wouldn't. I know he wouldn't. We swore an oath. He wouldn't leave us behind like this.
''Just wait up!''
This time I stop. This isn't the heavy old hag, this is Dogra. I should at least listen to him. He won't give me a talk, he wouldn't preach nonsense. Or at least I hope, because I really am not in the mood for useless, worthless, pointless words.
''What is it?'' I ask, my back turned to him, trying to compose my face.
''There is a letter for you and Luffy. I didn't read it. But it's addressed to the both of you. You should be the one to read it first though. Luffy probably won't handle it as he is right now.'' Dogra hands the letter over to me silently and looks away from me. ''I really am sorry, I really am. I thought I was hallucinating when I first saw the ship blow up. I really did.. I wished for it to be a hallucination. I really did. And still do.''
I shake my head. ''It's no dream.'' I hear myself say, confidently. Where does that confidence come from? ''It's the harsh reality.'' I turn around and accept the letter. ''Thank you Dogra. Go back to that hag now. Tell her I'll be back.''
''Be careful, we can't lose you too..'' Dogra whispers it and then runs away from me.
''You won't lose me, I won't leave him alone. I can't do that.'' I groan as I continue my way to the cliff. I want to see the ocean. I want to see the sun reflecting on the water. I want to be calmed by the view that always has managed to do so. I wonder if it can today.
I jump over a root that wasn't there before and then sling myself across the river, jumping skillfully from stone to stone. ''Almost there.'' I land safely on the other side and stop to look down at my letter. ''Oh well, let's start reading this.'' I open it up, recognise the handwriting, knowing for certain it's Sabo now and then proceed to read it.
As my eyes scan the words, I can feel my vision get blurry and once I reach the end of the page, I can't make out a single letter. ''How can you leave me and then ask me to protect him? I can't protect him! Not on my own..'' I feel the tears stream down my cheeks and I don't bother wiping them away. I let my head fall, folding the letter back, making sure I won't get my tears on them and then proceed to weep quietly. I watch the sun on the ocean and feel slightly relaxed. Maybe sometimes, tears do help.
I jump up by the sound of twigs breaking. Part of me hopes it's Sabo, joining me from the woods, saying it was all a prank and laughing at my pathetic state. But it's not. It's a girl. A tiny one. Maybe around Luffy's age. I get up and walk over to her, as she comes out of the woods. She looks at me funnily with brown eyes from beneath a messy blond fringe and then looks behind me, to the rock I was sitting on. Her hair has been tied up in messy pigtails on the top of her head and I can tell she did it herself. This was not how someone would look if they came from Fuusha Village, or how someone would look if they had rich folk as parents. She was a funny little thing.
''What're you doin'?'' For some reason her voice surprises me. She has an accent, a thick one but a lovely and melodic voice.
''What do you mean?'' I ask, scanning her outift now. A simple short dark denim dungaree which had one strap broken and was connected using a bright red pin. She wore a light green t-shirt underneath it, which had some rips on the sleeves, marking she wasn't too familiar in the woods or she was by now, if the rips were old.
''Why're ya weepin'?'' She asks, scanning me with curious eyes.
''I'm not weeping! You idiot!'' I scream and she smirks.
''So quick to disagree, huh? Who's the idiot now, huh? Idiot!'' She crosses her arms and then shakes her head. ''It's none o' ma business, really. I just need that rock o'er there. Tha's all.''
Now it's my turn to look at her funny and curiously. ''Why do you need a rock?''
''None o' yo business.'' Her eyes wander to the letter in my hand and she looks back at me. ''That an important letter?''
''Yeah..'' I mumble the answer and she smiles, eyes closed, head slightly tilted, shoulders up. Kinda cute.
''Then I guess I can let ya have the rock, just fo' today. I'll come back later then, a'right?''
I look at her confusedly and mumble a thanks. ''Why are you leaving me be?'' I can't help but ask.
She looks at me with an intent stare and then shrugs. ''I know a sad fella when I see 'm, I've 'nough sense to be considerate.''
''That's kind of you.''
''Thanks.''
The silence lingers and we both just look at each other. She plucks at some lose threads of her dungaree and looks at me from below her eyelashes, trying to be stealthy about it. I look at her more openly and the more I look at her, the more I realise. She has some bruises on her face, some bandages on her arm, spots on her dungarees that look like burns.
''Were you in the Gray Terminal?'' I ask her to which she looks up surprised.
She stays quiet for a little while and then nods. ''Yeah, used ta live there. There was this mighty huge fire, I 'scaped just in time.'' Her eyes turn watery and I realise she might've lost someone too.
''Were you.. were you alone?'' I ask her, hoping she'll talk more to me.
She walks past me and stands on the edge of the cliff, a little too close to the edge. ''I'm now.'' she says and then turns to face me smiling. ''Did ya lose someone too?''
I shake my head. ''Not in the fire. But my best friend died.'' I feel weird telling her that, I don't even know her. Maybe that's why it's so easy to talk to her. Maybe because she doesn't know me it's easy to talk to her. She motions me over and I move to her. I sit down on the rock she was so inclined on getting and watch her as she keeps standing. She moves her arms to her back and holds her own hands, moving back and forth on her heels.
''Y'know, I'll come back tomorrow to get my rock o'er there! So..'' she turns to me with an excited turn, ''are ya going to be here tomorrow too?'' Her brown eyes are shining with excitement and I feel a smile creep up my face.
''Do you want me to?'' I ask her and she nods. ''Then I guess I can come here again. I'll help you carry the rock.''
She laughs and pumps her fists in the air. ''Great! So I guess, I'll see ya again?''
She waits for me to nod my head and then skips back to the forest. She turns around to wave and then disappears between the trees. I smile absentmindly and then realise the letter I'm holding in my hand. I'll read it to Luffy tonight and I'll meet that girl tomorrow.
But for now, I'll just look at the sea.
That night
''Luffy, stop crying. Real men don't cry!'' I hit him over the head and he sobs even louder.
''DON'T HIT ME!'' He yells at the top of his lungs and all he gets is another hit over the head.
''Knock it off. Let me read you the letter Sabo sent us. So shut up will you! I can't read it when you're sobbing that loudly!'' I give him a stern glare and he sucks in his lips, trying his best to keep his sobs to himself. Moments like this remind me why he's our little brother. He needs to be protected. He holds his blanket so tightly his knuckles have turned white and his eyes are red because of his endless crying. He wouldn't survive being on his own. I'll need to calm him down, make him feel safe again. But first, the letter. That should be a step in the right direction. He'll feel slightly better if he knows Sabo thought of him. That Sabo didn't abandon us at least. And right now, that's the most important thing.
''Okay, Luffy. Are you listening?'' I ask him and he nods, still sucking in his bottom lip. I sigh and pull him against me, his head against my chest. ''Just for today, remind you!'' I tell him, just to be sure. He lets out a sigh and I know I did the right thing. And sitting like this, me against the wall and Luffy against me, we read the letter. I manage to hold my tears back, having cried them all up earlier today and keep a close eye on Luffy. He's calmed down and is listening to me talking and I know he'll be fine eventually. He'll be fine. Luffy is stronger than I give him credit for.
''Ace, you're not going to die, are you?'' Luffy asks as soon as I finish the letter.
"Of course no! Idiot!'' I hit him over the head and he starts laughing. He laughs that crazy laugh of his and I give him a funny look.
''Of course you're not going to die Ace! You're super strong!'' Luffy beams with confidence and I smile. Luffy is going to be just fine. I tuck him into bed, promising to never die, and lay down to sleep myself.
As Luffy's snoring fills up the room, I just can't fall asleep. I lay with my eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. I can't sleep. I sit up and stretch. I get up and walk downstairs. I avoid stepping on sleeping bandits and leave the house. As I close the door behind me softly, I hear Dadan mumbling. I decide to listen from the other side of the door. Her mumbling consists of only three words, 'Ace' 'Luffy' and 'Sabo'. It fills my eyes with tears, she's grieving too. That old hag is hurting too. Maybe I should catch something tasty tomorrow? Or is it already tomorrow? I look up at the sky and am welcomed by stars. How often Sabo and I looked up at this view and wondered if the sky looked the same at other places. I sigh, shake my head and leave for the cliff. I follow the rocky path, jumping from stone to stone, avoiding trees, sticks and the roads with animals. I push away the last bush in my path and I look out at the cliff. But I'm not alone.
The shadowy figure turns around as I make a sound and a voice calls out. '
'Who's there!?''
It's a squaky, soft voice. I hide my smile and walk up to the figure.
''It's just me.'' I say and I hear a sigh.
''Don't scare me like that!''
As I'm close enough, I can see the messy pigtails and smile. ''Sorry about that.''
''Ya better be!'' She gives me a little punch and then looks up at me weirdly. ''What're ya doin' here?''
''Right back at you. Why is a little girl like you here all by herself?'' I sit down on the rock and watch her put her hands on her hips and lean towards me.
''Now, hold on a minute! I'm nine years old, 'kay? I ain't no little girl!''
I feel a slight blush come up my face as our noses nearly touch but manage to hide it because she leans back and crosses her arms.
''What I do, is none o' ya business!'' she shakes her head and her voice sounds softer, weaker, ''I can't sleep.''
She's not shaking. She's not trembling either. She's standing, looking around strongly. She still wears that smile.
''Why're ya here?'' she asks, sitting down next to me on the stone.
''Can't sleep.'' I admit and she nods her head.
''Because of your friend, right?''
''Right.''
''Y'know, sometimes, it's best to just cry a lot.'' she looks at me with a smile and then adds, ''But sometimes it's good ta have a good laugh.''
''Are you for real?'' I jump up and look at her. ''I can't laugh! Sabo's gone! My best friend's dead and you want me to laugh it off! You want me to be happy about it? How can I do that? What makes that right? What do you-
I stop screaming as she flings herself around me and hugs me tightly.
''It's okay. You can cry.'' she whispers in my ear as she holds me tighter.
I move my hand up to my cheek and feel tears streaming down. I hadn't realised I was crying. I let it go and wrap my arms around the girl in return, crying.
We stand there for a while and when I'm calm, I let her go. ''Feelin' okay?'' she asks as I lean back from her.
''Yeah, I think I am.'' She flashes another smile and I scratch my neck embarassedly. ''Why are you smiling?'' I ask her, frowning at her slightly.
''Ya look cuter when yer not sad.'' she admits and then pulls me down next to her on the rock.
We sit in silence, watching stars and the moon reflect in the water. ''What's ya name?'' she asks, not looking at me.
''Ace.'' I mumble and she smiles.
''So what're ya acing?'' she jokes and then smiles again.
''What's your name?'' I ask her, not bothering on reacting on her joke.
''Erin!'' she chimes. ''It means smile!''
''That explains a lot.'' I mumble and she giggles.
''I guess so.'' she jumps up and then walks to the edge of the forest.
''Where are you going?'' I ask her, jumping up as well. I follow her and she shakes her head.
''I have ta get home! I think I can have a good night sleep now, thanks to ya!'' she giggles and then looks at me sternly. ''Ya need to smile more, y'know? So whattaya say, ya gotta hang out with someone named smile, don't ya think?''
I laugh at her slightly red cheeks and then smile at her. ''Sure, I'd like that.''
Her eyes widen and she looks at me confusedly. ''Ya mean that? Ya really want to talk more to me?''
''Yeah, let's hang out. Besides, we're still collecting stones tomorrow, aren't we?''
She smiles widely and flings herself against me once again. She hugs me tightly before skipping off again. ''Bye Ace! See ya tomorrow!''
I wave at her and smile.
Yeah, we'll see each other tomorrow.