Not much to say for this chapter, except that it focuses on Ace. I had fun writing this chapter.

Review response:

Kiki-sama: Thanks for the review. And thank for being a loyal reader for all of my stories. Like I said before, not all of the character will show up. But a good chunk of the main cast will.

Petunia- These flowers have several, somewhat contradictory, meanings. Along with resentment and anger, they can also indicate "your presence comforts me."

- - - - - –

When Ace walks to the room coming from another therapy meeting, there are two sheets of paper on his bed. It's in Luffy's handwriting: sloppy, misspellings, and written unevenly (does Luffy even know what the blue lines on lined paper are for?) It reads:

'

1. You're not allowed to fall asleep on purpose in therapy and say it was a narcolepisictic attack.

2. You can't say it's a accident when it's not either.

3. Narcolepisicticis not contagious. Stop telling other people it is.

4. Just because we were raised by a thief doesn't mean you can swear all the time.

5. You can't set stuff on fire just because you're bored.

6. You can't steal food from the kitchen and not share. Speically if it's meat.

P.S.: Sabo was a nicer brother than you.

Ace's response is placed on Luffy's bed the following day.

1. It's spelled narcoleptic.

2. You can't prove that it's not an accident.

3. Not my fault Usopp and Chopper believe everything someone tells them.

4. You're jealous that swearing doesn't make you look as cool as me.

5. Sure I can.

6. Don't tell Gramps everything I've done. Maybe I'll share food with you.

7. Stop going near the swimming pool when you know you'll sink like a hammer.

8. Stop being such a crybaby.

P.S. Sabo wasn't a big pain like you.

Ace isn't in the mood to deal with his younger brother right now. So he sneaks out while the nurses are busy with trying to round-up the children for lunch. He walks to the wooded area nearby, where he had a pile of dry leaves ready. Thoughts roll around in his head as Ace plays with the lighter in his pocket absentmindedly.

The autumn breeze helps strokes the fire. Ace watches the leaves burn with mild amusement and can feel the tension leave his body. He tries not to let Luffy's note bother him, primarily not the last part (Sabo was a nicer brother than you) but it won't go away and it frustrated Ace that Luffy doesn't even try to understand what he's going through.

"You have to watch over Luffy. He's our little brother, and a bit of a crybaby. But I'm sure he'll be fine with you."

Ace is pretty sure Sabo would tell him how bad he's screwing up if he was here.

- - - - - –

Ace avoids going to the therapy session. Not that he still isn't trying avoid Luffy (although they share a room and that would be impossible) but because he feels like they are a waste of time. It's on the hospital roof where Dr. Nico finds him.

She doesn't say anything at first and Ace isn't going to start this conversation because he wants to left alone, which no one seems to understand.

"Your brother is look for you." She states in a calm voice.

"So what? I don't want him following me around all the time. He's a second shadow."

"He's nine-years-old. Younger siblings tend to do shadow the older siblings at that age."

"Well tell him to stop. Besides, seems like he's having fun playing his pirate game lately. He can be busy with that and stop bothering me."

"Luffy's worried about you. He thinks you blame him for the fire."

"He was sleep when it happened, the idiot. How can he blame himself for something that not even his fault?"

"You'll be surprised how often the younger brother takes the blame the older brother did. Particularly when the younger hates seeing the elder in pain."

Ace lets this mull over in his head for a moment. "So Luffy blame himself because he doesn't like that I'm the one who started it?"

Dr. Nico places her hand on his shoulder. Ace wants to shrug it off; though he doesn't. "No one says it was your fault."

Ace balls up his hands. "But it is though. It fucking is. I'm the one who was playing with the lighter that night. I'm the reason why me and Luffy are stuck in this stupid hospital and we're probably both crazy. I'm a pyromaniac, and I caused that damn fire that killed Sabo."

The black haired boy has tears running down his face, but he doesn't wipe his away. "I killed our brother. Luffy should hate me."

"So you want him to?"

Ace can't answer that question, doesn't even know if he wants to. So instead he says, "If Luffy wasn't here, I think I would have gone crazy a couple of months ago."

- - - - - –

Ace is up at night when he hears the first of the whimpers start from his brother's bed. Wordlessly, he climbs in next to Luffy and whispers words of comfort until the younger boy calms down.

For as insane as Luffy drives Ace, the older brother is glad that he has his little brother around. They only have each other right now, and Ace knows that he needs Luffy as much as Luffy need him.

Angst, much? Can you tell that I like to mental torture characters?

The some of the rules that Luffy writes for Ace didn't come from me. Credit goes to elvenarchess and her story Second Division Prohibitions. She was nice enough to let me use them. (I did re-word them to make it work for this story though. )Her story is definitely worth the read (and it's insanely funny.)