Ace and Small Ace end up in a room.
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2. A Room
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The room was familiar yet strange, just like Small Ace standing next to him. The general interior, from dark wooden floor to sturdy and practical furniture, was that of Moby Dick. However, Ace did not recall seeing this specific room anywhere in his Moby. And Ace would know, because he literally went through every nook and cranny of the ship during his rebellious stage (puberty, according to some of the commanders).
The center of the room was taken up by a bed surrounded by numerous medical equipments, not unlike Whitebeard's bedroom.
On the bed lied another Ace.
"What the hell. Just how many of us are out there?"
Ace muttered.
This Ace looked… void of life. There were no better words to describe him. He was literally skin and bones, with no trace of muscle. The skin had unnatural pallor and his long, braided (braided!) hair looked brittle. Ace thought that if he poked him, he would degenerate into a pile of dust. It was unnerving, to say the least.
"He's me," Small Ace said, a sad smile gracing his young face.
"What?!" Ace asked in disbelief. He whipped his head from the atrophied, dying body to Small Ace, who seemed to be brimming with life. "You've got to be kidding."
Small Ace gave a small shrug. "It's true. I've been like this for the past seven years."
"What? Why? What happened?"
"I was ten and finally got a permission to wander around the island on my own. It was supposed to be a peaceful island, so everyone thought it would be okay to let me go on my own. But when I didn't return by the dinnertime, folks got worried and went around looking for me. They found me under a heap of rubbles at the outskirts of the town. The townsfolk said that it had been an old abandoned warehouse that collapsed sometime during the day. They thought I went there seeking adventure and accidentally got caught as the building collapsed on itself."
"They thought?" Ace echoed. He had a feeling this was not the truth.
"They did not have any reason to believe otherwise. But they were wrong. I didn't go there on my own and the warehouse didn't collapse on itself. I was attacked and dragged there by Kaido's men. They thought they'd killed me and tried to cover up their crime by destroying the building," Small Ace spat out, bitterly.
"Kaido's men? Why would they?"
"Oyaji and Kaido had been fighting over a strategically important archipelago and Kaido was losing. He needed a distraction. The untimely death of the youngest child seemed like a good distraction, apparently. And it worked. He's in charge of that region now." Both Aces growled in anger. "They say it's a miracle I'm alive at all. You don't know how many so called medical experts were invited onboard and then promptly kicked out because they suggested 'letting me go,'" Small Ace said, shaking his head with a rueful grin.
It was then that Ace finally took in the rest of the room. Everything was well kept and the bedside table was almost spilling over with myriad get-well cards and small presents, which must have piled up over the years. The clothes the unconscious boy was wearing were clean and even ironed. The braided hair meant that somebody had washed and carefully braided his hair, as if the person was afraid the unruly hair would bother the unconscious boy's sleep.
"Izou," Ace breathed. Small Ace looked up at him in question. "The hair. Izou braided it, right? He braids his hair like that sometimes."
Small Ace nodded, smiling in fond memory. "Yeah, Izou takes it upon himself to keep me clean and well-groomed. Well, as well-groomed as I can be in this state. And it's not only Izou. Everyone has been taking care of me, even though I've been sleeping for seven years. Marco reads to me, Jozu and Vista tell me about latest adventures, Thatch and Haruta let me in on their pranking schemes… Oyaji can't come in because the room is too small, but he sometimes sits by the doorway just to look at me. When there's a battle, the first thing they do is blockading the room. One time, an enemy crew member broke down the blockade and came in; maybe he thought we hid treasure or something here because it was just so obviously well-guarded. Then Sandi shot him full of sedatives, even though she's a nurse and got no training in fighting. She should have just run away, but she stood in front of my bed, protecting me…. When Marco later came in, you wouldn't believe the murderous look he had on his face as he dragged the poor guy outside," Small Ace laughed mirthlessly. His eyes glistened with unshed tears, which soon flooded down the round cheeks.
"You're loved," Ace whispered.
Small Ace nodded, wiping at his tears with the back of his hand. "I am. And I'm so grateful, but sometimes I wish they won't love me so much. I can see how this's affecting them… they don't laugh as much and they don't really party anymore. I don't want to keep being their burden. It's frustrating."
"I think, I think they don't see it that way because they love you, love us," Ace said. "Where I'm from… the world I lived in… I was foolish, reckless. I got captured by the Marines and was to be executed. I didn't think I deserved to be saved, but everyone came. Even though I was who I was, they… loved me. I'm not good at all this love shit, but I know that they love me. And you. They love us," Ace said in a soft voice. It was a realization that came too late for him. Ace knew that his family liked him and he himself loved them fiercely, but he did not know that he was also loved just as fiercely in return.
"…I guess I shouldn't keep you any longer," Small Ace said, his teary eyes shining with new found determination. "I was going to keep you to myself for a while so we can play, but I can't let my family wait any longer. Well, Mum and Roger're waiting on the other side, so I guess I'll just play with them. Come on, I'll help you get in."
Small Ace pulled on Ace's hand and put it on the forehead of the lying boy. White light began to shine from the place where the three Aces met.
"Wait, wait, what? What are you doing?" Ace asked, flabbergasted at the quick turn of events.
Small Ace smiled. "I'm giving this body to you. It's a second chance for you and a farewell gift to my family. Tell them thank you for me—for loving me, not giving up on me. And tell them that I love them and that I'll be alright. I'll be cheering for you guys from the other side."
"A-are you sure? This, this is your body," Ace took in a shuddering breath. He could feel himself slowly dissolving. It was a weird yet somehow comforting feeling.
Small Ace rolled his eyes for the last time. "Yes, I'm sure. Good-bye, the other me. See you later!"
With this final farewell, Small Ace, grinning a grin that was reminiscent of Luffy's trademark grin, slowly faded from Ace's view. No, it was not only Small Ace. Everything was slowly fading into white nothingness. And Ace…
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…fell into a deep slumber.
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When I was writing this chapter, I thought of Alphonse in FMA (for those of you who know the awesome series).
Also, many thanks to all of you who left kudos and comments in the last chapter! They're much appreciated ;)
