A/N: This chapter doesn't have Shanks in it. It was supposed to, I wanted it to, but it ran too long and I couldn't include Shanks there. It'd be too random. We do get Ace, though! Rejoice! Ok, I'll shut up now... ON WITH THE STORY!

Btw, for anyone who didn't notice, I did post a new story. Please check it out and leave a review so I know whether to continue or ditch it! Thanks :)

Chapter 4: Betrayal and Brotherhood

It took him a while but eventually Ace realized how suspicious the whole situation was. He almost slapped himself for not noticing it sooner. A mix of panic and fury bubbled up inside of him and he silently cursed his grandfather for not being home. His anger increased however at the idea that his grandpa had known about this and hidden it from him. No... Garp wouldn't do that to him. Not when it was about Luffy... Would he?

He must have been pacing the entire house for a couple of hourse before his remaining family member finally decided to come home.

"Oi, Gramps," Ace called, not wasting a single second. Garp jumped at the sudden voice, so filled with tension and suspicion. The old man grunted to show he had heard him. The raven-haired kid clenched his fists tighter. Gramps had been awful secretive lately. He'd leave for hours without explanation, meeting with people Ace didn't know. Perhaps he did know something. How dare he hide it from him? "Why did they take Luffy away?"

A deep sigh left the old man. "We've been through this Ace. CPS took him. I hate to tell you this, but let it go. There's nothing left to talk about."

A fist hit the door the man had just walked in from, banging it closed. "Liar!" Ace accused, voice filled with barely contained fury. "What really happened? Tell me!"

"What do you want me to tell you, Ace? What do you want to hear?" Garp retorted, starting to get quite pissed off himself.

"I want you to tell me why CPS took him away and not me! I'm freaking adopted! Shouldn't they be the ones to know that? Shouldn't they have taken me, too?"

Garp visibly tensed at his words. It was all the boy needed to be certain. Garp had known about this. Yet he hadn't said anything. Which meant something seriously wrong was going on.

"Ace... Don't go there..." The accusation in the younger's lips at the tired tone his grandpa had used. Yes, something was indeed going on. But Garp didn't like it either. And it was hurting him just as much. His anger turned into despair and once again he wished for the little boy who seemed to be made of sunshine to come and brighten up the day. They needed it. They needed him.

"Why won't you do anything about it?" Garp's heart clenched at the sight of his grandson trembling like that.

"This is more complicated than you can possibly imagine."

"What does Luffy have to do with any of this? Whatever this is?" He exclaimed, startling the other man.

Garp closed his eyes for a second, trying to think of the best way to handle this. But he had never been one for secrets and the boy had a right to know what had happened to his brother. "Come sit down, Ace. I'll tell you all I can."

The kid's eyes widened. That was easier than he had expected. "Really?"

"Really. But you're not going to like it." He sighed and made himself comfortable on the couch. "If you tell anyone, I'll kill you," he added as an afterthought. "And if I don't, somebody else will."

"What do you mean?"

Garp gave one last sigh and started explaining. "My son... is a very dangerous man. And he has pissed off a lot of people..."

Luffy was better in the mornings. Slowly but surely he was getting used to this place. The boy had started to get out, go to the cafeteria for lunch, out in the garden to get some air and enjoy a little bit of sunshine. Even if he still didn't want to meet anyone else and stayed close to Sabo all the time, he was steadily getting used to this place.

The nights were different. Sabo could and would keep him occupied during the day. Gain his attention in any way he could, not let him have too much time to think about things because he hated that pained, thoughtful look he got when he went really silent. The boy was still hurting and the blonde did all he could to spare him from it. In spite of all his work, when darkness came around, Luffy would not stop crying. Yet somehow at one point he had began to stop even that. Until one night, it all went wrong.

A storm was raging outside. Thunder and lightning is a terrifying combination as it is. That night it was also accompanied by a strong wind that made the whole thing worse. The swings and seesaw in the playground outside creeked. Branches hit on roof and windows. A cacophony of sounds kept the two boys awake and the storm seemed to be getting worse, not better.

Over the years, Sabo had managed to sleep through storms like this. However, as much as he could ignore the storm outside, he could not, for whatever reason, ignore his roommate's whimpering form on the bed next to him. Luffy was covered entirely in blankets, so what was actually visible was a shaking blue bump. It was the whimpering and frightful yelps which came from the bump that worried Sabo.

Not being able to stand the boy in such a state for any longer, Sabo shakily walked over to him and placed a hand on what was most likely his back. This didn't have the calming result he had expected. In fact, quite the opposite happened. Luffy yelled in fear and fell of the bed in his panic. He frantically tried to take the now tangled sheets off of him, only to end up being even more tied up.

Sabo quickly ran to the other side to the bed and grabbed the kid's arms to calm him down. "Luffy. Luffy! It's ok, it's me. It's ok, you're ok. Calm down."

Luffy was still panting heavily but stopped struggling against the other's hold. He let Sabo carefully get the blankets off and even managed a shaky smile at him, despite the tears still running down his face.

"Are you alright?" The blonde asked, keeping his voice steady and confident. It had the desired effect. His tone alone made Luffy calm down a little.

"Y-yeah. Thank you. Thanks a lot."

Sabo smiled, the gap in his teeth showing. "Don't worry about it. You should try to sleep, though. Is there anything you need?" He raised his brow at Luffy's hesitant bite of his lip. Clearly there was an idea in the young boy's mind. "What is it, Lu? Come on, you can tell me."

"C-can I..." Sabo could've sworn he was playing with him when he turned his eyes back to him, they appeared to be twice as large (if that was possible) and filled with a childish desperation to make it all go away. He was sure at that exact moment. Even if Luffy told him to go out in the storm and dance in the rain like a complete idiot he would've done it. "... can I sleep with you?"

Oh, ok. At least that was easier.

"Lu, we're in the same room."

The black-haired boy turned away in embarassment. Well, we couldn't have that.

"Ok, alright. I don't mind."

With that, he got up and helped the other up. Soon enough, they were both tucked in Sabo's bed, with Luffy's head hidden in his roommate's chest. He was trembling a little even now, but thankfully it was nowhere near as bad as before.

"Have you always been this afraid of storms?"

"Yeah..." he whispered sheepishly. "I don't like them."

Sabo fixed the blanket on top of them a bit before continuing. "Well, how did you come with them before now?"

The boy frowned, his thoughts treading in dangerous territories. "Usually, I'd just go and... and..." Black eyes widened in shock, lips trembling.

"Luffy? Lu, what is it? What's wrong?" The older boy asked worriedly, sneaking a peek at the kid.

Suddenly, loud, painful sobs shook the young body. Small hands clenched Sabo's shirt until the knuckle's turned white. Luffy was shaking harder than ever, tears flowing like waterfalls down his red cheeks.

"Hey, hey, hey! What happened? What's wrong? Luffy!"

It was no use. The boy was inconsolabe. Right at the moment Luffy wasn't listening to Sabo's panicked yells. No, Luffy was thinking of Ace and of how he always went to him during storm nights. He went to his brother and no matter how much he complained about Ace always let him sleep with him. And now what? He's been gone away for a week and he... he... he asked someone else. Albeit unwillingly, he had actually replaced his brother. Just what kind of person did that make him?

"Luffy... Luffy... Talk to me, what's wrong?"

He opened his mouth but couldn't bring himself to say it. Leave me alone. Go away. I can't do this to Ace. I can't betray him like that.

"You're not alone, Luffy!"

"I'm not leaving this place without you!"

But what did Sabo do to deserve this treatment? Especially when he was just as caring?

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It's just..." he mumbled, barely coherent through his tears.

"Ace," Sabo nodded, his tone full of understanding.

"H-how?'

A hand stroked a slightly sweaty mop of black hair caringly. "It's alright. Don't worry about it. Just calm down. It's only one night. Wouldn't Ace want you to be taken care of?'

Luffy froze in shock. He hadn't thought of it that way before. Ace was constantly worried about him. Would he hate being replaced like this or would he be happy Luffy had someone to watch out for him?

Sabo leaned closer to the boy's ear and whispered with a hint of a smile. "You know, Lu... A person doesn't have to have only one brother in his life. For what is worth, I've always wanted a little brother. And I'll always be here for you if you need me. I promised, didn't I?"

The younger one had no idea what to say. Two older brothers. What if Ace wasn't being replaced at all? Maybe their little family was growing a bit, that's all. Luffy surely had enough room in his heart for both boys.

"You said you'll never leave me alone..."

"Never. I promise."

Luffy snuggled closer to him. He barely noticed the storm anymore.

A/N: Umm... what the...? This was not supposed to turn out like that! My brain never agrees with my plans... *sigh* Anyway, the next chapter should be up real soon and it WILL have Shanks in it! I promise! Leave a review and tell me what you think! More reviews mean faster and longer chapters! :)