People, look! I updated :D I didn't forget too and with a not to distant time between the chapters. I think I deserve a cookie.
Now to the reviews; I want to thank, Aemilius95, READINGhearts17, maybe143 for reviewing. I'm glad you liked my story and found it interesting. Of course, I want to thank those below too;
Azuregold: I'm glad that people are still reading this story. I'm dreading the moment I bring Luffy into the story, to be honest. I have no idea of how I should have Ace react to him. It's a pain but thankfully that's far away still. I know that the Haki has with ones spirit to do and not the body but even if Ace's spirit has always been strong it has faltered. He's ten years old again and at that age he heard from right to left of how he wasn't supposed to be born and how he was worthless and all that over again. He couldn't come back and be all, "Yeah, I'm fine with the whole situation 'cause it's so weird and I'm a D!" So he needs to get his spirit up first and all, plus he's only used his Haki once as a child and that is still far away as you might remember.
Kickassdani: No, no, no, Ace has met Sabo yet, I promise but it's dark in that damn cave. Like Ace said, he couldn't see a thing...
Fairyofthelake: True but we do know he CAN use Haki, or at least Conquerors Haki from what we know of the brothers as children. My thought is that he'd most likely learn how to use it but just wouldn't because it would remind him about Roger, who probably also had great skill sin Haki though we know not much of his adventures, sadly. But yeah, I get your point. We never got to know if Ace knew how to control his Haki or not, but he did have the spirit and ability to posses Haki, even as a ten year old kid.
That is the reviews I'm answering this chapter and lets be frank about something 'cause it really wont spoil anything. Sabo and Ace has met already, as stated above. No need to worry about not knowing anyone here. Besides Ace is like twenty, he knows everyone he's going to met and those he hasn't met already.
Enjoy!
Ace couldn't see anything in the dark but he could damn well feel and it wasn't exactly something he was appreciating at the moment. The sharp object pressed against his neck had an uneven surface and it was thick and cold but still sharp, yet it didn't feel like a knife. There was something else brushing against his neck along with the cold edge, paper perhaps? Or maybe bark? When living in the jungle you had to use what you got or what nature gave you so everything was possible.
The sharp object pressed harder against his neck. Ace could feel how it was slowly ripping the skin open. He wasn't bleeding as of yet, luckily. Now, the funny fact in all this was that he'd been in similar situations twice before, eh, in the near future(?) that both was quite similar. The first had been during a fight with Thatch his first days on the Moby Dick, he'd learnt to never underestimate the man again and that the dude had some serious Haki skills. The second encounter had been with a lady he'd slept with when he was drunk. To put things at mild terms, she was damn pissed and thrown him out head first, stark naked, after threatening to cut his throat open – of course then he had nothing to worry about.
"Well?" the voice that Ace recognized as Sabo's asked.
Ace narrowed his eyes and could faintly see a pair of coal eyes staring intensely at him. He was slowly getting used to the dark and the shock was slowly fading away. The breath stuck in his throat was released and his throat pressed dangerously against the weapon resting against his neck. This was the first time he'd ever seen Sabo ready to kill a man, even if Ace thought that the kid was just bluffing one could never be too certain. Plus he didn't have his logia powers no more, yet, (damn this was weird) so whatever wounds he would receive would heal at its own rate, which would be a pain (cough, cough, his legs, cough, cough).
"I asked who the hell you are-!" Sabo shouted and put a little more pressure on the weapon.
"Wait, Sabo!" Ace exclaimed and flailed his arms to get the blonds attention away from cutting his neck off. "It's me, Ace!"
There was a moment of long silence and if one would drop a nail it would sound like an echo in the small cave. Brown eyes stared at black and none of the boys moved. The coal eyes of Sabo seemed to be trying to determine if it really was Ace or not. He was unsure in the dark. But Ace beat him to it. He raised his small hand, made the number six with his right hand and positioned it in front of Sabo's face. Then Ace released his index finger and snapped Sabo on the nose.
An awkward silence spread.
Even if it probably only lasted for seconds, a minute at most, for Ace it felt like an eternity. The tension that had built up inside him feared that maybe Sabo wouldn't recognize him or that he maybe never had snapped Sabo on the nose in this universe. It had been a game they'd played back as kids, well younger than ten. Though Ace had no guarantee that things wasn't different in this time or if it was just the same as how he remembered it.
Laughter filled the cave as the weapon retreated from Ace's neck and Sabo took a step back. "Ace, sorry 'bout that," he said scratching the back of his neck. He had guilt dusted in his eyes as Ace massaged his neck.
"Nothing to worry about," he said thanking the gods that he was still alive, ironically, and let the tips of his fingers run over the small, non-bleeding slit formed on his neck. Luckily it wouldn't leave a scar. For a moment there he actually thought the blond would do it. With a sigh of relief he plopped down on the hard ground. His legs were killing him.
There was a moment's silence and the sound of rocks hitting each other before a small spark lit up the air and it lit up for a few seconds just to almost die the next. Sabo's face was close to the small spark as he cupped his hands around it and blew at it slowly. Now and then he threw in some twigs to give the small flame more to feast upon. The small fire grew, burning in the middle of a circle of rocks while Sabo scooped twigs and dead leaves onto the fire.
Sabo looked just like Ace remembered him, blond, slightly tanned with maybe a little too perfect skin and the small loophole between his left side teeth. He wore the same white plain shirt, which was more grey-shaded than white now and as always with the same blue pants but the torn cravat and the coat was lying a few feet away from the fire along with an improvised bed made of only pelt and leaves. Sabo still had his black shoes on and as long as Ace had known him preferred to sleep in his boots. His top hat was lying at the end of the pelt bed.
Ace's eyes were automatically drawn to the small gleaming weapon lying next to the fire. It was a small class shard with the lower half wrapped in aluminum. The shard was thick and uneven. If you'd turn the shard one way you'd see right through it like a window and if you'd turn it the other it looked like a mirror. The tip of the shard was covered with a rusty red substance; blood. Ace would recognize it everywhere. He narrowed his eyes at the improvised knife.
"That's an interesting weapon you've got there," Ace said, sitting cross-legged in front of the warm fire. He'd used his commander voice by pure instinct but it didn't seem as Sabo noticed the difference in his tone of voice. The shard must have been what he'd stepped on in the dark, good thing he wore shoes.
Sabo held up the glass-knife and Ace nodded at the unspoken question. "This? I made it when I first moved here," he explained. "Never had much of a reason to use it until now, though never really thought I'd get a reason either."
"Then why do you have it?" Ace asked; he was both suspicious and curious on the improvised glass-slash-mirror-knife.
"To ward of wild animals or other small rodents coming this way," Sabo said and sat down next to Ace. He threw a handful of leaves and twigs on the fire; sparks floated up towards a black spot in the ceiling before disappearing. "I've only ever used it once and that was on a squirrel during winter."
Ace relaxed not realizing he'd actually tensed up. So that was where the dried blood came from. He wasn't really sure what he'd thought but from all his now non-existing years on the open sea might have made him a tads bit on edge around people he'd never met before or hadn't seen in a long time. Plus his experience with Blackbeard had scarred him; who knew what the people around him could be capable off. He had once called Teach his comrade and it had turned out that he was one of his greatest enemies! He didn't understand why he'd gotten so suspicious in the first place though. This was Sabo! Of course Sabo would have a weapon to protect himself with just like Ace had his methods, mostly consistent of the glare that could make grown men shit their pants – with Luffy as an exception, the brat never realized when to stop or shut up.
Lying sprawled out on the cave floor Ace relaxed his tense joints. He hadn't trusted the situation enough to relax but with Sabo around, yeah, he knew he could relax. He closed his eyes and breathed in the smoke that filled the small cave coming from the small fire. It was enough to make him feel warm inside.
"By the way, Ace, what brings you here in the middle of the night?" Sabo said pulling his coat and top hat on.
Ace put his hands behind his head and said without opening his eyes, "It's early morning." Not answering the question. Sabo rolled his eyes at his friend. "And…" Ace hesitated and turned his head to look away from the fire, not wanting the disgust written on his face to show. "I need painkillers. You have some, right?"
"Yeah," Sabo said as he walked over to the pile of pelts and started to poke about inside the mass of fur. "I do; any reason why?"
Ace didn't answer still looking away. He already felt sick and he hadn't even seen the pills.
A few moments later Sabo retrieved his hand, a small wooden box in it. It was simple and clearly hand made. It didn't have a lock and the bark looked worn and used. Sabo opened the small lid; the inside was clad with green grass as to hide the strong cent the pills gave off. He looked through it and moved the objects inside the box before he pulled out a small pill. "Here," he said handing the pill to Ace. "I don't have any water though. If you want you can go down to the river to fetch some-"
He didn't finish his sentence as Ace swallowed the pill whole, no water or anything. But the look on his face was priceless. He looked as if he'd just eaten frozen camel poo and had it puked up only to swallow it all again. Though maybe that was what Ace thought drugs was; frozen camel poo.
Ace held his mouth in disgust. He didn't like taking medication, which in his eyes was as bad as any other damn drug and had no fond memories coming with the word drug, either. Especially not from the time he'd still been captain of the Spade pirates. He'd become sick for days that had gotten close to weeks once and the crew had believed he had some kind of decease or something. Of course, in the end it all turned out to be because of the medication (a.k.a drugs) they'd given him to get better and ever since Ace had trouble consuming his medication when it came in any kind of pill or tablet.
Sabo put the box back in its place and looked at Ace in confusion. "Do you not feel well?" he asked and looked over Ace disgusted expression.
"No, it's just the medication…" Ace mumbled and tried to use his own spit to get the horrid taste out of his mouth.
"Was there anything wrong with it? Is it not working?" Sabo asked looking with concern at Ace.
Ace shook his head. "No, the medication was fine," he said in a hissing-like voice. "I'm just having trouble with drugs that's all."
"When did you get problem with drugs?" Sabo asked. He watched as Ace chocked on his own spit before turning towards the blond. He wiped away some spit that had spilled over his chin and swallowed. Ace wasn't moving and from the currently absent look on his face, he was trying to find a good answer and then finally said, "It's a recent thing."
"Mhm…" Sabo said and eyed his unofficial brother. He scanned the freckled cheeked boy next to him and hid a frown. There was something about him that was odd, Sabo just knew it. That gleam of hatred in his eyes, was it gone, perhaps? Or was there more freckles? Was he in a good mood? It had to be something and except for the physical damage, which Sabo had taken notice of shortly after giving him the painkillers, nothing was really physically different. "You want me to patch that?"
Ace followed the finger Sabo pointed that lead to his legs, a few red-ish yellow spots covered from his thighs to his ankles, his feet were probably just as bad but the shoes covered it up, some of the spots bigger than others. That reminded Ace of what he'd actually came there to do except get painkillers.
"Uh, yeah."
Pulling the small box out again Sbao pulled out white bandages wrapped in small rolls. He put the box down on the ground and sat down next to Ace legs. What had he done to get these kinds of bruises? It was as if they were spreading from everywhere and not from a special point. He removed Ace shoes and sighed. His feet weren't any better, just as red and yellow, if not more than his legs.
Shaking his head Sabo started wrapping the bruised parts of Ace legs with care, noticing how Ace winched when he put a little too much pressure or brushed against the worst spots. He tied the ropes and gave a nod.
"There, all done." He stood up and put the small box away for the second time that evening.
Ace studied his legs and gave a brotherly smile. "Thanks, Sabo," he said while putting his shoes back on.
The noble looked at where the pirate son sat. Ace had thanked him, sure it had happened before but still. Not with that much kindness; Ace always had had that gleam and hint of hatred against the world whenever he spoke, now? It wasn't there. …Something wasn't right here.
"Ace, what are you doing here?"
The question was asked so blunt and direct that Ace had to blink to register that Sabo had spoken to him. "Uh… painkillers," he answered quickly pointing to his legs as if the answer was obvious.
Sabo raised an eyebrow. "But why?"
"What do you mean why?"
Sabo stared at him as if the question was the dumbest in the world. "You never take painkillers," he said and stood up and made a typical ten-year-old-Ace pose while imitating the boy trapped adult, "I don't need such things; they are for weaklings and sick people!" Sabo flopped back down onto the ground. He raised both eyebrows and waited for an answer to his question.
Sure, Ace had refused to take painkillers when he was a kid too, but then it was because he believed that if people knew he felt pain they would think him weak, not because he had a problem with them.
Ace stared into the fire. He wanted to tell the truth but having Sabo just by his side felt unreal and like a dream. He even feared that the blond would disappear if he wasn't careful. A part of him was angry at Sabo for leaving them like he had because Ace had never wanted to believe Sabo to be dead in the first place and another part of him wanted to grab him and hold on for dear life and never ever let go again. Whatever he would say now would determine what he would do. He had no idea what his past self would have answered. Probably something about being attacked by a wild animal while hunting or something along that line or just deny being in pain at all and just say he'd started with drugs – which probably wouldn't be such a surprise to the former noble. So Ace decided to go with the blunt truth.
"I jumped out a tree."
There was a moment's silence. Sabo poked his ear to remove any dirt that might be blocking his eardrum but when he saw that Ace was dead serious he felt like crashing into the ground. Sure, he knew that Ace did stupid things, but he'd never been suicidal! At least not for the five years Sabo had known him.
"I forgot how high it was." Ace couldn't hide the smirk that grew wider and wider. He had no idea why but he felt like laughing, just out of the blue and because a ten year old Ace was rarely laughing much less smiling and mostly shouting or arguing or fighting he tried his best at a poker face. And let's just be frank, the world knows that Portgas D. Ace doesn't have a poker face, which is also the reason Ace sucked at poker, so a smirk was clearly visible on his young face. And said smirk made the young noble move an inch away from his friend because in Sabo's and everyone else's book, a smiling Ace was never going to bring good news. Sabo knew that Ace would never hurt him like they hurt the thugs they robbed but Ace rarely smiled unless it was about a subject he actually felt comfortable about, like going to sea or becoming a pirate. For a moment Sabo considered asking what the young pirate prince was thinking about but decided against it. He was better off not knowing.
Being completely oblivious to his brother's worried face Ace just lied there on the ground with a big smirk on his lips. The smirk didn't have hatred, anger or loneliness hidden within its depts. It was a smirk of pure happiness. Ace was lying in a cave next to his supposedly deceased brother who he'd thought he'd never see again, how could he not be happy?
This was good, he thought. There was nothing that stopped the brother's from being together, just that Luffy might not yet be there, but if he knew the Monkey family well enough, which he did from firsthand experience, Luffy would arrive sooner than he could anticipate. He could actually get used to this, much to his surprise.
Ace yawned. He hadn't slept for almost, if not more than, twenty-four hours and now that his body was relaxed he realized just how tired he was.
"Hey, Sabo?" Ace said, sitting up.
"Yeah?" The noble threw another hand of leaves into the fire.
"You won't mind me crashing here tonight, right?" Ace asked, maybe a little too polite for ten year old Ace.
Sabo shrugged. "You don't have to ask, you know," he said and nodded.
Ace lied back down on the hard ground with his hands behind his head and mumbled a "thanks". Sabo stared at his brother. Ace asking for permission and thanking him twice in one day…? Pigs must fly because that's something completely new. Not to mention the politeness and happiness that seemed to radiate of off his friend. What the hell had Ace done to make him this happy and… happy? Sabo knew about Ace family and he also knew that it was why Ace always seemed to be sour and angry at the world and the people in it which was why he never questioned his friends angry moods swings sometimes, but he'd never had to deal with an up in the roof happily polite smirking Ace. Of course, it could just be Sabo that found the whole situation awkward and wrong for the Ace he knew. Maybe Ace was always like this or it was just a good day, Ace tended to have those from time to time.
He turned to ask his brother on the subject but found the older dead asleep; a small snot bubble poking out of his nose. He let out a sigh and grabbed one of the pelts and threw it over the boy. He would catch a cold if he'd sleep like that on the naked rock floor. He decided to leave the fire burning to not leave Ace in the cold, besides; it would burn out during the night so nothing to worry about.
Ace mumbled something in his sleep just before Sabo was about to pull the covers over himself in his pelt bed and thought he caught something about a name, but he wasn't sure as he hadn't heard quite what he'd said so he ignored it.
Sabo! Ace! And no one got killed! I think that is improvements, except for that squirrel... I feel bad for him, her, whatever hen is... (Hen: A Swedish word for shemale :3) Anyway, about the pirate prince title I gave Ace, lets all just agree that it fits him. He is the son of the pirate king, of course Ace would be a pirate prince by blood, right? Even if it isn't a very long bloodline and that it ended rather quickly :P
Please, review!
