A four year old Ace sat on the bench seat beneath the window, his nose nearly grazing the glass as he stared out to the street. Most of the other children in town were too old, or too young to play with, and the small number that were his own age were mostly girls. Everyone knew girls were icky. They all had cooties. His mother of course was the only exception.
Resting his head on his arms Ace released a huff of air, watching as his breath fogged up the glass. His temporary distraction was replaced as a figure waving to him from outside caught his attention. Recognising Makino Ace pulled one hand out from under his chin to wave back. Makino was wrapped up in a thick coat, with a scarf wrapped around her neck to protect her from the unusually cold weather that had swept in. She was nice. For a girl. She was older than he was, but she was always nice to him, even if she had a habit of teasing him and calling him 'cute'. Ace was not cute. He was just little! But he'd grow. He would be the strongest in the village in no time! Then he'd be able to help his mum with all the work around the house that she couldn't do on her own, the work that usually went undone until Garp visited.
Makino's waving cut off as her father approached. He too offered a slight wave to Ace as he noticed him before wrapping Makino under his arm as he led her back into town. Ace watched the pair as they disappeared down the street, staring after them, long after they'd fallen from his sight. Makino had a mum and a dad. All of the kids had a mum and a dad. Ace only had a mum. He loved her, but he didn't have a dad.
"Ace? So, this is where you've been hiding."
"M'not hiding."
Rouge pressed a kiss to her son's dark mop of hair as he continued to stare out the window.
"No? What are we doing then?"
Ace shifted to make room for his mother as she sat down beside him. Breaking his gaze at nothing in particular, Ace focused on his mother, a concentrated frown taking over his face. Rouge's easy smile fell from her face at her son's uncharacteristically severe face.
"What is it Ace? What's wrong?"
"Why does everyone else have a dad and I don't?"
Rouge felt her heart clench in her chest. Regulating her breathing carefully, Rouge internally berated herself for her moment of weakness. It had been more than five years since she'd lost him. It shouldn't have still hurt. Trying to buy herself some time, Rouge lifted her little angel into her lap, stroking his hair as he willingly slumped against her chest.
What was she supposed to tell him? She had made Garp promise to never mention Roger to Ace the day that Ace's name had become Portgas D. Ace. Now she was wishing that she could have abdicated that responsibility to Garp.
No.
She couldn't have done that. Ace deserved the truth and he deserved it from her.
"Do you remember when Makino was upset because her bunny died?"
"Flopsy? She went to sleep and Makino couldn't wake her up again."
Rouge bit her lip. He was still so innocent, so naive, and she hated to think that this could be the discussion that took that from him. At his mother's hesitation, Ace tilted his head up to look at her. She looked sad.
"Did my dad go to sleep as well?"
"Sort of Sweetheart. Your father was an amazing man. He was incredibly powerful and strong... but he had a lot of people who didn't like him, and he was worried that some of those people would try to hurt us..." Rouge pulled Ace closer as images of her days in hiding resurfaced before she could force them down, "So to protect us, he let himself be caught. The people that he handed himself into, organised for him to die."
"So he was bad?" Ace asked; puzzled by what his mother had told him. "But why didn't he just say sorry and come back?!"
Rouge fought back the tears over how simply Ace still saw the world, wishing that it could be that simple. That 'sorry' could really fix things. Not that Roger would have ever apologised for his actions. It wasn't in his blood. Ace was exactly the same …when he could get away with it.
"It... It doesn't quite work that way sweetheart. You know those stories Garp's told you? About how the sea is full of marines and pirates?"
"Yeah! Pirates are awesome! They go on adventures and get to do whatever they want all the time!"
Just like his father.
"Your father was a pirate... one of the best... though he never claimed to be. The marines, they don't like pirates. They don't forgive pirates. That's why your father's gone, and where he's gone is somewhere none of us can get to right now. Not for a very long time. Do you understand Ace?"
Ace's brow crinkled as he thought over her words. Marines hated pirates. Garp told him every time he visited that pirates were bad. But Ace sort of liked them. He hadn't met one, but they didn't have to follow all the stupid rules that the marines did. He hated rules. They were never any fun. Being a pirate sounded fun, but not being sent away. He didn't want to be sent away. He didn't think Garp would send him away... although the old man was the only marine he knew... and Garp was crazy.
"I think so. Will the marine's send me away as well?"
Rouge's breath caught in her throat at the thought of her darling boy being taken away from her. He was hers. She knew she couldn't protect him forever, despite how much she wanted to wrap him up and hide him inside for the rest of his days. The craving for freedom would be too strong. One day, their little town wouldn't be enough for him, and he'd leave her. Maybe Garp would sway him to the life of a marine, but she doubted it. D.'s weren't meant to serve. They were meant to lead. All she could do was pray that Ace's Will, the Will he'd inherited from Roger, from herself, wouldn't lead him down the same path as his father.
"No, Ace. As long as they don't know who your father is, you're safe. They won't take you away. I promise. I won't let them."
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry it wasn't a very happy chapter... Thank you to everyone who's left me a review or faved/followed you guys are awesome.
