-SABO-

He froze.

Well not literally, but with the strange cold front coming in and the horridly insulated house in which was he currently residing, it wasn't too far of a stretch. This freckled kid in front of him looked ready for murder. Not just a figure of speech, judging by the long metal pipe tucked under his right shoulder.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Breath. It was rather disorienting waking from a painful and near comatose slumber, and to immediately be bombarded by such a glare. It unnerved him. Not that Sabo would ever show it, let alone admit to it. He needed to think of the appropriate response which would best suit the situation, but like the damn unpredictable thing it was, his mind was running a blank. True, he remembered hearing shouts before he passed out, but he knew nothing about some little brother; though that was most likely the mode of transport that brought him to this palace.

I mean hell, he thought frantically, this person could be thinking I had tried to harm his brother. Shit. Sabo knew he had to come up with a good plan of action, yet the long and strenuous stretch of silence seemed to have expired.

"I, um," his voice came out faint and parched, almost hurting to breath, "Have you any water? Then I can maybe answer your questions, I suppose it is the least I can do to repay you for patching me up." He tried to speak with the most formality he could muster, but his voice kept cracking and halting throughout his miniature speech. Have you any water? Oh god, what a stupid thing to ask to the person who could be quite possibly holding you hostage, but at least if he accepts, it will have bought me some time to think of an answer along with a possible way to exit this situation entirely.

A long period of silence followed that last request, and for a moment Sabo thought the boy was going to refuse. He could barely contain his relief when the kid gave a very ridged and curt nod, for which he assumed was meant as an agreement to the terms. Slowly, with his eyes never leaving Sabo, Freckles left the room.

Relief. At least the other kid was a reasonable fellow.

When people say the tension is so thick that it could be cut with a knife, they really aren't kidding.

Sighing heavily as the tension began to dissipate, he considered what he should reveal to this complete stranger. On the one hand if he tells the truth he could end up with the exact same result as the last time he had done so, not that he believed that the other boy would accept anything less than the truth; Sabo somehow knew that lying would probably be the worst possible thing to do at the current time. But on the other hand, maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't go and out him to the masses; maybe he would be a sympathizer like the couple he had been housed with for the past ten years, and if clothing and demeanor were anything to go by that kid was most certainly not a noble. I mean what do I have to lose? They already know I exist now and will soon come to find I am most certainly not dead in a ditch by now, and even if I could somehow get a message to THAT man before others come for me, it will be too late. This kid can't possibly be living here by himself, so there is a small possibility of whoever he is housing with will be able to help with my plight. All right new plan: tell the truth but keep the details vague and minimal, but never bring up THAT man's name, at least not yet. Let's hope that's enough.

Sabo was ripped from his deep thoughts as a murky glass of water was shoved in his face.

"Drink." The dark haired boy said, in that same cold and commanding voice he had been using before. This going to go so south, I can see it now, he thought. As the tank top clad, even though it was winter, boy retreated to the other side of the room, Sabo tentatively drank the liquid he had been given, not forgetting the feeling of those grey eyes watching his every move.

His throat felt immensely better after that hydration, after which he sat in silence.

Waiting.

Damn, this silence was nauseating.

Finally, after a sufficient amount of sizing up between the two, the ominous kid spoke again.

A single word.

"Talk."

-ACE-

He didn't know what to make of this kid.

He had been expecting protest upon his request for an explanation or inquires as to where he was, this being what he expected a regular noble child to ask. Ace hadn't been expecting the reaction he had been given.

An agreement.

What a strange choice from a person in his position.

Now, as he watched the boy contemplate what he was going to tell Ace, he couldn't help but feel reassured in a peculiar sense. Somehow he just knew that Blondie hadn't tried to hurt Luffy, so he internally relaxed just a little, but kept his outside defenses up just in case his gut was on the off chance wrong. Several long seconds passed, and soon the kid seemed to have collected himself enough and began to open his mouth to speak.

"While I do not remember your brother taking me to this place, I would first like to thank you for the assistance all the same." Yep, spoken like a true born noble, but Ace's confusion just intensified by the kid's past actions.

Without saying anything, he simply let out a small grunt, prompting the other to continue.

"I live, lived, with a family of nobles up in High Town in the Goa Kingdom, and until just recently, with no troubles to call for." He paused, probably deciding on what to say next. But the wording of that past sentence caught Ace's attention, 'I lived with a family of nobles', and not 'I am a part of a noble family'. Strange indeed.

Another long pause could be felt.

The cold wind could be sensed through the cracks in the wood paneling.

That sound filled the void.

"I was living with them because my biological father couldn't care for me because his current, um, job wouldn't allow for it," All the surety and confidence had left his voice, now coming out shaky and uncertain, "he, let's just say isn't the purest of men. A criminal in truth, and I am told he didn't want me to be persecuted because of who he was, so he trusted me to a family of noble sympathizers to his cause within the city. You know, the whole hide in plain sight principle and all that." Pause.

Now Ace was almost dreading what was going to next come out of this kid's mouth. His story was the near carbon copy of himself and Lu's. Shit. He could tell where this was going, and to his surprise a large flush anger began to well up inside of his chest. This random kid he had just happened upon was in the exact same fricking boat him and his brother were in. Shit.

"One of the people he works with checks in from time to time so that I at least know he isn't dead yet. Not that I remember the man, I don't believe I have ever even met him. But, just recently I made the stupid choice of telling my closest friend the truth, and he betrayed my trust by going and telling nearly the whole town. There was nothing my step parents could do. I made a run for it. I was met at the gates by a large gathering of town guards who I was barely able to escape from after a fight broke out."

"Good thing my absent father, from wherever he is, decided one of his coworkers should give me self defense training. But one of the bastards still standing got in a lucky shot with his gun," Blondie gestured towards his bandages, "The idiot probably thought I would die from the blood loss, and that is why I think they didn't immediately follow after me. But soon when they don't find a body, they will come to realize that I am very much alive. I was heading through the forest because I had heard there was a village not far away, but with the snow and the blood, I passed out before I could find it. Then I woke up here."

More unwanted silence.

It took Ace a while to process all of the new information he had just received. Immediately he felt a small yearning kinship with this kid. From what he could guess, the boy struggled with the same need to hide the very truth about who he really was, in the same way that Ace did. He wanted to help, he actually did, but one blaring factor arose that made him reconsider that. If this kid truly had a parent notorious enough that his child would be hunted for it, then that meant that if and when those guards discover he really isn't dead they'll call for reinforcements; the Government. The Marines. And the trail to him would lead right back to this very building, to Ace and Luffy, quite possibly to finding the two sons of the Pirate King.

Ever so slightly, he let his face soften, meeting the bright blue gaze of the blonde, letting the other know that he accepted that explanation. Azure eyes widened a fraction in surprise, as if not expecting such an affirmation.

Ace made a decision. Whoever this kid truly was he deserved a fair shot, just as much as Lu does to live away from persecution. He would do what he could to help Blondie, as long as it didn't endanger his little brother, but first he couldn't just go around calling this kid 'Blondie' all the time. Introductions were in order.

"I'm Ace. The idiot who dragged you here, that's my little brother Luffy." He cautiously let a small sympathetic smile to grace his lips. Small, mind you.

If they could, those eyes widened even more as the kid responded.

"Sabo. My name is Sabo."

A smile could be seen on Sabo's face as well.

Like looking in a mirror.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, only this story and the plot :)

A/N: Another long author's not for those of you who read them. Thank you again for all of the views, visits, follows, reviews and favorites! I mean, over 840 views for the less than a wake the past three chapters have been posted! I hope you enjoyed this chapter enough to stick with it through the coming updates. I know, Luffy will be playing a larger role in the coming chapters, but I needed this Sabo and Ace dynamic established in this chapter. Again for the fun of it. Sorry, I basically just write these for the hell of it. I hope I was able to capture the character's personalities and nuances correctly. Oh, if you are reading this, reviewer YJV, that is a very creative guess, but not correct; think more obscure within the original plot. If anyone has anymore guesses then please send them to me if you would like to do so, otherwise enjoy this overly long author's note. Suggestions are wanted and appreciated! See you next time! Review :)

-Echo