A/N:: Sorry for late update~! I have so many plot phoenixes that its not funny! But I do hope you enjoy this chappie~! Thank you for the reviews~! So happy you all are loving it!

Enjoy~!

Our Loving Angel

~.~.~

They had Luffy join along with their adventures when they were ten and seemed to enjoy having him around. It took time to adjust, but after Luffy showed his loyalty by keeping quiet on where his brothers were in the woods by some older kids, they stood by him. The two personally hunted down the thirteen year old boys to beat the snot out of them for messing with their little brother. They may not see each other as brothers themselves, but they took the role as big brothers for Luffy as he wanted that. Protecting the younger boy showed them to be praised for being good brothers and they made a pact to always be there for one another.

When they were twelve, life really turned around for them all.

Ace had been waiting for Sabo at the borderline of the woods and well-off area when he could hear sirens and saw smoke billowing in the sky. At first, he rolled his eyes at the 'poor' noble family that would cry over their materialistic things, but then he narrowed eyes more. Luffy would be waiting at their makeshift fort they built, but Ace noticed the direction of smoke and felt his stomach turn uncomfortably. It didn't settle right with him and he quickly jumped down from his perch and ran through the blue blood area to Sabo's home.

Approaching the area, it was his friend's home that was on fire and he felt his heart thunder. Eyes skimmed the area, finding the stuck-up parents with Stelly as they tried to explain they were all out to a firefighter with striking red hair. The man was familiar to Ace as the hero that saved Luffy when he was younger, but that was the least of his concerns at the moment as he moved over to them. Dark eyes still skimmed around as he felt panic begin to build up and stopped with heavy breaths.

"Where's Sabo?!" The boy shouted while looking up to the startled parents, both turning heads with wide eyes. A grimace is in his direction, but he didn't care as he noticed how they weren't going to answer him. "Where's Sabo?!" The shout made them flinch while they stayed silent and Ace felt horror wash through him. "YOU BASTARDS LEFT HIM IN THERE?!" The screech brought attention while the firefighter came closer to calm him, but the scream coming from the home made him jerk to look at the home in surprise. "SABO!" Ace screamed back with eyes stinging as he immediately bolted for the home engulfed in flames, but arms grasped around him.

"Wait!" The voice is different and Ace watched as the red-haired fire fighter and a longer haired man with dreadlocks were both running with helmets finding their heads while going into the home. "We will get him out." The voice tried coaxing the boy who had tears spilling over freckled cheeks as he gave out noises and jerking in the hold.

"Sabo, Sabo!" The hollers were muffled as he was brought to a shoulder and tried to hold back his cries at the thought of losing his best friend. Fear ran through him as dread gave him a cold sweat and let himself grip to the man holding to him so he could try to view the fire. It felt like it took hours to get his best friend out, able to look when hearing the shouting, but was still held in place. Paramedics were there to take over and Ace watches with frightened grey eyes gleaming with more unshed tears. He watches as they are blocking his view for a minute before he is out of the grasp when the EMT moved a bit.

"Whoa, kid!" The red-haired firefighter tried stopping him, but Ace slipped under hands and was by the blond on the ground. Seeing the left side burned, the tears began down his freckled cheeks and tried to stop the hands from pulling him back.

"No! I need to be there for him! SABO NEEDS ME! HE ONLY HAS ME!" The scream leaves the dark-haired boy in panic as they start strapping in the blond on a stretcher to transport him.

"He will be taken care of," the voice tries to calm him as Ace is uncontrollably sobbing. "He will live and I will make sure to get the visiting hours for you as soon as they are available." The red-haired firefighter is speaking to try and soothe him as his hands grip at a heavy jacket. Grey eyes show dread and fear of what is happening, trembling as he wasn't really aware of what he would do if he lost his best friend or how he would break it to Luffy. Though, he slowly calms with a small nod as he begins to understand that the man is being truthful on his friend living and let's himself be pulled into a hold.

"Shanks," a man with dark hair and strands of grey showing is standing with a cigar between fingers. "I need to speak with the kid…" The firefighter nods to the police officer and slowly coaxes Ace to calm and speak with the officer.

"I will get you some water." Shanks comments while helping him to the officer, who begins leading Ace to a police cruiser and sits him on the hood of it.

"My name is Officer Smoker," the man begins while snuffing out his cigar to the bottom of his boot. He shifts to soon kneel in front of the kid with eyes looking up to dark ones that gleam in a mixture of emotions. "What's your name?"

"Ace…" A soft sniffle follows with a hand rubbing to an eye, trying to stop anymore tears.

"Listen, Ace, I am going to ask you some questions pertaining to your friends home life…" As Smoker mentions the last part of his sentence, eyes quickly show hatred and anger. "I want you to answer to the best of your ability."

"Yes, sir." It didn't take much for Ace to agree as he hoped this would help Sabo get away from such a life, especially if his parents were going to basically leave him in the home to burn alive.

"Good, let's get started…"