A/N: Hullo! Managed to finish my chapter on time again, thanks to the lovely Beyond Kailani and her ability to not murder me and leave me in a shallow grave for throwing her chapters to beta just hours before I plan to post xD

Sorry I didn't have time to reply to all the reviews. Life. It's hectic and annoying sometimes. This is one of those times. Hope this chapter makes up for it :) I've decided to skip Garp's initial entrance scene so as not to get repetitive, but he will show up in later chapters. This chapter assumes the anime entrance is canon.

Also hoping to start posting one of my other stories, perhaps this weekend; it'll be an AU with the Whitebeard Pirates that takes place when the ASL trio are still kids. It's a bit darker than Kyoudai, and when I say a bit I mean a lot. I've been throwing chapters of it at Beyond Kailani for a while now and I think I might have enough written to comfortably post it soon.

Now without further ado!

Jiji = Grandfather/Old Man, commonly translated as "Gramps"

Jiichan = Grandpa; more affectionate and less formal

As always, dedicated to Ascaisil

I do not own One Piece. Praise be to Oda.


Chapter 7: Home


"Luffy, stop getting distracted! Do you want to go to the village or not?!"

Sabo cracked a wry smile at Ace's tone. His eyes were on Luffy, who for the third time since they'd set out, had gotten distracted and wandered off the path. The current source of his interest was a large dragonfly that had initially landed on his nose, and was now trying to escape the exuberant boy's eager grasp.

It was almost funny; Luffy could break through walls and crash into his brothers with what seemed like intent to destroy sometimes, but when he tried to catch living creatures in the forest, his touch was never rough enough to damage them. The dragonfly in question wasn't trying very hard to get away, although the one time it did fly higher than a normal child would be able to reach, Luffy had simply stretched. Maybe the poor insect knew it couldn't escape Luffy's grasp, or like his older brothers - especially Ace in terms of acting like he wanted to get away - didn't really want to.

"Luffy," Sabo spoke up, seeing that their freckled brother was quickly losing what little patience he had. "It's a long walk to your village, and we already stopped twice to eat. If you don't hurry, we won't get to visit Makino-san very long."

"Ah," Luffy looked up in realization, giving a bright grin. "You're right! I didn't think about that!" He let go of the dragonfly, which he'd caught just moments earlier. "Bye bye, Mister Dragonfly!"

Ace turned away, likely to hide the look on his face, because there was nothing more adorable than Luffy talking to his animal friends sometimes. Sabo himself felt a grin forming on his face, but he didn't care if Luffy saw the sappy look.

They'd left their pipes back at their new home, in the treehouse they'd somehow managed to build over the course of just a couple days. It hadn't been a planned evacuation of Dadan's house or anything, but Sabo had to admit, it was probably for the best. Garp's arrival on their already tumultuous home had added another element of complication and danger, and while Sabo didn't think for a minute that Garp wouldn't be able to track them down and find them if he really wanted to, there was something liberating about having a place they could call theirs. It wasn't like they were going out of their way to hide, either. Sabo knew for a fact Dadan had already come to visit them at least once - she was as bad as Ace when it came to admitting she cared or worried - and the flag they'd flown with their joint mark on it would probably be easy for someone like Garp to spot when he came into port. Still, when they curled up to sleep in the home of their own making and choosing, it felt safe and secure.

Luffy reached out with one rubbery hand to grasp onto Ace's arm, and the older boy quickly braced himself for impact, digging his feet into the ground so he wouldn't get yanked back. Barely seconds after he'd prepared himself, Luffy came flying over with the retraction of his arm, giggling and wrapping his arms around Ace mid-landing.

"You can just walk on your own, ya know!" Ace complained. "And what did I tell you about rocketing all over the place?"

"Something about not doing it," Luffy answered cheekily, still hugging him. "But it's fun!"

"I swear, one of these days," Ace grumbled, prying Luffy off of him.

Sabo laughed, barely able to stop himself from doubling over. Arguments like that were commonplace amongst the dark-haired boys these days, and even though Luffy had accidentally yanked both of them back into himself when attempting to rocket to their side at one point or another, they'd since gotten used to his antics and knew how to prepare themselves better.

Sabo liked to think every day was a learning experience in evolving along with Luffy's whims.

"What's so funny?" Luffy asked, looking up at Sabo with a bright expression. Ace had successfully pried the boy off and was back to leading the trek down the mountain. Sabo put a hand on Luffy's back to usher him forward a little, walking alongside him so Ace didn't leave them both behind.

"Nothing," Sabo chuckled, grinning down at him. "Are you looking forward to visiting home?"

An odd look passed over Luffy's face for a moment, and the way he studied Sabo's face made the blond think he shouldn't have asked.

"Not really," Luffy answered, reaching up to pick at his nose. "But I'm really excited to go see Makino and the Mayor and everyone!"

Ace shot him a questioning glance, but for once, Sabo had no idea how to respond. He simply shrugged his shoulders and looked back at Luffy. "Do you have a lot of friends to go see?" Makino had given them the basic rundown of Luffy's relationship with the villagers, but Sabo was interested in hearing it from Luffy's point of view.

"Everyone's friendly!" Luffy exclaimed, launching immediately into stories about all the people who had given him food or toys the last time he'd been in the village. When asked by Ace if there had been a special occasion involved, Luffy claimed there hadn't been, which had Sabo wondering what a special occasion might have entailed.

"You must have made out like a bandit on Children's Day," Sabo commented, voicing his thoughts once Luffy had finished.

Luffy smiled, a slight bounce in his step. "Everyone got lots of candy. That's a really good day!"

"And on your birthday too, I assume?" Sabo asked. He and Ace had never discussed or celebrated birthdays, but Luffy seemed used to things like that. He caught Ace's glance out of the corner of his eye and knew immediately that they'd be doing something for Luffy's birthday that year.

"I don't celebrate it," Luffy said bluntly, still smiling.

Ace nearly tripped. Sabo managed to keep his composure, but confusion knit his brows. "You don't celebrate your birthday?" he repeated.

"Well, Makino gives me meat, and sometimes Jiichan is there, but last time he tried to give me a special training session for a present…" Luffy shuddered and pulled his hat down over his eyes a little. "But my birthday is a really good day, so I don't mind!"

"If everyone in the village is so nice to you, why don't they celebrate it?" Ace asked, a slight grumble in his voice.

"Everyone's already celebrating," Luffy explained, unfazed by the tone of Ace's voice.

"Why?" Ace pressed, his brows furrowing like he wanted to scowl. Getting information out of Luffy was always an experience in itself.

"Because of Children's Day," Luffy said, as if it should have been an obvious answer.

Well, in retrospect, Sabo supposed it was obvious, but only because it was Luffy. "Your birthday is May fifth?" Sabo asked, just to make sure.

"Yep!" Luffy turned to Sabo. "Everyone's always really happy on my birthday. It's great!"

"..." Sabo grabbed Luffy in a sideways hug, grinning again as they managed to keep walking without falling over. "Yeah, that is great, isn't it? We missed it this year, but next year, we'll have a party for you."

"A party for me?" Luffy echoed.

"Yeah," Sabo released him, but Luffy was still clinging, so he let a hand rest on Luffy's back instead. "We'll celebrate your birthday."

A blush spread over Luffy's cheeks, dusting the bridge of his nose, and an even bigger smile blossomed over his face. "I've only celebrated my birthday once," he admitted.

"Once?" Ace was watching them again, expression curious.

"Yeah, with Shanks and the guys," Luffy explained, letting go of Sabo so he could pull his hat down over his eyes again, his energy becoming a little giddy. "Makino said they insisted we have a party for just me. I got all the meat I wanted, and they taught me pirate songs and everything!"

"And that was the only time you had a party for your birthday?" Sabo asked.

"Yeah, but it was the best ever! And since Jiichan wasn't home that time, Shanks let me sleep on his ship with everyone so I didn't have to be alone either," Luffy continued happily. "Makino was gonna stay with me, but Shanks didn't make me go to sleep on time, so it was more fun with Shanks."

There was a slight twinge at those words, but Sabo didn't let it linger. It wouldn't do any good thinking about the days before they'd met Luffy, and wondering how lonely he must have felt in situations like the one he'd just described. It made Sabo even more grateful that people like Makino and Shanks had been around.

"You won't be alone on your next birthday either," Ace reminded Luffy, clearly thinking along the same lines as Sabo. "So think of something you want, got it? And don't get carried away."

"Oh," Luffy paused abruptly, nearly tripping Sabo since they'd been walking so closely together.

"What is it?" Sabo questioned.

"What about you two?" Luffy asked. "Shouldn't we celebrate your birthdays too?"

"Birthdays are for kids," Ace answered automatically.

"You're a kid!" Luffy argued.

"I'm not a kid like you," Ace snapped.

"You're only ten! That's still a kid!"

"I don't celebrate my birthday."

"That's not fair!" Luffy stomped his foot, yelping when it rebounded a little, causing him to bounce forward.

"Luffy," Sabo interrupted. "Ace is right - we don't need to celebrate our birthdays. We'll just celebrate yours, okay? That's our decision as your big brothers."

Luffy scowled, frowning up at Sabo now, but unlike with Ace, he didn't argue. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest and huffed, puffing out his cheeks and continuing down the path. Once he'd gotten a good enough lead, Sabo fell into step beside Ace.

"What was that all about, Ace?" Sabo asked quietly.

"Nothing," Ace muttered.

"That might work somewhat on Luffy, but you know it doesn't work on me. Tell me or I'm taking his side next time it comes up," Sabo warned.

"Threatening to team up?" Ace remarked dryly. He reached up to shove a hand through his unruly black hair, sighing. "I don't want to celebrate my birthday. And I'm not just saying that to look tough, Sabo."

"Then…?" Sabo pressed.

Ace's eyes focused on Luffy, following his every move for a few moments. He looked to the sky after next. "My mother died giving birth to me," he said, his voice so quiet Sabo almost didn't hear him. "I just don't feel like celebrating it. Luffy won't understand. He'll try to convince me we should and turn it into a happy memory or something, but you know why I don't want that right now."

"Ah," Sabo nodded, sympathy in his gaze. "I understand. I'll see what I can do to make sure he doesn't push the issue. Maybe after a few years, you'll change your mind."

"Maybe," Ace said doubtfully.

"For now we'll just keep telling him it's our decision as his big brothers to only celebrate his birthday," Sabo assured him. "Maybe Makino-san can give us some ideas about what to do for him."

"I can't believe Jiji left him alone on his birthday," Ace muttered, scowling now. "The one day you'd think he could try and show up for him."

"I'm sure he tried his best," Sabo said diplomatically.

They lapsed into silence after that, waiting for Luffy to get over his mood. It took longer than usual, but Luffy was back to his cheerful self after that, the argument seemingly forgotten.

It didn't take as long as Sabo had estimated for them to make their way to the foot of the mountain. When the village came into view, Ace put a hand on Luffy's shoulder to stop him from charging forward.

"Before we go over there," Ace said. "Don't tell everyone about us, alright?"

"Why not?" Luffy tilted his head to the side. "You didn't mind meeting Makino and the Mayor."

"They came to Dadan's," Ace pointed out. "And Jiji didn't seem bothered that they were there. He told me not to come to the village though. He didn't even tell you about me until you were coming to live with us, right?"

Luffy frowned, thinking about it for a moment before he nodded. "So?"

"So keep it a secret, okay?"

Sabo looked to Luffy next - he and Ace had discussed this when they'd agreed to let Luffy visit Makino - and nodded his agreement. "Remember how I ran away from home? If my father finds out I was here at the village, he might come looking. It's better if no one knows where I am either."

"We're going to walk with you to Makino's bar," Ace continued. "But we'll wait there while you visit everyone."

Luffy put his hands on his hips, mulling over their words with his heart on his sleeve, displeasure obvious. He clearly wanted to show off his big brothers - Sabo was not going to lose control and hug him for that - and hadn't planned for not being able to do that.

"Understood?" Sabo asked.

"We'll be fine," Ace added. "And if you can keep it secret, we'll let you have extra meat for dinner tonight."

That got Luffy's attention, making him nod quickly. For a moment, Sabo had to admire that Ace had taken a page from his book of tricks with getting Luffy to listen.

"Okay," Luffy agreed finally. "You won't leave without me, right?"

"Idiot," Ace whacked him on the head. "You'd get lost in no time if we went back without you."

"I would not!" Luffy protested, sticking his tongue out.

"Even if you wouldn't," Sabo added. "We're not going to leave without you. Promise."

"Shishishi! Okay!" Luffy beamed at them, then turned and dashed off without a second glance.

"Jeez," Ace rolled his eyes. "Come on. We're looking for a place called Party's Bar, right?"

"Yeah, it's a small enough village so it shouldn't be hard to find," Sabo shifted, looking down at himself. "Do I look weird?"

"...Really, Sabo?" Ace shot him a sideways glance that made him squirm, feeling foolish.

The mountain was one thing, but it had been a very long time since he'd been out in public without wearing his trademark style or his hat. He was wearing the shorts Makino had given him, along with a comfortable blue t-shirt that had a single white stripe going across the chest. Luffy claimed to like him better in casual clothes like that because he looked like he 'belonged', but Sabo had a childhood of conditioning to contend with that ideal, and it told him he had to look is best if he was going to be seen in public. Even if he'd never really cared much how anyone thought he looked, his own view of his 'best' was his usual outfit.

"You look fine. And besides, if you wore your regular clothes, you'd stick out like a sore thumb around here."

Sabo looked at Ace gratefully, then cracked a small grin. "Let's catch up with him. Even if it's his home village, he could still find a way to get into trouble."

"Now you've made me nervous. Great," Ace joked dryly, taking off after Luffy.


The bar was mostly empty - Sabo supposed they had midday to thank for that - so it was easy to walk in without anyone giving them a second glance. Makino was standing with her back to the doors, cleaning glasses with a rag. At the sound of the swinging doors, she started to turn, and the nervousness fled Sabo's mind when her eyes found them and she lit up with a surprised smile.

"Ace-kun, Sabo-kun," she said in delight, putting the glass down. "Where's Luffy?"

"He didn't stop by?" Ace asked, immediately wary.

"I'm sure he got sidetracked by someone else he wanted to see," Sabo assured Ace, smiling at Makino. "It's been almost a week, and Luffy's been asking-"

"Bugging, whining, annoying-"

"-us if we could come visit," Sabo ignored Ace's interruption. "We had some free time today. Is it alright?"

"Of course, come in," Makino motioned to the bar stools, expression bright. "I wasn't expecting you all to come here."

They made their way to the stools to sit down, immediately noticing some of Luffy's doodles around the interior. Ace snorted, but Sabo grinned.

"We thought Luffy might want to visit after how happy he was to see you guys earlier," Sabo explained.

"You'd think he would have seemed happier about it on the way," Ace commented.

"He wasn't happy?" Makino questioned, tilting her head to the side. She placed a glass of juice in front of each of them, which Sabo quickly thanked her for. Ace followed suit, but only as an afterthought, since manners weren't exactly his strong point.

"We asked him if he was happy to visit home earlier, and he seemed confused or something," Sabo explained.

Makino laughed softly. "Of course that must have confused him. He's not visiting home now, is he?"

Sabo blinked. He opened his mouth, then shut it, laughing softly. "I just meant his home village - not where he actually lived."

"But this is Luffy we're talking about," Ace added, sounding amused. "Of course he took it literally."

"You'd think I'd know that by now," Sabo joked, shaking his head. "Well, that's a relief, at least."

"Do you mind if we hang out here while Luffy runs around?" Ace asked, leaning on the bar a little and making himself comfortable. "Jiji told me not to come to the village. We even asked Luffy not to tell anyone about us."

"I don't mind at all. Are you hungry?" Makino asked.

"We didn't bring any money," Sabo said apologetically. "But it's okay. We ate before we came here."

"Don't worry about it," Makino winked at them. "I'll put it on Luffy's treasure tab."

"You really think he's gonna be able to pay that back?" Ace asked, suspicion in his eyes.

"I believe he'll follow his dream," Makino said confidently. "I'm not in a hurry to collect."

"Well… if he's paying," Ace relented. "Your cooking was really good."

"Sorry we didn't get a chance to say that earlier, but… well," Sabo shrugged helplessly.

"Garp-san seemed to like you," Makino smiled at him. "He considers you his grandson if he's trying to train you to be a marine as well."

"Lucky me?" Sabo grimaced. It warmed him just a little, though he wasn't sure it was enough to offset the horror that was Garp's idea of 'training'.

"Your fault, you agreed to be our brother," Ace joked. "I should warn you now, he gets pissed if you call him Jiji instead of Jiichan."

Sabo rubbed the back of his neck. "Can't I just call him 'old man' or something?"

"You can try it. I don't recommend it," Ace said bluntly, looking to him with a serious expression that sent chills down Sabo's spine.

"Noted."


"So you live in a secret fort now?" Makino asked, leaning against the bar to look at them.

"Yeah, somewhere Jiji can't find us," Ace nodded. They really had eaten lunch before coming to the village, but there was no way either boy would actually pass up Makino's cooking if it was being offered. They'd cleaned their plates while Makino got a third started for when Luffy came by, and had passed the time by talking about the changes they'd made since Makino had visited.

"We built it in the tallest tree if you ever need to find us," Sabo added. "But be careful. We put a lot of traps up. Maybe wait a safe distance away and call out or something."

"I'll be careful," Makino promised. "So how is it, living on your own?"

"It's the best," Sabo immediately answered.

"Yeah, we don't have any chores to do, and we don't have to fight the others for food," Ace added. "We set our own schedule and our own rules."

"Most of the rules are for Luffy anyway," Sabo joked. "But it's easier to keep track of him now."

"Makino," Ace said after a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," Makino nodded to him, leaning back on the counter behind her.

"Luffy said his birthday was Children's Day on the walk here. Other than the one time with the Red Hair Captain, did he ever celebrate his birthday, just for him?" Ace asked.

"Ah," Makino murmured in realization. "A few times when he was very young, but once Garp-san had to leave more often and Luffy started spending his time around the village, he started to see everyone celebrating. He understood that it wasn't just his day, and I think he handled it better than most children might. Once I explained to him what Children's Day was, he decided as long as everyone was having fun, it was fine to leave it for everyone."

She smiled fondly, a faraway look in her eyes for a moment, before she returned her gaze to the boys. "I still made sure to do something special just for him though. Neither of you should worry," she added when she saw their serious expressions. "Luffy wasn't unhappy about it. He genuinely enjoyed his birthdays, but his favorite was definitely the one with the Captain."

"Luffy said they taught him pirate songs and he got a lot of meat," Sabo recalled. "And that he got to sleep on the pirate ship."

"Yes," Makino nodded. "Do you know the song 'Bink's Sake'?"

"No," both boys said in unison.

"It's Luffy's favorite," Makino said with a warm smile. "I can teach it to you if you'd like?"

"Sure," Ace shrugged, looking to Sabo for confirmation that he wouldn't be learning a song by himself.

Sabo made him sweat it for a moment, giving an impish grin, before he turned to Makino and nodded. "Yes please."


"Makino!" The bundle of energy that could only be Luffy burst through the swinging doors, causing them to rattle a little. He looked like he'd been rolling around in the dirt, cheeks a little red. "Can I have some food?"

"Idiot," Ace said, jumping down off his stool. "What happened to you?"

"I was playing," Luffy answered, grinning proudly. "We were seeing how far my cheeks could stretch! The other kids said it was weird, but we had fun!"

"As long as you stayed away from the water," Sabo jumped down as well, walking over to try and dust Luffy off. Makino already had a plate of food ready for Luffy, finishing it up as he made his way to the bar. They'd chatted a little more after Makino had taught them the song, and had been on the verge of going to search for Luffy when he'd arrived.

They knew Luffy couldn't get into too much trouble in the village, but past experience and big brother instinct indicated they needed to be ready for anything.

"I did, just like you told me," Luffy said proudly. He pulled himself up onto the stool with his stretchy arms, already drooling a little from the smell of the food.

"I thought you didn't like other people stretching you," Ace commented, studying one reddened cheek.

"I don't," Luffy shrugged. "But I haven't seen the other kids in a while and they really wanted to. It's okay just this once."

"Oh, Sabo-kun," Makino said, looking to the blond. "Would you like to come upstairs and pick some books to take back with you while Luffy eats?"

"I'd love to," Sabo smiled, nodding to Ace to keep an eye on Luffy. Not that Luffy would go anywhere with a plate of food in front of him.

"Oh, the Mayor said he wouldn't tell Jiichan we came to visit," Luffy explained to Ace. "And the baker said we could take some cookies with us, and -"

His voice trailed off as Makino led Sabo upstairs, with Sabo grinning like an idiot. "Everyone loves him everywhere he goes, huh?"

"They're probably indulging him a little more since he hasn't been around," Makino chuckled. "But it's hard not to love him, isn't it?"

"It comes so naturally to him…" Sabo trailed off. Makino nodded in silent agreement, leading him into her home. It was much tidier than anything on the mountain, but not as pristine or eerily organized as the homes in High Town were. There was a rustic looking bookshelf against the wall, clearly a little worn, but it was piled high with all kinds of books.

"I read a lot during the day, after I finish prepping and cleaning the bar," Makino explained, motioning to the shelf. "The books I used with Luffy are on the bottom shelf, and if you see anything else you want to borrow, please feel free. A lot of the books are fiction though."

"I like fiction," Sabo told her, heading over to the shelf to look at her collection of books. "My parents never really let me read it though… I mean, they thought it was a waste of time."

"A lot of people make that mistake," Makino shook her head. "Please, if you see anything that interests you, by all means. Although you might want to avoid the top two shelves," Makino added with a light giggle. "Those are romance novels."

Sabo made a face. "Definitely more for girls. Ah, no offense."

"None taken. I am a girl, you know," Makino teased. "Luffy used to say the same thing to me all the time. Sorry to say, I don't have any books on robots. Although I do have books on dragons."

"You do?" Sabo whirled around so fast he nearly tripped, heat rising on his cheeks for his excited reaction. He tried to play it off and look nonchalant the way Ace was always doing, but it clearly didn't work very well for him.

Makino came over and selected a couple books off a higher shelf, including one with an embossed leather spine. "Here," she told him. "Try these."

"Thanks," Sabo hugged the books to his chest sheepishly, eyes darting back to the shelf.

"The traders that come through always have the most interesting books for sale," Makino explained, selecting a cloth bag for him. She put a few things inside, then set it near his feet. "I'll keep an eye out for anything you might like. Go ahead and put the books you want to take in that bag. I put in a few empty journals and supplies for writing lessons that I set aside after my visit. I'd better go and make sure Luffy hasn't climbed over the bar again to find more food, though. Last time, he almost fell in a barrel of alcohol."

"Thank you, Makino-san," Sabo said brightly, giving her the biggest smile he could. She put both hands on her cheeks and smiled back, looking charmed, before heading back out of the room.

He immediately turned his focus back to the bookshelf, selecting a few books that would help with teaching Luffy, and one he thought might be better for Ace. He selected one more book for himself, making sure the bag wasn't overstuffed, then shouldered it with a satisfied look. Even the books were different in a place like Windmill Village. They weren't shiny and glossy with overdone aesthetics to look good on a shelf. The rustic charm and the creases in the spines showed that these books were actually read on a regular basis, and used for more than decoration.

His own parents probably had twice as many books in their study, but he doubted any of them had been opened in years. The idea in High Town was to display books to advertise an education, not to actually read them. Full collections were proudly lined up and regularly dusted as a status symbol.

Makino's library was a thousand times better in his opinion, and he vowed to make sure he returned her books to her without ruining or losing anything.


"Today was so much fun!" Luffy was still bouncing, even though he'd been at it ever since they'd left Makino's bar. Sabo was beginning to expect more than one villager had given Luffy candy. The enthusiastic boy had a bag similar to Sabo's, but the smells coming from it were not that of paper and ink. It smelled like fresh cookies, which made sense since Sabo recalled hearing Luffy talking about a baker giving him treats.

"I'm glad you had a good time," Sabo told him. It was already starting to get dark, and they needed to hurry back if they were going to catch anything for dinner. Makino had made sure to give them more food before they'd left, but it wouldn't be enough to placate Luffy. They'd also promised him extra meat, and he'd proudly proclaimed to them before they'd left the bar that he'd kept the secret. "Ace and I had fun too."

"We can have cookies after we have meat," Luffy added, putting his hands on his cheeks and trying to hold back his drool. "Everyone was really happy to see me so I got lots of extra treats for us! Ne, Sabo, what's in your bag?"

"Makino-san loaned me some books too, so we can start lessons soon," Sabo said, smiling at Luffy's enthusiasm.

"Lovely," Ace rolled his eyes, but he clearly wasn't planning on backing out of the lessons he'd agreed to.

"As long as you didn't get any of her girly books," Luffy looked at Sabo solemnly. "I don't wanna learn about those."

Sabo laughed. "Makino-san said the same thing. Don't worry, Luffy. I didn't get any girly books."

"Good," Luffy nodded with satisfaction. "Ne, Sabo, Ace, can we visit again soon?"

"We can't go there all the time, Luffy," Ace answered, keeping his pace. "Jiji will find out if we do, and he might make us go back to Dadan's."

"Aw," Luffy pouted, slumping. "I wish I could've told everyone about you guys."

"Someday you can," Sabo promised. "When we're pirates and we don't have to follow anyone else's rules, we'll never have to keep it secret again."

"Promise?" Luffy beamed up at him.

"Promise," Sabo reached out to knock his hat back, tousling his hair. "Now if you want extra meat, we have to hurry up so we can hunt."

"Yosh!" Luffy agreed, picking up his pace so he was right beside Ace. Sabo joined, although as they kept going, Luffy started to lag behind like always.

"When are we fitting in these lessons?" Ace asked, startling Sabo from his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh," Sabo scratched his head, shifting his shoulder to move his bag comfortably. "I'm not sure yet. We probably won't get Luffy to focus on them every day, but if we do it at least two or three times a week, that should be enough. Maybe we could fit it in after our fights."

"I guess, as long as it doesn't interfere," Ace didn't look very enthusiastic at the prospect, but Sabo couldn't blame him either. Ace was by no means slow or stupid. He caught on quickly enough, and when he applied himself, he was actually quite a fast learner. Still, learning proper grammar, punctuation, which words to use in which instances, and perfecting his handwriting were not things Ace considered to be as important as honing his skills in a fight. Their lifestyle didn't require those lessons, but if they were going to break free and sail the world, they'd need to be able to read newspapers at the very least. Sabo doubted Luffy would even try to navigate a ship, but even so, he wanted his little brother to be able to read the map if necessary.

"It won't," Sabo promised. "Besides, we're only going over the basics. It's not like I'm going to be quizzing you guys and withholding meals if you get answers wrong."

"...Did your parents ever do that?" Ace questioned, shooting him a concerned look.

"A few times, but the food in High Town didn't taste very good anyway," Sabo answered easily. It was true that the food in High Town had been much more decadent than the food in the mountains, but plain water and bread still tasted like a feast for kings when he ate it alongside his brothers.

A nagging thought had him stopping in his tracks, turning around.

"What is it?" he heard Ace asking, but his mind only vaguely recognized the question.

He'd just made a comment about withholding meals, and acknowledged his parents had done the same to him, and yet there was no outcry of dismay or indignation. There wasn't a single sound or flailing of arms.

Luffy wasn't behind them anymore. As far as Sabo could see, he wasn't on the path, and while it wasn't dark enough that he wouldn't be able to find his way back to the path yet, it would be soon.

"...Where the hell is Luffy?" Ace voiced the thought Sabo was struggling with.

He turned to his dark-haired brother, meeting his worried gaze with one of his own. "I have no idea how far back he stopped following us."

"LUFFY!" Ace shouted, cupping both hands at his mouth to help his voice carry.

They were met with silence and the usual sounds of the forest, and that only worsened Sabo's dread. Luffy was either far enough away - already? - that he hadn't actually heard Ace, or for some reason, likely a bad one, he couldn't answer back. Adrenaline kicked in automatically, urging him to start moving and find his little brother.

"Split up," Sabo said immediately, looking back down the path. "I'll take the left side and go further down the path, you go right."

"Shout if you find him," was all the coordination Ace gave before the freckled boy was darting through the trees and calling Luffy's name again.

With a secure grip on Makino's bag, Sabo took off running down the path, looking for any sign to indicate where Luffy could have gone, or if anyone else had been involved. It had only felt like seconds since the last time they'd interacted with their brother, but sometimes that was all it took for a situation to completely change. Porchemy had been the one to teach them that lesson, and while he doubted the pirates would have followed them all this way, he couldn't actually rule out the possibility. Bluejam was still angry with them, after all.

"LUFFY!" Sabo called, catching sight of a familiar landmark - a tree that had grown partially around a rock - and remembering passing it while actually talking to Luffy. Since it didn't seem like there was anyone else on the path and it was the last place he could visually recall seeing Luffy, he veered off to the left and began cutting through the trees, wishing the sun would stay up just a little longer. There were countless dangers in the forest, and while it wasn't much of a threat when they were together or in an open area like the official path, Luffy on his own and unable to see clearly could land himself in all sorts of danger. The only calming thought was that it likely wasn't pirates or any outside influence that had taken Luffy from their side.

That assurance aside, Sabo's biggest concern was Luffy falling into a ravine or being set upon by the snakes they'd seen frequenting this side of the mountain. He might not get hurt by a fall, but he could get stuck or land in water, and rubber didn't do him any good against a venomous bite.

In the distance, he could hear Ace's voice, but it was only echoes of the same frantic shout of Luffy's name. They both knew Luffy was stronger than an average kid, and they both knew he'd survived some pretty harsh conditions at Garp's hand and Ace's, but he was their little brother now, and the idea of leaving him to completely fend for himself was unacceptable. They'd been in a good mood just minutes earlier, laughing and talking about how fun the day had been, and to think that it could completely change in the blink of an eye was very sobering and downright terrifying reality.

"LUFFY!" Sabo shouted again, adrenaline coursing through his body as he tried to fight back his worry. He strained to listen for an answer, but he could barely hear anything over the sound of his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.


A/N: My first cliffhanger for Kyoudai! *wipes a tear away* I can't believe it took me this long to put one in.

Pleasebegentle,I'lltellyouwhereLuffyisnextweek! On that note, hope you enjoyed, and thank you so much everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed. I might not have had a chance to reply to everyone, but I appreciated every single one of you, especially in this sucky time of my life :)

~Mithril