Chapter 10: A Reunion of Sorts
(I'M NOT DEAD I SWEAR! Good way to start a chapter right? Just wanted you guys to know that. And I know I've said it a million times but people are still freaking out. I HATE ABANDONING STORIES! I refuse to abandon this even though I take my sweet ass time updating.
I started senior year of highschool last week and it looks like homework might be pretty easy going so I'm hoping to update more. I actually got back into writing because my friend and I have been writing a story together for barely a week now and we're already four chapters in. It's a D. Gray-man fanfiction so check it out if you want. It's called The Undead Whose Heart Still Beats and it's under the name MaskedExorcist. Why not give it a read? Anyways, I've stalled long enough. On to the crap! (Man I missed saying that))
Warning: I fuck up (a lot) so there will be mistakes. Please be awesome and tell me about any mess ups/errors so I can get around to fixing them.
-x-x-x-
Previously:
"So wait… Was it you or Portgas that said it then?" Sabo asked, honestly confused.
"Both. He said it out of instinct but…" Ace sighed. "Sabo, you and Luffy are family. We both know my dad's a drunken asshole and my mom's a bitch. Neither care about me. But you two… You've done way more in this past month than my parents ever could have in my entire life. I'd be lying if I said I didn't consider you guys as family."
Sabo was frozen for a moment before grinning. "Aw~! He does care!" He laughed before seeing the light change and running across the street. "I have to tell Lu!"
"Don't you dare! Sabo!" Ace shouted as he ran after his best friend and newly claimed brother. Though as he ran, he couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face.
-x-x-x-
Ace and Sabo sprinted for the five minutes it took them to get to the tree house from school but were both sorely disappointed when they couldn't find Luffy. They searched all the places they figured he'd be and slowly became more worried with each empty location.
The tree house. The training grounds. His and Shanks' house. The old shack at the top of the mountain they had found a few days prior. Gray Terminal. Their houses. The park. His favorite restaurant, the Baratie.
Still no Luffy.
Silently praying, they checked the last place they could think of. A simple stump in the middle of the forest that seemed as if it would never grow to be more that what it already was. An annoyance to most but something far, far more to the three.
Hopeful, Ace and Sabo walked up to the stump and found a figure curled up and asleep on it. Simultaneously, they let out sighs of relief before glancing at each other and chuckling. They walked up to the sleeping Luffy and Sabo gently nudged him, just enough to stir him awake.
"Five more minutes dad…" Luffy murmured, getting more comfortable on the stump.
"We aren't your dad and you've slept long enough I'm sure." Ace stated with a smirk and his arms crossed over his chest.
"Ace…?" Luffy mumbled at the familiar voice, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. When he opened his eyes, he saw Sabo kneeling next to him and Ace a few feet behind him. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at school?"
"School ended an hour ago Lu…" Sabo said with a soft voice and worried eyes.
"Oh... I guess I've been out here a while, huh...?" Luffy asked, mostly to himself.
"About that," Ace started "why'd you leave in the middle of school?"
"Yeah, you missed Ace calling us his brothers." Sabo said with a smirk, happiness shining brightly in his royal blue eyes.
"Wait, what? He did!?" Luffy asked, looking at Ace almost hopeful.
Ace groaned. "Damn it Sabo...! Yes! Alright? I called you two idiots my brothers! Happy?"
Luffy chuckled with his usual 'shishishi' before nodding. "Yup! Couldn't be happier right now!"
Ace and Sabo both smiled at the simple comment that spoke volumes to them. But the happiness was short lived as Ace repeated his question. "You didn't say why you came out here, Lu..."
Almost instantly, Luffy's smile had vanished as his eyes became shadowed by his straw hat. "I met the new guy... He looks like Blackbeard..."
"Yeah... We met him too." Sabo said. "He mentioned you. Didn't know your name but still... How bad he hurt you?"
Luffy shook his head lightly. "He didn't hurt me. Well... He tried but... You know... Can't be hurt by blunt objects and all that..."
"Please tell me you didn't just take it." Ace nearly begged, kneeling next to Sabo and in front of Luffy.
"I remembered what dad would always tell me. That I shouldn't fight when it's about something stupid. So I let him throw a few hits." Luffy looked up at them with a grin. "I didn't budge. No matter what. And it didn't hurt in the slightest. His pride took the worst blow."
Sabo smirked. "So you fought back without fighting back. I'm proud of you little brother."
Luffy was about to say his thanks when Ace abruptly stood. "You should have hit him at least once!"
"Ace..." Sabo said but was ignored by said ravenette.
"He tried to beat the shit out of you! He's killed people Lu! If you didn't have your Devil Fruit, you could be dead right now!" Ace shouted. Though he appeared angry, furious, or even livid, his eyes said the opposite. They were filled with worry and fear. Worry for his youngest brother and fear that he could have lost said brother.
"You don't understand, Ace..." Luffy started but was cut off.
"Yes I do Luffy! You should have hit the guy!" Ace shouted.
"YOU WOULDN'T HAVE!" Luffy shouted as he quickly stood, ultimately silencing Ace and shocking Sabo. He sighed softly, calming himself before asking, "So why should I have?"
"Luffy..." Sabo muttered under his breath, thoroughly shocked by the sudden comment.
"I know you Ace. Even when we hated each other, I understood you to a certain extent. You would never harm anyone who had bullied you, who had fought you, who had picked on you. But if they messed with anyone you cared about, that's when you fought. That's one of the few things I had admired about you. You never fought anyone unless you had a good reason. You only fought when someone hurt someone you cared about. What happened to that Ace?" Luffy questioned, sounding almost disappointed.
"We aren't talking about me. We're talking about you." Ace said with serious eyes, though deep down he started to feel guilt. He hadn't known Luffy had respected him, let alone admired him. Even if it was only one little habit, a small trait, he still took it to heart and intended to act more like a better big brother. He wanted to be a version of himself that his brothers would be proud of. And he felt like he had just lost a part of that version of him.
"What's the difference?" Luffy asked. "I acted the same you would have. He only messed with me, nobody else. And I did what I intended. I defended other people. Yeah I got hit a few times but I don't care. Why should I get into a meaningless fight if he didn't even hurt me?"
"To defend yourself, idiot!" Ace shouted, his hands balling up into fists and unconsciously turning to flames.
"From what!? He can't hurt me!" Luffy argued, not seeing the flames coming from Ace.
"He still tried to! Why can't you see that!? He tried to hurt you! He wanted to beat the shit out of you and you didn't do shit!" Ace shouted, moving his burning hands in wild gestures.
Ace didn't blame Luffy at all. In fact, Luffy was right. He'd have done the exact same even before he had his Devil Fruit. His anger wasn't aimed at Luffy but rather at himself. The only thing going through his mind were the same pictures he had thought of while he and Sabo were searching for Luffy. Of how he thought he'd find the youngest. Images of Luffy beaten, battered, and bruised all for one simple reason. Ace wasn't there to stop it from happening.
"Ace!" Sabo shouted, pulling Ace out of his thoughts.
"What Sabo!?" Ace questioned, turning his gaze to the now standing blond who's hand was on his shoulder.
"You need to calm down and reign in control. You're burning the forest, Ace." Sabo said as calmly as he could considering the situation but his eyes showed the full extent of his fear.
As soon as Ace saw the fear in Sabo's eyes, he was brought back to reality and took a quick glance around. Luffy was still standing on the tree stump staring at him nervously, feeling somewhat guilty and scared. Sabo was standing a little away from him though his hand was still on Ace's shoulder in attempt to calm him and keep him in reality. Surrounding them was the beginnings of a wild fire. The grass in the clearing was already scorched and half the trees were already blackened and charred. The leaves and a few branches had already turned to ash under the intensity of the flames and a few trees further out were already starting to burn.
"Shit…" Ace muttered before taking a few steps away from his brothers and recalling the flames. The fire seemed to dance on its way towards him before joining with the flames on his hands. After even the last spark had gone back to him, he quickly put out the flames on his hands. "Sorry guys…" He quickly apologized.
Luffy and Sabo looked at each other before walking back to Ace. "You should apologize more to the grass than us. We're fine but… Sadly the grass isn't. And neither are those trees..." Sabo muttered playfully with a dramatized sigh. "C'est la vie…"
"But still…" Ace muttered, feeling somewhat relaxed with how calm Sabo was and how he was acting.
"Don't apologize Ace. It was my fault. I got you angry…" Luffy said, staring at the darkened grass.
"It was both of us. Let's face it, we're idiots. Can we just accept that and call it even?" Ace asked with a smile though not as bright or cocky as it would have been in any other situation.
"Agreed. Though you're dumber." Luffy said with a chuckle.
"Hey!" Ace whined, pouting ever so slightly.
'Someone's coming' the wind seemed to whisper to the three though in three different voices. Immediately, they all had their backs to each other and were watching their surroundings with careful eyes, waiting for anyone to jump out at them. After a few agonizing moments, they finally saw a moving shadow.
-x-x-x-
Thatch scratched at the scar that curved around his left eye as he worked on his history homework. It was fairly easy for him considering it was the Great Pirate Era. He couldn't stop the smirk that spread as he read over a question about the Whitebeard commanders. "Names and divisions, huh? Easy." He said to himself before quickly writing out the familiar names.
Though he had acted otherwise before, he actually already had a fair amount of his past counterparts memories. He had accidentally met most of the past Whitebeard commanders almost a year prior and had been gaining his memories slowly ever since. Ace was the last one he had met and that left only three he hadn't found yet. Jozu, Izou and Marco. Jozu he could understand, especially if he was the same as he remembered. Though the man was large, it was almost easy to forget he was there since he never seemed to speak. Izou… He had no clue how he could miss that man. Again, if he was anything like his past counterpart then he'd be obvious as all hell which had caused him to again question how he hadn't found him yet. Then there was Marco. No matter who he asked, nobody knew what happened to the first division commander turned captain. It was like the phoenix had just vanished and Thatch wouldn't deny he was worried. He and Marco had always been by each others side since they were kids, through everything, thick and thin. So hearing his best friend had up and vanished years after Whitebeards death with no news whatsoever was nothing kind to his nerves.
His thoughts were cut off by a light out the corner of his eye. He was sitting next to a window in his house and the sun was still up so it shouldn't have caught his attention but seeing as the light seemed different, he gave it a glance. His eyes widened when he realized what it was.
Flames and smoke arose from the mountain he had seen Ace, Sabo and Luffy run to on multiple occasions. He always wondered why they went there but never had asked. Recalling his walk home an hour before, he remembered seeing Ace and Sabo running towards the mountain like they had almost everyday since the semester started.
"A fire…?" He muttered under his breath before his eyes widened in realization. "Damn it Ace!" He shouted before running out of his room and to the streets, leaving all previous thoughts and paperwork behind.
He ran as fast as he could, nearing a sprint as he got closer to the mountain and the flames grew larger. He kept his eyes on the rising flames and smoke, mentally cursing Ace and his pyromania. "Idiot… When I find you…!" Thatch silently growled to himself.
In his haste, he accidently ran into another body causing both him and the other person to fall to the ground. He groaned as he sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry. My head was in the clouds." He chuckled lightly, covering up his worry and annoyance with a nervous grin.
"Damn it Hatcher!" The other person muttered with annoyance, causing Thatch to open his eyes. He blinked in surprise as he peered at Law. "Watch where you're going you idiot!" Law yelled with an annoyed glare.
"Haha, sorry Law!" Thatch grinned. "I guess I was too busy staring at the fire up on the mountain."
"What's so interesting about a stupid fire?" Law questioned as he stood and dusted his clothes of non-existent dust and dirt.
"Well… It's not the fire itself… More like who's up there…" Thatch stated. At Law's curious gaze, he continued. "Ace and Sabo… I saw them all run up there earlier and I think Luffy is up there too."
"Then what are you doing on the ground? Get up and let's go." Law questioned, sending a nearly unnoticeable glance to the mountain and the smoke rising from it.
"W-what…?" Thatch questioned, somewhat shocked. "But… I thought you didn't care about them…"
"Shut up. Stand up already and let's go." Law said, turning to the mountain and starting his walk.
Thatch grinned and jumped up, ignoring the dirt on his white pants. "You're so insistent and yet you walk? The hell Law? Come on!" He shouted the last sentence as he began to run again.
Law groaned before running, quickly catching up to Thatch. It took about five minutes for them to reach the forest before they ran in without hesitation. A few minutes later, they had heard voices.
"It was both of us. Let's face it, we're idiots. Can we just accept that and call it even?"
"Agreed. Though you're dumber."
"Hey!"
Both Law and Thatch could easily name the boys both voices belonged to. If Ace and Luffy were here than Sabo wasn't far. They walked towards the voices for a little while and quickly found the evidence of the fire they had seen earlier. The smoke was already starting to fade and the fire was already gone, this they were thankful for.
As they got closer, they realized the boys had stopped talking and were now quieter than the grave. Thatch, being Thatch, walked out of the trees without a moment's hesitation. By instinct alone, he stepped out of the way of a rubber fist being flung towards him. He blinked at the out stretched appendage that was easily six times longer than it should have been. He turned his head and looked at the trio in the center of the burned clearing. "Hey! You could just say 'hi'! It's a lot less strange…" He called out, taking a few extra steps into the clearing and making himself seen.
"Thatch? What are you doing here?" Luffy questioned with a confused blink of his large eyes as his arm returned to normal length.
"I'm more curious as to why you three are trying to burn down the forest." Law spoke up, glancing around the clearing. Sure enough almost everything was darken within the immediate area aside from the trio in front of him and the tree stump they stood next to - or on in Luffy's case.
"Lance? I can understand Thatch being curious but you?" Sabo asked as the brothers relaxed and turned to the two newcomers.
"He was so worried~" Thatch teased. "You should have seen it! I ran into him and he practically dragged me here!"
Ace rolled his eyes in disbelief. "Sure Thatch. Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Thatch pouted. "You're so mean Ace… You used to be nice…"He muttered to himself.
"Since when-?" Ace cut himself off, stopping his question short as his eyes widened and he looked at Thatch. "No…"
Thatch grinned and chuckled. "So Ace, why are you trying to burn the mountain down?"
"It was an accident!" Ace defended.
"Like constantly falling asleep and face planting your food?" Thatch asked with a raised eyebrow.
Not even a second later, Ace had tackled Thatch and hugged him tightly. "You're back!"
Thatch laughed and patted Ace's back before trying to pull him off. "Yeah, I know! Now can you get off of me!?"
"No! I missed you!" Ace shouted, proving further that Portgas was in control.
Thatch sighed and readjusted Ace so his weight was more evenly balanced before looking at Sabo and Luffy. "What's wrong with him?"
"Portgas takes control from time to time, causing Spade to act unlike himself." Sabo said with a shrug and light sigh.
Luffy glanced at Sabo curiously though with a small smirk as he already had an idea of what the answer to his question would be. "You're doing that just because Ace isn't himself and can't pick on you about it, huh?"
"I've spent many years with that child in a man's body teasing me over my proper speech. I shall enjoy it while I can." Sabo said with a small smile.
"I believe I like this version of you Outlook. You're much more tolerable than that childish persona you have with Spade." Law spoke up, glancing at Ace - who was still clinging to Thatch - before rolling his eyes.
"Sorry to interrupt your oh so important conversation," Thatch started, "but did you say Portgas takes over? Like, the past Ace controls present Ace?"
"Yup." Luffy said with a nod. "It's pretty rare but... It still happens."
"I can see that..." Thatch muttered before taking a breath. "Portgas D. Ace! Get your ass off me right now!"
"Never! I missed you, you dumbass!" Ace shouted, clinging tighter.
"You can't call me a dumbass! I'm smarter than you!" Thatch stated with something akin to disbelief.
"If you're so much smarter than me, how come you can't figure out how to get me off of you?" Ace questioned with a challenging look.
"Ugh! Why'd you have to get so annoying!?" Thatch groaned.
Ace quickly let go of Thatch and let his feet touch the ground, standing on his own before patting Thatch's back. "Not my fault things change." Ace stated with a shrug.
"I presume our Ace has returned…?" Sabo asked slowly.
"You presume correctly good sir." Ace teased before grinning.
"You're an asshole, you know that?" Sabo asked with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring lightly at the slightly older ravenette.
"And yet you can't hate me~" Ace grinned.
"Well…" Luffy and Law muttered at the same time.
"Shut it, Heart." Ace glared lightly before turning to Luffy. "Don't be so mean to your big brother."
"Hmph." Law sounded with mild annoyance.
"You aren't Lance Heart, are you? Not anymore, right?" Sabo asked with a knowing smirk.
"Correct. I regained Trafalgar Law's very last memory a few weeks ago." Law stated with a smirk of his own. "You've always been much smarter than Mugiwara-ya, Sabo-ya. I'm actually somewhat glad that still holds true."
"It'd be strange for my dimwitted little brother to be smarter than me, wouldn't it?" Sabo questioned aloud.
"Extremely so." Law answered almost instantly.
Luffy was about to yell at them - stating that he was smarter than they gave him credit for - when the sound of crunching leaves could be heard coming from the direction opposite Law and Thatch came from. Ace readied his fists, not wanting to risk using his fire while Luffy and Thatch mimicked his actions. Sabo quickly pulled his collapsable staff out of his holster on his thigh as Law pulled out a pocket knife and held out his hand, ready to call out 'room' if necessary.
The crunching seemed to stop right at the edge of the trees where little to no light made it through. "No… way…" A voice whispered, sounding overall shocked.
"Who's there?" Ace questioned, his voice low and meaning business.
The person took a few extra steps into the light and towards the group. The blond tuft of hair on the top of their head was the first thing seen before their bright blue eyes that seemed to shimmer and dance like flames.
Ace and Thatch froze, they're stances slackening and turning almost relaxed. It was Thatch who broke the silence. "Marco…?"
-x-x-x-
(Done! It's late and I need sleep! Plus it's a school night… I'm most likely uploading this in the morning so you don't really care… Was that a good return? Was it worth the wait? ;3; Please tell me it was at least worth some of the wait… I know at least two people will be celebrating and be telling me to update asap simply because of who just entered but I'm not making any more promises. We know how that's gone so far… You should know how this goes by now. Fave, follow, read my other stuff, check out my new fic on MaskedExorcist's account, and review! Bai~! c(X )
Start time: 8-ish last night
End time: 11:30 p.m.