A/N~ Hello! Sorry for the late update, lot of stuff going on :)

Not gonna lie, I teared up writing this one DX It's shorter than the last chapter (which I really enjoyed writing btw XD so much fun!) but I hope you enjoy it regardless.

I OWN NOTHING. I DON'T KNOW WHY I CONTINUE TO SAY THIS BUT BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY I GUESS.

Enjoy :)

Chapter 13: To Make a Choice

"What the hell?"

Luffy tackled Sabo into a bone-crushing hug that all but knocked the wind out of the unprepared blond – then again when would he ever be prepared for one of Luffy's hugs?

Ace stepped closer and knocked Sabo's hat off to ruffle his hair with a grin that was larger than life. "Good to see you again, Sabo!" he said, genuine delight etched across his freckled face. "Miss us?"

Sabo stared at Ace from underneath his hand, and then looked down at the boy currently attempting to attach himself to Sabo like a clingy octopus.

They're here. They're actually here.

It took far longer than he would've liked for him to find his voice. "…what…what are you guys doing here?" he breathed, hoping they didn't catch on to the slight quiver in his voice.

Whether he did or he didn't, Ace nor Luffy showed it as Ace removed his hand from Sabo's head and folded his arms, still beaming at him like a cat with its favorite toy. "Well, you never showed up this morning, so Lu and I figured if you couldn't come see us –"

"– then we'd come see you!" Luffy finished, peering up from where he'd buried his face into Sabo's chest and grinning like the lovable loon he was. "It was awesome! Robin planned the whole thing – she's a freaking genius, I love her so much! She had Zoro and Franky hoist us over the rails, and then we hid in here, and then she went to kidnap you from your family while the others distracted your bodyguard guy, and then she brought you here! Are you surprised? Surprise!"

'Surprised' wasn't quite the word Sabo was looking for.

He was…alright, yes, surprised did kind of describe what he was feeling, but he was also happy. So, unbelievably happy to see their smiling faces, to have Luffy wrap him up in his arms again, to see Ace's brilliant smile and hear them laugh and have that indescribable warmth in his chest knowing these are two people who care about me, they've gone through so much trouble just to see me, they want to be with me –

But he was also unbelievably terrified, that ever-present threat of his father's anger and punishment – not upon him, but upon them – looming like a mountain not even God could hope to move.

Why the hell did they have to come here?

Sabo forced himself to gently pry Luffy's arms from around his waist. Confusion was evident in both their gazes as they watched him step away from the teen, jubilant smiles fading. Picking his hat up from where it had landed at their feet, Sabo plopped it on his head and gathered the nerve to face the duo.

"Ace…Luffy…" he began, shocked to hear that his voice was so steady when he was shaking inside like a leaf in a raging storm. "Thank you for coming. You don't know how happy I am to have you here, really. But…I can't see you anymore. I can't."

Ace and Luffy stared at him, the younger in utter confusion and the older with narrowed eyes full of understanding, which surprised Sabo.

"We know. We figured Outlook would want to keep you as far away from us as possible and vice versa," Ace said, unfolding his arms and stepping closer. "But we don't care about that. We wanted to see you, so here we are."

Sabo cursed up a storm in his thoughts, but outwardly he sighed. "No, you – you don't understand," he tried, pleading with any God out there that they listened and heeded his warning. "I'm…I'm a noble, alright? I was born and raised for the sole purpose of aiding my parents in attaining more wealth to secure my family's future. I'm engaged, set to marry as soon as we reach New York, and that's–that's it. That's what my fathers' planned for me, and later for my step-brother. And – and if I stray from that plan, if I do anything against his wishes –"

"We know, Sabo," Ace interrupted, moving closer until the blond was forced to take a few steps back, his back literally against the wall.

Ace grabbed his shoulders. "We get it. Outlook's a piece of crap and you've been used and abused by him your whole life which is why you're so freaking intimidated by him, and that sucks. But we said we were gonna get away from him, remember? We're gonna leave all this behind and be free –"

"Dammit Ace if I step out of line I won't be the only one who suffers this time!" Sabo shouted, ripping his shoulders from Ace's grasp and shoving him away with all the force he could muster. Ace staggered, and Luffy took a step back in shock.

Ignoring the pang of regret in his heart, Sabo glared at the two D's, chest heaving. "Don't you see?! I can't be free and I was a fool to ever think I could! Outlook found out about last night, he had Bluejam follow me and he saw us down below, and now he's – he's – gah!"

Sabo tore his hat off his head and tossed it in favor of running both hands through his hair in agitation, desperation.

Dammit, why was it so hard? Why did it have to hurt so much just to tell them goodbye?

He took a breath, which didn't help with how it shuddered out of him. "…Outlook confronted me this morning. I-I tried to stand up to him, for the first time in years because I thought…" He chuckled bitterly, dropping his hands back to his sides and looking back up at the brothers. "I actually thought I'd grown a backbone. But then I guess he figured out that I…I care about you two. A lot."

He shrugged helplessly, despite the astonishment shining in Ace's eyes and the glee in Luffy's smile that, ordinarily, Sabo would've reciprocated. Alas, he couldn't find the will to smile back, not anymore.

"So…so now, if he ever sees me near you again, who knows what the hell he might do." He pointed at his scar. "You've seen what he can do to me, his own son. What's stopping him from doing worse to you?"

Ace's brows furrowed, his frown deepening in anger. Luffy's smile slowly disappeared, his eyes that little bit wider as he stared at Sabo. In turn, Sabo's eyes grew moist, though he did his best to fight it as he swallowed thickly.

So much for living without any regrets, he thought bitterly. I'm going to regret this moment, every damn second of this, for the rest of my life.

"That's why I can't see you anymore," he continued, his quivering voice barely above a whisper. "I…I put you both in danger because of my reckless, selfish actions, and I…I'm so sorry, I didn't want any of this to happen –"

"So you're gonna sacrifice your own freedom for ours?"

Luffy's low, angry voice froze Sabo in his tracks. The blond looked up to find the teen glaring, fists clenched and shaking at his sides.

Sabo knew Luffy wasn't all sunshine and smiles and infectious laughter – he'd shown that back when they'd first met, which seemed like so long ago. But to see this side of Luffy directed at him was almost unnerving.

"Luffy –"

"You can't do that!" Luffy yelled, stomping up to Sabo to grab his arm, his grip astoundingly firm and painful. "You can't throw everything away for our sake, Sabo! You can't do that!"

Sabo looked down at the boy – always the first to hug him, who beamed brighter than the blazing sun, who'd danced and laughed and played the night away with him, who Sabo wanted to protect with everything he had, who just didn't understand – and he matched his frown, reaching out with his free arm to grab Luffy's shoulder.

"If it means I can keep the two of you safe from Outlook, then I can and I will! I don't care what happens to me!" he snapped right back.

Luffy's glare only intensified to the point Sabo was sure the younger raven was going to punch him.

"Luffy and I can take care of ourselves," Ace growled, approaching them again with a defiant scowl of his own. "This is your life, Sabo, you have to be free! Are you gonna abandon all your dreams just like that?!"

Sabo's breath hitched against a dry sob that threatened to burst through as he ducked his head, squeezing his eyes shut again. His eyes burned behind closed lids, and his hand tightened on Luffy's shoulder. Why couldn't they understand? Why couldn't they just leave? It was Sabo's fault they were in this mess in the first place, Sabo's fault they were in possible danger due to Outlook's influence with just about everything, why couldn't they see that he just wanted to keep them safe, save them like they'd saved him?

He heard Ace sigh heavily before a hand buried itself into Sabo's hair, roughly, but that was Ace; rough and brash at the edges even with his affection, so Sabo didn't flinch as he opened his watery eyes to look into the older man's silver pair.

Ace bit his lip, as if weighing his words, before finally opening his mouth. "Look, Sabo…listen," he began, his voice softer than Sabo was used to hearing, hesitant and stuttering, but it filled his breaking heart with warmth all the same. "I'm not good at this sort of crap, but I'll try anyways."

That managed to get a watery chuckle out of Sabo, and even made Luffy – whose glare had softened into a sad frown that had no right to be there – crack a small smile.

Ace ignored their snickers and looked Sabo in the eye. "…Sabo…you're full of crap, alright? You're a spoiled little brat even, a sarcastic, hand-crushing, fast-talking bastard, but – but above all that you're strong, you have a–a good heart and – and you're one of the most amazing people we've ever known and –"

Sabo could feel the tears coming, his eyes filling fit to burst. "Ace –"

"No, no lemme try and get this out, you're –gah, jeez," Ace let go of Sabo's hair to rake his hand through his own, obviously struggling because everyone who knew Ace knew the guy was absolutely crap when it came to feelings and people. Luffy had always been better than him, though not for lack of trying.

"Look, we're not idiots," he said at last. "We know how the world works. We get what'll happen if that bastard catches us, and we get why you're doing this. But we don't care about any of that, you hear? Besides, we're too involved, now. You jump, we jump, remember?"

Sabo did remember, like it happened only moments ago. He thought about it constantly and felt all the worse for it.

"We can't turn our back on you, Sabo, not ever," Luffy said with all the conviction in the world, finally releasing his death grip on Sabo's arm in favour of holding his hands, intertwining their fingers. The boy gazed up at him with a hopeful smile that shone and stretched on for miles and miles. "You can't give everything up for us. And you're our brother, so of course we're not gonna leave you."

Sabo blanched, a choked gasp catching his throat.

What?

He –

He said I'm their –

"…w…w-what?" he whispered, not daring to speak any louder. "W-what do you –?"

Luffy held his hands tighter, his eyes bright and his smile even brighter. "We want you to be our third brother, Sabo!" he said, Ace nodding along with a slow, hopeful smile growing across his freckled faces. "I mean, we were already brothers without even thinkin' about it, really, but now we wanna make it official, y'know? Just like Ace and I did with the sake cups! Zoro brought some with him from his homeland in Japan, so later we can go down below and –"

"No."

Luffy froze, his smile falling like a house of cards. Ace went still as stone, watching as Sabo pried Luffy's fingers off his hands.

"…no?" Luffy muttered softly, hands retracting and curling against his chest as he gaped up at Sabo. "What…what do you mean, 'Bo?"

If there's really a God up there, please help me.

Sabo roughly wiped away a tear that had escaped with the back of his hand as he drew in a shaking breath. "You're…You're making this harder than it needs to be, Luffy," he forced out. "I told you, I can't be with you. I can't be a part of your family and you can't be mine. It's better like this. I'll…I'll be fine without you. Really. I've survived this long, haven't I? I can keep going."

"Bullroar," Ace hissed, his shock taking a step back as anger shone through once more. "That's not true and you know it. Dammit – they've got you trapped, Sabo!" he cried, pointing out the window at the noble world rushing on by without them. "You're gonna die if you don't break free! Maybe not right away 'cos you're strong, and we know that, we do. But sooner or later the fire in you, Sabo…it's gonna burn out."

Sabo just looked at Ace. Ace stared back, jaw set. In the middle, Luffy could only look between them helplessly as the anger left Ace's body with a heaving sigh.

Hesitantly, Ace reached out to take Sabo's shoulder again, and he pulled gently. When Sabo didn't resist or push him away, he tugged him closer until their foreheads bumped together, sunshine gold and midnight black meeting in the middle.

Ace closed his eyes. "We can't let that happen. We won't let it happen, Sabo," he said softly.

Sabo's shoulder shook under Ace's palm as another tear fell down his cheek against his will. The gesture was so familiar, loving, brotherly, that it cracked Sabo's walls like glass.

"Don't go back with them," Luffy pleaded, pressing himself against Sabo's arm and clenching the dark fabric of his coat between his hands. His voice was thick, like he was on the verge of tears. "We're brothers, and brothers stick together. We're there for each other, no matter what. Your dad can do whatever the hell he wants. We don't care. We just want you with us, 'Bo. Please."

His hands shaking as he bit down on his lip, Sabo slowly reached up to cradle the back of Ace's head in his palm, burying gloved fingers into his black hair, his other arm wrapping around Luffy's shoulders. He held them both as close as he dared, desperate for their contact, their care…desperate just to hold them.

They wanted him to be their brother. He was…so afraid they wouldn't want someone like him, a noble, to be a part of their family.

But they do. They want me to…I want to…

The very thought of it, the idea of calling those two foolish, reckless, pure-hearted, stubborn idiots his brothers, his family without a trace of shame or reluctance, the idea that he did have a choice, that with them he could be free…

It filled Sabo with a joy so immeasurable it was overwhelming.

What he felt for two people who only days ago had been complete strangers…some would think it irrational, unrealistic for someone to love another so deeply so fast. But for Sabo, who'd desperately yearned for something like this for so long…

He wanted to say yes. He wanted to leave everything behind, throw it all away, shove it in Outlook's face and run away with Ace and Luffy, to be their brother, to have brothers and be free.

But…

"If I ever see you near those low-life thugs again, I will see to it that the punishment is severe. And not just for you this time. I have the power, the right, to make those good-for-nothing ruffians suffer."

I can't.

Sabo ground his teeth against the sobs that threatened to drain him dry, as he slipped his hand and arm off the brothers – his brothers but not really, not anymore, not ever – and drew away for the last time. He stared at them through the film of tears in his eyes, drinking them in, committing everything that made them Ace and Luffy to his memory. He was certain it would be the last he ever saw of them.

He slowly shook his head.

When he met their eyes once more they were aching, silver eyes resigned and brown ones wide and tearful.

Tearing his gaze away, Sabo reached down to pick up his hat again, tugging it down and shielding his eyes. He had to get out of there. Call him a coward if you will, but he couldn't bear look at the heartbreak in Luffy's eyes or the poorly hidden pain in Ace's a second longer.

"I'm…I'm going back," he choked out. "They'll start getting suspicious, more so now considering your friends are here."

Shoulders slumping in defeat, Ace only nodded and turned his head away, stuffing his hands in his pockets and casting sullen eyes to the floor, all but shutting Sabo out. He was done.

Luffy, however, continued to stare after him even as Sabo turned his back on them, reaching for the door handle.

"Sabo?" he called in a voice that all but destroyed what remained of Sabo's heart.

He gripped the handle tight enough to leave a dent in the metal.

"Please, Ace, Luffy," he whispered brokenly, "for all our sakes, just leave me alone."

Sabo stepped back out onto the deck, shutting the door and banishing them from his sight.

Robin was still standing beside the door like a guardian statue when Sabo stepped out. She turned in surprise, looking around for the two people she must've been certain would have followed him out, confused when it became apparent that he was alone.

Then she saw Sabo's face, saw the unnatural redness brimming in his eyes before he could tip his hat down to hide them. She frowned in concern.

"Sabo –?"

"You and the others had better leave now," he said softly, unable to trust his own voice anymore or look the woman in the eye. "Thank you for your efforts. I'm glad I could see them one last time."

He tried a smile, but it wobbled dangerously and made him want to break down again, so he quickly spun on his heel and walked briskly back the way they'd come, tuning out Robin's worried call.

He passed Brook, still surrounded by nobles – a different group this time, he absently noted. The lanky old man's grin dimmed somewhat when Sabo walked passed without sparing him a second glance…without Ace and Luffy.

Bluejam wasn't there, much to Sabo's surprise, but Sanji was. The young chef was casually leaning against the wall with a cig in his mouth and a single blue eye watching him go by. He said nothing, didn't move from his spot. But he did frown, clearly disappointed.

Whether he was disappointed in Sabo, or disappointed that Ace and Luffy weren't with him, Sabo wasn't sure. Didn't mean it hurt any less, though, to know that he'd manged to let so many people down in a single day. It was a new record, even for him.

When he finally did come across Bluejam, it was to see the man in the middle of a one-sided conversation with an angered Outlook. How long had Sanji been distracting the bodyguard for it to take him this long to reach Outlook? The thought almost brought a smirk to Sabo's lips as he approached the men.

Outlook spotted him first, and there was a dangerous glint in his eye as he frowned deeply. "Where have you been, boy?" he snapped. "Bluejam has been telling me that you left with some random woman claiming to be Lady Koala's bodyguard of all things, to speak with the Nefertari's–"

"Yes, that's right," Sabo interrupted, and any other day he wouldn't have even thought of doing so, not to Outlook, the man who'd ingrained fear and reluctant respect for him since he could sit up. But right now, he was too numb to the core to really care.

He took a breath, lifted his head and offered his father a polite smile. "They wanted to see me to discuss what material I would like for my suit for the reception. It was a last-minute thing, and Lady Koala sends her humblest apologies for any inconvenience this debacle may have caused."

Outlook narrowed his eyes in suspicion, raising a trimmed brow. He was looking for something, something to call Sabo out on his bluff and exact punishment accordingly. Unfortunately for him, Sabo had five years' experience living on the streets and ten living in a world of fake smiles and masks. He knew how to lie.

"Is that so?" Outlook probed, and Sabo nodded. And, apparently seeing nothing behind the smile Sabo had plastered across his face – except, perhaps, the slight unnatural redness of his mismatched eyes – Outlook reluctantly conceded. "Very well, then. What did you decide?"

Swallowing the remnants of his tears, his rage and regret, Sabo let himself smile that little bit wider, playing the part of an excited young nobleman set to marry into a rich family, ready to follow the path that his father had paved for him willingly and without question. He locked away his longing, his dreams of freedom and thoughts of unattainable happiness and family and brotherhood, threw away the key, and he replied in a chipper voice that didn't crack or waver,

"Wool."

The sun was starting to set by the time Sabo was finally excused from the presence of his family, having earned some freedom back when it became apparent that he hadn't tried anything funny, or would in the foreseeable future. But it was for a limited time only, for at dinner he would once again be forced to mingle with the rest of them, probably forced to follow the gents into the smoking room to discuss matters that hardly interested him (and he didn't even smoke for God's sake) just so Outlook could keep an eye on him.

And yet, even with that small window of free time, Sabo was at as loss as to what to do with himself.

There was no sense in wandering around the ship when he was restricted to A Deck, no sense in doing much at all except to stare blankly out into the sunset, watching the ocean waves roll by as the ship powered through. So he did so, leaning against the railings as he stared out into the blue beyond in the dusk light, the seas lit by the embers of a giant fire that steadily began to die.

Winds blowing softly through his hair, Sabo closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

He let his thoughts wander, and he should've known better because of course they wandered straight to Ace and Luffy, to their incredible group of friends who'd undoubtedly gone through so much trouble to reunite them if only for a little while, to the three Whitebeards he'd met that night during a party he would never forget for as long as he lived…

I wonder what they're doing now. I wonder if they've given up on me, now that I've closed the door in their faces.

I wonder…

Sabo shook his head, banishing the thoughts before they could manifest into something worse. He'd made his choice, and he couldn't go back on it now even if he had the option. He had to protect them, keep Outlook away from them for as long as they sailed on Titanic. Then, once they reached New York's shores they would go their separate ways – Sabo would follow his parent's footsteps and marry Vivi Nefertari, Ace and Luffy would pave their own paths and follow their own dreams – and they would never meet again.

As long as they were safe, as long as they could live and be freer than anyone else and live without any regrets, Sabo would be content.

It hurt, knowing that his dreams would forever be unattainable. But…but at least he'd helped two deserving ones achieve theirs. That was what he'd wanted to do, right? To help people, to help others find freedom, even if it meant sacrificing something of his.

He just…he wished things could've been different. He just wished he could've been there to see them achieve their dreams, achieve happiness. He wished…he wished…

Sabo lowered his head, a small and rueful smile tilting his lips.

I wish I could've been their brother. I bet it would've been wonderful.

"Hey, there."

A startled gasp caught his throat as Sabo snapped his head up to face a smiling Koala, standing a few feet from him in a shimmering dress, a feathered fan in her right hand. Her blue eyes sparkled like diamonds in the sunset as she regarded him, her head tilted, seemingly innocent and curious.

Sabo quickly snapped to attention; feeling sorry for himself didn't mean he could forsake his manners.

"Lady Koala – I mean, Koala – it's good to see you again," he stuttered with an awkward bow that made the young woman giggle. Sabo groaned and wished for someone to come and throw him the hell overboard already.

(Why, why, why couldn't he talk to women? Why was he like this? Whyyyyy?)

Once he straightened from his bow, Koala stepped closer, swishing her fan open with a practiced flick of her wrist. "Mind if I join you?" she asked, though it wasn't really a question as she stood by his side to lean with one arm braced against the rails, the other busy fanning her face with her bright blue fan as she looked out to the oceans beyond.

Sabo, knowing that there was no reason for him to say 'no' – it wasn't like he owned this part of the deck after all – shrugged and resumed his earlier stance, the two falling into silence.

Despite his apparent inability to act like a sane person in the presence of the opposite sex, Sabo…liked the silence that stretched on between them. It was companionable, comfortable even.

After a full minute had passed, Sabo snuck a glance over at the woman from the corner of eye, glad when she seemed not to notice. Her slender frame seemed to glow in the sun's dying light. God she was pretty.

As he stared, he wondered why she'd sought him out. Because there was no way she could've simply met him by chance at this side of the ship. He wondered what it was she wanted to talk to him about, if at all. More importantly, he wondered if she really did know Robin at all, or if he'd just briefly mentioned Koala for some reason at the party last night because he'd been drunk, so Robin had just used her name since it was the first one that had come to mind –?

Again, reading too deep into things. He shook his head, turning away. Stupid brain was working overtime.

Still, he wondered.

"So," she sighed suddenly, making Sabo jolt in surprise, and she finally turned to face him. "This is it then, is it?"

Brows furrowing, Sabo turned around to face her fully. "Come again?" he asked.

He quickly regretted doing so as Koala's smile, small and sad and sympathetic at first, vanished in an instant, replaced with a frown that boarded on deadly as her eyes met his and held them there. Sabo's chest felt tight under the pressure her sudden anger was exerting.

"You're gonna stay with Outlook and his crowd," she said, low enough so that only he could hear even over the roar of the seas below, something dark and livid oozing like poison from her voice. "You're gonna get off this ship, marry some girl you've never even met and live the rest of your life in a haze, up to your tits in wealth with a reputation you don't give a rats ass about, maybe punch in a kid or two and repeat the cycle your parents put you through until you draw your last breath and die in some bed, alone, only to be remembered as just one more business man out of millions with everything you've ever done, everything you've ever gained, amounting to absolutely nothing once you're gone and buried."

Glaring with a heat that seared through him like magma, standing toe to toe with the taller blond, she looked Sabo dead in the eye. Rooted to the spot, Sabo dared not breathe.

"Is that it?!" she seethed. "All that talk about living the way you want to, finding freedom and fighting for it you're just gonna settle for – for living under that bastard's thumb, doing as he says until the day they dig your grave?! Come on, is that really what you want?!"

Sabo could do nothing but stare as she fell silent aside from her infuriated panting, clamping his jaw shut to keep it from dropping in shock, his mind reeling with even more questions than he'd started off with, most of which included unsavory words that rhymed with 'duck'.

Then her words, their harshness notwithstanding, finally registered, and his surprise melted away as he looked, really looked at the young woman standing before him.

Clearly, she knew much more than she let on, more than Sabo could possibly fathom. She'd been watching him, that much was obvious, though he had no idea why, but that was a story for later.

More importantly, she understood. She understood what he'd been going through until now. Maybe she'd even been through something similar and was calling him out for being such a dumb-ass, for barking up a storm only to bow his head like an obedient dog to his master, tail between his legs…as he'd done for the last ten years of his life.

Tearing his eyes from her burning irises, Sabo looked at his right hand.

Slowly, he slipped the glove off, staring down at what remained of the scars on his knuckles left behind the night he'd punched the mirror, the night he'd believed, much like now, that he had no hope at finding freedom.

Is that really what you want?

Sabo remembered his first day out on the streets back in America, how happy he'd been, how alive and free he'd felt as he learned how to fight, to navigate through trenches and alleyways, what it meant to truly live.

He remembered how close he'd come to ending his life that fateful night, how Ace and Luffy had arrived just in time, gave him hope and strength and pulled him back to safety.

He remembered listening to their stories and sharing his own, learning secrets and weaknesses, flicking through Ace's beautiful sketchbook and gazing upon how he saw the world, how he saw people, how he saw Sabo.

He remembered the conviction and pride ringing loud in their voices and gleaming like gold in their eyes when they'd told a table of nobles what it meant to make each day count, to live life without regrets.

He remembered dancing and singing and laughing at the top of his lungs in the centre of a party in third-class, happier than he'd been in years, and gazing up at the vast and endless night skies, vowing on a shooting star.

And then he remembered how he'd closed the door in their faces.

He remembered how Ace's bright silver eyes had turned dull with resignation and poorly concealed sorrow and hurt, how Luffy had called out to him in a small voice that didn't suit him at all, how Sabo's heart had shattered to tiny fragments for shutting them out, throwing everything they'd done for him out the window in fear of a mere man…

They'd called him their brother.

Koala was waiting for him, toned arms crossed over her chest. She tilted her head to the side, eyebrow raised as if to say Well? What's your answer?

Clenching his fists tight at his sides, Sabo met her glare for glare, determined and fierce.

Is that really what you want?

"Mother of God – of course that's not what I want, goddammit!" he snapped, taking Koala (and himself) by surprise as she blinked and took half a step back.

"I never asked for any of this," he threw his arms out wide in gesture to everything around them and more, and he was suddenly very glad that they were the only two people out on this part of the deck as he started to pace, his voice growing louder, angrier.

"I never asked to be born a noble or-or to have riches or status, and don't you even get me started on the whole arranged marriage thing! All I've ever wanted was to be who I wanted to be, to live the life I wanted, not spend the rest of my life trapped inside a glass case like some butterfly or a trophy or someone else's tool! I don't want to watch the rest of the world suffer and starve while people like them flaunt their riches! I want to see my dreams through! I want things to change! I want –!"

Sabo stopped pacing. Suddenly, Luffy's question came to mind, ringing in his ears.

"What about you? What's Bo's dream? Come on, tell us!"

He didn't need to think twice about the answer this time.

"I just want to be free!"

Shoulders heaving, Sabo panted heavily, his throat and his very soul aching and raw from the final shout that seemed to echo across the ocean like a golden bell.

Silence befell and endured.

Then Sabo blinked, remembering that he'd been talking to someone (or rather ranting), and he turned to see Koala staring at him with wide eyes.

Oh.

Sabo hadn't meant to startle her in the slightest. But…God it felt so good to express some rage for once. Even if it was only a fraction of what he'd kept inside for ten years. He believed a screaming fit was overdue, but that could come later. Preferably when he was alone, with his face stuffed into a pillow or two…or three.

(Man, he had issues.)

Koala quickly recovered from his small outburst after a rapid blink, and she shut her fan with an audible snap, planting one hand on her hip. For the first time since Sabo met her she looked absolutely nothing like a noble, even in her shimmering dress.

And she was grinning, wide and proud and genuine.

"Feel better?" she asked.

Sabo blinked once, twice. And then he released a long, long sigh before smiling tiredly.

"A little."

Koala stifled a snort. "Good," she said, and moved over to reach up and clasp his shoulder with a firm grip. "Now that we've established what you want and what you don't want…what are you gonna do about it? What are you gonna do right now?"

Regarding the hand on his shoulder for a moment, Sabo briefly closed his eyes.

"If I ever see you near those low-life thugs again, I will see to it that the punishment is severe, and not just for you this time. I have the power, the right, to make those good-for-nothing ruffians suffer."

He clenched his fist again. Damn Outlook, damn his influence, damn him damn him damn him –

"Luffy and I can take care of ourselves. This is your life, Sabo, you have to be free! Are you gonna abandon all your dreams just like that?!"

His fists loosened, and a small smile touched his lips unbidden.

"We're brothers, and brothers stick together. We're there for each other, no matter what. Your dad can do whatever the hell he wants. We don't care. We just want you with us, 'Bo. Please."

Opening his eyes, Sabo's smile grew with determination, a new spark igniting in his discoloured eyes as he stared into Koala's expectant, ocean blue pair.

Sabo had been a fool, blinded by his fear of Outlook and fear for the wellbeing of Ace and Luffy. And though it was true that Outlook had a lot of power at his fingertips, that he could easily carry out the threats he'd made, in the end he was only one man. Ace and Luffy were strong, crafty in their own ways, had survived on the streets like Sabo had…

He had to believe in them. If they could survive out there on the streets, Outlook would be no problem.

But they could worry about Outlook later. He could come up with a plan when the time came. Right now, Sabo had the chance to change his mind, take back his words, make the right choice and fight for his freedom just like he'd promised.

He grinned at Koala.

"I'm gonna find my brothers."

Koala returned his grin, wide and giddy as she nodded rapidly. "Yes, yes yes yes finally," she sighed dramatically. "Seriously, watching the three of you being dumb-asses and platonically pine over each other has been so exhausting!"

A surprised laugh stumbled out of Sabo at her words – and he realized that was the first he'd laughed all day, feeling as though a mighty burden had been lifted from his shoulders. "Sorry you didn't enjoy the show, but I'm afraid I can't give refunds," he quipped smartly. He quickly sobered, though his smile remained. "Thank you, Koala, for the whole, 'pep-talk' that was actually more like a 'punch-in-the-face' thing. I really needed it."

Koala rolled her eyes to hide the fact her cheeks had started to color, nudging his elbow with hers as she smirked. "'Course you did. For a bright kid, you sure can be the biggest idiot."

"Kid?" Sabo spluttered. "I'm twenty!"

"I'm twenty-one."

"But how does that make me a kid –?"

"Not the point."

"But what is the point, what are we even arguing -?"

"We're getting off-track, shut up. And as for your 'thank you', it's no problem. It's my job to help people, even if they're idiots. Though speaking of my job, I'm guessing you have quite a few questions to ask me now, don't you?"

"Yes. Absolutely yes," Sabo nodded at once, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. "I have, like, so many that it's not even remotely funny and I'm pretty sure I'm not gonna enjoy listening to the answers. But that can wait 'till later."

A knowing smile claimed his lips as he raised his head again. "However, I'm correct in assuming you're not really a noble at all, right?"

A twinkle in her eyes, Koala tapped her fan against her upturned lips. "Hush-hush. All will be revealed in due time, my little blond grasshopper," she whispered and winked.

Sabo rolled his eyes, but he was inwardly laughing himself silly (though he wasn't sure if it was due to the sudden invigorating feeling of having his burdens torn from his shoulders or because he'd just been called a 'little blond grasshopper' of all things. That was hysterically funny to him.)

He decided then and there that he really liked this Koala much more than the fake-noble Koala. Screw it, he liked Koala period. Maybe they could be friends, keep in touch after Sabo left with Ace and Luffy.

And I will. I will escape Outlook, leave him and everything behind and never look back.

Then Koala looked him up and down, brow raised. "What the hell are you still doing here? Go, hop away," she said, making 'shooing' motions with her hands. "Go and find your brothers, get outta here, just go!"

Snickering as she grabbed his shoulders and spun him around to push him down the deck – she really had been hanging out with Hack, hadn't she? – Sabo offered her a mile-wide grin and showy bow, disregarding all social protocol in the presence of the not-noblewoman. "Very well, I shall evict myself from the premises promptly. Farewell, m'lady!" he quipped.

"Oh shut the hell up, get going already!" Koala snapped, though she was grinning as wide as he was.

And with that, Sabo spun on his heel and dashed across the decks, a new smile on his face and a new light sparkling in his eye and igniting his heart, setting it ablaze.

'You're something special to them, kid. Even if they haven't asked you, you should really think it over.'

'We don't mean to pressure you into making decisions, yoi. You do whatever the hell you wanna do, kid. We just hope that whatever you decide to do in the end that you'll be happy and live without any regrets.'

'We're brothers, and brothers stick together.'

Koala was right. Ace and Luffy and their friends, they were all right, and Sabo had been a complete dumb-ass.

He was going to fight for his freedom. He was going to fight for his dreams, fight for the right to live on his terms, like he should have done years ago. He was going to leave his status behind, leave Outlook and nobility and wealth behind, for good, and never look back.

As much as the scars of his past continued to burn him, frighten him, he couldn't – wouldn't cower or bow to anyone ever again.

He wasn't about to let the chains of nobility hold him down anymore.

Instead, Sabo was going to see his brothers.

But first, he had to take a detour to his room one last time. He deemed a quick costume change was in order before he made his dramatic reappearance.

A/N~ Sabo being a reckless happy sappy dumb-ass gives me so much life :) Also writing Koala is a dream! I love her character.

Hope you enjoyed that, and more are on the way.

Reviews are writer chow :3