Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Sabo and Koala

Requested by: GoddessOfVictory (FanFiction)

Normally when there is a contest between one's fist and a wall, it is pretty much determined who the victor will be. However, the concrete structure stood no chance against Sabo's literally blazing fist as they collided; without any resistance whatsoever, the bricks succumbed to his rage and exploded upon impact, coating Sabo's flickering fist with a drought of cool air. As he dimmed his flames, the glimmering white fire of the stars replaced them. The nighttime breeze, though it carried the chill of winter, did nothing to cool Sabo's intense anger. He could hear Dragon chastising him for punching a hole in the wall behind him, but he wasn't listening. His mind was bent on one thing, and one thing only.

Koala.

He had warned her. He had told her that it was dangerous to go alone, and that he could come with her. She had just smiled that sweet smile of hers that made Sabo's heart melt and insisted that she could take care of herself. He knew she was strong; that was one of the many things he loved about Koala, was her unflinching strength. He had conceded, he had watched her leave, even though he was dying to be at her side- and now, he had just been forced to hear that Koala had been captured by the Marines.

So, what was he going to do? Rescue her, of course.

"Sabo! Even you can't just barge in and take down an entire military base by yourself!" Dragon was hollering after him as he stomped deliberately down the steps, heading out of their base to their docked ships. "Think about this for a second! It's obviously a trap to lure us out! Goddammit, are you listening to me?"

"Yes, I'm listening. I'm just not obeying," he retorted smoothly. His boots made frantic clacking noises as he strode quickly across the wooden docks towards his chosen vessel. It was one of the fastest in their little fleet of rebel ships, but still manageable for him to sail alone. Dragon stalked behind him as Sabo vaulted over the side of the boat and began preparing to set sail. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, its shimmering rays catching on his golden hair, setting it afire like a beacon. Dragon stopped beside the boat and cross his thick arms, eyes narrowed angrily.

"There is no stopping you, is there?"

"Absolutely not," Sabo answered as he pulled the rope leaving his boat secured to the docks. He threw Dragon a cheeky grin. "Don't worry. I'll be back in a few days with Koala, just you watch! I might even be able to snag some useful intel, too." That part was just to bait Dragon further; there was no way that he was going to take his time sneaking around the Marine base for such trifles. They would be lucky if the Marine base was still standing by the time he was finished with it. He knew Dragon knew this, because his expression had not melted in the slightest. Sabo was beginning to wonder if he would have to scrap it out with the rebel leader until he suddenly exhaled deeply, his tattooed face dissolving into an expression of tired amusement.

"I had better not read in the news that you've been captured too," he warned. His cloak flapped wildly like a horde of flapping bats as he whirled on his heel to return to the base. Sabo smirked and set to releasing the sails; they billowed down before swelling with the consistent breath of the wind, causing the small boat to surge forward into the sloshing ocean waves. Sabo hopped up the steps to the wheel. He pulled Koala's vivre card out of his pocket. His face found difficulty forming an expression as he found that it was slightly burning around the edges. Hang on, Koala, he thought, adjusting the course towards where the vivre card was indicating. I'm coming for you!

Koala's eyes fluttered open as she heard the grinding of the iron cell door. Still groggy from sleep, it took her a moment to register that the Marine that had entered her cell was speaking to her, and even then, she did not understand what had been said. In a sleepy whisper she murmured, "What?" The Marine did not repeat himself, but instead drove the point of his steel-toed point directly into her ribs. Koala could not swallow the pained scream that burst from inside her as fiery pain bloomed across her side. Her entire body quivered, rattling the chains that pinned her hands above her head.

The chains. The still-lingering burning pain in her ribs became secondary to the cold flood of panic that rushed through her veins. Her body began to shake further, and her ears filled with the dreadful tinkling of the iron bindings so eerily like a death knell to her frantic brain. The cold snickers of the Marine and the slam of the food tray he had been delivering were barely audible over the godawful noise. Koala sucked in a shaky breath, staring unseeing at the cell door as it slammed shut and left her once more in painful solitude.

It felt like the handcuffs were biting into the flesh of her wrists, gnawing her down to the bone with relish. It had been a long, long time since Koala had felt their cold sting. She had thought, after all this time, that she was over it. Memories flashed before her blue eyes in a rapid motion-picture, detailing the horrors of her childhood; in all of them were the chains, the sensation of cold steel singing her wrists, rattling, rattling, rattling, laughing…

The distinct wetness rolling down her cheeks was enough sensation to finally draw her from her fit. As she licked her dry lips, she tasted the bitter salt from her tears and grimaced. She then closed her eyes, taking a moment to steady her breathing and calm herself down. Now's not the time for that, Koala; you had the perfect opportunity to slip the keys from that jerk, and you've gone and wasted it. With a heavy sigh, she opened her eyes, watching the last of her lingering tears drip down from her long lashes to plummet down and land amongst the food that was now splattered across her boots. She pursed her lips. Dammit, and I just bought those…

Koala lifted her head to the sole source of light in the dank, dark cell- the tiny barred window, where the moonlight was streaming in. Its pale white glow caught on the streams of condensation coating the sea-sprayed seastones that made up the Marine cell. Koala had no Devil Fruit abilities to speak of, but they had still placed her in the cell (and seastone chains) for extra precaution. Koala's eyes dimmed as they traced the glimmers of moonbeams slicing through the dark. It was a painfully familiar sight. It had been her only solace in the dark for such a long time, huddled in a hovel with the other slaves, a smile still plastered on her face for fear of being caught crying. Even alone, she could never waver, never express herself. Only fear. Only fake.

Koala bit down on her bottom lip to keep it from quivering. What was she, a damsel in distress? She glanced up at the chains and shook her hands to test the integrity. They were infuriatingly sound. Her blue eyes flickered to the cell door as an idea hatched in her mind. She then began insistently rattling the chains, filling the cell with the frantic high-pitched jingling. Though the screech made the breath hitch in her throat and her face pale, she forced back the memories called by their cry, continuously banging the chains until the Marine finally stomped back into view. He pulled out the keys, jammed them into the lock, and turned them before flinging the now unlocked cell door aside.

"What the hell is your problem?" he shouted at her over her incessant rattling of the chains. Koala painted the best distressed damsel expression she could on her face.

"Please. These chains are hurting me. Can't you loosen them a little?" she begged. Her bottom lip shone in the moonlight as she poked it out at him, and she angled her body a little to accentuate her curves. Though playing the part irritated her, Koala still knew how to use her gifts to her advantage.

He wasn't buying it.

"I'm not stupid. I know what you're doing." She clicked her tongue and immediately dropped the façade once it was evident that it was useless.

"Okay, well, how am I supposed to eat chained up like this?" She immediately regretted asking the question, as a wicked sneer morphed his visage into a dark painting. She watched him guardedly as he bent down to pick up the tray, then plucked a crumb of bread from its disordered collection of food morsels.

"Well, if you ask nicely, sweetheart, I'll feed you." Koala's rage must've shown on her face because he began howling with laughter. "You don't do nice well, do ya?" Koala's gaze shifted to the corners of her eyes. The moonlight had been replaced with the burning umber of orange glow, flickering low under the blanket of dark. It must be dawn. Koala knew that the Marines had meant to begin her transport to Impel Down upon first light, meaning she had little time to waste before she had an entire Marine base to contend with. She tensed as he tapped the bread against her cheek, sprinkling her shoulder with the light crumbs. "Eh? So do you want it or not?"

"Eat this, you jerk!" Koala snarled as she threw up her leg in a high kick. Her foot collided with the bottom of the tray, which in turn slammed up into the Marine's unprepared face. As his hands flew up on reflex, Koala kicked the keys off of his belt then slammed her foot into his abdomen, sending him flying out into the hall. He slammed into the iron of the opposite cell, then slumped down, unconscious. The keys flew up high into the air, catching the burning orange glow of the rising sun, before landing in her waiting hands. With a bit of quick fidgeting, she was able to turn them about and jam them into the lock of her cuffs. It was a welcome relief as the heavy bindings relished their toothed grip on her wrists and fell to the ground with heavy thuds; she pulled her hands down to instinctively rub her wrists, the ghosts of raw skin burning her though there were no obvious wounds.

Koala ran to the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the courtyard to gauge her chances of sneaking out. As he peered through the iron bars, her eyebrows slowly crept up her forehead toward the roots of her hair.

It was not dawn, but still deep in the night. The blazing orange glow had not been cast by the rising sun, but by an intense raging fire that was sweeping across the military base- and fire meant only one thing.

"Sabo," she breathed.

Part of Koala wanted to be angry. She had told him that she would be fine, and even if she had been captured, she could still escape just fine. However, this part of her was tied up and shoved into a closet by the rest of her that was completely overwhelmed with joy at the simple fact that Sabo had traversed the sea to come rescue her. As she smiled gently, holding her clasped hands in front of her fluttering heart, she took a precious moment to savor that joy, that love she felt for that man.

It only took that precious moment for the Marine to rouse himself.

"You bitch! I'm gonna kill you for that!" Koala whipped around with a gasp as she heard his angry snarl, and found him stumbling to his feet brandishing a saber. Koala hardened her expression and fell into her Fishman Karate stance, fully prepared to beat him down a second time, but it was not necessary. She cocked an eyebrow as a black booted foot collided with the side of the Marine's head, actually generating what looked like a small sonic boom against his skull before he was flung like a rag doll down the hall. Koala heard a distance crash followed by the crumbling of stone. He won't be getting up a second time. Koala relaxed, no longer needing to fight now that her back-up had arrived.

"You always steal all my fun," she pouted dourly to Sabo as he stepped fully into the frame of view. Standing in the ajar door brushing dirt off his cloak, he gave her an equally sour expression before straightening up.

"There will be plenty of fun to be had getting back to the ship."

"Yeah, because you had to go and cause a scene. Haven't you ever heard of stealth?" she countered as she jutted out her hip and put a hand on it. His mouth twitched upwards into a smirk before he crossed the room to stand in front of her.

"That's no way to thank your knight in shining armor, now is it?"

"Pfft. Like I needed one. I was doing just fine by myself, y'know," she snorted while crossing her arms. His smirked widened, but disappeared when he glanced down. Koala raised her eyebrows, confused at his sudden drop of the friendly banter, then blushed lightly as he gently picked up her arm with his gloved hand. "Hey-"

"They had you in chains?" he whispered. Koala looked at her wrist in shock; she hadn't noticed it before, but there was an area of redness and raw skin where the cuff had strained after all. The softness in his voice sliced through Koala like a blade; Sabo knew her past and how much being chained would affect her. She felt the waves of fear and sorrow she had been damming back begin to strain against the constructed wall in her mind, pushing through the gaps to begin leaking into her system. Her hand quivered slightly in his touch as he gently swiped his thumb over the scratched skin.

"It's fine. I can handle it." Her voice sounded a lot meeker than she wanted it to. He stared thoughtfully at the slight wound for a second, and then, to her complete astonishment, he brought it to his mouth to gently kiss it. Koala's brain short-circuited like a drayed wire, but her body responded appropriately by blazing a dawn-colored blush across her cheeks. "Wh-what?"

"To help it heal, y'know?" He had that stupid grin on his face. Once Koala processed the statement, she snorted and jerked her hand away.

"Stupid! Now isn't the time for that! What's gotten into you?"

"Come on, Koala, it was just a bit! A knight giving his injured princess a kiss," he pouted while slumping over in defeat. This gave Koala the perfect angle to deliver a chop to the back of his neck. He whined loudly in pain as he squatted down, holding his tender cervical spine.

"I'm not a princess! I am perfectly capable of protecting myself."

"I never said you couldn't!" he snapped while tossing a glare up at her. He sniffed, tears brimming in the corners of his eyes from the stinging pain Koala had instilled in him, before that dumb grin spread across his face again. Koala opened her mouth to instantly demand what no good he was up to, but had not the chance to. The words were replaced by a startled shout as he shouldered into her legs, disbalancing her. She draped across his broad shoulder as he rose to carry her fireman-style, one arm wrapped around her waist to hold her in place while he whirled on his heel. Koala sputtered as his cloak flapped in her face.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?" she shouted while beating into his back. Though he laughed, she could feel the strain in his voice as Koala's fists likely pummeled bruises into his back.

"Um, running, obviously? Just watch my back for me~" her told her gleefully before he pranced off into the hall with her in tow. Koala rolled her eyes and just resigned herself to be carted out of the Marine base like a sack of potatoes. She had not noticed, but she was actually quite tired; now that she was off them, her feet were aching, and her entire body was throbbing with the tune of her heartbeat. She had taken a pretty savage beating from the Marines. She held up her arms to see bruises dotting the skin, and there were doubtless more hidden beneath her clothes. She smiled softly. Sabo must've noticed, which was why he had pulled such a stunt. Thinks he's slick…

They were able to reach the port and escape on Sabo's boat relatively easily, because the Marine base was in such chaos attempting to put out the blaze that he had set. Koala did not relax until the base was just a ball of burning fire against the horizon. She smiled wryly.

"It really does look like the dawn."

"Huh?" Koala looked at Sabo, having not realized she had spoken aloud. He was looking at her quizzically from his spot at the helm. She pulled her knees up to her chest as she sat in the middle of the deck of the small ship, turning back to stare at the blazing beacon that was shrinking by the minute.

"I thought the sun had been rising at first, when you came," she explained as she rested her chin on her knees. Sabo did not respond. She raised her arm to look at the glaring bite mark on her wrist from the vile chains, and swallowed the nausea that began to churn in her belly. Even though she was no longer bound by them physically, the mental chains would take a bit longer to fade. She heard Sabo's footsteps across the deck and thought little of it until she felt him plop down behind her, legs on either side of her hips. She gasped lightly as he pulled her back against his chest, then once again grabbed her arm to press a light kiss against the wound. She looked back over her shoulder at him quizzically. She wasn't entirely weirded out; Sabo often did weird physical things like this, hugging her or laying his head on her shoulder or whatnot, but for him to be so borderline romantic was unusual.

The smile he gave her was confident, serene, soft.

"I'll be the dawn anytime you need, Koala." Something about those words made her heart swell in her chest, with a lot of emotions: pain, happiness, trust, gratitude, unease. He still held her injured arm in his, while his other hand traced a line down her cheek. As the light fabric of his glove ghosted her skin, she shuddered slightly, as if anticipating something- but what, exactly? Koala didn't even feel the urge to snap back with some quip like usual… She wanted to give herself over to him, completely, wholly, utterly. She finally realized that he had never meant that she was incapable of protecting herself, but that despite that she was still such a treasure to him that he simply wanted to be there for her to rely on. Koala's eyelashes fluttered as such immense emotion washed over her that a tear slipped from her eye and ran down her cheek.

"Forever?" The word came out of her mouth without her realizing it, the spirit of a whisper that was whisked away by the salty breeze of the sea. Sabo tilted his head with a widening smile as he once again drew his finger across her cheek to catch the singular tear.

"Forever," he confirmed with a small nod. Behind her, the true dawn was beginning; the sun's golden rays reached out to find substance, and landed on Sabo's golden streams of blonde hair peeking out from beneath his hat. Suddenly compelled to see its brilliance, Koala gently pulled Sabo's hat off his head. He made no move to resist. As she did so, the wavy strands eagerly absorbed the sunlight spilling over them to burst into a brilliant radiance that rivaled the dawn itself. Koala's fingers thumbed through them, feeling as if she were sliding through golden silk, before her hair drifted down to the back of his neck to play with the curled ends. Her blue eyes flickered down from his radiant hair to his eyes, which had been locked on her the entire time.

"Then be my dawn." To the oblivious bystander, those words might not have meant anything; however, Sabo understood the unspoken message carried within them. He chuckled gently before his hand angled Koala's face over her shoulder while his other held her body against his, her back to his chest. She could feel his heart pounding in tune with her own as his face fell over hers to deliver a soft, tender kiss to her lips.

Bathed in the light of two dawns, Koala knew the shadows would never chain her again.