This story is co-written by both Syrisna and Rose7anne101, you are welcome to check our other works.
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The chapter was beta'd by the wonderful Black' Victor Cachat, he has written some amazing stories, go check it out yourself.
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Our awesome Cover Image is done by Syrisna. :)
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This story will be posted in both of our accounts.
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A/n: Hi, we've finally updated again after a little over a year. We're sorry not sorry that we took this long to update, but we both have our own lives that are varying and crazy amounts of busy so we hope you understand if fanfiction isn't that high on our priority list. We do however, very much appreciate all our readers that have (patiently) stuck with us. Rest assured though, we don't plan on abandoning ReunionS (or any of our stories, for that matter of fact). We're just going to take our time writing (plotting, procrastinating, take your pick) and update whenever we can.
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We don't own One Piece (things would be different if we did).
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UniLiliCornia
Thank you for your review.
Sabo is here on mission. He will show his badass side alright. Can't tell you win.
Hope you enjoy the new chapter! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
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G1ntsuk1
Thank you for your review.
We always like hyped readers! Do 'hype' away ;)
Hope you enjoy the new chapter! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
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Curly Dadan had cried when Ace died.
The mountain bandit wasn't usually one to cry, but that day, the tears she shed were more than she ever did in years.
No… simply calling it 'crying' wasn't quite right. Crying was simple and ordinary, and it was exactly what she'd done, except it wasn't enough. In fact, there probably wasn't a single word that could explain that torrent of emotions in its entirety.
Albeit that didn't change the fact that she had cried.
She had cried and given Garp the trashing he deserved, even knowing that he had to feel a million times more worse than her, but damn it all because she was the one who raised the two stupid D's and not the crazy old coot.
What made it worse was that he had been there. Garp had been present in that thrice-damned, foolish war. Yet he didn't help Ace, choosing duty over his family. This she couldn't forgive, and never would. While he might be an excellent marine, he was an utter failure as a grandfather.
She felt no joy punching him, but all the same, she felt it was her responsibility to remind him. He had failed not only Ace and herself, but also Luffy.
Raising Ace hadn't been a willing job on her part. She hadn't had much choice though, not when the marine had literally dumped the baby in her care with orders to look after him, along with his clothes, a rug, and a half empty bottle. She was still unsure if the bottle actually had milk.
Back then, she'd stared at Garp as if he'd grown a second head; the Dadan Family could barely take care of themselves as it were!
Thankfully, Ace hadn't remained a helpless babe for long. By the time he turned three, he was already a demon in his own right. There was simply no way the bandits could forget how Ace had easily taken Magra out with a headbutt to his face, despite the fact that Magra was several times his size. Poor Magra 'slept' until the next day. After that time, they mostly left the small brat to his own devices. Since he could clearly take them out, he could definitely take care of himself.
To tell the truth, she was afraid of him just as much as for him.
But he was hers.
She cried, cursed, and shouted at him.
She had never wanted to be a mother; she was the Curly Dadan, a bandit boss!
But she became one.
She hadn't asked for it, didn't want it, and refused to acknowledge it.
Be that as it may, she was his mother whether she admitted it or not.
And a few more years later, she became the mother of two more annoying little monsters. Although they never called her that, or if they had, she never knew. Nor did she ever bother to ask. Likewise, she'd never called them her sons either.
Not to their faces anyway, and never aloud.
She was not under any delusion that she'd be awarded the title of 'Mother of the Year.' She doubted she'd even make it to nominations.
Still, her heart ached the same as any mother who lost her son.
Ace was the second kid she had lost, and Luffy now was all alone.
People always try to console the mourners by telling them beautiful, wonderful, lies.
It only hurts at first, they said.
She had thought that losing Sabo -even though he was only with them for a short while- was hard. It had been heart wrenching -especially during that first week- except she overcame it, so she thought she was used to the pain.
Ace proved that wrong.
So, so wrong.
Time will heal any wounds, even those that the eye can't see.
Or so they say.
Dadan would like nothing more than to present the first one who said that a good-old-fashioned knuckle-sandwich.
Or her axe.
It had been months, yet the hole in her heart only seemed to get bigger with each passing day.
She woke, worked, cleaned, shouted, laughed, and drank. She functioned, except somehow it felt hollow.
If she wasn't able to move on, how would Luffy fare then?
Luffy's heart had been shattered, and despite there being no news of either his or his crew's whereabouts, she knew in her heart that he was alive. Broken in the worst way possible, but alive. That reason alone was enough for her to get back on her feet every morning.
If she could do it, then Luffy could too.
After all, her youngest has always been the most bull-headed of their family.
She was sure Ace knew this as well.
His precious little brother would get back up on his feet no matter what.
Ace's death had brought about a lot of emotions she would never be associated with under normal circumstances. Unbeknownst to anyone else, a small part of her drew the slightest of comfort knowing that a brother would be waiting to welcome Ace on his new journey. Both left this world too damn early, yet at least they were together.
It calmed her during the nights when her dreams were at their worst, and she would startle awake thinking she had heard a familiar trio of footsteps sneaking around. Sometimes, she swore she could hear the nonsense that was the brats fighting over the last piece of meat, though it turned out to be her imagination messing with her. These hallucinations may make her seem crazy, yet they had also helped her keep her sanity.
She'd never admit it, but she had missed those days with the trio wreaking havoc on her peaceful days. She knew she would always miss them and felt that these hallucinations were her way of finding some kind of closure, of keeping and cherishing their memories. For them to be kept alive.
But of course, the world hates her.
Just when she had found some semblance of peace, the past came back to haunt her in the form of a young man, sheepish-awkwardly grinning and waving at her.
"Uh… hi, Dadan. Nice to see you again..." The blond man that looked like what she imagined how Sabo might appear as an adult greeted slowly. Her copper eyes swept the man from head to toe: looked like Sabo, spoke like Sabo, dressed like Sabo -down to that annoying white cravat- probably WAS Sabo.
The large burn scar didn't go unnoticed, though it looked rather old.
She drank in each detail, her eyes eventually stopping on the hat in his hands. His fingers were fiddling with it, obviously a result of his nerves, she mused detachedly.
...Even the hat's the same.
It was the same top hat with an identical pair of blue goggles wrapped around it, only it fit a bigger boy now, a man. She felt like laughing. While boys may grow up, they always liked their toys the same.
Sabo was dead, however.
An imposter, then. Either that, or the Sabo-lookalike was some creepy apparition. It could also just be her hallucinating. It would be a new kind of hallucination. Something she had never seen before. An older version and more detailed of the young boy she once knew. But unless all her men were having the same hallucinations, it wasn't likely. Yet again, maybe she had finally gone off the deep end.
The bushes on the far end of the clearing rustled. The orange-haired woman didn't even have to spare a glance to know it was more of her men who were hiding in the bushes. There were two strangers with them though, assumedly comrades of the blonde in front of her.
Their faces showed shock, uncertainty and hope. Her eyes searched for Dogra and Magra, they stood a bit further away with the two strangers. They hadn't spoken, didn't even greet her. They looked astonished.
"Who are you?" Dadan never was one to beat around the bush.
The Sabo-lookalike blinked in confusion. "What do you mean? I'm Sabo."
Right, because this name-stealing, identity thief had obviously done his homework thoroughly if he was impersonating someone who had never been older than ten.
"Sabo died ten years ago," snapped the bandit chief, barely controlling her temper. "He's dead, and you're very obviously alive, in case you haven't noticed."
The blonde fell silent.
Dadan plucked the cigarette from her lips and held it between her fingers. Her composure fully back. She didn't push the man for an answer; she was mildly interested to see what kind of lie he could cook up. Besides, she was in no hurry.
"I never died."
The blonde started, holding up a hand when she opened her mouth to refute him.
"I know why you thought I'd died back then. Based on what I know, I can guess that one of you -probably Dogra- saw my ship get blown up in the harbour."
Dadan nodded, which the Sabo-look-alike took as affirmation to continue.
"I should have died then. I almost died. But someone saved me."
"And?"
The imposter was startled. Her reaction wasn't what he had expected. He stared at her, bewildered.
"You said someone saved you," she huffed, unimpressed. If he'd wanted to lie, he should've at least made it more believable. "And?"
"I…"
"Why didn't you come back?" To your brothers. To me.
The imposter had a look of sadness and hurt.
"Or send a letter." She added, ignoring the depth of hurt her words seemed to inflict on the young man. "Oh wait, you did. But it was to tell them you were leaving."
The last line was low, even for her, yet Dadan couldn't care less. The world has only ever given her such; she was simply returning the favour.
She refused to think that life could be this cruel: to take a son from her just to bring her a dead one back.
No, it couldn't be.
However, it seemed that fate was indeed playing another of its tasteless jokes on her. It was waiting for her to believe that her son had come back… to laugh in her face like the heartless existence it was.
Her eyes refused to leave the imposter, and while she vehemently denied the possibility that his presence presented, she couldn't tear her eyes away from him.
She was afraid that if she so much as blinked, he would disappear. Vanish like a daydream.
The hurt in his eyes seemed genuine.
Those round, blue eyes that were so familiar…
"I lost my memory," he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Dadan heard him loud and clear. Her eyes widened, shocked by his admission. Not.
"Of course you did…" Dadan sighed. For the first time she felt conflicted. Losing his memories would explain a lot of things, and it was just like Fate to mess with those three brats like that. Nothing around them ever seemed to be normal.
"You believe me?"
Dadan took her time answering.
"When it comes to you three little brats, nothing surprises me anymore…" She shrugged. "When did you get it back?"
Sabo averted his eyes, a gesture that suggested something was bothering him.
"Ahmmm… I saw it... in the papers..." he swallowed.
"Ace's death," Dadan grimly supplied for him what he couldn't bring himself to say.
For the first time since Sabo arrived, her eyes left him.
She looked up at the sky as she raised her cigarette to her lips.
Fate was at it again. Taking one brother from Luffy's arms and bringing back another.
Was this the D in work? She wondered.
Garp, whenever he had managed to get inebriated enough, cursed the D in his name over drinks. The night she found out the meaning behind the 'innocent' letter D, was one such night. She had teased him about the D in his name, asking him what it stood for, even though she didn't really care about his reply. As long as she got to say: "Really! I was sure it stood for 'Dumb as a Doorknob,'" she would have been satisfied. However, his answer, vague as it was, had left her sleepless for several nights straight. On those nights, she wondered about everything in her life.
It was as if fate was playing some kind of joke on her; for how else would she have ended up with two D brats entrusted to her care? Not to mention the third brat. She had wondered for a while if Sabo was secretly one as well, yet in the end decided there was just no way she'd get a third D.
Two was already two too many, thank you.
Dadan would have found it more plausible if someone had told her Sabo was secretly one of the Celestial Dragons. (Oh, damn it! She didn't get to tell him he was as Dumb as a doorknob).
"Dadan?"
Dadan looked at him.
He looked small, lost, unsure...like child waiting for his mother's assurance.
She took a step forward.
Then ran.
Ran the last few steps and embraced him in her arms.
She ignored the startled gasps from the strangers, the jerking and murmurs from her men.
She cried with her son in her arms.
Her tears and his were impossible to distinguish.
.
.
.
Their reconciliation didn't last long.
A few minutes later, Dadan pulled away, pulling her handkerchief out to wipe away the tears that streaked her face.
"What are you morons doing sitting around?!" The bandit boss yelled, quick to turn her attention towards her men who were trying hard not to cry as well. "Go hunt! Sabo's back, we're having a feast tonight!"
At her out of character, yet completely reasonable command, the bandits scattered with Dogra and Magra at the head, leaving Koala and Hack to stand awkwardly in the bushes.
"Uh… should we help?" The brunette meekly asked.
"Sure, I guess. If you're up for it," Sabo answered between sniffles.
"Roger that. Toodles! Hack, let's go!"
As soon as the two strangers - whom she assumed were Sabo's companions - were out of sight, Dadan snorted and turned to enter her hut.
"You all have weird friends."
Dadan thought back to Luffy's wanted posters that she had kept hidden. She had clippings from the papers that mentioned him and even posters of his crew that she kept in book she had secretly bought in town. Not that anyone would find it. And if anyone did, she had written Magra and Dogra's name on the cover. She doubted she'd fool anyone, though it couldn't hurt now could it?
She remembered laughing with the boys about the weird ass crew that Luffy had picked when the papers arrived with their wanted posters few months after he left. His crew was actually called the Straw Hats! (In all honesty, they really should've seen it coming. Luffy wasn't known for his naming sense, and neither were the marines for that matter.) It was basically begging to be laughed at. She remembered there was some kind of cute animal with cotton candy. Only Luffy would add a pet as part of his crew. There was still a bet going on on what kind of animal it was. The most popular guess was some kind of talking dog. Dadan wouldn't put it past Luffy to find something like that. There was some guy with green hair ("Say, he kind of looks familiar, doesn't he?" Dogra wondered as he peered at the paper over Dadan's shoulder), a woman who looked like a stripper (If she wasn't sure that Luffy had a non-existent interest in such things, she would have been worrying why exactly her 'little baby' recruited the redhead. As it were, she knew the woman probably had her talents, and that she wouldn't have to worry about Luffy's virtue anytime soon), a masked guy, a cartoonish guy with a really weird eyebrow (Singular because they couldn't see the other one. It was a popular bet that the eyebrow was the reason Luffy recruited him. There was also another bet regarding what the other eyebrow was like), someone with an afro bigger than himself. It was Luffy-like. In short: weird.
Sabo chuckled. "I guess we're just attracted to the odd ones."
"Says the oddest of them."
"I'm not odd." Sabo responded without much bite. Dadan was obviously saying that just because. Besides, no one could beat Luffy, the very epitome of 'weirdness'.
"Your choice of accessories doesn't give you much credibility."
"You mean my cravat? What's wrong with it?"
"Aha! So, you do know it's weird."
"How is it 'weird'? It's cool!"
"It would be 'cool'… if you were a clown."
"I'm insulted. I am very very very insulted." Sabo huffed. "For your information, clowns do not wear cravats. They wear ruffles. Also, I've been told I am quite fashionable."
"By who? Blind people?"
"By my… friends."
"Ohhhh…. how many of those friends were actually your subordinates?"
Dadan had no doubt that Sabo would have been the 'boss' of whatever he was doing. With lots and lots of subordinates. She still remembered when the three brats were fighting over the captain title. None of them ever had a 'follower' mentality. They were all born leaders.
Sabo opened his mouth ready to protest, then closed it. "All of them," he murmured dejectedly. He subconsciously ignored the voice arguing that most of them weren't yet subordinates when they had told him that, because it seriously wouldn't matter. Not to Dadan anyway.
Also, Sabo was trying very hard to ignore a memory that was insistently trying to surface back to his conscious mind.
What was it again?
Oh. Right.
The conversation dredged up an old, long-buried memory of the lecture Ivankov had given him sometime during his second year in the Army. The okama queen had enthusiastically pulled him aside -and enlisted a bunch of her cronies, because to eleven-year-old Sabo that was what they were- to 'enlighten' him to the "do's-and-don'ts" of the fashion world. Their world.
"Sabo, my boya… this cannot be. Vyour clothes are the first things people see. They're the first words vyou tell your enemies. They're vyour first attack so vyou wanna leave a good impression."
Sabo had mistakenly, stupidly muttered. "Riiight. Because enemies are going to care what I'm wearing when they're about to stab me in the gut. Of-absolutely-course."
One of the biggest mistakes of his life. He should have kept his mouth shut, nodded along no matter what was said, and escaped at the first opportunity and then shoved it into the deepest corners of his mind. Maybe hit his head a few times to ensure memory loss; it'd happened once, it could happen again.
"Tusk, tusk… you poor, poor child. Worry not, Iva-chan will show you the light," Ivankov had looked at him with eyes full of pity while the Okamas assured him that he was in the right hands. "Our Queen will guide you", "You are soooo lucky"; "Sooo blessed"; "Really blessed!"; "I am so jealous right now"; "I knowwwww, why Iva-chan wasn't the one to show me the way when I was young and stupid"; "Oh honey, You found your way to our queen in the end"; "Iva-chan knows it all!"; "You better take notes Sabo".
"When vyou face vyour enemies with the right outfit, vyou tell them vyou -me- are gorgeous. Fabulous. The epitome of all beauty. Of masculinity and femininity. Bow before vme vyou uncultured trash... vyou would need no words. The truth would be seen clearly…."
Oh shit.
Nope, nope. Sabo refused to remember that non-existent conversation. It never ever happened. No, nope. NOPE.
Sabo let out a sigh of relief mentally. He can't remember what he did not want to remember, and he doesn't know why he chose not to remember because he can't remember.
Yup! It was all good again.
Ummm...they were talking about? … Oh yeah. Someone that wasn't his subordinates and that appreciated his cravat.
Sabo drew a blank.
Really, was there none?
"No, wait... There was one that isn't, and he said it was good." That was true. Almost. Dragon had only looked his way, and shook his head, but he didn't say it was ugly, which should count as perfect. Even better because Dragon was undoubtedly not his subordinate.
"That so?"
"Yes," Sabo answered stubbornly, and added "My clothes are perfectly fine! You people just don't know how to appreciate its beauty."
"Not when it's forty degrees outside I don't."
She could hear a soft murmur of "Thank God, Koala isn't here." Is Koala one the strangers with him? Dadan wondered. It's sounded like a girl's name, so it's probably that young brunette she saw earlier. A girlfriend, maybe? With that thought in mind, the bandit made a mental note to tease her son about it another time. Although one thing's for sure, she would definitely get along with this Koala where Sabo's wardrobe choices were concerned. Fashionable...yeah, right. As if.
"... can't argue with that." Sabo conceded the point.
"And let's not even talk about your hat and goggles."
"Okay, first off, the goggles are pretty much a prerequisite, and what is your problem with my hat? I've always had one just like it."
"Exactly. How old are you? Nine years? Are you still obsess …" she trailed off. A voice in her heart whispered: Just like Luffy and Ace. Your brothers also have a thing for hats. Luffy treated his as treasure, and Ace had fussed for long time until his own hat looked perfect, fit for a Pirate Captain. She wondered if it was with him at his death. She had a feeling it was.
"I am not obsessed, stupid old hag! If anyone's obsessed, it's you. Your clothes haven't changed in ten years! And I am twenty now!"
"So what? Doesn't make you any less of a brat."
"Seriously. What the hell."
…
The inside of the hut hadn't changed in the last ten years.
Dadan sat herself by the fire pit, watching as the young blonde maneuvered through random items scattered all over the floor to the attic, where they used to sleep.
The bandit rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "And of course, you know where I keep the good stuff." She muttered as Sabo appeared from the room with two bottles of her quality sake in hand.
He shrugged when he met her questioning gaze and smiled all innocently even though he was anything but.
"Not exactly my fault you never changed your hiding place in the last ten years. Also, you are the one who decided that the rafters between three underage brats' room and yours were the best place to hide your private stock."
"I knew there was a bottle missing that one time," Dadan clicked her tongue. "Also, underage brats shouldn't be drinking."
"Details. Although I am old enough to drink now." He stated, just to keep up appearances.
"Like I care about that. The other two were already drinking with the others a few years back."
Besides, this was a special occasion. It certainly deserved some better sake.
Sabo plopped down next to her and handed her one of the bottles, the cork already gone.
Dadan raised the bottle to her lips and gulped down a mouthful of alcohol.
"Does Luffy know?" Sabo stiffened beside her, and she knew right away. "You should find him."
"...I know." Sabo mumbled, a bit hesitant. "But…" he trailed off, his eyes downcast, his shoulders slumped.
"But". One of the most basic words; simple, yet at the same time, impossibly complicated. But what caught Dadan attention was the underlying fear in Sabo's tone. The bandit realized that there was more than was immediately obvious.
"You're scared?" Dadan asked, never one for coddling.
"...I guess." She was a bit surprised, not expecting him to admit it straight away, without any kind of prompting.
The bandit glanced at the blonde who was playing with the bottle in his hands.
She could see the moment when realization dawned in his eyes as the emotions flashed across his face, until eventually settling into a poker face.
He was older now, grown up. Mature. Dadan noted approvingly, and somewhat regretfully. The chance to see this child grow into the fine young man before her had been taken from her.
She waited for him to find his words.
"It's just," Eventually, Sabo found what he was looking for. "They thought I was dead for the last ten years. And Ace just… and I didn't... if I go to see Luffy now…"
The bandit could see where this was going. Ace had only passed a short while ago, and both brothers' wounds were still raw. They needed time to let their turmoil settle before they could deal with whatever came next.
That aside, Sabo needed to deal with his issues first. She could see as clear as day the regret and guilt that marred his features and shadowed his eyes. Everyone had their own demons to fight, including herself, and she was certainly fighting hers each day anew. She wished to give him strength; wisdom or words that could console and heal. Except she knew they were all merely beautiful, wonderful lies.
Dadan couldn't fight Sabo's battles for him, but she could stand by him and support him in any way he needed. He was a big brat now and didn't need her looking out for him all the time. She could see it in the bright determination of his eyes that shone from beneath the shadows.
He needed to face them before meeting his younger brother, who was surely fighting his own struggles as they spoke. Luffy never did know when to give up. Hopefully, Ace's death hadn't broken this spirit. If his spirit was broken...what would happen? She cut this thread of thought, refusing to even acknowledge its possibility.
Too late.
Her traitorous mind had already supplied the answer.
He'd die.
Definitely die.
Shattered into oblivion.
But his spirit would not be broken, she assured herself. Fighting back against her own demons.
He was Monkey D. Luffy, the future Pirate King. A carrier of the Blood of D. A huge smile and a humanoid black hole. He would stand up and carry on Ace's spirit on his back. His legacy.
She believed.
She hoped.
She knew.
She just knew.
She forced herself back to reality and tried to imagine the meeting between the two brothers.
Dadan was positive the youngest brat would never let his brother go. Or at least, he'd cling to him for as long as possible.
"Besides, I have no idea where Luffy is anyway."
The bandit huffed. "He'll show up soon enough."
Knowing that kid, there was no way he would stay down for long. Sooner or later, he would rise again.
"...two years." At her questioning look, Sabo explained. "In two years, he'll come back."
His eyes met Dadan's.
"And then, I'll find him."
It was a vow.
Dinner that night was one of the best Sabo ever had.
It wasn't that the food was particularly good, but it was reminiscent of his childhood. When he and his brothers would bring back game, and then beat everyone up in their battle for the last slab of meat.
The Revolutionary's Chief of Staff was completely at home in that rowdy atmosphere.
Unfortunately, his companions did not share that sentiment.
Koala's expression darkened as another slab of crocodile meat went flying past her head before meeting the wall with a 'splat'.
"Sa~bo~kun~~"
Sabo, who was drinking with Dadan, turned around at the mention of his name. Before he could react, his subordinate had already grabbed him by his front and was pressing her face scarily close to his.
"Would you mind telling your friends to calm down a bit? I for one, would like to keep my clothes meat-and-gravy-free." She said in an eerily low voice. "They don't come out, you know. And I only have one set of spares now."
Dadan -unhelpful as ever- only laughed as she watched their exchange before shouting, obviously a little more than tipsy.
"Oi, you scoundrels! Behave yourself, you're scaring Sabo's girl!"
Sabo turned to look at Dadan, his nose scrunched up in confusion.
"Girl? What do you...ooooh...no, wait, we're just…!"
Koala huffed and released her grip, rolling her eyes exasperatedly.
Dadan, with the boost from alcohol, simply smirked.
"So..how long have you been together?"
"WE'RE NOT DATING!" Koala and Sabo shrieked at the same time.
"Ah...so lucky…" Magra sighed.
"Young love, right?" Dogra nudged his friend in his side, a shit-eating grin plastered across his face.
"He's grown up...sniff...our stupid blonde brat...hiccup…"
"Have you already… you know…" Someone asked in a lewd voice, making a certain motion with his hands just in case someone didn't get his drift. Luckily for the moron who had no survival instincts whatsoever, a webbed hand chopped him hard on the nape, sending him into unconsciousness immediately.
Behind the rowdy drunks, Hack breathed a sigh of relief and sat back in his place, looking nowhere in particular though his attention was on his superior. Said superior was currently glaring in his general direction, however.
"I saw that, Hack."
"Saw what?" Hack returned confusedly, the perfect picture of innocence. He most definitely did not knock someone out to save them from Sabo's wrath. Nope. It was most definitely from Koala's wrath. Only because she was closer. Or maybe from both.
Sabo gave him a flat stare before his attention was redirected, once again, by a moronic comment or two.
The fishman released the tension in his shoulders as his commander's steely gaze finally left him. While Sabo was pretty laid back most of the time, if he was actually, seriously, angry… let's just say it would be in everyone's best interests to avoid being in the immediate area. There was that one time -lovingly coined 'That Incident' because they were creative like that- when someone pushed too far in their teasing about the nature of Sabo and Koala's the blonde snapped. The aftermath was, for lack of a better word, painful. Hack shuddered just thinking about it; that day, he had met a different side of Sabo that he sincerely wished he'd never become acquainted with again.
"So, when did it happen?"
"Who confessed first?"
"Nothing happened, and no one confessed." Sabo tried to explain. Really, he did.
"Ten berries it was Sabo!"
"We're just colleagues!" He tried again. "God damn it, are you even listening!" His flailing hands and coloured countenance did nothing to make his statements believable. Not to mention his voice that, for some reason, sounded higher than usual. It was surely because of the alcohol instead of the embarrassment.
"Ahem." Two loud claps. "Excuse me." Koala proclaimed loudly, glaring to make sure she had everyone's attention. Narrowed eyes scanned each and every one of the bandits sitting at the table.
Under her stare, the bandits instinctively straightened. Koala may look sweet and innocent, yet when her eyes swept across them, they all felt a cloud of uneasiness settle on them.
And then she smiled. A bright, charming, angelic smile.
"Puh-lease." The young brunette scoffed. "I have better standards than this." She announced, not even bothering to look at Sabo.
"What?" Sabo wasn't sure he was following.
"Oh ho? Is he lacking something?"
"Tsk tsk. Doesn't fit the standard, eh?"
At the question, Koala waved her hand airily. "There's so much I don't even know where to begin." She paused, then smirked. "Do you guys want the long list or the short one?"
Someone whistled. "Seriously? There are lists?"
"Oh boy…"
"This is gonna be fun!"
"If you want to hear it, you better sit straight, use the eating utensils in front of you, and I do not want to see even one slab of meat flying, am I clear?"
"Aye, aye."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Yeah."
"Yup."
"Ma'am."
Everyone sat up straight with their hands in their laps, no one even tried to touch his food. (Was it because they were salivating after the lists or was it because they didn't know how to use the eating utensils, Oh I wonder). All of them waiting to hear Koala's pearls of wisdom.
Koala sat down back on her chair, swiftly cut the meat in her plate, raised it to her mouth daintily and swallowed it, savouring the taste with an ehmmmmm noise, and then said.
"First, his fashion sense..."
"It's the cravat isn't?" Dadan who had been quietly enjoying the show, cut in with a shout.
"But of course. Have you seen that ugly thing? All posh and ughhh…. I don't know who told him it made him look cool, but whoever it was probably needed their eyes checked. Sometimes I feel embarrassed having him as my colleague."
Let's not even talk about as a boyfriend, not a chance in hell, was left unsaid.
Dadan looked triumphantly in Sabo's direction.
"What is wrong with my cravat? Stop ganging up on me," Sabo whined, taking a long gulp from the bottle in his hand, trying to hide his embarrassment. The Chief of Staff didn't get embarrassed.
"He's asking what is wrong. Oh, Kraken Tentacles. You should ask what isn't!"
"Mirea said it looks good on me!"
"Oh please. Mirea thinks everything looks good on you." If anything, she thinks that you look even better with nothing on you. Of course, Koala didn't voice this particular thought. Her superior did not need to know this little tidbit.
"Who's Mirea?"
"The girlfriend?"
"The true one?"
"Two, you have two, you dog," Someone gasped, sounding scandalized.
"Ohhh...she wishes," Koala rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath about dreamy, two-faced fangirls, lovestruck fools, and oblivious idiots. Mirea was a smart girl, a born actress if nothing else, and would be great at infiltration missions if she'd put it to use for something other than acting cute in front of Sabo. It went without saying that Mirea was left out of this mission. Yes, it was that bad. And no, not because of Koala's personal preferences and the fact that she was in charge of selecting personnel.
"She is a friend..." Sabo defended himself.
Everyone jeered.
"Who happens to be a girl," Sabo said from behind clenched teeth, and turned to Hack for help.
"Come on… Hack, tell them that it looks good on me."
Hack slowly chewed, swallowed and murmured, "No idea what you are talking about," and returned to his meal.
"You traitor…!"
"Ahem," cut in Koala, turning to face him, a glass in her hand, sipping on whatever liquid it was slowly. The look in her eyes daring him to finish the sentence.
Sabo was a lot of things, excellent strategist, strong fighter, immature, headstrong, childish, … but he wasn't stupid. He knew when to keep his mouth shut.
Not that he was going to just give up.
"Dragon said it looks okay…" He attempted weakly.
"Sabo," Koala deadpanned. "Dragon-san's fashion sense is dead, in case you haven't noticed. Otherwise he wouldn't wear that horrible green thing.
At the mention of Dragon, Hack perked his head up to discreetly study the occupants of the room. While he was not at ALL panicking, whenever Koala and Sabo got into some argument or another, they tended to have loose lips, so it was up to Hack to safeguard their identities. By some luck, it seemed their hosts had not noticed the mention of the notorious Dragon, the Most Dangerous Man in the World (according to the World Government anyway; Hack could list a few others he personally thought were worse than Dragon). Chances were that everyone was just too intoxicated to care. Or maybe East Blue was really that laid back and peaceful that Dragon's name barely caused ripples. A somewhat worrying notion for the Army in certain aspects. Then again, it could also be the relation of the "brotherhood of criminals" that had their hosts accepting it without batting an eyelash… nah, Hack eyed the bandits faces again, amused. He would stick with the reason he found most probable: that everyone was simply drunk off their asses. Also, probably because the way those two airheads were arguing made Dragon seem like a regular guy who happened to have a fashion sense even worse than Sabo. Which, he technically was, if one disregarded the whole 'terrifying and legendary leader of the Revolutionaries' thing he had going on.
And they were still at it. Arguing. Not one boring moment with these two. Koala was still going on about the disaster that was Dragon fashion sense, channelling Ivankov a bit in the process. Come to think of it, Koala's been talking with Ivankov quite a bit ever since the Queen escaped from Impel Down... Hack thought that was a bad omen to Sabo's future. Not that he was going to warn him about it. It was futile anyway. One didn't stand in the way of storms. Besides, Baltigo was extremely boring if one didn't count all the plotting against the government, so they had to find entertainment in whatever form it presented itself in. In this case, Saving Sabo (And His Wardrobe) From Himself.
"... that thing even defies all laws of logic. It's been, what, nine years since we joined? And he still has the same cloak… And according to Iva-chan, he's had it since he first met him, which was, like, twenty years ago. TWENTY. I mean, just think about last year. After how many times we've washed that thing, the colour should have faded at least a bit, but noooooooo, it doesn't! What does it do instead? It becomes darker and greener!"
"Is 'greener' even a word?"
"Yes, no, maybe. Point is, it's. A. Disaster. An ANCIENT. DISASTER."
Sabo opened his mouth intending automatically to defend his leader against the onslaught but stopped. The cloak was horrible.
He remembered clearly all the times, Ivankov had tried to steal Dragon's cloak -green thingy- or burn it. Saying that its existence was an abomination in the name of fashion, Okama, and life in general, and that as the Queen of Okamas it was her solemn duty to rid the world of that cloak if it was the last thing she would do.
There was also an active bet on whether Iva would succeed in her conquest, or if Dragon would somehow manage to keep his favourite cloak away from her pointy clutches. Not that anyone bothered to mention that to said leader. That was, if he didn't know already.
God knew that their boss had eyes and ears everywhere. Not literally like a certain woman though.
Sabo kept his mouth shut. Better not open it and further prove her point.
"Ahem...the list?" asked Dogra hopefully. Sabo glared at him, but he was ignored. Beside him, Magra had a notebook out, and was writing in it. He and Dogra sharing sinister smiles.
Are they writing down what Koala is telling them? Sabo wondered.
He will definitely torch it before he left, he vowed. Definitely.
"Oh yes, where were we? Ah, yes, his fashion sense..."
Sabo groaned. This was going to be a long night.
He looked around and couldn't help the rise of the corner of his mouth in a slight smile, even though he was being roasted alive mercilessly.
He finally felt at peace. Even though he knew very well that it would be temporary at best.
His demons, his job, his forgotten memories.
They were all still there. Waiting.
But still.
For now.
It was good to be home.
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Or was it?
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Sabo woke with a start. He had a killer headache, and someone was shouting and shouting and wasn't stopping and it wasn't helping the pounding in his head in the slightest.
Sabo was going to kill them, man or woman. He didn't discriminate in such matters. It didn't matter who it was as long as they were to shut the hell up. Even if it was Koala shouting, and she would probably be the one doing the killing. As in killing him. At least then his head wouldn't ache anymore (you know, because he would be dead).
Sabo stood up from his makeshift bed, unsure as to how he had gotten there. He was pretty sure he didn't walk there on his own, though. He was hardly able to open his eyes. The night before was one huge blur in his head, and his brain absolutely refused to function properly.
He tried moving his legs and somehow succeeded, though he did trip a few times and stepped on a couple of people.
It was still dark. He blearily noted through a half-open eye.
He heard what he thought were grunts, seaquakes, and complaints as he stumbled along. All the while his hand rubbed his forehead in an attempt to ease his migraine. It was hell for his hangover since the shouting hadn't stopped, and Sabo wasn't even able to distinguish what the hell they were shouting about.
But It was getting closer, making his ache worse. Much worse.
Sabo was almost by the door when the door flung open and a shrill voice shrieked his name.
"SABO!"
How the hell she was this chipper in the morning (was it morning? It was still dark. Maybe it was night.) was beyond him, considering she'd drank everyone under the table.
"Here you are, Sabo! You need to explain, NOW."
Sabo was able only to grunt. Explain what?
The next thing he knew, hands were clutching his shoulders and shaking him, or was it the earth that was shaking? Earthquakes? (Come back in a few hours, he didn't want to deal with this shit. Not while he was hungover.).
"WHY TWO YEARS? YOU SAID YOU'LL MEET LUFFY IN TWO YEARS? What do you know brat? And how do you know it?"
"Huh?" it took a lot for Sabo to make his mouth open and close at Dadan's words.
"Don't 'huh' me, brat! How do you know about Luffy? I thought you said that you haven't gone to meet him yet? Did you lie to me, HUH?"
Sabo blinked, finally awake enough to actually keep his eyes open. If only the first thing he saw wasn't Dadan's face filling his vision. He opened his mouth, when his brain finally caught up with what was happening.
Oops.
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Random Conversation #1 (while writing this masterpiece, because it's 3am where one of us is)
S = Syrisna R=Roseanne
S: Sarcasm is my salt and pepper to the soup of life.
R: Torturing my favourite characters help me wake up in the morning.
S: Lol. Evil much?
R: But it's true.
S: Unfortunately.
R: At least I'm honest.
S: We could put that in the A/N.
R: Words to live by.
S: XD
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