I'm back with a new chapter! Whew, I really thought I'd be late on this one again. Who knew being on time was so hard?

Well, this chapter with mostly be about Ace (hence the title XD)

Enjoy!

(Oh, right, the disclaimer. One Piece isn't mine and blah blah blah. Whatever.)

CHAPTER 13: Ace

A scarred man entered the room. He sat in a chair near the bed, surrounded by beeping machine. Another man was on the bed, breathing steadily through a ventilator and with wires stuck to his body. The scarred man with red hair gazed sadly down at the unconscious person.

"They said you're about to wake up."

No reaction. He hadn't expected one anyway.

"It's her, isn't it? She brought you out of the darkness. She has that power, you know, of brightening anyone's world."

Silence. The man sighed. "She's visiting again. I'm sure her voice is what made your mind work again. I hope you can really wake up today." He smiled. "I'm sorry. I guess she fell in love with someone else. She still misses you, though."

The comatose man's breathing became slightly irregular.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't believe it at first, but I feel the truth in it. She's with someone else now."

The beepings accelerated. The red-haired man knew he was the cause, but he didn't stop.

"I know you can hear me. So, I'll tell you one thing before I go: she needs you. I know everything. I know that she doesn't love you that way, but she feels terrible without you. You have to come back to her and bring a true smile back on her face."

He paused. He did know everything that happened. It was somehow in him. And he knew that the only person who could get a real smile from her was the genius surgeon. A frown appeared on the unconscious man's face. The scarred person guessed it was a good sign. "I just came to tell you this. She needs you. We all need you. I'll be going, all right? Makino's waiting for me. But, whatever is happening in this mind of yours, don't you dare think any of this was your fault. Don't you think you're worthless."

He stood up, thinking about his adopted daughter, and how devastated she was really behind her joyful facade.

"Everyone misses you, Ace." He whispered. "Please, come back." The man left the room.

"That was really good, you know?"

"The hospital's that way. Stop straying off the road."

"I think you broke his nose. His face was hilarious when you did it."

"You know, Ace-ya won't be standing even if he wakes up."

"Did you learn karate or something? I don't use martial arts."

"He'll still have to stay in the hospital for rehabilitation."

"Sanji kicks harder, though. He would've broken the skull itself."

The tall man shifted his stormy grey eyes to look at the giggling teenager walking next to him. Luffy sent him a cheeky grin. "You're good, but there's still space for improvement. A lot."

Law raised his eyebrows. "You're hopeless, aren't you?"

"People like to tell me that. Shishishi."

"I wonder why." Law strode faster, turning a corner and arriving in front of the Hearts Hospital. Luffy was almost jogging to keep up.

He was in a bad mood after encountering Caesar Clown and Monet outside of the Baratie. The mad scientist had provoked him, laughing about his relationship with Luffy and attracting too much attention to them. He had asked too many personal questions, like if they had slept together yet (which they had, but Caesar didn't need to know that) and Law had finally cracked after a rude comment on his and Luffy's age difference, launching a kick to the idiot's face. In public. Well, he could at least argue that Caesar had been doing the provoking. Luffy had simply giggled loudly in satisfaction at the sight of Caesar's bloody nose and walked into the gathered crowd, calling Law after her. And attracting even more attention, to the surgeon's annoyance.

Luffy grabbed his arm to slow him down. "I'm sure you would be much better using Kikoku." she told him. "Oh, and Zoro asked if you could bring her with you tonight."

"What for?" Law strode through the hospital door towards the lifts.

"He probably wants a duel."

He greeted an old lady waiting in the lifts for them. "Fifth floor. Thanks, Kureha-ya. A duel? What do you mean?"

"Zoro likes to battle against other people, mostly to test their strength. He's really excited about dueling you, since you have a sword."

"I didn't realize you two knew each other. Surgeon of Death, Luffy." Kureha said.

Law frowned. "You and Mugiwara-ya know each other?"

Luffy smiled. "She's Chopper's grandmother. His parents abandoned him and his grandfather Hiluluk's dead, that's why he lives with Zoro and Robin. Old lady Kureha doesn't have the time to take care of him."

"Who d'ya think you're calling and old lady? I'm still only 141." Kureha cackled. Law sweat dropped. 141 years old meant more than really old in his book. "Oh, fifth floor. Visiting little Ace, are we? Good luck waking him up!" The lift doors opened and she carelessly pushed them out. Law stumbled, followed by Luffy, and sent the older woman a deadly glare before walking away down the corridor. "Hey, little surgeon! Wait a second!" He turned around. "Chopper told you about the Rumble Ball?"

"Yeah. And I'm not little."

"This medicine… I hope you can help him with it. Right now, it's just a powerful drug that really messes with the brain. I trust you to modify it so it becomes harmless. Chopper tested it on himself once, he passed out and tried to kill everyone around him. I don't want this to happen again."

"Oh. Right. Anything else?"

"You can go." The lift doors closed on her. Law turned back and went to Luffy, who was waiting a few meters away.

"Let's go." He strode down the corridor, watching the room numbers.

"So, are you bringing Kikoku? I mean, she's kinda big, but Zoro really wants to see her. And I want to see you use her."

"Yeah, yeah." He stopped in front of a door whose nameplate read 513. "Do you want me to wait outside?"

"No. Stay with me." Luffy looked at him and grabbed his hand, holding it tightly. Law squeezed back to reassure her, without smiling. She took in a breath and opened the door to her brother's hospital room.

Ace still looked the same as usual. He could have been sleeping, had the breathing-machine-thing not been here. His handsome features were relaxed, his eyes closed. The dark hair drew small waves around his sharp face and his lips were slightly curled up in a barely visible smile. His freckles stood out against the pale skin of his cheeks. Luffy walked to the bed and sat down, careful not to move Ace. She placed a hand softly on his cold cheek.

"Weird," Law said from behind her. "his heartbeat's faster than it should be. I wonder if something happened?"

"Maybe it's connected to him waking up." Luffy suggested.

"Yeah… They scanned his brain right before we came. There's a lot of activity. He might be regaining consciousness, or just dreaming, but it seemed wrong somehow. Like he's here, but he's not at the same time."

"…I know." Luffy ran a hand across her brother's hair before resting it on his forehead. "He's so cold." Law didn't answer, giving her the space she needed. It was probably one of the reasons she liked him so much; he always seemed to understand her and know what she wanted. Luffy glanced at him. He was leaning against the wall of the room, his head down, hidden by his hat.

"I miss him." Law lifted his head slightly to gaze at her with his deep steel grey eyes that spoke of strong emotions and terrible experiences. "I really miss Ace." She didn't know why she was telling him this. "He used to be right here, making me feel so comfortable. Like a bed, you know? Now, it's like a black hole inside me, where he used to be. I hate it. It's not entirely empty, though. There's something else I can't explain. I don't know if it's because Ace is waking up, or if it's something else. But I miss him, so much.

Law stayed silent, and she didn't really want him to say anything, that she was probably going insane, that the strange feeling wasn't such a big deal, that it was perfectly normal to miss her brother and that there was no problem, since he was waking up soon.

Law sighed and walked slowly to her, taking his hat off. He went down on his knees in front of Luffy, their faces almost at the same level with her sitting on the bed. He was slightly lower than her. They were very close to each other, but he, for once, wasn't blushing because of it, his expression perfectly serious. Luffy sucked in a breath, staring deep into the stormy grey eyes that shifted in the light and, she realized, were flecked with gold. His silky black hair made her want to touch it. It was messy for being under the hat, but it just made Law look even better. And his lips looked so soft…

"Luffy-ya." She loved it when he said her name. She didn't know why it warmed her chest so much. She felt the man's quiet voice was made to call her. "I understand. You don't have to say anymore." Luffy's lip trembled. "It's okay to cry. Cora-san always told me that it can let the pain out." Law smiled at her sadly and she saw again in his eyes the suffering he kept to himself.

She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder, letting the tears fall. She felt him tense a second, obviously not expecting this, and awkwardly wrap his own arms around her. "It'll be alright, Luffy-ya," he whispered. "Everything'll be alright. Ace-ya is waking up soon, don't you worry." He stroked her hair as she sobbed into his shirt, needing to let all the grief and guilt out. "It'll be alright," he repeated.

The darkness was suffocating him. It was separating him from his own body. He couldn't move freely, only listen. He's tried to fight the crushing pressure, but his strength wasn't enough.

He'd heard everything Shanks said. It destroyed him. The man had confirmed what he had suspected at the last visit, but this simple fact took away the slight hope he still had left.

He'd hoped, hoped so much, that maybe she might love him, see him as more than just a brother. He'd dreamed about her, despaired over her absence, wished everyday for her love.

But of course, he would always be her brother. A beloved sibling, but still family. Nothing more.

Why hadn't he expected that she would fall for someone else? Why had he let the hope grow inside him, along with the pain of knowing the truth? Why hadn't he listened to his mind, instead of his heart?

Now she was gone, stolen for him, and there was no way he could ever admit the truth to her anymore. There was nothing he could do about it. It had been his fault for being absent.

It was agonizing.

Shanks had told him not to blame himself. How could he not?

The darkness kept pushing him down. He nearly lost the bit of consciousness he had.

Life was still going around him. She was still out there, free. But he wasn't. He was still locked in his own mind crushing him into despair.

He struggled to fight against it.

He had to wake up, be at her side again. He had to open his eyes and see her face again. He couldn't find the strength to do it.

He could hear her voice, and the man who stole her from him. She was crying by his fault.

What kind of brother was he, abandoning his sister? What kind of friend was he, letting down all those that cared about him? What kind of person was he?

Everything he did hurt others. He had never been worth loving.

Drowned in his own self-loathing, he screamed silently and kept struggling back up.

For her.

For the words she whispered in his ear before disappearing once more.

"I love you, Ace. Please, come back."

Even if they did not mean what he wished, they were worth his whole life and more.

At least to be by her side, was all he hoped for.

He could stay her brother, as long as he could see her smile.

And he continued screaming against the dark prison that was his mind.

That felt kinda poetic for a chapter ending.

I don't think this is how comas work. And I don't think you can get this kind of info with a brain scan. But this is a fanfiction my friends. Nobody cares about that kind of details.

k. cery: Of course he very well can't have a damn Buggy nose. He's supposed to be cute.

You really want to know who Law's fangirls are? Honest answer: I don't know. But I'm sure you can find a few (starting with me XD)

Yeah, this chapter is shorter than usual. Not much I can do about it (yeah, right).

And please, please review and give me your opinions. I motivates me. Really, I love reading the few reviews that appear. It'd be good to have more.

See you next chapter!

Next chapter:

Dressing up