For a giant, metallic robot, Bishimaru is even larger than Ace had expected. When its jaws closed around him, Ace had been expecting a painful thump and scrape, maybe a broken bone or two. He's tired, Aratama heavy in his hands, but he keeps falling, no bumps or broken bones heading his way.
It dawns then that Ace isn't just inside Bishimaru. He shrinks down Aratama and tries to right himself in the falling space, though he's not too sure which way is up or down. He's more floating that anything, but he spins until something feels right, and takes a steady breath.
"Okay," he says, eyes darting around the gloom, trying to figure a way back. He thinks he can hear dull thuds, though they are muffled and sound far away. He grins at the thought of Sabo and Luffy tearing Bishimaru apart, and knows he has to get out of here before they can. Ace can't afford to replace a robot, after all.
He closes his eyes and focuses, just how he's been taught in the past. Ace thinks about what he wants – the exit – and he senses a pinprick of light off to the side. He opens his eyes and looks down, following the light to his pocket.
Well, Ace thinks, that's new. He frowns, not remembering putting a torch or anything in his pocket, and slides his fingers into his pocket. He jerks slightly when he feels something warm, fingers closing around a small, circular mirror, and he pulls it out with wide eyes.
A hyacinth decorates the back and the glass is shining, emitting a bright light. The mirror is how they arrived at this world in the first place, Ace thinks, and he stretches his arms out, letting go of the mirror gently. It floats, just as Ace expects it to, and he watches as a door forms around the mirror, spiralling until it towers above Ace, just waiting to be pushed.
It's an exit, he thinks, and Ace suspects it has to be better than anything inside of Bishimaru. He presses the mirror slightly, and half of the doorway opens. He can see ruins through the door, flowers and vines curling around what could have been temples and grandiose structures, and Ace pokes his head through the door, checking he can breathe.
Ace is about to step through when he hears something. His fingers tighten around the small Aratama, and he prepares to fight whatever foe this world has thrown at him. His eyes narrow, a figure moving closer to the door, and Ace feels the fight drain from him when he sees the woman.
She feels familiar, and Ace has no idea why. He's sure he's never met this woman before, but she stands there smiling, a hand over her mouth and eyes bright with tears. Her other hand clutches tightly at the pale dress she wears, and Ace wonders if she is a supreme goddess, the creator of the universe.
"Ace," she says softly, and shakes head as if she cannot believe he is here. "Look at you," she says, and there's something in her tone that shakes Ace to the core. He knows who she is now, there's no denying it, and as she moves forward, Ace pulls her into a tight hug.
"My son," she whispers, wrapping her arms around his chest and squeezing. Ace isn't sure whether it's her strength or the situation, but he finds it a little hard to breathe. He doesn't move, doesn't break their embrace, and just buries her head against the woman's shoulder, soaking in the love she's shown in the few words she's spoken. "My little baby."
Ace pulls back, but takes her hand and smiles. He can feel the pull of the Mirror World calling to him and knows he has to go back.
"Come with me," he says, and his mother's eyes widen, as if she's never considered leaving this place. A sinking feeling settles into Ace's stomach, but she tightens her hold on his hand and nods.
The world is shaking, and Ace watches his mother take the mirror gently when the doors shut behind them. She smiles and passes it back to Ace, just as light erupts around them. Ace wants to laugh when he sees Luffy and Sabo above them. He is too late after all – they've already destroyed Bishimaru.
Ace and his mother begin half falling-half floating to the ground (Ace is the falling half, his mother seems to have powers of some sort and Bishimaru's hand manages to control their descent). They land with a thud, and his mother smooths a hand over her dress, looking around the laboratory with a puzzled look, eyes resting on Sabo and Luffy as they come whizzing over.
"ACE!" Luffy shouts, and Ace winces. Luffy's too close to be shouting, but Ace is glad to see them. He wraps his arms around his brothers and holds tightly, laughing when Sabo pokes a finger into his ribs.
"We thought the worst," he admits, and while Sabo's always been the more serious one, Ace can see that they really had feared for his life. He pulls back, half-turns to his mother, and introduces them.
"These are my brothers, Sabo and Luffy," Ace says, and his mother laughs.
"I don't remember giving birth to these two," she says softly, and strokes both Luffy and Sabo's cheeks gently. "My name is Rouge. I want to thank you for being Ace's family when I couldn't."
They take to her instantly, Luffy's questions filling the silence in the room. Ace watches for a moment, and then realises that there are other people here. Izō's sitting on the floor, controller by his side. He looks pale, and offers a weak wave in Ace's direction. He was the one controlling Bishimaru, Ace realises, and he feels a little bit sorry for going all out. Izō loves Bishimaru.
There are two other people Ace has forgotten too, and he turns, searching for Marco. Whitebeard meets his eyes for a moment before looking away, the weight of the world on his shoulders for the few seconds they connect. Ace doesn't care, though. He continues searching, smiling widely when he sees Marco. He's about to speak, but his mother beats him to it.
"Marco," she says, and she moves towards him. Marco looks torn between fleeing the laboratory and running into Rouge's arms. He stays rooted, eyes wide as Rouge wraps her arms around him.
"How can you be here?" Ace hears Marco say, and he clings to Rouge as if she is his lifeline, just as Ace had done.
"It doesn't matter," Rouge says, and she kisses Marco's cheek. "Ace brought me home."
He smiles at the words, and Ace's stomach twists. Marco looks in his direction and seems shy, almost. Ace lets a smile slip into his face as he moves to them, slipping his hand into Marco's. He's not worried, but he still doesn't want to entertain the thought he's lost either of them. Marco and Rouge have their own past, evidently, and Ace wants to be a part of it.
Rouge nods to them, and Ace sees her turn to Whitebeard.
"Thank you for looking after Marco," she says, and Whitebeard nods. He still seems to be carrying some weight, but it sheds a little as Rouge smiles at him.
"We can show you the world," Marco says, fingers tightening around Ace's hand. Ace nods, thinking of this world and all it has to offer. He remembers first being here and remembers how amazing and overwhelming it was.
"I'd like that," Rouge says, and Luffy runs to her in his beast form, floating up to rest on her shoulders. Ace can hear him asking questions and shakes his head. Typical Luffy.
They start out in the country, leaving an exhausted Izō and a haunted-looking Whitebeard behind. The trees sway around them as they grab a taxi into the countryside, a gentle breeze stirring through Ace's hair.
They walk around a field for a while, Sabo and Luffy racing against each other. Marco moves ahead by himself, and Rouge walks with Ace, humming to herself softly.
"I've been alone for a long time," she says, stopping as they reach the top of a hill. "And I've waited so long to see you both."
Rouge looks at him, and her eyes soften.
"I thought Roger might be with you. He was supposed to take care of you," she says, concern coating her words.
"Inari looked after me," Ace says, and wonders if Inari's real name is Roger. "He taught me everything I know and also gave me these." Ace pulls the mirror and Aratama from his pockets, holding them out for Rouge to see.
"Inari," Rouge comments bluntly, shaking her head with a laugh. "I didn't think he was serious about using that as a cover name."
Her laugh echoes across the field, and Ace watches as Marco looks back at them. He waves a hand, arm high in the air, and Marco waves back stiffly.
"Where is your father?" Rouge asks, her voice sad as he watches Marco. "Seeing you and Marco makes me want to hold the man I love."
Ace startles, eyes wide as he turns to his mother.
"What do you mean?" he asks, and she rolls her eyes. She sits down, tugging Ace's arm, and he joins her with flushed cheeks.
"What I mean is I can see how much you care for each other," she says, plucking a few strands of grass from the ground. "You two are happy together, and it makes me miss Roger."
"I'm looking for him too," Ace admits. He's not forgotten the reason he stumbled across this world, but he has let it take second place. Ace isn't sure how he'll be able to leave Marco and closes his eyes.
"I thought maybe he returned to you," Ace says, shrugging. "He left me ten years ago. I've been training at the Shrine and left when I was sixteen to begin searching for him."
Rouge shakes her head, sighing.
"He wouldn't have left without a good reason," she says, and Ace nods.
"I know that," Ace says. It's been a long while since he's thought about why he's looking for his father. He misses Inari, still has so much to learn, but he's found so much at the same time.
"I can't stay," she says suddenly, and Ace feels his heart sink. Rouge is still looking down the hill, watching as Sabo and Luffy chase Marco around, laughter floating up to them. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and draws her knees up to her chest.
"I think Marco knows already: it's why he's so distant." She takes a deep breath and lets her head fall back. "I was not born, but created. A Bodhisattva gave me human form, and with that came other powers. When I gave birth to you..." Rouge trails off.
"I gave my powers to you. I still have some, but you needed them more. You were just a tiny baby, I had to give you something and-" Rouge shakes her head, turning to look back at the group below. Ace follows her gaze and, despite her news, feels warmth curl in his stomach.
"If I stay away from the Holy Ground for too long, I'll fade away." Ace can't imagine how Rouge must have felt staying at the Holy Ground for so long. He'd thought that world beautiful, but she must have been there for over 20 years now. He doesn't know how she's managed to do it, or even how she can contemplate returning.
"Please," Ace says. He's not ready to let her go. He feels panic well in his chest, but Rouge places a hand over his and smiles softly.
"I have to," she says, and Ace knows there's no other way. He takes a shaky breath in and forces a smile. "But now you can open the door, you can come and visit me whenever you want."
The thought hasn't crossed Ace's mind before now, but he knows that this won't be a goodbye forever. He can go and see Rouge, even bring her back here for small amounts of time. She won't be here forever, but neither will Ace.
"We'll have a nice dinner at home," he says, and wonders briefly since when he's considered Marco's house his home. Rouge nods, and they stand, running to join Luffy and Sabo in chasing after Marco.
They sit around the table later, and Ace is shocked to see Luffy offering Rouge one of his smaller portions of meat. She thanks him, declines the meat, and Ace wonders if Luffy might have fallen in love with her for that act. He looks at her as if she is the sun, and turns to Ace with watery eyes, gesturing at his plate.
"She didn't take my meat," he whispers, though it carries across the table, and they all laugh. From the side of the room, Thatch thumps his tail merrily, eyes watching for any morsels dropped.
"Thank you," Rouge says to them all, and she looks from Ace to Marco. "You've grown into an amazing man," she says, and Marco looks down hurriedly. He scoops a spoonful of rice into his mouth, and Ace knows it's just so he doesn't need to talk.
"I'm sorry I can't stay here for longer, but you're welcome to visit me now," she says, and Ace can hear the hope in her voice. "Ace has the mirror after all."
He takes it out of his pocket and places it on the table. He still isn't sure how exactly it works, but he'll have to try. Ace wants to see Rouge again, and he certainly doesn't want her to fade in this world.
"I'll try to do it," he says, shovelling food into his mouth. Ace remembers that he thought really hard, so he'll need a lot of energy.
Marcos quiet as he clears away the plates, but Ace can feel his eyes on him all the time. Rouge sits to his side as Ace stands, mirror in his palm. Sabo and Luffy are at his feet, in their beast forms, hackles raised in case they need to jump in. It's now or never, Ace thinks, and he closes his eyes, trying to focus on the energy inside of himself.
It doesn't work how it did inside of Bishimaru, but Ace can feel the mirror heating up. It's glowing, and he can feel something there, something before him. It needs a pull, and Ace thinks he has it. He tugs, opens his eyes and then-
There's a bright flash outside and a huge rumble, and Ace is reminded of the storm he arrived in. Luffy and Sabo both flinch as the world flashes again, and Ace hears something smash to the floor in the kitchen.
"I thought…" Ace says, but he trails off. Maybe he's opened the portal outside. The storm happened when he came, so it makes sense it's happening now.
Ace stands and runs outside. It's started to rain and his feet get wet as he tries to look for the portal, eyes narrowing as he searches the skies. He can hear Rouge trying to call him back in, and sees Marco come outside to watch him, worry clear on his face. Thatch, Luffy and Sabo all join him, circling him uneasily, snouts pointing to the sky as if they might be able to sense the portal.
This storm is different, though. Ace ducks his head as lightning strikes the ground, and he can see debris fly from where it strikes and Ace whistles. This storm is destructive, and it looks as though it wants to tear this entire world apart.
There's another flash and Ace catches something on top of the tower. He smiles, about to shout that he's found the portal, but the words die in his throat. A bolt of lightning strikes the tower and illuminates it, highlighting the strange figure on top of the Temple.
Ace's breath catches, and the ground shakes under him. He falls, blinks, and the figure has vanished. He knows what he saw, though, and his heart pounds in his chest. There is no way Ace can forget that figure. He has, after all, been chasing it for years.