Things are getting progressively worse and worse, Roger thinks. He resists the urge to pull his mask off and throw it in Sengoku's face, but only just. He was never meant to serve the Shrine in the first place, and now he'll be forced to serve an unworthy Head Priest.

"Inari," Sengoku says, though he at least doesn't try to say it will be okay. He's about as comfortable with the decision as Roger is, but there's nothing they can do. The decision is out of their hands, and it's not Sengoku's fault he needs a rest.

"I don't agree with your successor," Roger says simply, and Sengoku's lips thin.

"You don't have to agree with him," he replies, and Roger crosses his arms over his chest. "Whether or not you like him, he's the new Head."

Roger feels anger bubble in his stomach, and he breathes out slowly. It's not Sengoku's fault, but there is no way Roger can accept this change. He came back to the Shrine to protect his family, but he never signed up to be anyone's lapdog. The new Head will have no qualms about using Roger's powers how he wants them, not how they should be used.

There's only one course of action open to him now, Roger knows. He thinks of his son, only a decade old, and his heart swells. He will do anything for Ace, which is why he has to abandon the Shrine. If he stays, the new Head won't let his relationship with Ace slide. If Roger stays then he's endangering Ace, and he needs to protect his son, no matter what.

"I can tell you one thing," Sengoku says, and Roger looks at him. They've never really been close, far from friends, but there is a mutual respect between them. Sengoku is a man with morals, and Roger can think good of a person like that.

"He doesn't know how to get to the Mirror World," Sengoku says, and it's a breath of fresh air. Roger smiles, nodding slowly, and realises what this means. Even if he leaves, Kyōto will be protected. The new Head has no idea how to break into that world, and Roger won't stick around long enough to let him figure it out. He'll keep the Head chasing after him, keep him away from Ace and Kyōto.

"Good," Roger says, and Sengoku inclines his head. "I suppose this is goodbye then."

They part ways as easily as if they were strangers. Roger has no lingering feelings of sudden friendship, and he needs to see Ace before he leaves. He hates the fact he has to leave his son, but the Shrine, for all its faults, is the safest place in the twelve worlds. It's probably the safest place Roger knows, except for the Mirror World and perhaps the Holy Ground. Ace is too young and has so much to learn though, so Roger has to keep him here. He won't be alone, at least, as he has Sabo and Luffy.

Ace is fast asleep when Roger pokes his head in. Sabo and Luffy are curled up with him, Roger's familiar watching them in the corner. Rayleigh sets down his book and stands, crossing to Roger's side.

"We're leaving then," Rayleigh says, and Roger shakes his head.

"I need you to stay here," he says, and Rayleigh nods, as if that was what he expected all along. Perhaps it was, Rayleigh has always known him well, better than anyone, aside from Rouge. Rouge is always the exception, Roger thinks, and his heart twinges painfully, as it always does when he thinks of her, alone, waiting at the Holy Ground. When they'd parted, she had said she didn't mind, but Roger will always remember the tears as they filled her eyes, Ace tiny and newborn in his arms. Rouge had sent her love with them, and Roger knows one day they'll be reunited.

"Don't give the new Head any reason to suspect you're less than loyal to him," Roger says, and Rayleigh smiles. They'll be playing a dangerous game if things go their way, and Roger thinks of the gifts he's to leave Ace.

"Do you think he's ready?" Rayleigh asks, and Roger frowns. It's not a matter of if he's ready or not, and he says as much to Rayleigh.

"We have no other choice," he says quietly, moving out of the room. He walks down the hall, to his own room, where a dark brown cabinet sits. It's quite unremarkable, but in the top left drawer are two objects Roger treasures more than any other.

"Ace," he whispers when he's collected his treasures. Luffy and Sabo stay sleeping, but Ace sits up, as if he knows the importance of what Roger is about to do.

"Sensei?" Ace asks, voice thick with sleep. He rubs his eyes with a frown, making to clamber out of the sleeping pile.

"It's okay," Roger says with a smile. He moves his mask up off of his face and takes Ace's hand, pressing the compressed Aratama into it.

"Take care of that," he says, beaming. "It's time you had a weapon of your own."

And while he was asleep mere seconds ago, Ace's face brightens and he is trembling with excitement. He looks as though he wants to wake Sabo and Luffy up to show them, but stills when he looks at Roger.

"This is something that belongs to your mother," Roger says, pressing a circular mirror into Ace's other palm. A hyacinth patterns the back, and Ace looks at it in awe. His fingers trace the pattern gently, and he looks up at Roger.

"You're going to do well," Roger says, lowering his mouth to kiss Ace's forehead. "You'll know how to use that when the time comes."

He smiles and pulls back. Ace stares at him, eyes narrowing as if he suspects something, but then Luffy grabs his top, and Ace shrugs, tucking his new gifts by his side and curling back up with his brothers. Roger nods, takes a step back and places his mask back on. His sword, his key, is by his side, ready, and Rayleigh waits for him as he makes his way to the front door.

"One day I'll hope I can bring her to meet you," Roger says, clapping Rayleigh on the shoulder. Rayleigh's the only one he's fully been able to trust here, and he'll miss his dear friend. He pulls Rayleigh close, hugging him, and parts with tears in his eyes.

"I'll take care of them," Rayleigh says, and Roger leaves without another word, throwing a smile over his shoulder. He sees Rayleigh wave, waits until he shuts the door, and Roger knows he'll be alone for a while now.

His destination is the Shrine's portals, and Roger picks one at random. Energy hums around him as he transports, and he knows people will come running after him when they realise what he's doing. Still, Roger is a god, he has the power to create and control, and he splits through the seams of this world, entering the space between worlds.

It's dark, very dark, but Roger doesn't mind the darkness. He moves slowly, as if pushing through tar, and he can barely breathe, such is the nature of the space between worlds. He's not meant to be here, but he can't die, and so there's no getting rid of him. He'll continue moving, continue pushing onwards, until he finds the Holy Ground, until he finds Rouge.

Roger searches, and it's years later that his world changes, the seams splitting to reveal a world he thought barred to him forever. Roger takes a deep breath, fresh air filling his lungs, and he beams. There's only one person who could have broken the space between the worlds like this, and it's the one person he's been looking forward to seeing the most, even more than seeing Rouge. Ace has freed him from the space between the worlds, and Roger knows they all have a greater role to play.