•Back from the dead with a chapter! I hope you enjoy this one and have an amazing day!•

—Though the seed experienced drawbacks galore, it fought through the oppression. It was the other seed, however, that experienced the hardest fall. There existed only its fellow plant to bring him back up to flourish within the sun.—

11. Confessions

"He almost killed us!"

"Yeah, that guy was crazy, looking for Ace...I swear if he didn't leave when he did..."

The man before him frowns deeply, not amused. Stroking his dark beard, he observes the two lackeys before him with great scorn. They have failed him greatly, and instead of atoning for that sin alone by dying at that man's hands, instead tells him unnecessary information about Ace. He was the man who came to him in a desperate need of money.

At the thought of the moment, the boss smiles harshly. It was as if he asked to be used. It wasn't their fault that he had landed in jail after their attempt to take over the store. The boss blames the ignorant, trusting fool for believing the world was as beautiful and as innocent as Ace thought it to be.

And now someone was asking for Ace's location?

Their boss purses his teeth, jaw set. His anger was rising steadily, soon to boil and overflow. "Ace, hmm? He's quickly becoming a thorn in my side. And seeing that the man who attacked you seemed to care greatly for him..."

The superior stood up with a grunt, stretching his back, and works his heavy, fat-ridden limbs down short steps to the floor where his subordinates stood. "You remember the bottle of Akainu we found last week? I think it's time we put it to good use."

"What do you mean, Boss?" one of the lackeys asks, stepping forward tentatively. "What about it?"

The man smiles, scratching his rough black hair. "I'd say lets just kill the bastard. Revenge for that man who messed with you two, and to let that freckled idiot die without revealing our secrets. How about that?"

The one on the left sneers. "I'll do it. In the name of Blackbeard!"

Blackbeard laughs jollily. "I'll provide you with the materials you'll need. We're rolling out in ten minutes, so wait with the car."

Saluting the man, the two underlings roll out, running to get the preparations ready. "Now then," Blackbeard mutters, walking towards the entrance of the hideout with unparalleled pride, smirking at Ace's soon to be death, and the stranger's soon to be despair.

Once that Ace was gone from his life, he would have nothing to worry about anymore.

...

"Make sure you aim carefully," Blackbeard warns into the walkie talkie from the car, a block or so away from the shooter. Finally, the time had come, and he had calculated that the man who had assaulted his lackeys had gone to the prison. Therefore, by arming one of them with a shot of Akainu and having them be on standby within the comforting shade of a tree from afar, they could accurately shoot Ace and successfully pull away without any flaws or drawbacks.

If the mysterious attacker was swift enough to both escape his subordinates and beat them near to death, then he must have been extremely cunning.

"Target seen. He's exiting the jail with the man who attacked us," comes the voice for over the piece of technology. Blackbeard smiles, almost laughing, it was going along almost too easily. "Alright. Aim the gun carefully, at the target. Try to pick up any conversation between the two."

"Roger."

The well rounded man, within the safety of his car, reaches blindly for the binoculars beside him, putting them to his eyes, giving his vision wide access to the scene about to unfold.

The man beside Ace was tall, dark, and had a hint of handsome to his features. He dressed in a fancy suit, and his dark hair was an explosion of tamed neatness, a contradiction that fit him. His eyes seemed to light as he spoke to Ace. Then. They dimmed.

A minute more and they parted, saying their goodbyes to have other. Blackbeard sat up in the drivers' seat, watching intently for the moment the other man, apart from Ace, completely disappeared from his vision. "Now," the boss breathed, smiling viciously.

"Roger that," chuckled the shooter, steadying the gun loaded with the deadly substance safely packed away into the miscellaneous form of a bullet. With a deep breath, the subordinate pulled the trigger.

The shot rang loudly through the still air, hitting its intended target with detailed precision. Ace stumbled slightly under the sudden onslaught of pain from above. The man who shot smiled widely, almost in tandem with his boss' grin. Blackbeard quietly ordered for him to fall back, being very careful not to alert Ace to his presence. After receiving the final okay, the man laid back in his car to relax under the pall of relief.

The sickness would not take long to administer itself through the man's body. For him to die through such a means would definitely be painful and excruciating, but such was the life of one who dabbed a bit too far into the dark side. That's what Ace got, no, deserved, for assaulting his subordinates.

If anyone were to blame, it wouldn't be him at all, not by far. It'd be that man's. Oughta have taught him a lesson about messing with the wrong crowd.

Just like Ace.

—•—

Present Day

Sabo nods gravelly from across Law, sipping gingerly on the coffee offered to him. "Sad story. So? How and when did you realize it was Blackbeard's doing?" he asked, composed and professional.

The two sat within Law's apartment, the air tense and telling of future unfortunates between them. The blonde showed up on his doorstep, face a controlled maelstrom of emotions. He had forced his way in cunningly, weaseling Law down into a chat which quickly turned into an interrogation.

Law clenched his hand, an action he hadn't thought he was even capable of performing, as it showed nervousness and a sense of fear of the future. It's been a while since he was able to talk so freely about a sensitive topic such as this, especially from his side of the story, and being able to do so now set him slightly on edge. "I believe it was a few days ago when I heard a rumor on the streets. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense," Law says quietly. He was a fool. A complete and utter fool for believing.

Across from Law, Sabo focuses his attention on his nursed beverage. "What're you thinking right now?"

"I'm connecting the dots," Law murmurs, crossing his legs, which had started to shake. "If I beat those guys up, and they went to this Blackbeard person. Then they supplied themselves with Akainu, and from there shot Ace. Supposing that this is all true, which is what I believe..." Law swallows the lump in his throat.

"Doesn't that mean...that I killed Ace?"

Sabo sets down the coffee, taking a deep breath. It hurt for him, too, but the pain was kept on the far back burner. He had a job to do, a guy he would need to catch, and a case to solve. Maybe after he would grieve. Assuming he doesn't cave in sooner.

Law seemed to be falling victim to the latter.

A sound from outside the hallway causes the two to pause, eyeing the door. "Were you expecting a visitor?" Sabo inquires with a raised brow, crossing his arms.

Law tightens his lips. "I don't believe I had anything on the agenda today." The man gets up, walking with aching feet towards the entrance of the apartment. Law opens the door, glancing to the right, then the left. Nothing but empty halls greet him. His grey eyes linger on Luffy's door a bit longer that he would have liked to admit.

Retreating back inside, Law turns towards Sabo, who looked over him carefully. "How did you even come to know Ace?" The inquiry comes off slightly defensive, and the dark haired man gives him a look with lowered brows, and a question within his irises.

Sabo and Luffy were extremely close to Ace. Was it wrong or him to want to know the connection between his brother and this man?

Law sighs softly, walking back towards the blonde officer. "When I was a child, I ran away from Dolflamingo into a forest. In this forest, I met Ace. From then on, we met occasionally and just...clicked."

Sabo pauses, as though wanting to add something to the statement, but instead says nothing, pulling out a pad with which to write notes on. He scribbles down a few things, and Law returns to his seat.

"If you ran away from this man during your childhood," Sabo slowly begins, tapping a pen on the pad before him, "then why the hell are you working under him now?"

Law chuckles bitterly. "Small world."

"I'm serious," Sabo warns with a frown. "Why would you put yourself in that position?"

Darkened gray eyes find themselves laying upon the waning sunlight filtering in through the window gently, a stream of transparent yellow finding its home on the sofa opposing the window. "Two reasons. First, I didn't meet the principal until a few days before the first day of teaching, and secondly. Well, for someone named Luffy."

Sabo's eyes widen to the size of dinner plates. "Luffy? What about him?"

"You know him?" Law asks, features brightening instantaneously. The blonde swallows, focusing his eyes and mind on the task at hand. "Let me ask the questions, thank you."

Tsking, Law sits back. "He's Ace's little brother. He wanted me to take care of Luffy, and being his teacher through summer school should be close enough, right? Along with me once being his doctor, and the fact we live so close? It's as if the world giving me the car and keys, and it's up to me to drive, and continue to do so."

"Will you?" Sabo questions, lifting his own from the paper momentarily.

Law nods. "It's to me to make up my sins for killing Ace. Working under that man is nothing. From attending Luffy's bills to eventually buying him his own place. I'll do anything."

Surprise settles itself on the officer's face. Never would he have thought that Law carried such aspirations within him. It left him with a sense of peace, knowing his youngest brother will be well cared for in times such as these, that he cannot care for himself.

Yet the question arises, who would take care of Law?

Sabo looked over the man once more. The exterior showed a slight panic, but resolve and determination mingled harmoniously on his face. Yet, most of the time, he tucked the emotions away under the impassive, blank expression he wore. Like a shield to the world, Law, at times, seems to completely cut off his feelings. The expression of indifference was worn out, and was beginning to show signs of wear; it didn't seem it would be too long before the mask cracked, if not already, then broke.

"Aren't you going a bit far?" Dark eyes blink slowly at the notes in his hands before setting them aside, reestablishing eye contact with the man. "I don't think that's what Ace really meant..."

"Maybe it isn't just for Ace anymore," Law mutters, avoiding Sabo's intense gaze. "Maybe it's just for Luffy."

The brother of the deceased opened his mouth in a circular shape, the mind's cogs turning rapidly, wrapping his head around the statement. It's closed slowly, in an "Oh," sort of gasp, finally realizing the subtle meaning. It's the first time Sabo had smiled so widely in years.

"I believe I am done," Sabo announces lightly, standing. He offers a hand out to Law, who shakes it wearily. "Thank you for your time."

"Glad you stole it," Law retorts with an easy smile.

Sabo's grin widens further. Stepping back, he bows politely, and Law copies the movement. With a nod, the officer steps away, towards the door. With a hand on the knob, he turns back slightly. "I think we would've been friends once upon a time."

"Maybe," Law says. It's strained.

Exiting, Sabo takes one step into the hallway when a yell pierces the air, followed by a rather obnoxious, "You're alive?!"

Law abandons the coffee he never touched and jumps up, fleeing from the room and into the hallway. There, he's greeted with a scene that wouldn't leave his mind for a long while.

Luffy, face ridden with tears and snot and sadness dripping off him in waves, seemed to have engulfed Sabo's head in a strange hug of sorts, clinging into the blonde with seemingly every bone in his body. "Yeah," the blonde sighs into the socket made with the younger's hip and leg. "I'm well."

"Why didn't you call?" the younger mumbles almost incoherently, getting down and wiping his tears noisily, ignoring the open staring from behind his long lost brother. "Why didn't you say anything all this time?"

Sabo chuckles uncomfortably, not looking at Luffy directly as he turns away. "After the plane crash long ago, I was taken into the police force by a recruiter. The process was so secretive that even I didn't know what was happening sometimes...I only knew at the time that it had to be kept a secret."

Luffy stepped back, looking the man up and down. "So what about now?"

The blonde shrugs. "Pure coincidence, that's all. I'm afraid I have to leave now, though. Here's my card, for future reference. I'm busy, so maybe later, after my shift is over."

Nodding, the black haired younger's eyes fill with tears again. "Yeah. Um. Keep in touch, please."

Sabo smiles at him, big and goofy, and pats the teen on the head as he walks by, waving at Luffy. Law stares after him solemnly, lips pursed together in a straight line. Turning back towards his apartment, he shuts the door softly, leaving Luffy with his thoughts, which would, without a doubt, will need to be sorted.

The officer, once out of sight, reaches up into his head and pulls out an expertly hidden headset within his nest of wild golden hair, pulling the once concealed microphone close to his lips. With a hurried gait, he talks quickly. "Is that good enough for you, Marco?"

A grunt sounds on the end of the headpiece. "Sure. I guess." Defeat seeps into his voice slowly, sadness adding a soft edge to the words. The professional sighs as the wind from outside the apartment carefully whispers sweet nothings into his ear. Approaching his vehicle, he responds with slight sympathy. "The lie detector I planted in the headpiece didn't go off."

Marco takes a deep breath, shuddering and the sort, and he takes his time to respond. "You heard the entire conversation, including his story, right?" Sabo asked, persevering. "You've no reason to hate him."

"I know just...just give me time to calm down," the man on the opposite side of the phone. "I know he didn't kill Ace, I know, I really do."

Smiling silently, Sabo opens the door to his car, inserting the key and humming when the engine turns on reluctantly, purring to life. "I will. I'll contact you if I make any progress. Take it easy, Marco."

"I will," comes the hushed reply.

The officer ends the call with a tap of the finger, bringing down the headset onto the table beside him. "Now," he says, closing his eyes tightly. "Back to headquarters."

Taking the car out of park, he backs out of the space he once occupied, turning, heading towards his destination with steady progress.

—•—

Luffy's smiling for real. It's not front the bottom of his heart, but it's somewhere damn close.

His mood is pretty positive as he casually strolled onto his apartment floor, jingling his pocket for the keys he hopes exists within the small space. As he locates the ring of metal, he singles out the one he needed when a familiar voice floats through the confined space of white.

"Doesn't that mean...that I killed Ace?"

A coldness creeps up his spine, clouding his vision and making his hands shake so hard he drops his keys, earning him a sharp slap of noise from below, furthering his panic. That voice was undoubtedly Law.

What the hell did he mean, he killed Ace?

Did he, or did he not, repeatedly insist he had no information on his brother?

The pain of being lied too stems through his being quickly, and Luffy tries to swallow though his mouth was as dry as desert. A jolt of anger shoots through the teen, followed a queer squeak, which was covered all too late by his hand, escapes his mouth.

The other voice accompanying Law's pauses, and silence fills the air. A deep feeling of dread fills Luffy, and he fumbles with the keys within his hand, struggling to get the door to his apartment, Ace's apartment, their apartment, open.

He does so, but with much more difficulty than most others, and slips inside, clicking the door shut just as he heard the door to Law's apartment open. Luffy crouches behind the door, eyes wide and planted on the floor, heart beating wildly. He didn't know exactly why he was hiding, but something screamed at him to get out of sight, for his presence was unneeded, unnecessary.

Luffy held his breath as the hall's vision safely disappeared from the opening of Law's door. With small, careful hands, Luffy opens his door, fighting to control his raging emotions, surely appearing as a congestion of grief and misery and anxiety upon his countenance.

His feet softly bless the floor of the hall once more, peering eerily at the entrance to his tecaher's apartment. Though his heart was crying, his hands numb, and mind full of Law's fibs, Luffy stepped out of his apartment, walks towards the opposite, looming door, and places his ear against the firm wood.

"...Along with me once being his doctor, and the fact we live so close? It's as if the world giving me the car and keys, and it's up to me to drive, and continue to do so."

Laws voice is a determined, and Luffy's heart jumps into his throat. He has no obligation whatsoever to—

"Will you?" the other voice asks his doctor, his teacher, his neighbor.

Law nods. "It's to make up my sins for killing Ace. Working under that man is nothing. From attending to Luffy's bills to eventually buying him his own place. I'll do anything."

"Aren't you going a bit far? I don't think that's what Ace really meant..."

"Maybe it isn't just for Ace anymore," says Law. "Maybe it's just for Luffy."

The teen in question furrows his eyebrows. It made no sense to him.

A minute or so passes, voices drifting up from within the room, and suddenly, they join the bandwagon of silence he and the halls rode on. Luffy, from outside the small bubble from within the room, hears his heart beat loudly against his chest.

As he slowly backed away from the door, it suddenly opens in a wide arc, sending Luffy's thoughts into a frenzy. From there walked out a face he didn't exactly identify, but as the man looked him straight in the eyes, a past, healthy young face came to mind. Luffy felt his eyes watering, and before he knew it, he had jumped into the blonde's arms, tears of joy and happiness streaming down his reddened cheeks.

"You're alive?!" Luffy cries loudly, knowing he's sure to wake up any neighbors, but he's here, he's alive.

Sabo is alive.

All these years of depression and worry and sadness and grief, and even as the became much more apparent in the latest months— he was alive this whole time.

A man walked out from the side of his vision, but he paid little to no attention to the intrusion; his heart and mind were focused on the brother before him, having not leaving him, yet, having not died unlike his other sibling.

"Thank God," Luffy whispers into the strands of blonde atop the older man's head. "Sabo..."

The man ran a comforting hand down the length of his back, sighing. "Yeah, I'm well."

Luffy could barely form coherent words, overwhelmed by the fact he had another sibling, something else to lean on besides himself. Law was there, but...

...Sabo.

He was here. He'd be alright.

Luffy would be okay.

They would be alright.

They would be okay.

It's only for the time to pass, for events to occur, that disturbs such a peace. Such as when Luffy would confront Law over those words within the room. Though it wasn't exactly his main train of thought, what exactly did Law mean, he killed ace? He made no sense, nothing made sense, but Sabo seemed to take all that upon himself as he held his youngest brother there.

If only such an utopia existed when he confronted Law, for surely, the air would not be nearly as smooth.

•HELLO baby I'm back nearly a month after the last update but not exactly! I hope this is to your liking, and there sadly only a few more chapters left if I hadn't said so already...anyway. Hope you enjoyed this one and see you next time!•