Blame by Faith&Fantasy
Thanks for reading the first chapter! Your encouragement and kind words mean the world to me. My deepest gratitude to you all. Responses to reviews will always be posted at the end of a chapter. If you prefer a private message response, just let me know in your review. :)
This chapter is a little longer than the last one (unfortunately, not by much since it was already written). Let me know your thoughts on it's length. Chapter three is already written and is currently being revised. So the next update shouldn't be too far away.
This an AU. The characters and their backstories up to a point are the same. Of course, this does not occur in the manga/anime.
- OOC
- no pairings
- rated T for violence (will change to M if requested)
- warnings: abuse and violence, mild swearing
Summary:
Sabo's death hit Ace and Luffy hard. Confused and suffering, Ace looks for someone to take his grief and frustration out on. Someone to take the blame.
Disclaimer: I own only the storyline. All characters, references to characters, settings, etc. belong to Oda.
Enjoy!
Chapter 2: Rage
"Men in rage strike those that wish them the best" ~ William Shakespeare
"Boss?"
Dadan was startled from her thoughts, realizing that she had been holding her sake but not taking a single drink. Instead, she opted for staring at the adjacent wall, her mind drifting. Shaking her head, she turned her gaze to Dogra, who was looking at her with concern. "What?"
Dogra turned back to his food, staring at the plate absent-mindedly. The other bandits were eating and drinking, all in good spirits after another successful raid on a passing caravan headed for Goa Kingdom, this one happening to be carrying a large quantity of high quality sake. "I'm worried about him too."
Dadan blinked. Dogra was one of her best men, and the two had been working together for many years. He could read her like a book. She knew exactly who the "him" he spoke of was, and there was no use denying his claim. The red-haired woman look down at the full bottle grasped in her hand. Sighing, she placed it down on the floor next to where she sat and placed a cigarette in her mouth before lighting it. "It's been over a week and the damn brat is still in a funk." Exhaling and biting her lip slightly, Dadan looked at the door across the room where she knew a small straw-hatted boy was most likely waiting, huddled in the shadows. "He's shutting Luffy out."
Dogra looked up at Dadan, surprised. "His own brother? Those two are inseparable."
"When there was three of them, yes. Ace never got along with Luffy before Sabo accepted him as a brother, when it was just the two of them here.
"True." The short man trailed off. "But this...just feels different."
"Hn." Dadan noised, deep in thought. Yes, different.
Grrraauuughhhh
Luffy looked down at his stomach. It was angry with him again. He knew he should go looking for food, but he was scared. The beasts of Mt. Corvo were too large for a seven-year old to take down by himself. Before he became brothers with Ace and Sabo, Luffy would stick to small bugs and the rice that Dadan provided.
It had never been enough.
Sighing, the small raven-haired child looked towards the light filtering into the small room from underneath the wooden door. He could hear the drunken laughter of the bandits. He still didn't like bandits. Especially drunk bandits.
Luffy remembered how the fight between Shanks and that bandit had been about sake. He liked Shanks, but he never understood why the man loved sake so much. It tasted weird, and smelled really awful. Must be an adult thing.
Turning his gaze towards the window, Luffy watched the full moon rise higher above the treetops. It had been a week since the incident in the forrest with Ace, and his older brother was still ignoring him, getting up in the morning before Luffy woke up and returning long after the younger had fallen asleep. Now that he thought of it, had he even seen Ace at all today? Luffy wasn't sure.
Feeling his legs starting to cramp, the seven-year-old stood up from his crouched position and stretched. Thankfully, his ankle had only been sprained and he was walking fine again. How he sprained his ankle in the first place though still puzzled him. He was a rubber-man! Nothing could hurt him! Oh well. A drink of water before bed was in order.
Shoving open the wooden door leading to the main room of the hut, Luffy was met with the raucous laughter of the bandits. Not in the mood to deal with any of their drunken babble - Where's your parents, kid? Did they take one look at ya and run for the hills? I don't blame 'em! - Luffy slinked as quickly and quietly as he could towards the door to outside. The bandits weren't really all that bad, certainly not as bad as the ones from the incident, but alcohol can make even the most careful person blurt out the stupidest of things. And he wasn't exactly in the best mood right now.
"Oi! Where the hell do you think you're going?"
Crap. The room fell silent as Luffy slowly turned around to face the speaker. Dadan, cigarette clenched tightly between her teeth, was glaring at him with her ever-present scowl. Dogra sat next to her, looking at the young boy with interest.
"Just getting a drink of water."
Dadan grunted in reply and the bandits went back to celebrating. Luffy padded quickly to the door, eager to get the drink, take a pee, then curl up and sleep away his problems.
"Hey brat,"
UH what NOW? Luffy turned back to Dadan impatiently, only to pause when he saw the woman's face. Her eyes held a mixture of irritation and...was that concern? Dadan opened her mouth to speak again, but seemed to be having trouble finding the right words.
"Just...be careful, okay?"
Luffy blinked, stunned by the woman's sudden display of maternal concern. She hadn't spoken a word when they had challenged the Tiger King, but now getting a drink of water is dangerous business. Turning to Dogra, Luffy saw the same strange look of concern etched upon his weirdly-shaped face. Oddly touched, Luffy felt a genuine smile split his face for the first time since Sabo had died.
"Shishishi, sure thing old lady."
Luffy sprinted out the door, dodging empty bottles and shouts of WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, YOU SHITTY BRAT?!
Gasping for breath while chuckling, the young boy finally stopped running. He clutched his knees and allowed his heart rate to slow, listening intently. The full moon's light flickered in and out of misty clouds. The wind blew urgently, carrying the scent of rain. A storm was rolling in. Eager to get back to the hut before he got soaked, Luffy looked around him for any sign of the river. Determining his eyesight to be useless in the muddy haze of moonlight, Luffy listened for the soft murmur of the river.
Chirrrrr. Chirrrrr. The ever present hum of cicadas in the trees.
Hup. Hoo-oo. Hoo. A spotted owl calling to it's mate somewhere in the distance.
Luffy could even hear the underlying breathe of the life in the forest itself. But no sign of the...wait.
Vwuuuuuuuushhhhh
There! Luffy turned towards the right, his feet sure as he followed the faint sound of air and water meeting. After a minute of walking, Luffy came to the familiar sandy shore of the river. Footprints of various beasts littered the shore line as Luffy added his own pint-sized marks in a sprint to the river's edge. Careful not to fall in, the raven-haired child dipped a small iron cup he had snitched from the bandits into the cool water. Taking long gulps, Luffy filled multiple draughts of the mountain's fresh water before feeling his stomach swell comfortably. The icy liquid took the edge off of the hunger pains and Luffy felt sated for the first time in a while.
The coolness in his belly keeping him alert, Luffy finally began to recognize where he was. Standing up and carefully walking back up the shore - no exploring the inside of a crocodile's belly tonight, thank you - the small boy took a long look around him. In the scarce moonlight he could just make out the small alcove on the other side of the river where he knew the crocodiles and plovers were - hopefully - sleeping. Behind him was the tree with the huge branches which hung over the water that Ace, Sabo and himself had used countless times to spring surprise-attacks on the unaware crocs below. Smiling - albeit a bit tearfully - at the memory, Luffy began walking, letting his mind wander and his feet take him wherever they pleased. Passing by familiar landmarks, Luffy felt waves of memories rush over him like sun-warmed winds.
The small beach where Sabo and Ace had used him as a beach ball after discovering more about his Gomu Gomu no Mi powers.
The first time he was swallowed by a crocodile as a result of his brothers messing around with his powers.
Which led to the first time he had ever tasted crocodile stew, which made getting eaten by the crocodile almost worth it. Almost.
A large boulder which looked a lot like the ones he would use to test out new rubber attacks - this couldn't possibly be one though because there are no hit marks on it and I almost never miss!
A large tree that looks like the one that Sabo and Ace had tied him to when they wanted to kill him - for no reason! I did nothing wrong! - and..oh. It is that tree. Look! The ropes are still there!
The first time he met Sabo. Even if the blonde had planned on killing him.
Large paw prints that looked like the ones of the Tiger King - we did kill that thing though...right? - and the other beasts they used to hunt together - no wait. This one is danpa tracks. Not tiger.
The stump where they became sworn brothers.
The treehouse they built as brothers...WAIT.
Shocked to a stop, Luffy gazed up open-mouthed at the familiar wooden structure. Wide eyes roamed over the well-known beams and cracks...and a few new repairs as well. He could just make out a shadowy figure moving about in the flicker of candle-light.
So this is what Ace has been doing! Fixing our home!
Luffy remembered how on the day that Sabo left...was taken...from them, they had been gathering wood to repair the fort after a bad storm. Speaking of which...
Plip. Plip. Plip.
Fat, heavy raindrops began to fall, and without hesitation Luffy deftly ascended the rope ladder to the top. Upon reaching the small hut nestled between the largest branches of the tree, Luffy stopped, suddenly a little apprehensive of entering. Shifting his weight from foot to foot and mulling over whether to call out or just walk in, Luffy noticed the rustling inside the fort stop.
"...Luffy?"
"Ace, is that you?" Luffy ducked into the enclosed space, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the sudden light cast throughout the room from a single lantern in the middle of the floor. When they finally did, he could just make out the hunched figure of his brother reclined in the corner of the room farthest from the door. Luffy was about to call out to him again when it hit him. A scent he was afraid he would never smell again.
Meat.
His eyes were drawn to a plate on which lay the remains of some cooked beast and set in the middle of the room. Mouth watering, Luffy stumbled towards the carcass; there wasn't much meat left, and what was left had gone cold, but after eating only small bugs and a measly cup of rice a day for over a week, the thin child wasn't about to be picky. Picking up a bone and gnawing on it like a ravenous wolf pup, Luffy's mouth started motoring a mile a minute.
"Meath! Meath! Itsh wreally meath! Wha kinduf meath ish thish?"
"...its bear." Ace replied in monotone.
The two words themselves were enough to make Luffy pause in his urgent scarfing. Bear? None of the brothers had ever been able to take down the bears alone! How had Ace done it? Luffy's eyes sparkled with admiration.
"Onii-chan's so strong! And you repaired our fort! It looks so cool!"
Ace didn't reply.
When the only sounds in the room - Luffy's loud eating - had subsided, the younger raven became acutely aware of the heavy silence that had fallen on the brothers like a blanket of thick snow. The only sound remaining was the soft pat of raindrops on the wooden roof.
"Umm, A-ace?" Luffy stuttered, having trouble breaking the defining silence.
"Hn." Ace noised from the corner, eyes shadowed by the lack of light.
"Well, I was wondering if you are going to come back to Dadan's..."
"Why would I go back to that shitty place? This is where I live." Ace voice was stronger.
"O-oh. Right." Again silence.
Movement from Ace broke the stagnancy. Luffy startled - why am I so jumpy? - and turned towards his brother in time to catch a flash of light reflection off of the object in Ace's hand, something Luffy hadn't noticed it before. The shape look familiar, and recognition dawned on Luffy like a block of ice dropped into his stomach as he watched his brother lift said object to his mouth and take a long drink.
"Ace, is that...sake?"
Releasing a breath, Ace turned to his younger brother, his features now more apparent. His eyes were red-rimmed, his skin a strange pale color, and his raven hair messier than usual.
"What does is look like?" Ace growled out.
Frowning, Luffy stood and walked closer to his brother. "Sake." Luffy replied, wariness heard in every aspect of his voice. "You stole it from Dadan, didn't you? She won't let it go like last time. She'll be really upset."
"So what?" Ace ground out, jumping to his feet and glaring down at the smaller boy. "That old hag doesn't care crap about us anyway."
Thinking back to the strange concern shining in Dadan's eyes when Luffy had left earlier that evening, the younger found himself unable to agree with his older brother.
"Besides," Ace continued, taking a threatening step towards Luffy. "What I do is none of your damn business."
Shocked, Luffy found himself backing up with each step the older took. Soon, the small child found himself backed straight into a wall. What's going on?
"I-I just don't want you to get in trouble, Ace!" Luffy cried out as his back hit the wall.
"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU WANT!" Ace reached out his empty hand, grasping the smaller boy around his neck and pushing him up against the wall.
Fighting adrenaline, horribly misplaced, raced through Luffy's veins. Frantic, the smaller boy grappled at the hand around his throat, his feet lifted off the floor and kicking. But it was no use; his brother's grip was far to strong. Luffy locked his pleading gaze with his brother's, his eyes turning wet against his will. I'm not a crybaby! But Ace's gaze remained steely-cold, and his eyes not the least bit clouded by the alcohol.
"You took him away! It's your fault! ALL YOUR FAULT!" With each word, Luffy felt the grip on his neck get tighter until he could no longer breathe. This felt all too familiar. The words were cold, just like..just like...
Murderer...Murderer...
Gasping for air he couldn't breathe, the small raven-haired tried to call out to his brother.
"A-ce-pl'se-stpt!"
The younger's struggles began to slow as his vision grew dark around the edges. What's happening? Why is Ace...but Ace is...
The last thing the boy saw before losing himself to the embrace of unconsciousness was the glint of glass moving swiftly through the air towards him.
I feel like a right meanie right now. I'm sorry Luffy! *crys*
Footnotes:
- That was a heavy chapter. I'm not exactly sure how this one will sit with all of you, because it was told through Luffy's point of view and it was severely lacking in the happy-go-lucky Luffy we all know and love. I chose to make his point of view a little bit more melancholy and serious because he too is suffering from Sabo's death. Unlike Ace however, Luffy has in a way come to terms with his brother's passing and can look back on the memories they shared and smile, even if it is a tear-filled one.
- I'm curious to see your reactions to how I used alcohol in this chapter. Alcohol was definitely a negative here, but it wasn't intended to be a "bad guy" per say. The use of alcohol by the bandits was my way of creating a plausible way for Ace to obtain sake (instead of just "Look! I found booze in the woods!"). Of course Luffy isn't fond of it because it reminds him of what happened with Shanks. However, sake was also the symbol of the ASL brother-ship. So he isn't quite sure how he feels about it (of course, we all know how much Luffy drinks on his ship when he grows up, but right now he's a kid. So he probably thinks it's at least a bit nasty). Also, take note on how I wrote that Ace's gaze was "not the least bit clouded by the alcohol". Although his rage was amplified by alcohol, his intentions and actions were not. Ace is trying to find a coping mechanism, and it ain't working too well for him right now. Alcohol will also play into Luffy's denial in later chapters.
- Plovers are those birds that clean the teeth of crocodiles, in case you were curious.
To my Reviewers!
You were my FIRST EVER reviewers, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You will always hold a special place there :)
Miki - I too, am a sucker for an angst story! Which then makes me feel horrible since I especially like the ones about my favorite characters having the worst of times. *hides face in shame*. I'm glad you like the idea! I've always wondered what would happen if Ace didn't go all "protective-older-brother-mode" after Sabo's death. What if he just got...really upset? Thanks for you review! :)
FuuYuki34 - I agree! Luffy isn't a murderer! He didn't do anything wrong! I hope this update was a good one and that you will keep having interest. I enjoy writing for people like you who look forward to reading it so much! Thank you! :3
noname - No thank YOU for reading! And writing a review! Glad to hear you liked it! :D
SABO - Awwww, you flatter me! *blushes* I hope this chapter is long enough. I would like to make them even longer. Thank your for the review! ^.^
FlightWulf - Thank you! I have the basic storyline all planned and know where its going. Now it just has to get there! I'm glad you find this idea interesting. I do too! Hehe. I hope this chapter was long enough for ya. I'm hoping to go even longer without too much time in-between updates. Because honestly, I will go back and read a chapter I wrote and be like "It stops THERE? Who's idea was that? That's not fair!" hahaha. I'm glad you like my deep thinking. I just like to make sure the chapter is understandable. Because what goes on in my head doesn't even make sense to me most of the time... If anything is ever unclear, I urge you to tell me so I can save people the headaches! Thank you for your valuable review!
Thank you to all for reading. Any reviews would be oh so appreciated. And if you ever have any ideas (no matter what it is), I love hearing them! Or if something doesn't quite add up, but sure to let me know! I hope you enjoyed it, and the next update should not be too far away :3
Respectively yours,
F&F