Chapter Twenty-Two: The Light in His Eyes

"But I don't know if people are meant to be together. You have to have a lot in common, choose well and be really fortunate. It's not like you're sprinkled with fairy dust. You have to believe that love will be there when you need it."
- Claire Danes

"But you've only named four people, Miss Faye."

The old woman looked up from her book, blinking as her old mind tried to wrap around the boy's words. "I'm sorry?" she hadn't quite caught what he said.

"You said there are five people you will meet, but you've only listed four."

The woman blinked again, this time slower, before smiling and chuckling softly to herself. Her lungs wheezed slightly from the harsh cold air and she waved for the boy to roll her back to the fire-lit inn that they were staying at.

"The fifth is the one person you've never met, but have changed their lives so drastically, it could be for the most incredible, best or the absolute worst." The boy stayed quiet as he pushed the old woman through the snow, the work warming his body up just right. "What's your name, darlin'?" Faye asked him, folding her hands in her lap as she watched the soft snow fall.

"Kiru, ma'am," he said in answer. Faye smiled, but said no more, for the light of the inn began to shine in her old, blurry eyes.

OF MEMOIRS AND MAPS

"Try not to fall off this time, okay, Faye?" Ace teased at me, earning an elbow to the ribs.

"Yeah, yeah. Keep talkin', flame head, and you'll be sleepin' with the fishies."

Ace grinned, rubbing at his side. "And how do you think you'll be getting back to the Moby Dick?"

I returned his grin, stopping short. He stopped too. My hands gripped his warm upper biceps, the hardness flexing under my fingers as I lean forward, moving my lips to be right beside his ear.

"I know how ta paddle, Portgas."

"Sure ya do, Callaghan."

Smirking, I pulled my mouth away from his ear and looked at the boy – no, man – in front of me. Had we really come this far in barely even a year? From shopowner and customer to both having mutual feelings for the other … was this how I was supposed to go on with the rest of my life, with Ace at my side? So much had happened in the past year.

I had finally found myself. I wasn't LaFayette from Ynis Witrin that owned from crappy shop. I was Faye, niece of Marco and current significant other of Portgas D. Ace, seamstress that could fix any hole, and the cowardly girl that found her bravery.

"Ace," I started, my hand reaching out for his. His brown eyes looked down, no longer connected to my green, as he watched my fingers intertwine themselves with his. "Thanks."

He grinned, but no longer playful. It was meaningful. His head of messy black hair bounced with a nod.

It wasn't as wild as the first true kiss we had shared – and even that couldn't really be counted as a kiss – but it was simple and magnificent and heartwarming all in one. The snow just seemed to melt into a puddle of lovey-dovey goo.

"What was that for?" I asked, holding back the urge to touch my lips. That tingled with the warmth of his.

"Just felt like it," Ace replied, grinning his boyish grin and pulled me out of the alleyway, and back into the direction of Flicker. The snow crunched beneath my boots; it melted under Ace's heat. His hand holding mine was what was keeping me down to the earth at the moment. If it had not been for the weight of his big head, and the lead sinker tugging at the bottom of my heart from the death of my mother, I would be higher than the clouds could ever get.

"Well, dun keep back anymore of those kinda feelings, please!" I joked, bumping shoulders with him as I let go of his hand and took off in a run. "Last one to the boat has to kiss Marco good night!"

I laughed loudly, picking up speed as I heard Ace taking off after me too. His boots thudded and crunched louder than my thin feet did. In just moments, my lips were stinging from the cold wind drying them out, and my lungs wheezed as I coughed on the cold hair. Ace was on my tail, but my thin frame made me faster than his structure of muscle.

"Looks like I'mma win this one Ace—"

I dug my heels into the ground, screeching as I tried to stop before sliding down the icy hill and into the waiting cuffs of the Marines that blocked the way to Flicker. "Shit!" I yelled, sliding onto my rear and able to grab onto something to keep from going any farther. I turned onto my stomach to stop Ace, but he had done the same. His warm skin caused the ice to melt and slicken and –

"NO!"

I grabbed at his hand, catching his fingers, but he only dragged me down with him. We went sliding down the hill, being caught into the strong arms of the Marines. On instinct, I shrunk to free myself and scurried out from the throng of buff men. I grew back to normal size, grasping my clothes to my body as I looked over to Ace. They had him face down in the snow, kairoseki cuffs tight around his wrists.

"Ace!" I yelled again, tripping over my feet as I ran to him. They couldn't have him. He was innocent – he did nothing wrong! "Let him go, Jyrik!" I demanded from my brother, but the bastard simply smirked and I was soon captured too, kairoseki making it impossible for me to get away again.

"Fuck you," I hissed, spitting out in his direction. It landed on his boot. Jyrik hissed and shook his boot free, but it had frozen onto the black leather.

"Bitch," he sneered back, bringing the butt of his pistol onto my temple, and a painful throb in my head. My vision was knocked for a few seconds, and soon I was seeing stars. The Marines were dragging me through the snow and to the ship that awaited us, carrying our imprisonment. The pain in my temple was all I felt, other than the warm blood that frozen to the side of my head from the broken skin.

We were thrown into the cells, Ace and I both separated. We looked at each other, trying to figure out a plan.

But this time, we didn't have any tricks up our sleeves.

OF MEMOIRS AND MAPS

"FAYE!"

Splash.

Water became the world I knew. I looked up, just barely seeing the white light of the moon and the orange flame of Ace's fire as he reached out to grab me. I was sinking faster than ever, and I welcomed it. The death of my mother was the death of me.

Jyrik was truly getting what he wished. I would be mourned by the few of the Whitebeards that knew me personally, but my grave would be at the bottom of East Blue, just miles off the coast of Loguetown, where it all began.

And where it all ended.

But fortunately – or unfortunately? – I could see the outline of Ace diving into the water. He sank down to my depth easily, kicking his feet fast to get to me. My lungs were screaming for air, but my body wouldn't move. The idiot had jumped in after me, knowing there would be no crew member to save us this time.

His cold lips – they were so cold … I don't think I've ever felt his lips be so cold – touched mine, and he gave me a small blow of air to keep me lasting just a few more seconds. Ace's arm wrapped around my waist and he grabbed onto the rope wrapped around his waist.

Maybe he wasn't such an idiot after all …

He used his free arm to pull us up, the rope keeping us from fully sinking. My lungs screamed for air, and a few exhaled bubbles left my lips. My vision was getting dark, and then we hit the surface, and Ace tossed me on top of Flicker. I coughed and gagged and rid my body of the horrid salt water of the sea. Ace sat on the still warm metal of the rotator, gasping for breath.

"Godamnit, Faye. Stop trying to die on me!"

"I'm sorry," I barely choked out, moving to curl up against his chest, feeling the warmth spread through my body. "I'm so sorry for everything, Ace."

What was everything? I couldn't answer it to myself, but he seemed to know, and simply wrapped his arms around my waist as he leans against the mast of Flicker.

That was good enough for me, and it seemed the same for him.

OF MEMOIRS AND MAPS

"Faye…"

I moved in my uncomfortable lying position, finding my neck had an annoying kink in it. I had a feeling it was going to hurt for awhile…

"Faye."

I moved more, my eyes squinting even when closed, my ears trying to locate where the voice was coming from. Who was calling out to me?

"Faye. Faye, wake up!"

The voice rang with an echo against stone walls. It was cold, damp, and the room was rocking back and forth. Why was it rocking? Why was it so cold, so damp? Where the hell was I?

… who was I?

"Faye, please, you're bleeding. You gotta wake up!"

Opening my eyes, I raised my head and looked around. My wrists were heavy – bound by some thick grayish-green stone; I felt weak. I was sitting in some type of room, a cell maybe? There were bars made of the same grayish-green stone.

"Oh thank the sea gods, you're awake!"

I looked in the direction of the voice. There was a man, a young man, with freckles and black hair and he wore practically nothing. I wasn't sure what to think of him. In fact, I wasn't sure of what to think of anything.

"Where am I?" I asked, my voice soft, meek even. I was disoriented, and confused, and just plain in the dark. This was all so… new to me. But I felt like I had been in this kind of situation before. I felt sad, but I felt relieved, and scared and – and I couldn't name the other feeling I felt. It made me heart speed up whenever I saw this man; I had seen him before and I know he must have been important. Was that my name he had been calling out, Faye?

The man frowned. "We were captured by your brother, remember, Faye? We're on his ship on the way to the World Government."

My brother? Why would my brother lock me in a stinky cell and take me to the government? Weren't brothers supposed to love and protect you?

Tilting my head, feeling it throb more as I began to think too hard, trying to figure this all out, I took in the man before me. "Who are you?" I asked.

And it was then, at that moment, that I saw the light in his eyes. It was bright, and youthful and an intense burning flame.

Except now, it dimmed until it was dead. Dead like yesterday's time. The light in his eyes had been extinguished with those three simple words; that one question that would change our lives forever.

"I'm Ace," he said softly, almost too soft for me to hear. "And we're in love."

A/N:

WHAT IS THIS SORCERY? TWO CHAPTERS IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS? Yes my lovely readers, it's true! It came to my attention that Faye's save from the last chapter was not in depth enough for a few to catch, so I simply used it as a dream/flashback here. I think it fit.

Ah, poor Faye. POOR ACE. Will he ever get a break?

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I love reviews. :3

Oh. My main inspiration for this was Ellie Goudling's song, "Lights", "Starry Eyes", and Glitch Mob's "Between Two Points". All are amazing songs. Go take a listen?