Author's Note: Okay. I hope I'm not making a huge mistake by continuing this but I just had to share it. I guess this will be a multi chapter fic after all. This chapter probably seemed a bit longer due to the introduction of another person and portrayal of emotions. Not sure really, but I apologize if it does seem that way. Bear with me please. I also have a tendency of not introducing someone's name until the very end. But I'm sure it's quite obvious who this character was. Sorry for the lack of Luffy in this chapter but he is just as important to me, fear not. I started this out very Sabo focused and will try to continue in doing so, but I would like to also give the perspectives and background of the others eventually. Beware of my vagueness and terrible abilities to describe. Anyway, sorry I'm rambling carry on to the story.
The night Sabo reassured Luffy he'd come back to the same spot again, the boy hadn't shown up like he usually did during the midafternoon. Sabo shrugged it off. If Luffy couldn't make it, he couldn't make it. Besides, that spot at the hill top at night was their spot now. It was the place he could always escape to and just simply be himself. When the night arrived, Sabo, once again decided to sneak out. When he got to the hill top he saw that familiar yellow straw hat and a small figure positioned on the ground. This ritual continued for a good while. Sometimes Luffy wouldn't be able to make it during the day and Sabo would miss the company by his window. Luffy was his only friend and having to deal with his own family drained him too much. So having the extra company around always cheered him up. The word friend sounded so wonderful to him. He never expected to use the word eventually. Maybe he deserved happiness, after all.
The unexpected occurred one day though, when Luffy left a note at Sabo's window explaining why he wouldn't be able to make it to their spot that same night. Sabo never received the note. Sabo's father on the other hand, had 'accidentally' found the notice on the floor by his windowsill. His father was furious and decided to further investigate what vermin lured his son down the wrong path. Luckily, the notice was extremely vague, so his father decided to wait it out. When the next day came, the same routine occurred with Luffy happily speaking to Sabo from his window. The only difference was that they were being watched. Sabo's father had hired certain people to take care of this troublesome new person.
When Luffy arrived home, which was on the other side of town, his grandfather happily awaited his return. After a good long display of tough love (more like beating the poor boy), he had finally decided to ask him where he kept going almost every afternoon. Garp usually didn't care where his grandson would wander off to, but he was certain the boy was not training seeing as he'd come back in the same condition he'd leave in. If he wasn't training, he most certainly was curious to know what the boy was focusing his energy on. After all, being a marine involved rigorous training and not just in body, but in mind as well. Luffy had already mentioned Sabo once before, but his grandfather didn't think much of it at first. He figured this Sabo must have been some random person passing by that his grandson decided to claim as a personal friend. When Luffy mentioned something along the lines of inviting the boy over to stay with them as an addition to the family, Garp couldn't help but laugh.
"Could Sabo come live with us? I really like him! He doesn't know what a home feels like..." Luffy said as he looked down, but Garp could see his grandson's eyes. The boy wanted company and he knew Luffy would get lonely every time he'd leave him. He wanted to see if Luffy would get rid of that habit of needing someone by his side, but he supposed he couldn't change his stubborn grandson's ways.
"Why not? It'll give you a training partner. HAHA," Garp chuckled. He figured another person close to his age training with him would steer him the right direction. He wanted to meet this Sabo boy, anyway.
Luffy was ecstatic at the news. He would be sure to tell Sabo about it, but they didn't get to see each other that night. He didn't get to share the happy news because his grandfather betrayed his word. Sabo didn't see Luffy that night at the hilltop and he tried to brush it off. He assumed something came up for the other. But the next day was the same, and the day after that. The days started going back to how they used to be for Sabo, gray and dull.
The reason Garp betrayed Luffy was because later that evening he discovered the true identity of his grandson's friend, Sabo. The people that were hired by Sabo's parents had followed his grandson home. They were strictly given orders to make Luffy disappear, but when Garp threatened to beat them all to death (while actually beating the crap out of one of them) they decided to come to some sort of agreement, seeing as the man was an actual marine. The agreement was to stop associating with Sabo and to not appear anywhere near the town again. Garp didn't like the idea, but he also knew what it would be like to have nobles involved and to be constantly tracked down day by day and wanted dead. He didn't want to endanger his grandson's future or reputation, especially if he became a marine. When Garp explained the situation to Luffy, the boy protested. He was extremely upset at his grandfather. He didn't understand why Sabo being a noble made it impossible for him to be his friend. He refused to leave, but his grandfather practically knocked him out and dragged him along to move elsewhere. That was probably one of the worst days for Luffy. He always feared being alone, but he just abandoned one of his friends without wanting to.
###
Some long months had passed since the incident and Luffy had tried his best to stay chipper, but he found himself missing Sabo. It was a similar feeling to when another person whom he simply wanted to be friends with left him and never came back. He tried to search for this person day in and day out, but eventually told himself he'd run into them again someday. All he wanted was a friend and the other boy, despite him acting so mean, seemed truly lonely. After being left behind, Luffy was convinced it was somehow his fault. He still thinks about it from time to time.
Luffy's thoughts then wandered to Sabo, who he had recently befriended. He missed going to that hilltop and hearing Sabo's stories. He missed looking up at the stars with him or even dozing together. He wasn't even sure of his location anymore. There was no nearby town of nobles anymore. He lived in some secluded area of this new forest, but Luffy could tell the difference. It wasn't like the forest near his old place.
He got an idea all of a sudden. If his grandfather wouldn't let him be friends with Sabo over there, then he'd just have to go keep trying to find him and bring him back to his current location. He had honestly tried after the first week of staying in the cabin he now called home. His grandfather would hardly ever be around, which was something Luffy was used to. So Garp sent an acquaintance of his, a lady by the name of Dadan to look after him. Luffy was okay with the lady. He tried to get her to play with him, but all she did was drink, eat, sleep, or read the newspaper. He thought she was boring but he did a good job of making her run around the place for him. Regardless of the company, he still missed his friend. Dadan always tried to make him stay indoors but Luffy didn't like being indoors for too long. She quickly caught on that it was futile to try to restrain him. He had boundless amounts of energy.
The boy would come back severely injured each time he would leave and she wondered if the boy had common sense at all. Why did he want to get stronger? And for who exactly? One day, she decided to finally ask. He simply said he needed to become much stronger to bring his friend back home with him. She never asked again after that. This person must have been truly important to him if he was constantly risking his life. The animals in this forest were much more vicious than in the previous one he'd trained in. This was his time to shine though. He had trained much harder in the months that passed and it was time to go seek Sabo again.
"I'm coming, Sabo!"
###
Sabo, despite feeling like he lost that piece of happiness fairly quickly, continued to sneak out during the night. He would seek refuge at that spot where he'd meet Luffy. He'd look up at the stars and wondered if Luffy looked at them too. Sabo never did get an explanation as to why he just disappeared, but he also had a hunch it was his own fault for Luffy leaving. His first thoughts led him to believe his parents had something to do with it. After a good week of not seeing Luffy, he decided to once and for all confront his father. When his father told him about the random note at his windowsill, things came together.
"I was merely taking out the trash," he stated nonchalantly with a hint of disgust at the end.
And Sabo truly felt agony because he wanted to protect his only friend, but he had no clue what happened behind his back. He couldn't even be there to warn him, to tell him to stop coming by. He didn't try hard enough. He was cocky and naïve to think things would stay just fine. He was convinced he must have been a horrible bastard in his past life for him to deserve this. Books could only help him escape certain reality, but they wouldn't be able to heal his wounds.
Sabo still kept up with his studies and reading. He continued to please his parents in that department, but he also felt like he would lose a part of himself each day that passed. His parents on the other hand put that incident long behind themselves. He played his part as always. Sabo continued to wear his mask in order to survive the disgusting life of wealthiness. Luffy would still cross his mind, Luffy with that sunny grin, twinkle in his dark eyes, and yellow straw-hat that looked to be a precious memento. Sabo felt the loneliness creep up on him every time. It had been so many months since then, so why was this still bothering him? He'd usually be able to push these things aside and focus on his studies entirely. Because from the little time he spent with Luffy, he was happiest. Little did he know that things would change for him.
###
When Sabo snuck out to go to his spot once more, he saw a small figure sitting on the hilltop. His heart started to race and his pulse quickened. His first thought was Luffy. He was sure it was Luffy. It had to be. He ran towards the spot and when he got there he caught his breath. The figure looked up but Sabo spoke first.
"LUFFY?!" But when he looked down he was disappointed and was met with angry glare.
"Huh? Who the hell are you?" The other person asked.
"You're not—"
"I asked, who the hell are you?" The other figure was a boy who honestly looked the same age as him if not close to it. He had dark wavy short hair and freckles on his cheeks. This boy glared at him menacingly, like he was ready to beat him to a pulp, like his presence was a nuisance. But he decided not to answer the question. Why should he answer to some stranger, let alone a rude one?
"I got you mixed up with someone else. Sorry." Sabo walked away after that, only to look back at the boy who raised an eyebrow at him but turned his back immediately.
'He has issues… He took the spot Luffy and I stargaze at. Gah, hope I never see him again'
Sabo decided to head back home seeing as his night was ruined.
The freckled boy on the other hand, stayed looking up at the night sky, deep in thought.
'Don't really care who the hell the blond kid is, but that name he said sounded really familiar. I doubt he was talking about that idiot though. He wouldn't come around at this hour. Must have been some other kid…'
###
The next night came around and Sabo hoped the rude kid wouldn't be around. Low and behold he was though, and he was sitting in that same spot again. Now, Sabo wanted to be civil about this. He didn't want to seem childish but he really treasured that spot. He walked up once more to the kid. The freckled boy stood up and glared once more.
"What is it this time? I'm not that Luffy kid you're looking for." He said as he crossed his arms.
"Just wondering why you're at this spot again. I've never seen you before. I come here almost all the time at the same hour." Sabo raised his eyebrow.
"Is this your spot? I don't see your name on it. Just scram will ya?" The freckled boy said as he started getting more and more annoyed. He couldn't believe what he heard. This random kid was claiming a hilltop.
"Why?" Sabo started to get curious. He wanted to know why this boy seemed so angry at everything. His first impression was already bad enough, but he discovered long ago to not judge a book by its cover.
The freckled boy had enough. He wasn't used to talking this much. He threw a swing at Sabo, which the boy honestly hadn't expected. Sabo fell to the floor and went unconscious. When he awoke there was no one around, but he felt an aching pain on his face radiating around his mouth. He decided to ignore the pain as best as he could. He had no idea how long he had been knocked out for, but thankfully it was still dark, so he rushed home. When he arrived at his room he looked into his mirror. It was then he noticed his bruised up face and he had a missing tooth on the row of his top front teeth. He wasn't sure how he would explain that, but maybe if he chose not to speak much he'd get away with it for as long as he could. He hardly spoke with his parents, regardless.
###
Sabo did get into trouble, but he was so used to his crappy luck that he didn't even react this time around.
"My goodness Sabo, you're setting a terrible example of our family looking like you just came back from a cage fight and—" the woman dramatically gasped taking in the purple bruise on her son's mouth and nose, "is your front tooth missing?!" She tilted her son's chin and forcefully pulled his front lip forward making Sabo wince at the slight pain. "This is unacceptable! Wait until your father hears about this. The things we do for such an ungrateful child." His mother gave a look of disapproval at his direction and clear disappointment washed over her features, something Sabo was really used to by now because anything less than perfection and he'd be seen as useless.
He really wanted to tell his mother to go can it at this point, but he sighed and mumbled a quick, "Sorry mother."
But all he got in return was an angry huff and, "sorry isn't enough Sabo, it will never be enough. Remember why you're still even allowed to live here."
His parents were fully aware he'd escape at night and come back before sunrise but they could never figure out how he managed to sneak out and sneak back in seeing as they had the house watched. Sabo was crafty. He planned this long before they knew. The extra tight security really suffocated him regardless of being able to escape during sundown. He was honestly fed up. He thought of just completely running away and never coming back home. Besides, his parents were thinking of buying themselves a slave. He already felt nauseous at the thought. If he hadn't been exposed to the world of nobles, he would have honestly thought he was getting a new friend of some sort. But he had already seen the horrors of slavery. He knew what happened to most of them. That was probably the final straw for him though. Losing his precious friend was reason enough, but he was losing himself much quicker than he wanted to admit. He didn't want to become like them. He didn't want to live in that kind lifestyle any longer. He felt truly repulsed. If he never came back he knew his parents wouldn't care. All they cared about were themselves, after all. He just got the shorter end of the stick in all of this. It wasn't his fault he had been born into a terrible family.
He was mostly emotionally exhausted from the events leading to being shoved into their basement and having to stay and think about what he'd done in the dark. The rough slap he earned from his father didn't even hurt as much as that mean kid's punch, actually, it wasn't even comparable. The lectures that followed were white noise in the background.
He found the time to sneak out again and it was much easier due to there being windows in his basement as well, along with the security not being as tight. He did not want to give up on going to the usual spot. It was the only reminder left of his only friend and that little piece of freedom he got every time. He didn't believe Luffy was truly gone. Something told him Luffy was still alive, just elsewhere.
He arrived at the same location and found the same boy there. Sabo was more prepared this time around. He figured if the kid swung again, he'd be able to dodge it. But instead something unexpected occurred. The freckled boy got up and left as soon he approached him. Sabo hadn't expected that at all.
'What was that?'
Sabo shrugged it off and rested on the ground as he looked up at the stars. He didn't really care about the other boy. He was only a tad bit curious. Besides, he kind of wanted to thank him for the broken tooth and bruises. It sort of helped him make up his mind on leaving home. He knew Luffy would have persuaded him if he was still around, but he wasn't.
###
The next few days he had prepared the few things he'd be taking with him, especially his favorite books. He knew it would not be easy to live life in the wild, but anywhere seemed better than that place that was disguised as his shelter. All he needed was the perfect opening. His opening arrived when the next day his parents had gone out to a special event. He pretended to be ill and used it as an excuse to stay behind.
That same day his parents never heard from him again.
The day he left and started living in the wilderness he thought he would have had a much rougher time but he adapted quite decently. Maybe it was all those books he had read which helped him become resourceful and possibly a little stealing here and there from town, as well. It helped him get around to building his own tree house. Before completing it, he'd seek refuge on trees to sleep on, since the wilderness itself was already dangerous enough. Luckily, the forest was empty half the time. This surely was much better than home to him, despite the possible dangers. He even got attached to a personal favorite weapon of his, some metal pipe he'd use to go hunting for food or beat up unexpected jerks. He, of course, got more supplies as he stole and hunted. He wondered if this was what Luffy did when he trained (minus the stealing part because he didn't see the little boy capable of such a thing, unless it was food).
It was that time of the day where Sabo knew he had to go hunt for something to eat. While walking through the many trees he heard random screaming. This alarmed him, but he also wondered if someone had been attacked. Part of him thought about just leaving them be. It was none of his concern, because he learned that outside of the city it was survival of the fittest, but then he figured he should help. He could possibly get a free meal out of it.
When he got to the area around a nearby river he saw a huge bear throwing a young boy around, who happened to be cursing at the wild animal. Sabo looked closer and noticed it was the same rude freckled boy he encountered those few times at the hilltop. The bear seemed way out of both their leagues and Sabo wondered if the other had some sort of death wish. Without much thought Sabo tightened the grip on his pipe and ran towards the huge bear. He leaped forward and gave it a good stab in the eye. The bear cried out in pain and kept its injured eye closed as it lost its balance. The other boy watched the whole scene as he lied on his stomach. Sabo left the bear to its own devices. He knew injuring one eye wouldn't do much but it would give them enough time to escape. He ran to the freckled boy and helped him get up.
"I didn't ask for your help you know. Why'd you come anyway?"
"Just felt like it. I was passing by." Sabo said as he looked at the other in disbelief. He didn't expect a thank you, but this boy was unbelievable. It was a bit entertaining but a pain in the ass as well. Yeah, he had a death wish. That was the only explanation Sabo could come up with, unless he was just plain stupid.
Both boys ran away from the location and stopped once they felt safe enough. They caught their breaths and the freckled boy eyed Sabo suspiciously. He wondered why the other decided to intervene.
"What do you want?" The boy asked.
"Huh?" Sabo wondered what the other was talking about.
"I was perfectly fine and you came in and ruined my kill."
Sabo ended up laughing at the other's comment. "Are you being serious? That bear was tossing you around left and right!"
The freckled boy took a swing at him, but Sabo foresaw this and dodged. He tried once more but failed again. Sabo grinned in victory.
"Hmph, you learn quick you bastard. I figured you'd stay away after I punched you last time!"
"Oh yeah! Thanks for that. I got a missing tooth now too." Sabo smiled and the other noticed the gap in between his teeth. The freckled boy couldn't help but hold back a smile. He almost laughed at him. Why did the other seem so happy about a broken tooth? He assumed the boy hated him for it. He was too used to that reaction from others.
"Alright well, I'm leaving. Enjoy the missing tooth." Before he could turn his back and walk away Sabo held him by his arm.
"Hold on. Since I technically saved you and all, you owe me some food~" Sabo smiled cheekily.
"WHA-!?" The freckled boy couldn't believe his ears. "You didn't save ME! I don't owe you anything!"
"Hmm… I think I'm in the mood for some meat." Sabo lightly chuckled and reminded himself of his friend with the yellow straw-hat. It was a different kind of nice to be talking to someone new. He was genuinely curious about this kid. He hoped that food would lighten the mood. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he wanted to befriend this person.
"OI, are you even listening to me?!" The freckled boy tried interrupting Sabo's thoughts but it was futile. Then his own stomach made a loud grumble and Sabo laughed out loud again. The other boy lightly blushed in embarrassment.
"SHUT UP!"
"See! You're hungry too. Let's go get food!" Sabo dragged the other by his arm and they were on their way.
###
Before going into town, both boys agreed they'd need some form of disguise. Sabo had his reasons. After all, he didn't want to be recognized by anyone in town. Whether or not his parents were searching for him, he didn't want to let his guard down. Sabo picked out the place he wanted to eat at, of course. While the other grumbled and agreed to it seeing as he was too hungry to even protest anymore. He didn't even know why he got dragged into the predicament in the first place. They agreed to stand on top of each other to act as a single person while covering themselves in a long cloak. It did look a bit suspicious, but Sabo had already planned this. They doubted the restaurant itself would let mere children inside on their own.
When they walked inside the elegant looking place, Sabo had shown proof of nobility to the host. They were given their own V.I.P. room. The dark haired boy didn't ask Sabo where he'd gotten his hands on that strange looking symbol. They were guaranteed excellent service. Who was he to complain at that moment?
As they ate, Sabo tried to start a conversation with the freckled boy but he just continued to devour his meals instead of responding.
"It's pretty funny not knowing each other's names. I mean, we technically have been around each other quite a few times." He chuckled. "My name's Sabo. And yours?"
The boy ignored the other's question. Sabo felt a bit dumb, but he also noticed how the other didn't seem interested in getting to know him. So he brushed it off and continued to attempt conversation.
"Do you live in the forest?" Sabo asked curiously.
"I've seen you during the day. I thought you only came by at night," the freckled one said to him.
Sabo hadn't expected the other to know that. But he decided to answer him honestly, seeing as he just revealed that he'd noticed him around the forest more often. "I'm living in that forest now."
"Oh." The freckled kid tried not seem curious.
'Now? Why would someone leave their home to go live in the wilderness?'
" Must be tough." The freckled boy responded in a sarcastic tone.
"It's actually much nicer than my previous home." Sabo lightly smiled as he took a bite out of his piece of meat.
The other just decided not to respond. He didn't want to get further involved. Shortly after their meal they ordered some dessert. He wondered if the other boy had enough to pay for all of it but brushed it off.
After saying those few words to each other they didn't speak the rest of the time. Once they completely finished their meals Sabo sighed contently as he stared at the bill.
"That was great~" Sabo rubbed his stomach in satisfaction.
The freckled boy stayed silent as he looked directly at Sabo without saying a word.
"What? Do you want more dessert or something? I thought you wanted to leave."
"I told you. I'm not paying for this." The freckled kid said sternly.
Sabo widened his eyes before he spoke again. "We…already ate. Just pay up."
Once again the other was silent.
"You don't have any money on you, do you?" Sabo said, as if he foresaw this but chose to take his chances.
"I CLEARLY SAID I WASN'T PAYING! YOU DRAGGED ME HERE!" The freckled boy yelled angrily.
Sabo sighed. "I was afraid of that."
But just then the freckled boy grinned at him. Sabo questioned that look. It was the first he saw the other have a mischievous look instead of an angry one.
"I know how we can handle this~"
Sabo raised an eyebrow. "Oh, do you?"
The freckled boy smiled again. "Yeah, definitely." He got up and ran out from the room, leaving Sabo speechless for a few seconds.
Sabo gasped in his horror. "ASSHOLE! Don't pull a dine and dash on me! I saved your life!" He ran after him before anybody came back to the room to look for the payment. It was the perfect escape regardless. Nobody would have suspected children to run out of the VIP room.
The boy didn't go back to forest immediately. He made sure to lose Sabo. As he walked around town he kept overhearing conversations of a lost little noble boy with blond hair. There was a huge reward going around for the person who located him. He put two and two together and if his suspicions were correct, he figured he could use this information to his advantage. He would just need to befriend his little blond savior. The image of Sabo came to his mind. The thought of a noble leaving his position to live on his own still baffled him. There were many questions that were unanswered but not wanting to get involved seemed to be getting difficult. He needed to befriend him in order to figure out where he was living specifically in the forest, but another part of him felt like he had to understand the situation. People never cared for him. No one bothered to understand him, so why should he try with this kid? So what if he happened to save him and genuinely tried to start conversations with him. So what, right?
Sabo took the less crowded route (alleyways) to not get noticed. When he made it back to the forest entrance he had actually lost the freckled kid. It seemed it'd be tougher to get him to talk. He'd attempt next time he saw him though. He had a good feeling about all of this. This was a start, after all. He walked back to his tree house and decided to take a nap around all his stolen possessions.
Meanwhile, the freckled kid decided to take the walk through a different route in the forest. He figured he'd gather a bit of firewood for later. As he approached a nearby river he hadn't noticed but he tripped over something and fell flat on his face.
"Ow… what the hell—" The boy gasped at the sight. He tripped over a small body. But it wasn't the fact that there was someone's either dead or unconscious body on the ground. It was the fact he recognized this boy. It was the annoyingly hyperactive and chipper boy with the yellow straw-hat.
"L-Lu…L-Luffy?" He crawled over to the boy and took a closer look. He seemed to have gotten into numerous fights. He was surprised. The little boy didn't look like a fighter.
It really wasn't his day.
First, this Sabo kid tricks him into eating a meal with him attempting to get to know him and now Luffy, the boy he couldn't shake off was here once again. But was he dead? Alive?
The freckled boy poked at the body, unsure of what to do.
'Why am I still here… I could just leave…If he's still alive, I don't want him to see me.'
While the boy was still in thought, an unconscious Luffy woke up and rubbed his eyes. "Hm? Where am I?"
The freckled boy gasped once more and before he could get up to run, Luffy immediately clung on to him. "ACEEE~ Where have you been? I missed you."
It really wasn't his day.
A/N: I was pretty insecure about this chapter (probably rushed/vague in some parts, I truly apologize), but nevertheless I had fun writing it. Hope it was at least enjoyable. :)
6/27/2017 Edit: I'm going over this story and making very minor additions/editing whatever I see fit. I want to actually continue and finally finish this story. I hope I can achieve that seeing as I've been writing more actively again for all my fandoms.