...What should I say? Umm... hm. Oh! Got a new story started called Amidst the Heat. It was a writing exercise and I'm going to continue it if people want me to, so feel free to check it out :) The pairings, if continued, will be MarcoAce and SaboLaw. Because I can. (And because I already have enough AceLu fics going :P)

Also, we've reached 200 reviews! You guys are awesome :D

***Starting Sept 7 I'm going to be taking a 2-3 week hiatus from updating to adjust to my new university schedule School comes first, you know? But I'll be back as soon as I get used to the workload! I've been warned by seniors about the increase in homework and readings during second year at my school. It's kind of intimidating... but I'll survive!

Disclaimer: At least I think I will... Hm? What? Oh yeah, I only own my words.

Luffy's mouth went slack as that nickname rolled off his employer's tongue. He wasn't really sure how to react to that. To Ace it felt like they just met the other day, right? So then why was he acting so familiar with him? It was strange. But, at the same time, the soft smile he was being given made it seem almost right.

"…Lu?"

Ace blinked, tired eyes looming over the younger boy's figure. "Don't like it?"

"N-no, I… You're my boss, s-so… isn't that a bit informal?" he asked, trying to contain the nervous trembling in his tone.

Ace shrugged. His face sagged and mood seemed to fall with those words. Luffy worried he upset the man. "Not like I really care about formalities. My parents are rich but that doesn't mean I'm some high-end, well-bred nobility."

Actually, you are…

"Besides, I thought it was cute."

…Did Luffy just hear him right? Did the Portgas heir just say something was 'cute'? Never did he think that word would pass through those lips. But, well, there were a lot of things he never thought that man would do or say—like thank him or give him money. And the way he smiled earlier…

When the freckled youth's eyes crossed over to the calm blond sitting past his servant, his face lit up in much the same way it did with the latter. He grabbed the blanket bunched at his waist and tossed it off his legs, revealing his attire to be… lacking. As with the last time Luffy saw him, he wore nothing but his boxers. It was more than just a little uncomfortable but he said not a word; far be it for a servant to make a complai—

His thoughts were halted when a nicely polished shoe flew past him, colliding quite fiercely with his employer's face. He had to do a double take just to make sure what he saw really happened. Nobody ever treated Portgas D. Ace like that—ever.

Sure enough, Marco's arm was still resting in front of him, a clear after-show of his impressive throwing arm. Ace, on the other hand, was busy rubbing the point of collision, mumbling curses under his breath as he winced when his fingers graced tender skin.

"The hell, Marco?" the youth snapped with far less bite than expected, voice low and clearly fighting back whimpers as he pressed the damaged tissue, assessing the extent of harm to his face.

"Put some clothes on yoi. I keep telling you but you never listen. It's indecent."

"Well at least I don't sleep in the bu—" Looking up at the blond, watching as he slipped his finger into his other shoe, readily removing it as punishment for whatever crude comment slipped from the heir's mouth next, Ace decided to forgo that statement. "…That hurt, damn it."

"It didn't hurt," Marco corrected, pacing forward and bending to grab his make-shift weapon off the floor in front of the other.

Ace gave him an incredulous look before, only moments later, he stopped babying his nose and blinked, all signs of pain washed from his expression. "It doesn't."

"See? Now get dressed," the butler commanded.

Luffy stood still, watching in disbelief as the two before him acted as though nothing happened, Marco returning to his place at the desk and Ace moving to his walk-in closet. He couldn't believe it—not just the exchange but the way Ace readily obeyed the command, not questioning it the slightest bit.

"Oi, where're my good clothes?" Ace shouted from the closet.

Marco unfolded his newspaper and pulled it taut in his hands, reclining as his eyes scanned over the black print and colourless photographs. "In front of you yoi."

Luffy heard the heir groan.

"Not those. No way in hell I'm wearing those annoying tailcoat—ah, never mind."

Luffy blinked towards the closet entranceway then turned to study the butler. He found it fascinating how Ace listened to whatever he said without fuss, yet didn't treat him like someone of higher standing. They were more like… equals, yet for some reason that Marco guy held some sway over the freckled youth. The boy didn't really understand it. Even Roger never got Ace to treat him that way.

…What happened during his time away from the estate?

When Ace returned from changing, he was wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts. It was not at all like what Luffy was used to seeing him in; when he worked there last, the heir would always be dressed in suits designed for the rich, dolled up to match his position in the social hierarchy. Though his attire was foreign it was somehow… natural. It matched the mischievous, lop-sided grin he was giving his servant.

"Luffy, I have something for you," he stated, a hand behind his back. Apparently he'd given up on the earlier nickname. It was for the best; using such familiarity was unsettling.

The servant blinked. "Eh?" What could it possibly be? What would Portgas give to a servant? Though hesitant, Luffy settled his gaze on the arm disappearing behind the lord's back, eyeing it warily. It wasn't until the man was less than three feet away—uncomfortably close—that he revealed it along with the tattered and worn gift he had for the boy. It was his hat, his treasure—long since lost, all but forgotten. "…That's…"

Ace's grin widened. "It's yours, right?" He held it out to the boy, urging him to take it.

Eyes wide as he stared down at his lost possession, Luffy raised his hands to grasp the straw, feeling the wiry surface run against the pads of his fingers. It was old and worn but still just as he remembered it. He never thought he would see it again.

Swallowing, Luffy continued to trail his fingers along its sides, skin brushing over tears and frayed edges. After all that time, so many years, Ace kept it. He thought it was thrown away—tossed aside by the monster that made it his mission to ruin whatever happiness Luffy had. Whether he simply forgot about the hat or kept it for another reason he didn't care. It was back for whatever reason and he couldn't be happier.

"…Yeah."

Marco glanced at the gift then at the young man he was temporarily serving, allowing some concern to grace his features. "Did you remember something yoi?"

Ace turned from smiling brightly at the teen to blinking absently at his friend. "Hm? Oh, no, not a thing. I found it yesterday before we left. That and some orange hat," he said, leaving the last bit as an afterthought.

Luffy's attention was grabbed from his treasure to the young man who gave it to him. Orange…

"Then how did you know it was his?"

"A picture," he stated simply, gesturing to one of the desk drawers.

Curiosity getting the best of him, Luffy blinked back the layer of water glossing his eyes and turned to watch as the butler removed an old, faded photograph from the aforementioned drawer. Scanning it, he recalled the day it was taken. He was there, after all. It was a week after Rouge and Roger's anniversary. They were gone for six days—he couldn't recall where to—and Ace was left to be tended by the servants. Since the family wasn't big on hiring a ton of people, the only ones there at the time were the cook, the gardener and Luffy.

He hated that week.

"Ah, wait—I might have remembered something."

Both sets of eyes shot to the freckled man, widening. "What?" Marco asked, urging him to spill some of the details.

"…I forget."

The blond slumped back in his chair, sweeping a tired hand across his forehead. "You idiot."

"It had to do with the other hat, though. I think someone was talking to me…"

Luffy swallowed. He had a feeling he knew what hat he was talking about, but… Ace hated it. In fact, he didn't wear it even once before tossing it away, voicing his dislike. Luffy remembered that day well. He remembered how excited he was when Ace saw it, when the man who saved him looked it over. It was a gift—something to help cheer him up. He was always upset. But… the hat didn't help. He simply showed his disgust with the present and dismissed it. It just made both of them unhappy.

"Um…" Come on, speak clearly! You're not like this with anyone else! Act like you usually do! Luffy took a deep, calming breath. "Can I see it?"

Ace stared at the boy with thoughtful eyes before nodding, retreating back to his walk-in closet.

"What do you remember yoi?" the blond shouted over to him, placing the photograph back in the drawer.

When the young master returned, he held a beaten-up, orange hat. Scarlet beads ran across its middle, with two bluish medallions at the front. Hanging from the sides were two brown strings, meeting at a circular piece of what appeared to be wood, a weathered-looking horned skull decorating one side.

"They're like you."

Those words caught in Luffy's ears. "…Eh?"

Ace stretched, getting all of the kinks out of his shoulders. "That's what the voice said. I think."

"You're not being very helpful, Ace," Marco stated, sending him a dull glare.

The youth, in turn, pouted childishly. Luffy noted how that look was one he never saw before the accident. Then again, the whole of the heir's playful attitude was foreign to him. "It's not my fault. You try to keep track of tiny memories like that when you barely know who you are."

Despite the lacking venom behind those words, Marco's face darkened. Even though it was meant to be a simple jibe, it was taken to heart. "…I know."

Slowly, silently, Luffy pushed on the wood of the door, allowing it to slip from its place against the frame, revealing through the crack a small figure slumped over on the bed. He recognised the black locks sweeping across its face and the robes of nobility draped over his shoulders and waist, visibly brightening. Glancing briefly to the orange hat in his hands, he smiled, fingers smoothing over the soft texture of the gift. What would Ace think? Would he be happy? He remembered before that Sabo joked about Ace being the only one not to have a special hat like they did. Maybe… Maybe it would get him out of the slump he was in.

Luffy noticed it—how Ace quieted over the past few weeks and how he lost his temper more frequently than before. He didn't blame him, though. Something was bothering him. It wasn't his fault if he lashed out because he couldn't help it. And because he didn't know what was wrong, the servant could do nothing but remain quiet.

Watching through the crack, he saw how Ace buried his head in his hands, frustration over some unknown force clearly evident in his posture. He had to cheer Ace up! It was his duty as his servant! He was supposed to take care of him, after all, and he hadn't paid him back for picking him off the streets two years ago. He wanted to show his thanks.

Slowly he crept into the bedroom, stopping only a foot away from the side of the bed. When the other boy didn't notice him, he thought it best to make himself known. "Ace," he called, his childish voice echoing through the room.

Ace flinched at the sound before lowering his hands, meeting Luffy's large, childish eyes with a hard glare. It was a look the boy was getting used to receiving from his master but would never be comfortable with. He looked down and away from the older boy, trying not to look intimidated. He didn't want to make Ace think he was scared of him.

Eventually the heir sighed, pressing his palm against his forehead and softening his expression, leaving only tiredness in its place. "What do you want?"

Luffy's mouth twitched as a sudden, uncharacteristic shyness swept over him. He fumbled internally with what to say, knowing that he had to word it carefully because of how temperamental his boss had been as of late. Finally he settled on holding out the orange hat for him to see.

Ace's eyes trailed across the item, moving up and down as he registered its design, narrowing his eyes. He followed his servant's gesture and took it. "What's this?"

Luffy's face broke into the widest of grins as he caught the hint of curiosity in the other's voice, knowing that he wasn't flat-out rejecting the object. "A gift!" he stated, beaming up at the older boy on the bed. Again he saw a flash of interest enter the young master's eyes, deeming it safe for him to continue. "Isn't it cool? Sabo helped me pick it out. We wanted to cheer you up since you look so sad." His face fell as he said the last bit.

Ace flinched but said not a word as he returned his gaze to the orange hat, once more studying it.

Luffy stepped closer and pointed to the two medallions that rested at the front of the beaded band surrounding the hat's middle. They were blue with faces carved into them, one smiling deviously and the other frowning. "See these? They're like you." He saw something dangerous in those eyes but dismissed it. He had something he really wanted to say to him. "You were always smiling before but… you weren't happy."

"…Luffy," the heir's voice came in a quiet warning.

The servant didn't hear it. Instead he turned big, sad eyes to look to Ace, filling with sorrow. "Sorry, Ace. I didn't know. I still don't but I don't like seeing you like this. I miss playing together."

"Luf—"

"And Sabo does, too. Even after your fight he's worried about you. We just want to help you. Because you're—"

"Shut up," Ace snapped, eyes turning sharp and hateful as he glowered down at the boy.

Luffy's eyes widened and he stared with shock at the heir. Even when Ace got angry, his voice never held so much venom. It was scary. He shut his mouth and tried to steady his quivering lip—an effort in vain.

"Leave and take this piece of trash with you. I don't need sympathy and I don't need you. Get out of my sight." Dropping the gift carelessly to the floor, Ace removed himself from his bed. He watched from the corner of his eye as Luffy stood, staring with wide eyes at the discarded hat before crumpling onto the ground, hunching over the orange gift. When it became clear the boy wasn't leaving, Ace took it upon himself to storm out of the room, never looking back.

The ten-year-old pulled the gift into his arms, squeezing it tightly to his chest and burying his head in its fabric before allowing muffled sobs to pass his lips.

He felt crushed.

A/N: I feel this was far more telling than it was supposed to be e_e What do you guys think? Leave a review and let me know! :D ALSO! Sorry if the replies below seem abrupt but this was my second time writing them out and it's getting late (3:30am). My computer deleted them when the power went out earlier T^T

To my lovelies~

mad100141: Double update is a no-no. Takes too long to type chapters out and I'm staying ahead so that if I ever get stuck on the story you guys won't be left without updates. The story's pretty cliché. It has all the stereotypical things you'd expect to find in an amnesia story :P What makes you think that the reason Marco glared was because of something Ace said? :P

samettikettu: Lol that cross-over XD Somebody needs to do that! Someone who's not me :D

Guest: Like I said before, just send me a PM. You don't have to send me a link, I've already read the first chapter, but if you want a response you're going to have to use your FF account to contact me. It'll make things much simpler and you will be able to stop leaving reviews about it. I'd be happy to critique it if you did so.

Mon Esprit Libre: If I were killing you, you'd be dead by now :P

Koizumi D. Rei: I will!

Frostheart D. Blaize: Sabo was just in it 2 chapters ago. Since he's not one of the primary characters (at least not now), I'm not going to have him in it constantly. I've already introduced some of the Straw Hats. As for the others, you'll have to wait and see. Here's an update!

jam klaoo: You're welcome~

TheAnalei: You'll just have to wait and see ;)

ssspooky: We shall see... eventually :P You're welcome!

yukiko hyuga-chan: Maybe, maybe not. Here's an update!

Diclonious57: Yeah, no :P Gotta stay ahead, lest we want what happened to Reverse to happen to this fic as well.

MysteriousEyez: That seems to be the question everyone's asking XD

FlightWulf: Yep, eventually! You are quite welcome~ ^^

Son Goshen: You're actually the first person to say you don't want him to get his memories back :D Your stance on the matter is definitely justified.

Guest (2): We shall see! :D

siqwithaQ: A child, eh? Interesting observation ;) Probably not so soon, but yes, you will find out eventually. Bad vibes are, for all intents and purposes, justified. Well, we'll just have to wait and see, won't we? :P Yep, very cruel. But keep in mind that, as Rouge says, he probably thought he had to. Well it's not resolved, but a big portion is explored with chapter :) I don't know, are there more mysteries after this chapter?

lone green leaf: Lol that would be interesting XD

spoons-are-evil: That's a weird connection you made there XD Guess we'll just have to see. Here's the next!

Honeydee: Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I'll reveal nothing! XD Nope, sorry, that's going to wait a while. Keep in mind, I already have the next few chapters written out. I'm staying ahead :D Lol ambusing him? There's a thought.

Bluebird42: Scared of new fanfics? Why? o.o I think it's fun, trying out new stories and seeing what they're going to be like :D You guys and your dying... I guarantee the wait won't kill you :P And doesn't it make it more rewarding when you finally do have your questions answered? Lol, let's not do anything drastic here XD

Kitsune Foxfire: Did he really? Is that really what the flashback was about? *evil grin* It might have been, or not. Actually, with how much Marco knows, he kinda reminds me of Divide!Sabo and Divide!Whitebeard.

azab: Glad you like.

(I use the word 'eventually' a lot, don't I? Hm. I need to expand my vocabulary. That aside, I hope you guys enjoyed and I'll see you around! Thanks for reading! Adieu~)