Night fell on the small island, and the somber pirates had finally set sail. The only light falling on the gentle grassy slopes was given by the crescent moon. The breeze from the sea was warm, and the water sparkled in the dim light.

Walking along the dirt path, the cloaked figure strode up to the smaller of the two graves. This one was adorned with small white flowers and a long katana rested on the top. The person reached out, resting his hand on the inscription.

"Here lies 'Red Snow' Yuki, a pirate to be remembered."

"I know," he whispered, "I know you wanted to stay. I will save you."

Pulling his other hand out of a side pocket inside the cloak, he pulled out some dark powder. After sprinkling it on the grave, he chanted a few words quietly and dropped a lit match on to the dark soil in front of the grave.

In a single moment, a bright green fire flared up, engulfing his hand, and then died, just as quickly as it had come. He pulled back his hand wiped the soot off on the long, dark cloak. The fire had no effect on his tanned skin. It hadn't even left a mark, other than the black soot he had rubbed off.

"I shall return tomorrow. We shall see if my efforts bore any fruit." After placing a small, folded paper on the grave, he left as silently as he had come.

When the sun rose on the small island, the person who had been there the night before returned. Walking leisurely through the tall, sunlit grasses, he stopped to admire some pale blue flowers he hadn't had time to look for the night before.

This time, he was wearing his signature outfit. He had his favorite top hat with blue goggles sitting atop his curly blonde hair, and the dark blue trench coat on top of his white t-shirt. His long black pants and black boots completed the look and gave it a mysterious feeling.

The man felt he should dress so that he would be recognized, for their first meeting in so long. His signature hat would give him away, if the other person hadn't seen the note that he had left carefully on the grave. That person should have.

When he arrived at the grave site, he was pleased to see that she was already there and not the worse for wear. Her blue hair was roughly the same length as he had seen it last, and her eyes... they were bright red.

"Yo. I thought your eyes would stay their original color," he said, grinning at her. "It's been a long time since I've seen you last. Glad you're okay, now." He walked closer to her and looked her up and down, satisfied.

"You... you're Sabo! You're supposed to be dead," she said, surprised.

"Well, as you can see, I'm not. And as you can also see, neither are you. Not for now, anyways. I've brought you back," Sabo replied happily. He was startled to see her glaring at him with such anger.

"I didn't need to come back! It was fine as I left it, now you have to go and make me some unnatural thing who has already died once," she muttered angrily. Her hands were balled up into fists and he could see she was stressed out.

"Wait, wait, it's okay! Calm down, you look almost the same as before. You did notice that you no longer have a hole in your abdomen, right?" Sabo asked, trying to make her calm down. "I did it partly for you, but also partly for me. I couldn't go to Marineford to save Ace, and I knew ace would've sacrificed himself in a heartbeat. I was worried about the three of you, but glad that you were all still alive."

"I can't let them see me. I just want to make them smile, but I can't let them see me. I am a freak of nature, something that shouldn't walk the earth. I'm dead, yet alive. How do you think they would react after seeing me die?" she ranted, pacing about the area.

"Calm down, I'm sure Luffy and Ace would be fine with it. In fact, they'd probably be so happy that you're alive. I am, you know," Sabo said, grinning at her. When she glared at him, he gave up on that attempt.

"Look, Luffy already has someone who's died with him. Brook, who died from some major wounds after a battle, is with him and he doesn't mind. What makes you think he would mind you?" he asked quietly, but firmly.

"Because I never ate a devil's fruit with that ability. He would know that, I changed into a cat before his very eyes. Now I've even lost my previous power, and if I want it back I'll have to go search for that damned fruit again." She paused for a moment, considering the pros and cons of it.

"I don't, it just causes trouble. I can finally go swimming again."

He laughed, leaning over to hug his friend. "I can see you still kept your sense of humor, Yuki. I agree that it would be best if you not eat another devil's fruit. The state you are in now has enough weaknesses to last you a lifetime of suffering."

"You're kidding me, right? I was only half joking. Anyways, which are my biggest weaknesses, exactly?" Yuki asked, looking slightly puzzled. "I know the whole thing about swords and guns, but what else?"

"Sunlight, certain types of food, mostly normal things." Sabo didn't offer more info, not being completely sure. He had only done this once before, and he was told that results varied often.

"Why sunlight?"

"Because your skin is so pale, you were more susceptible to sun when you were alive previously. Now, since you were dead, you can't heal as quickly as before. Slowed healing is a given with most reviving. For Luffy's crew mate, since he's only bones, milk does the trick," Sabo explained, matter-of-factly.

"Oh, I guess it makes sense. How did you heal up the hole in my abdomen, though? I thought that would never heal, even if I had lived slightly longer. All of my internal organs were almost completely destroyed," she asked slowly.

"... that is something I can't reveal yet. I really am sorry, but I just can't."

Yuki nodded, understanding his reason. "I suppose even I have secrets to keep from my important people, like not letting Ace and Luffy know about my existence." She sat on the her grave, and Sabo followed her.

"Thanks for being reasonable."

She smiled sadly, her eyes duller than he had ever seen them. She looked as if she had no life left, what with her self-imposed rule to not contact her brothers. Sabo knew that she would suffer for as long as she lived, and felt guilty for reviving her.

"Would it be enough to tell you that I need you?" he said silently, looking down at his feet. He hoped her answer wouldn't be a venomous comment like she had for him before. It had made his heart fill with sorrow and anger, but for only a moment.

"... yeah. I need someone who I can be normal with, anyways. If I couldn't even do that, I'd probably go on a rampage at Marineford and end up getting myself killed again. I guess I really am happy that you're not dead," Yuki said, slowly.

"I'm glad I could revive you," Sabo replied, happily. He picked up the note he had left on her grave, and packed down the disturbed dirt. When she looked at him quizzically, he hurried to explain.

"You don't want someone thinking your grave was robbed and then digging your empty coffin up, right? Anyways, the note is evidence of our meeting, and it might lead those people who would check your grave to think that you might be alive again."

"Oh. Can I take my katana, though?" she asked.

Sabo thought about it for a minute and decided it couldn't do any harm. "Alright," he said while grinning. "Let's take your precious partner with us."

"You know that he is," she laughed, joking with him. It felt natural to be with a friend, and it had been so long since she had last seen this sworn brother of hers, she needed to catch up.

"How about we go back to my ship and head to Baltigo?" Sabo asked.

"Baltigo? Isn't that some winter island?" Yuki asked in return, wondering why he had any interest in it. As it turned out, she would be glad for any place to stay, it didn't matter where. She just hoped that she would never meet another one of her crew mates again.

"Um..." Sabo trailed off, thinking on how to explain his situation to her. "I was saved by the revolutionaries right before I was about to give up hope. Their leader decided to let me stay on as a navigator and apprentice to some of the higher-ups."

"So... Baltigo is where Luffy's dad is?" she asked hesitantly. Sabo nodded, relaxed once again. She understood what he meant, and that was good. "But wouldn't it be the opposite of what we want? I mean, I don't necessarily want others to know about my new status, what with being alive and all."

"They know, at least a small portion of them do, what I've been working on for the past five years. Resurrection. I have resurrected one person before, and they've healed to the point where they are the same as before they died. Aging, hair growth, and all that would have come if they hadn't died in the first place."

"Ah," Yuki said, realizing what that meant. "If that's true, then maybe I could become mostly normal again? I mean, I'll always have that scar, and the people who were there would know, but I'd be..." she trailed off.

Sabo smiled warmly, feeling content for the first time since that morning. It was near noon already, and if he wanted to get to Baltigo by the deadline Dragon had set, he would have to leave before even another hour had passed.

"Alright, we have to go. Baltigo is about a three day trip from here, and I have to be there slightly before then." Sabo groaned. "I didn't think it would take this long to finish our talk. Let's go."

Yuki smiled happily, all of her earlier frustration gone. She had a place to go, and it had one of her important people. Through him, and his allies, she would probably be able to assist her other brothers, though she would never see them face-to-face.

She was content.

"I feel like I'm waiting for something that isn't going to happen," Ace said to Marco. "I really do, like there's some part of my life that's died. I've felt like this since the War of the Great. What do you think?"

"I'm not really sure what you think is missing, but I bet it was that girl who died in your place, 'Red Snow' Yuki. All of us here know that if the chance had come, you would've sacrificed yourself. She was just quicker," Marco replied somberly.

Ace remembered what Mizuki had said about Yuki's last words. A love that he had never returned, right? He hadn't known, he had only been close friends with her. Now she was gone, and he never replied. He hadn't had time.

"I'm guessing there's some secret between the two of you, but I won't ask. I do know that she was your sworn sister, which must mean you two and Luffy were really close. Since you lost her like that, it's understandable that something would feel wrong." Marco was doing his best to explain his thoughts.

"Yeah... I just... I gotta go see her grave again. Once more, to make it feel real. I can't stand this feeling, that it's just a dream. I'll be back in a few days, alright?" Ace said, still unsatisfied.

"Fine, just remember that you still have Luffy, and a family here that needs you," he replied, extending a hand briefly. "Come on back once you feel better. I have a lot of work to do, to protect the islands we've claimed."

"Thank you," Ace said, smiling. He had a place to feel needed, and he had a large family to help out. Once he got back, he would be able to calm down again.

This story is a sequel to my other One Piece fan fiction, "A Life for a Life". If you want to know what happened previously, read that one!

I need help with filler arc ideas! I plan to have this one longer than its counterpart, "A Life for a Life", so I need a lot more filler arcs! Suggestions are welcome. ^.^