Chapter Twenty-Three
It would be another day before the group reached Alabasta. In the distance, a tiny speck on the horizon told them that Mizuki was also en route to the sandy kingdom on roughly the same time schedule. The ocean was calm, and it didn't look like there would be any storms.
Ace was sitting on the railing, staring out at the ocean, when he heard his name called. His brother was standing at the door to crew quarters. The fireball jumped off the railing and strolled over to his brother, grinning.
"Breakfast was great," he stated. "We haven't eaten together in a long time."
Sabo laughed. "Yeah, it was, wasn't it? Listen, I got something to talk to you about, and it can't really wait. Can you come with me a minute?" he replied, motioning for his brother to follow.
Ace nodded, and said, "Sure. What's it about?"
Sabo sighed. "Well, Yuki, mostly. She's been having nightmares."
Ace stopped for a second. The two of them were standing at the head of the ship with the ocean crashing beneath them. The breeze ruffled his black hair, and he had to brush it out of his face again.
"Nightmares? Do you know why?"
He nodded. "I think so. She's dealing with the fear of abandonment, and how she died, and the fact that more and more people are finding out she's alive. She's told me that she didn't want you all to know. She doesn't want to hurt you again."
Ace was angry. "She shouldn't have to feel like that! She... damn it!"
"I know," Sabo said, shaking his head. "Sometimes I feel like she would have been better off if I left her in the ground. It was my own selfishness that brought her back. I didn't want to lose another person."
"Don't. Don't ever say that," Ace stated darkly. "If you didn't, I would still be wandering around aimlessly, lost and in pain. She can't die again, not unless it's of old age! I won't let that happen."
"Mmm. Back to her nightmare. I think that she needs someone to stay with her while she's asleep. I was checking on her last night, and she was huddled under the blanket, shaking."
Ace looked at his brother. Concern for Yuki was as clear as day, but there was also something else. Something else was worrying him, and he couldn't put his finger on it. He had to find out.
"There's something else that's bothering you," Ace said. It wasn't a question.
Sabo covered his face with his hands, shaking his head. "She has a biological brother, Ace. He was raised by her parents. Not left on Dawn Island. Her parents just dropped her off and left. That's where all of this is coming from."
"What?" Ace asked, shocked.
"That's probably the last straw that led to the nightmares. That and meeting you and Mizuki. She's terrified. It's different, now. She's a different person," Sabo added, the information weighing heavily.
Ace looked down at his hands, nervously clenching and unclenching them. "So, she just needs someone to stay with her?"
"She was going to ask Robin or Mizuki, but I think you would be better," Sabo replied quietly. "She's in love with you, after all."
"I don't know how I'm gonna manage it, but I'll try. Geeze, Sabo, why do you get me into these situations?" Ace had given in. He knew Sabo was right. Mizuki knew it, Sabo knew it, and he knew it.
"Thanks," Sabo said, visibly relieved. "I'm sure she'll bounce back in no time. She really is a quick healer, isn't she?"
"Yeah, she'll be fine," Ace replied happily.
Yuki pulled her hair out of the ponytail, stressfully combing through it. She had been avoiding Ace and Sabo all day. Ducking behind barrels, climbing the mast to "get a better view", and striking up a conversation with Koala or Robin whenever one of the boys walked by. Now, Ace was standing in the corner of her room, trying to look less embarrassed.
"I'm fine," she stated. "Really. It's just a nightmare, I'll bounce back in no time."
Ace sighed. "Sabo doesn't seem to think it was just a nightmare."
"Well, he's wrong, then." She was a very proud person. She knew that she could ask for help anytime, and it would be given, but sometimes she didn't want it. She knew that dealing with so many things at once would cause problems, but there was no way to space it out like a person could if they were writing in a book.
"Are you avoiding me because there's a chance to develop a... relationship? If that's it, I get it. We already have feelings, and we're pirates, so we might get killed, and then how would we feel if-"
"That's not it!" she snapped, cutting his babbling short. "I really... love you, but I have so much to deal with right now I can't deal with yet another thing. Please, I need to figure out my life!"
Ace walked over to her, gently brushing her hair away from her face. "I don't know much about relationships, but I do know that other people can help with the pain if you just let them in."
Yuki looked at her feet. "Okay."
He pulled her into a hug, a tight and loving hug that made the receiver never want to let go. It wasn't a sexual, lust-driven hug, or one a person might give to a friend when they part ways. It was warm and caring.
When they relaxed and parted, both of them were feeling much calmer. Yuki sat on her bed, and Ace was leaning against the wall again. He looked like he wanted her to talk to him. About what, she didn't know.
"So." Yuki looked at him curiously.
"Tell me what you're dealing with. I'll think it through," Ace said.
She nodded. "There's the physical weakness. That will get better over time, most likely. Then we have the illness that Mizuki managed to cure, I think. It was really hard to hide, and I figured Sabo knew long before it became a huge problem."
"You shouldn't have hid something like that. You nearly died."
Yuki rolled her eyes. "Died again, you mean."
"Whatever. Do you have some kind of deathwish?" Ace asked, annoyed.
She shook her head and continued. "In Alabasta, Hawk-Eyes recognized me. He probably already gave a report to the Marines, which means I'm on their radar again. Yippee, more stress to deal with. Also, I found out I have a younger brother who hates you and Luffy. Who was also raised by my parents."
Ace glared. "You don't have to think about that. We're your family. Gramps, Sabo, Luffy, and I. Your biological parents did practically nothing for you."
She grinned at him. "Thanks. I really do love being Gramps' granddaughter. He's such a funny man! Luffy's the best younger brother I could ask for, too, and you guys did so much for me, growing up."
"Yeah, so don't worry about them," Ace added. "Anything else?"
Yuki shook her head. "Other than you and Mizuki recognizing me, and my very own nightmare, not really. It doesn't sound like much, but they're big problems."
"Well, you're with the Revolutionary Army, so you should be safe from the marine forces for now. You can ignore that. Mizuki can heal you, so as long as you travel with her, you shouldn't have any physical problems," Ace mused, thinking aloud.
"I should still see a doctor, though," Yuki added. He nodded in agreement.
"Definitely. Your brother is in the marines, right? You can lump him together with the others for now, they don't really pose much of a threat."
Yuki nodded, laying back on the bed, letting her feet dangle off the edge. Having him lay it out for her, it was so simple. Why couldn't she see it that way for herself? She felt angry with herself, and grateful to Ace.
"So, the nightmares. Sabo thinks they're from abandonment issues."
Yuki's words resonated in the tiny room, leaving both of them in silence for a few moments. She knew the answer to her unspoken question, the reason Ace was there in the first place. She was too embarrassed to admit it, though.
"S-Sabo said something..." he muttered, trailing off. His ears were bright red, little licks of flame spurting off of him occasionally.
"Yeah. That," she replied quietly.
After a long pause, she said, "Um, so... wanna... lie down?"
The whole situation was very awkward and embarrassing. Ace was very polite, a perfect gentleman, and Yuki just had issues with not being awkward. Both of them were blushing deep red, and were stuck at a temporary impasse.
Ace sort of shuffled over to the opposite side of the bed. Yuki was still completely clothed, laying under the covers now, with her face turned towards the wall. He sat on the edge of the bed, his face in his hands.
"Um... good night?" Yuki mutter quietly, with much confusion, as she flicked off the lamp.
The two of them remained completely silent and unmoving after Ace carefully laid himself over the covers, facing away from her. It was a small bed, so their backs were pressed against each other.
Neither of them got much sleep until about two AM.