Chapter 33: (Hey all. So school's back in session and I'm already missing Winter Break. Huzzah. At least we're halfway to summer, though. IT'S SO CLOSE I CAN TASTE IT! Anyways, I hope you all are well and I hope that if you resumed any kind of school, work, etc, that it's not treating you too badly.
E: Even though you probably won't read this, I felt I should post a reply anyway. I'm sorry if my story was too extreme for you. I'm glad you like my writing, even if you don't continue reading this particular story. I will try (at some point after this story is finished) to post/write something in a lighter tone, and I certainly hope you'll look it up. :) It'll be a while before that's written, though, as Kill the Rabbit is my project for now. I hope in the future I can write something more to your taste, and I'd love to hear from you again on future works.
LordOfCamels: I probably emailed you back at this point. If I haven't, I'm lazy and I'll get around to it eventually.
TFR: Hahahaha good job! ;) Thank you! I'm glad you liked it that much! :D Erm…It kinda just popped out of my brain. It stems from that quote Rabbit says all the time, "I think therefore I am." Wow, thank you! Hahahaha I dunno…It'd be even longer then, because I'd have to build up the characters of Marco, Thatch, and Whitebeard so that people cared about them and understood their relationship with Ace. I hope this update satisfies at least some of that curiosity. :) I can't directly answer that question, but this chapter should give you at least partial insight into your question as well as chapter 18, which should answer your second question. Oh. That sucks. I have to read the novel for school, is it good? Hahahahaha not quite. :) I wonder why it wasn't released at the same time in France? Hahaha glad you liked it. C: I hope this update didn't take too long! :D
Panda Bear: Thank you! CCC: I'm glad you liked it! That sucks royally. I hope school isn't too harsh this semester. :/
HMP: Hahahahaha yeah it kinda was. I seriously doubt anyone saw any of this coming. XD That's the general idea. :) Just as soon as you think you have it all figured out, it's my job to introduce a new piece to the puzzle to unravel everything you thought before. That's the idea of a plot twist. Ace is still in Wonderland because of what happened on the Moby Dick. He saw Hare on the ship and came under the impression (which is not altogether false as they were allies) that Hare was with the Whitebeard pirates. Hence he fled and had panic attacks. Then, when they were trying to catch him, Jozu and the rest scared Ace even more to the point where Wonderland became a better option than reality. He thought he was going to go back to being in Hare's cage and he didn't want that at all, so he fled. Hare survived because the knife didn't make it all the way to his brain. He didn't die of blood loss and/or drowning because he's a tough sneaky bastard. Serpent doesn't resent Ace for her creation, but she still has a lot of angstiness about her existence. She sees her entire being as a failure. That kinda lowers one's self esteem. …I'll go into this in this chapter more, but what Cheshire said about Shanks isn't altogether true. Can't answer that one. You'll find out. Hopefully in this chapter. Marco, Thatch, and Whitebeard's reactions will be shown in this chapter. Hopefully. If I can make it fit well. You mean the present Hare? Oh you'll find out…in quite a few chapters. This story still has quite a ways to chug along before we get even close to a conclusion. I'd say we're about…seven twelfths of the way through this story. A little more than half but not quite two thirds. Maybe a bit further than that…it's hard to tell. Maybe ;) Just wait. I'll get into that either in this chapter (if it becomes a freaking MONSTER like the last chapter) or the next. I realized I have more crap I need to cover before we progress to Whitebeard, Thatch, and Marco in Wonderland, so that's probably going to occupy the next two chapters and then we're (finally) off to Wonderland! I'm glad you're enjoying the story that much! :D I hope you continue to enjoy it and I hope this chapter isn't TOO dramatically late.
Little: Glad you liked it! :D Yes it is. There was a LOT of information, hope I didn't fry your brain. XD Yeah I didn't think anyone would honestly believe that was anyone BUT Hare, but some people did which was…surprising. But then, of course, his backstory and eventual explicit naming concretely proved who he was. Two words. Plot progression. C: Thank you! I'm glad it seemed realistic. Well…I dunno. I wrote the scene several times and that was the best (in my opinion) so I went with it. Sorry if it seemed wrong…but I wasn't' sure really how else to do it. Maybe I'll go back and edit the chapter later…but for now we're going to go with progress instead of editing. Yeah you got that right. On both points. That's true. :) Well, here's the thing. Reality IS real, it's just Ace disproved it for himself and can now use Synthesis. Make sense? Exactly. :) But I think Serpent's a better companion for him anyway. (Well you're not alone in that. Several others were under the same impression.) Yeah. Wouldn't want anyone to be perfect. That leads to the dreaded marysue/garystu/OOC canon character. This is true. Not to mention he isolates himself, thinks he has to (see chapter 14). He thinks he has to be an adult and thinks being an adult means being completely independent all the time, which means he has to be good at everything in order to sustain himself and Luffy. That's what he thinks, so he tries to act that way. Sorry if it was irksome. :/ Well, Shanks does. And after what Hare said, the rest of the crew does if they didn't before. Garp knew and inadvertently told Hare (see chapter 16), so Hare knew. It's ambiguous/unimportant if Hare's crew knew. Luffy doesn't know. Makino does because Garp told her. Other than that…I don't think anyone else knows…well, Whitebeard, Thatch, and Marco know now, if they didn't before. In my headcanon they did, so I guess in this story they already knew. Whitebeard and Co are going to be reacting in the beginning of this chapter, and you'll just have to see whether Ace tells Shanks the nature of his and Serpent's relationship or not.
Rio: Very soon. Your patience is much appreciated. Please know I do everything in my power to update as quickly as possible, but homework, school, and personal relationships obviously come first. This chapter took longer because of its length and because of pretty much all of my classes increasing their workload. I sincerely hope it was worth the wait. The story will most assuredly be completed, but you need to give me time. Writing isn't always the easiest. I do my very best to ensure quality of writing and plot in each and every chapter and I don't upload anything that isn't worth reading. That's why it takes longer. Thank you for your understanding.
Broke some more medical rules. Deal with it.
Sincere apologies for the lateness of this chapter. School sucks.
Yes I know technically Shanks' scar is on the left side. I changed it. Deal with it.
The beginning of this chapter has been rated T+/M for a DISTURBING IMAGERY and VIOLENCE but then after that is K+ for NOTHING. SERIOULSY. THE SECOND PART OF THIS CHAPTER'S PRETTY TAME. THERE'S, LIKE, ONE STORY WITH PAIN IN IT, BUT AFTER THAT, NOTHING.
And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER)
Thatch stared straight ahead in stunned silence. Ace was asleep and hadn't yet begun to dream, and darkness surrounded him, Whitebeard, and Marco.
"Well?" Serpent's voice was snide. "What do you think? Finally got your answers? Finally understand how I know so much, how I speak, how I understand Wonderland?" There was bitterness in her voice.
"How…How did he make you? Why are your minds linked like that? Why don't you have your own mind?" Serpent snorted.
"I've been asking myself those questions for 10 years. Because what am I? I'm just a body part of Ace's mind was forced to assume. I don't have my own soul, I don't have my own mind, and I don't deserve to be alive. Ace should have his full mind. It's not fair to him that I've taken part of it. He insisted that it was okay, that he didn't mind sharing, but the facts still stand. I shouldn't exist and there's no point in me existing! I don't have a purpose! I'm not the Cheshire Ace tried to create! I've tried to fill that role, to be companion to Ace as Ace hoped Cheshire would be, but I'm not what he really wanted. I'm useless, pointless. I shouldn't exist!"
"Nonsense." Whitebeard's voice was firm. Serpent froze, mid-rant. Whitebeard's voice commanded attention, and it was hard to disobey. It's interesting…they really are similar. Whitebeard remembered when Ace had told him the truth of his lineage. He'd spoken similar words, claiming he shouldn't be alive. Whitebeard had spoken to him then, and knew he'd have to say something similar to Serpent now. "Don't you think it's possible that what one wants and what one needs are different things entirely? You may not have been the companion Ace originally wanted, but you've been there for him exactly as he needed you to be. He cares deeply about you, and not just because you're part of his mind. You claim not to have your own mind, but comparing you to Ace there are differences. You are you. You have a purpose in this life because everyone has a purpose in this life, whether or not you can always see it." Whitebeard's voice went soft. "I can tell you how to find your purpose if you feel you can't see it now. It's a simple process." Whitebeard waited for some kind of assent from Serpent. After a moment of silence he continued.
"Look inside yourself. Find what you love and what brings you the greatest joy. Right next to that place inside you, you'll find a space that needs filling. That needs completion. That is your purpose. To find your missing piece. Mine was building this family. Marco's was finding somewhere he could completely belong. Thatch hasn't found his yet, but he's working on it. Do you want to know what I think your purpose is?" Serpent's breathing was uneven, and if cats could cry, Whitebeard was almost certain that's what she was doing.
"You are a healer. And a caretaker. And a friend. Your purpose is to protect, to love, and to guide those around you. You gain happiness from giving it to others, from seeing others achieve their purposes." A smile found its way onto his face. "You and I aren't so different there."
"Alright, Ace, let's get started." Ace turned his head to look at Ricky. He was lying on his back on one of the infirmary cots, Ricky standing near his desk, back towards him. He was pulling a pair of surgical gloves over his hands, and after pulling the second one tight allowed it to jerk back in its place about his wrist with an elastic snap. "We're going to take off the bandaging on your arms and chest today to check how well you're healing and to make sure you haven't gotten an infection."
"Okay." Ace lay in silence for a moment. "Will it hurt doctor?" Ricky seemed to pause for a moment, as if considering the question.
"Well…it may be time to take out some of the stitches, in which case that may be painful. I promise it's not my intention to hurt you, Ace." Ace swallowed and nodded. But what if that's not really- Ace shook his head violently. No. Stop it. That's Ricky. Mr. Savage can't pretend to be him anymore because I refuse to be afraid of someone I should trust anymore.
"Alright Ace, I need you to roll over for a moment." Ace started, coming out of his mental reverie. He looked down at himself and saw the bandaging on his chest and arms had been cut neatly, one straight line running down his chest and another down each arm. He looked up and over. Ricky was standing next to his desk, back to Ace. He seemed to be looking down at something on the desk, maybe some papers or something.
If Ace didn't know better he would have said Ricky hadn't moved at all.
"…Doctor?" Ricky lifted his head a bit and cocked it gently to the left, back still completely to Ace leaving Ace unable to see his face.
"Is something the matter?" Ace swallowed and forced himself to relax. Trust him. You can trust him. He's on your side, he's trying to help you. Ace felt the tension begin to abate. This was normal. He was okay. Ricky's trying to help and he's just being paranoid, as usual. Why had he been freaked out? Everything here was exactly as it always had been, as it always would be.
"No. I just…" Ace shook his head. I'm being ridiculous. "Nothing."
He hesitated a moment, then grit his teeth. I have to do this. I have to overcome this. Ace forced himself to roll over, turning his head to the right so he could still see the room. His hands were clenched into fists, fingernails biting into his skin. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force back the memories clogging his brain.
"Make it quick, Doctor. I don't…I don't exactly have fond memories of this position."
He heard Ricky's footsteps coming towards him, slow and even. Normal.
"The maintenance shouldn't take long, don't you fret." He could tell Ricky was smiling, even if he couldn't see it. "We want to get you back in working order again as soon as possible, right?" Ace felt a smile come to his face. This was all exactly as it should be. He nodded and made a sound of assent.
He felt the bandages being pulled away, the smoothness of the fabric dragged gently across his skin as Ricky removed the binding. Cool air hit his skin, a foreign and forgotten sensation. He heard the fabric rustle slightly as it fell to the floor.
Ricky's fingers wrapped gently around Ace's arm, up near the shoulder. His fingers were cool and steady, his grip solid but not confining. He pulled gently on Ace's arm, not hard enough for the pressure to be anywhere near painful. After a moment, the pressure faded and Ace could hear Ricky's footsteps moving across the room again at that even, normal pace.
"You can roll back over now, if you like." Ricky's voice was almost…dismissive. Disinterested. Ace nodded and did so, turning his head to look over at Ricky's still retreating back. A smile found its way to his face. Ricky's going to fix my arm now.
Ace's eyes focused on the appendage, loosely dangling from Ricky's grasp.
It was normal. This was how it was supposed to be. Ricky had to detach the arm to fix it. Ace's eyes moved down to his shoulder.
His shoulder wasn't bleeding, nor should it have been. Rather, there was a socket there, like that of a doll. Ace looked over at his other shoulder and saw where his arm joined his torso in the same way, attached by a simple, static socket. A doll's socket. Moving downward Ace could see his elbow was also like that of a doll, jointed for free, almost-natural movement. His wrist and fingers were the same.
Ace looked back over to Ricky, who had returned to his desk, disassembling his arm. His back was still to Ace and most of his body blocked Ace's view of what he was doing, but he already knew so it didn't really matter. Ricky was using spare parts they had found around the ship to rebuild Ace's arm the way it should be, the way it was meant to be.
Because Ace was cracked. Flawed. And nobody wants a broken doll.
Of course, Ace could never be perfect again. Once broken once there's no such thing as perfection. Ace would always be flawed. Cracked. A tiny smile came to Ace's face.
But there's no need for the world to know that.
"Are you almost finished, Doctor?" Ricky didn't reply for a moment, then straightened.
"Yes. Almost finished." A pause. "…You know, Ace, we've been fixing you this whole time, don't you think it's time for you to give back?" Ricky dropped the arm and it fell back to the table with an inanimate thud.
"What do you mean, Doctor? Is there something I can help you with?"
"Yes…Yes there is. You'd do anything to help me, right Ace? Because we're friends."
"Of course! You've been so helpful to me, why shouldn't I do the same in return?"
"Exactly. That's a fair trade, isn't it? But…you've stolen something, Ace." Ricky began to turn his head. "It's time to pay up for what you took." Ace's eyes widened in horror and Ricky's almost-face twisted into a grin. "It's only fair, right Ace?" His head jerked sharply to the side accompanied by the sound of snapping bones. "Huh?"
His skin hung from his face, pale and unhealthy, white to the point of death. His mouth was folded into a grin so broad his gums were visible all about his teeth. His glasses had been broken, shards of the left lens protruding from high on his cheekbone and eyebrow. The eye itself was unharmed, but widened immensely, a ring of white around the iris.
His other eye was gone.
A black hole occupied the place his right eye should have been, the skin around it sagging slightly. It remained wide, almost perfectly round. It seemed to stretch back through his skull and on forever.
"I want it back, Ace. And you said you'd give it to me. Because I'm your friend, Ace." He made an attempt to straighten his neck, but it wouldn't go completely upright again, hanging instead in a disturbing, unsettling tilt.
He began walking towards Ace.
Ace automatically tried to move back, but found himself unable to move. It was as if his body couldn't move, wasn't supposed to. Ricky's face grinned at him from its lopsided place atop his neck.
"Now now, Ace. Dolls don't fight back, remember?" Ricky drew up next to the bed and grinned down at the frozen Ace. Ace stared back up at him with wide, scared eyes. He couldn't move. He couldn't fight back. He couldn't run.
He was helpless.
"You've made me upset and done some damage. Time for you to repay what you took." A black sludge somewhere between mud and blood began oozing out of his eye socket. It moved down his face in slow motion, almost like a tear. "I want it back, Ace. I want what's mine." His left hand came up then, reaching towards Ace's face. Ace was mentally screaming at his body to do something, anything.
Ricky's fingers were as cold as the depths of the sea as they settled on his face. Ace tried to squeeze his eyes shut, but the prying, icy fingers pulled his eyelids wide.
His right hand came into Ace's line of vision, moving towards the wide, opened right eye. His hand paused about halfway there, and his eye turned to look right into Ace's.
"The worms are coming. The worms are coming for you." The black sludge from the empty eye socket changed, then. It began congealing into lumps. It was then that the first one appeared.
Small, black, and perfectly round, a perfect cylinder. Featureless. It squirmed and writhed inside and then from the black, never-ending pit that was the eye socket. More followed, ever increasing in number. Each was no longer than four inches long.
"Do you see what you've done, Ace? How does it feel to be confronted with your sin?" His hand began moving again, closing in on Ace's eye. Ace could do nothing but stare in horror at the hand, at the face, at what he knew was coming…
…But mostly at the worms.
They seemed to occupy more of his vision than they should have and he couldn't turn his eyes away from them. They protruded from Ricky's eye socket, groping around, brushing against his eyebrow and cheekbone, some sliding down the sluggish trail of black ooze running down his face. They were shiny and looked wet and Ace couldn't help but remember how it had felt when, for a moment, he'd imagined himself in Sabo's place at the bottom of the sea, worms crawling through his brain, eating away at his humanity.
Ricky's hand began to obscure his vision, coming between his right eye and the worms. Ace's eyes turned to focus on that instead, and he tried to struggle, told himself to pull away, but found himself unable to do so.
Ricky's hand reached his right eye.
"Time to pay back in full, Ace." Ricky's grinning face leaned over him, gobs of the black ooze falling onto the bed sheets and Ace's skin. It was cold and sludgy and repulsive and when he came into contact with it he felt sick.
Ricky forced his first finger under Ace's upper eyelid.
Ace tried to scream, instinct trying to raise the noise out of him from the pain, but couldn't. It was as impossible to him as movement had been, felt as though he wasn't made to produce that noise, like he physically couldn't.
Ricky grinned down at him. "Now now, Ace. Dolls certainly aren't allowed to scream." His second finger forced itself under his eyelid and again Ace tried to scream. The only sound to make it through, though, was a choked, pathetic whimper.
Ricky's thumb was next, forcing itself under his lower eyelid and shoving back into his head. Ace could feel the blood beginning to run down his face, his body screaming at him to save it, to run away, anything to escape this because those fingers certainly didn't belong in his eye socket, shouldn't be forcing their way agonizingly back behind his eye, pulling at it, moving it from its natural place.
Ace couldn't describe the pain he was in. it was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before, unlike anything even Hare had put him through. The nearest level of pain he could compare it to was having his broken hand crushed under Hare's full bodyweight. It was blinding and all-encompassing and left no place for Ace to possibly flee to escape it.
Ace's eye came out of his head with a sickening pop.
A ragged cry was finally able to tear itself out of his throat, though that too pained him and felt unnatural. He could feel blood pouring down his face, hot and wet. He could barely breathe through the shock and pain. He could feel he was trembling lightly, tiny, pained noises coming from his throat with every gasped breath. Half his world had gone dark, everything to the right of his nose being completely void to him.
He was still incapable of voluntary movement and could only watch as Ricky's hand retracted, coming into Ace's field of vision. His fingers were stained with Ace's blood and between his thumb and first two fingers he held a small, blood-covered orb. Ace felt his heart stop in his chest.
That's my eye.
Ricky, apparently feeling Ace's gaze, looked down at Ace's one remaining wide, terrified eye. He grinned hugely and lifted the eye towards his own face. With another sickening pop he forced it into his own eye socket. As he did, the black sludge and worms were forced out, falling on the bed and Ace's chest in congealed lumps. Ricky blinked several times and as Ace watched his eye seemed to become part of Ricky, loosing its cloudy lifelessness.
Ace could feel the worms crawling on his torso and left arm. They moved quickly, and seemed almost…eager. Like they were heading towards something they desperately wanted. They were cold and slimy and Ace felt his stomach turn as they moved across his skin. Ricky was staring down at him, at the worms, watching them move on Ace's body, all heading towards his face. The first wave had reached Ace's neck. Ricky threw back his head and laughed.
"They're yours now, Ace." Ace forced himself to talk through the pain and the disgust and the blood loss.
"I…I killed you! You can't be here anymore!" Ricky hmmed thoughtfully.
"You know…I don't feel very killed, Ace. Did you really think you could get rid of me that easily? Were you really so proud as to believe you could kill fear itself? It takes more than a knife. Just because you think Hare's gone doesn't mean you're not afraid anymore, Ace. You can't kill fear. You can't kill me." The worms were crawling up Ace's face now, their cold, slimy lengths sliding along his skin.
Ricky turned to leave. Well, his body did. His head remained in its former position, staring at Ace, wide grin firmly in place. "Well I must be going. A shared acquaintance of ours is running late, so I do believe I'll expedite his journey." He reached up and spun his head around so it faced forwards. As he walked his appearance began to change. His clothes altered, the medical coat quickly morphing into something else and changing color. He grew taller as well.
"Wait!" Mr. Savage paused where he was. He cocked his head slightly to the side, indicating he was listening. "Who are you? You've always appeared as Ricky or Hare or Shanks, but who are you?"
"Oh dear, asking that question already? But it's not time for that answer yet, I'm still preparing our playing field." He smiled. "You'll know soon enough. The players are almost all in their positions." He began walking away again. Ace could still feel the cold, black worms writhing around on his face. They seemed interested in his blood and followed the trail of it up to Ace's eye socket. The first few slipped inside and instantly began burrowing into his skull. Ace barely managed now to scream.
"You'd better start getting ready, creator dear." Mr. Savage turned to grin at him one last time. "The second Caucus Race is about to begin."
All Ace could see were the worms.
"Please please please wake up!" It was a female voice. She sounded desperate, terrified. Shanks distantly felt an insistent kneading on his chest. He came awake slowly, groaning as he sat up. "Oh thank God." Shanks rubbed his face and looked down at the person who'd had the nerve to wake him up at some incredibly ungodly hour.
Suffice to say he did not expect to see a black, green-eyed cat.
"I need you to come with me right now!" Shanks, still half awake, blinked at the cat, which seemed to be…talking? He vaguely wondered if he was still sleeping.
"What the hell're yo-"
"No time for that now! Please, I need you to come with me!" The cat leapt off the bed and sprinted to the door, turning back to look at him. "Hurry! I don't know how much longer Ace is going to last!"
That got Shanks attention.
He was standing in a heartbeat and approached the cat, lifting it from the floor. "What did you just say?" The cat seemed to be growing more distraught by the moment.
"I said ACE NEEDS YOU SO YOU GET YOUR ASS IN GEAR NOW!" The cat, if it had been a person, probably would have been in tears at this point and certainly sounded like it. "Mr. Savage has him trapped and I can't wake him up! Please, help him!" She sounded desperate and terrified and Shanks knew she couldn't be faking it. Albeit he still didn't exactly know who or what she was, but she was being sincere.
Which meant Ace needed his help. Desperately.
"Lead the way." Shanks' voice was serious. He dropped the cat, who landed firmly on the ground. She instantly began sprinting down the hallway, and Shanks did his best to keep pace with her.
They wound down hallway after hallway and Serpent's desperation had begun to invade Shanks' mind as well. Was Ace okay? The cat had talked about Mr. Savage. That must mean it wasn't any kind of physical danger Ace was in. Ricky had explained that all of the inhabitants of Wonderland including Mr. Savage were embodiments of different pieces of Ace's mind. Ace's mind couldn't physically attack him, so that meant he was having some kind of mental breakdown. Shanks wasn't altogether sure he knew how to properly deal with something like that, but hell if he was going to leave Ace alone when he needed help. When they finally came to a stop outside the infirmary, Shanks didn't hesitate to throw the door wide.
What he saw froze his heart in his chest.
Ace was sitting up in bed, eyes wide and clouded. His spine was as straight and stiff as a board. He stared straight ahead sightlessly, seemingly seeing something besides the wall in front of him.
Ace's mouth was open in a silent scream.
Shanks crossed the room in an instant, paying no mind to the cat, who crossed the room just as quickly. He sat down on Ace's bed, reaching out to gently grab his shoulders.
"Ace! Ace can you hear me?" Ace made no response at all, neither flinching like he normally did whenever somebody touched him or responding to his words.
Ace's skin was cold as ice.
"Ace! Wake up!" He shook him gently, but again Ace made no response. Shanks looked to the cat, alarmed. "What do we do?"
"The hell if I know!" Shanks rubbed Ace's arms, trying to warm him up even a little bit.
"He's too cold…" Shanks reached out, scooping Ace up in his arms. He grabbed the blanket along with him, wrapping Ace almost completely in it. He held Ace close to his chest, trying to warm him with his own body heat. Ace still made no response and Shanks began to grow truly desperate. He looked around the room, searching for something, anything that could be of use or tell him what to do. His eyes halted on the object occupying the corner of the room.
He would have sworn that mirror had been smashed the last time he'd been in here.
After they'd found it shattered, Ace had admitted to breaking it. Claimed he "didn't like what he saw there." He'd offered to clean up, saying it was his responsibility since he broke it, but Ricky hadn't let him.
They'd been careful to keep sharp objects away from Ace ever since a certain incident.
Yet here the mirror stood. Perfect. Flawless. Except for one detail, something that chilled Shanks to the core.
It wasn't reflecting this room.
The image most assuredly wasn't a reflection of the infirmary, the glass showing something entirely different than what was going on in the room.
The mirror contained an image of Ace.
Shanks stared at it in utter horror.
The image looked almost perfectly identical to the Ace in his arms. Completely identical, even, except for the clothes and one other key difference.
The mirror Ace was missing his right eye.
Blood pumped down his face freely from the injury, like it had only just happened. Along with blood, there was some kind of dark, sludgy liquid pulsing out as well. It mixed with the blood and formed a repulsive, semi-congealed fluid that trailed down his face like tears.
Black worms writhed and squirmed in the eye socket, some occasionally protruding out and experimentally poking around the skin on Ace's cheekbone and eyebrow.
"A-Ace?"
"A part of him, yes." Shanks glanced between the mirror image and the Ace in his arms. He swallowed.
"What happened to you? Where's Ace?"
"Mr. Savage happened. As for Ace, he's safe. For now." The figure smiled sadly. "…Are you scared of me? Of the worms?" He raised his right hand and covered his missing eye, covered the writhing black mass. He smiled almost desperately at Shanks. "Is that better? I…I know how I look to you." His eyes drifted closed and a tear fell from his left eye. "Please. Don't judge me for how I look. Don't judge any of us for how we look. We can't help it. We can't help this. Please, don't turn us away because we're broken. We never wanted this, never asked for it." The mirror Ace laughed bitterly, brokenly. "I took Ace's place. That's why I lost this. Yet you don't really see that, do you? Only the worms. Only the monster that Mr. Savage made me into." He exhaled. "It's okay. I don't blame you. It's hard to understand the beauty of something that's as broken as we are." Shanks stared at him in silence. "…Do you care about Ace?" Shanks blinked.
"Of course I do!"
"Then please…promise me that you won't reject him because of us. You don't have to like us or anything, but try to accept us. We're imperfect and flawed and broken but we are Ace. Don't forget us. Don't reject us." The figure smiled sadly. "Just show Ace that you understand. Show him that it doesn't matter that he's imperfect and that you don't know everything there is to know about him. Just…accept him. Know that deep down, under all the cracks and breaks and hurt, he's still your friend, still the grinning boy who loves to listen to the waves." A moment of silence passed.
Shanks placed Ace back on the bed, wrapped tightly in the blankets, and stood. He approached the mirror, stopping just in front of it. The mirror Ace was looking up at him and he looked down, right into that left eye.
"You know, I just realized something." He reached up and traced the three parallel scars that ran over his right eye, grinning down at mirror Ace. "You and I match." Mirror Ace stared up at him for a moment in surprise, then a grin spread across his face. He looked sincerely and completely happy.
After a moment he reached up with his left hand and pressed it against the glass. Shanks blinked at him, then reciprocated the gesture, pressing his own palm against the cool surface opposite mirror Ace's.
"…Promise you'll look after him?" Shanks gave a firm nod, smile still on his face.
"Always." Mirror Ace glanced over his shoulder, then turned to look back at Shanks.
"I have to go. Maybe…Maybe you and I can meet again one day. Play a friendly round of croquet or chess." Shanks smiled at him.
"I'd like that." Mirror Ace turned to go and Shanks smiled after him, watching him slowly fade.
The mirror resumed its reflection of the room.
Shanks slowly pulled his hand from the glass and turned back to the room. As he did, he found the black cat staring up at him with those vibrant green eyes. She seemed…happy. Her eyes told him she was smiling.
"I'm proud of you. You may not particularly care, but I'm proud of you." Shanks blinked and cocked an eyebrow.
"Wha-"
Ace sat bolt upright, a ragged cry tearing itself out of his throat. His hands instantly flew to his face. His breath came in great gasps of air, chest heaving. His skin was sticky with sweat and he curled into a ball, clutching his arms, rocking slightly back and forth.
"It's okay. You're okay. You're okay. It was just a dream. Just a dream. You're okay. You're okay." His eyes were squeezed shut, forehead resting against his knees. A shudder ran down the length of his spine. "You're okay you're okay you're okay you're okay you're okay" He seemed to only be growing more and more frightened, his entire body trembling. "You're okay you're okay you're okay you're okay."
Shanks approached slowly, trying not to startle Ace. He kneeled next to Ace's bed, reaching up and gently grabbing his shoulders. Ace flinched like he always did and his head snapped up, eyes locking on Shanks' face. Shanks met his eyes calmly.
"Ace." Ace's focus was entirely locked on Shanks, somewhere between terror and utter gratitude.
"…Did you save me again, captain? Or are you just another of his masks?" Ace shuddered again and Shanks saw tears beginning to form in his eyes. "…I hate it when he wears your face. When he lies about you." Tears started falling from Ace's eyes. "I want him to stop, Shanks. I just want him to go away. He's always there, though. Whispering. Saying all the things I don't want to believe." A moment of silence passed. "…Will he ever go away?" Shanks pulled Ace forward, wrapping him in a loose embrace. He rubbed his back gently, soothingly. They remained that way for a moment before Shanks responded.
"You're stronger than him, Ace. Way stronger. If you don't like what he says, shut him out. You can do that." Ace was stiff with shock.
"What?" Shanks slowly released Ace and held him at arm's length, looking right into Ace's widened eyes. His face was serious.
"I'm going to tell you something, Ace. Something really important. You probably already know this, but you need to hear it again." Ace met his eyes and nodded squarely. Shanks continued.
"Mr. Savage isn't real. You need to leave him behind you, Ace." Ace had again stiffened in Shanks' grasp and was staring at him with wide eyes. "Ace I know and understand that Wonderland was something deeply important to you. Something that's part of your very being. But you need to leave it behind you now. Hare isn't coming after you anymore. You don't need a hiding place anymore." Ace was still staring at Shanks in shock. "I can't even begin to imagine the hell you went through that led you to create your Wonderland, but you need to accept that it isn't real. It can't hurt you, Ace. You don't need to be afraid of it.
"Wonderland's purpose was as a refuge from Hare, right?" Ace nodded mutely. "If that's the case, hasn't it served its purpose? You don't need it anymore, Ace. And what kind of refuge is it if it gets you terrified like this?" Shanks squeezed Ace's shoulder. "I know it must be hard. I can't even begin to imagine what you're feeling like, what Wonderland means to you, but it's time to come back, Ace. You can't keep existing in both. You're needed here, in this world."
"Am I, though? All I've ever been is hated and that's all I ever will be. I'll never be able to find companionship. I'll never be able to fin-"
"Don't you dare even talk like that." Shanks looked at Ace, his eyes filled with complete shock, betrayal and hurt. "What did he do to you, Ace? How could that monster have taken even this?" He gave Ace a gentle but firm shake. "Never say you don't have people that care about you again." Shanks seemed to be on the verge of tears himself. He shook his head from side to side. "I told Luffy I'd go and save his brother, but maybe I failed." Ace's eyes widened hugely.
Luffy.
When was the last time he'd even thought about his little brother?
Ace raised a hand to his head, shocked and appalled at himself. "Oh my God." It must have been weeks since Luffy had even crossed his mind. And wasn't that his whole original objective for surviving? Getting back to his little brother? Seeing that goofy grin again? Hearing that laugh? Scolding him but knowing he didn't really mean it whenever Luffy did something reckless? Comforting him when he had nightmares? Waking up at six o'clock every morning to cook breakfast and get ready for the day? Tears began forming in Ace's eyes again. He felt a deep, familiar ache in his chest. He'd forgotten about that which had always been most important to him, what he'd said always would be most important to him. Sabo had died so he could see Luffy again. What would Sabo think if he could see Ace now, could see how much Ace had disregarded his sacrifice.
"He can be kind of an idiot sometimes, but he's the nicest person you could ever hope to know." Ace could hear the smile in Sabo's voice.
"He sounds great. I can't wait to meet him!"
"He can be kind of a handful, but it's totally worth it. He just…has this way of making you feel special, feel important. It's hard to explain."
"We have to make sure we get back. I don't think he could make it on his own if he honestly almost burned your house down trying to boil water." Ace laughed.
"Yeah…he does need looking after."
"That's okay. What is family for? And besides, Luffy doesn't sound like the kind of person that could handle solitude very well. He needs someone to be there."
Sabo had died so Ace could be there for Luffy. Ace had fought back, had kept living when most of him told him to just die because he wanted to get back to Luffy. How… Tears were again forming in Ace's eyes. …How could I have possibly allowed this to happen? Memories of Luffy, of their now utopian-seeming life, flashed through Ace's mind. The first night of Luffy's life, Ace cradling him to his chest. Luffy's first steps. The first time he spoke. Teaching him how to read and write. Taking a bullet for him last year when some bandits had broken into their house. Luffy's sixth birthday, a little more than three months ago. Finding Luffy's drawing, the uneven and lumpy figures seared perfectly into his mind, the memorized imperfection of the two words, "Me" and "Nii-san". Faking Luffy's death so that Hare wouldn't take him too because Ace would have rather faced hell entirely alone than let that monster touch a hair on Luffy's head. Tears fell freely down his face. A light sob lifted his chest. The ache in his chest was finally recognized for what it was.
Homesickness.
Ace turned his tearstained face towards Shanks. He couldn't honestly believe how far he'd fallen. Another hitched sob tore out of his throat. Shanks' face had morphed into one of compassion. He spread his arms and Ace didn't hesitate to latch onto his chest, crying into Shanks' shirt. He hated crying, hated showing how weak he'd become, but his heart hurt so much. Shanks wrapped his arms around him.
"It's okay, Ace. Shh. I'm sorry. It's my fault you're upset." Shanks sounded genuinely apologetic, an unusual tone in his usually energetic voice. "It wasn't fair of me. You've sacrificed so much for Luffy, it wasn't fair of me to say-"
"Don't." Ace managed to choke out the syllable between his tears, trying to force his breathing into a regular pattern again. "I deserved what you said." Another shuddering sob climbed his chest. He had a reason now, a purpose. He was needed. He needed to be alive. No more of this selfish fear, no more letting Mr. Savage anywhere close to getting what he wanted. His little brother needed him. Ace's heart ached. How could I have forgotten? How could I have forgotten Luffy? A sob shook his chest and he buried his face deeper in the fabric of Shanks' shirt.
"I want to go home."
The next days of memories passed by Marco, Thatch, and Whitebeard in a blur. If Marco had to guess, he'd say they'd passed about 18 days before the memories slowed to the point where they were present in them once again. When the world around them formed into a distinct image, they found themselves out on the deck of the East Wind. Ace was seated at a table with Ricky, several sheets of square paper between them. Ace's face was pulled into a look of deep concentration as he tried to replicate the fold Ricky had just made. They were about halfway through the process necessary for making a paper crane. They'd been working on various kinds of origami for the last few days, and after the initial challenge had worn off, Ace had been determined to master it. Ricky watched Ace subtly over his glasses, thinking about the last week and a half.
Ace had changed. Shanks said he and Ace had had a conversation about some "important stuff" (Shanks refused to go into more detail than that) and after that…well, it was almost like having the old Ace back. Ace dove into any challenge presented to him with passion the Red Haired pirates had feared the boy would never show again. He applied himself to the physical therapy and when he wasn't busy with that he could often be found reading. This morning had found him with a book in Armenian (who the hell even knows where he got it) and a translating dictionary.
The progress wasn't all leaps and bounds, though.
Ace was still having nightmares. He was still waking up screaming, whether it be from a narcolepticly-induced nap or late at night. Loud noises had him jumping or spinning around, eyes widened, searching for the source of the noise. He still feared physical contact, avoiding it when he could, reflexively flinching when he couldn't. One time Ace had accidentally gotten locked in the storage hold. When they'd finally found him he'd been curled in a corner, hugging his arms to his chest and shaking. Whenever someone had tried to approach him he'd shrunk even further back, his breathing becoming even more erratic. It had taken hours to get him to come out again, and Ace had started compulsively checking doors, either somehow keeping them open or ensuring they couldn't be locked.
Fast movement around Ace usually led to him flinching dramatically, as did anyone raising their arm above shoulder level when he was nearby. The crew had eventually adopted the habit of moving more lethargically, and would glance around before doing things like hoisting sails. Ace seemed to notice the change, and would smile at people apologetically every time he flinched away.
Then there had been one day of utter hell.
In the morning Ace had quietly commented that his legs were hurting a bit more than usual during his and Ricky's physical therapy session. He'd brushed it and Ricky's concern off, but the doctor had insisted on checking his legs. They were both seemingly the same as ever, still healing the way they should be. Ace wrote it off as just a result of the therapy, but Ricky wasn't convinced. Ace had grinned at him and thanked him, a habit he'd developed, and seemed the same as ever, but Ricky saw something in that smile, a joy that didn't quite touch Ace's eyes. For the next several hours he'd kept an eye on Ace. When no one was looking, Ace's smile would drop and Ricky frequently saw him wince. Ace would always put on another smile whenever someone was watching, though, and made no comment about any pain he may have been experiencing. Ricky had tried to approach him about it, but Ace had shaken him off, either managing to dodge the question or not fully answer it.
As the day progressed Ace's smiles became more and more strained. He'd finally withdrawn back to the infirmary, claiming he needed a rest. He'd stumbled down the length of the hallway, leaning heavily on the walls for support, jaw grit against any sound of pain.
By the time he got to the infirmary the rain had only just started falling.
Ricky hadn't been in the infirmary at the time, and Ace had collapsed back on the bed, clenching his jaw against the agonizing ache in his legs. Serpent, feeling his distress, had come sprinting into the room not a moment later, Ricky in tow. Ricky had grasped the situation instantly based on the pained expression Ace couldn't hide any longer and the distant boom of thunder that sounded not a moment before.
There hadn't been much he could do for Ace. He would have given him painkillers, but he'd had to give Ace general anesthesia the day before when he was taking out a ton of stitches, and any kind of strong medication this soon after could be potentially dangerous. In the end, all he could do was sit back and watch helplessly and try to comfort Ace in any way he could.
Ace lay there, jaw clenched in pain, hands balled into fists, eyes squeezed shut. Never before in his life had Ricky felt quite so powerless. Of course he'd instantly told Shanks of the predicament, and the crew had been informed. They told Ricky that they were going to try to get out of the storm as soon as possible, but that they couldn't give him any kind of estimate on time.
The day passed in tense silence, everyone wanting to do something to help but unsure of just what they should or could be doing. As darkness fell, Ricky, Benn, Shanks, Yassop, and Roo reached a silent consensus, taking shifts watching Ace. Nobody wanted to leave him by himself for any stretch of time.
As the storm grew progressively worse, so did Ace. His pain maxed out some time around ten o'clock at night, the storm reaching all new levels of chaos. Every muscle in his body seemed tightened with agony, his back arched slightly, face a grimace of pain. A cry of pain actually managed to tear itself out of his throat at some point against his will. It was then that Serpent, who'd been by his side the whole time, did something unexpected.
She'd jumped off the bed and onto the bedside table, rummaging through Ace's things until she found what she was looking for. She withdrew it from the stack of personal, important possessions of Ace's and pushed it so it was more fully in the light of the one remaining candle beside Ace's bed. Benn, the one currently with Ace, watched her in surprise, not removing his hand from Ace's, which had it in a pain-locked grip.
It was the brown leather notebook. The one Benn had found in the cell next to Ace's.
Serpent nosed it open to the first page, using one paw to hold the book open. She took a deep breath, then begun to read.
Hearing poetry had surprised Benn. He didn't know what he'd expected to be in that book, but poetry certainly wasn't on the top of the list. Nonetheless, Serpent's voice was smooth and almost lyrical as she read the poetry, and the words themselves seemed to hum in the air with a beauty all their own.
They had an instantaneous affect on Ace.
His eyes had shot open and his gaze had instantly flown right to Serpent and the book. She didn't pause in her reading, and after a moment of Ace staring he blinked twice and gave a firm nod. After that he directed his gaze back towards the ceiling, jaw set less with pain and more with determination. His eyes drifted softly closed as he listened to the poem, body beginning to relax for the first time in hours.
The night had been long and rough, and by the end Benn, over the course of two Ace-watches, was certain he'd heard every poem in that book twice.
Ace drifted off at around three in the morning, the storm outside beginning to subside. It was clear he was exhausted. His face was pale and dark rings had formed under his eyes. Serpent, though, hadn't stopped reading the poetry all night. Benn had no doubt it was the words contained in that book that had allowed Ace to finally relax enough to sleep, and when Serpent had finally fallen asleep mid-sentence in Shape and Form, Benn had carefully scooped her up, placed her gently next to Ace, and almost reverently shut the book, placing it back with Ace's other belongings.
He stayed with Ace for another hour, only leaving when Ricky came in and told him to go to bed. Ricky looked as worn out as Benn felt and seeing Ace finally asleep, no pain clouding his face or tensing his muscles, seemed to lift a great weight off the doctor.
The next day things had gone back to normal. The ache faded entirely from Ace's mending bones by eleven o'clock and it wasn't long before he was back to his wandering about the ship. Ricky gave him the day off physical therapy, not wanting to aggravate the injury any more than necessary, and Ace hadn't protested. He'd spent the afternoon sketching, acting almost as if the last night hadn't even happened.
That had been the last major event, and everything had been smooth sailing since. Ricky was truly amazed by Ace's recovery, proud that his friend had managed to bounce back so completely from everything he'd suffered over the last two months. Ace was getting better, physically and mentally.
Through some weird, what he assumed to be genetic thing, Ace was healing remarkably fast and remarkably well. Ricky couldn't believe it, but based on how things were going, he doubted Ace would even scar.
For Ace this was an infinite blessing. He didn't really care what he looked like to others, but to have to walk around every day for the rest of his live with a visible, obvious reminder of what had happened to him didn't sound pleasant. It was another of the reasons he applied himself so hard to the physical therapy. He didn't want any kind of trigger for memories, be it a particularly stiff finger or pain in his legs whenever he took a step.
As Ace made the final fold with his right hand, he lifted the paper to his mouth, giving a piece a firm tug with his teeth. He held out his hand, showing the result to Ricky, grinning.
"There. You see? Told you I could do it with one hand." Ricky looked at the folded crane, surprised by the near perfection of the folds. He did that with one hand? And his right hand no less. A smile spread across his face.
"Very good, Ace." As he looked to Ace's face, though, he could tell the boy hadn't even heard what he'd said. No, Ace was staring off to his left, off the bow of the ship.
Ace was staring at the fast approaching island.
Ace stood mutely from his chair, dropping the folded crane to the table. He walked to the bow of the ship, still staring out at that approaching black smudge, ever growing more distinct. He couldn't explain how he felt at that very moment, seeing Fuushia Village again.
Ace knew he'd never be able to explain what seeing his home again felt like.
Already he could make out the larger features, the seaside cliffs on the west side of the island, the gentle slope of the beachy shores on the east. Colors began solidifying themselves on the formerly dark mass, and Ace could make out the yellow-green of the leaves, only just starting to change. He could see the dark grey of the slate-filled cliffs near his house, he could see the gentle waving yellow of the wheat fields, the tiny white specks of the windmills, sporadically dispersed across the sloping hills. Ace heard quiet footsteps approaching, but couldn't bear to tear his eyes away long enough to see who it was.
"Well? How does it feel?" Ace shook his head slowly, too overwhelmed to form a descriptive answer.
"It feels like I'm home."
The ship seemed to pull in far too quickly after that. Ace was an odd mix of emotions, had been for the last half an hour. On one hand, he couldn't even begin to explain the joy he felt at returning somewhere he'd thought he'd never see again, the rush of hearing the waves against the cliffs.
On the other hand Ace was terrified.
As they approached the dock, all Ace could see was the memory of the cruel things he'd said to Luffy, the last things Luffy had understood him saying before he'd been dragged away. Yeah they had been lies told for Luffy's own safety, but what if he'd actually believed them? Luffy hung on Ace's every word, believed the things Ace told him to be irrefutable fact. What if they didn't explain it to him? What if he thinks I really don't care about him? What if he doesn't want to be a part of my family anymore? These questions terrified Ace, and the truth was he couldn't answer them either way. There was one question, though, that scared him more than any other.
…What if he hates me now?
Ace wasn't sure what he'd do. What would he have left to live for? What would have been his reason for surviving?
By the time they reached the dock, Ace was almost having panic attacks. A small crowd had gathered near the docks, and Ace could make out Makino's familiar form among them. The gangplank was finally lowered, Ace left staring at it like he wasn't quite sure what to do next. Serpent pressed reassuringly against his leg, speaking over their mental link.
You're overreacting.
Am I? I'm…I'm not so sure.
Well either way you need to go and find out, don't you think? Serpent's voice wasn't patronizing or mocking or sarcastic. She spoke to him softly, understanding his fragility at the moment. Ace forced himself to take a deep breath and nodded.
Ace stepped forward into the unknown.
The wood felt solid under his feet, but Ace still walked hesitantly down the gangplank. He looked nervously at the crowd as he walked closer to the dock, closer to home, his eyes catching on Makino in particular.
She was crying.
Her face was spread into a joyous, relieved smile, tears flowing freely down her face. She dabbed at them with a cloth. She looked like she wanted to run forward and hold him, but didn't. Instead, she turned away for just a moment, coming back to face him and pointing at him, still looking down at someone else.
Ace's eyes registered wild, unkempt black hair, wide chocolate-brown eyes, and an expression of shock and joy before the boy was running at him at a dead sprint.
"Ace!" Ace stumbled forward, tears rising in his own eyes, sprinting towards his little brother. Just before they collided, Ace slid to his knees, wrapping Luffy in a warm embrace.
Luffy had his face buried in Ace's chest, arms wrapped around Ace's torso like he never meant to let go and for once Ace didn't feel the pain in his legs, didn't feel the ache of his broken and fractured ribs. Luffy was sobbing hysterically, tears already beginning to soak Ace's shirt.
"I'm sorry, Ace! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry I never listen, I'm sorry if I'm annoying, I'm sorry if you don't like me! Please, just don't leave me again! I'll never be bad again, I swear, just don't…don't leave me alone." Luffy's sobs were coming in great gasps and Ace only held him tighter. He felt tears in his own eyes, tears of pure joy as he held his little brother.
"Shh. Shh. It's okay, Luffy. It wasn't your fault." Ace could feel the smile on his face as well as the first tear running down his cheek. He sniffed noisily and buried his face in Luffy's shoulder. Luffy seemed to tense.
"Wh-Why are you crying? Did I do something wrong again?" Ace raised his face from Luffy's shoulder, using one hand to wipe away the stubborn tears.
"Nah. Big brothers don't cry. It's just…a cold." Ace held Luffy to his chest, not letting him see the tears that were all too obvious.
"Everything's going to be better now, okay Luffy? Everything's going to be better. I promise."
Ace didn't know how long they stayed there, only that he was the happiest he could ever remember being in his life. No Wonderland could compare to this. No constructed reality could ever bring him this depth of peace, warmth, and belonging. If Ace could he would have stayed there forever.
Makino and Shanks stood off to the side a ways. Shanks was smiling warmly at the two boys. Ace saw him looking and met his eyes for a moment, his smile widening.
Thank you.
He only mouthed the words, but Shanks understood anyways. He smiled back and nodded. He'd been relieved to see Ace's reaction to Luffy. Ace was still terrified of contact with other people, and never displayed any kind of physical affection towards anyone. Shanks had heard Ace's words to Luffy and wondered at them. "Everything's going to be better now." He watched Ace, the smile not leaving his face. What Ace had said was true. He was going to get a whole lot better now, now that he was home. Already he'd healed more.
Because, for the first time in two months, Ace hadn't shied away from physical contact.
The sun was setting in blazing hues of gold, amber, and garnet. Ace stood on the cliff near his house, staring out at the sun, listening to the crashing of the waves far below him and feeling the sea wind on his skin. Beside him were three simple, plain tombstones, unassuming and nothing more than reminders of people worth remembering.
Ace didn't believe in any god or gods, but he liked to think there was somewhere good people got to rest after all the cruelty of life.
He didn't think a tombstone had anything to do with what happened to a person after they died, but thought of them as a kind of proof that that person had existed and deserved to be remembered by anyone who saw the stone. Ace sat next to the three tombstones. As he always did, he felt a sadness that they were gone, but there was far more than that. Respect, admiration, love… These people deserved far more than Ace was capable of giving them, but he hoped they could accept what he could offer them.
He'd finished Sabo's gravestone not an hour before.
"…I know you're probably not listening right now, but I hope all three of you can hear me." Ace's voice was even. There were no tears in his voice, no pain, no fear, only that love for those who're never really gone. "I'm going to say something, and I want you three to all listen to it and hold me accountable to it." Again a pause. Ace didn't expect any kind of response, just wanted to give his words time to sink in. He slowly lifted something from the ground next to him.
"I'm going to make a promise. A promise to all three of you." Ace fingered the object, twirling it around absently. Ace closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"For my entire life I've depended on the sacrifices of others for my own life. None of you deserved to die, not at all." A tiny smile came to his face. "I can imagine what you're all saying right now. Sophie, you're saying your death had nothing to do with me, wasn't my fault at all. Mother, Sabo, you're probably both saying you chose to save me, that your sacrifice was completely voluntary. I recognize that all of you have your own valid points. I understand what you're saying and where you're coming from on this, but I can't help but feel at least partly responsible. So from here on out, this is my promise." Ace took a deep breath.
"Never, never again, unto pain, death, and beyond will I ever have to bury someone I care about again. No more family tombstones up on this cliff. No more guilt. Luffy's my only family left now, our only family left, and I swear to all three of you, I'll never, never let him die or suffer, not so long as there's an ounce of blood left in my body." Ace smiled. "And maybe one day I'll understand how you felt. Maybe one day I'll be called to make your same sacrifice. This is a promise to you that I will always, always be willing to make that sacrifice. Because it's worth it. Saving my family would be worth it." A long moment of silence passed then, and Ace felt a deep resolve take hold in the very core of his being. He stood and smiled down at the gravestones.
"But for now it's time to live. To live here, in this world. To live where I'm needed." Ace hefted the object in his hands, regarding it one last time.
"Wonderland isn't needed anymore. I'm done with it. Luffy needs me more than I need it." A tiny smile came to his face. "Goodbye, Rabbit, Dodo, Cheshire, Dormouse, Hatter, March Hare, Caterpillar, Queen, Jabberwocky. This is it. The end of the Caucus Race." Ace threw the object, watched it spin and flash in the half-set sunlight. He turned back to the graves.
"I'll look after Luffy. That's a promise." Ace smiled one last time at them before walking back to the house.
He didn't see wait to see the splash as the Vorpal Blade hit the water.
(A/N: C: I like the end of this chapter. It didn't quite turn out as awesome as it is in my head, but the general feel of the scene is still there, I hope. Well, for those of you who are wondering, there's going to be one more chapter of flashbacks (hopefully short) and then we're finally, finally progressing into new stuff. There're just a few loose ends that need tying up, and then everything will be all set to go.
Oh, a note to Kitsune Firefox: Sorry I screwed with your canon. It…yeah. Sorry. :(
A NOTE TO EVERYONE THAT MUST BE READ BY ALL! : So…on Wednesday the 6th my family is leaving on a two-week trip to Africa. During that time I will not be writing, as I won't really have time. After this I'm going to be absolutely SWARMED with all the catch-up work I have to do for school, so the next update may take a while. Never fear, though. This story will be updated as soon as I can possibly manage it. I ask for your patience and understanding, and hope this break doesn't depress you too much. I was even nice and didn't give you a cliffhanger-y ending before I leave.
Anyways, I don't really have much else to say…please drop a review! I'd absolutely love it! ~Mountain97)