Sabo could only stare at the jagged shards that littered the floor. Had he done that? A sharp pain shot through his hand and he looked down. A stream of blood was running between his fingers. He licked his hand in disbelief. The sharp metallic taste that greeted him confirmed his doubts. He'd shattered his dresser mirror. But instead of being scared, or afraid that his father would see what he'd done, he felt proud. Damn right he broke his mirror! He could break plenty of other things too!
"You bastard of a father!" he screamed, launching a vase across his room.
"You stinking hog of a mother!" he yelled, tearing his clothing to shreds.
"You terrible, selfish, uncaring, simply detestable parents!" he shrieked, throwing himself against the window, and slowly sinking down to his knees, sobbing. They'd left him alone. On the one day he got to see them both at once, the only day for the next 365, on his birthday they'd ditched him. Tossed him aside like a ragdoll. For what? A 'charity' ball. He scoffed. The only charity going on there was the free margaritas and hor d'oeuvres. Undoubtedly the only reason his parents were even going.
"Dumped for hor d'oeuvres and margaritas," muttered Sabo, "sounds like a great title for a book."
He needed to leave. He needed to escape. He couldn't stay with these crazy people anymore; he'd go insane himself. He ripped apart his closet, and finally found some simple clothes. Tearing apart the rest of his garb, he threw on his new attire and began looking for his goggles. He found them under his dresser, and threw them in his pack. He loaded the green bag with several more essentials, tied up his writing tools with a thin string, and took a long look at his escape route. The window.
He really didn't want to create more of a mess. After all, then he would be no better than his boorish parents. But after several minutes of fiddling around with a broken clothes hanger, he gave up and smashed the thing open. Glass rained down onto the roof, pouring onto the street. Sabo slowly climbed outside the window, being careful not to slip. In a few quick and delicate movements, he found himself teetering on the edge of the parapets, dangling above the road. Sabo closed his eyes, not wanting to regret his decision, and dropped down onto the pavement.
Sabo looked around quickly, scanning his surroundings. After a thorough check, he dashed down the street, knowing it would lead him out of town.
Sabo was in shock. He'd always heard about the infamous Gray Terminal, but he'd never imagined anything of this scale. Mountains of metal and trash rose before him, shifting under his feet. He wondered how the residents here thrived. They were bandits, most likely. There was no visible food or water supply that Sabo could see. The thought of bandits sent a chill down his spine. But it was a curious chill. A chill of wonder. Bandits didn't sound real to him. Bandits sounded like the fairytales his maid would read to him before bedtime.
His aching feet urged him to take a break, and Sabo could only oblige. Pulling off his scuffed shoes, he uncovered a trove of aches and sores. Groaning, he massaged his feet, and almost wished he were back home. Almost. He reached into his pack, and pulled out a healing salve. It was a good thing he was prepared. Unscrewing the lid, he dipped into the balm and spread it over his sores. Letting out a satisfied sigh, he closed the container, and put it back into his pack. He then took out an apple, and bit into it ravenously. His mind began swarming with questions. What would happen to him now? What would he do when he ran out of supplies? Would his parents miss him at all?
Suddenly, he heard a clanging noise from his right. Whipping towards the sound, he saw a dark-haired boy in the moonlight. The boy froze, as if hoping that remaining immobile would render him invisible.
"Um…Hi?" said Sabo, raising his eyebrow. The boy's eyes widened, and he took a few steps closer. As the boy drew near, his features became more visible to Sabo. He had eyes as dark as his hair, and a scattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose and cheeks. Upon even closer inspection, Sabo noticed how sunken the boy's eyes were, and how hollow his cheeks seamt. The boy licked his lips, and Sabo realized he was staring at the apple.
"Oh!" he exclaimed, "Here!" he said, tossing the boy an apple from his pack. The boy caught it, and immediately bit into it. He tore away at the fruit, juice dripping from the sides of his mouth. When the apple had been reduced to a core, the boy tossed it aside, and looked at Sabo.
"Thank you…" he said, "You know, you're not too bad for a noble."
"What gave me away!?" protested Sabo, inspecting his costume.
"Oh please," scoffed the boy, "who the hell wears an ascot scarf, belt and top hat in the Gray Terminal?"
Sabo scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.
"So you're not from around here?" asked the boy, sitting down on a broken safe.
"No. I just ran away, actually," said Sabo, puffing his chest out in pride.
"Seriously? That's pretty stupid of you."
"What? Why?" said Sabo. This was not the response he was expecting.
"You had everything. Food, money, mansions, what more could a guy want?"
"Freedom," said Sabo, staring at his feet, "I wanted my freedom."
Sabo felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Well if freedom is what you want, you sure got it now. Look, how 'bout we work together. I need a partner in crime, you need someone to show you the ropes, does that sound good?" Sabo nodded enthusiastically.
"By the way, my name's Ace. You are?"
"Sabo."
The two shook hands, and with that, a bond was formed. A pact of brotherhood and partnership if you will. An unbreakable tie.
Sabo set down his pen, and blew over the drying ink. Looking over his work, he shuffled his papers into a neat pile, and pushed out his chair. Stretching out his arms, he got up, and trotted towards the door. He wandered down the hallway until he finally saw Koala.
"Hey there, ," she teased him, "You good now?"
"Yeah," murmured Sabo. The girl was the only one who knew about his tear-stained pages and long nights.
"Hold me," he said, right before collapsing into her arms.
"It's ok, Sabo, it's ok," said Koala, holding him as he sobbed into her shoulder.
A.N.: I'm so sorry, I know Shiki's birthday is today too, but I'm beyond exhausted, and I can barely keep my eyes open at this point. I promise to all of you, I will definitely do Shiki as a follow-up tomorrow. It's been a pretty long week, so I'm trying to make it up to all of you with this chunk of Sabo-y goodness. I really hope you enjoyed. Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated. See you tomorrow for Shiki then!