Chapter 13 - The Angel and the Badman

Baltigo, The Night Before

The coppery taste of blood wasn't one that Sabo enjoyed. He was used to it, true, but never actually liked the feeling the taste brought him.

Gathering the blood and saliva in his mouth, he spit out the disgusting mixture back onto the ground as he clawed at the gravel in an attempt to pick himself up out of the dirt. It took a little longer this time to rise this time, and every part of his body was in pain. But he didn't care. In fact, right now? He relished it.

Staggering back to his feet, and watched the man who had driven him into the dirt observing him silently. His partner—the one who had distracted him in order for his other half to drive him into the dirt—stood on a rocky outcropping a few yards away. Both carried an inscrutable expression as they waited for him to get his bearings.

The crimson-haired man decided to speak his piece. "Commander…you need to stop. Your moves are sloppy. Your head's not in the right space for this. You're going to get yourself seriously injured at this rate. Please reconsider."

Sabo used the back of his hand to wipe the blood from his mouth, straightening his back and legs to his full height. A wide smirk appeared on his face. "Let's keep going. I'm only just getting started! And don't you dare start going easy on me."

"Sir," the golden-haired Reinhard spoke up somberly, "if we didn't go easy on you—you'd be dead. This is 'training', not a mission."

He rolled his neck cracking out the kicks, "Eh, semantics. Now, again!"

Sabo kicked out at the Kircheis, but predictably, the man blocked rather easily. However, with his other hand, using the gravel he had picked up while getting up from the ground, he threw it into the man's face!

He cried out, temporarily blinded, however rather than taking advantage of the situation, Sabo turned, pivoting on one foot to use his pipe to block Reinhard's sword. The impact of the blow nearly forced him back on his knees!

He could never understand how someone of Rein's slender build could handle a huge longsword with such finesse, but he had to admit it fit the man, always straightforward and regal in every move he made. And even now, while he was using both hands to send his blade crashing against his guard, he used his footwork to push him back…

…right into Kircheis' waiting arms.

The man had gotten over his distraction pretty quickly and had reached around grabbing the ends of Sabo's pipe, and using it to pin the blond up against his body. He attempted to jab his elbow into his gut and use his agility to slip down and out of the hold, but before he could even do so, Reinhard changed the grip and angle on his blade and thrust the hilt solidly into his chest pinning his further. With that simple move, his upper body was pinned by the two men, and his main defense was gone!

Then in a perfectly coordinated maneuver, Reinhard lunged forward, driving his knee upward into the blond's solar plexus, while at the same time Kircheis used his taller gait to kick at the back of his knees before sweeping his legs out from under him!

His vision blacked out for a second before painful spasms radiated through his body and he lost all sense of breathing. The two released him simultaneously and he fell into a heap back onto the ground again chest heaving, saliva falling from his mouth as he tried his best to gasp for air while also attempting to resist the desire to vomit and/or completely pass out.

As Sabo lay on the ground trying to pull himself together, he noticed that the two had once again walked away back to their original positions, watching him dispassionately no worse for wear. He was at that point once again reminded why these two were so dangerous as a pair, and why nobody willingly wanted to fight against them at the same time unless you were forced to, either as part of initial training when you first entered the Army, or as punishment.

(But then again, that's why he was here, wasn't it? Punishment.)

The Revolutionary Army was made up of several different kinds of individuals from all walks of life. All of them were recruited because of their similar belief that the world was rotting away and that the World Government and the Celestial Dragons were at the center of it all. That there was major injustice being allowed to fester in this world and since no one was going to do anything about it, it was up to them to make a stand.

However, even among them all, there was something slightly different when it came to these two, who were known better by their singular shared name of the "Binary Stars".

Kircheis and Reinhard came as a pair from West Blue. "Came" is quite the apt term as the two are still the only members of the R.A. to have actually come looking for the Revolutionary forces, quite literally knocking on their front door. Having never been on their radar at all, the two had used their vast knowledge, determination, and skills to figure out the location of the Revolutionary headquarters, bypass all defenses, guards, and traps, and demand to join.

Now the two were lieutenant generals and vital soldiers, loyal to the cause, highly lethal and efficient. Both were amazingly strong fighters and skillful agents, having a zero failure rate in their missions. And while both were fully capable by themselves, there was a dynamic about them when together that became rather obvious once you had been around them for long enough. And it was this dynamic, the nature of their relationship that made them so invincible and why they were given their collective nickname.

When they first arrived, it was obvious that they were best friends, partners, nearly inseparable. And yet, eventually, it became obvious that "friends" was probably a vast understatement. They were so much more than that.

Were they like siblings? Even that wasn't quite the word to describe it.

Were they lovers? No, that was wrong.

It wasn't any of those things.

Eventually, Rein himself had to explain the nature of their relationship in his usual introspective way: They were two halves of the same whole. He considered them to be almost of one mind, one soul split into two bodies.

The idea was not a romantic one, but a simple fact.

No one knew how true it was, but Kircheis didn't deny it, and it seemed a better description of their connection than anything anyone else had come up with. While Reinhard was a genius in military matters, a master of warfare, and the clear leader between the two of them, he would not be nearly as effective if it wasn't for the other. Kircheis was his trusted weapon, following his direction without question or hesitation, however, he could only do this because he understood the man like no other, and trusted him implicitly. Not simply with his life…but with his very dreams and soul.

It was because of this dynamic that they were unstoppable and no one wanted to face them in battle. They are brutal taskmasters, whose synchronicity is beyond normal comprehension. The Binary Stars train many, but no one volunteers for it. And you definitely didn't ask for them to train you together, two-on-one.

But it was precisely what the blond wanted and asked for. To fight one of them, he knew he had a fairly good chance at winning or at least coming to a draw. However, by taking on two of them at once, he could be assured that he could work out the anger and frustration that were threatening to burst out of him. He didn't know what he'd be left with when it was all over, but he did know that he didn't care.

Staggering to his feet, he picked up his fallen weapon. He swung his pipe in hand while relentlessly ignoring the trembling in his limbs.

"Again."

Reinhard frowned and once again tried to appeal to reason, "General, the pain you're feeling, the abyss that's growing within you, isn't going to be solved this way."

Sabo took a step forward, "I'm coming now."

Rather than raise their defense, at the same time, the Binary Stars sheathed their weapons and stood down. Kircheis somberly declared, "This 'training' session is over, Commander."

The blond pointedly ignored them, if they wanted to make it easier for him, he wasn't going to complain. Wrapping armament haki around his hands and pipe, he launched himself at the blond member of the pair, both poised for the attack, but also on the lookout for his partner to make his own attack.

To his surprise, the redhead didn't make a move and seemed to let Rein do this solo.

Reinhard, for his part, didn't make a move for his sword, rather he applied armament to his own forearms and fists, but did not attack and instead evaded. Sabo's fist smashed the stone where the blond had been, but he quickly followed the other man, not willing to let him get behind him. However, the golden-haired soldier seemed content to parrying and keep himself out of reach.

The two continued this dance, and still, Kircheis never interjected, only standing there observing, probably waiting for some unknown, imperceptible signal of communication from his other half.

If Sabo hadn't been close to utter exhaustion and his mind has been clearer, he would have realized the game the two were playing. But sadly, he was too far gone for that, and his body became more and more fatigued as he continued to attack his perpetually fleeing opponent.

Using his momentum, he stabbed his pipe into the ground and used it to vault into the air. The gleaming black on his arm sent up sparks and his fingers separated into the familiar position of one of his signature moves. However, his golden-haired opponent wasn't in any way cowed by the Dragon's Claw. Instead, he surprised the other by instead of running away this time, he ran towards him!

Leaping into the air and surprising him by meeting him halfway into his attack. He grabbed Sabo's dominant attacking arm, grappling with him, and in one move threw him over his shoulder and into the rocky ground below.

The impact alone caused the blond to gasp out in pain, even a bit of blood flying out his mouth. By the time he was aware of what had happened, he discovered that his over-extended body had finally reached its limit, and try as he might, he couldn't get the energy to move an inch.

Also, Reinhard was now sitting on his chest, keeping him immobilized, a small dagger at his throat. Not hard enough to damage, but rather a warning to not get up again.

"I told you that I understand how you feel. I understand why you're trying to hurt yourself. Why you feel that you're to blame."

Sabo growled before throwing his head back onto the ground, hating that his body had betrayed him. "It's not the same, Rein."

The other blond's eyes narrowed, "'Not the same'? My sister was my closest companion, she basically raised me. My only family. I loved her more than breathing! She was my one light in that dismal wasteland where Kirchieis and I grew up. And then one day, one of them comes, and they see a young boy that catches their eye."

His voice and face were now wrapped up in a snarl as he remembered the feeling of disgust and shame that he had experienced as a child when he had felt that thing's eyes roving over him, not even hiding what it wanted.

"But my sister saw that look too and she pleaded to take my place, saying that a full-grown woman could offer more than a mere poor child. And with our colorings being so similar, and the fact that it didn't really care if the one taken was adult or child, man or woman, as long as it got what it wanted. My sister was taken in my place."

His breathing had gotten heavier, and he twirled the apex of the dagger around the loose threads of the front of Sabo's shirt before yanking upward, forcing the other to look at him and the intensity there. "My sister was gone for 4 years, and then one day she was suddenly back. They had returned her once they were done with her, dumping her like a bag of trash in the center of town. I wasn't there at the time, Kircheis and I had gone into the Marines mistakenly thinking we could find our justice there. By the time someone had finally been able to send word, she was dead. They had destroyed her, broken her, ruined every ounce of goodness that had been within her! But…ultimately it was my fault."

Sabo could see his own pain reflected in the other's eyes. He knew who "they" and "it" was and that Reinhard's story was not an unfamiliar one. "It wasn't your fault, Rein. They did that. Not you. You didn't ask to be singled out. You weren't the one that put your sister in that impossible situation. Your sister's death is on the Celestial Dragons' hands, not yours."

Reinhard raised an eyebrow at his statement. "You mean like how you didn't ask to get amnesia because one of them got pissy that a child's small boat crossed their path?"

Sabo's eyes flew wide at the quick heel-turn, before gritting his teeth at the other's turning of words, "That's not—"

"Or like how it wasn't your fault that you weren't there in your brother's last moments, just as I couldn't be there for Annerose during hers?"

"It's not—!"

"Or like how your brother's death is on the Navy's hands, not yours?"

Sabo cried out loud before throwing his head backwards into the ground, wishing that he could punch something, and frustrated at having his own words turned back on him. The practical part of him could hear the logic, but being too emotionally close to the situation the sorrow wouldn't allow it to pacify him. He wanted to be angry, he needed to be angry. He needed to—

"You want to be punished. You want someone to pay, even if it has to be you—in fact, especially you."

Reinhard slipped the dagger out of his shirt and placed it back in its holder before handing it up to Kircheis who had come up behind him.

Sabo could only look up at him in shock at how easily the other could sum up his feelings.

"I told you, I understand. That's why I know the dangers of what's going through your mind. It took me a long time to finally lay the blame at the feet of those that deserved it and even now, I still wonder if there could have been anything I could have done differently. I will probably wonder these questions for the rest of my life."

Kirch laid a hand on his friend's shoulder, a silent reminder of support and solace. He spoke up himself for the first time, "That's not to say that you're not allowed to have those feelings, Commander. Be angry. Rage. Weep if you must. But don't let their actions consume you too. I don't know what it's like to lose a sibling. But Annerose…Reinhard's sister…was the love of my life. Her death hit me just as hard, but in a different way. And if I were to ever lose Rein…"

His throat stung and swallowing became difficult from the lump that developed there. "I'd probably want to burn the world down too…and me along with it. Just the thought of it leaves me hollow."

Reinhard himself knew that if he lost the other man, he would be like a butterfly with its wings ripped off—crippled and doomed to follow the other in death.

Another thought had him look down at his commanding officer severely, "Annerose and Kirchies were my pillars. With my sister gone, he was all I had left to lean on. You lost your brother, and yes, what you're feeling will not go away overnight, or even in a fortnight. But what you're doing is not going to relieve you. And remember what you DO still have, who you still have left to live for. Remember that you still have a pillar…and right now, I'm betting he currently thinks he has none."

Sabo felt like he had been dunked into the waters of the glacial North Blue the wind was knocked out of him so fast. Gradually the aggression began to melt out of him. Why had he forgotten so fast? In his desire to take the blame on himself, he had forgotten how hurting himself would ultimately hurt the one person he had left.

Luffy…

As if just the thought summoned the spirit of the gale itself. a mistral air current violently swept through the training grounds. A cold, frigid voice joined it. "You should listen to them, soldier."

All three froze at the sound and Reinhard sighed before murmuring wryly up to his partner, "You might have mentioned the Hawk was out here."

(In the northernmost parts of the West Blue, when sudden subarctic wind gusts came through with a cold that cut through right to the bone, the locals referred to it colloquially as "The Hawk". Saying things like, "best be careful, the Hawk's out tonight" or "you'd better bundle up, the Hawk's out there".

From the moment the Binary Stars had met the leader of the R. A., he had reminded them of those cutting, brutal winds–efficient, devastating, and purposeful. And so they had taken to referring to him as "Hawk" when speaking casually or to each other. Dragon himself didn't mind either way.)

Kircheis murmured back, "You know if he doesn't wish it, nobody can sense his presence."

Rien stood up and at attention to his boss. "Sir."

From out of the darkness of the cloud-filled night, Monkey D. Dragon came forward, his stormy expression made his present mood quite obvious. "Get to bed you two, we'll talk in the morning. Leave my second to me."

They both saluted before walking away without a word. The two had said what they had to say and had accomplished what they had set out to do when they had accepted the "training" in the first place. They could only hope their commander-in-chief could help their chief of staff the rest of the way—for both his own good and for the future of the cause.

Dragon's entrance to the field sent any onlookers scuttling off, leaving only himself and his second in command alone.

The man watched the younger carefully. Sabo hadn't looked at him since he arrived, only bothering to watch the sky blankly with a thoughtful look on his face. He had been angry, but also fearful of what the blond might do in his compromised state.

Thankfully, it looked like the Binary Stars had gotten through to him either with their words or actions, though probably a combination of both. And it looked as if they had worn down whatever adrenaline had been keeping the young man on his feet.

For a while, neither of them spoke. However, with the night waning on and that he wished to have the boy inside and attended to as soon as possible, Dragon decide to take the initiative.

"Your actions…foolish as they were, are understandable. However, if you need to work off your anger, I can suggest several better avenues than trying to take on the Binary Stars."

Sabo still not looking at him, smiled wryly, "I can take them."

The brunet raised an eyebrow, "Reinhard handled you expertly. And even if you had somehow overpowered him, Kircheis was waiting in the wings with a tranquilizer."

He snorted with a dry laugh. He had wondered why the redhead was hanging back. "Okay, maybe I could have taken them if I was thinking straight and not…and not…"

The smile fell from his face and with the anger drained from out of him, all that was left with the monstrous sorrow that had been waiting just underneath it. He had thought he had exhausted all his tears, and yet somehow, even more, found their way back.

His vision wavered and his voice choked with a sob and even with his skill, there was no mask that he could raise to hold it all in. Any facade he had built for others or even for himself, was collapsing in on itself.

"W-Why Dragon…w-why did you… sob …why did you…take me from them?"

The man's dark eyes softened and he sat down on the ground by the boy's weeping prone form. His hand slowly reached over and stroked through the blond's curled strands.

"I'm sorry for Portgas' death, Sabo. I'm sorry I never put it together before now. That night…the fire…you were trying to get to him and Luffy, weren't you? When we first met."

Dragon had mentioned years ago that he had remembered first meeting Sabo in Goa Kingdom near the city gates. He knew about Grey Terminal and the holocaust that occurred there as simple events. But Sabo had never really paid attention to why he had been so close to the gates that late at night in the first place.

The thought made the tears run even faster. "It was my fault…I should have never gone out that day…I should have never left them…"

Dragon continued to let the boy cry, not bothering to respond. It wouldn't have made much of a difference and Reinhard and Kircheis had said basically everything he could have. He knew Sabo had taken the words to heart even if he was too… everything …to do anything about it at the moment.

No, all he could do was allow his presence to continue to ground and assuage him. He had already decided that when Sabo was ready and he was able to ascertain his location, he would send him to Luffy's side for a time. Both boys would need each other no doubt.

Eventually, his sobs began to quiet and his consciousness began to dim. It seems his body had had all it could take.

Sabo could only think to ask one more thing as he felt the man who raised him, lift his listless body up off the ground. "Is…is Luffy okay?"

Dragon looked down at the young man in his arms for a moment before answering. "He's alive according to the last report."

He didn't embellish. He hadn't had any other word since Lily's report (another reason to contact her) and he had yet to hear from Ivankov on his son's condition. He could only hope that his strength and D. blood would carry him through–for both his sake and the boy he carried.

And it seemed that that confirmation of life was really all that he really needed at the moment. At hearing it, Sabo seemed to relax whatever tension was left in him. He murmured drowsily, "That's good…I really wanna see him…even if…even if he spits in my face…and never wants to see me again…I still wanna see him…just for a moment…"

He drifted off and from the sound of his breathing, he had blessedly gone to sleep rather than complete unconsciousness.

As Dragon carried him back to the compound, he spoke softly to his sleeping charge.

"If you think that Luffy won't be over the moon and back to see you, Sabo...you know my son less than I do."

The Next Day, on the Renata

Ace was mildly surprised to see a faint blush across the angel's face. Did angels regularly do that? And why? Was it something he said? Or were angels just regularly embarrassed?

The weight on his eyelids increased tenfold and he was losing the battle to keep them open. They slid shut again, a relief from the light, but thankfully he didn't fall back into unconsciousness.

A light titter of amusement came from the angel and he found he savored the melodic sound.

She spoke once more, "Commander? I know you—"

"Ace." He spoke up as he continued resting his eyes.

She paused at the interruption. "Pardon?"

"It's just 'Ace', Ange. 'Commander' is just for subordinates."

"Okay...Ace. Where do you think you are right now?"

Well, that was a silly question. Shouldn't an angel know where she was?

"Heaven, obviously. Or…perhaps it's called 'Paradise'? Though that's going to be really weird to someone like me who's used to sailing the Grand Line."

There was a pause for a moment before the lady spoke again, this time instead of amusement, there was a sympathetic tone with a trace of concern. "Commander…Ace…I know this might come as a bit of a shock, but…you're not in Heaven."

He raised an eyebrow with a bit of a smirk wondering what she was trying to play at.

"Of course it is. My mom's here, and she would never be anywhere else." Of that, he was absolutely sure.

There was another pause, a bit more of a pregnant one this time, but then he heard felt the angel take his hand in hers. Her touch was still as soft as when she had touched his face.

"Can you feel this?" She ran her fingernail back and forth along the palm of his hand.

He couldn't quite get what she was doing, but he nodded. "Sure."

She then stopped but didn't let go of his hand and instead maneuvered her fingers around to the top of it, this time pressing down gingerly on a weird lump on top of it that he hadn't quite noticed before. She moved it slightly and he felt the very slightest pinch of pain.

"Can you feel…this IV needle in your hand?"

It took a few moments for her words to register and for him to finally take stock of the feeling. An IV?

What?

What?!

Silver eyes snapped open and this time his eyes were able to adjust faster to the change in lighting.

The angel still sat there, looking at him with growing concern, but the halo of light around her had dimmed considerably. She was still quite lovely, though with a more mortal feel now.

Looking down at himself, he could see he was lying on a medical bed, wearing a medical gown (how had they ever gotten him into one of those?) and he could see quite a few bandages peaking out. He could vaguely now, if he concentrated, feel the sway of the ocean and knew he was on a ship of some kind, though not one he recognized. The room was obviously a sick bay. There were many tubes and wires connecting him to quite a few machines.

His first instinct was to reach for them all and rip them all out, but for some reason, his arms weren't obeying him. In fact…other than blinking, speaking, breathing, or other minute movements, he couldn't move at all.

He began breathing faster, confusion and panic settling in. "Where the heck am I? What's going on?! Why can't I move!"

He felt an ache begin to radiate within his chest and a monitor near him began to beep weirdly. He highly doubted that one needed medical equipment in Heaven, so he wasn't there anymore… so where was he now?!

The ivory-haired woman took on a calm, professional look and her eyes and hands began to glow—was she an angel or not?—and she quickly came closer to him. With one hand she grasped onto his face, the other was held to the side, her fingers moving gently through the air in some unknown pattern.

"Comman—Ace! Ace…listen to me! Breathe with me…. In…Out…you are in no danger here…calm yourself…."

As she spoke, her eyes looking directly at him and yet slightly not, modeling her breathing for him to imitate. He began to feel the pressure letting up on his chest as he followed her lead, relaxing his chest and just concentrating on inhaling and exhaling. After a few moments of them breathing together, her eyes began to lose the glow and she smiled once again, fixing her eyes directly on his own.

"That's better….you're going to hurt yourself if you're not careful."

She released her hold and backed away a bit so that she was once again sitting at his bedside. When she had been in his personal space, he hadn't realized how much he hadn't minded it until she had left it.

"Now, Ace…I know this all has been quite a shock. But first things first…you are back among the land of the living."

While that should have been obvious, his brain was feeling rather frazzled and he could barely think straight. Still trying to take deep breaths, he closed his eyes again in an attempt to block out as much as possible. However, he needed answers!

"W-Where am I?"

The woman…angel…Ange answered, "You're on a ship called the Renata, we are currently sailing on the Grand Line."

Okay…okay…ship…Grand Line…that told him something and yet nothing.

Next question.

"Why can't I move?"

She answered that too. "You can…it's just that your body has very little energy or sustenance to do anything other than the very basics right now. Also….a large part of your spine is pretty new and it's going to take some time to get used to and relearn some things."

His spine? Why would that be…

A memory flash of searing hot, thick, devastating agony shot through his mind and if he had been capable, he would have shot up from the bed in alarm.

No, get a hold of yourself, Portgas. Think about that later. Right now, you're alone, can't move, and don't know what's going on. For once, do what Sa–what Marco would do, and think this through!

Glancing back over to those snow-crystal eyes that were watching him closely with consideration. He could thankfully feel his fire smoldering beneath the surface, which meant he wasn't completely defenseless. The maybe-angel didn't appear to mean him any harm, and while he knew he wasn't the sharpest needle in the haystack, he wasn't too terrible a judge of character. Blackbeard notwithstanding. Also, She seemed to have no problem with answering his questions so far, so he would use that to his advantage.

Taking a deep breath and deciding to rip the bandaid off, he asked the biggest question that would end up having the harshest impact on every other question going forward and his life as a whole.

"So…Ange, am I paralyzed?"

She raised an eyebrow though giving him a kind, perceptive smile. "First–I thought we had already established that this isn't Heaven? And second—be reassured, you're not paralyzed."

She got up and went over to the bottom of the bed and lifted the sheets showing his bare feet.

"Wait! What are you–"

Like she did with the palms of his hand, She ran her fingertip against the soles of his feet, back and forth in a steady pattern. "Can you feel this?"

He nodded in response, and she smiled and thankfully covered his feet back up again before speaking again. "You see? I made sure that all nerve damage was repaired. Yes, you can't move all that much yet, but it's not an issue with your nerves. It's going to take time, determination, and some physical therapy, but you'll be back on your feet in a few months."

"Wait, what? Months?!" he cried out incised.

It was good he wasn't paralyzed. Losing his ability to move and to sail and be a pirate? He might as well have stayed in the land of the dead. But he refused to be an invalid for months!

She placed her hands on her hips and for the first time, her face became deadly serious with no room for nonsense. "Yes. Months.And yes, you will follow every instruction given to you from here on. Because if you don't, and you try to rush things, you will be crippled and possibly die. Do you understand me?"

Stunned into silence and the intensity of those snow-crystal eyes, Ace could only shut up and nod.

It was a tone that reminded him of Makino when she was training him in how to speak to someone civilly. Or of his mother, when she had ordered him to not argue with her.

The thought of her brought a somberness to him. He can still remember his experiences with her….with his father….with Pops so vividly. Had it all really happened?

There was still so much he didn't understand. So much time was still missing, and his thoughts were still so muddled.

"Hey…Ange…"

She sighed in exasperation. "Seriously? Do I have to pinch you or something? You're not dead, this is not Heaven, and do I look like an angel to you?"

She gestured vigorously towards herself and to the simple blouse and pants she wore.

He regarded her with a look that said the answer was obvious.

"Of course."

And there was that blush back again. He didn't think he would ever understand the fairer sex. You answer a question truthfully and they didn't seem to believe you.

But then again, the pool of ladies that he knew and interacted with that he actually considered "ladies" was rather small. (Even less so if you counted ladies who might be angels!) So perhaps he just wasn't used to them?

Anyway, he continued with his explanation, "From your words, you suggest that it was you who repaired my body and healed the damage. And while my memory is still blanking in spots, I remember enough to know that I should be dead right now. I also knew when that bastard seared a hole through my back and I could literally feel my insides boil and cook, that there was nothing any doctor could do."

He paused for a second, as flashes in his mind to all that he had felt, seen, and experienced in that harrowing, defining moment left this hollow feeling in his chest. It was not one that he wanted to dwell on for long, and one that he never wanted to experience again. So instead he buried those feelings and memories back down again before continuing.

"So, if indeed this isn't Heaven—which I've pretty much gathered at this point that it's not—then somebody was able to miraculously bring me back to life. And when I wake up without a gaping hole in my chest or any real pain for that matter, and there's a pretty lady watching over me who I've never met, that claims to have healed me for seemingly no reason, which would have required power over basically life and death itself to pull off? You tell me what you would think?"

She looked back at him stumped at his weirdly logical reasoning. "Well, I guess if you put it that way…but still, I'm not—"

But he was already on to more important things. It really didn't matter if she was an angel or not as long as she could answer his questions.

"You said this ship is called the Renata and that we're on the Grand Line. Who's the captain, and where exactly on the Grand Line are we?"

Because no one would accuse Ace of not taking his lessons to heart this time around. He might be an invalid right now, and he might for some odd reason trust the words and actions of Ange here, but he'd been a prisoner for too long to not consider and plan for whose hands he had currently fallen into.

Yet, even beyond the question of his own safety and fate, there was a vastly more important question that he must know the answer to right now.

"And before any of that, I need you to tell me right now, where Monkey D. Luffy is."

Lily was quickly beginning to wonder if perhaps she had missed some nerve damage when it came to this pyromancer. Either that or his near-death experience had left him confused and dazed.

Not altogether unlikely, but it was interesting, to say the least, to finally see the commander—sorry, Ace—awake and animate.

She inwardly felt the warmth of accomplishment and the pride of success. Him finally awake, talking, having a personality, showing signs of remembrance–all of it made it actually real.

She should have gone and told the guys, but she hadn't wanted to leave the man by himself, especially as he still seemed a bit bewildered. However, his pointed questions were beginning to make her rethink that decision.

Currently, Lily had no idea where Strawhat Luffy was. It would all depend on where the pirate captain of the yellow submarine had decided to take him. She didn't know him very well, even his name escaped her. She only remembered that he was one of the most recent bunch of supernovas. He had seemed somewhat trustworthy, and he had risked his life to save Strawhat and the ex-warlord Jinbe from the Navy so she had to believe that he at least didn't mean either of them harm. And Jinbe seemed honorable enough to keep his eye on Luffy as his charge for the time being.

Despite all this, Ace's questions, she decided that the only way to answer them was with the truth.

"The captain of this ship right now is Red-Hair Shanks. We're currently on course for Sabaody. And I'm not sure where Strawhat Luffy is, though I'm sure that somebody on this ship will be able to find out."

Those silvery eyes seemed to flash for a moment before sharpening and rather than staring at her in a way that made her feel wanted and admirable as they had before, they became like piercing daggers full of menace and disappointment.

His voice reflected this, now as hard as stone. "I didn't know that angels could be such bad liars."

What?

Smoke began to build from his body, followed by his hair and half of his face dissolving into flames.

"Even an amateur should know that Shanks' ship is called the Red Force, not the Renata. And why would he be sailing anywhere near Sabaody? Why would I even be on his ship?! And since you lied about those two things, I'm guessing you're also lying about where brother is."

Logias didn't need to be able to move to use their attacks, Lily had learned that clearly from the last week. And she knew the Whitebeard commander was probably skilled enough to fire on her from his position on the bed. However, the danger and anger she was feeling beginning to roll off her patient weren't what concerned her. Just as before, his body was still in a weakened state, much more capable and hearty than his last outburst, but still precarious. Turing into his fire form would still do damage to his healing body.

She held up her hands in a placating non-threatening manner. "I'm not here to hurt you Ace, I wasn't lying to you. Will you give me a chance to explain?"

He frowned, "Will you tell me where Luffy is?"

"I told you, I don't know where he is. What I do know is that you're going to hurt yourself if you don't turn your fire off now."

The time he scowled, "Wrong answer, Ange. My fire is a part of me, it goes where I want even if I can't move. I'm not helpless. What are you? Marines?"

She continued to hold her hands up, though this time slowly edging up closer to him. She decided to change tactics and smiled disarmingly, "What? First an angel and now a marine? You haven't even asked me for my name yet, Portgas D. Ace."

Ace smirked, "First off, back up. Second, you lost your charm when you lied to me."

She blinked, her eyes widening in curiosity, "You find me charming?"

Thrown off by her coquettish tone, Ace could only stare at her blankly in bewilderment. It was then that she struck.

Moving quickly, using the power of cell-cell fruit she commanded the still physical parts of his body except for his heart, respiratory system, and head, to "STILL".

The fire was beginning to consume the bedding as well and the smoke alarm finally went off, blaring loudly. Good, hopefully, Shanks or Marco can come soon and deal with this.

She felt Ace's shock and resulting anger at being paralyzed and thus the fire parts of him intensified. She couldn't control his fire once it had been lit, so for that, she needed a more rudimentary tool.

Seeing the microbes that existed within the emergency buckets of water she had preemptively placed around the room after the last incident, she grabbed one and dumped it over the young pirate's head!

SPLASH!

Hmm, usually water to a devil fruit user, especially one as weakened as him, should have stopped his abilities in their tracks from the fatigue alone. Perhaps it was because it wasn't seawater, and perhaps he was harder to subdue than most? That just meant that she needed more. The sound of hissing and outraged spluttering and cursing was music to her ears.

"What the h—!"

She threw a second bucket of water over him. However, seeing he still hadn't completely reformed, she took up a third. This guy was as stubborn awake as he was when he was comatose!

"Hey! Stop tha–!"

She dumped it on his head.

In the midst of coughing and sputtering, she scanned him. There–no more flames. She didn't want to soak him too much, she didn't need him to get sick on top of all the rest of the recovering he needed to do.

She then felt the atmosphere of the room change and suddenly Schaden was teleporting into the room with Marco right in front of her!

Thank goodness. That had to be an interesting first-time experience for him. She'd have to ask him about it later.

She released her hold on Firefist and her cell sight just as Marco came up to her.

He looked over her in concern. "You okay? No burns this time?"

She smiled before shaking her head. "Yeah, surprising I know."

She glanced over the blond's shoulder at the drenched male on the bed who had gone completely silent and motionless, his young eyes wide with shock.

She then looked back at the Phoenix, gentling her expression. "But I think I've got a surprise for you this time."

Marco raised an eyebrow in question. "What, those buckets you asked for actually worke—"

It was at that moment that he turned around to survey the damage and immediately froze.

Blue eyes met silver and the entire room seemed to stand still.

Ace was looking up at the older man, his elder brother as if everything had suddenly become real to him. That he was really here. That this wasn't a dream or metaphysical phenomenon. That he was truly alive.

With his back to her, she couldn't see Marco's expression, but if she knew him even a little bit by now, along with what she could observe of his body language, it was pretty obvious how he was feeling.

The two stared at each other for several full moments before one of them spoke. Interestingly, it was Ace.

"Marco?" He whispered quietly, the disbelief obvious. "You're here?"

The blond captain still said nothing, his words completely robbed of him.

Ace's words seemed to break through whatever shock that had paralyzed the other, and even before she could blink, the blond had already embraced the other fully in his arms.

Ace couldn't move his arms to reciprocate, but it didn't seem to matter. Marco seemed to intrinsically know this (either that or he didn't care) as he fully picked him up, his arms transforming into fiery blue wings, surrounding Firefist like a bird nestling its lost chick. She guessed there was probably a wild side to the mythical zoan user that was doing exactly that.

Lily's heart was full as she observed the emotional reunion, and she was sure that there was not a dry eye in the room.

She beamed happily content before waving to Schaden and the two of them slipping out of the room.

'So the Commander finally woke up. I knew you could do it, Lily.'Schaden spoke quietly as they made their way through the halls.

"I had a lot of help, including yours. It was a team effort." She shrugged simply happy that they had accomplished what they set out to do and that everything had turned out right.

'Yeah, but come on! Everyone knows they couldn't have done it without—'

The Cimmerian was cut off by the strange buzzing noise. It seemed to be coming from within him.

'One second.'

He opened up a portal within himself and pulled out a ringing transponder snail. He looked at it for a second before handing it to his partner.

'Hmm, it must be HQ. It's been a while since I left them my message.'

"Perhaps they were really busy?" Lily took the snail to a secluded corner before switching it on.

After a second, the voice on the other spoke, speaking one-half of several passcodes given to them before their assignment. She glanced over at Scha. It was instantly obvious who was calling even if it hadn't been the one they were expecting.

"As I ring these bells tonight…"

Lily answered with the other half, "...my cold, dark tower seems so bright."

"Line is secure, White Egret. I apologize for the late response. It took time to get to me. Bluejay is currently unavailable. Are you and Black Heron safe?"

Her back straightened a little as she spoke to her boss. "We're safe Golden Eagle. I'm sure you were informed that we had to abandon the assignment."

Dragon gave a sound of affirmation, "I told you it was highly probable, it's no matter. Your safety is more important. Give me a status report from the war."

"Yes, sir." Lily spoke about everything she had seen and heard during the war. Some things that had been reported and some that had conveniently been left out of the newspaper's account.

After she had finished, Dragon spoke quietly, "Thank you for what you did for the…eaglet."

She nearly laughed at the impromptu code name that had been given to StrawHat. "It was a pleasure, sir. Though I'm sorry to say I don't know his current status. Though Hyacynith Macaw might, he was following I believe."

Ivankov had been with the other escaped convicts as far as she knew and had probably met up with StrawHat Luffy in Impel Down. Dragon could probably get more information from him.

The gruff man nodded, "I'll do that when he reports in. What's your current status, Heron mentioned complications."

She paused, thinking back to her recalcitrant patient not far away. He had been able to use his fire to defend and threaten, but it would do nothing to a truly skilled opponent, not one that was truly after his life, not with his body so compromised. She felt a fierce wave of protectiveness come over her. Ace was her patient and she would safeguard him as long as he could not protect himself. She trusted Dragon, and the R.A. dealt with secrets every day, but she still needed to be sure.

"The line is secure, sir?"

The was a pause for a moment, and then she heard the closing latch of a door and then the movement of a window and then the whistling of the wind and then nothing.

Finally, Dragon spoke up again, "Report."

"Sir, I'm currently still in Paradise between Marineford and Sabaody."

"You haven't made much progress, are you lying low? Are you being tracked?"

She shook her head, "That's not the reason sir. I…I broke protocol while still on Marineford sir. And it caught the notice of Marco the Phoenix and Red-Hair Shanks. I'm a ship with them and some of Red-Hair Pirates at the moment."

He paused, "The Whitebeards and the Red-Hairs? Makes sense considering how the war ended, but why are they keeping you two hostage? Let me speak with them."

She shook her head, quick to redress him of the situation. "No sir, not a hostage. I–"

He spoke briskly, "What protocol did you break?"

Lily exhaled slowly, getting her thoughts in order. She was a Revolutionary darn it! She could do this. "I'm sure sir that the newspapers by now have reported the death of Portgas D. Ace."

There was a pause of silence for a few seconds before she heard a weary sigh. "Yes…of course."

"They were wrong, sir."

She could feel his attention on her through the snail. "Wrong about what?"

"While I was on the battlefield, I saw something that no one else saw. Something that even I would have missed if I hadn't been using my powers at the time. Sir—Portgas D. Ace is alive."

There was complete silence on the other end of the line. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard.

Lily and Schaden looked at each other. They had kind of expected more of a reaction. In fact, as second after second continued to pass and it was getting to the point of a full minute, they began to wonder if the line had gone dead or if the snail had gone to sleep.

Eventually, the voice of Golden Eagle–Monkey D. Dragon–was heard once again, but this time they heard something they had never heard in his voice before—incredulity.

"Could you repeat that, again?"

Hey everyone! Long time, no see. With all the holidays and school out it was a lot of work that had to get done before I could post again. But here we are!

A belated Christmas present!🎄🎁🎄

So now Dragon knows, Marco reunites with Ace, and yes, Ace's nickname for Lily will stick. (She just has no luck getting people to call her what she wants them to call her.😄)

By the way, he calls her "Ange" as in the French word for "angel" and he pronounces it that way as well. The reason will come up later, but just to give you that small snippet for now.

Always enjoy your comments and thank you for your support!