What If [Ace & Sabo] Oneshot

Them

A few days ago

.

.

.

The gentle, soft waft blows the blond locks of hair. The wavy hair flies up and down, hiding the gleaming eyes and the tears escaping them.

Sabo, the Chief of Staff from the Revolutionary Army. A powerful, noble young man, one of the strongest of his generation.

Now, he is more like the child he was a long time ago. And the time that was lost for almost a decade now floods his mind like black, boiling pitch as he sits by this tomb.

The dark ink of grief taints his thoughts and memories about a bold, freckled little boy who had a smile warm and bright like the Sun itself.

Sabo got that treasure back to lose it again right away, and it left a wound that nothing can heal.

The blonde's wide muscles tense, and he starts trembling.

Waterdrops fall and meet the sake in one of the three little bowls, representing the old promise that changed his life.

"Forgive me, Ace," he whispers desperately, touching his forehead to ease the pain forming behind his skull. "Forgive me."

He leans forward and shivers again, opposite the grave of his chosen brother, the first human he ever loved. The first who ever cared for him.

The first soul of this world who showed him what a real bond, trust, and friendship feel like.

His first family, even before Luffy.

And Sabo forgot it for such a long time after his injury, not knowing that his brothers went through the same pain he's facing now.

For so long, he breathed, laughed, and lived while he couldn't remember the children and the past that formed his heart into its current shape.

And now, he came to say goodbye since there isn't anything else left he could tell.

Ace is gone.

But farewells should be heard in the other world, right? He must be listening.

At least he is closer to the Sun, warmer, in the embrace of the clouds and the night sky.

He's hugging his mother again, the bravest woman of the Four Seas.

He must have found peace even there, right?

He died smiling, with no regrets.

"But you must be worried about Luffy," continues Sabo silently, biting his lower lip for a moment to gather his strength to keep talking. "But I promise I will do everything I can so he won't get hurt. Whenever he needs me, I'll be there for him, even if his adventures are his own. Our little brother."

The dark eyes close, and the blonde almost makes his thighs bleed as he claws his skin, using physical pain to stay conscious.

"Our little brother will be the King of the Pirates!" he cries out, bowing down to the ground opposite the three cups of sake. "Please watch over him, Ace."

His voice breaks.

"Please watch over me too."

.

.

.

And he freezes when a kind hand touches his back with slight pressure.

Sabo doesn't dare to breathe or move, only his heart beats faster and faster. Even the black ink recedes that poisons his mind.

A long minute passes with each second the length of myriads of years before he dares to look up, lifting his head from the silky, green grass.