Always

I just watched a few episodes of the Dressrosa arc and I felt rather inspired! To those waiting for new chapters of my other stories, I sincerely apologize. I've wanted to post them, but I'm still unsatisfied with how they turned out, and am currently editing them. This is an entirely separate fic regarding a headcanon I recently thought up. A one shot, a really short one. Enjoy!

xxxxx

The Mera Mera fruit was a troublesome one, Sabo thought. Always flaring up, always rebelling, and sometimes it just sprang up, of its own accord, and curled around him like some kind of exotic creature of flame. Occasionally, in the dead of night, it assumed the form of a rather large cat which would sit, gazing at him with an almost- melancholy- expression. Almost like it had a spirit. Perhaps it did, Dragon-san suggested. Devil fruits, especially logias, were occasionally known to act with a will of their own, and many such users believed them to be manifestations of their own spirit.

He never actually did anything to find out about this strange phenomena. He was usually too busy, and anyway, Ace must have had been able to deal with it, so he would too. It served him well, only ever occasionally pushing against his will, and in return, he never disrespected or abused his ability. Period. That was the end of it.

But when Luffy, newly crowned Pirate King, met with the Revolutionaries, the familiar warmth always stewing at the base of his belly went conspicuously missing, there one moment and gone the next, cold dread instead weighing him down like lead when his constant companion did not respond for the first time, and he felt so naked, so cold-

And then the weighty atmosphere itself seemed to shift with an electric burst, a surge of searing heat, and Luffy was crying, and a man long dead was embracing him, tears leaking down his own young chiseled, flaming face. A choked gasp later and Sabo had leapt forward to join his brothers- what a strange word, he hadn't thought that for so long, too long- and it was perfect, because their brother who they thought had left forever had never left them, had always been with them-

They had Ace again, and it was all perfect.

Finally, life without regrets.

xxxxx

I don't mean to say that Sabo and Luffy could not live happily and move on from Ace's death, and while I don't think Oda would trivialize Ace's death, but I like happy endings. A child (soon to be teenager *sigh*)can dream. After all, I do like Ace as a character and once upon a time dreamed of him and Luffy reuniting when Luffy became the Pirate King.

Let me know what you think down there in the comments, or feel free to PM me anytime. If you've got no time, just leave a vote. Thanks for the vote!

-Arazeil