An Ocean's Embrace

Together in the Sea

 The sensation of chilled liquid wrapping it self around his entire body was what greeted him upon regaining consciousness. A watery feeling gliding over his limbs in a serene moment, pushing him down saying 'you do not need to move any more, it is all fine now. Calm.'. Ace could not honestly say he disliked it in the least.

Laying there, he just let himself enjoy the time in that perfect moment. Eyes closed and hair floating around his face, making him feel like the angel he never saw within his blood.

Slowly, his brain functions caught up with his surroundings, although it was hard as his mind felt groggy not unlike waking up from a nice long nap. Had he been in any state of mind other than his placid one, his first instinct would have been to panic. He was a devil fruit user, water was his natural weakness and he could tell, even with his eyes closed, that he was currently fully enclosed within the ocean's silky environment.

In the end though, he could not find it in himself to stress over his situation, it certainly did not feel like he was dying, but if you asked him he would not be able to say it felt like he was living either, his state felt more like he was just there, content.

Finally working up the will, Ace lethargically slid open his eyelids in order to see his surroundings. And what a picturesque view it was. Ace could see clear blueness climbing up into the heavens for what felt like forever, sun glittering on the water surface creating patches of sunlight on the sandy ocean floor that he too resided upon. He had never been able to see his should be natural number one enemy like this before, as when ever he was in a position to he was too busy freaking out over the possibility of dying when he knew he still had way too much to do, a promise to keep.

Ace lifted one of his hands up, relishing in the frigid cold that nibbled at his skin due to the movement, he had not experienced this level of cold in such a long time, Ace could not help but think of it as a treat rather than bother himself with worrying over the implications of such a temperature. As the hand came into his sight, he found himself distracted by it. Turning it around so he could thoroughly examine it, he found his mouth opening and letting out a much too high pitched giggle. His hand was tiny! he was tiny! he was a child once again.

Using his shrunken hands, Ace struggled to push his upper body off the sea floor, not used to the weak feeling that swept over his body. It was akin to how he would feel right before a narcoleptic attack, but more passive and friendly than the overwhelming darkness that dragged him off into unconsciousness. After finally righting himself Ace looked around, the blue colour of the ocean went on forever, getting darker the further distanced from his position. Inhabiting the space was corals, rocks and all sorts of underwater items, sitting there just waiting to be explored, seen and appreciated. Ace could not stop his mind from calling the whole experience so far magical.

"Beautiful, isn't it? That's what I thought when I first woke up here." The voice came from behind Ace, the tone of it clearly communicating to him that the owner was still in the throes of childhood much like he himself was at the moment. It did not take Ace long to figure out who the voice belonged to, it was the exact same voice that still rang in his ears every time he remembered his absolute failure concerning his sworn brother that transpired all those years ago.

Reluctantly, he swiveled around to face the speaker, not wanting to possibly turn around and find that the voice he had heard had simply been a manifestation of an over active imagination. Those dreary thoughts were kicked to the curb, however, when he came face to face with that same overbearing smile that had plagued Ace's dreams for ever so long. Gradually, Ace moved his hand forwards, halting his action just before touching that oh so familiar bright blue coat, he looked up into the eyes of his friend, searching for permission. His answer was Sabo softening his grin, reaching out his own hand and grasping Ace's in his own gentle grip, with a tenderness that had they been on Dawn Island as children would not have existed in the first place.

Intentions reciprocated, Ace lurched forwards causing water to rush by him, pushing his hair back and revealing his eyes positively glowing with the happiness he felt. Ace brought the blonde into a bone-crushing embrace. The two boys sat there on the water logged ground, arms wrapped too tightly around each other, tears invisible in the ocean's own embrace.

Faintly Ace discarded any and all notions of missing his adult body if the trade off was being able to see, to hold, his brother once again.

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This fanficiton was inspired by "XiggyMatsu's" own watery based 'One Piece' fic titled 'From The Depths'.
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'From The Depths' ID: 8761313
(Type in 8761313 and Fanfiction. net to find the fic.)