One Piece One Shots (Requests: Closed)

Replacement (Sabo, AU)

  The wind started to pick up and her hair was thrown all around her face, but she never took her eyes off a certain place. It was going to storm. She breathed out a sigh and hopped down from the wall.
  She stares back at the horizon one last time before setting off in the direction of her home. She closes the gate to the cemetery and pulls her coat closer.
  About the time when the cemetery is out of sight, a blonde haired man opens the gate with his younger brother. They both walk to a grave, the older man places some flowers on the dirt. He stands up and pulls his brother close.
  "What do you say we plant some flowers when the dirt loosens up, Luffy?" he runs his hands through Luffy's hair, "Do you think Ace would like that?"
  "I think he would!" Luffy pipes up and hugs his brother back as a gust of wind blows, "But, Sabo, why would we need to wait until the ground loosens up? What do you even mean by 'loosen up'?"
  Sabo laughs and pats Luffy's head, "Well, it's cold, so the ground is stiff, it would make it incredibly hard to dig a place to plant flowers. In other words, Luffy, we need to wait until it warms up."
  Luffy hums as he buries himself deeper into Sabo's warmth, "I'm sorry. If only I could have saved him, then you wouldn't have come back to a funeral, or feel like you're his replacement."
  "Luffy, how many times do I have to tell you, it wasn't your fault," Sabo sighs and he wraps his arms around Luffy, "If anything... it's my fault for leaving. I could've protected both of you, but remember, Ace wouldn't want us to feel like that. Smile for him."
  Luffy nods and grabs Sabo's hand, "Let's go get something to eat! I'm hungry! I want food! Food! Food!"
  Sabo laughs and follows the pull on his hand. Something glistens as he's pulled by the wall. He stops and Luffy turns to see if something was wrong. He walks over to the shining object. It is a key, he looks around, but the cemetery is deserted. He picks it up and goes to the guard. It's a surprise at how many people steal bodies in this town.
  "I found this key. Can you put it in the lost and found?" Sabo holds it out as the guard nods, "Thank you."
  Luffy and Sabo hold hands again as they open the gate. They start to walk away to the nearest restaurant as the female from earlier runs back into cemetery. Sabo hears the gate and looks back to see (h/c) strands enter inside.
  "Do you know her Sabo?" Luffy looks between him and the gate, but Sabo shakes his head, "Alright, let's get food! Food! Food!"
  Sabo smiles at Luffy's words and nods, "Alright Luffy, I heard you the first time. We get it."
  "We?" Luffy tilts his head and looks around, "Who's we, when there's no one around?"
  Sabo looks back at the cemetery and sighs, "Sorry Luffy. I guess I was... it's just a habit."
  "Oh," they both walk quietly, until Sabo gets yanked back and he falls on his back, "Sabo?!"
  "Oh... my... I'm... I'm so... I'm so sorry," a female with (h/c) hair and glossy (e/c) eyes, apologizes out of breath; her face was red and her eyes looked a bit red, like she was crying, "I was just... trying to... catch up to you. I didn't mean to... make you fall down. Y-you were the one that... found my key, right?"
   "Yeah. I guess so, but it wasn't that hard. I'm Sabo, and this is my brother Luffy," Sabo stands up and brushes off his clothes and pants, "What's your name?"
  "Oh! That's rude of me," she stands straight up and sticks out her hand, "I'm (Y/n)! Thank you so much for finding my key! And I'm sorry for knocking you down! Is there anything I can do to repay you?"
  "Personally, I don't care, but I think Luffy would appreciate it if you could treat us to some food," he shrugs, "Other than that, there's really nothing."
  "Wonderful! Where do you want to eat?" she smiles, but she isn't looking at Sabo, she's looking at Luffy.
  "Uhm... whatever's close!" Luffy smiles, "Which means... Sanji!!!!!"
  He takes off running in the direction of Baratie. Sabo laughs as he follows, she stays a few feet away from him, but follows. He looks at her out of the corner of his eye and she looks away blushing.
  "Why are you so far away from me?" he calls out and she jumps slightly, "I don't bite."
  She laughs and goes beside him, "I'm just not used to walking beside people. I don't really know a lot of people who want to walk next to me... actually... I think... they'd rather step on me."
  He sighs, "Sounds like you've had it hard. Who were you visiting?"
  Huh? Is he being serious? She stays silent and he doesn't push her. He is. Isn't he? He doesn't know? He reminds me of her, but he's not her. Everyone's heard about it, maybe he just doesn't care?
  "You don't have to tell me. If it's really that hard. I visit my brother. My other brother. He died a couple months ago. I was away on a job, but apparently... the house we were living in caught on fire. He pushed Luffy out of the door before the whole thing crashed down on him. It was his responsibility, as the oldest, to make sure Luffy got out safely," he swallows, "But then who's job was it to make sure he got out safely? We were all supposed to... help each other out, but I didn't do anything."
  She looks at him with a sad look in her eyes, "But you did do something, Luffy's happy now."
  "Yeah, but now... I feel as if I just took Ace's place. I don't just want to replace him. I'm now the oldest, but it doesn't feel like it. I don't want to take his place, but if I don't, then Luffy might not... he won't know what to do. Sure he already seventeen and I can't baby him forever, but he's my brother. He's growing up, he can't take care of himself right now, so it rests on the oldest to teach him, but I don't feel like I deserve this. This job... was reserved for Ace, as his real blood relative," Sabo looks up and smiles at Luffy waving them down our front the restaurant.
  "Let's go slowkey pokeys!!!!" he runs into the door and Sabo shortly follows him.
  Sabo pokes his head out before going completely in, "Oh, what was they key for? It's too small to be a house key."
  He told me his story I guess I should tell him mine. She smiles smelly, "I don't know... it's a family heirloom. I got it from-"
  "I don't need to know it you feel uncomfortable. Thanks for the thought," Sabo wipes a tear from her cheek, "Come inside when you feel you're okay. I won't eat without you. I can't guarantee Luffy, but I won't."
  She watches him go and thinks back to what he said as she enters. A replacement, huh? Don't we all feel that way every once in a while. No one wants to be one, but when people rely on a leader, you get cast into that role anyway. And I'm ready to tell you, I can trust you, I know I can.

  "It was my mother."

~Replacement End~

A/n: I guess for this oneshot, I really wanted to focus on the fact that people like to cast Sabo as a replacement for Ace. It really pisses me off too, because Sabo is his own person, he goes through different struggles, he's not Ace. He took on Ace's devil fruit to make sure his dream was achieved, to make it that he didn't really die in vain. It sucks when I see Sabo as a replacement, I get it sometimes, but it's just not fair to him. Sabo, honestly deserves better. He deserves to find his own love, not take on Ace's old love. It'd be cute if he were to fall for her, but she can't just think of him as a replacement, she has to love him for himself. Not because of the fact that he was Sabo's brother and/or close friend, or that he reminds her of him. I'm sorry for this rant, please tell me what you think.