Author Note: I'm posting a little earlier than I would normally but it's in honour of the fact we have 31 days (that's only one month!) left until we can feast our eyes on the Episode of Sabo!

This now wildly AU after the events of chapter 794 (yes, I am still picking up the pieces of my broken heart, please tread carefully!) and is based on the idea that Kuma had yet to have his final modification before Marineford.

Big thank you to Mithril Lace, aka nee-chan, for beta'ing for me ;) I really would be lost with her! If you haven't already, you need to check out her fics, they're awesome! I'm also judging you nee-chan, because I cannot get Angemon's voice out of my head!

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Hand of Fate

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Ace released a burst of spitting flames at the marines that dared approach him. Ignoring the panicked screams, he spared a glance to his right to see Luffy deflecting a barrage of bullets with a fierce cry. Despite the desperate situation, with pirates and marines battling violently all around them, Ace couldn't help but smile proudly as Luffy fought alongside him.

"We need to keep moving, Luffy," he called as his younger brother rejoined him. Luffy nodded, wiping a sweaty hand across his brow, smearing blood and grime across his head. Ace frowned, concerned at the amount of blood seeping from the various cuts and scrapes he could see littering his brother's body. They needed to get out of the plaza now, he admitted. The pirates and marines were both trying to regain the momentum following the collapse of the execution platform, and the side that did would ultimately be the winner. Ace wanted Luffy to be as far away as possible when that happened. His brother had done enough; he didn't need to be anywhere near this place anymore.

Ace gently pushed Luffy forwards, mindful of any further injuries that might be hidden under the once yellow shirt. Casting a quick glance around, he guided Luffy around the shattered scaffolding and towards the area where he could see Marco's flames bursting into life not too far away.

Preoccupied with trying to keep the Phoenix in sight, Ace somehow didn't notice the hulking form of the Warlord until Luffy yelped in alarm and came to an abrupt halt. Ace immediately tugged Luffy behind him and glared up at the bible wielding man.

"Straw-hat Boy! Run!"

"Iva-chan!" Luffy cried, spotting the okama half buried under a large slab and struggling desperately to free himself.

"I had hoped not to meet you again, Straw Hat," said Kuma, his quiet voice carrying easily despite the noise of the battlefield echoing around them. "It seems fate is against us," he commented idly.

"You've met this guy before, Luffy?" Ace asked. Pressed up against his back as he was, he felt a shudder run through Luffy instantly.

"Yeah, on Sabaody," Luffy gasped. "He's the reason my nakama aren't here. I have no idea where they are, he separated us."

Ace's heart clenched as he listened to Luffy. He knew his brother's worst fear was being alone; he'd never made a secret of it. He glared up at the man responsible for his brother's current heartache.

"Stay close, Luffy," he growled, flames erupting from his arms. "We're getting out of here already."

Unfortunately, it was very much a case of easier said than done. The Warlord's very presence was enough to keep the marines from approaching, which gave Luffy a much needed breather, but every wave of fire Ace shot at Kuma was easily batted away. It was like the man was swatting at flies, the pirate thought with a snarl as he dodged a blast of air. He raised his fist in retaliation but the Warlord was no longer in front of him. His eyes darted around in alarm before a sharp cry had Ace whirling back to face the spot he knew his brother had been standing. His eyes widened with horror as one of Kuma's enormous hands slammed into his brother, sending him crashing into a pile of rubble.

"Luffy!" Ace screamed, dashing forward. Heart pounding, he shoved aside a boulder and grabbed onto Luffy's arm, pulling him straight up and out before anything else could collapse onto him. The young pirate emerged coughing and spluttering, his eyes watering heavily. Whether it was from the dust or pain, Ace wasn't quite sure.

Heavy footfalls caught his attention and Ace turned to see Kuma coming to a halt a short distance away.

Urgently, Ace glanced around to see if he could catch the attention of any of his crew but all of them were engaged in their own struggles.

"Kuma! Leave them alone!" Ivankov screamed, still trying to free himself from his makeshift prison. "Ace-boy, get your brother out of here already!"

"How?" Ace shouted, pulling a trembling Luffy to his feet, fear and desperation building as he considered the very real possibility that they wouldn't be getting out of this in one piece. "In case you hadn't noticed, your friend keeps blocking our way!"

"Ace," Luffy gasped before his knees gave out. Ace managed to catch him before he hit the ground.

"It seems you're in quite the predicament," Kuma noted, staring down at them impassively.

Ace threw the man a fierce glare as he shifted ever so slightly to cover Luffy from any potential incoming attacks.

"Sorry, Ace" Luffy muttered, leaning heavily against his shoulder, exhaustion finally getting the better of him.

"It's okay," Ace reassured him, trying to smile despite his own terror. "We're going to get out of here. Just let me deal with this guy."

Luffy's head jerked up and he made a weak lunge for his brother's arm. "No! He'll send you away like my crew! Ace, you can't-"

"Sabo."

Ace and Luffy stared at each other dumbly for several seconds as the familiar name washed over them. In unison, they slowly turned to stare at the man towering over them.

"What did you just say?" Ace whispered, uncaring that his voice was shaking.

"Sabo," Kuma repeated softly, causing Luffy to choke back a cry. "I see the name holds meaning to you. I had wondered. Your names aren't that common, after all."

Ace drew in a shuddering breath. "Where did you hear that name?" he demanded, unable to think of anyone who could have told the Warlord of their brother. Garp briefly crossed his mind but the old man was notoriously private and he couldn't imagine him discussing his grandsons over a cup of tea with a pirate. The very idea was laughable. "How did you hear about Sabo?" he growled.

"Monkey D. Dragon," said Kuma simply. Ace's eyes widened in disbelief and his stomach lurched uncomfortably. "He saved a child after he was shot by a Celestial Dragon." The Warlord tilted his head to one side curiously. "Would you like to see Sabo?"

"See Sabo?" Luffy asked and Ace saw a small spark light up in his eyes at the very thought of being able to see their brother again.

"Ignore him, Luffy," said Ace frantically, grabbing his brother's skinny shoulders and forcing Luffy's gaze away from Kuma. "We can't see him. Sabo is dead," he continued firmly, hating himself and Kuma for forcing him to say the words he loathed most in the world. There was no possible way they were talking about the same person; they couldn't be. "He's dead," Ace repeated, wrapping an arm around Luffy as his brother sank into his side with a small whimper.

"Yes," the Warlord nodded slightly. Ace growled low in his throat, silver eyes flashing dangerously. "But marines can't hunt dead men, can they?"

"Haha! That's brilliant!"

"Er, Thatch, what's so funny? And you're burning your potatoes."

"Crap! Here, Ace, check out this report Izo just sent us from the New World!"

"What is it?"

"A Revolutionary has been giving the marines hell! Izo saw him and some marines going at it on one of Pop's islands where they've been restocking and he said the guy had them running in circles!"

"So? It's not exactly difficult to mess with those guys."

"So, Izo said some of the attacks the guy was using were downright reckless! Like your level of reckless-"

"Hey!"

"-he was breaking their weapons left and right with his bare hands! And Izo overheard some Vice-Admiral moaning afterwards that they couldn't find any records on the guy! They have a couple of crummyphotos and a name but their intelligence force still can't find anything! It's like he never existed. Man, I wish I could've seen that though. All we're doing is sitting here. I'm so bored I'm tempted to prank Teach and I think I still have the bruises from the last time I tried that."

"Pops said there's an expedition on the next island. Maybe you'll find something interesting there. And what was this Revolutionary guy's name?"

"Sabo."

Ace's breath caught in his throat as the memory from months ago resurfaced. When Thatch had told him the Revolutionary's name, he'd simply pushed aside the familiar ache in his chest that threatened to overwhelm him every time he thought of the blond who had been cruelly taken from them. 'Sabo' wasn't such an uncommon name after all and their brother certainly couldn't have been the only one in the world.

"Ace?" Luffy's quiet and unsure voice dragged Ace back into the present. He glanced down to see Luffy blinking rapidly, his dark eyes drooping with exhaustion and his body fast falling limp within his brother's grasp.

"Sabo's…"Ace trailed off, unable to voice the forbidden word aloud. He turned back to Kuma who was standing over them silently and it was only then that Ace realised the enormous body was actually shielding the two pirates from the rest of the battlefield. "He's…"

Kuma nodded once before raising his hand. Luffy winced at the motion and Ace immediately guessed what was coming next as the man loomed over them.

"Do give him my regards when you see him," Kuma requested quietly. "I'm afraid the next time we meet, it will be as enemies."

Mind swirling with a mixture of adrenaline and shock, Ace could only clutch Luffy tighter to him as he stared into impassive eyes.

"Why?" he asked softly. "Why are you doing this?"

Kuma paused, arm raised aloft. Time seemed to slow down. The noise and smell of the carnage around them all but disappeared as the two pirates gazed at each other.

"Because…I made a promise to a ten year old boy that he would see his brothers again," Kuma whispered before his hand came swinging down.

Ace slammed his eyes shut as Marineford blinked out of existence with a small 'pop'.

xxx

"Sabo, please sit down. You're wearing a hole in the floor," Koala pleaded softly.

Sabo sighed heavily before flinging himself into a chair which creaked ominously. He dragged a hand roughly through his blond locks.

"Stop that already," Koala scolded, slapping his hand gently away from his head with a small frown. "You'll go bald at this rate," she tried to tease.

"Right now that's the least of my worries," he said, dropping his head onto the large desk with a heavy thud. "Where would Kuma have sent them?" he groaned in despair, fear and anxiety eating away at him in equal measures as he pictured the dozens of scenarios his brothers could be facing, injured and alone after being flung from Marineford.

Koala shrugged helplessly as she flicked listlessly through the various newspapers which had been piling up on the desk. They'd already combed through them front to back for any news on the two missing pirates but they had found nothing. They were just filled with article after article of the marines' feeble excuses as to how they'd allowed one of the Warlords to lose their trump card against the Whitebeard Pirates, who had also managed to escape Marineford after Fire Fist Ace's sudden disappearance.

"Why the hell wasn't I there?" Sabo asked for the hundredth time in three days.

Koala sighed. "We're not anywhere near Marineford, Sabo. Even if we had heard of Ace's execution in time, we wouldn't have been able to reach him," she explained patiently.

Sabo snorted. He honestly didn't care for logical explanations. Both his brothers had been involved in a full scale war and he hadn't been there for them. I'll never forgive myself if something terrible happened to one of them, he thought remorsefully.

"What did Ivankov say happened again?" Sabo asked, almost desperately.

Koala watched him sympathetically as he rose from his chair and started pacing again. "Just that Kuma quite literally discarded him and moved onto Ace and Luffy. He said he saw Kuma talking to them before he sent them flying but he wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying."

"And Kuma didn't say anything to anyone? Not even to the Admirals?" the blond wondered, knowing how persuasive the high ranked marines could be.

Koala shook her head. "Ivankov said he heard both Sengoku and Akainu shouting at him but he apparently refused to say anything."

Sabo sighed wearily, scrubbing a hand roughly through his hair again as he stared out the window, which looked out across the small fields. They'd been staying at the Revolutionary outpost for a few weeks now as they dealt with a small scale weapons trade in the area, and while at the time Sabo had been glad for a change of pace, he now regretted being so far away that when news did finally reach them, it was already days old. If he had been back at Baltigo, he may have stood a chance of helping Ace.

"Maybe Dragon-san and Kuma had a plan for if something like this happened," the brunette suggested, although she didn't sound very convinced by her own train of thought. "It's certainly not the first encounter Luffy had with Kuma that he's escaped from. You could ask Dragon-san when we next see him. We're supposed to be back in Baltigo by the end of the month," she added.

Sabo didn't respond as he sat back down at the large table. He carefully picked up the two wanted posters, his brothers' grinning faces staring back at him.

"I just want to know they're safe," he muttered, gently tracing along the familiar scar running under Luffy's eye.

"I know you do," said Koala. "But unless you can think of where he'd send them, we can't go looking for them."

"That's just it," Sabo all but growled, tossing the posters aside in his frustration. "I can't think of anywhere that would be safe for them right now! And it's not like any of us can walk up to Kuma and ask him!"

"What about Dawn Island?" Koala threw out.

"The marines know where we're from, it'll be one of the first places they'll look," he said, before frowning thoughtfully. "Ace was born in South Blue. Kuma might've-"

A resounding crash from outside had them both leaping to their feet in alarm. Through the window, they could see a small cloud of dust rising from a large impact point. The two turned to each other in astonishment. They'd seen and experienced that technique too many times to not recognise it on sight.

"He wouldn't have, would he?"

Sabo didn't reply. He was out the room like a shot, dashing down the narrow corridor and ignoring the several startled faces that were peering curiously out of the many rooms of the base. He barely heard Koala yelling after him as he yanked the main door open and rushed around the side of the building towards the fields and the enormous paw shaped crater.

"How the hell did he know we were here?" Koala panted in disbelief as she caught up to him.

Sabo skidded to an abrupt halt. He stopped breathing as he spotted the two dark heads through the slowly settling dust. Neither one was moving.

"I'll get the doctor and Hack," said Koala shortly as she darted away for help.

Sabo carefully lowered himself into the hole, mindful not to tread on the two injured pirates. He grimaced as he quickly took in the many bruises decorating the pair. How many of them had been acquired on the battlefield and how many were from clutching each other tightly during their escape, Sabo couldn't be sure. He gently ran a hand up and down Luffy's back, calling his name softly but his little brother didn't respond. Brow furrowed in concern, Sabo cautiously set about trying to untangle him from their brother's hold when Ace groaned.

Sabo's heart leapt as grey eyes fluttered open. The pirate blinked several times, gaze darting every which way as he tried to take in his new surroundings. Sabo spotted the exact moment Ace realised Luffy was barely within his grasp. An arm lunged forward, fingers clutching weakly at Luffy's ruined shirt.

"Not...Lu…"

Sabo's heart nearly broke at the whispered words. "Ace," he called, voice breaking as he shifted slightly, mindful of Luffy still limp in his arms and leant over his confused brother. He gently touched a bare shoulder and grey eyes flickered to him. Sabo tried to smile encouragingly despite the fact he wanted nothing more than to burst into tears, snatch up his two brothers and never let go. "Ace, you need to let go of Luffy. You're both safe now, okay? But I need to get you both to the doctor," Sabo tried explaining, not sure how much Ace was able to take in.

Ace stared at him as though in a daze. Sabo blinked in surprise as a trembling hand reached up to touch his face. Feather light fingers smeared a trail of dirt and grime across the scarred cheek. "Sabo?" Ace finally whispered, recognition finally dawning in his eyes.

Sabo nodded quickly. "Yeah, it's me," he gasped out, struggling desperately to keep hold of his own emotions as a few stray tears trailed down Ace's freckled face. "I'm here, you're safe, but you need to let go of Luffy now, alright?" Ace frowned at the suggestion, instincts still obviously screaming at him to protect their brother. Sabo had to smile. Who'd have thought that the angry, lonely child Ace once was could've turned into such an overprotective brother? Sabo hated himself more than a little for missing such a drastic turnaround.

"Ace," Sabo tried again. "I promise, I'm not going to let anything happen to our little brother."

Grey stared into blue, and finally Ace nodded, slowly releasing the grip he had on Luffy so that Sabo could move to cradle him in his arms. Over the top of the crater, Sabo spied Koala and Hack running towards them, the doctor close behind. He glanced back down at Ace, who had fallen unconscious again now he knew Luffy was in safe hands. Sabo heaved a heavy but relieved sigh as his companions finally reached them, more thankful than he could ever remember being that his brothers were at last safe and somehow, miraculously, still in one piece.

xxx

When Ace finally roused for the second time following their rather painful arrival, overwhelming relief nearly choked him with the realisation that both Luffy and himself were finally safe after their ordeal. Wrestling with his emotions, it took him several moments to notice that he was curled up on his side, and that someone was sitting on the bed with him, the additional weight having caused Ace to roll slightly into the person's warmth. Soft fingertips ran slowly up and down his left arm, tracing the crossed out 'S' that only a handful of people knew the true meaning of. Ace breathed in deeply, savoring the familiar smell of ocean spray he had always associated with only one person.

"I'm mad at you," he whispered, trying to quell the urge to cry as he forced open his eyes. He quickly met the watery gaze of the brother he'd long thought lost. Sabo was smiling down at him, a mixture of concern and relief flashing across his face.

"I know," he replied, removing his hand from Ace's arm. Ace made his heavy limbs move, grabbing Sabo's hand quickly before he could move out of reach, afraid that if he didn't have some sort of contact with the blond, he would vanish before his eyes like he had done so many times in his dreams. "I'm mad at me, too," Sabo admitted bitterly, squeezing Ace's hand reassuringly.

"We thought you were dead. Dogra saw them shoot you," Ace explained, for once the words not causing him any pain as he soaked in the different yet oh so familiar features of his brother. It was a biological impossibility of course, as they weren't related but if Ace squinted, he swore he could see bits of himself and Luffy in the man before him; in the way he held himself and how he radiated the same joyful exuberance that shone from Luffy's childlike eyes.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea you'd heard about it until I saw this in your wanted poster," said Sabo gently, refocusing Ace's attention as he tapped the tattoo again.

"Why didn't you come find us?" Ace disliked the way he sounded so petulant and he absolutely loathed the look of self-disgust that spread across Sabo's face. It wasn't a look that suited the blond at all but Ace needed a reason. And if it was a stupid reason then Ace was more than willing to knock some sense into his selfless brother as soon as he was feeling up to it.

"For the same reason Dragon-san left Luffy with Garp; to protect you." said Sabo, and Ace had the feeling he'd repeated the words to himself many times over the years. "For all the good it did," Sabo added ruefully. "I had planned on contacting you as soon as I knew Luffy had set off from Dawn Island but the World Government have upped their game this past year. Dragon-san ordered we all lay low so we didn't become targets since a few of our generals were taken out by the CP9 agents a few months ago. I'll have to remember to thank Luffy for dealing with them for us," he remarked idly, unaware of the inner turmoil currently rushing through Ace. The pirate shivered at the very thought of Government assassins targeting his brother.

Ace suddenly started as he realised he had yet to spy Luffy. "Where is Luffy? Is he okay?" he asked, a little frantic as he recalled the injuries Luffy had received whilst Ace could only watch from the execution platform.

"He's fine. He's just over there," said Sabo, gesturing across the room.

Ace pushed himself onto an elbow, wincing as his muscles screamed in protest, but he ignored them and breathed a sigh of relief when he finally spotted their little brother in the next bed. As usual, he was covered in far too many bandages for Ace's liking but he was apparently sleeping peacefully.

"The doctor said he suffered some heavy damage and he's exhausted, but there shouldn't be any lasting side effects so long as he rests."

"I swear, he's going to give me a heart attack one of these days," Ace groaned lightly, dropping back onto the fluffy mattress with an almost inaudible 'flump'.

"You and me both," said Sabo, grinning as Ace yawned loudly. "Go back to sleep, Ace, you need to rest too."

Ace's eyes slid closed as a gentle hand ran through his dark locks, the soothing motion lulling him into a peaceful stupor. "You're staying here, right?" he asked quietly, forcing his tired eyes open again to stare up at his brother pleadingly.

Sabo nodded and smiled tenderly. "Of course I am, I'm not going anywhere. Now go to sleep, big brother."

Ace frowned softly. "Big brother?" he questioned, struggling to focus.

"Yeah, turns out you're older than me by a couple of months." Ace had to smirk. "Oh, don't look so smug. After all, I'm taller."

xxx

Luffy struggled hard against the hands trying to restrain him. His limbs felt heavy and useless, each motion causing him pain, and he couldn't see a thing, but still he fought. He needed to get to Ace! They'd been so close to freedom when Kuma had intercepted them, it had been torturous that they'd been held up. A memory tugged at Luffy as the imposing Warlord came to mind. He'd been talking to Ace, but Luffy couldn't remember exactly what they'd been talking about. He knew it had been important, though currently he was only interested in finding his big brother.

"He's going to end up opening his wounds at this rate!"

Luffy yanked his arm back hard as the unfamiliar hands tried to pin him down. "No!" he cried, attempting to roll away, but yet another body was blocking him. "Ace!"

"Where the hell is – ah, there you are. Maybe you can calm him down."

"Sshhh, Luffy, it's okay." A warm palm settled on his back and rubbed lightly. "It's okay, Ace is right here."

Luffy ceased his thrashing almost instantly and the restraining hands disappeared. He heard soft whispering, and then Luffy sensed several bodies moving away, leaving behind the one with the comforting touches and calming voice. Shuffling footfalls were followed by the sharp click of a door closing. A comfortable silence descended upon the room as Luffy's harsh breathing and racing heart gradually settled.

"You awake now?" asked the slightly teasing voice after a few moments.

Luffy groaned weakly. "Want Ace," he said, voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm over here, Lu."

Luffy could have wept with relief as his brother's soothing voice called quietly from not too far away. His stomach swooped as he was gently lifted into a secure embrace. He felt himself being carried a short distance and then gently sat down on another downy mattress. He forced his tired and achy eyes open to see Ace right in front of him, half reclined against a mountain of pillows. He was grinning easily despite the many cuts and scrapes Luffy blearily noted blooming on his skin.

"You back with us?" Ace asked quietly, accepting Luffy's outstretched hand easily.

Groggily, Luffy shook his head, blinking rapidly to try and dispel the final visage of sleep. There was a soft chuckle from behind his head and Luffy suddenly realised he was still cradled in another's arms, back propped up against the person's warm chest.

Luffy twisted slightly and peered curiously up. Blue eyes stared back down at him with amusement. Luffy cocked his head. "Who are you?"

From behind him, Ace snorted loudly. Luffy frowned, turning to pout at the raven-haired man, all the while wondering what in the world what was so funny. He sensed more than saw Ace and the blond grinning broadly at each other over the top of his head.

"Geez, Lu," said Ace, sighing lightly. "I knew you were bad at recognising people but I'd have thought you'd know your own big brother when you saw him!"

Luffy's eyes widened instantly and he jerked around so quickly he would have dislodged himself from the bed had Sabo not had a secure grip on him. And it was Sabo, Luffy noted in disbelief as he stared at the person before him, so familiar despite the rather nasty looking scar decorating his face.

The blond simply smiled tenderly and enfolded Luffy into his arms, rocking him gently as big, fat tears began dripping silently down the younger's face.

"You big crybaby. Surely you're too old for this now," Ace teased, even as he sat up to join in his brother's hug.

Luffy didn't reply to the gentle taunting. He simply continued to weep as the events of the last couple of weeks finally caught up to him. He was aware that there was still much to do, such as find his nakama, and he wanted to hear exactly what Sabo had been doing for the last ten years, but for the moment he couldn't bring himself care. Luffy was content to stay right where he was, wrapped in his brothers' warm and comforting embraces.

XXX

Please remember to review!

Yep, I finally dipped my toe into the murky waters of Marineford. Curtesy of some gentle nudging from Mithril-chan, it is not for the last time either! (You're not the only one who gets wild inspiration when we throw ideas around xD)