Blame by Faith&Fantasy

This is an AU. The characters and their backstories up to a point are the same. Of course, this does not occur in the manga/anime.

- OOC (very for both Ace and Luffy, slight for others). Ace's way of thinking and viewing his life is completely switched (think almost Dark!Ace). I want to warn you all now so you're not wondering "Huh? That's not Ace!" Or "That's not Luffy!". I know it isn't, but it's part of the story. I apologize if it's not to your liking, but it's needed for the storyline. I'll try not to make it unnecessarily drastic and still keep as much of the original charm that Oda created them with as I can. :)

- no pairings

- rated T for violence (will change to M if requested)

- warnings: abuse and violence, mild swearing, and a horrible cliché about stars...

Summary:

Sabo's death hit Ace and Luffy hard. Confused and suffering, Ace looks for someone to take his grief and frustration out on. Someone to take the blame.

Disclaimer: I own only the storyline. All characters, references to characters, settings, etc. belong to Enricho Oda.

Chapter 1: Turmoil

"The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst in turmoil" ~ Thomas A. Edison

Dead.

Sabo was dead.

His brother…His best friend…was dead.

Ace sat on the cliff side, staring blankly at the vast sea before him. It was a beautiful evening: the sun was setting in brilliant shades of reds, oranges, and pinks while seagulls glided lazily on the thermals rolling off the rock face.

But Ace didn't see the hues of the sunset. Nor did he see the silhouettes of the seagulls glinting in the waning light. He eyes traced the clouds ahead, unseeing and glazed over. Thoughts ran rampant in his mind.

Why? Why did this happen?

No, HOW did this happen? It's not fair!

Sabo shouldn't have died…

I should have died instead…

The ten-year-old wasn't sure how long he stood in his stupor, but at some point his mind snapped back into full-consciousness and reality hit him like a wave. Noticing that the sun had fully set -probably long ago- Ace turned and trudged back to the mountain bandits' hut. His feet dragged through the dust, sending small puffs of the substance into the air to be carried off to the stars by the night wind. The same wind teased his raven locks and whispered in his ear.

It should have been you instead….

Something in Ace stirred and caused him to pause in his trek home. Was that true? Sure, he was the son of a devil, but did that really mean he was supposed to die?

Ace felt his heart clench, but not in a painful way. No, it felt more like….rebellion. Something lit in his soul. Determination raced through his veins like acid, shooting through every part of his being. No! He didn't deserve to die!

But neither did Sabo.

Ace raised his head and gazed up at the stars twinkling brightly in the cloudless sky. He remembered a time, long ago, when he had sat outside with Sabo one night shortly after they had just met, looking at the same sky he was gazing at now.

Flashback

"Aren't they pretty?"

An eight-year old Ace turned to his new friend, confusion written across his features. His ever-present scowl deepening.

"Aren't what pretty?" He demanded, looking at the blonde like he was crazy.

"The stars." Sabo replied turning his gaze back up to the sky. Ace blinked at his friend before turning his eyes upwards as well. So that's what they were called…

Sabo noticed Ace's confusion and smiled lightly. "A guy from grey terminal told me that, when you die, you become a star. He said that stars are like the eyes of angels, watching over those below and protecting them."

Ace blinked before scoffing in reply. "That's stupid. And creepy."

Sabo frowned, before laughing softly and turning to his friend. "I guess you're right. It does sound kinda silly. Still…" Sabo drifted off wistfully. "It's sort of nice to think about."

End Flashback

Ace gasped as the memories receded, pressing them far back into the recesses of his mind. He didn't want to remember. It was too painful. Shaking his head to clear the remnants of the memory, Ace continued to trudge back to the hut. As he did, his mind began to wander again. The fire of rebellion still smoldered in the crevices of his heart. If he wasn't to blame, then who was? What had happened was unforgivable, and someone had to take the blame.

And for once it wasn't going to be him.

Luffy was cold.

He was cold and hungry. He hadn't eaten all day and Ace was nowhere to be found. His older brother had run out earlier that morning.

Luffy wasn't stupid. Maybe a little simple-minded, but definitely not stupid. He knew that there was no way he'd be able to catch one of the beasts that dwelled on Mt. Corvo by himself. He would just have to sit and wait for Ace to return.

Luffy sniffled and frowned. He missed Sabo. They had received the news from Dogra three days ago that the blonde boy had been shot while setting out to sea to fulfill his dream of being a pirate. Ever since, Ace had been avoiding Luffy. The seven-year old understood that his brother was upset and needed space. Even though Luffy didn't love Sabo any less, Ace had known the boy longer. Sabo had been the first to accept Ace as he was, and the first to not judge him based on his parentage. Still, Luffy was just as upset. He was hurting, and his young heart craved comfort, something he was severely lacking at the moment.

A loud grumble shook the boy from his thoughts. Luffy looked down at his tummy, which was protesting loudly at the lack of food. With a sigh, Luffy stood up and stretched. The last beam of light from the sunset had been chased off by the night, and now the mountain was swathed in darkness. It was time to find Ace. Luffy let a smile split across his face and replaced his hat that was hanging on around his neck back onto his head, tugging it down affectionately. He hadn't seen Ace at all today and missed him terribly.

Maybe, just maybe, Ace would let Luffy hug him. Just this once.

I wonder…

Ace had once again fallen victim to his thoughts as he trekked home. He couldn't help it. What if they hadn't gone to Grey Terminal that day. Sure, the trash heaps still would've been eliminated, as well as all the people living there, but maybe they wouldn't have been caught up in it all.

Snap.

Ace stood stock still, utilizing his senses to their full capacity. He had heard something. Obsidian eyes scanned the foliage around him. It was rather difficult to make anything out in the twilight, but Ace could tell that something was lurking.

ACE!

Ace startled, then huffed in annoyance. He recognized Luffy's high-pitched, whiny voice calling out to him from the shadows. The older boy scowled: the kid was an idiot! His voice was loud enough to attract every nighttime predator within a mile. The brat was always messing everything up. If he got eaten, it would be his own fault.

His own fault.

Luffy's fault….

Something in Ace clicked. The fire that had been smoldering in his heart flared. Luffy was always messing everything up. The kid was a walking disaster! He couldn't even get food on his own, let alone fight. If they had never met the kid, then none of this….

If they had never met the kid….

Ace had always been a misplaced-aggression sort of person. He usually had control over it, but not tonight. Maybe it was the dreary night. Maybe it was the fact that he hadn't slept a wink in over three days. Whichever it was, something changed in the 10-year-old child. It was as if all the joy and warmth he felt when he was with Sabo and Luffy had been sucked out of him, leaving only an empty shell of what he once was.

ACE! ACE WHERE ARE YOU?!

There it was again, Luffy's voice. Ace cringed, but continued walking through the shadows towards the hut. Knowing his little brother, the brat would burst through the bushes in 3…2…1…

ACEEEEEE!

No sooner had he heard the yell then was Ace barreled into by a blur of black hair and flying limbs. Ace and the fuzzy blur crashed to the ground with a pained "umph". Then the blur starts to talk, LOUD.

"Ace! I've been looking for you everywhere! Why didn't you answer?" Luffy jumped off the older boy, grinned widely and dancing from foot to foot. "I never really noticed how huge this place is. It's kinda scary." Luffy looked around at the looming shadows and grasping branches of the trees. He shivered. The temperature was already dropping.

But Ace didn't even look at his brother. The 10 year old just picked himself up off the ground and continued walking through the trees towards the hut, ignoring the younger completely. Luffy blinked. I guess he's still upset. The small raven-haired boy ran after his brother and fell into step beside the older boy. Luffy felt the need to hug Ace arise again, but a little voice in the back of his mind chimed alarmingly, warning him not to.

Why am I so afraid? He's my brother! I should comfort him.

Nodding, Luffy shook the voice away and jumped in front of Ace, wrapping his rubbery arms around the older boys waist and squeezing him tightly. He felt Ace stiffen underneath his embrace, but Luffy just held onto him tighter.

"I know your sad, Ace. I'm sad too. But Sabo wouldn't want us to be so sad over him. I bet that if he was here, he would say-" But before he could finish, Ace ripped Luffy's arms off of him, and shoved him roughly. Luffy stumbled backwards, the force of the shove sending him to the ground with a surprised yelp.

"Don't touch me." voice filled with venom, Ace glared down at his brother, his obsidian eyes like daggers. Luffy stared back, his own deep, nut-brown eyes wide and confused. Ace held the younger boy's stare for a moment before abruptly turning and walking through the foliage. Luffy blinked before opening his mouth to call out to his brother. But before he could, Ace spoke one word over his shoulder before disappearing into the darkness. One word filled with so much hate, it hit Luffy like a blast of arctic air.

"Murderer."

Luffy wasn't sure how long he stayed sitting on the forest floor. Ace's footsteps had faded away a long time ago. His knee stung and his ankle felt funny, but the young boy didn't even notice. That same word just kept replaying in his mind.

Murderer...Murderer...Murderer...

Finally, Luffy shook himself out of his trance. He noticed the sharp pain on his leg and looked down. Dried blood covered his knee from where it hit a rock when he fell. Luffy shifted to get up and bit back a cry of pain. His ankle was twisted at an odd angle and slightly swollen. Grasping the side of a nearby boulder, Luffy carefully pulled himself up off the ground, careful not to put any weight on his left foot. After a minute to get his balance, he tested his weight on the foot, wincing when pain shot through his ankle. It hurt, but Luffy figured he could make it home. The bandit's hut wasn't that far away.

Carefully, the young boy limped through the bushes, using the boulders and low hanging branches for support. As the pain in his foot started to numb, Luffy started to think over what just happened. What was that about? Is Ace still just upset about Sabo? Luffy knew that his brother was sad, but he had never acted like that before. Sure, Ace had hit Luffy before whenever the boy did something stupid, but this time was different. Somehow, this time it hurt more. Luffy wasn't sure why, but he felt uneasy. Like something bad was about to happen.

Murderer? But...I'm not a murderer...right?

A/N: I think I'll keep notes down at the bottom so you don't have to sift through it all at the beginning. That way if you don't want to read all this hogwash, you don't have to. This is my first fanfic and I hope you all liked it!

Footnotes:

- This will be a multi-chapter fic. Not sure how many chapters yet, but I thought I'd just let you know.

- As you see, Ace's thoughts are not really much like the ones in the manga/anime. Right now, he doesn't really focus on his parentage and the fact that he is the "son of a demon" and everyone believes he shouldn't have been born. He still thinks these things, and was still told so by the adults, but he is kind of shutting that out. He found a new person to blame, and is clinging to that. So yes, it's very different, but it's for the sake of the story. I hope you're not too upset with me. Let me know your thoughts on this deviation from the canon.

- Yes, Luffy did hurt his ankle from falling. I know that he's made of rubber, but I 'm planning on taking some leeway with this. I figured my two "reasons" could be as follows. Maybe Luffy hasn't gotten to the full extent of his powers. We know that he gets stronger as time goes on, so devil fruit users most likely don't have full control of everything when it comes to defense, especially this early in their use of the fruit. My second reason is that Ace is, unknowingly, using haki, We know from Garp that using haki harms Luffy, despite being rubber. So my thoughts are that Ace is not in control of his haki, and is unwittingly letting it out bit by bit through the turmoil of emotions he's having. Of course, neither of the boys know this right now. So these are the factors that will play into whether something harms Luffy or not, and they will become a bigger part in the future. Again, let me know any thoughts you have on this topic, as I know it kind of muddles with the properties of the Gomu Gomu no Mi.

I believe that's all. Please review and let me know of any questions, concerns, comments, and/or criticism you have. Also let me know if you have a preference for chapter length (ie, long chapter w/ longer wait in between or shorter chapters with less wait time). As I said, this is my first fanfic and any advice would be greatly appreciated. I won't make any promises about updates, because that wouldn't be fair to you. My plan right now is to always have another completed chapter in waiting before posting a chapter. That way, if something comes up, I can still provide updates within a reasonable amount of time.

Respectively yours,

Faith&Fantasy