A/N: 'Fickle' is the perfect word to describe my personality. So! I present to you a new story that is part of MemoriesAU!

Title: Phoenix's Sorrows

Author: gdesertsand

Summary: The mythical zoan fruit of the phoenix has many gifts and curses. One particular curse that Marco hates the most was that he was unable to forget no matter how many times he was reborn.

Disclaimer: I do not own any anime, manga, or songs!

Chapter 1: Phoenix Marco

If someone asked him what part of being a phoenix he hated the most was that the part where he was unable to forget. No matter how many times he was reborn he would always remember the life before it and the life before everything. To the life where he lost everything. The difference was that after he was reborn for the second time his powers to heal himself and to fly were taken away from him. But the fruit was embedded deep within his soul and forever haunt him with its curses.

Phoenix Marco, as how the current Edward Newgate named him, was happy that for the tenth time he was reborn he was finally reunited with his family. Of course he needed to be careful around them or else they might stay away from him. His Pops never changed, he was still the kind soul that Marco used to know. The wealthy man even build an orphanage under the name of 'Whitebeard'.

Yes, it was Marco who had suggested the name and his father humored his idea. His siblings though pestered him for a whole week why Marco chose such name when it was a known fact that their Oyaji had a mustache and not a beard.

Some things never changed, that was what Marco realized when fifteen of his formerly known commanders started to live under the same roof. Thatch still loved to prepare foods for the family and him and Marco became best buddies. Izo devoted himself in the line of arts and fashion. The crossdresser was plain happy that he got such an accepting family about his preferences.

Though Marco should have known that this happiness would come to an end.

It was night time and Marco was silently cursing Thatch for getting himself drunk and making the former first division commander to drag his drunken ass home. Grand Line City was not known for its peaceful night. If Marco would pick a name for it then night time in this city was when deadly and foolish pirates came out to kill someone.

That was when Marco killed.

No one blamed him. The police even dubbed it as an act of self-defense but Marco was having none of it.

That night he met Teach and his gang.

Everything came back at once to Marco. That night when Thatch was bleeding on the wooden floor of the Moby Dick, body was too cold to be revived. So when Teach and his goons attacked them, Marco only saw red. When he came back to his senses he saw corpses surrounding, his body covered in blood, and Thatch was a trembling mess on the corner of the alley.

Marco realized something that night. They were not pirates anymore. All of them were upstanding citizens of the society. Edward Newgate had a reputation to protect towards the public. One wrong move and one of his siblings could be taken to jail and have a record. He could have ruined the life of his whole family.

For the first time Marco was disgusted at himself for being a murderer. He was now Phoenix Marco, son of Edward Newgate, an older brother who should be the one keeping peace inside the family, but what did he do? He ruined them.

He did not go out of his room for a week. Marco would never forget the look of terror on his siblings faces when they saw him covered in blood.

For a month he did not made any contact towards his family. If Marco could help it he was staying outside their home as much as he could. He made it sure that no one would see him with any of his family so that his father and his siblings would not be called as someone related to a cold hearted murderer liked him. He went to places here and there, nothing in particular and he did not linger for long in one place.

After two months since the incident Marco took an exam to the farthest University he could find. Somewhere that was very far away from home where he could have a perfect excuse to stay in dormitories. He easily passed in One Piece University as a result.

The day that he took the train he only left a letter saying that he was going to study in the said school and he might not come back for a while.

Now on a cold winter night Marco was staring at the sky. He was holding a cheap canned of coffee to keep him warm as he lounge lazily on one of the benches in the park. Many times it the idea run inside his mind on how he should just end it all. Marco was seriously thinking about this when he heard awkward shuffling of feet beside him. Looking up his eyes widen at who was the person in front of him.

"Um…excuse…but, can I ask you a question?" the man was looking down, obviously too shy to talk to strangers.

But Marco was having no such ideas because…

Because this person was Ace.

The one and only person he had a heart wrenching longing to meet for so long now. Marco wanted to cry but that would only scare the poor young man away.

Because if Marco remembered everything, and he do mean everything, this Ace remembered nothing.

And Marco should not have high hopes because this person might not even be the Ace he was looking for.

"Of course, how many centuries passed anyway? This meeting is too good to be true" Marco thought.

'Ace' finally had the courage to look at him in the eyes but the next words uttered came out in a rush, "Canyoushowthedirectionofthisaddressbecauseiseemtofindmyselflost."

"What?" was the intelligent reply Marco formed and 'Ace' got an intense shade of red on his face.

"N-nevermind, I'm sorry for disturbing." He bowed and was about to moved away when Marco called him.

"No, really, you did not disturb me. Now, what were you asking again?"

That was the first time that Marco met Gol D Ace, a funny scenario that could only be seen in chick flick movies. With some mixed emotions inside his heart Marco started his walked towards his dormitory.

He just did not expect another surprise. For right in front of the school dormitory was his whole family waiting for him. All of them were not happy.

This spells disaster for Marco.

When he was a good distance towards them Thatch did not waste time to punch him right on the face. Marco staggered backward. Thatch had no combat experience but that punch was much stronger than his previous ones, still it did not hurt Marco but the blond just stared at his brother and best friend. Another punch was about to thrown at him and instincts kicked in. in a blinked of an eye Marco was pinning Thatch on the ground. He only loosened his grip when he saw tears running down their family chef's face.

"Why did you leave us?" the sobbing voiced of his brother broke his musings.

"I thought you hate me?"

"Idiot…"

A/N: Love it? Hate it? Don't forget to review!