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*Your POV*

You hug Ace tighter as the tears were now uncontrollably flowing down your cheeks. He rubs circles on your back while pulling you closer to him with his other hand as he tries to calm you down.

"Shhhh...(Name), it's okay, it's alright." He murmurs under his breath as you start bawling.

"I-It's all my fault, Ace!" You wail between breathless sobbing. You searched high and low for him but couldn't find him anywhere. "He could be hurt...or worse!"

Ace frowned and closed his eyes. He knew his brother was strong, yet, why did he get a feeling that he should be worried too?

"Sabo has only been gone for three hours," Ace whispers to your ear. His voice was shaking a bit and he mentally kicked himself for that. He didn't need you to freak out more than you already were.

"I'm sure he's probably out there wondering where you are." He assures the crying girl. You look up at him, eyes red from crying so hard. He smiles, expression softening as he wipes away your tears. "Come on, let's go check by the lake again."

You pause, frowning with your lower lip quivering as you force yourself not to cry again, eyes turning to the direction of the lake. If Sabo was pulling a prank on you, you were going to kick his ass.

Ace takes your hand into his and you both search for him. The lake was quiet as it had been. The waters were still and the boat you had borrowed was still docked by the shore where you had left it. "SABO?" You call.

"Sabo?" Ace cups his hands around his mouth. "Sabo get your butt over here before I find you and (Name) smacks the shit out of ya for scaring her!"

You turn to the freckled teen with a questioning look. He shrugs, "It could happen."

"I'm seriously considering it," You sigh in response before resuming your calls for the missing boy.

At first you had thought that he was with the mermaids and flirting with them, since you caught him smiling when you both first saw the cafe. You were relieved that he wasn't but started to get pissed off an hour later after he was a no show. That anger slowly turned into anxiety and slight paranoia as hours have passed and he wasn't anywhere to be found.

Three hours. It had been three freaking hours and he was nowhere to be seen. Every time his name left your lips, you could imagine him being mauled by that creature in the forest. Sabo, I swear on all things righteous that I will personally beat you up if you're playing hide and seek with me right now.

You kick a pebble down a ledge over the crystal clear waters. Silently you wished that he was playing with you. It left a better image in your head that you would find him safe, hiding somewhere nearby and laughing at you, rather than finding his body lying around in a ditch.

I hope he's alright...

You look over at Ace. He was obviously worried about Sabo just much as you were. This is all my fault. You sigh inwardly, This always happens. Sonora's lifeless body flashed through your mind.

You gasp, shaking the cruel images away. "(Name), you okay?" Ace asks worriedly. He bends down to get a view of your face as you lower your head while nodding.

"I-I'm fine." You reassure him with a forced smile. He relaxes a bit and takes your hand, leading you out into a clearing.

"It's not like Sabo to just disappear like that," He comments. You tense and give him an apologetic look. "But don't worry. He's tough." He chuckles, messing your hair a bit.

"Yeah," You mutter, smiling a bit and picturing the blonde boy healthy and alive. "He's tough. He'll totally be fine."

It was lunch time and Ace's stomach started to growl by the time you've searched the entire area of the Western Woods. He grins sheepishly at you and stuck out his tongue. "Don't suppose you brought food with you?"

You frown then patted your stomach. It was growling too.

"Your boyfriend is missing...and you're thinking about food?" Aze inquires.

You shift, kicking the dirt, "I can't help it. We're not all like you, you know."

"Honestly..." He sighs, unimpressed.

After many more minutes of failing to find Sabo, Ace suggested to go back and inform the others. You told Ace that you would search for him a bit longer. "Just give me ten more minutes then I'll catch up." You tell him. The determination in your eyes were as clear as day, you were not going to leave until you catch even a glimpse of his face.

Ace sighs, scratching his cheek in thought of what to do. You could see the worry in his eyes, not for Sabo but for you. "Ace, please, I can't live with myself if this happens again." You grip his arms, pressing your forehead against his muscular chest and sighed heavily.

Ace just stared at you with a questioning look. He hangs out with you almost everyday and from the way you talked about intimate relationships made him wonder if Sabo chose the right girl to fall for. He pursed his lips, pausing, almost hopeful for a second then returns his gaze to you.

"(Name), what am I to you?" He carefully asks, face turning serious.

You look up at the raven haired boy and raise a questioning eyebrow. "You're my friend." You immediately answer.

Friend wasn't exactly the term you would describe him. "Best friend?" You question, not fully sure if Ace sees you in that level. But you were sure that you saw the freckled teen as one of your friends.

His serious expression softened a little once your (E/C) orbs gazed up at him as you thoughtfully debated to yourself whether or not Portgas D. Ace is your best friend. He nods, seemingly satisfied with your undoubted answer.

"And what is Sabo to you?"

You freeze, mind cleared blank and body immobilized. The gears in your head clicked then broke as your cheeks started to turn pink.

He places a hand on your cheek and leans in, watching the mixed emotions in your eyes and repeats his question. "(Name), what is my brother to you?"

You could feel his hot breath against your lips and tensed up upon realizing how close he was now. His eyes stared into your own, as if searching for an honest answer in them.

Frankly if anyone walked in on them now, they would have misunderstood the situation.

You start to turn from pink to red and quickly look away from him, asking yourself the very same question he did.

You knew you care about Sabo, worry over him, and frequently thought about him.

"...Sabo is my friend." You finally reply.

He scowls at you. The tone in your response clearly shouted "hesitation".

He didn't mind that you and Sabo were sweet to each other. Truthfully, he was glad that his shy brother finally found a girl that piqued his interests.

But he was worried about Sabo.

Although you seem to care about him, you were maintaining a distance that was plain to Ace's eyes.

He didn't want Sabo to go through with unrequited love to a girl who he barely even knows.

Ace grabbed you by the arm rather forcefully and pinned you to the tree that was behind you. You let out a surprise gasp as you were knocked back and stare almost fearfully into his eyes. He had to know what you really thought.

"A-Ace?" You stammer. His eyes were fierce and angry.

"I don't want tricks, (Name)." Ace said. His voice was hushed but stern. "I don't want my brother spending the rest of his life blinded and used."

You shake your head, not fully understanding what he meant. His hold on your arm tightened and you hissed from the pain.

"Do you see him as just a friend or something...more?" His tone was softer now. He released his grip on your arm and caressed the red print made from his hand, muttering an apology.

You put a shaking hand to your chest and tried to calm your heart.

"S-Sabo is...He...I...don't really know..." You take in air and bite your lip. "Right now I just don't want anything bad to happen to him." You confess. "I'd rather die than see him dead."

Ace's eyes widened. He wasn't expecting that. The expression you gave off told him that you were dead serious.

"I don't know what this feeling is," You continue, "But when I'm around him I feel...happy." You smile and lean back on the tree, eyes up at the endless blue sky high above the sea of pine trees.

"Ever since I was a child I could never be around others. People saw me as a monster." You laugh bitterly as you spat out the word.

Both of you were so focused on to the discussion that you hadn't heard someone approached the area. He stood still as the trees, eyes fixed on you and Ace. He couldn't hear what you were saying but decided not to interrupt the conversation.

"I've been alone for most of my life. After a while, being alone and being around people didn't matter to me anymore." You sigh, still staring at the sky. "But when I'm not around him...it hurts."

You poke the area of his chest where his heart was. "I feel all strange when he looks at me. All those feelings are gone when he's not around."

Ace chuckles, slowly removing your finger from his chest. "When did this start?" He asks curiously.

"In the bus when he wouldn't stop looking at me." You giggle. "It was the first time a guy has ever looked at me like that."

You heard the sound of a twig breaking and both of you looked towards the source.

"(Name)..."