eiliem | (no subject)

Title: In Memory
Characters: Marco, Luffy, mentions of Ace

Spoilers for chapter 574

In Memory

It was a little like having a ghost in their midst.

A living one.

It came in flashes: an almost familiar smile, a snatch of laughter on the wind. The way his eyes went blank with grief and reminded them all of their loss.

Ace's ghost. Haunting them in the shape of his brother.

They didn't see it at first; Luffy nearly died in their escape from Marinford, and even after he was touch and go for an alarming long time. It wasn't until he started roaming the deck, no longer confined to a bunk in the makeshift infirmary, that they noticed his sometimes striking resemblance to his older brother.

He didn't even really look like Ace.

Except on those still-too-rare occasions when he smiled. Or laughed. Or tilted his head just so. Or wore that expression. Or ate. Or slept. Or stared at the horizon like he knew just beyond it was an adventure as great as his dreams promised.

Ace w- had been... so proud of his little brother. And now it seemed like his memory, or their memory of him, walked in Luffy's footsteps and it ached like losing Ace all over again. Every. Single. Day.

Thank you for loving me.

Two brothers, their captain - father - lost over the course of one year.

There was nothing Marco wanted more than to take off, find that back-stabbing blood-sucking son of the sea scum Teach and finish what Ace had started. But he had living brothers to think of. And a promise, of sorts, to keep.

Don't you dare let that boy die.

He'd failed their father. He'd failed Ace. He couldn't fail Luffy.

And it was presumptuous to think he could do anything for the young pirate. Or that his help would even be needed - Luffy was strong.

He would take his broken heart and wrap it in dreams and promises and memories and the love that carried him from the depths of Hell to an execution platform at the Marines' stronghold, and he would heal, mostly, and he would move on. He would endure.

And eventually, he would thrive.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This is beautiful, truly. TT_TT So sad but so right. It's the kind of thing you can see happen but with Oda it's never quite sure. I hope this does though. Luffy mourns, but he doesn't break. And Marco and the others (I think the theory is right, this is international angst week.)

International angst week. Wonderful ;_;

I want it to be a lie because nobody dies in One Piece and it's not right that Luffy should fail after going through hell and sacrificing ten years of his life!!! But Ace smiled and he got what he wanted in life and he had that beautiful heartbreaking speech and it was such a great death scene. (damn you Oda! >_<)

No more breaking Luffy. It isn't nice.

If it was Kishimoto we could legitimately rage but it's Oda and he can write and is made of win and DOES IT RIGHT!!

Dammit, i'll cry allright but I can't say Oda is wrong after that amazing and touching scene . :'(
(Damned if I'm going to stop writing Ace!fic though)

Ow.
Beautiful. Wonderfully done.
Except, you know, Ace is dead.

Ace is dead.

I'm still not sure I entirely believe it. Because... how can anything be right in One Piece again if he is?!

But thank you. And... hopefully Oda will make things right. :(

Been crying intermittently ever since the chapter came out -- this is beautiful. ;-;

I haven't been able to cry. Wish I could, it'd be cathartic. *clings*

Thank you though.

(Have you heard from the manga contest yet?)

Ack sorry late reply, it's family day in Ontario (idk where else LOL) which happens to mean my family gets in the way of my internets. -_- anyways the manga competition results come out on
Mid march at which point hopefullllllly I'll be able to Make a screaming, delighted fanfirl post? I'm so nervous I can't even think straight though awawawawa.... March can't come fast enough!!!

T______________________________________T

*hugs you*

Go read

naye's chaos thread. There is lol and glee and fan love there.

Thanks, I'll do that after I stop crying, when the wound is a little less raw.

God knows we all need some happiness right now.

<3

;_____________________;

odaaaaaaa, what are you doooooinnng??

and this is just so painful to read. because it's true.

(i'm still clinging on to the idea that he had one of his narcoleptic fits again...)

BWAH! Narcolepsy &hearts

I like this idea, I like it a lot XD

Oda is evil. Evil evil evil. But I trust him to make things... okay somehow. Because he always does.

Even if he breaks our hearts first.

tell me about it :'( my heart will never be whole if ace really /is/ dead, what with the crew seperating and luffy's reaction to that. i mean, at least you know that sooner or later they're gonna end up all back together and there'll be lots of happiness to balance out the angst of them getting flung by a bearman to different corners of the one piece world.

but is ace dies that. is. it.

i dislike finality ;__________;
'
'

This is really beautiful, I am kind of heartbroken againa bout it but it's beautiful none the less, it makes me wonder what the future will hold and at th same time still gives me a bit ofpower to keep on going and just wait and see what oda has planned for us. *smiles and sighs*

gah! Sorry for the late response.

... I wrote this in my brief moment of "stop being in denial, Ace is really really dead".

And now I am back in denial. Oda make things right again! T_T

*clings*

THAT'S OKAY DEAR! *HUGGLES*

Right, yes yes, oda will make things right *clings*

Sorry for the OT post! Just wanted to let you know someone has left you a Valentines message here (http://villainny.livejournal.com/1444353.html). Hope you have a great day!

Touching and utterly heart-breaking, as seems to be general rule for post-Ch 574 fics! ;_;

I love how you characterize Marco's grief and his hesitant fondness for Luffy in the aftermath of losing his nakama and his father! I really hope this doesn't turn out to be prophetic, though! I don't want to lose Ouyaji on top of Ace! :(

*hugs!*

Thank you.

I do not want Whitebeard to die either! ;___;

(but - aha, oh chapter 574 what have you done to me? I have gone from "Please don't kill Oyaji" to "You can kill Oyaji! Just... bring Ace back somehow ;___;" ... I am a Bad Person. ^^; Ace is not permanently dead until there is a party and he is not in attendance! Nobody dies in One Piece!!)

it would be perfectly alright for you to write more ace and luffy.... as if ace does NOT die.