fic post: In Our Footsteps
Title: In Our Footsteps
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 300
Rating: G
Prompt: AU
Character: Ace and [Secret]
Summary: A what-if AU in a canon setting. Someone survived who died in canon - and went on to join the Spade Pirates.
Spoilers/setting: Takes place right after Ace has finally accepted Whitebeard as his captain.
Portgas D. Ace, now a Whitebeard Pirate for real, wandered over to where his former first mate was sitting with a solitary bottle.
"So. What are you going to do?" he asked, sitting down beside her.
Kuina took her time to answer, looking down at her sword.
"Well..." she said slowly, "I can see now that Whitebeard really is a great man. I'm glad you've stopped trying to kill him, but..." She paused. "He's not the captain I chose to follow."
Ace only nodded quietly, the faint breeze messing up his wavy hair. Unusually, he looked at peace.
"I can't decide," she muttered, "and it's bothering me." She fingered part of the scar Mihawk had given her. "Don't tell this to anyone else, Captain, but... I feel like I should have come so much farther by now. That boy I told you about, younger than me... he's coming up after me, he'll get to the Grand Line eventually. I don't want to disappoint him." She sighed heavily. "But I don't really feel like leaving, either."
Ace smiled. "You know, I've wondered much the same thing recently, about what Luffy will think," he said. "But not anymore. Because I'm sure now."
"I guess we both have little brothers of sorts," she said. Then grinned. "...Bet mine's dumber than yours."
He laughed. "Deal, but I'll win that bet."
She drank from a bottle, then handed it to him. "I wouldn't even be a pirate if it wasn't for you," she said quietly.
"I know."
"I hate not being sure," she blurted out.
He laughed. "I know." And didn't press her anymore.
She knew she needed more time to decide. Or to find the excuse that would make not leaving okay.
They finished the bottle together in silence.
[End Notes: I've seen other fics where Zoro died when young and Kuina followed a path similar to his, and in one case at least she joined Ace's crew (though that was an AU Ace, who was younger than the Luffy of that 'verse). But I've never seen any where they both survived. Maybe it's felt that without a childhood trauma to spur them on, neither would get very far - Ace and Luffy both have their own tragic memory, after all - and maybe that's true. This is just one speculation.]
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 300
Rating: G
Prompt: AU
Character: Ace and [Secret]
Summary: A what-if AU in a canon setting. Someone survived who died in canon - and went on to join the Spade Pirates.
Spoilers/setting: Takes place right after Ace has finally accepted Whitebeard as his captain.
Portgas D. Ace, now a Whitebeard Pirate for real, wandered over to where his former first mate was sitting with a solitary bottle.
"So. What are you going to do?" he asked, sitting down beside her.
Kuina took her time to answer, looking down at her sword.
"Well..." she said slowly, "I can see now that Whitebeard really is a great man. I'm glad you've stopped trying to kill him, but..." She paused. "He's not the captain I chose to follow."
Ace only nodded quietly, the faint breeze messing up his wavy hair. Unusually, he looked at peace.
"I can't decide," she muttered, "and it's bothering me." She fingered part of the scar Mihawk had given her. "Don't tell this to anyone else, Captain, but... I feel like I should have come so much farther by now. That boy I told you about, younger than me... he's coming up after me, he'll get to the Grand Line eventually. I don't want to disappoint him." She sighed heavily. "But I don't really feel like leaving, either."
Ace smiled. "You know, I've wondered much the same thing recently, about what Luffy will think," he said. "But not anymore. Because I'm sure now."
"I guess we both have little brothers of sorts," she said. Then grinned. "...Bet mine's dumber than yours."
He laughed. "Deal, but I'll win that bet."
She drank from a bottle, then handed it to him. "I wouldn't even be a pirate if it wasn't for you," she said quietly.
"I know."
"I hate not being sure," she blurted out.
He laughed. "I know." And didn't press her anymore.
She knew she needed more time to decide. Or to find the excuse that would make not leaving okay.
They finished the bottle together in silence.
[End Notes: I've seen other fics where Zoro died when young and Kuina followed a path similar to his, and in one case at least she joined Ace's crew (though that was an AU Ace, who was younger than the Luffy of that 'verse). But I've never seen any where they both survived. Maybe it's felt that without a childhood trauma to spur them on, neither would get very far - Ace and Luffy both have their own tragic memory, after all - and maybe that's true. This is just one speculation.]