“LUFFY!” Ace yelled looking through the woods for any signs of his younger brother. He felt sick at the moment…not ill through germs or anything but because of what happened just an hour ago…and what he had said to his brother…to Luffy. The moment the words had left his lips out of anger and saw that look on his brother’s face was when he felt his stomach twist painfully. He only saw his brother’s face filled with pain for a moment before the seven year old ran out of the house. Had it been anyone else to put that look on Luffy’s face he would have beaten them senseless. But no… it had been him…his own older brother.

Ace gritted his teeth…he was the one who put the pain in Luffy’s eyes, he was the one who caused those tears that had started streaming down Luffy’s face, he was the one who had caused Luffy to run away from the one person who should have been comforting him…and instead was the very person who had caused the pain. After looking all over Fuchsia Village for him this was the last place he had to look.

“LUFFY! LUFFY WHERE ARE YOU!?” Ace yelled again wishing his brother would answer. All he heard was the echo of his own voice in the trees. The echo of a fist hitting bark was heard around the woods of the person who had created the noise. Ace felt the bark bite into his flesh and if it had drawn blood he didn’t care or notice. All that was one his mind right then was a wide eyed boy with messy black hair whose smile had been wiped away…and all he wanted to do was to put it back. As he began to try and calm himself down a loud bolt of lighting lit up the sky before thunder roared around him. Rain was going to start falling soon and one thought crossed his mind…

Luffy scared of thunder…

Where ever his baby brother was…he wasn’t going to go anywhere now…he would be too frightened to move anywhere. Whenever there was a storm Luffy would crawl into his bed and cuddle close…looking for security and comfort from an invisible threat knowing that he was safe with his big brother next to him. Ace glared as the clouds in the sky as they began to darken signaling a big storm due to the high humidity as of recently. He was going to find Luffy, apologize to him and try to repair what damage he had caused by losing his temper with Luffy. Choosing a path in front of him he began walking hoping this was the way Luffy had gone.

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Luffy sat huddled beside a smooth boulder right next to the mouth of a small cave. His legs drawn up in front of him and his arms wrapped around them, his chin rested on his knees as he stared at the wall of the cave. He had run from the house and had not stopped running until he had ended up where he was now…where ever here was anyway. Ace had told him a million times not to go into the woods by himself…it wasn’t his fault… he had been upset and hadn’t been looking where he was going. Thinking of that he remembered exactly way he was out here and why he was so upset. Ace didn’t mean what he had said right? He couldn’t have…he was his brother…but what Ace had said had hurt and he couldn’t stay in the house after hearing it.

A flash cut through the sky before a loud clap of thunder had Luffy hiding behind the boulder. He hated thunder storms! He didn’t know why all he knew was that he was scared of the shadows the lighting made in his room or around the house when it flashed…and the thunder sounded like a monster. He wished Ace was with him.

He wished he was back at home. He wished he was at home with Ace next to him, when there was a storm Ace always made him feel better. If it was in the middle of the night and he came running into Ace’s room his brother wouldn’t complain at all. He would just pull him into a hug and tell him everything would be okay. If it was during the day that a storm happened Ace would make hot chocolate and they would cuddle up on the worn old couch and watch the storm from the window.

Luffy peaked out from behind the boulder to look around, it was dark enough to be nighttime now. He hid back behind the boulder again…he wondered what Ace was doing right now. He drew his legs back up and rested his head on his arms which were crossed over his legs. As it began to downpour he hoped he wouldn’t end up getting all wet and muddy next…he didn’t want to make Ace any madder.

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It was pouring out but Ace continued on glade that he had taken the time to grab his orange hat before running after his brother. The oversized hat acted somewhat as an umbrella keeping not only his head dry but his shoulders. But that wouldn’t be true for long with how much the rain was coming down and his boots were covered in mud. He could barley see anything past the sheets of rain all around him. He hoped Luffy wasn’t out in this…that he hadn’t gone under one of the trees for shelter…under a tree was the worst place to be in a lighting storm. He nearly lost his boot when it got stuck in a spot with particularly sticky mud.

Grabbing it he yanked his boot out which was now covered in more mud then before and continued on. As he walked a shadow appeared from behind all the rain. “Luffy?” Ace called out in question but no answer came. He walked closer until he was able to make out a small cave. Wondering if maybe Luffy had taken shelter in there he ran over being careful not to get his boot stuck in anymore mud or slip in any. But as soon as he got close to the mouth of the cave he heard a familiar sound…the sound of someone crying. “Luffy is that you?” Ace called and got a squeak back.

“Ace?” Luffy’s face peeked out from behind the boulder. A loud clap of thunder roared over head and a scared yell made its way to Ace’s ears.

In an instant Ace had Luffy in his arms; holding him close, stroking his head and whispering words of comfort to calm the younger boy down. Relief at seeing for himself that his little brother was okay washed over him like a waterfall leaving him in a haze. Sighing he rested his head on Luffy’s messy black hair and held him closer “Thank god your okay…”

“You were worried?” Luffy asked who had calmed down now that his brother was with him.

“Of course I was worried…I was worried sick” Ace said moving away from the mouth of the cave to sit behind the boulder; never once letting go of Luffy. Might as well get comfortable…with the rain they wouldn’t be heading home until it stopped.

“Ace…why did you say that to me?” Luffy asked not looking up at Ace. The older boy felt that familiar pang of guilt and held the younger boy close.

“I was angry…I lost my temper and I didn’t mean any of it…” Ace said running a hand through his brother soft black hair “I’m sorry…I would never say anything like what I said back at the house and mean it” he felt Luffy wrapped his arms around his older brother and snuggled close. Ace looked down at Luffy; around his eyes were puffy and red from crying, his cheeks were damp from tears…and yet the boy had a small content smile on his face.

“Its okay then” Ace raised an eyebrow.

“It’s…okay?”

“Yeah…you said you were sorry” Luffy said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“How can you let me take all that back? I said some really horrible things” Luffy looked up at him with those wide eyes of his before smiling and answering.

“Because…you’re my brother”