Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, that would be Oda.

A/N: Okay, first off, I'm sorry! I really should be getting to my chapter stories, but I just haven't had inspiration for them recently. Hopefully it won't be too long before I get on them. Well, here's a little one-shot. Hopefully it can tide you over.

EDIT: I know I said this would be a One-shot, but I keep getting ideas for it, and people have said they would like it to be more. I want to write more, anyway, so this will probably become a two-shot or more sometime in the future.

Step…

Step…

Two feet moved slowly, slightly unsteady, trying to keep balanced. A boy counted in his head each step he took on the thin railing.

Six…

Seven…

Left, right, one foot in front of the other, slowly now, as simple and challenging as life itself. A chuckle brushed past his lips, echoing over the school's empty rooftop.

It's so quiet, he thought as the echoes faded. No one is here. No one could hear you scream.

He chuckled again, once more echoing, at the thought of that old quote. He didn't know where it originated from, though. He'd have to look it up some time, if he remembered.

He doubted he ever would, though, maneuvering himself on the railing so that he faced outwards from the school, towards the sunset. The barrier he stood upon was meant to keep the odd student who wandered up from falling off, and as such was positioned just on the edge. One misstep and he would plummet.

One misstep is all it would take, and the ground would start becoming closer, and no one would hear me scream.

He spread his arms out wide and inhaled deeply, feeling the last remnants of that day's sunshine washing over his skin. Then, as if to test, he tilted his head back and began to scream.

Dropping books, slamming lockers, loud steps, and the occasional holler. It all rung in the ears of the single person still in the school halls so late on a Friday, the one solely responsible for the entire cacophony.

What did it matter to Ace if he got ear damage? He had finally been released from an extra long detention with Good Old Smoker-Sensei – and why yes, he did mean to capitalize it that way. He had a right to be flipping loud.

But not to swear. Mother always said it was bad for the soul.

He finally quieted himself and was finally throwing his schoolbooks in his bag, finally about to go home for the weekend when –

A piercing shriek ripped its way down the corridor.

Ace thought himself a rational person. He believed his next actions to be perfectly reasonable.

He bolted towards the direction the wail came from.

Somewhere along the way he dropped his bag, but the whirring thoughts of Oh Lord who is that do I know them what happened I gotta help were clouding his ability to perceive circumstances. Panic at the thought of one of his friends hurt built up and his protective instincts surfaced as the shrieking continued.

Confusion barely made it past his mind's shield of alarm when he saw that he was on the path to the roof, but the shock surely stopped him in his tracks when he arrived at the scene and found himself in what must have been unreality.

There on the opposite end was a younger boy standing on the banister, facing away from him and silhouetted by the day's waning light. His arms were held straight out from his sides, looking as if he were trying to embrace the sun itself, and he was howling almost joyfully at the sky. At this moment it struck Ace that the other wasn't crying out in distress, but rather some… more obscure reason, and he immediately felt embarrassed for panicking.

Measuredly, he approached, and took a seat next to where the boy's toes were curled around the handrail.

"I'm Luffy," the boy said, causing Ace to notice that the screaming had finally stopped.

"Ace," he replied. Then it was quiet.

It was a very strange sensation, he decided, the sudden absence of sound. It had been so loud just an instant before, with the noise he had made in the halls and then the boy's – Luffy's – shouts, and now the silence tore through his head. Luffy hadn't looked at him once, keeping his eyes glued forward. His hands were now folded behind his back.

"I thought that in space, no one could here you scream," Luffy said, and Ace felt relieved that the other had broken the peace. He just couldn't think of anything to say himself.

But wait, what did he say? In space, no one could… Does he mean that quote from Alien?

"We're not in space," Ace answered unsurely with a shake of his head. He couldn't tell what the teen was asking of him but that was probably the best answer he had.

"I guess that's why you heard me, then," was the enigmatic response, matched with a serene and magnetic smile. Ace stared blankly at the Luffy's black hair as the breeze played with it. It was as if there was something about the boy's presence that consumed his every coherent thought.

The stillness resumed.

"Eleanor Rigby," broke it this time, and Ace jolted as he recognized the song Luffy was now singing under his breath, "Picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been~"

Ace reached up and gave his earlobe a sharp twist, bringing himself to his senses.

"So," he began, and Luffy halted harshly, "Do you go to school here? I don't think I've seen you around."

Luffy turned and looked at him for the first time. "You interrupted my singing," he complained.

"My mistake," he apologized, and felt himself almost laugh at the pout on the younger's lips, but squashed it in his throat.

"You haven't," Luffy retorted shortly, before seeming to consider for a second and elaborating. "You haven't seen me around, that is. I'm home-schooled."

"Huh?" Ace was lost. "If you're home-schooled, why are you here? And at such a time? No one's here but us right now."

"Such is the point," he muttered. "You know, my older brother goes to school here."

Ace cocked his head at that, and Luffy continued, seeing that he had the other's attention, "His name is Sabo. Do you know him?"

"Sabo?" he asked, astonishment apparent. "Sabo has a brother?"

"I take it you do," Luffy said, turning back to watch the same sky again. Ace blinked and nodded.

"He's been my best friend for years," he told the other faintly. "How come I didn't know he had a brother?"

"You probably didn't ask," Luffy answered, surprising Ace, as he only meant the question to himself. Then he hummed and whispered, "So you're that Ace."

"But if your brother goes to school here," he began, unable to stop now that his questions were boiling inside of him, "why are you home-schooled?"

"Ah," started Luffy, "look at all the lonely people~"

Ace was completely baffled, until he realized the boy had recommenced singing.

He sighed and turned to leave. He looked back when he was halfway across the rooftop, about to offer Sabo's younger brother a ride home, when Luffy lifted up a foot and began to walk precariously along the handrail.

"Hey! What are you doing? That's dangerous!" But the boy didn't hear him. He was still singing softly and, worse yet, his eyes were closed. He wouldn't see if he were about to–

When Luffy lifted a foot that Ace just knew was about to step on thin air, he bounded forward, arms out in front of him to catch the teen – after all, he couldn't let Sabo's brother be hurt. However, Luffy simply spun on his heel and walked back the other way. The older was left standing there like an idiot.

Ace paused for a moment, the jogged over to Luffy, carefully stopping him by grabbing both his wrists. Two curious dark eyes turned to the older teen.

"Do you… want a ride?" he asked, gesturing to the sky, where the sun had finished setting and the air had taken a darker hue. "It's getting pretty late." Not to mention that he neither wanted to leave the boy alone, nor to stay at school the whole night. But that wasn't important.

Luffy was silent a moment, then nodded, hopping down.

Ace exhaled. It was a relief, somehow. He wanted very badly to keep the other safe, for some reason. It might have been his protective instincts rearing their head again, but it also might have been that he considered Sabo family. As such, wasn't Sabo's brother his brother as well?

"So," Ace said once they were inside, "you never answered my question. Why are you home-schooled while Sabo isn't?"

However, Luffy had begun running down the hall sometime in the middle of Ace's sentence. He stopped, staring as the younger disappeared from sight, listening to the footsteps reverberating in the otherwise silent halls.

At last, he took off after Luffy, stopping to pick up his discarded bag on the way. He had a feeling that his question wouldn't be answered any time soon.

He couldn't help but think it didn't matter.

A/N: Geez, I like that. I hope you do too. I'm happy with it, and it's just the randomest thing. Just literally, the idea of one thing (Luffy screaming on a rooftop just because he felt like it) hit me and the rest built itself around that. Review please! I love to know what specific parts you liked or your opinions of such and such or your feelings on this other thing over here. I love to read long and thoughtful reviews! Not that I don't appreciate short ones too. If you can't recognize by the lyrics but want to know, the song Luffy sings is "Eleanor Rigby" by the Beatles.