Warning: Mentions of child abuse and torture

XXX

When Luffy woke up the world seemed to have righted itself. The darkness he had grown used too was now replaced with light everywhere. It was so bright it made his eyes ache a little bit. He also felt different. Not bad, just different. He still hurt, all over. But the near constant ache in his ears seemed to have softened a bit. This wasn't his cell? In fact this wasn't any sort of cell.

He sat up, almost timidly, looking around with wide eyes. Yesterday hadn't been a normal day had it? No it had been a very scary day where big intimidating men kept pulling and pushing him around. And…and then he didn't really remember what happened at the end. How did he get here? In this big room with all the people –people he recognized as other slaves. Like him. So he was where they wanted him then. Why though? What did they want with them?

His fingers began to nervously pick at the blankets beneath him. They were soft…and clean. He was laying on a fluffy one with a smaller one covering him. It was warm. Far warmer then he remembered being in a very long time. He really didn't understand any of this.

The room they were all in looked like an eating place. With all the tables and chairs pushed into the corner to make room on the floor for the slaves. All of them with blankets just like his, some sleeping or talking in very hushed whispers. But they were all clean like they had recently been washed and re-clothed. They were hardly recognizable as slaves now and almost looked like humans… almost.

There were normal people here too. The owners of the ship? The ones who had killed and burned the ship they had been on. Pirates then? He didn't know. He didn't know anything it seemed. Only that ever constant fear in his stomach.

His wide staring eyes locked with one of the normal people and they smiled at him. Another thrill of fear shot up his spine as they began to come over. No, no, no, no, he didn't want that. He scooted back until he felt his back hit the wall. Cornered on all sides.

"Hey there little one," The man crouched besides him, he offered him a gentle smile a tray in his hands with multiple steaming bowls.

"Are you doing all right?"

Tiny fists worked into the soft blankets, uncomfortable with the attention. Luffy considered running. Except he was trapped in this big open room. There was nowhere to hide.

"What's the matter little boy?"

When he didn't answer the man set the tray down before him, reaching out a hand towards him.

'A bad hand, a very bad hand.' Luffy decided hugging his knees to his chest. The feeling of claustrophobia bearing down on him.

"Don't do that!" Someone warned. "He's a biter!" The hand froze midair as the man turned.

"Ah morning boss."

Luffy watched carefully as the hand retracted.

"Just Sabo," The blond reminded him as he sat down besides the two of them. He recognized this one. It was the nice one. The only one who protected him from the man with the syringe. The one everyone else seemed to listen too. The same one who had given him a hug and held him when he cried. He hadn't even hit Luffy when he was being bad. So he might also protect him from this man.

"So kid's all right then?

"He's just shy," The older boy told him. "The doctors looking at him this morning. I don't think he likes people so much right now."

The man gave a barking laugh and Luffy jumped.

"That's pretty fair. I can't say I would feel differently if I was him." He grabbed one of the bowls off of the tray trying to hand it to the kid. When he didn't take it the man gave it to the blond instead.

"One for him…and one for you."

"Don't you need this?"

"We can manage to lose one bos- Sabo. Call it an apology for sticking you with those gladiators."

"It's what I'm here for," He said accepting the other bowel.

Satisfied he picked up the tray turning back to Luffy. "Bye little guy."

Luffy only gripped his knees harder hiding his face in them. He didn't want the attention of all these scary looking strangers. He had learned a long time ago attention was not a good thing.

When the man continued with his tray Luffy turned back to the blond, the other was watching him.

"Want it?" He reached over to balance the bowl on Luffy's knees. It smelt really good.

He took the bowl into his small hand taking it on faith that he would not be punished for it. Nearly drooling at the smell, he barley registered the spoon, tipping the contents back and swallowing it greedily. If you were quick enough no one could take it from you.

"Wow," The boy said as he began to lick the sides clean with all of the manners of a starved dog. "That was quick."

When Luffy set it back down he was thrilled to see the blond refill it with half of his own.

"Something tells me you need this more than me. Just easy on your stomach kay?"

Luffy didn't hear that part as he gulped the second batch as quickly as he did the first. Before turning to look pleadingly at the rest. He wanted it so bad. The soup had burned his throat going down but it made his tummy warm and full feeling and there were little bits of meat and squishy veggies… it was really really good he decided. The best food he had had in- as long as he could remember.

"You can have some more later alright? Once we are sure you can handle it."

'He could handle it now.' He watched the other eat what was left of his own, practically drooling at the smell. All around them slaves just like him were being fed. Maybe he could steal some later.

He looked up as the older boy put his bowl down, it seemed like he was really hungry too.

"Do you remember me?"

Luffy blinked up at him once before giving a shaky nod.

"Yes," He said softly.

"Do you remember my name?"

"Sabo," He repeated. That's what everyone called him.

"Yea-,"The other boy seemed genuinely surprised. "That's my name. What's yours?"

Luffy turned his gaze back down to the blankets, picking at them with his tiny fingers. Nobody used his name here. And he was okay with that. He was pretty sure only one person in his life had called him by his name.

He realized somewhat dimly that he was wearing clothes under the blankets. He hadn't noticed in all the confusion. These weren't his though. His were ragged. This was someone else's shirt, rolled up at his hands. He pulled the blanket aside feeling his heart begin to hammer in his chest. These weren't his pants either. They looked like large dark blue shorts tied up with a strip of cloth so they stayed around his waist.

His hands started to shake as he realized what happened. Someone had taken his clothes and changed them with these while he had been sleeping. He didn't like that.

"Hey what's wrong?"

He looked up, not realizing tears were beginning to pool in his eyes once more. He tugged on the shirt wiping his nose with the other hand.

"Those are my clothes." The other told him gently. "Remember I told you we were going to get you cleaned up."

He nodded slowly.

"I had to throw out those flea ridden things…we'll get you some better ones later on okay?"

Luffy blinked up at him, his sleepy brain slowly working. Battling through his emotions he nodded slowly. It was all right then. As long as it had just been this boy no one else. Even if it meant he had seen what he really was. But then again he already knew what Luffy was. They were all slaves. And they belonged to this group now.

"Are you okay?"

Wiping his nose once more Luffy nodded.

The blond boy grinned down at him. "Good, because I promised the doctor I'd take you back in today to finish your check up."

"No!" His said quickly. Then more pleadingly. "Nooo."

"It will make you feel better I promise."

Luffy shook his head desperately. 'No doctors! Nonononono.' He didn't even realize he started panting until the other put a careful hand on his knee.

"Hey- hey it's okay. Don't cry anymore." He tried to comfort him. "I can't keep making a little kid cry. I know you're scared but it's gonna be okay."

The hand on his knee moved very slowly, to his cheek, giving Luffy ample time to back away if he wished, but he didn't wish. Instead he sat stone still feeling the light as butterfly touch dry his cheek. He fought back the overwhelming urge to tremble or shy away. For the first time in… as long as he could remember someone was showing him the slightest bit of kindness. And that was a little scary, but what was scarier was the thought that it would never happen again. As suddenly as the bursting of a dam he hadn't even realized was building Luffy felt the overwhelming desire to be treated softly, for even the smallest amount of affection.

Without even registering what he was doing he leaned forwards a bit, his hands beginning to shake as he did so. Pressing into the boys hand like a dog asking to be pet. Eyes tightly shut he felt the pressure on his cheek. Not the hurting kind of pressure but rather the warm kind. And it felt really nice.

If he had surprised the older boy he didn't say so. He just sat still for a moment, willing to let Luffy have his way until the kid's shaking became noticeable.

"Are you okay then?" He asked lowering his hand.

Luffy opened his eyes. He was okay. Still scared but somehow everything around him didn't seem so threatening anymore. He nodded.

"Do you want to come with me?"

'To the doctors? No!' But he didn't want to be left alone here either. On this unfamiliar ship. He had caused too much trouble. Screamed and fought back against this crew. He wouldn't be forgiven for that. Tiny fingers picked once more at the blankets. He would be giving these up. But what were warm blankets really? Not when this person had protected him from the crew.

He looked back up into the bright blue eyes and nodded.

The other one helped him up before turning to the doorway, going slowly so Luffy could keep up. Following so closely behind he could reach out and grab the older boy's pants, still terrified someone would try to grab him away again. When he led the two of them from the large dining room into an open hallway, busied by people, Luffy risked slipping his small hand into the larger one. All the while his dark eyes watched the people pass by, all of them near frantic with work. None of them slaves, but all seemingly the ship's crew. This place was very odd. It was a little like the roles were switched here. He looked up at the blond boy to see if he was worried as well. But he didn't look it. He didn't look angry at the audacity of the little hand either. But then again why would he be scared. As far as Luffy could figure he wasn't anywhere near the bottom of the pecking order. Oddly enough People twice his age and size seemed to listen to him. Maybe he was the son of someone important? No that couldn't be it, this boy was far too nice to be an entitled brat. Maybe everyone just listened to him because he was nice.

The hand tugged him from the doorway and into the current of commotion down the hallway. He made sure to stick extra close to the other. His upbringing teaching him to fear crowds and small spaces such as this. The older boy swung their locked hands a little bit, trying to get Luffy to relax a little bit. From how stiff he was it was clear to anyone who so much as glanced at him that he was still terrified. When a woman brushed past him, jostling him a bit, he glued himself to the others side, He figured it was the safest place for him to be right now. The boy glanced down at him but didn't say anything or push him off. For whatever reason his clingy behavior was being tolerated. Although for how long was anyone's guess. Keeping that last thought in mind Luffy forced himself to move away a bit, although he did not let go of the others hand. A few people glanced at him as he passed but he did his best to ignored them.

Turning down a side hallway the older boy led them to a large oak door, rapping on it twice. When no one answered he knocked louder.

"All right- all right I'm coming," Came the muffled voice. He sounded annoyed. Luffy was starting to question this decision of his. He ducked behind the others legs just as the door swung open revealing a sleepy looking doctor.

"Mourning," Sabo greeted him.

He grunted in reply looking down to where Luffy was hiding. He seemed surprised to see him. Or possibly he was just surprised to see the kid not screaming or fighting.

"What did you bribe him or something?" He asked Sabo.

"No," The boy said looking down at him. "Not yet anyway. I guess you could try that card. He seems to like food."

The old man gave a humorless laugh. "I don't doubt it. Little one's starving no doubt."

Luffy only glared at the man, his hand tightening on Sabo's. Daring him to try and take him away again. But he only opened the door wider, motioning them in. Sabo followed him, gently tugging Luffy along with him.

This room was not like the huge one he had been in last night. For starters there was only a single examining table and aside from that it looked like the doctor's office. Shelves were crammed with papers and books, all of them bleeding loose sheets with scribbled writing.

The doctor patted the examining bench again and Luffy reluctantly allowed Sabo to pick him up and set him down on it so his legs dangled over the edge. Close enough he could jump down and make a run for it if he needed to. He looked up sharply when the blond boy slipped his hand out of his tight hold to move away. But he didn't stray far, leaning up against the wall besides the examination bench to watch. Luffy figured (and hoped) that he would save him if the doctor tried to do something awful so he sat still for now and listened to the man like the good slave he occasionally pretended to be.

"Alright kid, here is the deal," The doctor said as he put his gloves on. "You're going to get lunch and dinner regardless of what you do alright? We're not in the business of starving kids or people for that matter. But if you behave for me we can get you a little extra, how's that sound?"

Food! He really wanted more food. He glanced behind him at the blond before giving the doctor a tentative nod. He could be obedient if it was for food. At least he thought he could.

"There's a good boy." The doctor praised lightly as he ran a practiced hand over Luffy's shoulders and spine. He didn't comment when the kid began to tremble even though he obviously noticed. Instead the man continued to feel down his arms and legs making sure the bones were all where they should be. He felt down the ribs next and Luffy began to shake harder. He hated people touching him like this. Close enough to really hurt him before he could even react. But he didn't risk moving away, not when food was riding on this.

"You're doing great." He told him gently probing his jutting collar bone. "You need a hot meal or two huh. Poor things sticks and bones like the rest of them. Don't you worry we are going to change that given some time." He patted the fluffy dark hair before moving on to his clipboard.

"Feeling like telling us your name now kid?"

"Do I have to?" He asked softly.

"The old man blinked at him, "I mean I guess not…do you even- do you know your name?"

"I know it." He told them seemingly relieving the doctor.

"But you don't want to tell us?"

"Will you still give me the food if I don't?"

"…Yea I guess we will. But don't you want people to call you by your name?"

"No."

"Okay then." He moved on down the clipboard. Asking more questions, most of them Luffy could answer, some he couldn't.

"Age?"

"Nine…I think."

"Birthday?"

"…."

"How long have you been a slave?"

"How long?... Forever."

The writing stopped as the man looked up at him. He risked a glance behind him and saw that the blond was staring at him as well, seemingly surprised. Although less so then the doctor.

"Is that the wrong answer?" He asked the older boy feeling fear creep back up his spine.

"There's no wrong answers." He promised. "We just didn't know that."

"You've never been free?" The doctor probed, "Never?"

Luffy shook his head. Not that he knew of. His memory as shaky at best, it was possible he had been without remembering it. But he didn't think so. There were some things in life you would never forget, and having freedom even for a second, was one of them.

"How is that possible?"

He shrugged, turning his gaze down to his hands. Their surprise was starting to make him feel shy again. He intertwined his fingers with each other, not remembering the last time he had talked this much. It must have been a very long time ago. He didn't like this, it was kind of scary.

Sensing his growing fear the blond boy moved from against the wall to sit beside him and Luffy forced himself to keep going. Convinced The older boy was here to stop the doctor if he grew too angry with his answers.

"I was born there," He told them lowering his voice to barely a whisper.

The doctor looked at him, sorrow in his eyes.

"No wonder you can't trust anyone."

"I trust people…some people. I know a lot of them are good. Just not in my life. Not to me."

After that the doctor went silent, caught up in his own work. Luffy wondered if he had done something wrong. He liked that he didn't have to talk anymore but the tension in the room was causing the tiny hairs on his neck to rise. The doctor hadn't stopped talking to him since they had met, he must have really messed up now. All thoughts of the promised food long forgotten he turned to Sabo, tugging on his sleeve gently to get his attention.

"Can we go."

The boy looked at the doctor before turning back to Luffy. "Why, what's wrong."

Luffy shook his head feeling his lower lip begin to tremble. "Please," He whispered.

The doctor glanced between the two of them, taking in the little kid's terrified face before turning back to his desk to fiddle with some of the jars there. Trusting Sabo to comfort him.

"Hey," The older boy asked softly. "What's the matter. What are you so scared of?"

Luffy looked over at the doctor, bent over his desk fiddling with the syringe cap, he was scared of him.

'-pain, needles, laughter, it hurt so much- everything always hurt…'

His breathing hitched. He hated doctors. Or people who went around pretending to be them. He hated needles, and he hated medicine that made his head swim. They always promised to fix him too. Fix all the vile evilness inside him that made him act out, that made him scream and fight back. Everything that made Luffy disobey his masters.

They called him worthless. They told him he was worthless. A useless piece of trash good for nothing but to serve what ever master was merciful enough to buy him. They told him no one could love him. But he knew better.

They tried to make him forget. But Luffy didn't want to forget.

Somebody out there, on that massive ocean loved him. And they were coming to save him.

A round of needles to the head had made him forget their name. Another and he lost their face. An extra five and he had forgotten even his own name. If he hadn't carved it into the wall of his cell it would have been gone forever. Sometimes in life you forgot things, important things. But you never forgot what really mattered. He didn't have a face anymore, but he still knew that there was a person- and a promise. As long as he kept fighting back then they were still out there looking for him. And just because he was scared didn't mean he couldn't fight.

The doctor man was angry. Luffy had messed up somehow. Now he was going to hurt the two of them unless they did something.

The blond boy was looking at him in concern. He was nice to him. Luffy wanted to protect him like he had been doing all day. But he shouldn't hide behind him right now. He would just get him hurt. He bit his lip to stop it from shaking viciously fighting back the tears and the memories that threatened to overwhelm him. The other boy was still trying to talk to him, trying to comfort him but he focused on the doctor. The man came back, slipping the syringe into his pocket. He was saying something, but he ignored it. Ignoring him. And when he stepped to close to the blond boy Luffy struck.

He lunged off the table, his tiny hands reaching for the tiny table besides them where some of the mans tools where. He crashed into it with a loud thud catching everyone's attention, toppling it over onto himself. The other two were shouting, the knife skidded to the floor beside him and Luffy scrambled after it. His tiny scarred hand closed around it-

-And then everything happened so fast.

The doctor made to grab him, syringe in his hand. And everything awful Luffy had been fighting so hard to forget came rushing back to him. He was going to torture him, he was going to hurt him and Sabo. He was going to kill.

Trembling with adrenaline and fear and far too gone to register what he was doing he knocked the offending hand away returning it with his own attack.

Luffy was holding a scalpel without fully realizing it. He hadn't realized he had been doing any of it. He was acting on pure impulse at this point. His memories of the past, this smell, rooms like this with old men puttering around finding creative ways to hurt him, they had overwhelmed him.

He didn't fully register what had gone down until after it happened. Trembling in the corners of the doctor's office. The blonde boy stood between him and the shocked doctor, his hand was out and blood was dripping down it slowly staining his sleeve.

Luffy blinked once, trying to clear his vision, he wanted to wake up now. But he didn't. The knife he had grabbed was stuck fast into the boys hand, so deep the sharpest edge poked out the back. The knife had accidentally gotten lodged in his hand when the blonde boy had moved to stop him.

Luffy had done this! He had hurt someone. The first person who had shown him the slightest bit of kindness. Why the hell did he do that? He watched, transfixed for a long moment until a drop of blood fell from the wound and onto the floor below and then he broke.

He dropped to the floor hiding his face in his knees, covering his ears with his hands and screamed.

XXX

"Say ahh,"

"Ahh," Luffy opened his mouth letting the doctor take a look inside.

"Are you eating all right? Getting enough sleep?" He nodded enthusiastically kicking his feet on the bench. "I eat and sleep a lot." Luffy said happily.

"Going to see our good friend the therapist then?"

His smile fell a bit as he looked down.

"Luffy?" The doctor pressed.

Luffy turned his head away to look anywhere but at the man's eyes.

He sighed, "I know you don't like it but try to go alright. For starters your dad is everyone's boss and what he says goes. Secondly it's good for you."

"It's boring," Luffy told him dully as the man poked at prodded at the welt on his temple. He had gotten a nasty knock on the head during training today. Luffy was fine though. Of course he was, he was made out of rubber after all. But everyone still freaked out and sent him here. Which was fine, Luffy liked the doctor well enough, but he would rather be in training. They were learning about weapons today. Fighting was his favorite. Probably because he was really good at it. Luffy had been fighting his entire life, everything else he was new too.

Besides he saw plenty of the old man as it was. He ended up here often. Even when he wasn't sick, they sent him here to get a physical every now and then to see how his growth rate was progressing. Now that he was no longer being starved he was beginning to shoot up like a normal ten year old.

"That's how you know it's good for you," The doctor told him lifting his shirt and prodding his ribs a bit. "Your still a bit of a runt," he told him. "But it's nice to see that your no longer a skin and bones runt."

Since being intercepted by the revolutionaries Luffy had turned from a shivering little thing with a demon like scream to a fairly well adjusted kid. Sure he still had problems. Lots and lots of them. But the doctor would like to meet the person that wouldn't be messed up if forced to live the hellish life Luffy had.

"And how does being here feel?"

He had discovered that Luffy had some pretty deep seeded trauma of doctors and hospital rooms a little too late. It had taken the kid flipping out and trying to shank him with his own scalpel for him to get clued in. But that had felt like it was life times ago.

Luffy looked around the room, bringing his leg up to rest his chin on. "It's okay." He shrugged. "I don't like the smell."

"What is the smell?"

"It smells like pain."

"And what does pain smell like?"

"Like this," He gestured around to the sterile, alcohol and surgical steel odor of the room.

"Um-hmm," The doctor said as he wrote that on his sheet as well. "But you are okay."

Luffy paused for a moment before his smile came back full force," I'm okay." He beamed at the doctor.

And he really was.

XXX

Sabo pulled the blade from his palm with a sickening slicing sound. He threw it down on the floor, wrapping his hand in one of the spare rags. Usually the doctor would scowl at him for doing that but right now the old man's attention was mostly taken up by the screaming child.

He was wailing so loudly Sabo swore the walls shook. He hadn't seen the attack coming, nor the break down he was having right now. But apparently the doctor had.

"Shh little one it's all right," the man told him retrieving the syringe from the floor, moving slowly so not to spook him. But he didn't need to bother. The kid was so far gone he was no longer paying attention to the two of them. Caught up in his own head as he was he didn't even register the needle when it slid into his neck.

"Are you okay?" The man asked Sabo as he pulled it out replacing it with a cotton swab for the pinpricks of blood.

Sabo nodded, his attention fixed on the kid. His screams began to trail off a few minutes later and he looked more tired then anything else.

"Is he alright?" He finally asked breaking the new found silence.

"I'm an idiot," The doctor told him ruefully. "Help me lift him. My back isn't as strong as it used to be."

Sabo made his way over to the two of them cautiously. Two big brown eyes stared up at him glassily. When the kid didn't cower away Sabo picked him back up and laid him on the table. He patted the fluffy black hair wordlessly telling him everything was going to be okay.

"He has some trauma associated with hospitals." The man explained riffling through his cabinets again. "Something bad I'd wager. I should have realized."

"You couldn't have known," The Sabo comforted sitting down besides the kid.

"It's my job to know these kinds of things." He told him. "-and stop what just happened from happening. Your poor hand. I owe you a thank you don't I?"

"Better me then you," Sabo told him.

"My thoughts exactly! What, I need my hands," He snapped in response to Sabo's look. "You are used to getting yourself beat up." He found what he was looking for triumphantly holding up a battered stuffed elephant.

He brought it back to the kid putting it on his stomach so the black beaded eyes stared into the kids own. The child blinked slowly, lifting a heavy hand to touch its nose with his finger. He stared at it a second longer before tucking it against his chest. He moved slowly like a sleepy kitten just waking up from a nap.

"What did you give him this time?"

"Oh just a little something to calm the nerves," The doctor told him as he moved the toy a little bit so he could press his hands over the kids stomach to check his breathing. "-and by a little something I mean the kind of stuff that brings down elephants. The stuff I gave him yesterday hardly affected him so this kids metabolism must be pretty scary."

"I'm starting to lose faith in you as a doctor," Sabo said as the man handed over some clean bandages for his hand.

"I've had better days," he agreed watching the blond clumsily rewrap his hand. "I've also had days where I didn't have to squeeze in hundreds of patients all desperately needing medical attentions so yea, I'm bound to mess up from time to time." He took Sabo's hand knocking the other one away as he began to rewrap it himself. He tied off the end before moving back to the sleepy kid.

"This little guy-" The doctor said, addressing Sabo but looking into the boy's big brown eyes as he did so, "-is going to need some pretty serious help. What ever they did to him it must have been god damn awful for him to react like that." His practiced old hands worked clumsily on the buttons of the kids, or rather Sabo's, donated shirt to get a look at his chest. The boy, now completely loopy from whatever drug cocktail the doctor had given him, hugged the elephant toy tighter to him.

Sabo frowned, looking away. He had been the one who had cleaned the kid up yesterday. He had already seen under his shirt and it was not something he needed to see again. He was a mess of patchwork scars from what the nobles referred to as 'training,' and perhaps worst of all the brandings he had gotten from each of his master. There had to be at least five or six of them. Each no doubt marked a horrible moment in the kid's life.

He heard the doctor swear besides him.

"This is- this is awful. Who would do this to a kid?"

Sabo just shrugged, not willing to look but not willing to leave either. The Celestial Dragons that's who. The very same people they had spent their careers trying to destroy. One day, sooner then they thought, they were going to pay for this, and every other awful thing they had done.

"You poor thing," the doctor sympathized as he began to treat some of the fresher wounds. Most likely the ones he had gotten while on the prison ship they had rescued him from. Sabo had seen those, as well as the old one. The horrible ones that had long since healed over. 'Poor thing,' was the understatement of the year. Although for the old man, who was not known for showing much pity to anyone, Sabo supposed that was kind for him.

"You're a tough little bit aren't you? Fighting back like that. Knowing they were going to hurt you for it. Bravery like that can't be taught. You either have it or you don't."

Sabo smiled at that. Bravery? That's what everyone says to try and make up for the fact your life is shitty. He fiddled with the bandages on his hand. When he had gotten shot as a kid everyone had told him how brave he was for it but that was a lie. Any idiot could get shot in the face. You didn't need to be brave for bad things to happen to you. Bad things just happened.

"He has a devil fruit," The man said taking note of the band around his arm. "That's odd. He's so young."

"Probably why he has it," Sabo told him. He had noticed it last night. But there was nothing they could do about it right now. They would have to wait to get to the base.

"I wonder what it is?"

Sabo just shrugged. Hell if he knew. Probably something to keep the nobility entertained.

"So what do we do with him?" He asked turning around to watch the doctor fix the kids clothes. Bandages now peeking out of the cloth on his skin, reminding anyone who might see him that he was damaged inside and out.

"What do you mean?"

"He's a traumatized little devil fruit kid who has never been free before? How do we change that?"

The old man just shrugged in an infuriating way, like he did indeed know the answer but just didn't want to share it. "I would have to ask my boss," he said. "Oh wait that's you." He helped the kid sit up. He looked half asleep, the toy tucked against his heart.

"Here you go boss," The man said passing the kid over to him like he was a sack of flour. "Make sure he gets plenty to eat alright! Lots of rest as well. If something goes wrong bring him back to me."

"You're kidding!" Sabo said as he reached out to take the drugged demon child. "I can't fix him!" This was so far out of his area it was laughable.

"You don't have to fix him. Nobody's expecting that. You can't fix someone else's trauma. Trust me that's why I became a doctor and not a therapist. Just look after him yea?"

"Why me!" Koala would be way better. She was a natural with kids. They adored her. Come to think of it just about anyone would be better then him. But the doctor just shook his head.

"Sure pass him off to someone else if you really think it's best. But from where I'm standing it looks to me like you're the one the kid chose to trust. No one else. So go ahead and make him another person's responsibility. That will be a great way to get him to trust us alright."

Sabo frowned as he looked down at the kid. He had nuzzled his way into the older boy's chest, cheek resting on his shirt the toy cradled between them. The kid looked so peaceful when he was asleep. Sabo had noticed that last night but he saw it again now.

"Your going to look after him for now won't you?" The doctor asked him. "Because if you admit it or not you like him too. The little guy reminds me of you when you were little. Who knows maybe you can help each other."

XXX

Hey guys! Hope you liked this one. I'll try to update again soon!

-Till next time. : )

XXX