#phoenixmarco

@marcoaceweek

1st October: Deep/Light Word count: 3001

This fic went all over the place, and I don’t even know what happened in the end. Enjoy. 

"Please, I- we want it."

"I know that Roger, I never doubted it, but don't you know the consequences it will have for your child? They will be forever bound to me, and there is no telling what that will do."

"We don't care about that, I will leave this world soon enough, let me at least leave behind someone to take care of Rouge."

It was long ago that the man had come to the Phoenix, wishing for a child for him and his lover. He had been desperate, to the degree that he entered a deal that many would consider uncertain. Perhaps even unethical. Nevertheless, the man's wish had been granted.

Months went by, or years, it was becoming difficult to tell for the Phoenix, and soon the knowledge of the death of the man reached the mountain where it resided. The world's most wanted bandit was gone, ripped from the mortal world by the hands of the crown. All children that could have been his offspring were taken and the worldwide search brought many deaths.

What became of his child was a mystery.

It was a cold evening outside of the tavern. The snow fell rapidly from the sky and all roads were covered with a thin sheet of ice, threatening those who didn't watch their step. All people who weren't huddled up in their homes and for some reason went outside in this weather wore enough clothes for a small village. Pelts and scarves were seen everywhere. No one dared set a foot on the other side of the door without a pair of thick gloves on.

It had been like this for a few days according to the townsfolk that Ace had spoken with. He had only just arrived, stumbled through the heavy door freezing and starving, and he was still in the same condition as he was before he reached the tavern.

A large mug of what he presumed was ale and a plate filled with warm foods were presented before him. The lady who placed them there only nodded slightly when looked up at her to give his thanks. She had oddly white hair and a piece of cloth that tied it back.

Ace almost finished his meal in one bite. The warmth spreading inside of him was calming and he had never had a more enjoyable drink than the one he had right now.

"You don't think you're rushing that a bit too much?" a voice said next to him. It was a man, surely a good ten years older, who's blond hair resembled an exotic fruit more than it did any hairstyle Ace had seen before. His cocky smirk was as suggestive and exciting as it was pure. Overall Ace found him to be devilishly good-looking.

Ace grinned slightly. "Not really," he answered him and waved at the waitress to refill his mug. If he was going to continue his journey the next morning with the weather still looking like this, he would need something to keep his spirits up.

"So, tell me, what brings an obvious south-dweller like you to the cold north?" The stranger, who Ace began to find more and more handsome with every glance, asked him.

"South-east, actually, and I suppose there's no harm in telling you my business," Ace began his answer and drank another mouthful of ale. "I'm looking for someone, or well, something." He looked down at the bar-table and sighed. Whether it was one of joy or sorrow not even he could tell.

"Do tell."

"Have you heard of the great Phoenix?"

The stranger chuckled before letting his lips form a smirk. "Have I heard?" Another chuckle escaped him. "Well, I have to say that I have, one of the perks of being the only one that wanders up the mountain you're headed for."

"Of course. You believe it's a legend, then?" Ace wondered, slightly discouraged by the tone in the man's voice. Everyone so far had laughed at him for even believing such stories, but he knew that his grandfather had not lied to him when he told him of the Phoenix his father had struck a deal with. The deal that killed his mother.

"Legend? Oh, no. It's very real. Upon the highest peak lives the immortal bird of fire. I've seen it once myself, a bird like no other," the stranger said seriously, every hint of mockery gone.

"Could you take me there? I mean, if it's not too much trouble."

"Of course."

Days went by before they even reached the foot of the mountain through the storm. The stranger, whose name Ace had learned was Marco, hadn't talked much during the journey and remained a mystery. Ace, however, hadn't really spoken or revealed anything either, the weather had been too rough for that.

"What drives you to seek out the Phoenix?" came the sudden question as they sat down by the fire in their camp during the brief second that the snowfall had paused.

Ace sighed. "It's a bit of a personal matter, really. Otherwise, I would've brought others."

Marco raised his eyebrows but didn't press him further. "Others?"

"Yeah, my crew. We're like adventurers, call ourselves The Spades."

Ace looked at Marco with a large grin, glad to have a new companion. Sure, he missed his crew, but this wasn't for them. "We do the jobs that people want done. The crown even offered to hire us. We declined, of course. And then came this and then they— well, they..." He trailed off with a frown on his face.

"You must lead an exciting life, then?"

"I did. It's nowhere near as exciting as my brother's, though," Ace answered, quickly changing the subject and smiling fondly as he somewhat forgot that he only had known the man he was talking to for a couple of days. Marco nodded along, leaving room for Ace to continue talking.

"You know Alabasta? The desert kingdom? Well, Luffy and his friends have already turned that place upside down. And recently they declared war on the crown, all for the sake of one of their friends."

Ace continued telling stories, both about his brother and about himself, as Marco listened with a smile.

"This one time, when he started out, he even took on and defeated-"

Loud snoring was heard after Ace slumped down where he sat. It was far into the night and most nights continued that way on their journey up the mountain. Marco got Ace to open up more and more, and so the young man told him stories about his brother, the bandits who raised him and every once in a while about himself. Then, of course, he fell asleep. It was frustrating, because as safe as Ace felt in the presence of the man, he hated how easily he trusted him.

All his life he'd done things by himself, and now a stranger could come and help him without consequence? It wasn't right. Yet, it felt right. Every evening he would find himself sitting across Marco and putting his whole life out in the open, and every morning he would curse the fact that he let it happen again.

"You're not having second thoughts about seeing the Phoenix, are you?"

The question was sudden, and certainly not expected. "What do you mean?" Ace countered, feeling slightly hurt by the words. Did Marco not believe he had what it took? Or was he just another who treated his goals as a joke?

"Nothing, really." The tone was blank and Marco shrugged as he said it. "It's just that most people don't make it this far, and if they do, they usually turn around when I tell them we're just halfway there. They never have a goal important enough to make it to the top."

"Well, I do," Ace said defensively. "But if people find it so tiring to venture up the Phoenix's lair, how come you agree to show them there?"

Marco smiled slightly. It was a question he had wanted to hear. "I would say that it's because I want to help the souls who believe that they are worthy of seeing the Phoenix, but I don't enjoy lying. I'm just waiting for someone, and hopefully, they'll come to find me on these tracks."

Ace nodded along. "And no one has been worthy yet?"

"Only one, as far as I know. It was a man, he ventured up the mountain all alone, and when he returned, everyone already knew it. He had obtained the Phoenix's light. That would be around... twenty years ago now? No one has completed the journey since."

Anyone could see how Ace's face went dark after that comment, yet Marco only continued his story with a calming smile stuck on his lips. "Some say he battled with the creature, and that by taking the light it held, he killed it. They say that's why the Phoenix hasn't been seen since then. Others believe that the Phoenix lives, only that the man outsmarted it and stole the light, thus making it unable to leave its lair to fly around. That the man made a deal of trickery is a popular opinion. Then there are those who argue that the man was gifted the light, that he was blessed and received it in good faith."

Ace looked down and avoided the gaze of the man before him. It would hurt too much to see him answer with truth in those beautiful blue eyes of his. "Then what do you think?"

"I believe that the Phoenix gave the man its light willingly."

The answer surprised the young traveller whose eyes immediately shot up to meet the ones of the older man. There were no signs of lies. "You what? But how? You said it yourself, the Phoenix hasn't been seen since then, what if the man did kill it?"

Marco chuckled. "He didn't, I'm sure, the Phoenix is simply waiting for its light to return."

"And what if it never does?"

"Don't worry, it will."

As the days went by they only got closer and closer to the finishing line. Ace never let go of the routine of the late night conversations, and Marco still didn't say much. That was, until the second to last evening.

"Will you tell me now?" Marco wondered.

"Tell you what?"

"The reason you're here. You said it was personal, but I don't think it's as personal as you let on. I think it's something that has to do with someone other than yourself."

Ace froze. Did Marco know? He had to. If Ace's father had been the only one to reach the Phoenix, then there had to have been someone that recognised him as Gold Roger. That ruthless murderer whose name always was one said with hatred. The heartless man who gave away a woman's life only to produce a child. The embodiment of evil itself.

The terror and fear must have been evident on Ace's face because as soon as his trail of thoughts started, Marco's expression turned into one of worry. "Ace?"

As if snapped out of a trans, Ace turned to him. "Yes? Oh, right, why I'm here." He tried to smile, but it wasn't easy. Had he been in the company of his crew, he would have kept a brave face and dismissed the subject. Now, there was no way he could.

Marco moved closer, soon sitting right next to him with his gaze fixed on the freckles of the boy. "You don't have to tell me, but I can feel that it's been bothering you. For me, things always become easier when I've talked it out."

"Yeah..." Could he tell him, though? Ace's mind said no. His heart told him yes, but he never really listened to that heart of his. "It's a long story, but I suppose that I'm looking for answers. Answers and peace."

Marco wasn't pleased but he seemed to accept the short reply.

Soon, the day of their arrival came and they stood before the entrance to the cave in which the Phoenix resided. According to Marco that was it. Ace could feel the weights on his shoulders and the boulders in his stomach as he took one step after another before realising that Marco didn't follow when he looked back. Marco wasn't there anymore.

Ace continued walking into the darkness and did so for what felt like hours, days. The darkness consumed him and as he neared the end he could only feel the need to go back. To run out of the cave and forget everything. To crawl back into the corner of his room at Dadan's place. To laugh in the company of his crew. To see Sabo again, alive this time. To spar against Luffy once more. And, strangely enough, to feel safe in the arms of the stranger who brought him there.

In the midst of the terror, though, there should be a bird.

Reminded of what he had come here for, Ace fought against the urge to run away. He walked further and further into the mountain and hoped to reach the Phoenix soon. For every muscle he used, he could feel how the darkness affected him more. It wasn't until he almost saw his life flash before his eyes that he stumbled upon the creature he was searching for.

"Show yourself!" he yelled into the air surrounding him. Though he couldn't see a thing, he felt the presence of something watching him.

A tapping on the stone floor drew him to the right. It was a steady rhythm and lead him right to the body of what couldn't be human, though it was the right size, and couldn't be a bird, though it had the right shape.

"Human, I cannot show you something when you cannot see..." came a hoarse voice. It was breathy, as if it was its last words. Ace knew it from somewhere, but he couldn't figure out where.

"Tell me, whatever happened to your mother?"

Normally Ace would've reacted to the words, but it was no surprise that the Phoenix would know of his heritage. That it knew of his father. "She died when I was born, as a result of my father's meddling with life and death."

The Phoenix snorted, though Ace was sure that it was supposed to be a chuckle. "Your father simply struck a deal, he did not cause the death of Rouge."

"So you're the one responsible, then?"

"Did I say I was?" It sounded offended now. "I can give you your answers, but only when you have given me my light back."

Ace's eyes widened. Was the bird crazy? He held no light and no matter what his father had done with it, he had no way of knowing. "I can't."

"Yes, you can. Just allow me to take it back, and I will give you what you desire."

"But I don't have it."

"Yes you do, so will you allow me to take it?"

Ace frowned. "Yes?"

"Then give me your arm."

Shortly after he had reached out with his right arm, he felt how a wing made of bone and feathers grabbed it in an iron grip. At first, he wanted to rip it away, but slowly he relaxed and waited for something to happen.

Something did happen. 

Thin strings of light began to glow around his wrist, slowly reaching the wing of the Phoenix. It was like an extension of his veins, only flowing with white energy instead of blood, barely lighting up the area around the arm. But when the thin strings had wrapped around the legendary creature before him they were being absorbed.

Soon the hall was not so dark anymore for in the middle of the black was a being, unlike anything that Ace had ever seen before. Yellow and blue flames became the wings and the body that towered over him.

"Now, I can tell you."

Ace nodded.

"Your father came to me pleading for one last chance to have a child. He was desperate. His sickness was after many years finally becoming the end of him and he didn't want to leave his wife without anything. I knew the importance of it, and I knew of the consequences it would mean for me and you. It was neither he nor I who caused the death of Rouge. My light is one of creation and destruction, and only the part full of life was given to Roger. We didn’t realise how it would affect me, or you."

“What do you mean?”

“The cold doesn’t have much effect on you. You can feel how it bites your skin, but it doesn’t leave you injured. The fire doesn’t harm you, it burns but it never leaves a mark. You never run out of energy, you are energy. You have been born with the power that the D’s have been forced to conceal for centuries. You have the fire of a dragon.”

The Phoenix seemed to sigh, its flames burning less and less bright for every minute. “I have a proposition for you, let me teach you to handle your power and in return, I will give you a safe haven where the evils of the crown cannot reach you.”

"I couldn't go with a stranger."

"Oh really?"

The fire of the bird swirled around it and disappeared, leaving a man in its place. More specifically, the same man that brought him there. “I am many things, Ace, but I am not stupid. Your power is one of greatness, and with it, you can do a lot of good.”

“Marco? How? What? Why—”

“Will you come with me, Ace? Do you trust me?”

There was a long pause before the answer came, but it wasn’t a pause of doubt. Marco, still surrounded by fire, already knew the answer. 

“Yes.”

“Then take my hand.”

“Just one thing, where will we go?”

Marco chuckled, and the flames around him brightened. “Have you heard the legends of Whitebeard the Giant?”

“Who hasn’t?”