Save My Heart

🌗Chapter Six🌗

I set my hand gently on his freckled shoulder, making him jolt from the sudden contact.

"Hey Ace," I said calmly, yet strongly, "look at me."

I saw his chest puff with every breath he took, and his onyx eyes only glanced at me for a second before I could see the familiar cloud of oncoming dissociation start to appear.

"Look at me, Ace," I spoke, setting my other hand on his other shoulder, "I need you to breath with me."

I looked Ace in the eye and took a slow, deep breath in, puffing my chest out to make the movement even more obvious.

"Breath," I murmured, watching his eyes process what he had heard and seen, "You're right here now. You're safe now."

I continued with my slow breathing, inhaling through my nose, holding it for a second, and exhaling though my mouth, and I watched as Ace's body started to subconsciously copy the pattern.

"That's it, you're here now. You're safe now. Just breath with me Ace."

After a few minutes, his body stopped shaking as badly as it was, and his eyes looked less panicked and worried. His mouth started to unclench itself, and he situated himself into a more comfortable position.

"You're doing good. Just keep breathing. You're here now.

You're safe now."

.・゜゜・　　・゜゜・．» ──────» ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐶ «────── « .・゜゜・　　・゜゜・．

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE MAN WHO SAVED MY LIFE!!!"

"WAIT- LUFFY-!"

Suddenly, time slowed down.

I ran as fast as my feet could carry me, cutting Akainu off from my brother.

Before I had time to grab Luffy and dash out of the way, Akainu made his move.

Suddenly, a horrible burning sensation pierced through my middle of my chest, passing through my spine, rendering my legs useless.

Even after that, Akainu didn't falter.

He pressed on, continuing to burn through my ribs, cauterizing the edges of my lungs and liver, narrowly missing my heart and finally burning a hole all the way through my body after pulverizing my stomach.

And I remembered that pajama wearing person's words before they mysteriously disappeared:

"JUST GRAB LUFFY AND RUN!!! DON'T JUST STAND IN FRONT OF HIM OKAY?!"

They knew.

They knew this was going to happen.

I looked down in shock, my brain attempting to process to extent of the damage as I watched Akainu retract his fist, knowing he had injured me enough to kill me.