Time [Ace x Reader]

Y/N's POV

It had been three months since the great war at Marineford and the world had gone crazy. New pirates where sprouting out of the ground like there was no tomorrow and the strong fought for the territories that the weakened Whitebeard pirates could no longer protect.
Teach or now the Yonko Blackbeard was wreaking the most havoc. I had never come face to face with this especially nasty specimen of a human however I already despised him.
He really loves hurting others doesn't he.
I sighed and put down the newspaper I had been reading.
"Time to treat my patient."

Treating Ace was proving to be harder than I had ever expected. I was an extremely good doctor with literally hundreds of years of experience. Ace however simply didn't seem to be getting better. Granted it was the first time I had pretty much brought someone back to life however that process was long completed.
Ace had no serious wounds left to heal and seemed generally fine. However his body couldn't work by itself.
He had been on life support ever since we had brought him here. By now his body seemed to be in a perfectly healthy state and in no need of it anymore. However as soon as I took Ace off life support his body would just stop working. His heart, any signs of brain activity, everything just stopped.

I entered the room we had moved Ace to and went through my normal checkup routine.
Still no improvement.
Sighing I sat down on a chair next to his bed and stared at him.

"Why aren't you getting better? What am I doing wrong? Was everything up until now for nothing? Did I fail you as a doctor?"

"Ha, why am I even asking you this? It's not like you can talk right now, can you?"
As expected he didn't respond.
I guess it would have been too easy, Huh?

At first rescuing Ace was a form of paying respect to an old friend and thanking him for all he had done for me. But now it was different.
Though I could fight and make weapons, my primary occupation and passion was being a doctor and scientist. And Ace had not only hooked the doctor part of me, for being a patient in need, but also the scientist part, as he and his reaction or rather non-reaction to my treatments was an absolute mystery to me. All of me was begging to find out what the secret behind all this was.

I placed my hand on his forehead shifting his hair to the sides.

"What's wrong with you mystery boy?"

_________________

Ace's POV

Marco? Pops? Where are you?

I had been running through this labyrinth for days now. Or was it weeks? I had no sense of orientation, no soul to talk to, I was alone.
Hoping to find some kind of escape, I let my fingers run along the blackened walls that had trapped me, the dark soot covering them staining my arms and fingers.
There was no warmth in this place. Just icy winds, filling the air with clouds of charcoaled dust, blown up from the heaps of charred nothingness that had piled up in the labyrinth's corners.

It's cold.

The ash had been abandoned by all the heat of the fire that had once burned there.

It must have been out for a long time.

Another cold breeze swept through the labyrinth, making me shiver.

It's cold.

How many years had it been since I last felt the cold? Three? Four? How long had I been trapped here?

I'm fire. I should never feel cold.

Yet here I was shivering with every one of the icy breezes that swept through this labyrinth, like waves crash to the shore.
A steady rythm of wind and no end in sight.

This wind must have blown out the fire.

Could it have blown out me aswell?

It's cold.

Pops? Tach? Marco? Luffy? Anybody?

Why did you leave me alone?

"Hello mystery boy."

A voice! Who's that?

I don't think I've heard it before.

"Tell me, what's wrong with you? How can I help you?"

I'm cold. Please stop the wind.

She is sighing.

Hey lady are you alright?

"I have given you time. But I can't give you the will to live. Portgas D Ace, what can I do to heal you?"

Living? Aren't I dead?
Can you save me?
I don't mind living. Actually any place would be better than this. But if you are able to save someone so close to death then please don't waste your time on me.
Pops was planning to sacrifice himself. My brother and friends were fighting to their deaths when I lost consciousness.
I fear that many of them need your help and I swear that every one of them is worth a hundred times more than me.
Hey! Can't you hear me? Please Lady!

"Ace, I beg you. Can't you at least give me a sign that you are still there."

I'm here! Why can't you hear me!
Who are you. How do you know my name?

"I'm sorry Eddie. I feel like I have failed you."

Who is Eddie?
Is she talking about Pops?

Wait! No! Lady, where are you going?

Please don't leave me here alone.

Wait! Tell me. How do I get out of here?