Chapter Text
Dreamscape. A place Ace went to often, for brief periods of time. He was alone there, mostly. Back when he first ended up there, he thought it meant that there was no one out there for him.
Why would the son of a Devil have a soulmate, after all.
But then, one day, there'd been the sound of crying. He'd been fifteen at that point and had never met anyone in the dreamscape, but this time-
This time there was someone there.
At first, he just heard the crying, which made him confused, but then he realized what it meant. Looking around, Ace waded through the fog until he found someone curled up on the misty floor.
Huh. So he had a soulmate after all.
Why had it taken so long for-
Whatever, he'd take anything he got by this point.
The late Pirate King's son crouched with a barely audible sigh ”Hey, what's wrong?”
It's not like this was something he wasn't used to, Luffy was still a bit of a crybaby and had been ever since he'd known him. He was getting better, though, and Ace had gotten better at being comforting.
The ravenette's breath hitched, but he didn't stop crying. He did let go of his legs and raised his head enough to wipe at the tears ”Sirius is de~ad- that bitch killed hi~m-” the teen bawled, his breath hitching some more.
If Ace had been anyone else, he wouldn't have been able to understand a word of that. However, he was especially good at deciphering crying Luffy, so he just nodded and asked “Who's Sirius?”
The teen still hadn't even looked at him, which, fine, he was obviously very upset so Ace couldn't blame him for that, but spatial awareness was key to one's survival.
“Sirius was- supposed to- take care of me when my- parents- died, bu- but they put him in- prison- without- trial.” the other explained, words less slurred but with many breaks due to forceful inhalation every few words. He was obviously trying very hard to stop, but crying didn't work that way.
Ace had learned that much, at least, finally.
“But, he esc- escaped so that he could protect me- and- an- and now he's de~ad and he didn't get to be fre~e!”
That last bit was obviously what was hurting him the most and Ace swallowed.
What a pair they were.
“Sirius died a fugitive even though he didn't do anythi~ng!”
Slowly, trying not to upset his soulmate further, Ace sat down and hugged him.
That was how Portgas D. Ace met his soulmate, Potter Harry.
It didn't take long for them to realize they lived in two completely different and separate worlds and Ace immediately, but silently, gave up hope of ever physically meeting the other. Harry had also come up with a theory to the anomaly of their meeting, besides the alternate world thing, which might also have been a factor.
Apparently, there had been something strange in his scar, which had been drained away the same day Sirius had died. It had apparently been connecting Harry's mind to his parents' killer, so it had blocked their soulmate connection.
Ace told Harry stuff about his world, about pirates, the government, about Luffy, the bandits and gramps, and-
About his father.
In hindsight, it wasn't surprising that Harry didn't really care, it wasn't like he'd been raised on horror stories about the Pirate King Gold Roger.
Harry also told Ace about his own world, and before this, Ace would have thought a world of magic would have been fun.
But hearing his soulmate talk about it-
Well, he'd discarded the notion pretty fast.
It sounded like almost everyone in his world was an idiot.
But- at least it was safer for him. No one would hunt him down for being Ace's soulmate. Or... rather...
The soulmate of the Pirate King's son.
Because that would be all he was to the Marines.
No identity of his own... just... like...
What a pitiful pair they were.
~
Harry gazed out through the window of one of the towers. The war had been won, but-
At a cost.
His job was done, but-
Well, even he hadn't anticipated the outcome. He had assumed he would still feel shackled to this place, if only due to the people there, but-
The people weren't there anymore. Many people had died, many teenagers had died because the adults had hid behind their wards and their names and-
Well, the next generation had fought and paid in blood for this world.
He didn't think many of them would stay, however.
He himself being one of them.
But first...
He-
No.
She.
She still needed the wizarding world for a few more things before she left. First, the gender change potion. A potion that, unlike Muggle surgery, truly and fundamentally changed one's biological gender as if they'd been born into that body.
And Harry- no, Holly needed it.
She was glad Ace had been supportive ever since she'd come clean about how she felt about herself, had even encouraged her to do it as soon as possible, but-
Learning to navigate a new body shape before battle wasn't advisable. She'd probably have hurt herself or gotten killed due to balancing issues.
After the potion, she needed more information, more spells in her arsenal, more potions and ingredients, everything.
Because she was planning to leave and never come back. Not just the wizarding world, or even the country, but the Earth itself.
Her soulmate was waiting, after all.
She hadn't told him about her last goal, of course, she was going to surprise him.
It would take a few more years, but it was a necessary sacrifice.
Seeing him in her dreams... wasn't enough anymore. It hadn't been for a while, so...
Wait for me...
By the time the sun rose, Holly was in bed, ready to tell her soulmate that the war was over and that, soon, she would finally look the way she was supposed to. And when she woke up, she would begin her next few years of training and preparation.
She had much to do and not much time to do it in. Of course, she didn't actually know she was on a time limit, she was just impatient.
She would not know of the time limit for a little more than two years. But, by then, she would be ready.
Ready to watch the world burn.