~Well this is painful... It's been forever since I've last did anything on here! Well, I'm back after a three year absence from writing! But over the last two years, I've really been into One Piece, hence my new username lol. Gotta love him! Anyway, I hope you enjoy Long Term Hearts and please do leave a review, I live off them, feeding off them for inspiration!

Long Term Hearts

Chapter 1: Broken Greetings

**********^.^**********

Dew Yukimi readjusted her makeshift hoodie sling around her right arm. She growled at herself, soft white, black tipped ears twitching in irritation while her two identical tails bristled in response. 'How could I have been stupid enough to stumble into a camp of bandits?' The kitsune ground her teeth together as she continued down a dirt road to what she believed to be a city called White Town, Flevance.

After a minute or two of fuming at life, Yukimi's ears twitched at the sound of a babbling brook nearby. The kitsune licked her lips at the watery sound. Following the calming nature music, Yukimi soon found the small brook hidden behind some bushes. Growing around the source of water were new wildflower buds peeking out of their cozy soil beds, seeking the midday warmth of the bright sun above, spelling out that springtime was back after a long cold winter. The albino felt a sigh slip through parched lips. "At least I've found a bit of a break," she mumbled as she fished out her dried up canteen from her ration's pouch on her hip. Yup, after having a run in with those mountain bandits, Yukimi forgot to replenish her canteen at a river that was close by. Now having gone a day without any precious H2O, let's just say the kitsune was running out of steam. That, and low on food rations too.

Yukimi dipped her empty canteen into the cool clear water, briefly enjoying the feel of the transparent liquid on her skin. She giggled softly as some small minnows scattered from her overshadowing form. Now looking at her reflection, the kitsune noticed that she had a large cut going down her left cheek coming from beneath her bangs covering her left eye with dried blood smeared across her pale skin, causing her to frown. 'It's a good thing that cut didn't reach my eye.' Rolling her red eyes at that she looked again at her watery mirrored self. Dirt and sweat mingled with flecks of dried blood across her face. 'What a mess I am,' Yukimi thought as she put aside her now full canteen. The albino pulled out a small white ocarina connected to a brass chain, out from underneath her black tank top collar. Rubbing her thumb over the smooth surface, Yukimi scrunched up her nose at the grime on her precious instrument. She took it off and plunged it into the clear water, watching the air bubbles escape through the holes. After a minute Yukimi took out the clean instrument and wiped it as dry as she could with one hand on her blue denim shorts. The kitsune smiled at her now dried instrument before putting it back around her neck.

"Right," the worn kitsune muttered to herself. "Time to try and find a doctor," she said with less enthusiasm as she stood up and began walking away from the scenic brook while knocking off some loose mud from her brown combat boots.

About an hour later, now early evening, Yukimi walked past the open elegant gates of White Town, Flevance. 'It's so white here. I wonder why? It's definitely beautiful.' Shaking her head Yukimi quickly ran into an alley away from prying eyes. Yes, she was feeling nervous in a new environment alone. Rather childish but when you're badly injured and down on your luck, you'd feel pretty anxious too. Especially when having two bushy white, black tipped tails is definitely out of the ordinary in a city like this.

"Now where should I go from here…?" Yukimi shivered slightly when a cool breeze swept through her thin black tank top. "Wish I could wear my hoodie, it's still chilly from winter in this area," the kitsune grumbled as she leaned against the side of a building. Yukimi frowned more annoyed at her light blue hoodie holding up her injured right arm. Doing rather a poor job at that since it was a short sleeved hoodie and not a long sleeved one. That, and it was torn in some places from her accidental intrusion into that camp earlier.

The albino quickly moved down through more back alleys after fixing her so called sling the best she could. 'Now where to find a doctor's building? I rather not but…' Yukimi stopped between a couple of crates beside a door to what might be a restaurant or whatever, she couldn't tell at the moment.

Yukimi felt the fur on her two bushy, white, black tipped tails bristle. The thought of men of science looking at her like a brand new specimen horrified her, a member of the old and proud race of kitsune. Like the fishmen and merfolk, the kitsune species were discriminated because of their differences. Unlike the other races, the kitsune were land dwellers along with humans and so people didn't so largely believe in contagious diseases that could be passed from them. But that still didn't stop them from treating her people like animals and-

"What are you doing there?"

Yukimi was shaken from her train of thought so suddenly, she jumped in fright and accidentally transformed into her fox form in a puff a smoke. "Ahh!" Her cry was of both shock and pain filled. Here's a tip, if you have a broken limb, never change your physical body structure. It is very painful.

Yukimi landed on her stomach, withering in pain from her messed up bones being forced into different positions in her body. The now little white fox glanced through squinted eyelids seeing her right foreleg mangled. Her light blue short-sleeved hoodie no longer barely supporting her injury after having been absorbed by her transformation energy. The fox's ears twitched at the sound of shuffling. She tensed at the presence of someone inching closer to her.

"Hey, you're hurt. My parents can help you, they're doctors."

Yukimi instinctively curled her tails around herself to cover her wound that carried over from her human form. She peeked over the top of her tails at the boy before her. The boy couldn't have been more than ten years old by the looks of him. He had what appeared to be a school uniform on and an odd looking fuzzy hat up top his head, slightly covering his gray eyes. Yukimi mentally shook her head before scooting away slowly. Could she trust him? The fox never liked going into places blind as a bat when incapacitated like she was now.

The boy crouched down and frowned at her reaction to his statement. He then extended a hand out to her, "I can help you if you'd let me."

Yukimi stilled her painful scooting. She gripped the ground with her claws anxiously. "...How can I trust you?" the fox asked slowly.

The boy paused before smirking a little, "You don't."

Yukimi looked into the boy's gray eyes finding no ill will toward her, only a promise of medical aid. She raised her head above her tails and sniffed his hand, double checking. Yukimi looked back into stormy gray eyes now finding a child like curiosity beside his promise. The fox then smiled a little, knowing better than to listen to her doubts about the boy. "Okay, I'll believe you."

The boy let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. The person or animal before him was definitely injured and needed help. He once read how wounded animals react to unknown people before when scared and unable to escape. So he knew to act calm and show patience to this obviously cornered odd looking fox.

Before Yukimi could stand up on her own, the boy held out his hat to her. She raised a brow up at the boy, now seeing his black messy hair.

"I can carry you in my hat. You are in no condition to walk on your own yet, even on four legs."

Yukimi rotated her ears back a little at what he said, "I was walking just fine on my own before you decided to announce your presence." And to make her stubborn point, the fox started to limp around the outstretched fuzzy hat. Before she could make two steps, a pair of hands wrapped around her torso, then gently placed her inside the fur hat.

"Yes you were but, that was in your human form now wasn't it, Vixen-ya?" the boy countered as he stood back up with his hat turned basket in his arms, not noticing the slight scowl on the fox's face.

Yukimi huffed as she rested her chin on the thick round rim, ears folded back in annoyance. "Kid, my name isn't Vixen-ya, it's Dew Yukimi," the fox corrected as she blew at a tuft of fur out of the rim of her eye only for it to fall back in place.

The boy chuckled, "And my name isn't 'kid', my name is Trafalgar Law."

*^.^*

Yukimi lowered her ears with growing nerves at the sight of the large hospital in front of her and the boy, Law. 'Fuck, I hate hospitals.'

Law noticed the fox's body becoming stiff. "Are you nervous?" the boy asked as he walked through the front doors.

'I just don't have the right nerves to walk inside one confidently,' Yukimi thought before replying to the boy. "I don't want to cause any trouble here Law," the fox said looking back at him then returning her red gaze to the front.

Law walked down the corridors knowing where to find his parents. "How can you cause trouble Yukimi-ya? You're not a pirate, are you?" he asked with a slight smirk.

The fox let out a slight snort, "I am indeed no pirate." Yukimi watched as they passed by several doors leading to patients' rooms. "I'm by no means a criminal but, as you have witnessed earlier, I'm not a human either," Yukimi muttered loud enough for Law to hear as she looked ahead as they neared a door at the end of the long hallway.

"Well I doubt you will cause trouble here," Law replied back as he shifted his hat into one hand and grab the door handle with the other.

"And how can you be so sure?" Yukimi asked in a flat tone.

"Mother, Father, I'm back. And I've brought a new patient too."

A man and a woman in doctor's coats turned from a desk with open medical books at the sound of Law's voice.

"Oh, a patient son?" his father asked with a raised brow.

Law's mother then noticed that her son wasn't wearing his favorite hat but holding it, with a white fox in it. "What do you have there dear?" she asked kneeling in front of Law and Yukimi.

Said fox sat there stiff as a board as she was looked over by Law's mother. Yukimi quickly realized that at the angle the woman was looking down from, she couldn't see her extra tail as it was directly below her other furry appendage.

"A fox? Where did you find it? They're not native here. Maybe someone's lost pet?" Mr. Trafalgar wondered looking over to his wife.

Law watched in amazement as Yukimi's face blanched if that was possible due to her snow white fur. "She's no one's pet," he quickly said.

Mrs. Trafalgar ran the back of her fingers over Yukimi's head before looking at Law, "Are you sure dear? She may be a tourist's missing pet."

Yukimi buried her face as far down Law's hat as she could, not wanting this particular train of thought to continue in the parents' conversation. 'Don't listen, okay Yukimi? Just don't listen. You are not in a hospital in front of two people who don't know better. You are back outside kicking mountain bandits' asses.' the fox thought as her face disappeared from everyone's view.

"Oh dear, she must be nervous in front of so many strangers," Mrs. Trafalgar then shooed her husband back as he getting too close to Yukimi's face.

Law frowned watching Yukimi seemingly drift away from his nosey parents. He walked over to the desk with the open medical books before sitting down in the chair next to it. The surgeon in training gently placed his hat in his lap then looked back up to his parents. "Mother, Father, her name is Yukimi-ya and her foreleg is badly broken," he explained as his parents came closer to inspect. Law gently pulled Yukimi's front from his hat, holding her up against his chest so her front limbs didn't touch anything else.

"Oh no! The poor thing," Mrs. Trafalgar murmured as she examined the fox's foreleg. It was broken alright and the dried blood all over Yukimi's foreleg made her white fur all sticky and an ugly pink.

"Law, I'm not sure we can help her. She's a fox, we're not veterinarians," Mr. Trafalgar frowned at the injury.

Before Law could say anything else, Yukimi lifted her head toward the parents directly and spoke for the first there, "Please, I need help Mr. and Mrs. Trafalgar. I apologize for not speaking earlier for I have my reasons. But I need your help."

"What the-?"

"Please! I'd be in my human form if I could to make things easier but," Yukimi looked over her shoulder at their son, "Law kinda spooked me earlier and I accidentally turned into my fox form." She turned back to the parents. "Uhm, I must stress that I cannot change back like this. Do you know how painful it is to change forms when having an injury?"

"...Uhm well, can't say I do," Mrs. Trafalgar answered after a minute of gathering her wits from the sudden load of new and unexpected information. She then elbowed her still silent husband.

"Oh uh, I-I apologize for what I said earlier," Mr. Trafalgar replied sheepishly.

"So will you help Yukimi-ya?" asked Law.

Mrs. Trafalgar glanced at her husband before she smiled at them, "Of course we will dear."

Yukimi then started smiling back, "Oh thank you, how can I ever repay you?"

"Oh don't worry about that sweety. Uh, honey?" Mrs. Trafalgar paused from gathering up a clipboard, finding her husband was off in la-la-land.

"Wha-oh I'm sorry, I just couldn't help but notice you have, another tail Yukimi," Mr. Trafalgar stammered in interest. He only now noticed it because Law shifted in his seat, unintentionally revealing her second tail.

"Uh yes, I'm a kitsune, Mr. Trafalgar," Yukimi explained with a nervous grin.

Mrs. Trafalgar rolled her eyes, "That's nice and everything, but I suggest we take some X-rays before we decide on how to help our patient."

Mr. Trafalgar scratched his neck, smiling a bit embarrassed, "Right honey."

Yukimi grinned at the married couple before laughing a little in amusement, "You have good parents Law."

The boy rolled his eyes in turn as he placed the fox back in his hat, following his parents out the door.

*^.^*

"So that's why I couldn't move my hand very much…" Yukimi sat on the examination table, ears drooping at the X-ray picture of her right foreleg. It was snapped just below the elbow, wonderful. Law was beside her, looking at her new medical record on a clipboard. "So when can I change forms again Mr. Trafalgar?" Yukimi asked anxiously.

"Hm, about two months after the operation," he replied.

"That long?!" the fox practically dropped her head onto the table. She sighed heavily, "Well, better than a year I suppose." Yukimi looked at the couple for a moment before speaking again. "I know you're not vets and only work with human patients but, I cannot express how grateful I am for you helping me out. Even though I'm in this type of body for the operation."

"Now don't you worry a thing Yukimi. It's only one section of bone that needs to be operated on and besides," Mrs. Trafalgar smiled reassuringly, "the section is very similar to our bone structure. So it shouldn't be too much trouble to fix." Law's mother glanced at the clock on the wall then back to the fox on the examination table, "We have an opening for your operation later tonight. We can knock it out and you'll be in recovery in a cinch. The sooner, the better right?" Mrs. Trafalgar said cheerfully as she walked around the table towards her son. "It's almost dinner time, so why don't you go get something to eat?"

Law nodded as he placed a temporary sling on the white fox.

"Man I'm hungry…" Yukimi muttered as she remembered that she didn't have much food left in her rations. Not to mention that her stomach chose such poor timing to agree.

"Hungry Yukimi-ya?" Law asked.

The fox couldn't help licking her lips as the image of food popped into her mind. "I hadn't been able to eat very much all day. So yeah, I'm hungry," Yukimi gave the boy an annoyed look.

"Sorry Yukimi, but you can't have anything to eat until after the operation. It's standard procedure," Mr. Trafalgar stated with sympathy, making the fox groan unhappily.

"But you can drink water for now," Law mentioned getting a small smile from the fox.

"Well, that'll do I guess. I just wish I could have that operation now," Yukimi muttered as Law picked her up and walked out of the room.

As Law walked down the corridor he glanced at the doors of patient rooms when he found one that was vacant. A smile appeared on his face as he opened the door to confirm it was indeed empty. "You'll stay here while I get my dinner Yukimi-ya, okay?" Law placed her down on the tile floor before leaving, shutting the door behind him.

Yukimi huffed still feeling annoyed as she did a once over of the room she was in. There wasn't much in the room that piqued her interest, only finding the hospital bed inviting to her weary limbs. So not wanting to be on the floor, the fox limped over to the bed in the small room. Yukimi crouched as best she could with that sling on before springing onto the bed. She had a wobbly landing but she stuck with it.

Just as she sat down Law came back in with his dinner tray. It took him a moment to locate her on the bed. "Now what are you doing? These beds are supposed to be clean when a new patient comes in," he stated as he placed his tray on a bedside table so he could cross his arms.

"Well, aren't we forgetting something?" Yukimi said grinning. "Aren't I a new patient?" she countered.

Law sighed before hopping up next to her and grabbed his tray to eat. The boy sat cross-legged with the tray in his lap while Yukimi made herself comfortable. As Law opened a juice box with a straw, he noticed how hungry the fox next to him looked, staring at the food on his lap. "When was the last time you ate, Yukimi-ya?" he asked as he sipped his drink.

"An actual meal? Well, probably four...five maybe? About fiveish days ago I believe. I've been living on my rations' rations for days before I came here," Yukimi admitted as she looked away, recalling before putting her attention back on Law. The fox glanced at the food again then groaned in irritation before finally wrapping her tails around her legs, trying to take her mind off food. As hard as it was.

Law frowned hearing this as he paused eating his meatloaf. "Tell me more about yourself. It'll help take your mind off food."

Yukimi snorted as she smelled that hot meal next to her. "That would be very hard since I have a higher sense of smell than a human's. But…sure I'll talk," the fox shrugged as she remembered that childlike curiosity in his eyes earlier. "Well I was born like any other ordinary fox, but into a race called the kitsune. The kitsune is a race of foxes that live far longer than any other species and can gain abilities as we age."

"How long is their life expectancy Yukimi-ya?" Law asked placing his tray down on the table beside them.

"Forever."

Law's eyes widened, totally surprised as his mouth hung open.

Yukimi couldn't help herself but laugh at the boy's reaction, getting a frown in response. "Okay okay okay, I jest, I jest. Sorry, had to," the fox laughed.

Law deadpanned. "Well? What is the answer then?" he asked again seeing the fox's mischievous red eyes glinting in amusement. Something telling him he'll never forget the look in them.

"Oh usually a thousand years I believe," Yukimi answered casually as she saw something very brief flash in the boy's gray eyes before it disappeared, making her think she was imagining things.

It took a moment for Law to see the white fox before him, was actually telling the truth now, "So how old are you Yukimi-ya?"

Yukimi frowned as she narrowed her eyes dangerously, pinned her ears flat against her head and growled at the boy, showing off her fangs, "Young man, you should know better than to ask a lady a question like that. Why, if I was in my human form I'd be pinching your cheek as I speak." At the flat look on Law's face, she burst out laughing even more than before. "Oh man, that was too funny!" She was laughing so hard she toppled over onto her back, tears trailing down her furry cheeks.

The next thing the fox knew, she was lifted up by the scruff of her neck and looking into a pair of very annoyed stormy gray eyes glaring her down. Yukimi curled her tails into herself in surrender as she pulled out her apologetic grin. "Uh...eh heh heh heh...I'm two hundred-eighty four years old. Uhm," she swallowed as her ears drooped in a more submissive look, "I've never really been a 'lady' so to speak either…"

"Yukimi-ya, don't talk in circles," Law said placing the fox in his lap.

Yukimi glanced at Law's dinner tray still very much hungry. There was still some food there, mainly a roll of bread. "You're not gonna eat that?" The fox felt a breath of warm air shift the furs on the top of her head, making her look up and raise a brow. He had the look of disgust written all over his face. "What? I didn't do anything this time."

"I hate bread and before you ask why I have it, it's only because the cafeteria lady put it there by mistake. I didn't realize it was there until I was out of line," Law grumbled.

Yukimi tilted her head in thought. "Hate bread? Well everyone has a preference," she shrugged. The fox felt a small blush cross her white furry cheeks as another growl escaped her stomach. "Hey, did your parents say I could have water?"

Law pinched the bridge of his nose as he remembered he had forgotten to get the fox a drink while he was getting his dinner. It couldn't be helped though! After all, when was the last time a shape-shifting fox was a new patient for his parents or the fact that he was the one to have found her? 'I still shouldn't have forgotten to get her something she wanted! What kind of doctor would I be if I did something like that on a regular basis with other patients in the future?'

Yukimi felt the familiar feeling of a pair of hands wrapping around her torso, before being placed back on the bed.

"I'll be right back," Law muttered as he left the room. Not two minutes after did the boy return with a foam cup in his hand. Law climbed back on the bed before placing the fox back in his lap, finding he rather liked having the soft furry fox in his lap. "Here's your water, sorry I forgot," Law lifted the foam cup to her.

Yukimi frowned a little as she stared at the cup. "...Do you have a straw I could use? I'm afraid the water might spill if I try drinking like this."

Law lowered the cup as he looked around the room, "Uhm…"

"Mind I use yours? You're done with your drink right?" Yukimi asked looking over at Law's empty juice box.

"That's a used straw Yukimi-ya," Law stated. "It's not sanitary to use someone else's straw."

Yukimi turned her head toward Law with a flat look, "Do you have the flu?"

"What? No, of course not."

"Then I won't catch anything," Yukimi countered.

Law felt his eyes rolling as he reached over, grabbed the straw from the juice box and dropped it into the water filled foam cup. "Are you usually high maintenance?" Law asked as he watched the fox quickly drink the cup dry.

Yukimi let a very satisfied sigh out. "I don't think I am. I was only thinking practical."

Gray eyes looked over to the sling on the fox, "What happened to you anyway, Yukimi-ya?"

Yukimi's ears lowered slightly before sighing, "Well I guess I can start with my profession," she mumbled. "My line of work is a dangerous one like a mercenary's, though I am not one. You see I am a ninja, a shinobi if you will. So I'm basically a freelancer. I just don't like being called a mercenary, sounds too military."

"Ninja?" Law repeated in awe.

"That's right, and with my latest job I ended up a little overwhelmed. I was told it would be a really tough job. Well, I thought I could handle it no problem. Wrong. I completed it alright but well, an enemy got ahold of me. And before I could shake him off, he broke my arm. I was then pulled into a rough tussle with him before I managed to kill the creep afterward," Yukimi said looking annoyed that she was caught off guard like she was. "Definitely learned not to underestimate the nature of things."

"Wow," Law can only imagine how painful getting a broken bone must feel. "So what did you mean by a kitsune can gain new abilities as they age?"

"Oh, well like I mentioned before, I was born like an ordinary fox. So when a kitsune finally reach their fiftieth birthday, they can transform into a human with fox attributes like fox ears and a tail. With each century the kitsune lives through, they gain a new tail and each tail enables the kitsune a new power to wield," Yukimi finished with a wave of each one of her tails to prove her point.

"So what are your abilities?"

"Well changing between my fox and human forms is one. The other is where my profession comes into play. My other ability is chakra flow."

"What's chakra?"

Yukimi thought for a minute on how to explain chakra to him. "Well...chakra is a type of energy that flows in and through all living things in the world. You see, it's kinda like blood in a sense. All flora and fauna in the world have chakra. It's those that learn and know how to draw it out can use it. Whether to use for combat, healing or even everyday labor like farming or clearing out portions of land. Though not many people use it or even know enough about it. So it's not surprising you haven't heard about it before now," Yukimi then tilted her head in thought, looking to the side.

Law thought over everything the fox explained to him, finding it all interesting. Then he noticed that Yukimi seemed to have come to some decision as she grinned at him, making him raise a brow once again that evening.

"How would you like a demonstration Law?"

"Demonstration?"

"Yes, well, it'll be a bit difficult to do since I don't have human fingers. That, and I have a broken arm…" the foxed muttered the last part to herself as she hopped off the boy's lap.

Law frowned at where her line of thinking was heading, "Yukimi-ya, don't do anything that will irritate your injury further."

"It's fine Law, relax. I know what I'm doing," Yukimi then sat back on her haunches. She raised her free foreleg to her chest before connecting her paws together. Using her working paw, she maneuvered her unresponsive paw into different hand, or paw, signs. Doing this was painstakingly slow for her as she was used to doing it at a faster pace. After the final sign was done, she then quickly slammed her paw down on the bed between her and Law. On contact black runes instantly spread out on the bedspread before smoke was sent up into the air before rapidly dissipating.

Law went wide eyed on the fox. There where her paw was, sat a small pouch. He lifted the bag up feeling how heavy it was and how it sounded like metal was inside, clinking together. Slowly opening the small bag, Law pulled out a good size dagger, at least that's what he thought it was.

"What you pulled out Law, is one of my kunai knives," Yukimi said with some pride that she managed to pull off summoning her bag.

"What's this metal star called?" Law held up the four pointed weapon.

"A shuriken. Those are paper bombs, careful with that Law. Those are easily set off. Flash bombs and that is my steel wire. I use that for traps and other uses," she described as he pulled everything out.

Law looked over everything that was set out, admiring the weaponry. "You must be really skilled," he complimented as he carefully handled one of her kunai.

"Aw thanks, Law, though I have another small ability that I'm sure you and your parents would be impressed with."

"What would it be?"

"I'm not highly skilled in it but I have the basics down. It's called medical ninjutsu," Yukimi said with a smirk.

Law's eyes widened as he put the kunai down, "Medical?"

Yukimi nodded, "Yup, though I can only do first aid. That's why I still had a broken arm when I came here."

Law nodded in understanding as he began putting away Yukimi's equipment.

Just as Law clasped the bag closed, the door to the hallway opened. Mr. Trafalgar poked his head in, quickly spotting the duo, "There you two are. I've been looking for you Yukimi."

"Uh, time for me to be cut open?" Yukimi half-joked.

Mr. Trafalgar shook his head smiling, "Well we needed to find you to prep you for surgery."

Law gave Yukimi a creepy look, "Mother and Father will give you anesthesia before going into surgery. Then they'll cut you open."

Yukimi's ears pulled back as the fur on her tails and neck bristled from how the boy sounded. "Law," the fox whined, generally creeped out by the look on his face.

*^.^*