There once was a boy who lived inside the garden walls. He knew not of what was outside as he was forbidden to go past those vine covered bricks, but what he did know was that beyond the always blue sky, beyond the perfect Eden of lush grass sprouting the most beautiful of roses and all the servants he could ever want – there lay a whole different world. There was something else, and it was tangible but yet went beyond his wildest dreams. Such a mysterious enigma unsettled the boy's needs as he constantly wondered what it would be like to climb over his cage. To grab one of those long, parasitic vines and hopping over the wall was all he could think about. Over time, and out of his own notice, the boy's dream slowly became a wish. Then, that wish turned into determination.
It wasn't that he didn't have the courage to climb over the wall. If it was only pure guts that was required to break through the Eden's protective barrier, then the boy had enough of that. No, the boy certainly wanted it enough. What was holding him was something much deadlier than a long expanse of cement and earth.
Every day, he had to answer to a man who claimed to love him. While the boy was lost in the concept of what love exactly meant, he went through the motions of looking at his reflection formed from the dark shades perched on the man's nose and mimicked the three words with an added touch.
"I love you, too."
The phrase was the only thing expected to flow from his mouth, and nothing else. Especially not inquisitive prodding about what was outside.
He was forbidden to say such curious thoughts aloud by the man with the most dangerous smile – a smile to which a simple twitch of those thin lips meant death. Though, for his keeper, death was a mercy. Those who were on the receiving end of the devilish expression would rather prefer a quick end to their lives than the cruel torture the man could conjure in his sick, twisted mind.
Despite this little hush hush secret that no one dared mutter a word about, everything was perfect. All the little toys that served the pristine white mansion inside the garden walls served with religious duty and did as they were commanded. They kept everything sparkling clean so that the glass windows sparkled under the sun's rays, the tiled floors were always smooth without grime, and not a speck of dust was inhaled to elicit a sneeze.
Many rooms filled the humungous household with all anyone could think of. Beautiful antiques, books of the oldest times – every single classic was provided with at least two copies – and instruments of every kind. All was provided and served to the small boy, and all he had to do was be good and please the yellow haired man who owned his whole world.
Trafalgar Law, a thin boy of the age of ten was considered a genius and was treated like a treasure. The toys who wandered the mansion halls all called him as their master's son, but it didn't take a lot of thinking to know that the title was missing. Yes, the man always called him a treasure, but he had figured out long ago that he was just another antique that fit on one of the man's shelves next to all the exotic items the blonde accumulated.
Sometimes he wondered what it all meant, but not even the wind up soldier that hid under his bed, the oldest servant that Law knew, would tell him of the bigger secret that was sealed inside the mansion.
Frustrated that he always had to forsake his need for answers as no one would risk breaking the unspoken rule instilled by centuries of fear, Law tried to focus his attention to the rooms of the mansion in order to forget his anger. Every room was different and there were so many. Some were libraries, some were musical rooms which housed multiple kinds of instruments, and some were aquariums or zoos. He thought that it would distract him long enough so his mind didn't wander, but he very quickly went through every book he could find and reread them to the extent that he could recite pages from the top of his head, learned every musical piece of his favorite musicians, and explored every single inch of the mansion that he knew every single secret passageway to get from one place to another.
The servants deemed him a prodigy, but since Law had no one to compare to, the compliment didn't mean much.
Boredom became a common thing for him soon after he explored through every room, but there was one activity that he always went back to. Other than serving his pass time scaring servants by showing up out of thin air by using the secret tunnels laced behind the mansion walls, every soul that lived inside the garden walls knew that the young master spent many of his time in the zoo's basement. It became that whenever someone was looking for him, they knew to go there.
Boredom often drives even the sanest of people into a state of odd curiosity, or more correctly – madness – just to escape its clutches. The young Trafalgar Law, after seeing a shark shred another fish into bloody chunks at the other side of the aquarium mirror, grew an interest in anatomy and how living flesh worked. Having all the time in the world and endless specimens he could ever ask for, Law learned the skills of the blade and the sight of an operating table. His father was only too happy to provide for a fully equipped lab once he learned that his son had taken up a hobby.
Once, Law had decided to test his theory of developing a new creature. He had gotten a lion, a dog, and a bear from one of their zoos, and presented his work during dinner to his father. The servants pulled it in the dining room through a wheeled, steel cage and unveiled the white sheet covering the experiment once Law explained his reasons for holing himself up in the lab for two weeks.
Never had he seen his father so proud.
Another trophy was thrown into the blonde's collection, and Law named it, "Bepo."
Now, he knew it was cruel to have created the mutant, but the boy never stopped. Nature never intended to bear such an odd thing that Bepo was, but ceasing his pursuit of knowledge about life was not something he was willing to give up. Especially when he only just started.
Sometimes, Law thought that he was just like him – his father, he means. The way the man laughed so hard, Law thought the mad glint in his eyes whenever he was operating on the table was just about the same level of crazy. After the creation of Bepo, the servants seemed to have taken a distance from him and only spoke in a polite, curt manner. Before, their voices held some hints of fondness, as if they felt for him for being trapped in the same prison they were in. But now, after he had meddled with the flesh of living creatures, they look at him like a tainted piece of cloth. They speak to him like they do with his father.
Law didn't mind so much. The servants left him alone, and only his creature that he made stayed by his side.
Despite Bepo's gruesome origin, the white mass of fur was a docile being and clung to him like a cub would to its mother. Law didn't know what to make of the affection, but he didn't protest when Bepo snuggled beside him when he sat under an oak tree atop one of the high hills of their garden. The creature's fur provided warmth on breezy days so it was certainly accommodating and useful. Not to mention, the silken fur was incredibly soft. If it was one thing that the boy had a weak spot for, it was for things that were amazingly soft so Bepo continued to live by his side. He had the bear pampered and taken care of even more than the many pets that he had at the zoo.
In all honesty, Law didn't intend for Bepo to turn out to be such a teddy bear. If the creature was still enough, it could be mistaken as a harmless toy. A pang of disappointment still simmered inside of him whenever his eyes caught the razor sharp claws he had equipped the creature with in order to maul. The sharp nose was meant to track prey like a beast, the pointed teeth were meant to tear muscles from bone and skin, its size was meant to overpower, its ears were meant to pick up the slightest of sound so it couldn't be caught off guard – it was meant to be a beast and first of its kind, but Law had gone wrong somewhere in Bepo's recipe and ended up with a cuddling, licking, and playful fuzz ball.
Though Law didn't regret his mistake, he did continue his experiments to further his research into achieving more accurate beasts. In particular, he wanted wild ones. He didn't allow for Bepo to come into his lab as he was too sensitive, though he was sure the mutant knew what exactly went on behind his cold, metal doors. If the bear protested his hobby, it didn't make its opinions known.
A year went on like this, Law cutting pieces of different animals and stitching them together, and his father maintaining his steady stream of supply. The man even went on to introduce Law into other new species that Law didn't know existed in order to spice up his creations.
"Too much dog," the blonde had commented.
He needed to vary his selections. Law was surprised to learn that their many holdings didn't contain all the know animals in existence, but then again, he didn't know how big the Earth really was. From winged critters to slippery amphibians with six eyes, living oddities kept flowing in and out of the mansion. It was a norm to hear oddly pitched screeching and assume that it was just another creature that the head of the house brought in.
That's why, when Law heard screaming that he had never heard before while he was exiting his lab, he had concluded that his father had brought him another animal. Odd, since the man just brought him a fresh batch of whales yesterday. The servants were barely finishing putting all of them in their tank. Forgoing getting himself cleaned up, Law let his curiosity win over and followed the yells of his bear-lion-dog that directed to the nearby greenhouse. Intrigued by Bepo's reaction as he had never growled like that before, it almost seemed aggressive, Law quickened his pace and strode to the East side of the glass building that stood next to the garden's walls.
"Shut up, you stupid bear!"
Law almost paused in his steps as the resounding clarity of speech was unmatched from any creature his father had dragged in. There were those beautiful blue parrots, but their level of enunciation was nothing like what he just heard. His heart started beating in excitement. Maybe he'll use this creature as the main body this time? What an interesting creation it would be for it to talk! Maybe he could teach it to speak different languages? For it to sing?
Law slowed and peeked his head when he turned the corner. His eyes grew when he found the scene of his white-furred pet crouched on all fours and glaring – actually glaring – at this two legged creature like it was a hostile. The usually sweet Bepo never got angry like this. Law's mouth hung slightly as his eyes wandered over the new creature, his analytic gaze picking out every detail he could get.
To say the least, he had never seen anything like it before. The thing was so white and smooth in places other than its head. The skin colored an alabaster hue, blue veins visible at its neck and back of its hands like a busy intersection of roads he had seen on maps. He pondered if the skin was actually hard because it looked like marble, but he had a feeling that it would feel soft due to the way it didn't have cracks or lines like the thick skin of some of the animals he'd seen. And was the creature wearing clothes?! It – yes, it was! Law gasped at the marvel. That was clearly a wool coat it was wearing along with a black shirt underneath and pants. It even wore shoes – black boots, he noticed. Even though everything was worn and smeared with dirt, Law considered the fact that it wore clothes as a feat.
The creature hunched over in a protective stance, its arms lifted by its side with balled fists, and returned a nasty scowl to his Bepo. The shocking red that filled its messy hair only added to its countenance while somehow enhancing the heavy expression chiseled on its face, and the thin eyebrows made the thing even more oddly alluring. Perhaps because it made it look even angrier? Law found himself liking the animated face, more so than he thought he should have.
Entranced, it was a while before he noticed that the creature was staring back at him, and he snapped out of his daze.
"What did Doffy bring in now?" he said to no one as he cautiously stepped closer.
The dark brown eyes followed him as he moved, the muscles on the creature visibly tensing. Interesting, he thought. Its eyes were almost like the color of blood. Law made his way next to Bepo and patted a placating hand on the back of his pet's neck to calm it down. Bepo ceased his growling, but didn't break his guard to attack.
"Fascinating, don't you think, Bepo? It actually spoke. How did you make it to that? And what do you think it is?"
The creature in question's face tightened looking bemused, its nose twitching.
"Does it understand?" Law asked continuing his monologue. He reckoned that Bepo understood his rambling despite being unable to reply in human speech, and the bear gave a snort. Law easily overlooked the unamused opinion of his companion as he was too stoked on how the new found animal was reacting to his words. If it was intelligent, could it talk back to him? He decided to take the chance and converse with it directly. "How did you get here?" He was not so secretly hoping it would provide a proper response.
"Are you retarded?" it spat in that gruff voice he had heard. The potential of the animal was the only reason why he didn't take offense when the thing blatantly sneered at him.
"Who are you?" Law wanted to get as much information as he could before he had to inevitably knock it out cold with the syringe hidden in his pocket.
Thinking about the needle suddenly made him realize that he was still wearing the bloodied apron from his "research" just minutes ago. The expression on the animal's face now made sense. It was disgusted seeing all the red splattered on his white clothes. The last thing he wanted to do was make it afraid. If it tried to run, he'd have to have Bepo chase after it, and his pet might just wring its neck. That just wouldn't do as he was already set on making the animal his next experiment.
Law chuckled looking down at himself. He was covered in blood save for his forearms and below where his gloves were.
"Excuse the mess. I was immersed in a previous engagement."
"Yeah, I can see that," it said. "You looked to have been pretty damn busy."
The madman twinkle in his eyes that Law knew he couldn't control gleamed then. The piece of work that he had been laboring on was progressing as a failure. That's why he had gotten frustrated and accidentally cut an artery causing all the blood to spill out. The disappointing outcome of his work made him itch to redeem himself, and that new specimen that was going to give him another chance was standing right in front of him.
"Are you lost?" he asked. His fingers twitched needing to get this specimen into his lab immediately.
Tightening its jaw, it hesitated to answer. Dark brown eyes switched from Law to his pet calculating what to do next. It's smart, Law noted. The thing looked like it wanted to pounce him, but was afraid of the white burly beast he controlled.
"He won't hurt you," Law attempted to lure the animal into a false sense of security so he could start getting closer. He pressed firmly where he had already had a hand on Bepo's body ordering it to stay before he languidly ambled over. "Bepo is my pet, and he won't attack as long as you don't."
The warning kept the animal in place as he circled it. Tilting his head upon inspection, Law marked their height difference, the thing being taller by a couple inches. Based on the gruff aura the animal exuded, he deemed it as male. Unless of course, it was one of those creatures that had the females bigger and stronger than the males in order to give birth and protect multiple young. Forgetting his polite front, Law stopped when he was in front of the animal and placed a hand right under its jaw. Soft, he made another note in his head. So he was correct about the feel of the skin. Liking how it felt under his fingertips, he ran his hand down slowly along the animal's jugular and down to a broad chest. Every bump was engraved into his head like a schematic diagram, and he couldn't help but compare how it was so unlike all the other species. It had developing muscles, he could tell that much. Everything he felt was solid, and he delved on the thought of the animal not being fully grown, but it was mostly a gut feeling.
The animal, still wary of Bepo, closed his eyes and thinned his lips as he let his body be touched. Red lashes which showed brightly against the pale skin replaced the dark irises, but they were nice in their own way. As much as he liked the color of the intelligent rims, the creature looked less threatening with his lids closed. Tentatively, Law's other hand joined in exploration as both palms traveled down from underneath collarbones and lower to a flat stomach. A hitched breath made the stomach suck in, and wider hands swiftly gripped his wrists before they went any lower.
Bepo flinched, but did nothing else as the creature just held his wrists tight. A hard glare bore against Law's own, and at that moment, Law saw his reflection in the dark brown filter.
Something gripped inside Law's chest which he couldn't describe. So many things hit him at once as he saw the many similarities of his image with the creature. His mouth ran dry. He had only seen his reflection against Doffy's shades, and the only thing that was similar to him – that had arms like him, had legs which were sinewy and long like his, had a body structure like him – was his father. Most other creatures in the zoo were too hairy or had too many appendages to be of the same species. He didn't think too much of it, but he had given up on the idea that Doffy would bring another creature like him and his father. But this – could this be another, for lack of better words… him?
"You're human,"
The redhead raised a brow at his conclusion. He would have laughed if it weren't for the awe in Law's voice. It was soaked in such genuine surprise that the idea of another human existing sounded equivalent of finding out that monkeys could breathe under water.
Law suddenly found his world shattering into pieces that would never be able to be put back together again.
There were other people like him? They weren't only contained historically in books? They were alive?
Gears sped rapidly inside his head, and after moments of not moving, he jerked and grabbed onto the redhead's coat.
"There are others like you out there?"
The boy, Law now deemed the redhead since he was human, drew his head back.
"No shit, Sherlock. Did you live behind these walls all your life?"
The lost look on Law's face answered, "Yes."
"You know of Sherlock Holmes?" he knitted his brows in confusion. The boy only gave him a twisted expression as if what he said was somehow wrong.
"Wow. They weren't kidding when they say that rich kids grow up clueless."
"Rich?" Law didn't know of his wealth. He had never thought of how everything he had was all provided for, and accepted everything that he was given. "What do you mean by rich?"
"Look," the boy sighed losing patience. "Why don't you just go back to what you were doing and let me go? I'll leave, I swear."
"Leave? Where did you come from?"
"Shit. Just leave me alone," the redhead groaned wanting nothing other than to get away.
Panic and fear struck a chord inside him. Law was afraid that his new found human would leave him when he had finally found another person like him. But the prospect that this boy had come from somewhere where more humans existed stirred excitement. His fingers dug deeper into the fabric of the boy's coat.
"If my father didn't bring you, how are you here? Why are you here?"
Sensing its master distress, Bepo let out a guttural threat. The boy's eyes shifted to the living weapon snarling and waiting for the signal to shred him to pieces.
"Show me where you came from."
Law's greys blazed when the boy, after taking a skeptical moment to weigh his sanity, motioned to a section of the brick wall. The calloused hands that held his wrists let go. Taking a wary look at Law's pet to make sure that it was okay to move, the redhead kneeled down to the floor and pushed the bricks closest to the ground. Law's jaw slackened as each red block was removed, and his mouth grew into a spitting image of a gaping fish as the boy revealed a decent sized hole big enough for each of them to fit through.
"You guys should check your walls."
He glanced at the boy who was now sporting a cocky smile brought forth by his facial expression.
Thousands of things ran through the young master's mind, but none of them processed. So many inputs crashed his brain from working. His heart, which was beating so madly that his palms were sweating, screamed. Here was his chance to leave. This was his moment to hurdle over the blasted wall that had caged him for so long. His dreams of finding what was hiding behind those vine covered walls – he could make it come true. Although he was getting through by crawling instead of climbing, the idea was that he would be out, and he could finally be free.
"Take me with you." Law was so shaken that his words were almost a whisper.
"Hell no." The boy rejected him in an instant.
Law sped so fast, he almost stumbled. He didn't know why anyone would refuse his requests. Quite frankly, he was quite frustrated with the boy's attitude. No one dared say otherwise to him before. He grabbed the boy's collar again and loomed over him. Dark shadows stretched over his face as he stared down the redhead.
"Take me, or I will have my pet maul you to death."
