Sumiko knew the dream had come to her, because she was happy in it. The nightmare always started out the same; her in a state of bliss. She was wholly happy, utterly complete, a puzzle that had been solved. Then the gun went off, and a scream sliced through the air as sure as if it were a solid and red blood blossomed across the front of her shirt. Pain hit her like she'd been torn into by bomb shrapnel, like she'd been doused in gasoline and matched up, like her skin was taken off in strips...Oh, God, she was dying. No one lived through this kind of agony. She fell to her knees and then-
Sumiko shot off of her mattress like she'd been bootlicked in the head.
Her bedroom's navy walls closed in on her, and she ran for the door, opening it and then standing in the hallway of the castle. Her heart was beating too fast and she felt a sudden chill that made her break out in a cold sweat.
She needed a drink...now.
Sumiko made her way across the thick red carpet that lined the hall, and before she reached the grand staircase, she peered down at the doors to her siblings' rooms with a frown. She had no doubt that they were curled up with their mates, and the thought that she was sleeping alone made her heart clench.
Fuck.
Memories flooded her mind, and she reminisced on the time she'd spent with the Heart crew. She winced and felt the sorrow and glared at the painting that covered the walls. She couldn't see the colors anymore. She couldn't feel emotions anymore. After she'd left the crew to return home, her feelings had dried up, and she knew it was because she'd been separated from the one thing that made her feel as though her life had meaning, the one person who made her want to give life another chance. She shook her head as an image of Trafalgar Law popped into her frontal lobe and she snarled silently.
She really needed a drink.
Scattering her molecules, she took place in the kitchen and jerked the stainless steel fridge open and grabbed the clear bottle from the back. Snatching a glass from the wet bar, she filled four inches of FireWater and downed it. As the cinnamon liquor burned a path from her esophagus to her stomach, she let her thoughts wander again.
Law didn't belong in her world.
He shouldn't even know about it, but the bonded female in her rose fast and hard, countering the denials. Who gave a damn if he was human? Half of the Brotherhood's mates were human, and her brother Mikhail had claimed a human as his own a few years ago, so why couldn't she-?
Because he may not accept you anymore, said a small voice in the back of her mind. Sumiko felt anguish rise up and she groaned. When she'd returned, her powers had been stripped. She could no longer summon or manipulate fire, or shift. The Scribe Virgin had taken everything from her and had given her a full body restoration, which she was partially grateful for, since her body had been healed of any injury, including every rape. Her state of virginity was returned, and she was cleansed.
But cursed. The Scribe Virgin never gave something without taking something in return, so Sumiko lost her element and gained a new power because she'd gotten in a fight with a member of one of the aristocracy members during a ceremony gala and had ended up killing a barn owl, the Scribe Virgin's sacred symbol. It had been an accident, but it had finally tipped the scales and could not go unpunished. (Sumiko had gotten into fights upon returning from the pirating world, and had caused a bit of trouble among the nobles and aristocrats.)
Sumiko felt a hum go through her and she groaned, trying to hold back the surge of energy that coursed through her. There were three ways to control her new power: Sexual release (which was so not happening) fighting or completing the bonding ritual between a Carpathian and its mate.
Sumiko downed another 4 inches of liquor.
Dimly she heard the ornate grandfather clock strike 3 o'clock in the morning, and almost immediately afterward, she heard muffled voices and laughter. A group of males walked into the kitchen, trailing dirt, blood, and what appeared to be black oil on the white marble floor.
The light flicked on, and a few males gasped as Sumiko was revealed.
"Geez, printessa, what are you doin', lyin' in for us or somethin'?" Sumiko looked at Kieran, and her cousin came into view, his black hair pulled into a loose ponytail at the base of his neck. His dark brown eyes were warm and he pat her head as he walked by towards the sink. Freyr was next, followed by his brother Dominic. They were fraternal twins, and looked nothing alike, except for the same light blue eyes.
"What are you doing up so late?" A voice asked, and Sumiko looked up to meet the violet gaze of Vyce, her ahstrux nohtrum, or personal bodyguard. He had short black hair with a small tuft of red in the front and he had a silver barbell in his eyebrow. Over his mouth was a muzzle like covering and Sumiko reached up to unhook it. It was there for a reason, but Vyce would never hurt her, because he had sworn allegiance to only her, and his pink slip was the guillotine.
As soon as the offending object was gone, Vyce's fangs were revealed. Unlike most Carpathians, who had elongated canines, some families carried animal DNA, and Vyce's father had been a member of the vampire bat strain, which gave Vyce small, serrated teeth. And the 24-year-old had no impulse control, so if he wanted to feed, he'd tear up whatever he was attached to.
Except Sumiko. He avoided hurting her more than was necessary.
Said girl examined the dark haired male and she smiled a little. "You didn't feed."
He shrugged. "I'm fine, printessa."
Sumiko frowned, "It's been almost 5 months, Vyce." When a Carpathian didn't feed on a regular schedule (usually once or twice a month), then they would grow weak and sometimes violent. Sumiko wasn't fond of it herself, and just the week before had fainted during a game of basketball with her brothers.
"I'm calling Darién, he can give me blood." Vyce told her, and he took out his cell phone.
Darién was Kieran and Vyce's brother, along with roughly 12 others that Sumiko had almost lost count of. She nicknamed most of them and kept her favorite cousins close. There was Yaya, Coco, Zsa-Zsa, Shishi, and Lulu. Yashael, Connor, Zsama, Shiva, and Luiz. Then there were the twins Trey and Troy, and then the youngest set of twins Soren and Amelie.
Sumiko sighed a bit and watched him walk away and she stared at the liquid in her glass. She knew it was red, but it looked gray. She hated not seeing in color or feeling emotion. She knew she loved her family and friends, there were echoes of feelings, but whenever she saw them, she felt nothing. She had the memories of feelings, but even those were fading.
Freyr sat beside his cousin and watched her in silence. "What are you thinking about so hard?"
Sumiko gave him a significant look and he nodded. "Ah. That."
Dominic leaned against the island in the center of the kitchen and took a bit of the pear in his hand. "It's obviously bothering you, so why don't you go back?"
"He did say we could come back." Freyr grinned, clapping his twin on the back. "I say it's time for a little visit. It's been 2 years, cousin mine."
Sumiko nodded and stood, rushing out of the room and up the grand staircase to her room. She searched for her old backpack and grabbed things from her closet and other odds and ends before meeting Freyr in the foyer by the castle doors.
Dominic wished them well and promised to tell everyone where they'd gone, and without hesitation, the duo vanished into the night.
Eustass Kidd and Kala Bonney were sitting in one of the medical bays in the submarine, waiting for Trafalgar Law to come fix the latter pirate's injuries since neither had doctors aboard their own ships. Kala had been shot when a group of rogue pirates had attempted to overtake her ship, but luckily, Kidd and his crew were sailing with her, and their ship managed to ward off the intruders before anything to crazy happened. Kala could handle herself, but the bullet had been a surprise, and it hadn't stopped bleeding after an hour, plus the skin was turning red, which signaled an infection.
"What happened?" Trafalgar Law walked into the room with a heavy sigh, indicating that he wanted nothing to do with them. He'd been in a bad mood for the past few days and he glared at Kidd as he started to help clean the gunshot on Kala's stomach.
"She got shot, obviously." Kidd growled.
Law smirked. "Domestic abuse is a crime." Kala scowled and explained that it wasn't Kidd that did it, and she added that he wouldn't have the guts to shoot her anyway. It was a flesh wound, and simply needed to be cleaned and bandaged, but an antibiotic was needed to ease the inflammation.
"This is why you both need your own doctors." Law said roughly, smirking at Kala's whine of pain as he dabbed antiseptic onto the wound. "It isn't that bad, is it?" Kala frowned.
Nearly half an hour later, Eustass Kidd had taken his wife away and Law wandered back to the open air, watching the two ships fade into the horizon. Shachi, Sel and Bepo were playing some game in which they'd scream random animal names and point at the clouds, and Kaz was harpooning on the other side of the sub with Penguin.
Just as Law turned to go back inside, a loud thud made him turn and his charcoal eyes widened in shock as he was greeted by Freyr and Sumiko, both of whom had appeared in the middle of the small deck.
"'sup boss?" Freyr gave a cheery little wave. "Did you miss us?"
Law blinked. "Is she okay?" he motioned to Sumiko, who was quiet. Her pupils were wide and she seemed to have been stunned into silence. Freyr grinned like an idiot and nodded, waving a hand dismissively.
"She's fine; she's just…reconnecting her brain."
Law seemed a tad confused but suddenly Sumiko blinked rapidly and she beamed, her eyes lighting up and then Freyr ran to Shachi, the two men throwing their arms around each other and fake crying at their reunion.
Sumiko walked over to stand beside Law and she smiled, "Long time no see." She said. "It's been two years, seven months, a week and three days."
"Seventeen hours, forty minutes and nine seconds." Law added with a smirk. Sumiko's smile just widened.
Oh, man, Sumiko thought. She blinked again as the dazzle of colors flooded her senses and a rush of emotion made her sway. The moment she'd looked at Law and heard his voice, the connection came back; he was hers and that was that. She felt love, pure and undiluted, spear through her chest and she watched as the clear blue ocean lapped at the sides of the sub, and the warm rays of the sun fell on her skin.
"How have you been?" she asked, crossing her ankles. Her eyes wandered Law's frame and she noted every difference since she'd seen him last. He was taller, at least 6 feet, and his hat had changed, but he still sounded the same, looked the same. Sumiko inhaled his scent, dragging that fresh rainforest and sandalwood tone deep into her lungs and committing it to memory.
Law shrugged and stepped back as Sel tackle-hugged Freyr and Jean-Bart introduced himself. He shook his head and Sumiko rolled her eyes at her cousin.
"You've changed," Law said. Sumiko looked up at him.
"Have I."
"Yes." Law moved again as Bepo made to welcome Freyr back, after bowing to Sumiko and greeting her with a hug. "You're happier."
Sumiko flushed. Well, yeah. She thought. You're here.
"I've been healed." She said aloud. "Full body restoration." She gave her captain a significant look and he smirked.
"Every injury is healed?"
Sumiko grinned. "Every single one. Inside and out."
"Except her tattoo!" Freyr laughed, and Sumiko glared. Law echoed "tattoo?" and Sumiko turned away, telling him to pull up the back of her shirt. He did so, and a colorful design was revealed: A magnificent, multicolored dragon covered her entire back. A fearsome creature with five clawed limbs and a twisting, powerful body and ice white eyes.
"Wow," was all her could say for a second. "That's really…intricate."
"I hate it." Sumiko said bitterly.
"Then why'd you get it done? Besides, you're healed." Law's gaze softened and he reached out to ruffle her hair, effectively messing up the choppy mahogany layers. "That's great."
Sumiko nodded. "Mmhm!"
As he watched Sumiko flounce off to greet the rest of the crew, Law felt that rush of affection, the one he hadn't felt since the incident at Sky Harbor.
What the hell is wrong with me? He wondered.
After the reunion, the Heart's crew decided to celebrate, and Kaz broke out his liquor cabinet while Shachi and Penguin danced around, singing (badly) at the top of their lungs. Sel had a great voice, and Freyr was singing a song in his native tongue that had Sumiko in tears she was laughing so hard. She'd throw out a line or two and then have another giggle fit.
"What's he saying?" Bepo asked, voicing the silent question Law was thinking. Sumiko grinned and shrugged.
"A bunch of nonsense, he's not even talking, he's just making sounds based on the Cyrillic alphabet." She added a few lines of another song, and Law watched in amazement as silver and gold notes solidified from her voice and formed a noose around Freyr's neck. The blond paid no mind and kept singing, he and Shachi dancing in circles.
"How'd you do that?" Sel asked, his blue hair catching the moonlight as he walked over to the rails and relaxed. "The voice thing?"
Sumiko stifled a yawn behind her hand and nodded to Freyr, who had stopped singing. "Carpathians are gifted singers due to the rituals we perform. We have to have voices that supposedly can reach the Fade, our version of Heaven, or Dhund, our version of Hell." She turned to Sel. "We can use chants that aid us in battle or for simple tasks like healing."
"That's really cool!" Sel cried with a grin.
Sumiko shrugged, "I don't like it."
"Why?" Law asked.
Freyr yelled from across the deck, "Cuz she can't control the decibel output, and she'll kill you!" he cackled. Sumiko turned and pegged her cousin with a glare that had him take a few steps back.
"I can so!" she scoffed. "I usually just don't, is all."
"If you can get her to stop fucking around, her voice is actually kind of nice, it's not amazing like Shri's, but it's decent." Sumiko flipped him off and snarled in her unknown language, causing Freyr to laugh and shake his head.
Hours passed into the night, and nearly everyone (save Law, Sel and Freyr) was fast asleep. Kaz was on the floor in the galley, a bottle of vodka in his hand, Sumiko fit into one of the large circular window panes and had her forehead against the cool glass, while Bepo, Jean-Bart, Shachi and Penguin were in their actual rooms.
Freyr was deep in thought and Sel was drawing on a piece of paper while Law leaned against the wall in a chair, tipping it on its back legs. Eventually Sel left to go to bed, and Freyr put his head on the table with a loud thunk. Law gave him a weird look and asked what his problem was, to which Freyr just sighed.
"Debating on things."
"Such as…?" Law prompted.
Freyr smirked devilishly, "Not sure if I should tell you, because I'd rather not incur the wrath of Sumiko. She's scary."
"She's really not." Law amended.
Freyr shook his head. "No, you don't understand, boss. She has a new ability. Her only ability. Her fire powers are gone, and replaced with your worst nightmare."
Law straightened. "Show me."
Freyr blinked and seemed a little concerned. "Look, this is all on you. If she finds out, and gets mad-"
"Then I'll take the blame."
Freyr nodded and then turned to face his captain, placing his hands over the sides of Law's head. The other man cleared his thoughts like the last time he'd seen Sumiko's memories, but just before anything could happen, the submarine shook, and there was a loud boom from outside. Law and Freyr were out of the room like it had caught fire, and all of the others were running to see what was happening outside. Suddenly, voices could be heard and Sumiko screamed, the sound immediately followed by male laughter.
Shachi gasped as they exited the sub's interior, "What are the Marines doing here?!"
Freyr watched in horror as a group of soldiers aimed their guns at the sub, and he saw Sumiko, whose face had drained of all color, dip into the shadows as a man went to the front of the ship, and Law glared at Sakazuki Akainu.
The other man watched as Sumiko hid, and he smiled with an almost lewd expression that had white hot anger flare inside of Law. He and Freyr blocked the Vice Admiral's view of the woman, and he scoffed.
"I am here to make an announcement," the man said. "Gekko Moriah has passed on, and the government wishes for you, Trafalgar law, to become a new Warlord of the sea."
Law had not been expecting this, and he was silent for a moment. He felt Sumiko lean against him and shake her head, and he heard her voice, soft as a whisper, "Make him go away." Her voice cracked. "Please," Freyr's hair had changed color as Akainu came onto the Shi no Gekai, an official looking document in his hand, branded with the Marine and Navy insignia.
Akainu was mere feet from them, and he held out the document. "I was told you received one of these by carrier eagle. Would you mind showing it to me?"
Law had no idea what was going on, but if it meant getting the man away faster, he was willing to anything. He nodded and Freyr shielded Sumiko further, Bepo moving in to take Law's position as the man walked into the sub.
It all happened very fast then.
Akainu stepped around to face Sumiko, whose pupils were so wide they almost consumed her irises, and Freyr snarled viciously, his fangs punching into his mouth. He didn't move, and he didn't want to attack the man unless he absolutely had to.
Law came back out, a sheet of paper in his hand.
Akainu smirked, and eyed Sumiko's body. She felt cold, undiluted terror flood her veins as memories of the man raping her came at her in a rush, and suddenly, a blast of energy came out of her and the soldiers suddenly opened fire.
As the blast came out of Sumiko's body, Freyr and Law were slammed into the ship, heads snapping back against the metal. Law's eyes shut against the burst of pain, and he was dimly aware of a huge presence taking Sumiko's place. There were sounds of more gunshots, screams, and a deafening roar. Law blinked and his eyes focused.
Holy…shit.
It was the tattoo come to life: a dragon-like creature with iridescent purple and navy scales. The thing had a slashing tail with barbs and long black claws with a snow white tuft of hair on its head that ran in a pike to its neck like a Mohawk. Law couldn't see its face, but the sounds it was making were horrifying.
More roaring, more gunshots, a scream and the crunch of metal were all that could be heard.
The beast had launched over to Akainu's ship and was making quick work of the soldiers, tearing the men to pieces and chomping great chunks of metal and wood from the warship.
Akainu stood there in shock.
Freyr yell, "Sumiko, stop!" Next to Freyr, a figured materialized out of thin air, and the male talked fast, yelling at Freyr and then pointing at the beast, his violet eyes flashing with anger.
More soldiers ran onto the deck and opened fire, causing the beast to lunge at them, its sail knocking some overboard and stabbing others with the spikes. The fighting lasted maybe five minutes before turning to face the Heart crew. "Hide, now!" Freyr screamed, and the crew dispersed, some running inside, others moving towards the crow's nest. Law had melded into the shadows behind the sub's open door, and he watched the fray. He hoped the beast wouldn't notice him, and if it had, that it would remember who he was.
The door shut, and Law made eye contact.
"Oh, shit. Boss, run, I'll distract her!" Freyr cried. "Vyce, back off!" he yelled to the other Carpathian, who was inching towards the dragon.
The dragon snarled as Akainu moved and it snapped its jaws.
Freyr cursed at the creature, "Stop it!"
The dragon stood on its hind legs, mouth open, revealing dagger-like fangs and a menacing hiss came from it. Without preamble, the thing charged at Akainu.
Law shot to his feet, "Sumiko! Don't!"
His voice froze everything like a tableau: Akainu holding up magma covers arms, the dragon preparing to lunge, Vyce and Freyr sidling up to him. All four of them looked at Law for a second before refocusing on each other.
Vyce started talking rapidly in what Law recognized at Brazilian-Portuguese, and the dragon huffed, making towards Akainu, who stood his ground and taunted the beast. Law glared at them all.
"Will you two get out of here!" he hissed as Freyr and Vyce circled the animal. "Someone's about to get hurt and you're just pissing it off!"
"Boss, we need to get you out of the way," Freyr's tone was that awful let's-be-reasonable one that was usually spoken by women.
Law waved him off, "It won't hurt me, but it's about to tear those two apart." He motioned to Akainu and Vyce, who had suddenly sprouted black see-through membranous wings and a tail with a barb at the tip.
No one was listening.
Law sighed and took a few steps forward, "Back the fuck off!"
That got their attention.
Freyr and Vyce turned and the beast swung in Law's direction, white eyes glowing. It took a few steps forward until it and Law were only five or so feet apart.
"Hey," Law murmured, speaking softly so he didn't spook it into attacking. "It's me. You know who I am, right?" The great dragon's head shook up and down like a horse's and its massive body swung a little towards him.
Akainu stopped and watched the scene unfold, and he saw that Freyr and Vyce were watching him, prepared to attack at any time. The dragon seemed ready to pounce as well, because it eyed him over its shoulder.
"No, leave the military moron alone." Law said quietly, and he stepped closer, but Akainu suddenly charged, and the best whirled around, its tail slamming into Law and Vyce, knocking the two men down.
The slaughter was absolute; Akainu had fled in a small boat attached to the battleship (no doubt to tell HQ what had just happened), but all of his soldiers were gone. They had all been consumed, clothes and all, and their blood ran down the beast's chest in a river that shone in the moonlight.
Law shifted onto his stomach and started to lift himself up when he saw that the beast had army crawled over to him and was watching intently. "You are scary as hell up close, you really are." He said. He reached out one hand and touched the beast's head, and to his surprise, the creature let out a low, rhythmic purr.
The beast was beautiful, like a cobra was, he thought. Its ugliness overshadowed by powerful muscles and a predatory intelligence you had to respect. He stroked its snout and was surprised at how warm the skin was.
"Let's have Sumiko back, shall we?"
The beast let out a keening wail and there was a flash of light that momentarily blinded the trio, and when it faded, Sumiko was on the floor, naked, glistening with sweat and blood; her body shivering like a newborn in the cold.
Vyce moved first and took his shirt off, pulling it over her body and buttoning it to her throat. She whimpered in pain, and Law's eyes flared as he caught sight of her stomach: it was horribly distended; almost as if she were pregnant. Vyce started whispering to her and Freyr sighed, looking at the ruined Marine ship next to the sub. Law watched Sumiko and he frowned as he watched how Vyce dealt with her. Sumiko had curled into his hold, and was shaking violently while Vyce spoke in an almost sing-song pattern.
She's mine. He thought.
Sumiko's eyes opened, and she looked up at Vyce with a weak smile, and the male kissed her forehead, handing her off to Freyr before vanishing into the air, telling him something in a grim voice. Law twitched. Who the hell was that guy? Obviously Freyr and Sumiko were close with him…
Is he family, or…
A sudden flare of panic shot through Law and he frowned. Oh, hell, no. He totally couldn't handle her being around another man like that. Mine.
Well, shit.
As he watched Freyr walk towards him with Sumiko in his arms and traded her off to him, Law looked down into her pain filled eyes and tilted his head ever-so-slightly, his previous hurricane of emotions striking him with sudden clarity.
I'm in love, he thought. I've fallen in love.