Another One shot! I'll probably just primarily be writing one shots for the time being, since I'm rusty as all heck with writing and my only reference is other works that I've read (I have no schooling when it comes to writing). Either way, I hope you enjoy and please give me feedback! I'd love to hear what you think! :) Enjoy~!
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or any characters you recognize. They belong to Oda!
Credits: My OC, Abigail, is part of the Ferus/Ferox family which is owned by TricksterThief! I was granted permission to use their concept! Also, go read their story Calls Me Home.
The first time that Law had seen her was on an island in the Grand Line. The island was very bland for being on that sea, small with nothing interesting going on. The people where just as bland, going about their days in simple harmony, each person finding joy in simple things and rejoicing at the end of the day when nothing extreme happened. It wasn't a life he could get behind, but he wasn't about to go disturbing their peace. This islands log pose set in two days and he had planed for it to be a quick stop. Rest for the first day, stock up the next and then set sail. However, fate always had a way with screwing over his plans. (Not that he believed in fate, or destiny but what else could have caused such a big wrench in his plans?)
It was the first day, a few hours after the sub had docked. He had the crew take stock on their inventory, writing down what was needed and what they where good on. He also had the mechanics of his crew do the maintenance the sub needed. They hadn't gotten into any trouble, so the sub hadn't taken any major damage. It took only about an hour for the mechanics to finish. After the crew completed their jobs, they asked Law to let them go and relax. Law agreed, they had earned it after all. So the crew ventured into the city to find a bar to go binge drinking under the promise (order) that they wouldn't go overboard. Law, on the other hand, decided to scoop out some book stores, to find maybe a book or two that sounded interesting. Bepo came with him of course. He wasn't worried about his crew, they could take care of themselves and this island had no dangers or hostility in the air at all; they would be safe.
His search for book stores had taken him through many streets and in all the stores he looked through, he only found two books that interested him. He signed at the lack of good reading material and turned his eyes to his surroundings. He found himself gazing at worn and broken down buildings and various people of all ages laying in alley ways or leaning up against walls and eyeing him with barely concealed interest and greed. They all wore tattered and dirtied clothing, their skin caked in grim and their hair full of grease. Law's lips turned down slightly when he took in the tense atmosphere.
"Captain..." Bepo's voice came from behind him, with a hint of concern.
"Yeah. Let's go" Law responded, turning around to start heading back. It wasn't like he didn't think they could take on the residents, he was certain that just him with his devil fruit and Bepo's fighting skill, the two could take on all the people wanting to fight. However, if a fight could be avoided, he'd rather avoid it. Why spend time and energy on an unnecessary fight? Besides, it was getting late and he had plans to go join up with his crew, after all they could have drunk themselves into oblivion already. It'd be for the best if he rejoined them, to keep an eye on them for the rest of the evening.
He flinched at almost smacking into Bepo, who seemed to be starting fixedly at something off on the side. Apperently when Bepo had tried to get his attention, it wasn't about the tense feeling in the air. Following to where his first mate was fixedly starting at, he saw a teenage girl. She had long brown hair, wore dirty and tattered clothing and looked like she hadn't had a decent meal in ages. Pretty standard for a homeless person. Except there was something that made him pause and look twice. She was leaning against the wall heavily, almost as if without it, she'd collapse. Her breathing was harsh and pain filled and overall she just looked exhausted. If that wasn't enough of an indication that she was either extremely sick or heavily injured she had blood, looking days old, staining the front of her shirt, dried on her hands (that would take so long to wash away) and around her mouth.
The girl raised her head after a few seconds of being observed and tired amber eyes met his own. Her eyes narrowed slightly, almost as if she was having difficulty seeing what was in front of her. They started at one another for a good minute, before she broke eye contact by blinking and turning around, using the wall as a support, she started walking back down the ally and disappeared around a corner.
Law watched the spot she had left, a deep frown on his face. She was obviously very sick and living on the street with barely any food definitely wasn't helping her at all. Normally, he wouldn't care that some homeless kid was dying on the street, after all there where many kids in that situation so why should he care about one over the other? However, her eyes had struck a chord in him. He remembered seeing eyes like those, with that look of hate and desperation in them when he looked in the mirror back when he himself was a child.
"Captain?" Bepo asked, bringing Law out of his thoughts. He focused his attention away from the alley the girl had disappeared down and toward his first mate. He gazed into Bepo's concerned eyes, before turning away and starting down the path.
"Let's go, Bepo" He commanded, not that he needed to, after all, Bepo would have followed him had he not said anything, such is his first mate's loyalty toward him.
Bringing to the front of his mind the mental map he had been making on their wander across town, he found the fastest way back to the bar his men where at. Turning a corner, Bepo following behind, his mind wandered back toward that interesting sick girl. A small part of him felt bad for her (not that he would admit it) since he himself knew what it was like to live on the streets, scrounging for food, the harsh stares, the judging whispers and trying to avoid those who want to use and abuse; on top of all that, being gravely ill, made a very pitiful package.
His mind went through all the illnesses he's read about, trying to place which disease it could have been. After finding several illnesses it could be, he decided he didn't have enough information to properly place it. On another note, why was he so concerned about this one kid? His lips turned down into a thoughtful frown at the thought. There where so many other children and teenagers in this world in the same situation, why should he favour one over the other? Was he reacting this way because one appeared in front of him? He was a pirate, why should he care what happened to some kid?
It was probably because of that look, that same look he use to have, in her eyes. It had nothing to do with the fact that she, with her brown hair, soft features and short structure, reminded him of his deceased sister. He firmly told himself that was not the case.
As the bar his men where stationed (partying) at neared, he decided that, should he run into the girl again, he'd help her, but only if he saw her again.
The thought of the reactions the marines and townspeople would have caused an amused smirk to spread on his face as he opened the bar's door and was greeted with choruses of "Captain!" from his men, some really drunk, while others where more aware. Law walked into the bar, sitting in the empty seat at the head of the table, Bepo sitting in the empty chair beside him. With a decision made, he could focus on other things. His smirk still in place, he order some expensive alcohol from the waitress that had walked up to the table after he had sat down. A few drinks wouldn't hurt.
The next morning, his crew was up early, to the horror of a few of his crew mates (the ones who drank way too much last night, Law gave them some painkillers and instructed them to drink a lot of water). Their morning was spent buying supplies in bulk, moving the crates down by the sub where a group waited to move the crates into storage. While the rest of the crew went about their tasks, Law decided to go do his own shopping. He needed to fill up the medical supplies. Bringing a small group with him consisting of Bepo (obviously), Satchi and Penguin, he traveled to several different medical shops that he had spotted yesterday.
It was after Law had finished his shopping, Satchi and Penguin where holding the bags, Bepo was holding his Nodachi, that he saw the girl again. Actually, Law wasn't the one who spotted her, it was Bepo.
"Huh?"
"Hey, Bepo! Why'd you stop?" He heard Penguin's questioning hum before Satchi's voice joined in. Turning, Law spotted the three, standing a little ways behind him, the two humans looking at the bear questioningly. Instead of addressing the two near him, Bepo turned toward Law.
"Captain, I can smell her scent again in that direction" Bepo lifted his arm as he spoke and pointed a little ways ahead of the group, where there was a gathering of a lot of people. There was no need to say who 'her' was, though Satchi and Penguin looked between the two, confused. Law, with a thoughtful frown on his face, walked toward the mass of people standing around mumbling to one another with nervous expressions and shifting uncomfortably, with a worried bear and two confused crew mates at his side.
When he pushed his way to the center of the wide human circle and the sight that greeted him wasn't surprising in the least. He expected it after all, although the three behind him didn't, if their horrified gasps was anything to go by.
Laying in the center of the circle was the girl from before, on her front, her elbows set into the ground to prop up her upper body. There was a sizable puddle of blood in front of her, the liquid running down her chin and dripping into the puddle. On top of that, her cheeks where flushed, her green eyes (weren't they amber before?) bright and blurred, her breaths where coming in harsh pants, almost as if she couldn't get enough air into her body. She would die if she didn't get medical attention soon.
"What the hell are you all standing around for?! She needs a doctor!" Law heard Satchi yell from beside him, he turned his eyes away from the girl to look at his crew member, who was glaring at the people beside them, Penguin at his side.
"He's right! Get her to a hospital, or something!" Penguin's voice joined his friend's, though Law was unsure how much good it was do. The people all looked at the two as if they'd grew a second head each .
"Are you insane? I'm not touching that thing!"
"That's right! That street rat doesn't deserve a doctor!"
"Kyaa! I'm not touching that! Think of all the diseases it has!"
Satchi and Penguin started in unconcealed shock and horror, Bepo watching the girl in worry, as a murmur of agreement swept the group of civilians and they all shifted even further from the girl. Law felt his lips turn down into a scowl at the disgusting morals these people where showing. It was in this moment that cemented his decision for him.
With decisive steps, he left a confused Satchi, Penguin and Bepo behind to walk toward the girl. When he reached her, he got a closer look at her condition. She was definitely feverish, he could feel the heat coming off her. That kind of temperature meant that she was probably fighting an infection. Not surprising, considering her living conditions. At the sound of his approach, she turned her head toward him and for a second time, Law found himself starting into her eyes again. They where distant, the fever messing with her mind, making it hard for her to focus but even so, he still could see recognition flash across her face.
Law put his arms underneath her body, lifting her into the air. She shifted in his arms, getting into a comfortable position, before she faded out. It seems she had reach her limit. Not even sparing a glance at the quickly backing away and horror filled civilians (if the looks on their faces where any indication), he walked back over to his crew. Satchi and Penguin where starting at him in shock, their mouths agape while Bepo watched Law with a curious look.
"Let's go" Law commanded his crew members as he passed them, Bepo falling into step behind him easily. It took Satchi and Penguin a few seconds of staring before they realized they where going to be left behind and they shook off their shock, chasing after their captain and first mate.
It had been a few days since Law had brought the girl aboard and after some initial confusion from his crew members, they all seemed to have accepted her added presence on the sub. The sub was out at sea now, far from the girls hometown. When she woke up, if she expressed desire to go back, she'd have to find her own way there. His sub was not a ferry. Though, he had a feeling she wouldn't want that, considering the many cuts and bruises he had found all over her skin while he was treating her a few days before. If that wasn't an indication that she had a really bad time living there, he didn't know what was.
While he was checking her condition, he found several infected cuts, which attributed to her fever. He cleaned the cuts as best he could, hooked her up to an IV and anti-bacterial medication. After he made sure she was in a better place then she was when he first brought her in, he took blood samples from her, trying to discover what illness she had, so he could prepare medication for her and possibly perform surgery on her if her illness was serious. What he found surprised him. Never in his life had he seen an illness like the one she had. From what he could remember in all the medical books he owned, nothing mentioned a disease like this one. After he discovered all he could from some blood samples, he wrote down his research and he decided to reread all his medical texts, in the event that he had missed something. Which is what he had been doing for the past several days.
He spent days and nights in his office chair, eating his meals brought to him by hi reading through his books, comparing his research, trying to find any written documentation of her illness, to no avail. When this process grated on his mind, he'd take a break in the form of going to see his new patient. Sure, he had medical savvy members of his crew tending to her every few hours but he couldn't help wanting to go check on her himself, if only to reassure himself that her condition was stable. Not much had change with her, even though she appeared to have mostly recovered from her fever and waking up for only a few minutes at a time, in which she was fed water and soup by the crew member that was watching over her at the time (she was never awake when he was there, he thought with an annoyed air), she was not aware of her surrounds at all. Considering what he guessed she had been through, he supposed she deserved as much rest as she could get, that still didn't stop him from wanting her to be fully awake and fully aware. He had questions he wanted to ask her, after all.
It was late at night, possible very early morning, it didn't really care to him which it was. All he cared about was the calming quiet, with the whirl of machines in the background. He leaned back against his chair, taking a break from his reading, to rest his eyes and soak in the sounds of the sub running and the calmness that permits the air when everyone was asleep. As he was enjoying this nighttime calmness, he became aware of a sound that wasn't suppose to be there. He frowned when he realized the sound was pounding feet. Whoever was running down the hallway seemed to be heading toward Law's room, since the sound was getting louder. Soon, his crew member stopped in front of his door, seemed to take a second to collect himself, then knocked.
"Come in" Law said, a frown on his face at being disturbed so late at night, his eyes trained on the now opening door. Standing there was one of the crew mates he had put on patient duty, out of breath from his run. Law's frown deepened, but he waited for the man to talk first.
"Captain! Um, well, I'm here to tell you that she's gone!" Law's eyebrows rose up at the news before he could hide his surprise. Before he could ask any question, his crew mate kept rambling on. "I was going in to check on her like always, b-but when I went in she wasn't on her bed! Her IV was still there, though. Anyway, I looked around the infirmary, checked the medical storage and the bathroom, but she wasn't there! I doubt she could just get up and walk away!" His crew mate seemed to have noticed his rambling and quickly shut his mouth as he seemed to wait for the captain's judgment.
While Law let his crew mate stew in the silence, he thought over all the information he had just been given. Her strength and resilience had been demonstrated before, when she had been able to walk in the condition she had been in, so it wasn't all that surprising if she had gotten up and started walking. She was also probably hungry, even though she had been given food during her few minutes of consciousness, she'd only eat a few spoon fulls before refusing to eat. He had a pretty good idea on where she was, now the question was how was even knew where to go. A smirk spread across his lips, scaring the crew mate still standing in front of the door. It seemed the resident sleeping beauty had woken up.
"I'll go find her. Return to the infirmary and wait there in case she goes back" Law ordered, getting a salute in return before the man turned and ran off back in the direction he came from. Standing from his chair, he made his way to the door, deciding to leave his Nodachi in his room. After all, he didn't know how she'd react to him bringing a sword with him. He headed in the direction of the kitchen.
Law found her right where he suspected her to be, sitting on the floor in the kitchen, a box of various fruits she had pulled out of the giant freezer. Her back was facing the doorway, so he could watch her without her finding out. He watched her for a few minutes, as she finished eating the few fruits she had pulled out, before replacing the lid on the box. Law decided now would be a good time to intervene and maybe get a surprised gasp or startled scream out of her.
"If you where hungry, my crew could have fed you" He said, a smirk already gracing his face at her imagined reactions. It fell pretty quickly when he didn't get the reaction he wanted. In fact, she didn't even tense up, she just paused in picking up her leftover fruit before turning her head to look in his direction, a confused look on her face.
"I waited an hour and no one showed up, so I decided to get food myself" She said, turning back to her task. She picked up all the leftover fruit, mostly cores and, standing up, she seemed to take a deep breath, before she walked toward where the crew dumped the leftover and rotten food. Law watched this in shock, not that he showed this on his face but the fact she knew where to discard her food was interesting. He watched her as she walked back over to the box, before she started pushing it back into the open storage, almost effortlessly. Law didn't lift a finger to help her, after all she seemed capable to do it on her own.
A few minutes later, she came back out, panting slightly. It seemed while she had strength, her stamina wasn't all that good. She stopped walking a few paces away from him, eyeing him warily as she kept her distance. It seemed earning her trust was something that would take a lot of effort. Law decided to take advantage of this situation, since he had no plans to move from the doorway and she appeared to not want to get into a certain distance of him, he figured now would be a good time to ask her a few questions.
"How did you get to the kitchen?" He asked, his eyes intent on her face and body, looking for any signs of lying in her body language and facial expressions. After a period of silence, where she thought over her answered and seemed to want to say something, but decided against it.
"I walked here. How else would I get here?" She shrugged after she finished talking, a little smirk of her own on her face. Law narrowed his eyes at her response, not expecting the amount of sass she seemed to have. The two started at one another in an effort to make the other talk first, Law scowling at the girl. After a beat of silence, in which Law understood she wouldn't been the first to crack, he decided he didn't have the time to stand here and play these games.
"You know what I meant, but let me rephrase my question. How did you find the kitchen?" Law said, a smirk spreading across his face. He had her now. Her lips turned down into a frown when she couldn't find a roundabout way to answer. Her eyes shifted to the side as she tried to stall but ultimately, she knew she'd have to answer.
"I... I followed the scent of food..." She hesitantly answered, her brow had furrowed and her eyes darted around the kitchen, as if looking for an ambush. She almost had a concerned look in her eyes. Law frowned at this strange behavior as he filed her answer away for later musings. She almost looked like a cornered animal, with the way her shoulder where hunched. What had happened to her to cause this reaction? Before he could mention her strange behavior, she seemed to get resolve from somewhere, perhaps not wanting to appear weak? Either way, she squared her shoulders, planted her feet in the ground, almost as if she was preparing for a fight and raised her head to met his eyes again, only this time he was starting into shining amber eyes instead of green.
"If your only purpose in saving me was to turn me into one of your experiments, you can go find some other person to kidnap. I will not let you turn me into a lap rat, even if I have to fight through every one of your men!" She said, her face fierce, her eyes shining with determination and a small hint of resignation. Law watched her through this outburst, no emotion showing on his face but on the inside, he was impressed. It took a lot of courage to stand up to a pirate, especially one that was famous for being ruthless. Any other pirate captain would probably have killed her on the spot, but Law could easily see things other people normally didn't pick up on, like the fact that she had, prior to saying anything, put her feet shoulder width apart, loosened her legs, which was something only people with material arts knowledge knew to do and her strength? Teach her to use a weapon, and she'd be a formidable foe. Law let a smirk spread across his face, causing her eyes to narrow even more, but she didn't back down.
"You shouldn't believe everything you hear" He said to her, watching in satisfaction as confusion overtook her face, her body seemed to loosen slightly as a result.
"Rumours have a grain of truth in them. After all, they had to have started somewhere" She responded, seeming to put up her defenses again as she did so, her amber eyes watching him with suspension. He inwardly sighed at the obvious trust issues he would have to deal with while he treated her later, though he was slightly impressed with her answer, not that he was going to admit it.
"I have no intention of experimenting on you. I only do that to marines and pirates who attack my crew" Law said as he started into her eyes, showing he wasn't lying in the least. She watched his face, her eyes looking deeply into his own, searching for any trace of dishonesty. When she found none, she seemed to relax slightly, dropping her defensive stance and with a blink, her eyes where back to green. She didn't trust him, it was obvious in the way that she still looked at him warily and he didn't blame her, he was a pirate, after all but at least he had alleviated some of her concerns, if only to make treating her a whole lot easier. With a sign, Law moved out of the door way, making room for her to walk past him.
"You should get back to the infirmary, now that you've eaten. You're still not fully healed, after all" Law commanded, waving his hand in a 'you first' gesture. She didn't look happy at this but recognizing that he was right, she mumbled an affirmative and started walking forward. When she past him, he closed the door, and started walking beside her. Their walk was silent, neither one wanting to really say another. When they where half way to the infirmary, Law realized he hadn't asked her an important question.
"What's your name?" Law asked, looking down to the teenager beside him. She looked up at him in shock, like she hadn't thought he'd ask her that. After a few quiet minutes of searching his face, she turned away from him, her lips forming into a pout.
"Abigail Ferus" She said, her name sounding foreign coming out of her mouth, as if she wasn't use to saying it, or hadn't thought of her name in a long time. Law let a smirk spread on his face. It seemed things where going to get interesting with her around.
I hope you enjoyed this one shot! Abigail is normally 24 years old, as of right now in the One Piece world, so this is a bit of an AU. If you have anything to say about this story, feedback, critique or questions please leave a review! :)