The island seemed uninhabited, not a single soul could be felt. Tall, elegant, and uninviting forests bordered the shore greeting the unforgiving sea. The unknown submarine circled the island searching and needing a place to land. As the peculiar yellow submarine broke the surface of the sea of furious hatred, A tall man strode on deck feeling the storms full force.
Stepping on land with a handful of other men to explore and find shelter. Walking deeper and deeper through thick brush made the group loose hope of finding any such shelter. With hope diminishing, the men stumbled upon a garden of glorious beauty. Camellias lined the walk ways and apple blossom trees filled any un-filled space. The elegant pebble stoned walk ways all led to the center, where a table sat. It was set for two, it looked as if afternoon tea was about to begin.
A young girl with immensely long peach colored hair sat unmoving. She was drenched in the cold rain water, that puddled on everything on the table. It looked to be a sad scene in a depressing book long forgotten on many dusty old bookshelves. The tall man walked toward the table afraid she might be dead. He approached her cautiously yet quickly, not sure what was wrong with her and the sorrowful scene.
He touched her shoulder, she felt warm and alive. She fell into his arms as he checked for a pulse, a slow beat played a melody of relief. He held her bridal style as he walked toward his submarine, she was light like a cloud. Her features were close to that of a dolls. The drenching rain had no intention of letting up, but instead gave more tears to the ground.
Laying her on a bed in his sick bay, feeling for a fever. Sending a crewmate to find something else for her to wear, so he could change her out of her wet dress. She seemed to be unconscious due to her high fever and should be waking up soon due to the medicine he gave her. He awaited the return of him crewmate, which attained a large sweater. He thought it to be fine as he changed her soaked clothing.
He sat next to her bed quietly asleep on a small stool resting his back against the wall. Her eyes softly fluttering open, not able to take in her situation. She got out of the bed carefully and looked at the man only inches from his face. His grey eyes opening to see a pair of blue ones starring back at him. He jolted up, his head made contact with the wall and his stool fell tripping him. Once he grasped the situation he had to know a few things.
"Are you feeling better? And what is your name?" He asked instructing her to lay back down. She had soft face similar to that of a child's.
"A little, thank you. Tsubaki,my name is Tsubaki." she spoke softly just out of the category of a whisper. He almost laughed at the ironic nature of her name and where she was found. He nodded while checking to see if her fever had decreased. It only went down a degree or so, worrying him.
"What is your name, mister?" Tsubaki asked staring at him with her big blue eyes. He had forgotten to say his own name, this made himself feel rude and idiotic. He tapped his black pointed shoes on the tiled floor in irritation as he began mixing a vitamin mixture.
"Trafalgar Law" He stated simply, all his attention was on the mixing of the concoction. He left moments later to tell the cook to make her some food that would help her recover. Only a minute or so passed before he came back to find her out of bed looking at something on the counter.
"You cannot be getting out of bed while your fever is still too high." She lied back down as he set a cup of tea and a bowl of rice next to her bed. He went back to vitamin mixture, as she watched him as she stayed as still as she could. He felt uncomfortable under her stare. He mixed the vitamin mixture in water and had her drink it before she ate.
"What do you do for a living?" She asked eating the rice and taking an occasional sip of tea. He sat on the stool and opened a book.
"I am a pirate." Law stated simply attempting to read his book. She stared at him, not afraid, but instead a questioning look. He just read his book not expecting a reply from her. She set her empty bowl down next to the half full cup.
"If you are a pirate, than why are you curing my fever?" Tsubaki asked, she lied down awaiting his answer. She was curious to the reason behind a pirate helping a stranger for no reason.
"I feel like it. Simple as that." He explained plainly. At this he shut his book, told her to get some rest, and left the room taking the empty rice bowl with him. He put the bowl in the kitchen, before he walked into his room down the hall and collapsed on his bed. Her question stuck in his head, it made him question himself. He did not know the reason why he is treating her or why he was relieved when she woke up. All the thoughts just hurt his head and forced him to sleep. The storm pounding down on his submarine, through the night.
"Aw...Law...Law" He was being forced awake and greeted with blue eyes staring at him. He turned to the other side of the bed and covered his head with the blanket.
"Tsubaki, please go back to the sick bay and stay lying down. I will be there in a minute to check you over, so please." He stated annoyed, mornings were not kind when he had to much on his mind. Tsubaki did leave the room as Law rolled out of his bed. He dragged his feet down to the sick bay. Tsubaki sat on her bed patiently waiting, he checked for her fever which was near terminated. As Law checked her over, a question sat in mind that needed an answer.
"What were you doing in that garden in the pouring rain?" He needed to know, so many things did not add up. The fact she seemed to be the only one on that island was strange.
"I live there of course and I was having afternoon tea." She stated, playing with her peach colored hair. Law still could not understand, why she was out in the pouring rain and why it looked as if she was expecting company.
"It was pouring rain and you thought having tea outside was okay? Also were you expecting someone?" He could not understand this. Anything she said did not make sense in his head. He could not see the logic behind the situation.
"It was not raining when I first went out, and no, I was not expecting anyone." She simply stated, this confused Law to no end. It showed in his eyes, his confusion and irritation. She smiled, sitting up and humming the lullaby from earlier. She was an odd girl in his eyes.
"If you were not expecting anyone, then why was the table set for two people?" He was annoyed by her mysterious answers that did not connect. She stared him right in the eye, making him uncomfortable.
"Yes it was set for two people, very observant. However I knew they would not come, they never do. Law, have you not heard the story 'The Girl in the Garden'. It is a sad fairy tale, which has no lesson at the end." Law did know the story, he had heard as a child. It was his favorite fairy tail. The significance of it he knew not. He would surely need to think it over until morning.
Law told her he would be right back as he left the room. He walked into the kitchen grabbing a cup of black coffee and a glass of apple cider. He grabbed an apple, a knife, and a couple of slices of bread.
He walked back into the sick bay, handing her the cider and a slice of bread. He sat on the stool near her bed, starting to cut the apple up with the knife. She watched him while taking small sips of cider. She felt comfortable in his presence, she enjoyed company. Law handed her apple slices as they sat in silence.
"Is my fever gone?" Tsubaki asked biting an apple slice. Law grabbed a thermometer and slide it into her mouth. Her fever was gone, but she still needed to rest.
"It is, but you are not recovered yet." He stated taking a swig of his coffee. Tsubaki nodded, touching her forehead with her hand delicately. She laid down humming what sounded like a child's lullaby, it was soft and sweet.
"Has the storm stopped?" She asked, he did not know. He left to check and to his surprise it had. His mind had been too busy to realize such a change in his surroundings. He walked back to inform Tsubaki of such detail.
"When I am better, I would like to show you something in my garden." Tsubaki smiled a sweet smile. Law simply nodded, opening his book and beginning to read. Tsubaki fell fast asleep to the sound of her own lullaby. Law thought about the story, he knew well. He could recite it by memory with a missing a beat.
'...The soft spoken girl awaited her beloved in the garden gifted to her as a gift of promise. She did not take a nibble or a drink of anything off the table. She was to wait for him and could not leave until he said so. A storm had hit the garden, however the sickly girl refused to leave the table. She had to wait, even for eternity. The poor well-behaved girl instantly fell ill, and before the storm had ceased she took her last breath. Her beloved never came for her and she may still sit in said garden, waiting for him.'
Law had found he slept at Tsubaki's bed side once again, only not awoken by blue eyes. She was sleeping soundly with soft breathing. He had remembered the tale, except the beginning. The part about her name and what she looked like. He could have sworn he remembered the whole tale.
"Law..." A sleepy Tsubaki arose from her bed, interrupting his thoughts. He looked down to see his book and picked it up. Tsubaki got out of the bed and grabbed Law's hand pulling him toward the exit of the submarine. He allowed himself to be pulled along by the frail Tsubaki. It was dawn's earliest light and the island looked as uninviting as it did when he first met it.
Tsubaki pulled him all the way to the garden, Law just realizing she had put her dress back on before he even woke up. She had him sit at the table, before she disappeared behind an apple blossom tree. She emerges seconds later holding an old looking book. She flips through it quickly, stopping on a page, before handing it to Law to read.
'A girl walked delicately into a garden. The walk ways lined with blooming camellias and apple blossom trees filled any empty space in the garden. Her peach colored hair flowed down to the ground and her blue eyes stayed observant to her surroundings. She looked like a living doll and acted like one. The garden reflected her name "Tsubaki".'
The missing beginning now becoming clear to him. All the pieces seemed to come together, except one piece. The story is not real, and if it was, Tsubaki is not the same 'Tsubaki'. As Law was thinking this over, Tsubaki started to sing a song he had never heard before.
The story everybody longs
Anybody has very sweet dreams
It's a story with such a happy ending
That could spill from your lip
But, in your heart I am just a page out of numerous scenes
It's like, once down your throat, you forget
A casual Cinderella
In your eyes like an adventurer
There's one small box like a bystander
You open it with your tremulous hand
And look at me as if groping for a clue
Go on, touch me, hold me, kiss me, eat me...
Stories overlap together
As long as we can become one
Even if we couldn't stay next page
Now I'm happy
You hold a key—That's why I'm melting into the inside of you
Lying in a dimly lit room
My small body glows red
At one bite, my body gets glowed
At two bites, rapidly grows bigger
Those are simple things
I was born to live in the repeat
As it is, touch me, hold me, kiss me, eat me...
The warmth overlaps together
As long as we can become one
There's no need to dream of next page anymore
Feeling good can be sin
Anyone has never told me
If we can't go any farther, do repeat
Until this page gets frayed
Please, touch me, hold me, kiss me, eat me
Lips overlap together
If I'm fated to end in the obscurity of the small box
I hope to be eaten by numerous stories of yours
It was a sweet tone she sang beautifully. She sat still, when she was done, with her hands in her lap. She watched Law as he slowly closed the old book.
"Who are you?" Law asked her. She took the book back from him, setting it in her lap and folding her hands over it. She was hard to read at this point. She showed nothing on her face.
"Law, you must have figured it out by now. I am Tsubaki from 'The Girl in the Garden'. In this world and with so many unknown Grand Line islands it is possible for something as this to occur. I play out the story over and over, dying over and over. However, Law, you broke the cycle by saving my life. This has never happened before, I do not know what to do." Tsubaki finished, tears were coming out of her eyes. Law did not know what to say.
"Are you going to stay here? Or do you want to leave?" Law asked, Tsubaki slowly stood. She ran to Law hugging him tight and burying her face into his shirt.
"I want to leave! Can I go with you!?" She sobbed, he put his arms around her. He whispered a yes into her ear. This made her cry more, they just stood there. She finally calmed down, muttering a 'Thank You'. Tsubaki grabbed her book and followed Law out of the garden. Law picks a Camellia, sticking it in Tsubaki's hair.
"Law, can I ask a favor?" Tsubaki asked, with a slight blush dusted on her cheeks. He nodded, answering with a 'yes'.
"Can you carry me, like the way you did when we first met?" She put her arms out, he put a hand under her knees and on her back in one swift movement he held her bridal style. She giggled, a beautiful smile dancing on her face. He started walking toward the submarine, the moment before he reached the submarine he gave her quick kiss on the lips. Her blush spread across her face, before she kissed him.
And they lived happily ever after...
A/N: I hope you liked this One-Shot, I enjoyed writing it. The song used was Eat Me by Gumi.