So this is where I state that this is a translation of an amaizing fanfiction by an even greater author. As such none of the plot and all it contains belong to me. The original fanfiction is called Alors, est-ce que tu me suis?The author is A-Harlem. I thought I would share the shear magnificence of this work with the English readers on board of the insanity that is the One Piece Fandom.
Please do comment on the translating mistakes I may make, as this is the first time that I am going French to English.
Also, the story is rated M because the subjects may not the easiest to go through to most people. There will also be some lemons later on, consider yourself warned dear reader.
And of course,
Enjoy!
(All characters and the universe of One Piece belong to Oda-sensei!)
You going my way?
Chapter one: Prologue
"Picture yourself in a boat on a river,
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies.
Somebody calls you, you answer quite Slowly:
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes. »
The Beatles
* Somewhere on the 40th Interstate, Mojave Desert *
Trafalgar Law let his gaze wander over the blood and ocher coloured cliffs surrounding him, stretching on as an endless horizon.
It was hot, too hot in his old DB6 Vantage, so the only concession was installed modern digital outlet for its iPod player, which had been spattering Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds by The Beatles for the past few minutes.
He leaned a little against his leather seat, letting himself be lulled by the music and the monotonous rhythm of the drive on the dusty road leaving him alone with his thoughts and questions. Law glanced in the rear view mirror, contemplating his gym bag thrown on the back seat accompanied by his perfecto*, he had removed it because of the stifling heat, and his guitar. The vision of the latter made him smile slightly before he returned his attention to the road.
He had not played for ages and he itched from the lack of doing so, but he had no time for that. For now, he had more pressing to do. Find a more stable point that his car to sleep in, take a shower ...
"... I'd kill for a fucking shower."
... Buy something to fill his stomach. And a pack of smokes.
"... I have to stop thinking about that or I'm going to start gnawing on the steering wheel."
The desert seemed to stretch on for ever, and he began to seriously wonder whether this hell even had an end. Stones, pebbles and ... ah, more pebbles.
Not that he was complaining. Not really, anyway. He was doing it for looks, as usual. Being away from everything was what he was looking for ever since ...
"... Since the day you screwed up?" Sighed his conscience into the back of his head.
From the day one of his decisions, as simple as it had been, ruined his life.
His bitter thoughts were catching up, and with them came the memories and regrets that were associated. The desert and the insignificance of his presence sent him back to his own impotence, the very same he had felt for a long time before the rage and disgust took over.
This powerlessness reflected the contradictory feelings that fought within him. He often wanted to disappear, only to remain a tiny point in the universe, lost in the middle of nothing and lose sight of himself ... but most of all he wanted to lose that awful feeling of emptiness and unhappiness that the stuck to him like a second skin.
And yet he wanted to live. More than ever before.
He was more than ever craving smoke, just stopping on the side of the road only to lie on the hood of his car, in the scorching heat and light a cigarette, a trivial gesture, which would not require effort from his brain tormented by what was hiding within.
Anything to keep his hands and mind busy.
One detail caught his eye, much further down the road. Something that detonated on the rocky landscape around him since he had entered this god forsaken desert. Something tiny and yet, by its mere presence, broke the monotone appearance of the surroundings.
He eased on the gas, while a figure became clear to the right, it was walking backwards, holding out an arm, intuition told him to stop and his body reacted accordingly by crushing the brake pedal.
A young man of his age stood still on the road side.
Well, the age was kinda hard to tell, what with all that dust that had accumulated on the guy.
Law was struck by the black abyss of his eyes so dark we couldn't spot his pupils. His gaze was strange, and he soon understood where this impression had come from, he'd had the same, he recognized the traces of dried tears on his cheeks, furrows in the ash that stained under the dusty hair strands escaping from the elastic that held them.
He wore an old pair of Chuck Taylors worn out from walking, dark shorts and a shirt that had definitely seen better days. Despite all this filth, a red pearl necklace shone bright in the sun.
That was that had caught his attention more than the rest. The glowing radiance of the necklace.
The engine purred softly, while neither one nor the other exchanged a single word. One minute like a hundred could have passed, neither seemed to decide piper word. Law, because he was surprised to see someone alone on this road, and the stranger, because he probably wasn't expecting the car to stop.
- ... C'mon in, whispered Law designating the passenger seat with a nod.
The stranger rushed to his side, holding his bag tightly against his chest, but stayed silent. Law was too much of a silent type himself to feel the courage to reproach him anything. He started the engine again and the car went on its way down the desert road.
Night was falling when Law decided to speak, nearly six hours later; the stranger had not moved an inch during the entirety of the afternoon, watching the landscape scrolling by in the window, without making a single comment. Not that it bothered Law, but he was beginning to wonder what was up.
- … Where you headed? He asked.
The young man was silent, still obstinately turned towards the window. Law gave him a look and realized he was fast asleep, curled up on himself, his arms tight around the bag. Fresh tears had made their way onto his cheeks covered with dust. Law sighed and continued on his way until the night fell, cold and ruthless.
Exhausted, he parked on the side trying not to jolt, cut the engine and pulled the handbrake; carefully, he put his keys at the bottom of his pocket and lightly swung his seat back, recovering his leather jacket to put it on.
His passenger was still curled up, his head resting against the window, clutching his bag as if it was all he had.
Law closed his eyes, crossed his feet on the dashboard and let himself be carried away by sleep, exhausted and dreaming of a hotel where he could finally spend a peaceful night.
AN: So, there we are at the end of the Prologue! I hope you all enjoyed reading this at least half as much as I personally loved translating it (I have dreamt of doing so for quite some time).
*Perfecto: it's a type of leather jacket, pretty fancy. I had to ask while I was starting to translate as I had never really paid much attention to it.
Anyway, please do review,
Until next time,
Spirit
They never met, don't have the same life, nor the same aspirations. Nothing should gather them on this dusty road. Nothing, if not thier similar pain of being alive. This is how two broken souls will try to heal by themselves, through laughter, tears and hugs. / ! AU, Yaoi, Ace x LawOOC. / !