Thanks a lot for your warm welcoming ^^ (that was totally unexpected), and here I am with the second part of the ff about Law's memories of the Witch. Actually, it got a bit longer than I planned, so I will write it in two chapters, sorry you will have to wait a bit for the final one where everything should be explained.
Finally, althought I'm enjoying this experience, writing in English is a pain in the a**, and I must thank my amazing and patient beta reader Shiningheart of ThunderClan for all the help and making this readable, and you all should thank her too. Reviews are welcomed.
'Hope you like it, and thank you very much for reading it!
PoisonedLetters.
You will find in italics what happens in the present and in normal letters Law's memories since this last chapter is about those memories.
After having dinner with the crew he went back to the infirmary. The poor devil he left keeping an eye in Straw Hat flew from the room as soon as he put one foot inside. He sighed and looked at the monitors; maybe it would have been better to accept Penguin's proposal of doing a night shift so he could rest.
Law took off his hat and placed it in the desk among piles of papers and books. It was no use, at least not tonight when he needed to remember her. And for that, he had to be alone (or as alone as sharing a room with a man in a coma could be).
The Grand Line sure was beyond their wildest dreams: the Marines, the islands, the weather, the log pose, the sea animals, the other pirates and the entrance itself. They learned that the people living there wouldn't be any different from the place as soon as they arrived to the very first island.
The crew needed to feel they were still in one piece after such a life-threatening experience, and he knew that alcohol would just be the best remedy for it. Locals didn't show any weird reaction when they got themselves comfortable in the pub. Maybe because they were still a no-name group, maybe they were used to pirates. Instead of worrying over it he preferred to establish some sort of conversation with the barman to get to know this new world. And it was then when he first heard about it. Among other pieces of information about flows of water, weather, islands, and treasures the word witch was spoken.
"A witch?"
"You should go and see it for yourself. I can't explain it. She just touches you and... poof! No bleeding, no illnesses, nothing whatsoever. It's magic!"
As amazing as it could sound, there wasn't any medical foundation to the story the barman and some other locals were telling him. Or at least no more than one, and if it happened to be the one he was thinking about, then said witch was a Devil Fruit user he wanted to meet. "And, can I have the pleasure to meet this witch?"
"Well, she doesn't leave her place unless there's an emergency. Meanwhile she stays at the end of the lane out of town, near the cliff edges," one of the locals answered before he went on telling his latest encounter with her in order to save his son.
But Law's mind was already dissecting the possibilities about her so-called magic, too caught in the new mystery. Only Bepo and those close to him knew very well that frown in the captain's face. At least they would get their well deserved resting days before facing this wild new sea again.
It was early in the morning when Law got Bepo and his dear nodachi- you'll never know- across the empy town searching for the lane that could bring him to the cliffs. The bear sighed. He could bet his skin Captain Law stayed up all night thinking about the witch. And damn him, because he couldn't say no to his captain when he woke him up, eyes shining with expectation. Law could deceive the new guys in the crew with his cold and collected doctor-like attitude, but not them. Somehow Bepo was starting to pity the poor old woman for catching the captain's attention. She was about to be Law's new toy until he gathered all the information he wanted, or in Captain's own words, he "finished his investigation".
"Captain, one day you will get killed."
"But not today, Bepo, and not in the hands of a witch." He was happy, oh, poor woman.
The small wooden hut sat alone near a cliff. The wild sea roaring down the place and the green escenary didn't go well with the witch thing, maybe with a hermit. A little chuckle escaped from his lips before knocking on the door.
"Come back when you are hurt." Now, now, he didn't like that welcoming so he knocked once again.
"Persistent, aren't we? Well, state your name and what you want." Law's brow furrowed. That voice didn't match the one an old hermit- or witch for this case- was supposed to have, but it went better with someone in her latest teen or early twenties.
Well, if he wanted to get something out of this he would have to give in to her ways, just this once and only for his investigation purposes. "I'm Trafalgar Law, a doctor, and I want to ask you about your uhm... medical procedures."
"This is not a circus Mister Law, go back to your submarine and don't stick your nose in someone else's business."
The fact that she knew he had a submarine caught him off guard, but he overlooked it. There were something more important that made his blood boil in a second.
"Miss I don't take very well being ordered around. I recommend you open the door before I open it myself."
" Go. Away. Pirates are not welcome."
Bepo swallowed hard praying his captain wouldn't lose his composure. He looked at him; his lips were tightened and his hands clenched by his side. What would Law do? He stayed there in silence, Bepo could now smell blood in the air, Law's. Maybe he had stuck his own nails due to his exasperation. 'It was too much for him', he tought.
"Captain, we should go back."
"Not yet Bepo." There it was, that sly smile. He was enjoying it. The poor lady had dug her own grave.
"You sure are persistent, brat. A doctor hurting himself, what a sight so early in the morning!" The door opened and yes, Law's smile got wider. He was right: that was a girl, not a woman. "And I also feel insomnia from your eyes. I hate to say it, but come in."
"Stay here Bepo." the tall man gave him the nodachi and looked once more at the young woman before him. She wasn't very tall, not too thin and she made slow movements. She was pissed at him -both pirates were sure of it-, but the door was opened enough to feel welcomed. "I'm sorry, but could you stop calling me a brat? I believe I have already grown out of that word." he said in an annoyed voice.
"Well, I'm neither a witch, but that's what I get for treating the villagers for free."
"But you know my name, and I would be very pleased if you called me by it. However I cannot say the same about you, Miss...?"
"Mister Law, I'm not here to please you, but to help you." she said with a sweet voice "I'm afraid that my name is none of your business, so if you have to address me, do the same as everyone."
"You like being called a witch?"
That smile could send shivers down his spine. Oh how could he have forgotten that all doctors have a sadistic side? But then, she wasn't a doctor.
"You could say so, Or maybe, I don't. Anyway, I recommend you get in before I change my mind. Although this way it would be a win-win situation for both."
That last sentence caught his attention. What was she after? Well, he got inside studying the place. There were all different kind of medical herbs hanging from the ceiling. The walls were covered in shelves all full of crystal bottles in different sizes and shapes. On one side of the small room there was a kitchen -a dirty kitchen that could even be compared to his submarine one's- and a small messy bed -hers, obviously- on the other side. But then near the fireplace there was a table and a couple of chairs so neatly place that they stood out of place in that room. Law went over there and sat on one chair before she could order him to do so.
The woman closed the door and moved herself in a slowly pace to his side as if she were eighty years old. "You can clearly see I'm not a doctor, but a witch. A devil witch, I may add. Now, Mister Law, place your hands on the table."
He did so swallowing his pride, his brain repeating that it was all for the investigation's purpose, also impatient to see her 'magic'.
She looked straight to his eyes, a warm feeling bounding them. Then he felt her hands on his in a soft caress, her fingers touching gently over his bruises.
"You will miss my magic if you don't take a good look at it, Mister Law. And I can't let you injured yourself once more now, can I?" She smiled again, a warm smile that he carved in his memory.