a/n: Enjoy some fluffy filler. Things will get dark and angsty again soon, so enjoy the fluff while you can. Ha.
Looking through all her notes had been an eventful endeavor, not as productive as they had hoped, but definitely eventful. Shachi and Penguin eventually found a sketch of them, which delighted them immensely, but when it came to actual information, that was scarce. The list of seemingly random names and places were all they really had to go off of, and it honestly was not much. It could not answer his questions on who took her, and what happened to her, though the little voice in his head repeatedly said 'Joker.'
Still, it was a refreshing change of pace from the past few months, and it was rather nice, seeing the world through her eyes. Those sketches of hers was an insight into her mind, although honestly, it would seem that one particular thing seemed to overwhelm all other thoughts, not that he minded. It only meant that the two of them had been on the same wavelength, as she was, more often than not, the only thing on his mind, other than his work that was. It did make him miss her all that much more, his world had become so dingy and gray since she's been gone, and he missed that feeling she brought into his life.
Now was not a the time to dwell on such things, as there was a pressing need to venture out into the New World, something he had been putting off until he acquired the Shichibukai title, but even that seemed closer than before. The box under his feet was very near full, by the time they reached their destination he was sure that they would be able to exchange it for the immunity from the law he would need in order to pursue Joker.
In the meantime he decided to focus on his other job, the one that actually helped people rather than harmed them. She had always called him a walking contradiction, a doctor, who was dubbed the Surgeon of Death, it always made her laugh, that epithet of his, but he rather liked it. It brought his two worlds together, and reminded him all that much more of why he wanted to be the world's most renowned doctor.
Settling back into his chair he pulled a book from one of the many stacks on his desk. The night was quiet, but for once he did not mind. Ever since that day he found her heart again, he had been in much higher spirits, perhaps it was because of his new found hope, or the fact that that slow, steady beating almost made him feel like she was there with him.
Glancing over at the couch he half expected her to be there, but instead he was graced with the sleeping figures of his three dearest friends. The trio brought a smile to his face, seeing them there brought him back to their earlier days, when it was just the four of them. They had been with him since the beginning, and they were the ones to draw him out of that dark corner after he had been in after he lost Corazon. Although if you asked them, they would tell you that he had been the one to save them, but he knew better.
Opening the book a stray photograph fluttered out, falling neatly on his lap. Picking it up he turned it over to be faced with the smiling faces of Lami and a young Azarashi. He could not recall ever slipping that picture into his book, but then again, it was very possible that there were pictures slipped into all of his books, as it was very much something she would have done. Tucking it back into the book he smiled as he lost himself in a memory.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He asked as she stood in his room, rummaging through all his clothes.
"Looking for a shirt to wear." She replied like what she was doing was the most normal thing in the world.
He let out a heavy sigh and narrowed his eyes at her. "I can see that."
"Then why did you ask?" She asked flashing him a cheeky smile before continuing her search, for what he was not even sure.
"Why?" He asked through gritted teeth and had half a mind to throw her overboard.
Stopping what she was doing she looked up at him, her expression unreadable for a second before an impish smile crossed her lips. He scowled at her, knowing nothing good was about to come out of her mouth.
"I mean, I suppose I could just sleep naked," She started, that impish smile curving into something much more sinister, "But I figured you'd be more comfortable if I was clothed."
"What the hell are you talking about, woman?" He growled, forcing his brain to not go there. "Why the hell would I care what you slept in?"
"Uh, because I'm sleeping in your bed."
"No. You're not."
"Yes. I am." She countered. "I was denied sleeping with Bepo and we all agreed that I would just sleep in your bed instead."
"Nobody agreed to that, Azarashi-ya."
"Nobody refuted that, either." She said with a grin. "Unlike how EVERYONE denied me my Bepo."
"Could you please stop referring to him as 'your Bepo'? It's weird."
"You're weird." She retorted childishly sticking out her tongue, as she returned to the so-called task of finding a shirt.
He refused to ratify that comment with a response, and chose to simply stare daggers at her instead. How he got himself into this mess was beyond him. This girl was definitely not what he had bargained for, but he knew deep inside that he would not trade her for the world.
Finally settling on a shirt, which honestly was like every other shirt he owned, she looked up at him, meeting his intense glare with the sweetest smile she could muster. "Do you mind?" She asked, gesturing toward the door, and when he neither moved nor responded, a devilish smile crossed her lips. "I suppose you're welcomed to watch me undress, if that's what you want."
"I honestly cannot believe that you spent eighteen years of your life as a princess." He mumbled before exiting the room.
When she exited the bedroom and sauntered into his office dressed in, what he assumed, was nothing but his T-shirt, which if he was being honest, hung on her small frame in all the right ways, he had to tell his brain to function normally. Attempting to control his raging hormones, he forced himself to tear his eyes away from her and return to the book he had been reading, as she settled down on the couch.
"I don't understand why you can't just wear your own clothes." He said as calmly as possible from behind the book.
"Well…" She said, with a hint of embarrassment in her voice, as she reached for the pack that had been placed by the couch. "... I kind of forgot to pack clothes."
Lowering the book he shot her an incredulous look. "You ran away from home without packing any clothes? What the hell did you pack then?" He asked gesturing toward the backpack she now had on her lap.
"Important things."
"Because clothes aren't important?"
"You know what, I was in a hurry." She huffed, pulling out a ragged stuffed snow leopard, which she subsequently threw at him. "I just made sure I had all my sentimental things."
"What is this?" He asked as the plush doll landed in his book.
"Yuki." She replied, flashing him a smile. "You don't remember?"
"No." He said, holding it away from him with two fingers as if the thing was diseased.
"I traded you my hat for that…" she said lost in a memory. "You don't remember?" She asked again.
Starting at the tattered stuffed animal he could not really say he remembered it, but he did vaguely remember trading her something for her hat. It was such a long ago, and honestly all he really remembered was the smile she had flashed him back then, that smile, which even back then, made his heart flutter and his stomach flip. He supposed that he could have given her that thing, it was probably something he had brought to the hospital to give to Lami.
"Could you please stop holding it like it's repulsive or something." She pleaded, pouting at him.
He chuckled and tossed it back to her. "Sorry, I dislike those germ traps."
Tucking the snow leopard under her arm she waved him over. "Hey come here, I want to show you something."
Reluctantly he put down his book and stood up. As he drew closer to the couch she tucked herself into the right corner of the couch and drew her legs up into a cross legged position, placing the backpack back on her lap. When he took a seat next to her, she withdraw an album from her pack, and handed it to him.
"I'm guessing you haven't seen them in a while." She said softly when he gave her a quizzical look, relaxing back into the couch, the shabby snow leopard dancing in her hands.
He stared absently at the heavy object in his hands, fingers tracing the soft leather of the cover, unwilling to actually it open. He was not sure he was ready to look inside that book, he was not sure his heart was ready to see their faces again, smiling back at him, not after all that happened. She silently watched him from the corner of her eye, waiting, that much he knew, and he was grateful that for the first time that night she did not have a snarky comment, that she allowed him this moment.
After what seemed like hours he finally lifted the cover and was met with a picture of a younger him, face half buried in that hat that was too big for him back then, a slight blush on his face as the younger her kissed him on the cheek with a fluffy plush snow leopard in her arms. He was surprised at the picture, he had not even realized that someone had taken that picture, then again, his eyes were covered by that hat, that hat which now rested on her head.
She beamed brightly at him when he finally trailed his eyes from the picture to her. "That's my favorite picture." She simply stated, her face radiating joy. "Well, every picture in there is my favorite, but I especially like that one. It has all my favorite things in it."
He smiled at her insinuation that he was one of her favorite things, and as he turned the page, a warmth spread through his body as he was met with the beautiful smile of his little sister Lami. Emotions raced through his body, and he could not figure out which one to settle on. Anger, joy, sadness, they all mixed together into this confusing mess within him as he stared down at that smile he had almost forgotten. It had been so many years since he had last saw her smile, all he had left were fleeting memories of her, memories which always seemed to twist themselves into a gaping hole of despair.
He had been so absorbed in those pictures of Lami's smile that he did not notice it when she quietly got up, until she was almost at the door, entering his line of sight. "Where do you think you're going?" He asked with more venom in his voice than he had intended, when he looked up and met her gaze. There was something so undeniably appealing in the way his shirt hung on her, landing just barely mid thigh, leaving one's mind to wonder what it was she had under it, and the way that old hat sat lopsided on her head. It was becoming harder for him to control himself, as his blood coursed through his body causing him to lose his grip on his sense of reasoning.
"Uh, the kitchen to get a drink." She answered, perplexed by his demeanor.
"The hell you are." He spat, attempting the reign in that monster inside of him. For this moment in time she was his, as if his shirt branded her, giving him claim over her person. He refused to share this image of her with anyone, especially not with a submarine full of young males who would probably appreciate it just as much as he did. He had decided that for tonight she was his.
"Excuse me?" She asked in indignation. "The fuck you think you are?"
"Your Captain." He said, a smirk playing at his lips as she glowered at him, mouthing at string of words, he could only assume were more profanities. "What a dirty mouth on such a pretty little princess." He said mockingly, emphasizing the last word just to see her squirm.
"Fuck you, Captain." She retorted, placing just as much emphasis on his title as he did hers.
He chuckled as he slowly stood up, his anger dissipating due to the snarl on her face, which he found awfully attractive. Placing the photo album gently down on the couch, he took slow deliberate strides toward her. Placing his hand on her head he smiled down at her, "Go sit down, I'll get you your drink. Wouldn't want you prancing around the submarine looking like that." He said as calmly as his body allowed him to.
"What's wrong with…" She started as she looked down at how she was dressed. "... Oh." She mouthed as a furious blush crossed her cheeks, understanding what it was he was getting at.
Stepping out of the room he inhaled sharply, as he fought to compose himself before venturing any further. When he returned to the room with a fresh pot of tea and two cups he had managed to regain his composure. She was sitting there quietly in that right corner of the couch again, leafing through the album, a melancholy smile on her face.
"Here." He said, handing her a cup, which she took graciously as she placed the album back onto his hands.
Taking a sip she smiled at him and let out a small sigh. "Thank you," she said softly, "for everything."
"You're welcome, Azarashi-ya." He replied with a smile, mindlessly flipping through the album, as old memories flashed across his mind. It had been so long since he regarded his past with such light, happy, thoughts. "I should be thanking you too. It really has been too long since I last saw them."
"Hmmm." She hummed, her eyes following the pictures his slender fingers traced. "You're free to take whichever ones you want… just not the first picture."
"Yes, because it's your favorite."
"Yup. All my favorite things." She said with a playful smile as she nudged him lightly with her foot.
He let out a yawn and place the book at the top of a random stack. There would be no reading tonight, he refused to fall asleep in that chair again, not if he could help it. Getting up he entered the adjoining room and collapsed onto his bed. Kicking off his shoes he swung his legs onto the bed and pulled the sheets over his body, his hand brushing something soft.
Pulling the ragged snow leopard out from its hiding place he could not help the smile which broke out across his face. "Looks like she abandoned you too, Yuki." He said turning the thing over in his hands.
"Guess she was planning on returning, since she decided to leave all her favorite things behind." He mused placing the stuffed animal on his chest. How he had not noticed the stuffed leopard sooner was beyond him, but then again, it was not like he had been sleeping in his bed recently. The nights had been too hard on him, his bed had become unwelcoming, it lacked the warmth and comfort she had provided, but knowing she still lived made it easier.
He still could not quite understand what it was that made her decide to take such an unnecessary risk, going off on her own without anybody to back her up. Although if she had told him about her decision to go do whatever it was she went off to do, he most likely would have forbade her from doing so. Either way she would have gone, since rebelling against his commands were her specialty, something he had hoped that she would have given up on after five years, but then again it was one of his favorite things about her.