Chapter 6
Lami was perched on the edge of her bed when Law entered the room."Big Brother Law, I made you something for Winter Solstice." A small bout of coughing followed this and Law rushed over to his sister to guide her back to bed.
"Lami, you should be resting. You're lungs aren't good in the winter." He checked the screens next to her bedside but saw nothing to cause alarm.
"But its the longest night brother, I want to see it through with you since mum and dad are working, and I made you a present."
Law helped his sister to bed then sat next to her as she reached behind her pillow and pulled out a fur hat. It was white with something similar to snow leopard spots dotted around it. He put it on and found it was a little big but Law was sure he would grow into it.
"Thank you Lami, I love it. You made it yourself?"
"Mum helped me with some of the stitching." She admitted.
"That's amazing, you're so talented."
He was rewarded with a small blush and a huge grin from his little sister. He couldn't help but smile in response.
"I got you something too." Law started to root through his backpack to find the small boxes he was sure he had left in there. "Damn, where is it?" He emptied his bag onto the bed but all it contained were work books and stationary. Law huffed. "I'm really sorry Lami, I think I left it at home. I'll run back and get it."
"Lami" he almost woke when he word left his lips but slipped back under.
"It's okay brother, I don't mind waiting."
"But I forgot mum and dads presents as well." he groaned. "I'm so sorry Lami, it's because I ran straight over from Sister Clara's." He hastily repacked his bag with his books and looked for the hoody he had discarded when he had walked in.
"Were you helping the other kids again Law? You're so smart!"
"Not really, I just enjoy science. I want work in the hospital and help mum and dad someday. Wait here Lami, I'll be right back."
"No" his breathing hitched and sweat began to roll down his forehead but still his body refused to wake.
"I'll be right back. Then we can wait out the long night together."
"Okay brother. Love you Law!"
"Love you too Lami."
"No, don't leave." He was mentally straining to wake up, but it was no use.
The memory wouldn't let him go.
He was running back to the hospital through the woods that separated his home from the hospital, his breath coming out in little puffs as his lungs tried to keep up with him.
It was familiar route, it seemed as though he spent more time at the hospital then at his house recently. That couldn't be helped though. A severe flu epidemic had swept through the town which kept his parents working round the clock as it mercilessly took the young, old and the frail. His sister was being kept, she had thankfully recovered after a long battle but her lungs were damaged and severely weakened.
Law had miraculously been resistant to the strain and had escaped with mild asthma that was easily managed with inhalers.
His new fur hat kept his head warm as the snow started to fall.
Snow on midwinter!
Lami would be so excited, he might even take her out in the hospital gardens for a small walk if it settled.
She would love that.
Maybe their parents could join them when they finished the night shift.
Law brushed snow off his sleeve and was surprised when it smudged.
It was almost as if it was ash.
Ash?
Fire!
The sky was far brighter then it should have been considering the sun had set hours ago. And it was brighter in the direction of the hospital.
"Lami!" he screamed and started running.
Ash was falling around him thick and fast and it grew harder to see. He forced himself to close his mouth as he ran before he could inhale anything dangerous.
Breathing through his nose meant he could smell the smoke and a horrible burning smell that made him feel sick.
The path was lighting up around him as the fire spread.
There were no sirens.
No calls for help.
Where was everyone?
The path finally ended and Law stopped despite himself.
Fire was roaring out of every entrance and the windows had shattered under the intense heat.
There was a pile of burning corpses at the entrance to the hospital.
He could see his parents bodies at the edge of the pile. Their faces highlighted by the flames.
The smell was atrocious.
"LAMI!" Tears were running down his face as he screamed in his sleep.
He started to run towards the entrance, desperate to get to either his parents or his sister but was brought to a sudden halt as a hand grabbed the front of his coat.
He was lifted off his feet with ease and the person who grabbed and held him at arms length as he scrutinised him.
Law struggled to breathe as his run, the pervading ash and smoke as well as the uncomfortable pressure of his clothes tightening around his neck slowly constricted his breathing.
The man was huge, easily hitting 9ft tall, his face was hard to see through the rain of ash and the flickering of the fire casting strange shadows. Law had no idea how he had run past someone so huge in the first place.
"Let... me... go! My sister... is in there!" Law panted as he pleaded
"There is no one alive in there." The man's voice was quiet, calm even.
Law stared at him in horror.
The crackling of flames the only noise to disturb them.
"NO!" he screamed. Grabbing a pen from his pocket he stabbed the hand holding him.
It went all the way through the giant man's hand and he dropped Law with a curse.
Law got unsteadily to his feet and began to run towards the hospital again.
The kick caught him in his midriff and threw him against the tree, knocking him unconscious.
Law sat up sweating, the smell of burning flesh still fresh in his senses.
He barely made it to the bathroom before throwing up the little he had eaten for dinner.
He began his routine of turning the water onto freezing and scrubbing himself clean. This time he was trying to remove the memory of ash and smoke.
Task done, he threw on some pyjamas, slid his phone into his pocket and made his way out of the room. Bepo raised his head sleepily as Law left, but his master held out a hand telling him to stay and the dog complied with a soft thump of his tail.
He needed air.
He stumbled outside his room, bare feet not making a sound against the wooden floor in the hallway.
He walked down the long hallway, his eyes fully adjusted to the darkness.
A glance out the window as he passed removed any thought he had about finding peace walking through the gardens.
It was snowing.
He looked away before he could throw up again as the memory hit him full force.
The library.
That had no windows.
He could bury himself in a book and find peace for a few hours until everyone else got up. Law glanced at his phone.
2.25am.
It was going to be a long Midwinter.
Law would rather sleep the day through.
He was exhausted from the past few weeks still, Bepo had only been allowed to sleep in his room for the past four nights and that wasn't enough to catch up on more than a month of shitter than average sleep.
The Library was dark and empty when Law opened the door.
He eased his way in and found a lamp to read by.
Even that dim light made him wince for a moment before his eyes adjusted again.
He made his way over to the shelves of medical textbooks before forcing himself away.
He didn't want to be reminded of his parents right now.
Instead he walked around aimlessly until something caught his eye.
It was a book on the history of Pirates.
Law smirked, his mother had told him once that he was named after a famous one, Edward Low. A pirate known for viciously torturing his victims.
He wondered if his father knew that when his mother suggested it.
Flicking through the book he found the man and read up about him before promptly snapping the book shut. The irony that Edward Low had sailed under Blackbeard's flag before creating his own was not lost, neither was it appreciated.
He slid the book onto the nearby table and lay down on the sofa with a huff.
Before he knew it he had slipped back into sleep.
When he awoke ash was still falling as the town continued to burn.
He thought it might be morning but it was hard to tell with the smoke. It was a miracle he hadn't suffocated.
He coughed into his hand and stared at the black residue on his fingers dispassionately.
There was no sign of the tall man.
The hospital had collapsed under its own weight as the fire destroyed the foundations.
There was no possible way to find his sisters room any more. The pile of bodies at the entrance had burned away to ash and bone. His parents corpses indistinguishable from the rest of the pile
Lost, Law grabbed his bag and started wandering through the town looking for survivors.
He couldn't be the only one left alive!
He came across Sister Clara's orphanage and collapsed to his knees in front of it as he saw her mutilated body lying in front of the children she lived with. The orphanage a burnt out carcase behind them.
He wanted to just give up and die with them.
Slowly he took the town route back to his home, stumbling over the odd ruin and throwing up when, in his daze, he accidentally tripped over and landed on a corpse draped across the path.
All the while, ash fell is a disturbing parody of the snow Law had been so excited about a few hours earlier.
Finally he reached his home. It was strangely untouched despite the devastation all around him.
Pushing open the door he stumbled towards the basement.
His parents hadn't known that he knew about the hatch under the staircase.
He knew his mother had put her sword in here when she had retired from her old life, he and Lami had found it while playing hide and seek when they were kids.
His hands reached for the secret catch in the wall when a hand landed on his shoulder.
His eyes shot open as the hand touched him, in a second he had grabbed it and twisted. With one smooth motion his would-be assailant was on the floor beneath him as him, left hand still holding their arm tight as his knees trapped their other hand at their side as his right wound back to crush their throat in one hit.
Calm brown eyes met his wild amber ones and neither moved for a moment as Law realised where he was and who he had been about to kill.
"My apologies Miss Nico, you startled me." He quickly released her arm and rose to his feet to step away, his right hand outstretched to help her rise.
"Forgive me for disturbing you when you were resting." She graciously took his hand and rose, she kept a small but noticeable distance between them as she stood in front of him, head only slightly raised to meet his gaze. "You seemed to be having a bad dream and I thought I should wake you. Next time I shall just throw some cold water on you instead I think."
He had no idea whether she was joking or not but she didn't seem to be holding a grudge and he was grateful.
As the adrenaline left his system he could feel a tickling feeling across his left palm and went to scratch it.
He was was surprised to feel warm liquid on his fingers.
Raising his hand he could see that his wrist had been cut. It wasn't a wide cut and had stopped just short of his artery.
He looked at Robin, eyes wide in shock and confusion. "It seems we both still have few reflexes we can't quite get rid of" she said simply. "There is a first aid kit in here somewhere, I'll go look."
"You keep a first aid kit in the library?" Law questioned as he put pressure on his wrist in order to stem the bleeding.
"Luffy, and indeed most of the people who live here, leave a trail of destruction where ever they go. We have first aid kits in every room of the mansion. This is probably the least used as generally only myself, and occasionally Sabo, use this room.
She retrieved the kit from a cabinet hidden in the corner of the room.
Looking at her with new eyes Law could see a lazy precision to her movement, not dissimilar to his own.
It was cat-like, somewhere between a saunter and a stalk and it tugged at his memory.
He wondered how many people she had killed.
The sound of the box being placed on the table jolted Law out of his observations.
He lowered himself back onto the sofa he had fallen asleep on, a careful distance away from Robin.
She opened an antiseptic wipe and handed it to him before rummaging through for a bandage. Law carefully wiped the wound and his hands clean.
The cut wasn't big, roughly a couple of centimetres wide but it was surprisingly deep. It sluggishly continued to bleed as Law wiped the excess blood away. When he was satisfied it was clean he accepted the bandage from Robin a wrapped it around his left wrist with practised ease before tucking the end underneath so it wouldn't unravel.
There was a tense yet not uncomfortable silence surrounding the pair.
Glancing at her hands as she pulled out another alcoholic wipe before packing away the first aid kit. Carefully she opened the packet and diligently cleaned her hands, paying particular attention to her nails. On closer inspection he could see her fingernails were unnaturally pointed, that explained the wound.
"An unusual weapon but it seems to be an effective one," Law observed mildly.
"There are small blades buried underneath my nails, they are hollow so if required I can apply poison. Luckily for you I am not in the habit of coating them."
Law didn't have an answer for that. He did want to think about how much it would have to hurt to have them inserted.
He simply watched in silence as she cleaned them.
"I'm surprised anyone else is up, I hope I didn't disturb you." Small talk wasn't something Law normally indulged in but the silence was becoming unbearable to him although Robin seemed unaffected.
"I am not a fan of the snow, it brings back bad memories." It almost seemed like there was a question in her admission.
An invitation to share.
Law huffed and lay back into the sofa, eyes shut as he continued to put pressure on his wrist through the bandage.
He felt Robin shift as if to leave and he suddenly realised he didn't want to be alone.
Not on that day.
"My family died on midwinter. The snow looks like the ash from the fire." He said it in a monotone.
"How old were you?"
There was no pity in her voice, only curiosity.
Law appreciated it.
"11."
"I was 8 when my home was destroyed."
Law opened his eyes and looked over at her to let her know he was listening.
"My family were researching the Void Century." she continued. "For that we were declared traitors and the World Government moved to destroy us. Like you I have a memory of ash falling like snow. I escaped and made a name for myself as the 'Devil Child'. I found work in various underground circles, mostly as a killer. As I'm sure you are aware people are less likely to suspect a child and you can go many places an adult can't."
Law examined the dark carpet.
Yes, he knew that very well.
"Eventually I ended up working for Crocodile."
Law's eyes widened in interest. Crocodile had been one of the Warlords, Law had taken his place after the Revolutionary Army had brought his misdeeds to light and the government couldn't be seen to support him any more.
The name 'Devil Child' also resonated with him, he wondered if she remembered him. He certainly hadn't recognised her.
"Crocodile was trying to take over the city of Alabasta by displacing and murdering the current ruling family. I met Sabo and Ace while they were there and Dragon persuaded me to support the Army and continue to uncover the mystery of the Void Century. Now instead of an assassin, I work as a historian and a tutor to Luffy."
"The government is still after you." He didn't phrase it as a question.
"Indeed, I hope you won't attempt to turn me in Mr Warlord." Her tone was teasing.
Law gave a short laugh.
"Even if I wanted to, I am not stupid enough to try. That's twice you have marked me now Miss Nico."
"Twice?"
"I was 'rewarded' to Doflamingo by Blackbeard for a while during my early teens. I was his bodyguard when he and Crocodile had a disagreement about something stupid. I never found out what. Crocodile sent you to scare him and I intercepted you when you were sneaking in one night. We had a short fight and you got away but not before scratching the back of my hand."
Law was surprised he could talk about working under Doflamingo so calmly, he supposed destroying the bastard back in Dressrosa had bought him some closure on that chapter of his life.
He held up one his tattooed hands, she ran her fingers over the back of it lightly and could feel the raised ridges where her nails had carved into him.
Robin looked at him, analysing his face. "That was you?"
Her fingers continued to dance across his hand and across his fingers.
Normally he would have shied away but knowing that she had been through a similar past him stilled his reflex and he let her feel the scars the tattoos hid.
No pity or scorn crossed her face and Law relaxed and let her explore.
Finally she released his hand and continued. "You are lucky to be alive, My nails were always coated back then. I assume you have some poison resistance then?"
"Doflamingo was allied with Clown Ceaser. He took the opportunity to ...improve... my poison immunity."
Robin hummed in understanding.
"I remember you now." She commented as she rose to put the first aid kit away.
Law looked up at her but remained seated.
"You didn't have a nodachi at the time and that what threw me I think. You were using a twin knives I believe. It was a close fight, I too did not escape it unscathed. I was forced to retreat before reinforcements came. I had assumed that I had killed you that day." She turned back and smiled brightly as if she hadn't just sent chills down his spine. "It is a small world."
A small world indeed.
Law was aware how unbelievably lucky he was that it was such a small world even if it was also somewhat of a curse.
They continued to talk throughout the remains of the night, neither comfortable with the idea of being alone in the darkness while the snow fell heavily outside.
Slowly suffocating the world under its cold weight.
XXX
Luffy barrelled into the library at around 10am.
Law and Robin looked over from where they were sitting on the sofa, a pile of books between them.
Neither were surprised to see him, they had heard him shouting through the mansion for the past ten minutes, it had been a question of when rather than if he found them.
"IT SNOWED!"
He looked disappointed that his enthusiasm wasn't matched by the occupants of the room.
"Snow on Winter Solstice! We have to build a pirate ship together!"
Law and Robin exchanged a glance before looking over at the overexcited teen.
"Law and I will join you after breakfast, why don't you get started?"
Luffy bounced out the room at her suggestion.
"Make sure you dress up warmly or Sabo will scold you." She called out after him as she rose.
He gave no indication he heard her.
"I think I will go freshen up and get some breakfast. Will you be joining Luffy Mr Corazon?"
"I believe I will take your idea and get changed first." He looked down at his black PJ bottoms and the now slightly bloodstained white top he had changed into after his shower earlier. "Sabo will go into mother hen mode if he sees this."
Robin smiled before making her way to the door. "It might be nice to see Mr Trafalgar rather than Mr Corazon this once, there is no need to hide who you are from us after all." Her tone was teasing but her words were serious and the suggestion took Law by surprise. He didn't move for a few minutes and continued to watch the door after it had shut behind her.
He thought back to his conversation with Mihawk the day prior, where he had hinted at knowing Law's lineage.
Did the Revolutionary Army know?
Did Sabo know?
He hadn't seen the blond since he had got back from town and if he was honest he didn't know what he would say if he did.
The Chief of Staff would go ballistic if he knew Mihawk and Law had met, but the idea of not telling him wasn't worth contemplating. Not when the man had almost threatened the organisation, Law owed them a debt and it wasn't the time to keep secrets.
It wasn't that Law minded if Sabo knew per-se. Both of his brothers were D's so he wouldn't exactly be prejudiced about it, and he was the closest Law had to a friend, as sad as that was.
He didn't want the Army to know.
There were too many connections with the Will of D and Law had enough problems and enemies without dragging his name into it as well.
He closed his eyes for a moment and tiredness hit him like a wave, threatening to pull his feet out from underneath him.
He shrugged it off, opened his eyes and went to go find the caffeine he needed to face the day.
XXX xxx XXX
If Law was aware of Luffy starring at him open mouthed as he finally entered the garden to watch the teen build a snowman then he did a very good job of ignoring it and instead fussed the rather overenthusiastic dog that had run over to greet him.
He looked like his wanted poster and the change amazed Luffy. His bright yellow hoodie with his gang's smiling face emblazoned on the front had its sleeves pushed up his arms to reveal his tattoos despite the cold. Strangely one of wrists had a bandage around it.
Kikoku was resting lazily over his shoulder as he held her in one hand.
Two small golden hoops were in each ear and his trademark spotted white hat was currently keeping his head and ears warm in the chill air.
Golden eyes stared out of his tired looking face but it was his posture that was the biggest change. While pretending to be Lawrence Corazon, humble tutor/bodyguard, he had kept his shoulders slumped, disguising his height with his eyes downcast to avoid catching anyone's gaze.
Law Trafalgar held his back straight, his predatory eyes stared out at the world, evaluating.
Confidence rolled off of him in waves and while he still moved with the same quiet deadliness he couldn't quite shake, it was somehow now more menacing.
It finally drove home what Luffy had been slowly coming to terms with throughout his training with Law over the past few weeks.
Luffy had been foolishly overconfident when he said he had nothing to learn from an assassin and such arrogance would only get in the way of becoming the best he could be.
The Warlord was in a whole new league.
One that Luffy was a long way away from entering.
For now.
His first attempt at training Kenbunshoku with Usopp hadn't worked out too well but he was going to keep practising.
If he was going to be Emperor someday then he needed to be stronger than everyone.
Then he could protect everyone instead of them having to risk themselves for him all the time.
While Law was distracted with Bepo, Luffy quickly whipped out his phone and sneaked a picture of the ex-assassin fussing the overgrown fluff-ball that was his dog.
He caught Zoro's amused yet warning glance out of the corner of his eye as the bodyguard leaned against one of the trellis' dotted around the garden.
Luffy gave a little laugh and sent the picture to Sabo before running over to join Law and coerce his help in building a snow pirate ship.
XXX xxx XXX
Standing in his shower, desperately trying to warm up from being in the snow for hours, Law was prepared to admit to himself that today he had probably had the most fun in years. His heart felt light.
Maybe being kept in the Monkey mansion wasn't the worst thing in the world.
Warm, and redressed Law started his hunt for Sabo.
He wasn't looking forward to this conversation.
Law wasn't scared of the younger man exactly, more the influence he had.
Law was in a precarious position; everyone was hunting him. The Warlords, Kaido and Blackbeard as well more than likely. He could be used as a bargaining chip and sold to the highest bidder if the Army so chose.
His name made him even more of a target and Law only prayed that that was a relative unknown in the world.
Not even his crew had known his birth name.
He found Sabo sitting alone in one of the offices to the rear of the mansion with a stunning view of the snow covered grounds behind the building. Law carefully closed the door behind him as the teen carried on typing on his computer, oblivious to Law's presence in the room.
"Working on Midwinters Eve? You're diligent."
To his credit, Sabo didn't jump at the voice but Law saw tension ripple through his shoulders before he relaxed again. He didn't even raise an eyebrow at Law's appearance.
"To what do I owe this pleasure Mr Trafalgar?"
"You don't seem surprised to see me like this."
"Luffy sent me a picture earlier."
Law raised an eyebrow as Sabo fiddled with his phone before holding it up to show Law a picture of himself fussing Bepo.
His eyebrow twitched in it's raised position.
That Brat!
He was going to kill Luffy for taking such an undignified picture.
"I doubt you came to see me just to show me your old look. Is something bothering you?" Sabo sounded as tired as Law felt and he hesitated to dump more stress onto him mearly to ease his own worries.
"Only if you're not too busy."
Sabo sighed and rubbed his face with his hands before looking back up at Law.
For a moment he looked much older than his nineteen years.
His fringe was clipped back and the burn scar covering his left eye was exposed. He had had it as long as Law had known him but the older man knew better than to ask about it.
Scars were a personal thing, especially ones on the face.
He hadn't missed Luffy's occasional touching of the, almost but not quite hidden, scar below his eye.
"Nothing that can't wait. It's just the monthly report to Dragon."
"You send that through the internet?" Law wasn't the most tech savy but as a former gang leader and assassin, even he knew it was a terrible idea.
"Don't worry. It's coded in a way only we two know. Any hacker would just see a summary of the mansion bills and upkeep costs."
"Huh."
"So you're finally here to tell me about your conversation with Mihawk Dracule then." There was an expectant look on Sabo's face as he carefully watched Law to see his reaction.
Law refused to give him the satisfaction of looking surprised. "CCTV."
Sabo gave a large sigh and sat back in his desk chair. Once again rubbing his face with his hands.
Law recognised the signs. "Not sleeping? I can lend you Bepo."
Sabo gave a short laugh. He leaned over his keyboard for a moment, saving his work and shutting down the computer before standing. "Let's go to the study, I have a feeling I will want to be comfortable for this conversation.
The study was attached to the large office through a door to the side and contained a few comfy arm-chairs, a sofa and best of all, a coffee machine.
Sabo walked over to the coffee machine, made two drinks, rested them on the coffee table then sat down. Law made to reach for one of the cups but Sabo tapped his hand away. "Nope, both mine. Get your own,"
Law snorted in amusement but grabbed himself a coffee and sat in an arm chair opposite Sabo.
He waited for Sabo to finish his first coffee before speaking.
"I take it this room is safe?"
Sabo gave him an appraising look. "Was your conversation really that bad?"
"It was... complicated."
Sabo gave another big sigh before nodding. "This room is safe, completely soundproof and I personally check it for spy holes at least once a day. What ever you have to say will only be heard by me."
"And Dragon" Law supplied.
"If I feel it is something he needs to know, yes."
This time it was Law's turn to sigh.
"Mihawk is here hunting Don Kreig as we heard. Apparently the man broke into his house."
Sabo swore. " He couldn't possibly have thought he was going to get away?"
Law chuckled, "That's exactly what I said. Mihawk will only be in EastBlue while he hunts him down. He doesn't seem to have any other business here." Law paused for a moment and licked his lips hesitantly. "He said the Army tried to go public about Doflamingo?"
"We tried, the World Government stepped in. Said we would all be arrested for inciting revolt if we didn't drop it." The blond looked genuinely contrite.
"It's fine, thank you for trying to clear my name. According to the World Government I'm undercover right now so I guess they are hedging their bets in case you go public anyway."
"That's convenient. Did Mihawk say what was really going on?"
Law took a deep breath. "They want to 'question' me regarding my links to the Revolutionary Army. If they are going to strip me of my rank then they need a reason to offer the public. Mihawk said he wouldn't attack me unless ordered to, I doubt some of the other Warlord will be so magnanimous."
"Being affiliated with the Revolutionary Army is a crime now?" Sabo mused, a look of mock thoughtfulness on his face.
"I don't think you get to act surprised about that Sabo." Law dead-panned. "I think you should fill me in on what I have missed while hiding under my rock for the past two years"
"That's a conversation for another day." Sabo downed his other coffee and rose to fetch another. Law took a sip of his.
It was good coffee, must be nice to be rich.
Law stared into his cup and directed his next question to it. "Sabo, do you who I am?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sabo freeze for a second before he grabbed the fresh cup of coffee .
"Law Trafalgar, Surgeon of Death. Warlord of the Government. Tutor to the son of the leader of the Revolutionary Army."
"Is that it?"
"Isn't that enough?"
Neither of them were looking at each other. Law was staring at his cup and Sabo stayed at the machine with his back to Law.
Setting down his cup, Law stood and walked towards the alcoved window facing white landscape to the rear of the property.
"Who else?"
"Only Dragon and myself."
"How?"
"Dragon looking for information about you after you saved Ace." Law looked back at Sabo's face. "Rocinante found him instead, begged him to help save you."
Law looked back to the window, unconsciously rubbing the tattoos on his fingers, feeling the ridges underneath. The winter sun had finally broken through the snowy clouds as it started to set, casting shadows through the office.
"Dragon told him that while we had a debt, getting you away from Blackbeard was out of the Army's remit." Sabo took a deep breath before continuing on. "So he told us you were a D. The last of your family, presumed perished in the destruction of Flevance. And that if the Kings or World Government ever found out? Well. You're execution might not be as showy as Ace's but there is no doubt you would have one if they knew who you were."
Law met the younger man's gaze across the room. Shadows played across Sabo's face as the last light of the shortest day faded away.
"Is that why they burned Flevance? If Doflamingo was really there for Kaido's slave trade then he wouldn't have killed everyone." It had never made sense to Law, Doflamingo had been one of the main slavers for Kaido, but not a single person from that town had been left alive.
Save for him.
"There was a rumour of a family of D's in that town. I'm guessing Kaido didn't want to take the risk." Sabo sounded as tired as he looked. "How did you escape anyway?"
"That's a conversation for another day." A day when the memory of that night hadn't haunted him.
Sabo snorted and took a sip of his fresh coffee before setting down the cup and heading towards the door. "I'm done. It's the longest night, we should be celebrating in the new year with our somewhat unique family."
Law took one last look at the bloody sunset before joining Sabo.
XXX
Despite his nightmare and his conversation with Sabo, Law had had the best day in years.
He had certainly laughed more in the past 24 hours than he had since he was a child.
He had been embarrassed when he gave his presents, and more embarrassed when he had received them in turn. New clothes from Sabo, a selection of bandages and plasters from Kureha and Chopper – no doubt some hint towards how often he injured himself, sweets from Luffy, a new whetstone for Kikoku from Zoro, a medical journal from Robin, an array of home made gluten free biscuits and cakes from Sanji and, best of all, the keys to his newly refurbished mini from Franky. Only Usopp hadn't been there, apparently he was celebrating the holiday with his sister.
There had been boardgames, snacks and films and the night slipped away in camaraderie and laughter.
They had sat on the garden decking as the sun rose into the sky.
Luffy was sitting on Law's left, curled up with Bepo and snoring slightly. Sabo was on his right, sitting upright and staring into the dawn with Law.
Weariness washed through him as the events of the previous day caught up to him. Slowly he rose and picked up Luffy from Bepo's soft fur and carried the sleeping teen back to Luffy's bedroom. As he set Luffy down he saw Law's present to the kid on the bedside table.
A small picture frame with the picture Sabo had taken of the four of them in the dojo.
"Night Law, m'glad you're here." Law looked back at Luffy's mumble before smiling and closing the door.
So.
Believe it or not this chapter was started on the same day I posted the last one. Maybe it's my fault for trying to write a winter chapter during a heatwave. Seeing Law reappear in the manga defiantly helped push me forward with this.
The conversation with Robin kinda just...happened. It was not planned in the slightest but I don't regret it. Same with the conversation with Sabo, but that one felt needed, even if I did rewrite it three times.
This was a bit of a dark chapter but hopefully the fluffy end balanced it out.
No Omake this time, might be added at a later date if something comes to me.
Thank you to CalmlySweet, Klanglilie, Magiru and of course sarge1130 and Harmonica Smile for your reviews and encouragement.
It is really appreciated and every time I need inspiration I look back at your comments.
To answer a few questions from Harmonica Smile
Yes, D+T is Design and Technology, in England that subject area covers everything from cooking and textiles to woodwork and metalwork.
Relentless is an energy drink. Like Monster and Red Bull.
The age changes were made to help believability. I made Zoro older because if I left him the same age as Luffy then he would be fifteen, which, as amazing as Zoro is, is way too young to be a bodyguard.
Thank you for you're advice with Law's line to Mihawk. It is something I had missed and will be correcting.
Just a general note. I have re-wrote it slightly to clarify that Doflamingo is dead. I would love to write him but I don't think I could do it justice I have other people I want to introduce :D
Thank you to everyone that has been reading.
This is not abandoned.
I'm just slow :(