Morning once more greeted a pair of tired, emerald eyes. And they were once more fixed on a certain intruder in her bed.
But, this time, when she woke up as the first and was able to actually think her actions through, Yuki wasn't going to slap/punch/kick him in the face and throw him off of the bed and out of the room. No.
This time, first thing that came across her mind was memory of what had happened yesterday. She would never confess how glad she was that stoic doctor hadn't left.
Law was, strangely, so peaceful, so human. He was hugging her close, again, she guessed subconsciously, his right hand around her waist, left tangled in her hair. Yet this time, during her sleep, Yuki's body answered, and now her pale arms encircled his back, her face hidden in the crook of surgeon's neck.
It was ridiculous how safe she felt. Nightmares, blood and immense pain were nothing but some blurry images far away, when she just laid there, listening to his quiet, even breathing.
Law was shirtless this time. It was the first thing she discovered after waking up to see him in her bed. Yuki needed to seriously fight the urge to get up and count his tattoos. The thought kept bugging her mind, but it was postponed by simple fact that she was not able to move; every and each muscle in her body burned; Yuki was so sore she could hardly even breathe without grimacing. So, for now, she retreated to just simply looking at Law, in some kind of fascination she herself called sick, checking now and then if he's still sleeping, trying to define the smell of raven male.
Cinnamon... something sharp, like steel, if that makes any sense at all... something chemical; medicine, perhaps... and something warm...
She couldn't really grasp it. Law smelled like Law.
Yuki couldn't believe it was the same person she used to tease and make fun of, and vice versa. She couldn't see his face, but she imagined how peaceful his expression must be. Yuki could feel his breath in her hair, and his goatee tickled her forehead. She never really thought of it, but now, when she could take her time, (waiting for the male to wake up, as she couldn't really move on her own, of course...) but Law was handsome. It came as a bit of shock to her senses. His skin was caramel, and very soft and warm. His arms were delicate yet strong.
But, he still was a psychopath, a sadist and lazy egoist, she corrected herself.
Finally, something stirred above her head, and to Yuki's amusement, she heard a quiet curse, followed by a groan. Strangely enough, doctor didn't try to wake her up or escape. He pushed her a little back, as if to see Yuki's face, but kept his hands where they were. She opened her eyes and looked up, certainly not expecting a pillow being thrust in her face.
"Alright, just before you do anything again, let me say that whatever situation we may currently be in, it means absolutely nothing and is completely your fault. So do me a favor, refrain from violence and screaming the likes of 'pervert', alright? I don't want my crew to lose faith in their Captain."
…
The rest of the day, after the doctor nicely and without beating left her room, Yuki spent trying to make her body work despite being sore, and avoiding Law. She was sure that as soon as they would meet alone, he would like to hear all about her nightmares, and that really was something she would rather not talk about. Or think.
Well, all she needed to do was to prevent the source of her potential problems; namely to prevent Law from catching her face to face. It was really simple, though. All Yuki had to do was work; certain lazy ass of a doctor wouldn't even show up that way.
She really needed to think some things through. On her own. Some thoughts and experiences were too much of a burden to let anybody dear to her share the pain. And, as much as she tried to deny it, all of the yellow submarine in general became so very special. What she didn't want to reveal even more was that despite being such a stupid bastard, certain Trafalgar Law was by far the one she found the most important.
…
She sat on the railing. Again.
It was long after the sunset, but Yuki really couldn't bring herself to go back inside. Going back meant going to sleep, and going to sleep meant too many bad things. She sighed and covered herself tighter in the blanket; the night was cold, and thick fabric offered some comfort she right now really needed.
She didn't realize just when she started to sing quietly, finally aware of painful meaning of that song.
One sails the seas of life and beliefs,
The storms will lead you home.
These open roads will call you with the promise:
You'll walk the Earth alone...
Yuki looked somewhere in general direction of the horizon, and sighed heavily. She didn't know why, but somehow, every time she started to feel herself safe on the submarine, something happened and she was back inside that darkness, enveloping her, suffocating her.
A voice called her back from her musings, and it was so unexpected she actually jumped in surprise. It was quiet, lyric, you could say. And lyric was what it said.
I live in a dream.
With open eyes, I breathe again.
I see all your fears:
together we can feel,
we can heal,
and take the road less traveled on
to here, in the new
like diamonds we will shine,
we will rise
two hearts when souls are free again,
we live.
Yuki didn't move; she didn't even budge when the song was declaimed.
"Why you never sing the rest of the song? I was curious what melody has that last part, you know..." Law said, settling himself beside and handing her a bottle, just like not so long ago.
Yuki turned her head to see his profile better. "Where did you find that... no, wait, stupid question. Abhean's library?"
"Yup. Charming seventeen volumes about folk songs of Grand Line. Good thing it was divided considering the islands climate, otherwise I'd spend hours searching for that one. And you didn't answer."
"..." Yuki looked away. Law had no idea. He had no idea what it meant for her to hear the rest of that song. Especially what it meant to hear it from him. "Further this song is no longer mine," she said, her voice a whisper. "Only the first part speaks about me; I have no right to sing the rest of it."
Law turned his lazy smirk at her. "How stupid. Like that matters whether you sing all of it or just that fragment."
"It does matter, Captain. And, mind you, what you told me wasn't all of the song." she said, sipping what appeared to be strong rum. It helped.
"Well, whatever. Give me your blanket."
"..."
"What? It's cold."
"I ain't giving you my blanket; even less so sharing it. Go find your own."
"Miss, I remind you I am your captain, and this is an order."
"Being a captain does not mean you can take my blanket, when it's absolutely your fault you're freezing your ass off on the railing."
Law furrowed, and made a scene of sighing. Then, he smirked mischievously, enough at least to make Yuki shiver, and whispered; "Room!"
Let's just say that the air beside Yuki's body suddenly exchanged places with someone, and leave the rest to your imagination.
"..."
"Now, see? Nice and warm."
"Getthefuckoutofhere."
"Nope. Don't wanna."
"..."
"Oh, come on, stop sulking. Here, I'm giving you my hat for a while. Happy?"
"..."
"...is something bothering you, Yuki-ya?" Law looked at her innocently, his freed raven hair dancing in the breeze.
"Yes, actually yes. What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Actually, cheering you up. Not working?"
Law: 1, Yuki: 0 (AND speechless)
Law sighed, his expression changing into one more serious. "You know, kidding aside, I do care for you guys. It's not like you're my experiment subjects or anything. Well, at least most of the time. We've got a long way ahead of us; I'd like the crew to trust each other, and myself."
Yuki closed her eyes, letting her body rest against the doctor's. He just won't get it. "I do trust you, Law. I just... I really..."
"...don't want to talk about that? Burden me?" he finished, amused grin ruining the soothing effect of his words. "How sweet..."
"Oh, shut the fuck up."
"Language, Yuki-ya."
If just looking at somebody could kill, Law would at the moment be nothing but a sorry pile of ash. A very small, sorry pile of ash.
"But if that's the case," continued the doctor, unaffected by Yuki's glare, "then just trust me not to ask. You seriously doesn't need to avoid me all day just because you don't want me to ask you about those... nightmares you had, I guess."
"So, you are trying to say you were lonely without me?"
"You wish, Yuki-ya. I was just bored."
"Fuck off."
"Language."
That earned Law a one good aimed elbow in his gut.
"...attacking the captain, are we, Yuki-ya?" despite gritted teeth, Law apparently still was able to tease.
"Hell yeah. You deserved that elbow to went much lower, so be thankful I'm in forgiving mood today."
Law: speechless and... well, let's say protective, Yuki: 1
The Surgeon of Death and the Emerald Killer quieted down, Yuki with little, and Law with lopsided, though still slightly alarmed smile on face. The silence was nice and comforting. It wasn't meant to last long, though.
"Law...?"
"Mmm?"
"Thanks. For everything."
"Don't mention it."
"Can I ask you something?"
"You just did, but ask anyway."
"Can you make me a tattoo?"
Law halted a second, girl's request clearly not what he thought it would be. "Sure... but why?"
Yuki tensed slightly. "I want my name, the name I received here. And your... our Jolly Roger. Preferably on my hands, just like the tattoos you have."
"No problem. But you won't be able to use your hands afterwards for, let's say, a day, consider that."
"I don't care. I don't want to... forget this life. I don't want to lose something like this... ever again."
Law looked at the Yukionna, and swiftly turned her so she was now laying in his arms. She felt so fragile, like a dream against his tanned body. "Yeah, forget. Like I'd let you. Have you ever tried to look around yourself, egoistic girl?" Yuki looked up at his face, quite surprised by that sudden outburst.
"Do you even know how's your name's written, Yuki-ya?"
"...like 'snow'? But what does it matter?"
"Wrong. You seriously think we would ever let you go? Or let you forget about us? Look at Shachi, Penguin, Bepo, the rest of the guys, hell, look at me. You made all of us happy, not even being our nakama for a week. Showing you around, joking with you, teaching you, talking with you, even patching you up. You, you, you. All the time. But you keep being so anxious, so withdrawn, as if not seeing all this. Can't you let it go for once? Can't you just let us accept you already?"
Law closed his eyes, letting those words sink in her mind.
"The kanji for your name, Yuki-ya... it's 'happiness'."
A/N: I can't believe it... Like, check this up, it's Wednesday update!
Well, I guess I made it quick this time, mostly because, well, I've got so much work ahead of me I knew I won't be able to write, and I couldn't leave all of my wonderful followers and favorites without update. Why didn't I mention reviewers? It's simple: that story should be really considered their work, too - I write for them and thanks to them all ^^
Just few words to make things clear: as everybody knows from earlier, "Yuki" means "snow", and is usually written with kanji for that word. Yet, Japanese are just great and needed to complicate things - meaning, we have few different ways of writing the name. And one of them is a kanji for "happiness". How sweet...
I should've probably give this warning a little bit earlier, but, come on: LAW IS SO MUCH OOC IN THIS CHAPTER IT HURTS!
The reason is simple. Last chapter was dark, this chapter is kind of rehabilitation for it. I hope you're not mad. And, besides, hello, I'm developing feelings here!
Anything else? Well, the moment I written the word "blanket" I knew Law's gonna put his "Room" for a good use.
OP's not mine, thanks very much.
Author finishes blabbering and goes to do some work. Thank all of you guys so much again! Oh, and, Shiningheart of ThunderClan, you're officially cool for finding and fixing my mistakes, plus, you always give me the longest reviews, it's so nice to read them~ XDXD Thank you very much!