One Piece belongs to Oda

Aika, Kumi, Blizzard and Jupiter belong to XfangheartX

Everyone seems to have grown fond of little Aika. All but one: the very man who told the Straw hats of her relation, Trafalgar Law. But what will it take to get the Supernova to find his own bond with the little Monkey?

Heart to Heart

The Thousand Sunny was carrying onward towards Dressrosa, though her journey had taken quite a few events on the way. The biggest being the revelation of an innocent little girl being the half-sister of one Monkey D Luffy. At first it had been a secret kept amongst the crew by Nami's word for fear of her beloved captain's heart risking a second breaking. But it turned out; the Straw Hats weren't the only ones to know of Aika's shared Father. Fleet Admiral Akainu had been the first to learn of it and had destroyed her home, family and life with a buster call in the hopes of killing the child just for living. And when that plan failed he resorted to sending Vice Admiral Auguste to bring her to him but he had been no match for Luffy. Not long after the fight, Nami finally decided Luffy could handle the truth as well as Aika and from the moment the two embraced for the first time as brother and sister, the hearts of everyone on board had grown tenfold with the new addition to the family. Well…all but one. The crew's ally, Trafalgar Law. Despite the fact that she'd bonded with each and every one of the Straw Hats and that he'd saved her from appendicitis, Law had shown little to no interest in Aika which rather confused the crew. Had it not been for him, they never would have learned that Aika was related to Luffy. As of now, the super nova was quietly sitting on deck with his back to the wall, his cap tipped over his eyes and his sword propped up beside him.

"HAHAHAHA! Can't catch me~!" a cheerful yet slightly annoying voice awoke the Surgeon of Death from his rest. He looked up to see Luffy running around the deck and not too far behind him was his little sister, Aika, laughing just as loud as she tried to grab the back of his shirt. "Oh! Ohhh! OH so close!" Luffy teased her as he kept leaning out of her reach several times as she tried to tag him.

"I'm gonna get you, Big Brother!" she sniggered. Law flinched a little when she spoke but then shook his head. The D siblings continued to chase each other until Aika took a leap of faith and finally managed to grab a hold of Luffy, tackling him to the ground. "GOT YOU~!" she cheered before she began to scribble her fingers all over his tummy sending the captain in a fit of laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! AIIIIKAHAHAHAHA! STOHOHOHOHOP! OK! OK! YOU GOT ME! YOU WIN!" Aika stopped tickling him but no sooner had she done this Luffy pinned her to the ground, grinning wickedly. "Sucker!" he said before he pulled her shirt up a little and blew on her stomach, causing the little girl to go into peals of squeals herself.

"LUFFYYYY~! PLEAHEEHEEHEEASE~!" she begged before Luffy stopped and rolled onto his back, pulling her with him so she was sitting on his chest. The two of them smiled at each other before Aika threw her arms around him in a loving hug which Luffy immediately returned as he sat up.

"I still can't believe this is real. I actually have a little sister." He said.

"I know what you mean. I never thought I'd have a big brother, let alone that he would be the future King of the Pirates." Aika said. "But if you really think it's a dream, maybe this'll help." She added before she suddenly pinched Luffy on the cheek.

"Ow! Hey!"

"There, you see? You're not dreaming."

"Yeah, but did you have to pinch me?" Luffy muttered before Aika gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"All better." She grinned. Luffy looked at her before he grinned back and kissed her cheek in return.

"I love you, Little Sister." He said.

"I love you too, Big Brother." Aika replied as they embraced. Law sneered at the sight of it.

"Oh gag me with a spoon." He thought.

"Hey, Traffy!" he looked to see Aika waving at him. "You wanna come play tag with us?"

"No." Law replied bluntly.

"Well, how about hide and seek?"

"No."

"Leap frog?"

"No!"

"Then, maybe sword fi-"

"I said no! I don't play childish games like that." Law said.

"You're never too old to play, Traffy." Luffy said. "Aika just wants to have fun with you."

"Well she can have more than enough with you." Law replied as he got up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to change Caesar's rope. He'll have almost chewed through the latest one by now." With that he walked away.

"Luffy." The captain looked down at Aika who seemed a little sad. "Does Traffy not like me? Did I do something wrong?"

"No. No, no you haven't done anything wrong. Traffy's just being a bit of a stiff. He'll lighten up don't you worry."

"It's just, I never would've found out you were my brother if not for him. And he saved my life too. Why would he do that if he doesn't like me?"

"Exactly. If he didn't care he never would've done it. But he does care. He's just a bit like Zoro. He thinks he's too tough to show he likes you like we do. But you'll see." Luffy reassured her with a pet on the head. But as Law was walking off towards the storeroom Caesar was locked up in, he glanced back at the D siblings and an image flashed in his mind.

"Big Brother? Wanna play? Let's play." A young girl with brown hair asked in a sweet little voice that echoed in his head which he shook vigorously.

"Leave me alone." He murmured.

XXX

Luffy was currently seated with the crew, along with Kinemon in the aquarium bar. The Captain had sent Aika to go and play with Momonosuke so she wouldn't hear their discussion. What's more, Law was currently working in the sickbay, treating an injury Jupiter had sustained in a recent battle so he wouldn't pick up on their talk either.

"Ok, everyone." Luffy began. "This is probably more of a personal matter but I think it needs to be brought up. We've all bonded with Aika, right?"

"Of course." Nami replied. "What of it?"

"Well while we've all grown attached to her the only one who hasn't is Traffy."

"Law doesn't like Aika?" Usopp asked.

"I don't know. I just noticed this morning that he turned Aika away when she asked him to play with her. He seemed pretty sour about it."

"But what reason could he have to dislike her? He was the one who told us she was your sister." Robin debated.

"Yeah and he saved her life when she got appendicitis." Chopper added.

"And if I recall he brainwashed that marine who planned to kill the girl." Kinemon spoke up. "Surely he wouldn't perform such acts if he cared nothing for her.

"That's right. And that's why I want to find out what's going on." Luffy said. "I want to try and get Traffy to bond with Aika."

"Luffy, is that really necessary?" Zoro asked. "I mean we all like her so what's one person matter?"

"Well like I said, he does care about her but won't admit it so I want to help him out. He's my friend and besides we're an alliance now so he needs to be on common ground with the whole crew and that includes Aika."

"Wow. One of the rare cases of you acting like a real Captain." Sanji commented.

"Hey!"

"I get what you're saying, Luffy." Nami said. "But how exactly do you plan on pulling this off?"

"Well how about we try and get him involved in some of Aika's favourite activities? He's bound to find one to enjoy." Luffy suggested. "I know this may not seem important to you guys but Aika sees Traffy as a friend too and I don't want her thinking she's to blame for him not liking her."

"No we understand, Luffy. Aika's happiness is important to us all." Brook said.

"Yeah! We'll find a way to get that grumpy clam to open up to her." said Franky.

"Thanks, guys. That means a lot to me. And it will to Aika too." Luffy grinned.

XXX

"And this time the rope is soaked with seawater so chew that and you're gonna hurt yourself." Law warned as tossed an old rope that was nearly chewed through over his shoulder as he left the store room.

"You're the devil, Trafalgar!" Caesar cursed. "I swear I'll get you for this!"

"You won't get anything but what you deserve, which is nothing." Law replied as he locked the door. But as he stepped outside he found Luffy and Aika standing before him.

"What?" he asked.

"I need to run a few errands. Would you mind giving Aika some company?" Luffy asked. Law glanced form him to Aika who smiled at him sweetly. He sneered inwardly.

"If it'll get you off my back then fine." he begrudgingly agreed. Luffy patted his shoulder thankfully before taking his leave. "So whaddya want?"

"How about painting?" Aika asked holding up a set of the suggested art tools she'd gotten from Usopp along with some paper. Law sighed.

"I'm not exactly an artist, just so you know."

"That's ok, you don't need to be a professional to enjoy painting." Aika smiled handing him a set of paints and a brush before going to set up the paper on the stands she'd brought. Law begrudgingly followed her to set up his own pallet. He glanced at Aika who was painting a picture of the Sunny and her crew. With no ideas in mind, Law began to paint as well as his mind began to wander until his eyes suddenly widened as a thought passed through his head.

The memory was blurred with age but Law could see what appeared to be another girl, about Aika's age, painting a picture of her own. She turned around and smiled at him.

"What do you think, Law? Do you like it?" she asked before Law saw his hand, though it was much smaller, reach out and pet her affectionately.

"Traffy? I asked what do you think." the Captain suddenly snapped out of his daze as he noticed Aika blinking at him, her painting finished.

"Oh, yeah it's fine." he muttered still recovering from the daydream before he jumped when his eyes returned to his own canvas which now beheld the image of a burning building, a pile of bodies lying before it and some of them looked familiar to him and upon closer inspection he almost bit his lip at who they were. Aika happened to see the painting too and gasped.

"Um...it's uh...it's..." she tried to come up with a response that wouldn't sound hurtful but her sentence was cut off by Law taking his painting and tearing it up. "Hey! Wh-what are you?"

"This was a mistake. Think nothing of it." he said before walking away leaving Aika confused and a little concerned after seeing the macabre he'd painted without seemingly knowing.

XXX

A couple of hours passed by when Luffy came to check on Aika.

"Hey, how did the painting go?" he asked before noticing his little sister seemed a bit down. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I mean we both started painting but then I noticed Traffy seemed like he was in a daze. But when I got his attention after finishing my painting he seemed shocked at what he'd painted himself. It was some scary picture of a burning house with a pile of people in front of it. He tore it up as soon as he saw it and then left. He looked like he'd had a nightmare."

"Well uh...that's unusual." Luffy answered a little disturbed. "Maybe painting isn't his thing. I know! Why don't you ask him to play doctor with you and Chopper?"

"Hey that's a great idea! He's a doctor too so I'm sure he'd be more comfortable with that." Aika agreed. "Thanks, Luffy." she said before running off to find Chopper.

XXX

Law was taking watch from the front of the ship, Jupiter sitting beside him as eh scratched his ears when he felt a small hand tug at his trouser leg. He looked to see Aika, along with Chopper holding his medical bag. Law sighed

"Yes?" he asked.

"I wondered if you'd play doctor with me and Chopper. I realise you weren't into painting but since you're a doctor I thought you might enjoy this game more." Aika suggested. Law glanced at Jupiter who had his brows raised in surprise before he answered.

"Can't you just play with Tony-ya? What do you need me for?"

"You seemed upset after the painting so I thought playing patient would cheer you up a bit, maybe. Please~?" Law looked at her and while he was far from eager to play, he wasn't about to just shoot the poor kid down like a duck.

"Alright you win." he mumbled as he went to join them. "So how do you play this? Do I chop you up with my shambles?" he grinned wickedly.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" Chopper squawked in bug-eyed terror.

"I was joking, jeez. Keep your fur on." Law snorted though Aika was giggling.

"It's like a check-up. You'd use your stethoscope, thermometer, that squeezy thingy with the rubber ball on the end."

"A sphygmomanometer. And this just sounds like a normal check-up. What part of it's a game?"

"...Well you could put a cast on my leg or a sling on my arm so I pretend I've broken something. Or you could use a stretcher to carry one of us. Or I could put bandages on you."

"Just watch us, Traffy, you'll get it." Chopper assured before he went over to Aika who sat on the lawn. "What seems to be the problem, Miss Aika."

"I don't know, Dr Chopper. I've just been feeling strange lately." Aika said, her voice dressed in fake worry.

"Well let's check you over and see if we can find anything wrong." Chopper smiled confidently with his hands behind his back before opening his bag and taking out a depressor and doctor's light. "Say 'aah'."

"AAAHHHHH~!" Aika exaggeratedly opened her gob and stuck her tongue out, trying not to laugh, as Chopper held her tongue down with the depressor and shone the torch in her mouth.

"Well you're throat looks fine. Let's check your temperature." he said as he switched his tools. He picked out a thermometer and placed it in Aika's mouth, before removing an reading it after about five seconds. "Nope you don't have a fever or chill. Let's move onto your blood pressure." he pulled out the required instrument and attached it to Aika's arm before he began to squeeze the rubber ball on the end to check her pressure.

"So how is it, Dr?" Aika asked.

"You're perfectly healthy. Nothing to worry about, Aika. You've been a great patient." Chopper grinned.

"Thank you, Dr I feel much better now." Aika beamed as she gave the reindeer a thankful hug.

"Oh but wait. We haven't checked your heart beat yet." Chopper remembered. "Perhaps Dr Trafalgar can cover this shift, as I'm now on break." he said before he took his leave before Law could say anything as Aika handed him a stethoscope. He sighed before taking the tool and placing it in his ears.

"Could you lift your shirt a bit please, Miss Aika?" he asked in a professional manner. She nodded before showing her tummy as he placed the stethoscope on her chest which made her squeak.

"It's cold~!" she laughed at the feeling of the icy metal on her tummy, but as law looked upon her adorable face and the sound of her laughter he felt his mind drifting again, this time stronger.

The blurry image of the little brunette girl came into view once more and she was in a similar position as Aika with her shirt up as Law reached out with a stethoscope and pressed it to her tummy making her giggle loudly.

"Big brother it tickles~!" she laughed.

"Oh really~?" he asked slyly before he began to jab her all over her stomach with the stethoscope making her laugh even harder.

"Alright let's see how you like it!" she cackled, wrestling the tool form him and pressing it on his won stomach earning cold yelps from him too as they both found themselves laughing soon after their little battle.

"When I become a doctor, if one of the children I care for is scared on their first checkup, I'm gonna do this to cheer them up, every time." Law grinned.

"What else should they expect from my bighearted brother?" the little girl grinned back. "But I'm gonna be an even better doctor!"

"It's not a competition, Lami." Law said before he smiled "But I think I'll make an exception this time." the girl, now known as Lami, smiled back at him.

"Traffy? Hello~?" Law shook his head as he found Aika staring at him. "You spaced out again. Are you ok?" Law put the stethoscope down and stood up.

"I...I think I've had enough of this game."

"But you've barely started."

"Too bad. Game's over." Law dismissed as he walked away. Aika watched him go and couldn't help but sniff a little. Why was he pushing her away so much? What had she done wrong? From the kitchen door, Luffy and Chopper were watching.

"This isn't good, Luffy, we're losing him. If this keeps up, Aika's gonna blame herself." Chopper said concerned.

"Well I won't let that happen. I'm not done yet." Luffy said. "I've got one more idea."

"Well you best hope it works." Chopper muttered.

XXX

It was now late afternoon and the sun was beginning to set in prep for the evening. The ship had reached its latest island which turned out to be a winter one and Aika was ecstatic to play in the snow which gave Luffy the golden opportunity for his plan.

"Hey does someone want to go play in the snow~?" he asked his little sister who grinned. he returned the expression and picked her up, placing her on his shoulders. "Hey Traffy~! Feel up for a snowman building contest?"

"I don't build snowmen." Law replied.

"Oh what's the matter? Chicken?" Law's eye twitched at the remark.

"Petty insults will get you nowhere, Straw Hat-ya."

"Oh I get it. You don't think you can beat Luffy cause you're too scared to lose to an idiot." Usopp smirked, seeing Luffy's plan. "Well everyone has a fear."

"Are you seriously accusing me of that?!"

"I dunno. You tell me." Law glared at the sniper and noticed the rest of the crew were looking as well. Even Caesar poked his head through the storage room door's window to jeer at him.

"Trafalgar is scared of losing to this rubber ape in snow sculpting?! SHULOLOLOLOLO! OH THAT'S RICH! Wait til Doffy hears about this!" Law responded by flicking his finger upward causing a rock to smash Caesar in the face, knocking him out.

"Fine I'll do it! Let's get this over with." he huffed as he barged passed Luffy and Aika before they followed after him, though the latter didn't seem to enthusiastic.

XXX

The three of them trudged through the snow until they were about half a mile away from the ship, when all of a sudden Luffy stopped and slapped himself on the head.

"Oh my gosh!"

"What?!" Law and Aika asked in surprise.

"I can't believe I forgot my hat! You can't have a snowman without one and I'll never be Traffy since he remembered his. I better go back and get it. You two stay here and have fun til I get back."

"I can come with you, Big brother." Aika suggested not feeling too keen about staying with Law for the chance of a third failed play-date.

"No-no you stay here. You wouldn't wanna waste your snow time walking back and forth with me. You have fun, I'll catch up. Be right back!" Luffy grinned as he sauntered off, taking quite his sweet time I might add. Aika and Law stood in awkward silence as the former kicked some snow to distract herself before Law sighed.

"If you want to play in the snow go ahead I'm not stopping you."

"Are you sure?"

"Does this look unsure to you?"

"No?"

"Then knock yourself out. I'll be right here." Law reassured as he sat down in the snow while Aika padded around for a bit before morphing into a wolf and diving in and out of the snow, laughing all the way.

XXX

Law was sitting cross legged on the snowy ground , his eyes closed. It had been about twenty minutes since Luffy had left and he was getting impatient. The supernova stood up and sighed irritably.

"I don't think your brother's coming, kid. We should head back." he said as he looked around for Aika but couldn't see her. He wandered around the area, searching for her, when all of a sudden she burst out form a mound of snow in front of him.

"BOO!" Law actually stumbled back in surprise as the little girl began to laugh, her face covered in snow powder. "GOTCHA! Shishishishishi!" she giggled as Law stared at her snow white face as his eyes began to widen in horror, another memory advancing on him.

He could see Lami again, only this time her skin had lost its peachy glow and almost every inch of it was covered in snowy white blotches and every so often she'd let out a pained cough.

"It's ok. Just take deep breaths." Law said as he rubbed her back in an attempt to soothe her. he himself was also snowy white stains.

"Law? Are we going to die?" Lami asked, her face full of fright. Law bit his lip before he hugged his little sister.

"No. We won't die. Dad's been working on a cure for months now. He's the greatest doctor on the island, maybe even one of the best in the world. He'll figure it out I know it." gunshot suddenly sounded from within the building they were in.

"What was that?" Lami whispered as Law gritted his teeth before gathering her up and hurrying to another room and placing her in a wardrobe.

"Don't worry. I'll be right back. I'm gonna get Dad and Mum."

"But why do I have to hide?"

"There are bad people on the island. I need you to hide so they don't find you. Once I get our parents we'll escape." Law said before he kissed Lami on the forehead. "I'll come back for you, I promise. We still don't know who's gonna be the greatest doctor." he grinned. Lami's fear seemed to vanish as she smiled and kissed Law on the cheek.

"I love you, Big Brother."

"And I love you too, Little Sister." Law smiled as they hugged before he closed the wardrobe and hurried out of the building to where he'd heard the shots...but he wished he hadn't as lying before him were the dead bodies of his Mother and Father, shot through the back. The young boy could barely breathe and he was about to scream when he heard footsteps and hid behind a crate as a battalion of men in gas masks ran passed him.

"This area's been purged. Onto the next one." One said as they passed. Law waited until they were gone when he remembered. The local nun from the school had been preparing to evacuate the children, including him and Lami. She was the only one who could help now. He hurried to the school only to find to his horror that she too was dead...along with his classmates, all of them stacked in a bloody pile. He vomited and choked on his sobs, using all of his strength to hold together.

"I have to get Lami out of here. We have to escape." he whimpered as eh turned around and ran back to the hospital she was in as fast as he could...until he came to a sudden stop and fell to his knees. The hospital...was engulfed in flames and burning to the ground. He stared, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

"...Lami...Lami we have to go...We have to get out of here..." he muttered. "We...we have to find out which of us will be the greatest...school's tomorrow, we can't be late...the-the parade's coming up soon so we can't miss it...we...we..." he lost his voice as tears streamed down his face and his words were soon replaced with ragged horrified, broken sobs as he screamed at the heavens.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUGHHHH!" Law screamed as he fell backwards into the snow as Aika looked puzzled.

"Wow I know I said 'boo' but it shouldn't have been that scary." she muttered as she looked at law who was panting heavily and staring at her. She blinked and began to walk towards him only for him to crawl back away form her, refusing to take his eyes off her.

"Traffy? What's wrong?" she asked.

"Stop it." he whispered.

"Traffy..."

"Stop it!"

"Law!"

"I SAID STOP!" Law shouted as he swatted the air and unintentionally pushed her back with his room. Aika picked herself and looked at him, her face full of hurt and confusion.

"...I don't understand." she whimpered. "Why do you dislike me? What did I do?"

"EVERYTHING! Always smiling and laughing! Being doted on by Straw Hat-ya! It pisses me off!"

"B-But you were the one who told them he was my brother int he first place. And you saved my life from appendicitis. Why would you do that if you didn't like me?"

"Well it doesn't matter. After all this, I wish I hadn't told them. In fact, I hadn't met you at all!" Aika gasped in shock at what he'd said before she began to cry a mixture of sad and angry tears.

"...I thought...I honestly thought you were good. Some may have called you 'cold' or a 'psycho' but I didn't believe them, because I thought...under that cold exterior you were kind and caring, with a big heart like you named your crew after...My Mum always taught me there was good in everyone, but, oh, you proved me wrong!" Aika spat. "You're just a BIG! DUMB! MEANIE!" she screamed. "I wish Big Brother had never teamed up with you! I thought you were my friend but now I wouldn't let you if you begged me!"

"AH-OH-EEE-UH-FINE BY ME!" Law said breaking his feigned remorse.

"YOU SUCK!" Aika shouted throwing a snowball at him which he effortlessly warped with him room before she ran off in tears. When she was sure she was out of his sight she stopped and sobbed. "Why? What did I do to make him so angry? Why does he keep looking at me like I'm a nightmare?" she wiped her eyes despite the tears continuing to flow. But then, out of some nearby bushes, a pair of arms grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth and pulled her away.

XXX

Law stood alone in the snow, his mind jumbled with too many mixed feelings to process. But after some deep thoughts he sighed.

"What the hell's wrong with me? It's not the kid's fault, Law, you idiot!" he mentally slapped himself. "I better go apologise." he concluded as he started following her footprints until he suddenly came across a drag in the snow where her prints stopped abruptly. His eyes narrowed as he looked over the bush the drag had gone through to see a large cluster of bigger footprints leading to the west side of the island. The situation was obvious as he began to follow the trail as fast as he could until he was led over and hill and got a clear view of the coast before he saw it: a small group of marines were heading towards a nearby vessel which seemed to be of a much lower standard than what they were used to battling and in one of their arms was a bound and gagged Aika who was trying desperately to squirm out of their grip. Oddly enough though, there didn't seem to be a vice admiral present.

"What is this?" Law asked. "Only the megalomaniac psychopath, Akainu knows about Aika's heritage. Aside from him that only leaves...Auguste. Oh shit." he cursed as he began to make his way towards the ship.

XXX

Inside, Aika was thrown roughly into a holding cell after her binds were undone. She pulled the gag form her mouth before barking,

"Who are you?! Why'd you kidnap me?! When my Big brother finds me missing you'll be sorry!"

"SHUT UP YOU LITTLE SHIT!" one marine shouted kicking the bars of her cell which sent her scuttling back against the wall. "No one's coming for you and and by the time they do this ship will be long gone and you'll be on your way to HQ and then the chopping block! We're not stupid enough to challenge Straw Hat. not after what he did to our Boss." Aika's eyes widened.

"That's right. We're what remains of Vice Admiral Auguste's battalion." another marine confirmed Aika's thoughts. "We don't know how it happened but our Boss's memory of you, us and even himself was wiped form his mind. And as you can imagine, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki didn't take to his ultimate failure of capturing you lightly. Our Boss was court-martialed and dismissed in disgrace. We were forced to watch as he left, feeling no shame whatsoever as he'd forgotten his life up to the moment we found him after his fight! Well we're going to avenge him by handing you over to our Fleet Admiral ourselves and when we do, he'll be sure to allow our Boss back in." Aika trembled as she sat in her cell. She was scared, but she didn't feel helpless. Somehow she knew this wasn't the end. And upon hearing a sudden cry from above deck, she was right. The marines outside her cell tensed when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs to their location and gasped when they saw none other than Law standing at the end of the hallway, holding the severed, but still alive, head of one of their comrades.

"Trafalgar Law!" one of the marines said in shock.

"TRAFFY!" Aika cheered.

"What do you think you're doing, Trafalgar?! You're a warlord aren't you?! You wanna end up on our wanted list again?!" Law didn't even answer the marine as he tossed the head in his hand before blotting it towards the group like a ball as one marine caught the flying head and both screamed.

"This isn't funny, Trafalgar! If you're here to help quit fooling arou-"

"Shut up!" Law snapped silencing the fools. "I'm here for the kid."

"Watch your tongue! You work for us so this girl's going to HQ to be executed!"

"I work...for no one." Law said, his voice cutting the tension like a scalpel. "Now unless you wanna end up like him," he glanced at the head which was now out cold and foaming at the mouth from shock, "You'll give me the girl." he took a step forward which made the marines jump. One, looking desperate, opened Aika's cell and pulled her out before jamming his gun to her head.

"Get on the ground or I blow her brains out!" Law laughed with mocking amusement.

"You should see the look on your face, fool. that's the face of a man who's out of luck and options, clawing at his last desperate attempt, but knowing full well that he's doomed. You're as pathetic as Auguste was."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! I'LL KILL HER! I know the Fleet Admiral would prefer to do it himself but he'll be happy with the results nonetheless!"

"Honestly I despise people like Auguste. Hunting down poor innocent children like her under the bullshit ideals of Akainu that those born from 'bad people' are bad themselves even when they never knew their parents. Although, Auguste may have a second chance at a more admirable life. I mean, after all...I was the one who lobotomized him. The battalion gasped in shock. "After Straw Hat-ya beat the shit out of him, I sliced up his brain so he'd forget everything; Aika, you lot, himself. but I never would've guessed you'd come back with a second wind. Most impressive." he sarcastically applauded. The marines were shaking violently by this point. "Now, for the last time. Give, the child, to me." he ordered as he drew closer. The marine holding Aika at gunpoint trembled before he let out a cry of rage and pulled the trigger as Aika screamed in terror.

Click. The man looked confused as he opened his gun only to find the bullets gone. He gabbed a gun from his comrade and tried to shoot Aika again: same result. The marines all tied shooting her only to receive in clicks too before they checked their weapons only to find all their bullets mysteriously gone. Law cleared his throat.

"Looking for these?" he held up a floating ball of bullets. "You've been inside my room the entire time. A quick scan and every bullet on this boat is now floating in the palm of my hand." The marines looked at him wearing twisted expressions of confused angry fear. "I wanted to see if you lot would actually go through with attempting to kill her. Most of the time these hostage things are just desperate lies, but you really intended to shoot her." he then looked at them with a piercing glare. "And for that, you will pay. Shambles." Pew!-Pew Pew Pew!-Pew Pew! The marines fell to the floor screaming in agony as their legs were now perforated with their own ammo. Aika stood among them for a moment before she ran to Law and hid behind him clutching his pants leg. She looked up at him as he returned her gaze and pet her head gently.

"Let's go." he said as they turned around and began to leave when a sinister chuckle reached their ears.

"You'll never escape us, girl." the lead marine said. "You're heritage may be secret among us and Sakazuki but not for much longer. We'll tell the entire Marines, the entire Government about you! And then the world will be after you just like that hell spawn Nico Robin! Let's see you evade us for twenty years! But once the world knows you'll have nowhere to hide. We will get you, you little demon and WE'LL KI-" SLASH! The miserable man was silenced as law cut his tongue out (shambled of course) as Aika stared at the marines in fear.

"It's alright." she looked at Law who was smiling at her. "They're not going to tell anyone, I promise you that. Now let's go home." Aika nodded as Law picked her up and left the ship before he flexed his finger behind his back when they were out of range. The gesture caused one of the bullets to fly into the ships gunpowder stash, which the marines watched in horror before.

KABOOM!

The ship went up in a ball of flames and smoke as Law didn't look back and neither did Aika who needed no explanation for the cause.

XXX

Dusk had fallen and the stars were beginning to come out as Law and Aika quietly walked back across the island towards the Sunny, the pair remaining in awkward silence. Law glanced at Aika who was twiddling her fingers, not sure what to say before she spoke.

"Thanks. For saving me." she said.

"Yeah. You're welcome." Law replied as they tried to avoid eye contact. It wasn't exactly easy to converse since they were in a heated argument not long ago. But at that moment something blue and glowing came floating passed them. It hovered in the air for a moment before landing on a flower, revealing itself to be a firefly. More soon joined it as the little beetles fluttered around the area signaling one another with their blue glow. A few landed on Law's cap while one landed on Aika's nose who giggled before sneezing. Entranced by the insects, she morphed into a wolf and began to bound around after them, switching back and forth between her forms as she tried to catch them. Law sat himself down on a nearby log as he watched her play until she eventually joined him after about half an hour. She sat beside him for a while before she threw caution tot he wind and said,

"Law?" he looked at her when he said his name. "Why did you keep pushing me away?" the man tensed, even though he knew she would ask him he didn't want to hear it.

"Because you're a nuisance."

"Liar." Aika saw right through him. "Please. I need to know. You may act like you don't care about me but I know you do. It's because of you that i have a family again after the marines took it all away from me! Even if you said you did it so it wouldn't distract you from the mission, there has to be another reason for why you told the others about my relation to Luffy. So please, why is it you can't stand being around me like this?"

"You really wanna know? You won't like the answer."

"I don't care if I like it or not."

"...Ok, I'll tell you." he said. "The reason I told the crew about you. The reason I even compared your DNA with Straw Hat-ya's to confirm my suspicions...was because he's not the only one who knows what it means to be a Big Brother." Aika gasped. "A long time ago, when I was only eight, I had a little sister of my very own. Her name was Lami." he said as he reached inside his jacket and pulled out a gold locket which had his parents on one inner side and Lami on the other.

"She looks so happy." Aika whispered as she looked at the picture.

"Yes. She was." Law murmured solemnly. "She was always so full of life. Always following me around like a kitten, wanting to spend time with me, the annual parade was her favourite. We both wanted to be doctors like our parents as well...and I loved her, so very much." he said with his hand over his eyes as Aika looked at him with deep concern. "But then, an epidemic swept our island. We were a prosperous country because we mined a beautiful silver stone called amber lead that made our island rich. But what we didn't know was that the stone was poisonous and direct contact with it spread a deadly disease named Amber lead Syndrome." he gritted his teeth in anger. "But the thing was, that bastard corrupt government and those soulless Dragons found out about the disease before we were infected by it, but the greedy worms chose not to tell us so they could line their fat asses with the money it made. Every single one of us was infected by it, including me, my parents...and Lami too." Aika was trembling by this point.

"B-But, your parent's must have found a cure right?"

"I believe they could have. But things only got worse when the government came under the mad impression that the syndrome was contagious even though it wasn't so they spread the rumor like the disease itself which cause all neighbouring islands to cut us off so my parents couldn't get supplies for their research in finding a cure. Citizens died left and right like flies, it was Hell on Earth. But just when it couldn't get any worse, the Government decided to quarantine our island...and wipe us out completely." Aika felt tears sting her eyes as the mental pictures poured into her mind's eye. "One night, I was caring for Lami who was only getting worse when I heard shots. I knew what was happening so I hid her and went to find our parents so we could escape...only to find them both shot dead by the Government. I then tried to find the local Nun who ran the school. She'd been planning to evacuate all the children including Lami and myself. But I found her dead too, along with all my friends." Law choked as he fought back a sob. "I knew all I could do now was grab my sister and run...but...but by the time I got back...the hospital she was in was in flames...and she was gone...forever." Aika began to cry as she wiped her eyes. "I only survived the disease because I got my devil fruit power a year after I escaped. So, when I saw you and Straw Hat-ya playing together, I could tell right away that the bond you two shared wasn't friendship alone, even though you were both unaware of your relation. having been a brother myself, I know a sibling bond when I see it, so I compared your DNA and found, to my suspicions, that I was right." Aika stared at him as he'd began to lose the strength to fight his tears which were about to escape. "When I see you two together, I see my own past and when I see you...you remind me so much of Lami. You're just like her." he was now crying as he chewed his lip. "But you know what hurts me the most of all? If I hadn't told her to hide, if I'd just brought her with me...we could've escaped together...and I...I could have saved her when I got my powers...She'd still be alive if I hadn't! Left her! Alone!" he punched his knee in anguish as the tears flowed faster. "She's dead...BECAUSE OF ME!" Aika couldn't take it anymore as she ran at law and threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest.

"It wasn't your fault!" she sobbed. "The Government did it all. They took your life, just like they did mine. They're the ones who killed Lami, not you! I'm sorry. You're not a big dumb meanie. You're like me. You went through so much undeserved pain and suffering. I can't imagine how it feels to see someone have what you once had so often. I'm sorry me and Luffy reminded you of what you lost." she let go of him and took a couple steps back so he could see her in full. "But, you don't have to suffer anymore. You have a crew of friends who respect you, and you may not admit it, but you have all of us now too. We're not just allies; the Straw Hat's are your friends too...And...you have me." Law looked confused. "All I know now from what you've told me, is that you were a wonderful Big Brother to Lami. You loved her to the very end, and someone with a heart as big as yours shouldn't let it go to waste."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying...can I be your secret Little Sister?" Law's jaw dropped as Aika blushed. "I know you have your cool, macho reputation. So, if you like, we can be secret siblings. When you're left to look after me, we'll have fun like you used to with Lami, and I'll spend as much time as I can with you. Even when our alliance ends I'll send you letters and call your snail so you wont' ever have to feel unloved again. Lami would want for you to love and feel loved again so...can I be the one to do it?" Law stared at her, absolutely astonished at what she'd just said. They stood in silence for a few long seconds before he smirked and wiped his eyes.

"You're as crazy as your brother." he grinned, as Aika's face split into a huge smile and she ran to embrace him again, only he returned the hug, a few tears escaping his eyes again but of joy this time.

"I love you, secret Big Brother." Aika said as she pecked his cheek.

"I love you too...secret Little Sister." Law smiled back.

"So should we get back to the ship? The others are probably worried." Aika said.

"What's the hurry? The dusk is still young, and it looked like you were having fun chasing those fireflies. Time flies when you have fun after all." Law grinned as Aika got his plan and grinned back.

"Tag! You're it!" she laughed as she ran off through the snow, before Law appeared in front of her and tagged her back. "Hey that's cheating! No rooms, Big Brother."

"Pirates don't follow rules." Law chuckled as Aika pursued him, the two enjoying their newfound bond together as the fireflies glittered around them, the night as young as it was meaningful.

The End