Dr. Heart Stealer
Ch26: A Realization of Awe
Law was shocked from Harmony's words, the words that had just saved one of his crew member's lives. Sadao would be in her debt, and for a long time to, even if she didn't remember it later on.
"Hiro, grab Harmony, then let's all get out of here!" Law shouted. Everyone nodded, and with tears in her eyes, Harmony was snatched away from her new friend and taken with the retreating Heart Pirates.
As Hiro ran with Harmony in his arms, his white shirt became stained by tears, and crumpled by the young girl's constant thrashing. His semi-soothing words were said in vain, nothing could calm the girl.
"RIN! RIN!" she would cry, only stopping when her throat became so dry that she was unable to scream for the marine any longer. Yet her sobs remained, and even more loud and dismal than before.
"It's okay, you're safe now. You're with your friends now. She won't be able to hurt you any longer," Hiro said, another failed attempt to allay her. She turned her face to look him in the eyes.
"You know nothing!" she spat. "She was kind and generous, while you only took from me. Don't act like you're saving me, filthy pirate! Now unhand me!" she yelled. Hiro was hurt emotionally, but wouldn't show it now. For the time being, he had the task of saving Harmony from the marines.
"Shut up," he said with a calm voice, obviously trying to hold in his usually childish emotions. "You have no idea what would have happened if you had stayed more than six days... we would never allow that to happen! You have to trust us, Harmony!" he yelled. Harmony gave him a hard glare that could kill a thousand.
"I have never trusted any of you," she said. Her voice was cold and oddly mature, as if the age set back was reversed for just that moment. Hiro had to look down to make sure that she was still in a young form, and indeed she was. Harmony turned her head to look where Hiro was carrying her, attempting to memorize the route they were taking.
If nothing else, she would simply escape again.
She shifted her eyes to look back to Hiro's face when she felt something wet hit her cheek. Hiro's eyes were watery and dripping down his face like rivers, his mouth was set in a frown. This all surprised Harmony mildly, she had never seen the childish man cry.
"I promise you. You will never ever be treated like that again. You just have to trust me... okay, Harmony?" he asked. She shook in his arms, although Hiro didn't know know if it was from anger or tears or coldness, which made little sense as they were on a summer island.
But no, he was wrong on all accounts.
She was laughing.
"You're still funny. I still don't trust you, but I won't run away this time," Harmony said with a smile, although the words 'won't run away? Ha! The moment you turn your back, you can search all you want, but you will never find me again.' ran through her mind like a determined track athlete never able to find the finish line.
"I'm glad. Can you stand up and run? It would be faster, and I'm getting tired," Hiro ask kindly.
"Yeah sure," Harmony responded. Hiro set her down and grabbed her hand. They set off running to where the rest of the crew was staying, and Harmony didn't even try to escape.
'Your trust will be your downfall, Hiro.'
~X~X~X~
The hotel outside of town was bustling with pirates, some coming to see Harmony, some coming to get new orders. When Hiro arrived inside with Harmony trailing behind, a crowd of people rushed over to them. Questions were thrown at the blonde like baseballs.
"Are you okay?"
"How did you get out of the sub? I know I locked it..."
"Is it true, were you with some marines?"
"Why did you leave?"
Although there was one statement that stood out amongst the questions.
"Captain was so worried! Please never do that again, when he found out that you were with the marines... well, it wasn't pretty."
Harmony had no idea who said it, but for some reason after that was said a tear fell down her cheek. Panic arose in the pirates. The girl placed a hand on her cheek in surprise.
'A tear? Why am I crying? I don't even cry around my parents... I'm not hurt, nor am I sad... Why? Why am I crying?' Harmony wondered, something inside of her screamed to be let out. Although she didn't know what was screaming, it was like there was someone else in her heart, or soul, or something, trying to break free. The feeling clawed at her and made more tears fall. 'I haven't cried in years... Why now?'
A cough was heard from behind the crowd. Everyone in the crew stopped and looked behind them. Law was standing there with his arms crossed, and Bepo next to his side holding Law's nodachi in his paws.
"Harmony-ya, I was told that you were found with marines. Is that right?" he asked in anger. Harmony smiled at him sweetly, a bit too sweetly.
"Yes, yes I was. And just so you know one of my friends is a marine, her name is Rin. She is much better than you will ever be, so please don't even try... wait do try," she said. Law glared at her while Hiro was blabbering on about how she promised to not run away, and could be trusted. Law's glare only became more sinister at the unnecessary rambling. Hiro shut up when it became directed at him.
"Well, I'm certain that there is nothing that she can do as well as me," Logan, the guy who had the whip, gloated.
"... Be a girl for me to talk to? How about randomly buying me ice cream out of the kindness of your own heart? Allowing me to borrow your clothes because I don't have any? I'm sure you couldn't pull any of that off," she hissed the words like an angry, venomous snake. Law was taken back but said nothing, he simply walked away with an air of fake calm.
"This is going to be a long four more days..." Jake muttered.
"Law said that it could last longer than that," Sadao said while examining his nails. Jake groaned in annoyance.
~X~Four days later~X~
The next three days drifted by like wind through the treetops, constantly ruffling the leaves that may not have wanted to be messed with. A shrill cry came from somewhere down the corridor.
"Get back here! I wasn't done petting you! Polar bear!"
Bepo came running from that direction with speed that might have been thought impossible for an animal of his weight and size. As well as an enraged Harmony hot on his fluffy heels. The girl jumped onto his back like a monkey, and threw slightly off balance with the weight behind the hit.
"Ah... so soft, I can see why Law likes to use you as a sofa," Harmony said in bliss. While Harmony was distracted with Bepo, Law and 'trustworthy group' sat in a comfortable corner of the large commons room.
"Law-kun, how much longer do you think it will be before she changes back?" Jake asked.
"It should only be a few more days right captain?" Masanori said. Law nodded.
"Yes, only a few more days. Tomorrow we will have to keep a close eye on her, the two weeks will be up then, but she might still be like... this for awhile. Only time will tell," Law responded. The 'trustworthy group' nodded.
"Tomorrow, tomorrow my sister will go back to normal and I can talk to her like a normal person again," Jake sighed happily.
"My little helper will be back, and I won't have to set tables," Masanori said gleefully.
"What are you talking about old geezer? She's going to help me prepare food for you idiots! And also fix my apron..." Hiro said.
"Hm... No more whining about us being captors," Sadao said, his face stoic as it usually was before Kazue boarded the submarine.
"Yeah, and the festival will be in full swing soon..." Law said.
The group got up and looked to each other before they left the hotel silently, all with the same idea in mind.
Harmony was still playing with the polar bear's hair before the pirate captain approached her. He crouched down in front of her so they were eye to glaring eye.
"What do you want? If you can't tell, I am busy," Harmony nearly growled at Law as she continued to stroke the polar bears fur.
"I need my bear back Harmony-ya. I'm going to the city, and I'll need my sword," he told her. She turned her head away from him in anger.
"No! You have two arms, carry it yourself," she sneered.
"Bepo, we're leaving." With that said, Law stood from his crouch and walked to the door. The bear was getting up, complaining child and all, to go follow Law. Harmony scrambled to get on the bears shoulders when he got outside.
~X~X~X~
The overly hot streets of the rambunctious city were crowded with people, making it hard for Law and Bepo to walk down the streets. They were looking for one shop in particular, with little luck, and the never-ceasing string of complaints coming from Harmony's mouth did little help to Law's slowly raging temper. Yet another 'Where are we going?' fell from Harmony's mouth, and it was finally enough to make him snap.
"Shut up. We are not there, and probably won't be for another hour or so. If you can't learn how to be quiet in the next ten seconds, I will gladly drop you off at that marines base and leave you for dead tomorrow!" Law said with his anger only lightly controlled.
"Good! I want to go back there! She was nice and let me use her clothes! I haven't changed for days, I hate it!" Harmony screeched.
"Well we're trying to get you new clothes, but you don't know how to shut up, and I'm having second thoughts," Law muttered loudly. Harmony shut up after that, seeming to favor glaring off to the side instead of talking.
They arrived at a little boutique about an hour later, called 'Little Gunner's Boutique'.
"Why is everything here so... gun related?" Harmony asked a bit angrily.
"Because it's an island full of sharpshooters and snipers," Law responded.
The trio walked inside. Harmony gasped in awe of the clothes on shelves and racks along the store walls. She looked to Law with wide excited eyes, shopping for clothes always made her feel giddy and excited.
"Anything I want?" she asked, voice leaking the hopefulness that she was hoping to hide. Law nodded.
"Anything."
Harmony jumped off of Bepo's shoulders and made a dash to the closest shelf that had tee-shirts her size. She held up shirt after shirt to her self in front of various mirrors around the room. She took piles of clothes to the changing room towards the back of the store. She walked out in each outfit asking Bepo if it looked nice, never sparing Law a glance, then again, Law wasn't next to Bepo like she had assumed he would be. He was roaming the store looking at anything black or yellow or fuzzy, occasionally gently setting an article of clothing on his arm.
Eventually, what seemed to be hours later to Law, Harmony had a heap of clothes that she wanted. Law motioned for her to follow him, she did as told without any complaints. Law walked towards the door of the store, his few choices for Harmony in a little basket that he had also put Harmony's own choices into. She stopped when he was reaching for the door handle.
"Wait. Aren't we going to pay?" she asked. Law looked over to her and sighed.
"No, we're pirates, we take what we want, when we want. You wanted new clothes, you got new clothes. But I'm not paying for something as common as clothing," Law told her, he opened the door to the store and walked out no emotion on his face besides the usual smirk that was plastered onto his face. Harmony was a bit shaken up by the thought of not paying for her clothes, but also didn't want to be left behind.
"Wait! You can't just leave without paying! Get back here or I'll call the marines!" the clerk yelled. Law paid her no mind and continued on his way, Harmony trailing behind him like a lost duckling.
In only minutes a swarm of low-ranking marines had surrounded them.
"Don't move pirate! We have you surrounded! Let the girl go and return the clothes, then maybe we won't have to give too long of a sentence in Impel Down!" a random marine yelled, earning an annoyed sigh from Law.
"Harmony-ya, get behind me and don't move no matter what," Law instructed. Harmony made her way to his back.
"I thought we told you to let her go!" a marine yelled.
"Room." A light blue dome encased the soilders as well as Harmony, Law, and Bepo.
Shiiing.
A sword was drawn, Harmony guessed that it was Law's nodachi, but had no way of knowing while they were back to back. Law's arm moved rapidly as he made slices through the air, seemingly at random.
"Shambles." Once again, it was Law's voice.
Screams, high-pitched screams that could drive someone mad if it was heard often enough. She moved slightly to look around Law.
"Stay still, I don't want to have to put you back together," Law said. She returned to her original place but looked up. Limbs were flying around like trees in a twister, severed heads shouted about the weirdness of it all, an occasional barrel was seen being thrown around the 'room' Law had created. People began to connect back together strangely, one person had a leg for an arm and a slightly more tan leg than he had before, another had a barrel for his body while he was missing an arm and a leg, someone had the missing arm and leg where they shouldn't go. It wasn't pretty, but it made Harmony smile.
She shouldn't have been smiling, but the fact that he was trying to protect her sank in. As well as the fact that she was definitely no longer in her world where this was all just an anime.
No, this was real.
~X~X~X~
~X~X~X~
A/N: So.. what has it been a month and some change? Hahahaha... I love you guys? Anyway, I had this all written out and awesomeness but now I'm to lazy to rewrite this author's note... even with a better wifi getter thingy, my internet still hates me... By the way, who enjoyed my wanna be battle? Well to be honest it was really just Harmony's "shocking realization"... Until next time, keep being awesome!