Leila awoke in a small room, resting on a white bed with a cold compress against her forehead. She groaned as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, every muscle in her body was screaming at her and her throat felt tight.

She glanced around the small clinical room and recognized it immediately. She was on the Strawhats ship. As she took a moment, the memories of the events before rushed back to her. She felt sick to her stomach, yet at the same time, she felt peaceful. She didn't feel like crying and she didn't feel like celebrating. It had just happened, and it was finished, and she was at peace with that.

The door creaked open and Leila looked but didn't see anyone. She heard a throat clear and she looked down to see Chopper trotting in with his medical bag. She smiled warmly.

"How are you feeling?" His little eyes shone up at her, jumping onto the chair beside her and taking off her damp cloth to change it with another.

"I'm okay. Overwhelmed" She confesses, glancing at the skilled doctor who was observing her worriedly.

"I heard all about it…" He mentioned quietly. "You passed out due to loss of blood"

"How long have I been out?"

"A couple days"

"…And Law?" She asked Chopper quietly, making him smile.

"He's on board – as soon as I tell everyone you're awake you're going to be bombarded. I thought I'd give you a moment to wake up…"

Leila stayed silent as Chopper concentrated on patching her up. The door creaked open once more and she saw Nami peek her head around. As soon as she saw Leila sitting upright her eyes welled up with tears and she rushed towards her friend, pulling her into a hug as she cried.

"Oh thank god you're awaaake" She cried, burying her head into the crook of her neck.

"Hey, Nami! Be careful she's still injured" Chopper scolded her. Soon, everyone was in the small clinic.

Franky sobbed in the corner, wiping his tears. "You were so braaaaveee". Robin stood beside him and smiled, rubbing him on the shoulder. Soon, Luffy bounced onto the end of her bed.

"You sure you're okay?" He asked her, with a surprisingly serious expression on his face. Leila smiled, feeling emotional from her friends display of love and care.

"Thanks to all of you, of course" Leila wiped her eyes. Looking around the room Law was nowhere to be seen – nor was Zoro. She turned to Chopper with hopeful eyes. "Can I walk around the ship for a bit? My legs are stiff"

Chopper thought about it pensively but nodded. "Not for long – you're in really bad shape"

As Leila pushed through the pain to stand up she crept slowly out of the clinic – disguising her pain in order to find Law. As soon as she left the room and shut the door behind her she noticed Zoro leaning against the wall, a complicated expression on his face.

"O-oh…" Leila murmured, slightly surprised to see him. "I was wondering where you were…"

He stayed silent for a moment but met her eyes with a careful gaze. "Is that why you come out here?"

"…No."

"Thought so" He smirked. "Leila…I think you should stay with us"

"What are you talking about" She sighed, somewhat frazzled.

"You know you're safe with us – right? We're all your friends; we'd take care of you"

"I don't need you to take care of me" She snapped, her golden eyes warning him silently.

"…Seriously?"

"I love you all. I do. But I've got a place to return to now" She smiled sadly, making small steps towards Zoro and cupping his cheek in her hand. "Thank you for looking out for me…but I don't need you to anymore"

Zoro swallowed and adverted his gaze. As she removed her hand he nodded silently, communicating he understood. "Fine".

Leila smiled at him warmly but she ultimately walked past him and onto the deck, leaving Zoro leaning against the wall. Sanji came out of the room to watch him carefully, his arms over his chest as a cigarette burnt between his lips.

"Don't even say anything – I can feel your smugness already" Zoro groaned.

"I wasn't gonna…" Sanji smirked.

Leila let out an unsteady breath as she climbed up the stairs to the deck. Her body was in worse shape than she thought but she didn't care. She wanted Law. She needed him. As soon as she reached the deck the cold air hit her lungs like a ton of bricks – she had been underground for so long that she felt like she could cry from the sensation.

"You're up?" A deep voice called out to her from above. Leila turned swiftly, her dark locks blowing in the wind as she saw Law looking down at her from the balcony. Her heart swelled as she saw his dark features glint at her. "Hey trouble"

Leila's eyes welled up as tears threatened to overspill from her eyes. "Get down here, I can't climb up to you, I don't have the energy"

Law laughed and abided by her command, jumping down and enveloping her in a tight hug. She clung onto him, her hands gripping onto his top as she buried her face into his chest. His hand came to the back of her head, holding her close as he took her in. She immediately mellowed in his arms, his familiar scent calmed her.

"How are you feeling?" He brushed his fingers against her short strands of hair as he pressed a kiss against her forehead.

"I'm okay…" She murmured, shivering slightly at the warmth his fingers were giving her as they grazed against her skin. Her body still ached in numerous places; cuts and bruises still fresh and prominent.

"Liar" He retorted, his eyes analyzing her pained expression.

"If you could tell then why ask me…" She smirked. Law's fingers rubbed against her cheek lovingly but Leila could tell he was nervous. "What about you? I can see you're not alright just by looking at you"

"…I was scared" he confessed, his eyes darkening. "I was so scared of losing you". Leila watched absolutely speechless and Law's eyes revealed slight moistness. She had never seen him cry. He had such a cold exterior that it was rare to know what he was thinking or feeling – but she had known him long enough; he was torn up inside.

"I'm sorry" She grabbed his hand, pressing a kiss against his palm. "I'm sorry to put you through this, I'm sorry to put you through pain."

Law shook his head, averting his gaze. "I'm just glad I reached you in time. I was scared you were going to resent me for taking so long to find you"

"I could never resent you. I love you" She pressed his palm against her cheek, a sense of comfort washing over her as she recalled the treacherous events. "…I always hoped you'd come and find me, you said you would after all"

Law stiffened but let out a long sigh at her words. Without warning he pressed himself against her, capturing her lips with his. "I don't know what I would do without you. When I realized you were gone I felt like I was going insane"

Leila felt insane guilt about everything that had happened. However, there wasn't any overhanging threat now – she was finally free to do what she wants and live how she likes. It almost didn't feel real - she couldn't suddenly be okay.

"Leila-ya…" Law murmured breathlessly. Leila met his cold eyes and her heart rate increased greatly as she looked at her handsome partner. "Stay with me"

"Of course, I don't want to be anywhere else" She went onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his once more. Law smiled against her lips, his hand coming to the back of her neck to hold her securely in place.

"I love you. I love you so much" He whispered against her lips, lifting her off the floor as he hugged her. She laughed happily as he spun her. Although it would take her a while to traverse her path of recovery, with Law, it didn't feel so hard.

A few weeks later

Leila sat on the deck of the Heart Pirate's submarine, all of Law's crew surrounding her. They were watching her worriedly, some looking away whilst others never did – concentrating solely on her shoulderblade. They were concentrated on one thing - Xander's branding sealed into her skin.

Once Law had found out, furious was an understatement. The crew solely avoided him for over a week. It didn't make Leila feel any better about it either – it was the whole reason why she didn't want to tell him. But it was near impossible to hide it, given their relationship. However, he did propose an idea. He was nervous asking, but his confidence shone through as usual when he asked – 'Why don't we brand over it?'

It took her a while to respond, but she honestly couldn't think of a better solution. A part of her wanted to have the Heart Pirates Jolly Roger somewhere on her person – whether that be on a clothing or her skin. Now, sitting on the deck with her back exposed, she was beginning to realise the reality of the situation. Law sat behind her on a barrel, insisting he would be the one to do it. She didn't fight him on it - she knew she would be in good hands.

"Are you sure?" Law asked, tentative to inflict more pain on her. She didn't look at him but nodded furiously.

"Leila-ya…" He warned, not wanting her to make a rash decision.

"Can we just do it? I don't want to think about it anymore" She snapped as her leg fidgeted up and down. Law sighed and set his things down, clearly not making any move to do it. Once she realized he had stopped, she turned to him with a scowl on her face.

Law rested his hand on her shoulder, rubbing it soothingly. "This is permanent, that's why I'm making sure. Once it's done – that's it. It'll be hard to cover up twice"

"Why would I want to cover it up?" She asked him astounded. Law didn't say anything but continued to look at her. He wasn't going to admit he was scared she would change her mind - that she would leave him.

"I'm just making sure" He sighed, hands held up in defeat at her ferocity. She was much like a feral cat in these situations; completely on edge and treating anyone near her with the upmost caution and impatience. She turned back around and squeezed her palms together, readying for searing pain that was about to coarse through her body. She flinched when she felt something warm press against her, but it wasn't hot in the slightest. Law pressed his lips against her branding, hand resting on her hip.

"You aren't helping…" She murmured, her heart rate increasing the longer it was dragging on. He kissed her once more and cleared his throat.

"Alright. We're going in" The blazing sound of hot rocks prickled in her ears and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Unforgettable memories.

Penguin moved to sit in front of her, bending down onto his knees. "Hey, you can squeeze me if you want – bite me. Anything"

Leila laughed and nodded in thanks, taking ahold of his arm as she closed her eyes.

"So…what do you think?" Law murmured against her skin, smoothing cream around the edges of the branded skin.

Leila turned and glanced in the mirror, flinching in pain and gritting her teeth as she contorted her body to see. Indeed, the Heart Pirates Jolly Roger was now implanted on her skin. She smiled subtly and nodded.

"Much better"

"Yeah?" Law smiled, still hesitant as he looked at her wound. "I tried to do it as quick as I could – I didn't expect your devil horns to come out though". He grasped at her tail playfully and she yelped in surprise, smacking his hand away.

"Well what do you expect? My body was traumatized…" She murmured, glancing at herself in the mirror. Indeed, once the hot brand had met her skin her ears and tail both arose from her skin. She didn't even notice, she had her eyes squeezed shut as she clung onto Penguins arm that had to be bandaged.

"I rarely see them, it's kind of nice" Law admitted, although he remembered how dangerous she was with her recent exploits. They hadn't talked about her awakening yet, it seems she didn't plan to either. She didn't seem to care.

Law pulled her onto his lap to which she obliged happily, itnerlacing her arms around his neck.

"Thank you, it must have been hard for you as well" She said, stroking his dark hair back with her hand soothingly. Law dismissed her with a wave and let his forehead rest against her bare shoulder.

"You're one of us now, you're not going anywhere" He told her seriously, his arms now tightening around her waist. Leila chuckled.

"I know that" She comforted him. "Besides…you're acting as if you'd let me go anyway?"

"Not a chance in hell" He scoffed, looking up at her with an unreadable expression.

"Law…" She spoke with a tone of seriousness, making him attentive to her like a puppy. "It won't be easy…loving me, I mean"

He stayed quiet for a moment, reading into her gaze that was filled with affection yet still contained deep levels of hurt. She felt somewhat embarrassed, looking away and shifting in his lap.

"You're right" He admitted, making her glance at him worriedly. "But I've loved you for far too long for that to matter. I don't see you as a hassle or a challenge - you're just my life now. When you're not feeling strong enough then I'll step up. They'll be times where you have to as well"

She didn't have any words. She just stared at this man, this one who had come into her life so abruptly and turned everything upside down. He had changed her life completely.

"Thank you Law" She spoke sweetly, her melodic voice soothing him instantly. She was incredibly charming when she tried to be – it was almost criminal.

In one fell swoop he lifted her up, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist. He spoke into her ear, nuzzling her. "Besides, you should know by now that I don't like things the easy way"