One of the rooms had been cleared out for the doctor's use and served as a makeshift clinic just for Luna. Other than her mother, LaClerc, and Luna, the only people who regularly came to this section of the castle were guards that patrolled the area.

When asked why the doctor would examine her on this side castle, Luna's mother told her that there was less of a chance someone would be listening in. Because she was a noble, she had to be private about her health.

Since the situation was so private, Akasuki-san was usually waved away before they got to the hallway with the room. Even though her maid was privy to the fact that Luna had health issues that plagued her, she wasn't aware of the specifics. If anything, she knew less than Luna did about her illnesses.

As usual, after they turned the first corner, Luna's mother turned to Akasuki-san.

"The kitchens require your assistance, your duties to Luna are finished for today," she said in a factual way.

Akasuki-san bowed to the group and walked away, disappearing around the corner they had just walked by.

Luna felt her hand now being grasped by her mother. When she looked up at her mothers cerulean eyes that matched her own, her mother gave a small smile before refocusing on the doctor who had continued to walk ahead.

Comforted in the warmth her mothers hand gave and the way it enveloped her smaller one, she followed suit.

They continued down the hall and made a few more turns before coming upon a large white door not unlike the rest that led to different rooms in the hallways of the castle. The only difference between this door and the rest was that it was locked. Once the front door was opened, it immediately led to another door with a den den mushi near the door handle that required further verification that the individual entering was actually permitted to be there.

The first door they walked through gave a small click as the doctor unlocked it and stepped aside, letting Luna and her mother in first.

As they all made their way inside and stopped at the next door, Luna looked around to examine the small space they were in while the adults fiddled with the den den mushi.

The room was mostly dark with the exception of a couple of small ceiling lights above the door they needed to go through next. Looking at the floor, there were grooves along the edges of the floor they were standing on, a promise to drop any intruders to their deaths. Luna didn't know exactly what awaited anyone who tried to break into this room but she'd been told the floor would give way the first time she'd asked about it. Any failure to successfully undo the den den mushi's security system would also trigger an alarm to go off and cause the rest of the castle to be on alert for intruders.

A small *ka-chack* sound broke the silence in the room and the gears inside the door could be heard turning, eventually stopping with another click. The doctor once again held open the door for them to walk through.

At first glance, the room didn't look any different than a typical examination room someone could find in any hospital. Luna knew better though, the computers in the room and the cabinets that lined one of the walls held the results for every test that she'd had. Data collected from every blood sample, sleep study, MRI, and other procedure was held in this room.

Of course, there was no way the room was filled with just her data, her mother and grandfather also had examinations done and eventually their files were moved here as Luna grew older and her procedures just kept increasing in frequency.

Her mother led her over to the examination table and helped her up the steps on the end of the table. The paper film that lined the top of the foam topper on the table gave a crinkling sound as Luna sat down and tried not to shiver from the chill in the room.

Once again grasping one of her hands firmly in between her own, Luna's mother stood closer to the head of the table while Dr. LaClerc walked over, pausing only to grab a stethoscope off a hook near the table.

The physical proceeded as it normally did, Luna would take deep breaths while the doctor closed his eyes and focused on the sounds. Her mother would squeeze her hand and rub her thumb over her small knuckles while staring at the wall behind Luna's head, jaw clenched.

Snapping her out of her thoughts, Dr. LaClerc said, "Alright, you can hop off now, I just need your height and weight," his usual voice sounding a bit tired.

Luna, however, didn't notice. She had always been a little shorter than other people her age, not abnormally so but just enough for her to notice there weren't many people she physically looked down at.

"Maybe I grew taller this time. It hasn't been that long since my last checkup but you never know."

Luna tried to control her expression and nerves as she slid off the table and stood on a nearby metal contraption and watched Dr. LaClerc start balancing the weights on the metal bar above her face.

He sighed through his nose before writing her weight and brought down a plate that was attached to the wall on a track to the top of her head that would tell him her height. While he was busy writing down numbers on a clipboard he'd pulled out of nowhere, Luna glanced at the wall to see if she'd grown.

"Rats. Still 110 cm. I know I shouldn't have expected much but how long is it gonna take to catch up to everyone else…"

Luna pouted and hopped off the scale as her mother and Dr. LaClerc guided her to two chairs that were placed in front of a desk on one side of the room. The desk had little knick knacks on it as well as folders stacked on top of each other, no doubt containing information Dr. LaClerc had yet to go over.

He took a seat on the other side or the desk while Luna and her mother sat opposite of him. She once again took her hand and gently squeezed it.

"As I mentioned to you before, I will refer you to a colleague who I believe is much more capable of treating Luna and finding out exactly what's going on with her body, or rather what isn't," he spoke in an uncharacteristically serious voice.

"I've reached the end of what's possible for me to do for you and as you are aware, this isn't a normal case of child development. Your father trusts the man with his life and -" he held up his hand as Luna's mother opened her mouth to say something, stopping her before continuing " I know you don't trust someone that close your father but he IS the best in the world at what he does, and he would stop at nothing to succeed with every patient."

There was a moment of silence after that as Dr. LaClerc allowed his words to sink in. Luna's mother had tightened her grip on Luna's hand and Luna was beginning to get uncomfortable. She wanted to pull her hand away and leave the room but the atmosphere of the room made her very uncomfortable and unwilling to make any movements that could draw attention to her.

The way they were discussing her as if she wasn't there made her feel as if she was being kept out of the loop but she was also afraid as to what she would find out if she pushed for answers.

"I understand. Thank you for all your help, you've always been kind to us knowing what and who Luna and I are when you didn't need to be. I know it's not easy coming here and even though you didn't have much of a choice, you've still at least acted like you care," Luna's mother said in a calm tone, even though her grip on Luna's said she was anything but.

"You've treated Luna like she was just another child and I can't thank you enough for that. I will go along with your referral because I trust you with my daughter and if that man is the kind of person you say he is, then I trust him too, " This time Luna's mother was more confident and she relaxed the hold she had on her daughter's hand.

Luna tried not to breathe a sigh of relief as her blood flow resumed in her poor hand as Dr. LaClerc gave a jolly smile.

"I am happy to hear that. Treating Luna has been a privilege and although there wasn't much I could do for her, I am grateful for the opportunity. You've got a wonderful little girl there, she's gonna grow up to be a smart woman one day!" Dr . LaCerc told her mother with a light chuckle, prompting her to give a small laugh in response.

"And you young lady," Luna stopped looking at her squished hand and looked at the doctor to see him leaning over his desk to peer at her, "I fully expect you to never lose that willingness to learn and eventually grow into a lovely woman like your mother here. Don't you go stressing out your mother and the boys your age you hear me?"

Luna nodded her head rapidly as the adults laughed at her reaction. They continued to have small talk and Luna felt her eyelids growing heavier, the activities she's gone through today had worn her out. The scraping of chair legs woke her up and she turned her head to see her mother getting out of her chair, gently pulling up Luna as Dr. LaClerc got out of his and walked over to the door, opening it for them.

At the doorway, Dr. LaClerc stuck out his hand and shook her mothers hand and then squatted a bit to shake Luna's. His overly large hand completely enveloped hers and made her feel as if she was wearing a baseball glove. But it was soft and had a warmth similar to her mothers.

Suddenly Luna began to feel tears gathering in the backs of her eyes and a knot forming in her throat. She didn't understand what was happening and why she was suddenly feeling this way but she had the feeling that she would not be seeing Dr. LaClerc again. It's not like he was her friend or anything but he was familiar. He was a kind familiar. It took most of Luna's concentration to fight the tears and look as calm as her mother did at the moment.

"I'll send the bloodwork and files to Dr. Exquemelin right away, he should get in contact with you soon after. I've always found Lionel to be quick with these sorts of things, no matter where he is. Last I heard from him he was in Sabaody Archipelago so he should be able to see you soon as well," Dr. LaClerk told her mother.

Luna's mother nodded, "Thank you again. Take your time finishing up whatever you need here and I'll send some people to take you back to the hospital."

And with those final words, Luna's mother began to walk through the doors and into the hallway. Luna was pulled along by her hand but looked back over her shoulder at the doctor just in case her fears were correct and she never would see him again. As they walked further away from the makeshift exam room, Luna briefly locked eyes with the doctor as he was closing the door. He had a tired look about him, like he had a large burden on his shoulders that he was too weak to carry. He looked very different from the joyful man that often spoke to her as she was put through unforgettable and often painful procedures. However, as soon as their eyes met, Dr. LaClerc gave her a small smile that made his eyes twinkle and gave her a short salute which Luna returned as best as she could while walking away. Dr. LaCerc gave her a wink and then closed the door as her and her mother walked around the corner and out of view of the room.

The walk back to the main hall was quiet. The slaves that were busy dusting and tidying up the castle were the only ones making noise as Luna and her mother walked. It was like the castle had become colder, colder than how it usually felt. Luna was confused on what the past hour meant for her but she was sure it wasn't good news.

They made their way up a staircase and towards Luna's room. Her mother usually asked her how her day was and Luna expected her to ask if she met anyone at the meet but her mother said nothing. It was like she was waiting until they were behind closed doors, and Luna was correct. When they got to Luna's bedroom door, her mother sighed again before opening it, letting her daughter in first before closing the door behind her.

She walked over to the bed and patted the spot next to her. Luna, who had been standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, quickly walked over and sat next to her mother.

"You know how I told you last year there was a reason you had to see the doctor more often than other kids your age, right?" Luna's mother had turned and looked at her as she said this, bumping their knees together.

Luna hummed as she thought back to their conversation last year. She remembered her mother telling her how she wasn't growing as normally as other kids and that because of their bloodline, it caused issues for her inside her body. She had explained that other kids didn't feel tired as much as she did, nor did they have coughing fits that appeared out of nowhere. They also didn't have to have surgeries or exams to look at their insides to see what was wrong.

"I remember. You said there was something wrong in here," Luna gestured towards her chest with one of her hands. "You said that you and grandpa are special but because my daddy wasn't, that made something inside you go wrong. You said that I shouldn't be scared because this has happened before."

Her mother sighed a breath of relief, "Yes, that's what I said. Sometimes I underestimate how much you actually remember." She cleared her throat and leaned back so she was lying on Luna's bed. Luna copied her and snuggled up to her side, cherishing the opportunity as her mother was often busy with other duties and her younger brother and sister.

Luna relaxed as her mother put an arm over her shoulder, letting her rest her head on her mothers shoulder.

"But why are you asking me about what you said last year?" Luna asked her mother, peering up at her.

"Shh, I'm getting to that," gently chided her mother, who began to stroke her hair. "Dr. LaClerc was your doctor for years but he doesn't really know how to solve the problems you have, but that doesn't mean no one else can either."

"So am I getting a new doctor?"

"Yes. He is actually someone your grandfather trusts very much and perhaps one day you will too." Her mothers voice trailed off as she kept her face facing the canopy of her bed, not giving Luna an opportunity to read her face. "He's special like us but he's also not like us if that makes sense."

"...It doesn't make sense."

At Luna's reply, her mother let out a laugh, "I meant that he has a power that allows him to be the best at his job but it's not like ours because we were born with our powers, they weren't found. You'll understand when you awaken your powers, don't worry too much."

Luna furrowed her brow, not understanding a word. "What power? I know my mother can do things others can't but I don't understand what she means with the doctor."

"I'm still confused," Luna grumbled, now frustrated. "Does that have anything to do with your hair?" She decided to just ask her mother since it seemed like she rarely got the opportunity to ask her mother about her past and her power.

Her mothers chuckles faded and she lowered her hand to squeeze her shoulder. "Like I told you before, stress is what changed my hair...but I guess my power had its part in the color as well. I want you to understand that the reason I may seem like I'm leaving certain things out isn't because I think you're too young, but because your skills aren't where they need to be to hear such a story."

Luna hummed as she tried to process what her mother was saying.

"So, tell me, how did your meet and greet today go?" her mother turned to her side to look at Luna better.

Excited to show off the connection she'd made today and the people she'd been told about, she spoke in a rushed pace about Elizabeth and the other nobles Elizabeth told her about. Her mother nodded as Luna mentioned her dislike of Charlos and the conversation on the worth of metals she had listened to.

Luna's eyes wandered as she wondered if she should mention the gossip Elizabeth had shared with her today about Charlos' lineage but the comment about "dirty blood" had been bothering her for reasons she wasn't sure of.

"You look like you have something more to say?" Her mother questioned in a quiet voice, bringing Luna's gaze back up to her own face.

"...Is it true that people can have dirty blood? Elizabeth mentioned rumors about Charlos' true parents and she said that because we're supposed to be descendants of gods, anything lower would taint us." Luna didn't say much more because her mother's pale face went from curious to angry and back to calm in what seemed a second.

"First of all, the idea of dirty blood is ridiculous, not to mention insulting to the majority of the world. It's just untrue." Her mother continued, "the society we're in encourages this kind of thinking because we are at the top of the world in terms of who holds power and that means we can't let anyone take that from us. I never want to hear you think that way, you understand?"

"Yes mother," Luna sighed internally, she shouldn't have mentioned anything. She didn't share the same opinion as Elizabeth but she just wanted her mother's opinion, not a lecture.

"Besides, you shouldn't even be thinking of such things. Your father was a good man who was killed by pirates because the marines couldn't do their jobs properly." Her mother went on with a huff, "Dirty blood? What a joke. Don't let anyone try to accuse you of the same."

Luna stayed quiet, her mother always had more liberal views and was clearly bothered by the term so in order to avoid another lecture she just stayed quiet. No point poking an angry bear.

Her mother sat herself up and stretched her arms over her head, turning her head to glance at the clock on one side of the room. They had been talking for longer than they realized and it was now almost dinnertime.

Luna wasn't particularly hungry but she knew she wouldn't be excused from the table just because she didn't have an appetite. Especially after the events earlier and the doctor appointment.

"Well then, let's go to dinner now, no point in making Akasuki or anyone else walk all the way here just to fetch us," and with that her mother got off Luna's bed and watched Luna do the same, eyes looking for any dizziness or signs her body was giving out. Luna appreciated that her mother cared so much but sometimes it was mentally draining, to always feel as if she was being watched as if she would suddenly fall over and die.

The two made their way to the dining room to find her stepfather and siblings just getting seated. Akasuki-san was making her way to the front door Luna and her mother had walked through, stopping abruptly when she saw them. No longer needing to go find them, she gave Luna a small smile and bowed to her mother before turning around and heading back to the kitchens.

Her mother ignored Akasuki-san and made her way to the table, sitting on one of the chairs on the sides. The chair at the end was still empty, signalling that her grandfather hadn't arrived yet.

Her siblings, Akuno and Himiko were sitting side by side looking like a perfect pair of fraternal twins, dressed impeccably for dinner, backs straight, and hands on their laps. They were only five years old but manners had been drilled into them at an early age, something her stepfather liked to bring up whenever he thought Luna wasn't acting properly, "whatever that was supposed to mean", she thought to herself.

The twins were sitting across from their parents so she sat down next to Himiko, the twin she thought was easier to get along with. Her and Akuno's relationship was always a little uncomfortable, maybe he thought girls were icky. Seeing her mother sitting directly across Himiko and her stepfather sitting directly across Akuno made her feel like she was standing out as the 5th member. The chair across from her remained empty and she was sitting the furthest from the chair her grandfather would sit in.

"Oh the curse of being the eldest", she comforted herself.

"So Luna, how did your job this morning go?" her stepfather asked. Luna knew what he was really fishing for. He just wanted to know if she'd made any valuable connections. He never asked the questions he wanted to ask outright. Whenever he was blunt, it was always to hurt others, something she'd experienced and seen.

So Luna reiterated what she'd told her mother, only with a more neutral and straight to the point sort of way. There was no point in sharing some of the things she'd found interesting as he would likely ignore them. When she mentioned the family Elizabeth was from, he scoffed.

"That's as expected from you, I shouldn't be surprised." He said in a condescending way, which Luna wasn't sure she should take personally. "That family isn't normal so of course you'd be drawn to them", he continued.

While her siblings snickered, Luna looked down at her place mat, feeling embarrassed for some reason. She didn't think Elizabeth was strange and she never gave her a reason to think the Donquixote family "isn't normal", as her stepfather put it.

Her mother shushed the twins and turned to her husband, "Thomas, you shouldn't speak of any noble families like that. Even with the positions we have, it wouldn't be good to stir the pot."

Luna was grateful for her intervention but her stepfather's response dampened that feeling.

"You're too easy on her, Luca. She should show how grateful she is to be a part of this family by actually putting in the work and making valuable connections, not faux friendships with nutcases." His words were cold and Luna never felt as angry at him as she did today. She had prepared so much for today and her mother made her feel as if she accomplished something. Now, her mother's lack of response to that only made her mood plummet as she continued to stare at the table and fisted the tablecloth that had bunched on her knees when she took a seat.

The sound of a door opening broke the awkward silence as her grandfather made his way into the room, black robes flowing behind him as he walked briskly into the room, his servants following behind him.

Everyone at the table got up as he made his way to the chair at the end and only sat down again after he took a seat. The servants in the kitchen quickly came out with silver platters stacked with food and bottles of wine. Before Luna had much time to linger on what her stepfather had said, food was placed in front of her and a hand appeared beside her, placing a glass of juice, mixed just for her. Luna glanced up at the hands owner and saw Akasuki-san hurrying back to the kitchen.

Soon the clinging of forks and chewing filled the rooms as everyone began eating. Luna dared a glance at her grandfather to find him exchanging glances with her mother. She quickly looked back down at her full plate and got to work, taking as large bites as she could without being rude, wanting to leave the dining room as soon as possible. She knew that if the children finished their food first, they would be sent away so the adults could talk amongst themselves. Glancing over at the twins, she saw that they were already about halfway done with their dinners, clearly wanting to leave as well.

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought Luna's attention back to the end of the table. Her grandfathers piercing eyes locked on her own and froze her in place, "I received word that Dr. Exquemelin would be seen around here more often", he said with a cold, deep voice.

"Yes, Dr. LaClerc believed that he had reached a wall and Dr. Exquemelin would be the better fit for Luna," her mother replied, even though the question seemed like it was aimed at Luna to answer. Her grandfather dragged his eyes off her and focussed on her mother.

"Is that so? Well, Dr. Exquemelin is always welcome around these parts of the world," her stepfather said, before taking of wine.

Her grandfather ignored his son in law's comment and looked back at Luna. "You will go back to your room after dinner and prepare for someone to come fetch you soon after. We may as well start on your lessons now. I feel you are ready," her grandfather's voice gave nothing away.

Luna had been told by her mother that she would be receiving lessons at some point but had no idea what they would pertain to. A glance at her mother told her that her mother disagreed with her grandfather's final statement.

"Please reconsider, she's still too young. The lessons wouldn't benefit her or us at this point," her mother argued, face no longer resembling the relaxed look she had when she was talking with Luna in her room earlier.

"On the contrary, this is the perfect time to see if she has any potential. If she's going to die anyway, why bother waiting? May as well take advantage of Dr. Exquemelin's presence as well," her grandfather countered, knowing that no matter what, he would get his way.

Meanwhile, Luna's blood had run cold. What was he saying? "I'm going to die?" She felt her stomach twist dangerously at the thought. But her mother had told her earlier she would be fine. She glanced at her mother for confirmation but she pointedly avoided making eye contact with her.

Luna barely noticed the servants that came by picking up her and her siblings' plates, Luna having finished her food earlier while the adults were talking. With a wave of his hand, her grandfather dismissed them. Akasuki-san and the other assigned servants helped pull out the childrens' chairs and began escorting them back to their rooms.

Mind in a fog, Luna was in her room before she realized it. Akasuki-san was pushing her into the bathroom to change into more appropriate clothes for her lessons.

"You aren't going to die. Don't let those words get to you, you won't die," Akasuki-san's quiet words of reassurance did little to make Luna feel better. She felt as if someone had dumped cold water on her head. Her grandfather was blunt but he had never said that in front of her before. The thought of having to be around him again so soon was making her feel so ill she thought her dinner was going to come back up.

"Luna!" Akasuki-san's shout woke her up from her mental fog. She had been trying to push a comfy sweater and joggers in her hands while Luna had stood frozen.

"You need to listen to me. Dr. Exquemelin is the expert here, no one else is better than him. You can't give up so easily when he isn't giving up on you." Akasuki-san's words made sense but emotions weren't so rational.

"He doesn't even know me, what if he does give up? What if my grandfather is right?" Luna could feel her throat closing and her eyes sting.

"Everyone dies, I'll die, the other servants will die, your family, your friends will all die one day. It's the one thing everyone, poor and rich, will experience at one point in their lives. That was nothing more than a scare tactic, you already went through so much today and even made a friend, are you really going to give up now because of some mean words?" Akasuki-san's pep talk was getting through to Luna as she felt herself relax a bit.

"No, I'm not…" Luna replied quietly. She took the clothes Akasuki-san was pushing at her and began to change. Like the meeting, the lessons that awaited her would be just another job for her today.

Authors Note:

I got a job! I graduated in December of 2020 and have been looking since. In the last month and a half I've moved away from home, got a job, and started looking at cats so my Bean can have a fellow feline friend.

See ya in 2-4 weeks.

P.S. T.S. Eliot was a jerk so the name Thomas was appropriate. Also the middle name Stern fits.