A Few Days Later

Ash stirred awake from what felt like an incredibly deep sleep. The sort where your body feels warm but is too heavy to move. She blinked slowly, staring up at the wide ceiling set with dim lights. Her brow knit together as her head felt foggy and her thoughts were disoriented. It was a strange sensation, to experience a sense of urgency, but not quite understanding why.

She heard a frustrated growl off to her left and slowly turned her head towards it. Law was seated at a small workstation, hunched over with his shoulders up over his ears. "What kind of idiot puts foxglove and cyanide in the same solution?" He grumbled irritably under his breath. "Talk about overkill, either one is deadly enough on its own." Followed by a faint string of curses that were barely audible. There were papers strewn about, rippling softly in a gentle breeze created by a small fan mounted on the wall and aimed towards him. Various pieces of medical equipment surrounded him on all sides; as well as a rack of colored vials, a microscope, and a few x-ray print outs tacked up on the wall before him. The gentle whirring of a centrifuge sounded beside him. Once finished, he took out the vials there and set them on a separate rack. More from the other rack were inserted and the top closed down to commence another cycle.

He grabbed an eye dropper from a nearby jar and created a few test strips from vials. He pushed off, sliding the small swivel stool toward the microscope on the far end of the table. He went through each one, grumbling all the while, a mix between puzzling aloud and simmering irritation. "That better…not…be what I think…it is…" he groused in slow monotone. "Stupid blundering fools!" He burst out angrily as he face-palmed hard. "Levels like that should have caused instant death! How did they screw it up this badly? Can't they do anything right?"

It was such a comical sight to witness that it made her smile. A faint giggle formed in her throat which created a terrible grating cough. It hurt so badly to breathe that she doubled over, her chest racked with such excoriating pain.

He whirled around at the sound and hurried over. "Hey, hey, hey, steady on! Slow breaths now, not deep!" He gently scolded as he raised a hand covered with a familiar blue aura.

She glared at him, insulted at the insulation that she really had any control over this. His hand hovered just above her chest. The pressure was mercifully beginning to loosen, making it easier to control her breathing. She closed her eyes as she tried to regulate it. Soft, shallow breaths helped to reduce the ache in her throat, greatly diminishing the urge to cough. She flinched as she felt his cool fingertips gently brush her long hair from off her face. She blushed at the gentle gesture; her mouth pursed together in an irritable pout. He sure had a lot of nerve to get so handsy with her.

She opened her eyes, about to demand that he keep his distance. Instead, she found herself mesmerized by the golden ones that stared right back, inches from her face. They were such a beautiful, rich shade that left her both spellbound and tongue-tied. "You really had me worried back there," he confessed in a soft, trembling tone. He leaned forward to gently kiss her forehead. His scent was as alluring as ever, even with this new medicinal hint. She turned her head slightly to nuzzle her nose against the length of his neck, enjoying his scent. She had to resist the impulse to taste but modesty kept her desire in check.

He sat on the stool and folded his arms across his chest, serious once more. "You're not out of danger yet, so I must ask that you refrain from speaking until I say so." She made a bit of a stubborn face at that. "Your throat especially is heavily scarred," he explained. "I'll do everything in my power to ensure that your vocal cords fully recover. To lose a mezzo-soprano of your caliber would truly be a great loss."

She blinked slowly as she tried to process this. What was he talking about? She curiously looked about, now just realizing that she was in the medical bay with an IV in her arm and monitors surrounding her. One of them started to beat as her pulse began to accelerate and he could see the panic begin to spread across her face.

He quickly took hold of her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It's alright, you're safely aboard the Polar Tang," he explained. "Everyone else made it back safely too."

She let out a soft sigh of relief. That was good to know at least.

"However, I'm having a devil of a time breaking down that shoddy excuse for a poison." He grumbled in annoyance. "So removal has been a slow-going process."

Her eyes widened in horror. Poison? What? When? She went pale as she recalled Korenaga's attempt to kill her. That's right! He groaned softly as he gently face-palmed. "Did you seriously just remember?" She glared at him but then noticed just how exhausted he looked. The dark lines under his eyes seemed more weighed down than usual. All that work back at his desk…was that related to whatever medical treatment he was creating on her behalf? She went still as it dawned on her just how much trouble he was going through on her behalf. And for what? She wasn't even a part of his crew; he really shouldn't have bothered to begin with.

"There will time later to ask questions but this I must know," he pressed as he scooted a little closer. "Just nod or shake your head," he reminded her of the necessary limitation. "Was Korenaga the one who poisoned you?"

She nodded solemnly, lowering her gaze with a measure of embarrassment at having been caught.

He grunted in derision. "It's a pity then that he's already dead," he scoffed. "Marines confirmed it when they released the body count." He turned aside to swap out her IV bag with a fresh one.

She felt a strange sense of relief at the news. Revenge never crossed her mind, even for a moment, but she was relieved to know that he was no longer a threat. A tingly warmth spread over her, and she looked up to see Law lay out a heated blanket. She blushed faintly as he gently tucked it in around her figure. "Try to get some more sleep," he advised. "And I'll see to the rest, just leave it to me."

She smiled a bit shyly with a nod and he turned back towards his desk. "Ok…lemme see," he mumbled aloud to himself as he returned to the microscope. "What the-!" He groaned as he switched out another slide to compare. "Stupid steaming pile of-" he was back to grumbling obscenities again.

She soon fell back to sleep again.

When she next woke up, she felt considerably more comfortable. She opened her eyes to find herself in a much smaller room. This wasn't the medical bay anymore; there were no IV bags or monitors either. She felt a bit stiff and gently stretched before sitting up. She felt a bit light-headed, so she rested back against the headboard with a soft groan. The faint noise reminded her of Law's restriction, and she fell silent, pressing a hand against her throat. She cautiously swallowed but felt no pain. That was good right?

"Oh, hey! You're awake!" She looked up to see Shirazuki standing in the doorway. He was dressed back down into his crew uniform. He hurried over to sit beside her on the bed, reaching out to pull her in for a big hug. "Damn, you really scared us!" He fairly gushed with such relief. She squeaked involuntarily as his grip tightened. "I'm sorry Ash," he mumbled with such heavy regret. "I'm so very sorry. I let you down back there."

Tears welled in her eyes. Why should he blame himself? She hugged him back in turn, hoping to reassure him. He pulled away and took hold of her hands. "I'm so glad that you've pulled through. It was a pretty close call though. The Captain pulled several all-nighters working on it."

She blushed faintly at the thought of Law going to so much trouble on her behalf.

"ASH!"

She jumped at the loud outburst as a large white cloud rushed at her. Bepo jumped onto the bed, which buckled and splintered under their combined weight.

"Get off, you-!" The remainder of Shirazuki's protest was crushed beneath the polar mink as he hugged Ash. Normally she loved bear hugs…but this one was particularly intense. She nearly disappeared into his thick white fur. The pressure he exerted nearly took her breath away and her head tipped back as she felt on the verge of fainting.

"Everyone OUT!" Law bellowed from the doorway with all the authority of his position as Captain. "Right NOW!"

Shirazuki's limps twitched feebly under Bepo's massive size, but he was powerless to comply with the order. Bepo had tears in his eyes as he looked over his shoulder. "But she's gonna be alright now, right Captain?" His voice cracked worriedly.

He softened at that though his brow twitched with irritation. But even he wasn't immune to his Navigator's cuteness. "Of course, she will. But full recovery takes time, you know that." He reached out to gently pry her free. She collapsed into his arms, only then did Bepo realize his mistake. He panicked, nearly hysterical, but Law raised a hand for his silence. "You should leave," he instructed in a calmer tone.

Bepo reluctantly obeyed, hanging his head with such shame. Shirazuki slipped off the bed with a faint groan. An unsympathetic Law nudged him with his boot. "You too, you're needed in the boiler room, remember?"

His face fell at that, but he knew better than to grumble. His disobedience on the mission had created quite a few extra chores for him, but he knew he deserved it. And all things considered, he'd gotten off lightly. He pushed himself up to stand and move forward. He paused at the doorway to look over his shoulder. Law remained seated on the bed beside her, propping her up against his shoulder as he gently dabbed at her forehead with a cool cloth. He frowned curiously at the tender expression that settled across the Captain's face. This was more than concern for a patient, it was…well…he'd call it affectionate. He just stared, surprised at the sight. Law felt his gaze and glared up at him at the lingering intrusion. He swallowed hard and hurried out the door, closing it behind him.

Law turned his attention back to Ash. She'd made quite an impressive recovery. It had taken nearly two weeks to fully remove the toxins from her system. Now all she needed was to regain her physical strength, but that shouldn't take more than another week, or week and a half at the most. He set the cloth aside and slipped his arms low around her waist, cuddling her close. He sighed as he rested his head against hers. But her contract was complete and soon enough she would be on her way elsewhere. It was unavoidable. He didn't want to have to say goodbye. Not now, or even again. But would she ever consider joining his crew? Was it even wise to ask? He raised a hand to run through the length of her hair, before raising the ends up to his lips for a secret kiss. She was precious to him, a treasure far more valuable than jewels and coins. But truthfully, he wasn't certain that she reciprocated his sentiment.

He grumbled slightly under his breath. Why was he wasting what little time was left to them by worrying? These past few weeks had taken their toll on him as well. He was just as exhausted. The soft mattress and her warmth made him feel a bit drowsy. He should probably rest his eyes, for a few minutes…

She later awakened to the rhythmic sound of a heartbeat against her ear. She stirred awake to realize that her head was resting on someone's chest. She craned her neck up to see Law lying beside her, gently rumbling in his sleep. His arm was lazily draped around her shoulders as he'd hugged her in close to his side. She blushed at the thought of them together like this. It felt pleasurable but also irritating. He sure had a lot of nerve, sneaking into her bed like that. She reached up to pinch his nose closed. His brow knit together before his face turned red. Soon he was startled awake by the lack of air. He gasped as he shoved her hand off his face. He glared down to see her wicked grin. "Geez, what the hell?" He wheezed slightly as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Some gratitude," he mumbled.

She sat up and folded her arms across her chest as she frowned down at him.

"You can talk now," he grumbled as he sat upright. "Just in a whisper, mind you. You shouldn't push it."

"I am grateful," she slowly tested out the words. Her throat felt fine, but her words squeaked from being silent for so long. He looked a bit amused but knew better than to laugh. "I know that you saved my life back there." Her temper eased slightly as she realized just how indebted she was to him. "I…I really am…so very…" she trailed off a bit embarrassed.

"I can't take all the credit," he gently refused. "It mostly belongs to the Straw Hats. They recovered you from the scene and started preliminary treatment."

She blinked in surprise. "Really? Were they at…the party too?" She paused; a bit breathless. She was more worn out than she'd thought.

"Yes, I saw Nami there. I suspect they were undercover as we were." He stood up and lightly stretched. "They sent you a get-well present." He gestured towards a bright colored box sitting on the desk. "You are free to move about the Polar Tang as you please, though you should take every opportunity to rest as well."

"So move around AND stay put?" She asked skeptically.

He gently smirked at that. "Something like that. I just don't want your stubborn ass moving faster than you've got the strength. I really hate to see my hard work go to waste." She stuck her tongue out at him when his back was turned. He paused at the doorway to look over his shoulder. "Our next destination is Caelfall Pass. We should arrive in about a week. Should you wish to leave, that would be it."

She looked up with a curious frown as he closed the door behind him. Wish to leave? That was certainly a strange choice of words. Her work here was done so why wouldn't she leave? The fact that he was making it sound like a choice…made her feel a bit suspicious.

She slowly stood up, feeling a little faint still. She carefully approached the package, curious to see what was inside. She raised it up to her ear and gave it a gentle shake. It was a bit muffled, impossible to make out just based on the noise. She set it back down to open it. Inside was a small teddy bear with ivory fur. Her eyebrow twitched a bit at the strangeness of such a gift. She wasn't a little kid anymore, what would she do with such a toy? She carefully pulled it out, surprised by how soft its fur was. She raised it to her face with a smile as she rubbed it against her cheek. So plush and luxurious! A cold piece of metal bumped against her nose, a wind-up key. It was musical! Even better! She delicately turned the crank to wind it up.

A merry little tune began to play, a lullaby from the North Blue. It'd been years since she last heard it, but it was the sort you could never forget. It reminded her so very much of her childhood, one of the rare quiet moments in her large family. Music has that sort of effect on a person, making time seem to stand still. Quite frankly, she was surprised that the Straw Hats even remembered her homeland. She hugged the tiny treasure to her chest as tears filled her eyes.

Sometimes her line of work was a bit lonely, but it was a burden she was happy to carry herself. It had been her intention to never rely on others. It wasn't betrayal she feared, she just didn't want to risk anyone getting hurt because of her. But sometimes, no matter how hard you try to keep others back, they find a way to sneak into your heart. Having been caught, she was a loose end that should have been left for dead. And yet Law, the cold-blooded pirate Captain, had saved her life. What was it he said before? You really had me worried back there. There was so much relief behind those words. There was attachment there, connection.

It'd been quite some time since she was last employed by the Straw Hats. But they had such a familial ease about them that it was like you'd never even left. To think that they found this silly little toy and knew it was perfect for her, made her smile. In that solitude of this moment, she truly felt fortunate to have so many friends.