Law came back to his senses as they pulled into the driveway. The side of his face was sticky and stiff and hurt as if his head had taken a good knock. For a moment, he puzzled about what had happened. Then the memory of the scent of Topaz's caramel-toned hair tickled his nose and everything came crashing down around him like a house of cards.
He tore Marina's handkerchief away from his face in panic, tearing open the way the wound had seal to the cloth. Hot blood coursed down his neck and he immediately slammed his bare palm over the injury again. Beside him, Topaz turned in her seat and murmured, "Law, what's wrong?"
His heart clenched in his chest in terror. He had touched her without permission, touched her!
"Hey, hey, shh, it's alright," Topaz whispered and laid her palm gently on his thigh. "We're on our way home. Ryou-kun is going to drop some clothes off for you a little later, alright?"
He nodded weakly. It was all he could do to keep from hyperventilating. His heart was hammering so fast he thought it would break out of his chest.
"How's your head, Law?" Marina asked as she signaled to turn into Topaz's driveway.
"I'm fine," he whispered.
"How's the bleeding look, Topaz-chan?"
Topaz's warm fingers probed the raw edges of the wound around Law's hand. "It started again, but only because he pulled the hanky off," she said finally and lowered her hand to her lap. Her fingers glistened red with his blood. "He'll be alright. I don't think we need to go to the hospital so long as he doesn't grow feverish."
"Pavement is very filthy," Marina agreed.
"Nasty!" Ryou agreed with a grimace.
Topaz nodded and then mumbled, "I can't believe that happened. I should have been paying attention."
"That old lady shouldn't have been on the road!" Marina snapped and put the car in park. "Okay, everybody out. Law, could you get Topaz-chan's chair from the trunk?"
Law scrambled quickly from the car, but the second he stood, his head whirled. Staggering, he bumped into the car and stood for a moment, staring at his hands and trying to get his vision to stop swimming. When it finally cleared, he hustled to the back to the car.
Marina popped the trunk and then went up the five steps to unlock the door.
Law brought the chair around to Topaz's side where she was patiently waiting with the door open. He set the chair down, hesitated, and then offered his hand. She took his hand immediately and jockeyed herself unsteadily into her wheelchair. Then, she gave his fingers a pleasant squeeze and gripped the wheels to propel herself forward. At the stairs, Marina was waiting. She looped an arm around Topaz's shoulders, helped her up the steps, and then waited again for Law to lift the wheelchair. Then, Topaz eased herself back into the chair and rolled into the house.
"Alright, then, Law-san, I'm going to shove off and go back to the mall to pick up Ryou-kun," Marina said and handed him Topaz's car keys. "We'll stop by a little later with some clothes for you, okay?"
He nodded.
For a moment, Marina appeared to be at war with herself, then she shook her head, and walked away to her car. He watched her pull out of the driveway, wondering if she had planned to hug him as she had Ryou. Maybe his new master had just arranged a foursome of some sort.
Law shivered.
Inside, Topaz was busily sorting herself out of her jacket and hanging it in the closet. "Well, that was exciting, wasn't it?" She asked.
"Yes, master," Law said immediately.
Topaz sighed. "Okay, Law, we need to talk."
His entire body tensed in fear and anticipation of a beating for touching her earlier. He shivered.
Topaz gripped the wheels of her chair and rolled herself into the living room. There, she carefully limped to the plush leather sofa and sank into the cushions with a sigh. "Come, sit with me," she murmured.
Shuddering in dread, Law went into the living room after her, but rather than sitting beside her on the couch, he knelt at her feet with his head bowed.
Topaz sighed again. "I meant here on the couch with me, Law."
He flinched.
"It's fine," she murmured and gently put her hand on the top of his head. "Listen, I have to explain something to you." She paused, almost hesitating. "I didn't buy you to hurt you or to use you. I need… protection and companionship since… what happened. Sometimes, I need help because of my leg." Tenderly, she slipped her fingers beneath his chin and tried to raise his face, but he resisted.
Law wasn't sure he could dare believe what he was hearing. His heart hammered against his ribs and he felt lightheaded. Topaz's soft warm fingers were stroking through is hair, gently, lightly, not pulling or ripping at the locks or digging her fingernails into his scalp as his past master had done. Then, she had her hand beneath his chin, trying to lift his head. He resisted, but it was halfhearted. He wanted so badly to believe her, so badly, more than anything else he had ever wanted in his entire life.
"I just… I want you to be my friend," she continued.
This time, when she tried to raise his face, he allowed her, but kept his eyes closed. Her fingertip traced the shell of the wound on his face gently, not gouging it apart to bleed anew as past masters would have done.
"I'm so sorry you got hurt today," she whispered. Her voice was thick and choked, as if she was crying.
Hesitantly, Law's gunmetal eyes slid open and he looked up into the illuminated shape of her face. She was so pretty he almost looked away and, when she saw his eyes on her, she did not strike him or grin wickedly at the thought of punishments to come, she simply smiled with true happiness.
Her features were delicately sculpted and as beautiful as if she had been airbrushed by a talented artist. Her skin was the color of fine porcelain and framed by short not-quite-shoulder-length caramel tresses. She had big and innocent forest green eyes fringed with pale lashes so long they shadowed her face. Her lips were a soft pink and parted slightly and curved by her wonderful smile. But there was the telltale touch of tragedy in her face. There were faint shadows beneath her eyes and a healed scar in the corner of her mouth as well as across her throat; faint, but there. She had suffered, been through hell.
"Hey, Law," she whispered and smiled. "You have beautiful eyes."
A faint flush rushed into his face. For some reason, the fact that she found some part of him beautiful really made him happy.
"Actually, all of you is beautiful," she whispered and threaded her fingers through his blue-black hair. She rubbed his scalp in a massage, working some of the tension from his body.
He leaned against her legs and her brace dug into his flesh. He didn't care though. She was touching him so kindly, gently, making touching feel good instead of terribly painful. Hot coals could have been set beneath his feet and he still would not have moved for the world.
He wasn't sure how long they sat like that–he at her feet, she with her fingers wrapped through his hair, but it felt like an eternity. He could have died happy right then and there, but the doorbell sounded cheerfully through the house. Rousing as if from sleep, Topaz yawned and stretched, taking her warm hands from him. He almost whimpered at the loss of contact.
"Master?" he whispered.
Topaz smiled at him and a warm feeling spread through his chest. He always, always wanted to see her smile. "Law, do you think you could call me Topaz? Please?"
He bit his lip nervously. Then, quickly while he still had his courage, he nodded and whispered timidly, "Miss Topaz?"
She raises her hand and he flinched, thinking she'd strike him, but all she did was touch the side of his face and smile warmly. "You're eyes are so pretty."
"Thank you…" he whispered.
Topaz smiled and cupped his face in her hands. "No, thank you. You saved my life today," she murmured.
A hesitant smile graced his features and then faded because she staggered into her wheelchair and the thought to ask her what had happened was on the tip of his tongue.
"Shall we answer the door, Law-kun?" she asked and he didn't miss the honorific. She saw him as a person, not a slave, and maybe she always had.
Smiling, he followed after her, but when she pulled open the door, it wasn't Ryou or Marina waiting on the other side.