Chapter 30
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, but Kyra is my idea.
Beta'd by Tomas the Betrayer.
The Demon Witch does not move from her huddled place on the deck of the Thousand Sunny when polished black dress shoes enter her line of vision. She does not raise her head to acknowledge Black Leg Sanji or to thank him for the aromatic plate which he sets next to her. The food is likewise ignored, even as the Straw Hat's cook leans against the railing a short distance away and lights up a cigarette, obviously waiting for Kyra to finish eating so that he can reclaim her dishes.
She's not in the mood for food.
Despite her exhaustive efforts, Kyra remains stuck here on the wrong ship. Teleporting has been a complete bust; physically and mentally screaming demands for the Divine to take her back to the submarine has achieved only a headache and sore throat. She is trapped, an unwilling guest of the Straw Hat Pirates for the foreseeable future.
The only bright spot in her plight is one that comes from an unbelievably lucky break. As fate would have it, the rubber retard and his human torch of a brother have just yesterday met up with the remnants of Whitebeard's devastated but still incredibly powerful crew. Luffy and his friends are now sailing with the dangerous fleet, led by Marco the Phoenix - Whitebeard's former first division commander. Their armada is cutting through the seas, course set on wherever Marshall D. Teach happens to be lurking. Whitebeard's adopted spawn all have one hell of a grudge against the fat bastard, due in part to the newest Yonkou's desertion of their crew years ago plus his role in Newgate's death. Recent events unknown to Kyra have apparently galvanized them into seeking his blood.
Fire Fist Ace, who was once the commander of Blackbeard's division, wishes to go with his old crew due to a sense of duty. Straw Hat Luffy, whose brother was taken to Marinefold and killed right in front of him because of Teach, wants to go so that he can pound the other man's massive ass into the ground with his bare hands. The Divine has dumped Kyra in the middle of some of the most dangerous and powerful pirates on any of the seas, all of whom are sailing directly towards the destination Law was apparently so desperate to keep her away from.
Oh, the beauty of chance.
I love you, my magician.
The sorceress hunches even further over her drawn-up legs, hugging them tightly as she rests her head on her knees.
Stay safe.
"Hey."
Kyra shifts slightly to indicate that she is listening, not having the will to raise her eyes to the man standing beside her. She hears Fire Fist Ace heave a slight sigh before he folds himself down to sit cross-legged on the deck, hands gripping his ankles as he gives her a scrutinizing glance.
"Sanji didn't try to hug you again, did he?"
A negative shake of the head is given in reply. This is a valid question, as the somewhat perverted chef had practically thrown himself at Kyra during the introductions to the crew a few hours ago. He had in turn been chucked into the sea by her powers. The green-haired swordsman - Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro of Supernova fame - nearly had a stroke, he had been laughing so hard as the long-nosed weapons expert jumped in after their KO'd cook.
"Then how come you're not chowing down? Trust me on this one, Sanji's a freakin' fantastic cook. Luffy told me he grew up on a ship that also acted as a restaurant, and he was the best hash-slinger on board. His food's to die for." The only child of Gol D. Roger cocks his head slightly in confusion. "Aren't you hungry? You've been here all day and haven't eaten anything. Chopper's going to start wondering if you're sick or something, poor thing'll try to get you in his office for a check-up."
You'll come to me for weekly check-ups until I'm satisfied with your progress.
Hot, moist lips against her neck.
"I don't need a check-up."
Kyra's voice is low, raspy like she's been crying, and very firm. The tiny talking reindeer seems sweet and all, but she already has a doctor. She will be examined by him or no one.
Ace shrugs, releasing his ankles to bring his hands behind his head and scratch at his scalp in an absentminded fashion.
She burrows her face further into Law's lap, practically mewling in pleasure.
Funny how your abortive lobotomy has made your scalp so sensitive to touch, my magician. What other places react in such a way? Let's find out, shall we?
"Y'know, if you finish eating that we could probably talk Sanji into making you some of those little sweet cakes he likes to cook up for Nami and Robin. Luffy and me steal them all the time; they're really tasty. Do you like sweet stuff?" Ace turns his head and calls out to the smoking cook without waiting for a reply. "Hey, Sanji, can you make her some desserts?"
Law, your cook's a fucking moron. I thought you said he was a pastry chef back in North Blue? Well then he should know if he puts that much cream in the recipe for this frosting it's going to overpower the chocolate cake and give everybody stomachaches for the next week.
Very astute, my magician. And while I have no trouble examining you thoroughly as often as necessary, I'd rather not listen to the men moan. Neil, change the recipe or change the type of frosting.
Kyra lurches to her feet and spins around, making a beeline for the mast. Ace says something behind her, but she is not listening. As soon as she gets a handhold on the rung of the ladder leading up to the crow's nest she is climbing, up and up and up; away from the memories assaulting her; away from Law's face on the surface of the water; away from the crippling depression and blinding rage trying to strangle her. Depression because it will be weeks, even months before she sees Law again and she needs him so bad she physically aches with it. Rage because how dare that rat bastard go behind her back like this and enlist that fucking monster to send her away?
"Oi. What are you doing up here, witch?"
The crow's nest is not empty as she had hoped. Roronoa Zoro is crouched across from her, an impossibly large set of weights on a bar resting across his powerful shoulders. His dark eye spears her suspiciously, serious mouth thinning in displeasure.
"Shouldn't be messing around up here, witch," he mutters gruffly as he returns to his workout, doing a series of squats with all those metallic pounds weighing him down. "Try to stay out of my way so I don't hurt you. The shitty love-cook'd be a pain in my ass if that happened."
Fuckola. Is there nowhere on this too bright, too big, too open ship where one might go to be alone? Kyra settles for slumping against the wall of the enclosure, making a motion with one hand that has her satchel flying through the trapdoor into her lap. She buries her face in the fabric of the bag, inhaling deeply, wishing desperately for even a whiff of Law's scent. Surprisingly this fantasy is realized, as the satchel reeks of her captain. What the hell? Opening the drawstring, a wave of antiseptic-ocean-man scent slamming into her, Kyra upends her belongings onto the floor and stares, shocked.
Her hand tentatively reaches out, brushing aside her everyday clothes, her journal and small jewelry pouch to close tightly in the fabric of a certain yellow and black hoodie. The fur hat, white and clean and neatly folded in half, is revealed to lie under it. A pronged and grinning Jolly Roger looks up at the sorceress for a moment before she crushes the apparel to her chest, fighting back sudden tears.
Law has gifted her with his favorite hoodie and ensured that she was not parted with his old hat.
It's a fucking sauna in this sub! This hat is made of fur, Law, which means it's hot! What's the big deal, is it really going to kill you if I don't wear your hat for one freaking day?
I enjoy seeing you dressed in my hat. It goes well with my mark on your neck.
Which one? The stupid bite mark or the tattoo?
Both, of course.
Goddamnit.
"Oi, witch."
Blue eyes are raised to meet the glare of a swordsman who has discarded his weights and is wiping sweat from his face with a towel. About half of the room lies between them, his posture is loose and relaxed, and still Kyra tenses at the threat in his gaze.
"What?" she growls defensively, cursing the hoarseness of her voice.
"I'm only going to tell you this once, so listen up." Zoro takes a step towards her, looping the towel around his neck and crossing his arms over his broad chest. "I don't give a shit if your creepy boyfriend saved Luffy's life. I don't care if you brought Ace back from the dead. If you do a single thing that puts my captain or my crew in danger, I'll cut you into pieces. Got it? I don't want you bitching later that I didn't give you some kind of warning."
What, bitching after he kills her that he didn't say something first? Yeah, 'cause that is really going to happen.
"You can't kill me," Kyra scoffs, waving her hand dismissively. "You can't touch me with those blades of yours, and if you tried I'd tear you into pieces without lifting a finger. And don't talk about my captain; you don't know him or anything about him."
"Whatever," is the grumbled reply, the green-haired man stomping over to his trio of swords and slipping them into the haramaki wrapped around his waist. A green coat and what appears to be a red sash are picked up as well, rolled into a ball to be carried easily under one arm as Zoro heads to the ladder leading down to the deck.
Jerk.
Kyra curls up on the floor when the swordsman is gone, nose buried in Law's hoodie as her mind runs in a million different directions. Why here? Why did the Divine think she would be safe on this ship, with this crew? So Straw Hat is insanely strong and Fire Fist owes her his life - big freaking deal. Roronoa Zoro has just made it abundantly clear that he doesn't trust her worth shit and would have no qualms killing her if given the chance. The two women she was introduced to earlier have both steered clear of the visiting sorceress in the intervening hours, as have the walking skeleton, the half-naked cyborg, the long nosed weapons expert and the talking reindeer. The cook has already tried to molest her once and it hasn't even been a full day yet. Whitebeard's brats have eyed her warily, clearing remembering her from Marineford and just as clearly trying to decide whether they'd be better off making Straw Hat toss her ass overboard at the next possible opportunity.
I love you, my magician.
The words stab at her, hurting worse than any blade ever could. Why did he say that to her? Why did he say that and then send her away?
I love you.
The sorceress is unsure how long she stays there, curled up in a tight ball on the floor. She doesn't know when she starts to weep, or if the fabric of Law's hoodie is sufficient to muffle the sounds of her grief. Time loses all meaning to her, the whole world shrinking down to Law's scent and his absence and the terrible ache caused by both.
When her tears are finally spent and Kyra becomes aware of her surroundings once more, she raises wary eyes to examine the person who has joined her at some point in her wallowing. Is the rude swordsman back, come to gawk at her in this moment of weakness? But no, her visitor is someone slightly more intimidating - the Zoan Devil Fruit user, Phoenix Marco, is crouched just away from the lip of the trapdoor, watching her through half-lidded eyes.
"Is this it?" The question is asked in a tone of extreme disappointment. Kyra draws as far away from Marco as possible without actually getting up and moving, pressing her back into the wall and Law's hoodie into her chest. Sleepy orbs narrow slightly at her movement, but no comment is made. Instead the let-down voice continues.
"I remember you from Marineford, yoi. I remember standing with Pops on his ship and watching you kill Marines by the dozens with nothing more than a gesture or two. I watched you punch full grown soldiers and make their heads blow up like overripe fruit. Pops knew you for less than half a day, and he respected your strength, your determination to reach the Buddha and beat his ass to a pulp. He'd even started considering adding you to our family if he'd made it out of there alive."
The sorceress listens dully as the phoenix relates this information, wondering if his rambling has a point. So what if Whitebeard liked her? The old geezer didn't even know her. And she'd already killed one father, she sure as shit didn't need a second, thank you very much.
"Do you have any idea how ecstatic we all were when Ace turned up alive because of you? We ate and drank and celebrated to your name. You were like a hero to us, yoi. Every one of the surviving Whitebeard pirates swore we'd do anything for you if you ever came to us in the future asking for help. You brought our brother back from the dead. Nothing we could ever do would repay you for that, yoi.
"And then you show up here today, and every illusion we've had about you has been completely trashed."
Kyra shifts slightly, fingers tightening in the material of her captain's favored apparel. "What illusions?"
Marco shrugs, staring at her as though she has just taken all of his childhood dreams and burned them into ash. "We thought you were strong. We were kind of counting on it. Here was a girl who could control impossible strength, who actually landed a hit on Teach, who might be able to kill him. Now we get to see you as the weak little crybaby you really are, yoi."
"What do you know, you overgrown parrot?" Kyra snaps, furious at his implications. "It's not my fucking problem what you and your little ragtag family thought about me. I don't give a fuck about whatever expectations you might have. I don't owe you shit! I don't even want to be here, alright? So don't bitch at me or I'll show you just how fucking weak I am!"
The pineapple-head snorts, unimpressed. "It's a little hard to be intimidated by someone who's been bawling and moping all day, yoi. What are you going to do, sob on me? It would take a lot of salt water to incapacitate me, crybaby."
Why is this bastard pushing all her buttons on purpose?
"Hm, is that why your captain threw you away? Tired of carting around a crybaby?"
WHAT!
Kyra has a hand around Marco's throat in an instant, magic exploding out of her in black waves, completely enraged and totally ignoring the fact that blue flames cover most of the man's body.
"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY YOU SON OF A BITCH! DON'T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT LAW, YOU DON'T KNOW A FUCKING THING ABOUT HIM! HE DIDN'T THROW ME AWAY, YOU FUCKING GLORIFIED CHICKEN! DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT AGAIN! HE DIDN'T!"
The fire engulfing the phoenix does not burn her skin, but the talons that rake down her abdomen as the creature twists and turns in its effort to get out of Kyra's grasp do a fine job of tearing her shirt and flesh. She releases him with a snarl even as her powers heal the damage, watching through angry eyes as he resumes his human form and straightens up to stand tall with his hands in his pockets.
"See, now that's more like it," Marco states in a perfectly calm tone of voice, as if he didn't just come inches from having his head removed from his shoulders. "That's the girl I remember. Where has she been hiding all day, eh?"
"Fuck you!" Kyra spits at him, furious and upset and wishing like hell he would just leave her alone. "You think you have a right to judge me, phoenix? You can take your judgements and shove them were the sun doesn't shine for all I care! Yeah, I've got freakish powers. But guess what, asshole? I'm - still - human! I feel pain! I get depressed! After all the things that have gone wrong in my life lately, I'd be perfectly justified to cry a fucking ocean's worth of tears!"
She spins on her heel, stalking back to snatch up Law's hoodie. In short order it has been donned, along with the fur hat, while her other belongings are deposited back in her satchel with the twitch of a finger. Kyra stands still in the silent crow's nest for a long moment, examining the way the hoodie's too-long sleeves cover part of her hands. Hands. Law's hands. A weight in her pocket at that last moment.
I love you, my magician. Stay safe.
The locket is in her palm faster than thought, her mother's ring glinting in the dying sunlight. The half-heart locket as well; trinkets lost to her nearly two years ago during her stint as a prisoner on Veneficus. Merrick must have given them to Law for whatever nefarious purpose during the fight yesterday. Now Law has given them back, knowing exactly how much it means to her. The hoodie, the hat, the jewelry...
I love you, my magician.
Fuck.
Her teleportation sphere is kind enough to deposit her on the Thousand Sunny's deck right in front of Ace just as she wants, even if the damn thing still refuses to return her to Law. Fire Fist looks rather startled by her abrupt arrival, opening his mouth as though to say something and immediately being cut off.
"Tell me about Blackbeard's Devil Fruit abilities," Kyra demands. "And fight me. Fight first, actually, I need to beat the shit out of something."
The color drains from freckled cheeks as Ace stutters foolishly. The pirates who were talking to him moments ago, some of Whitebeard's brats that Kyra isn't familiar with, quickly start backing away. Soon there is a twenty-foot circle of clear deck surrounding the sorceress and the fire user, who for some reason seems to be sweating profusely.
"Um... when you say 'beat the shit out of something'..."
Is Fire Fist trembling? Kyra brushes it off, looping her mother's locket over her neck and pulling Law's old hat down more securely on her head. Black magic oozes from her skin to coat her arms from elbow to fingertips.
"Oh, hell no!"
"The flaming chicken wants to see me the way I was in Marineford, and you're made out of fire. You can heal whatever damage you get, right? So what's wrong?"
"I've heard all the stories about you from Marineford, that's the problem!" Ace's hands are up, palms facing her as though to ward Kyra off. His shoulders, one thigh, and the opposite ankle have started to burn. "I like my head the way it is, thank you very much. Just because I control fire doesn't mean I want you pounding on me!"
Kyra huffs in annoyance, swiveling to fix narrowed eyes on the crow's nest and the man currently descending from it. "Guess that means you'll have to be the punching bag if you want that demonstration, birdie. It has to be somebody either literally indestructible or who can regenerate. That's your forte, right? Phoenix healing and all that?"
There is a pause during which Marco regards her quietly through listless eyes. At last he sinks into a defensive crouch, blue and gold flames beginning to cover his body. "Alright then, Demon Witch. Let's see what you can do, yoi."
For the first time all day, Kyra allows a smirk to grace her lips. She's done crying. She's done showing weakness around these people, done broadcasting how fiercely she aches for Law and her crew. If Kyra is to be trapped here, she will not have rival pirates thinking that the Heart Pirates are a bunch of pathetic pushovers because their most powerful member can't turn off the waterworks. By the time the sorceress is done with Marco, the Whitebeards and the Straw Hats will all think twice before fucking with her.
The phoenix wants a show?
Kyra's going to damn well give him one.
Law sits alone in the infirmary, hunched over with his head in his hands. The rest of the crew knows not to even think about bothering him right now, and his expected guest has not yet arrived. It is therefore alright for him to have this moment of weakness. Soon he will don the grinning mask he has perfected, shove all of the feelings swamping him into mental compartments, and go on as always.
For now, however, he will allow those feelings free rein.
Because she is gone.
It was Law's idea. He knows that if he had mentioned it to Kyra she would have blown up in his face, threatened him with all manner of bodily harm for even considering sending her away. If she had known that her captain called the Divine into his ship, asked it to send her somewhere safe, and requested that the dream connection be temporarily severed, no doubt Kyra would have been livid with him. But Law does not care. She can be as angry as she likes, as long as she is safe. He will have her returned once he delivers Blackbeard's head to Merrick - and possibly deliver the scientist's testicles to her, if he is particularly fortunate. He'll have the immunity of a Shichibukai after Teach dies, after all.
It should bother him, the extent to which he already misses his magician after less than twenty-four hours apart. Law has ever been most at ease with his own company. He interacts with his crew, and Bepo has been a constant companion since childhood, but he has always been careful to keep the world at a distance. Strong attachments are a weakness that Law has never allowed himself to indulge in.
At least, that was true before Kyra crashed into his life.
Why did Law do it?
When she knocked him out at the auction house, he should have written her off. He could have ignored her in that bar. He could have left her unconscious form in the sushi shop for the Marines to handle. Or washed his hands of her when she ran off to Marineford. A thousand-and-one missed opportunities. Law has had countless chances in the past two years of their acquaintance to rid himself of Kyra's presence. If he had not insisted on keeping her around, these feelings would not be plaguing him now. She would not matter to him. He would not be sailing towards a fight he cannot win just on the slim chance of victory, purely for her benefit.
A simple form of entertainment. That is all Kyra was ever supposed to be. Not his lover; not someone overly important. Her absence now should not be tying his guts up in knots. Law curses himself for a fool and rises, pacing around and around the infirmary as he attempts to attain calm. The fleeting wish that he had not requested the Divine sever the dream bond, so that he might see and feel and taste his magician again, is ruthlessly shoved into the deepest recesses of his mind. The surgeon knows that he made the correct choice. The temptation to drug himself into oblivion just for the chance of being with Kyra again would have been a constant problem otherwise. He cannot afford to dwell with her in their dreams. Kyra is gone, and Law must look to the protection of the rest of his crew. They are in the New World, where unheard of dangers lurk beneath each wave and death can hide in the most harmless of creatures. A distracted mind in a pirate captain could easily spell the end for the entire crew, and Law will not subject his men to such neglect.
He knows he made the right choice.
So why are his thoughts thus conflicted?
"Why do you castigate yourself in such a manner, human?"
It would appear that Law's guest has finally returned - how wonderful. Law takes only a moment to bury all the feelings away and tack on a blank face before turning his head and meeting the Divine's gaze. His voice is perfectly calm when he speaks, but the first words out of his mouth are still, "Is she safe?"
Majestic black wings spread as far as possible without breaking something in the confines of the medical bay. The Divine crosses humanoid arms over its chest with the slightest huff, an insulted look overtaking its too-beautiful features. "Have I not assured you enough that I shall see to the little one's wellbeing? She is safe, human. Those around her will protect her when the time comes."
This is not a sufficiently reassuring answer. Why should anyone need to protect Kyra? This creature promised to send her somewhere safe, which should mean that danger to her person is not going to be an issue. If she will need further shielding, when Law has sent her away so that she might be completely and utterly out of harm's way, then obviously he and the Divine have gotten their wires crossed somewhere.
Moving to the closest wall, Law leans his back against it and crosses his own arms before leveling a look at the Divine that would make a human piss himself. "Just where exactly did you send my magician, hmm?"
He has suspicions, but he hopes to Roger they are false. I will be sending you to travel with others who owe you favors for past deeds performed, two of whom you have met before. Law has a terrible feeling he knows exactly who that refers to, and has never wanted to be wrong so much in his life. Surely the Divine would not send Kyra there, not if keeping her safe is really its game.
"I have placed her in the care of the man of rubber and the man of flames. They will protect her should the need arise, with the help of their companions."
Fuck. He isn't wrong; the damned creature has put Kyra in the care of Straw Hat Luffy.
"And why have you done this?" Law is not as successful as he would like in keeping the ire from his voice. Fury is building in his gut, an intense fire beginning to spread throughout his chest, but he is well aware that he cannot use the Divine as an outlet for the growing rage. He must keep himself in check. This creature can slaughter him with a thought, just as Kyra kills on a daily basis - so attempting to peel the Divine's flesh from its bones as punishment for its screw-up is not a wise decision. Taking a scalpel to that too-beautiful body is not an option.
"I have told you: I will ensure her safety. These men will provide protection -"
"And why would my magician need protection when you sent her away to safety?"
A foreboding silence engulfs the infirmary. Black wings flex like shadows in the white room, while tattooed knuckles creep into a pocket to fiddle with the handle of a scalpel. Green eyes clash with grey, scowls of equal intensity marring otherwise attractive faces. The immortal and the pirate regard each other with open hostility, neither making any effort to hide the extent of their dislike.
"I have looked into her memories, Trafalgar Law."
The creature's voice speaking Law's name has his guts tying themselves in knots.
"Do you know the things that I have seen? Do you know the pain that she has suffered? How very, very alone she has been? The half-breed and that incompetent fool from my land stripped her of the joys of childhood. Do you know how she gained the scars upon her back, how young she was?"
Law says nothing. Kyra's past is not a topic that is used between them in casual conversation. He has his suspicions about the origins of the lash marks that mar his magician's flesh - he is a medical expert, has treated hundreds of different people for hundreds of different reasons, and Kyra is not the first person he has ever seen to have suffered a whipping.
"You are a human. Whatever you may think of yourself and your abilities, it is ridiculously easy for your life to end. When that happens, I will not have my little one suffer alone as she has all of her life." The Divine's tone is cool and collected, just the barest hint of fire behind his words. "She freed me from my captivity, Trafalgar Law. Do you know what it is to be imprisoned as I was, yearning for the day when the sun would caress my flesh once more? I spent thousands of years alone in the earth, waiting for the seed I planted to sprout and grow. She is the manifestation of that seed. The hardships and suffering the little one has endured are due to me. Since she has made it clear that she has no physical desire for me, I will use other methods to give her the companionship and happiness she deserves. The humans surrounding her now will offer such naturally."
Law bristles at its proselytizing. "She had companionship here. She was happy with me, with my crew."
The Divine graces Law with a look of exasperated patience, like a grown-up explaining something simple to an obtuse child. "And if your crew is annihilated, who would she have then? If you and the humans under your command die in your attempts to kill your foe and regain little Kyra's heart, who will be there for her to ensure she does not kill herself in an effort to join you?"
Law is silent for a moment, turning the creature's words over in his mind. What it says is not entirely inaccurate. It is true that Kyra has no attachments to any outside of himself and his crew. She has a few people who owe her favors, like Straw Hat Luffy or Red-Haired Shanks, but no real friends. Law is not a fool. He is well aware that his current mission of killing Blackbeard could very easily result in his death. However...
"Kyra possesses the ability to bring the dead back to life," he calmly points out, pushing away from the wall and strolling slightly closer to his inhuman guest. "If I or my crew were to die, what exactly would stop my magician from reviving us?"
A strange expression passes over perfect features as the Divine shifts slightly. If Law has to hazard a guess, he would say that the Divine seems almost... sheepish. "The little one... Kyra was not meant to have such a power. My eventual savior was to be stronger than those around them, yes, but not to such an extent. I underestimated the powers I bestowed upon her. Humans are not meant to control death the way that she does. It is my intention to remove that ability from her."
Something equal parts cold and burning makes itself known in Law's chest area. A quiver appears in his dominant hand, the fingers once more twitching for the scalpel so recently hidden in his pocket.
"How magnanimous of you," Law breathes, his fury so great he can barely speak. "Strip her of something that has been a natural part of her since childhood. Remove her ability to bring the people she cares about back to life. I'm sure she'll thank you for that someday."
"It would at least allow her a bit of the... normalcy you humans seem to crave."
The Dark Doctor is fairly quivering with rage at this point. Normalcy? This thing wants to give Kyra a taste of normalcy at the cost of the one gift Law knows Kyra cherishes?
It has used him. It has used him since last night, when it so promptly and readily agreed to his plans for Kyra's relocation. It never had any intention of helping Law; everything it has done has been for its own fucking benefit. Kyra is gone. The soul bond is blocked. He has no way to contact her or she him.
And she will think it is because of Law, because the Divine has played the Surgeon of Death as perfectly as a musician with a favorite instrument.
"You son of a bitch," he hisses, absolutely incensed. "You have taken Kyra away from me, removed her from the one place on any sea where she feels safe. You have placed her with a group of imbeciles who will without a doubt head straight to Teach's current location for the chance to annihilate him, therefore putting her in danger against my wishes. I should have known that your ready acquiescence was not due to your willingness to help me; my magician did warn me about making deals with you. You wanted Kyra to know that it was my idea to send her away, didn't you?"
"It would have been unkind not to tell her."
"Bullshit." Curses are falling from Law's lips like rain from a storm cloud, a sure sign that he has ascended to a level somewhere beyond rage. "You wanted her to hear that little conversation this morning so that she will think I have rid myself of her. You know that with the soul bond severed, I have no way of telling her what is truly occurring."
That perfect face is tilted at an angle as the Divine cocks its head to one side, studying Law quietly for a long moment before replying. "It is as you say. I wished for the little one to believe that you have cast her out."
Sharp pain lances through Law's fist. He realizes vaguely that he has driven his knuckles through one of the glass-fronted cabinets, shattering the surface and slicing his skin to ribbons without even knowing what he was doing. The rage is clouding his thoughts, pushing him to act on his instincts but not yet to make a fatal mistake. He is unbelievably angry, therefore he lashed out - but not at the creature standing in his infirmary, who could kill him as easily as blink at him.
"Why?" His voice is whisper-soft. How many men have gone to their deaths immediately after hearing that tone? How many more will fall with it in their ears as he tears the world apart in search of his magician?
"Because the time will come when little Kyra will have a choice to make. Freedom from the soul bond will be beneficial to her then. Tied to nothing and no one, she will have a clearer head with which to decide."
What choice? Does the Divine believe that some time away from Law will lead the Demon Witch to abandoning him permanently? Does it hope that their separation under such circumstances and with Kyra largely in the dark about the surgeon's motivations will undo the work of two years and lead to her hatred of Law?
The Dark Doctor instantly dismisses such questions. Kyra is free to hate him as much as she likes - but she will do so at his side once Teach is dead and the threat of Merrick is neutralized. He will kill anyone who attempts to come between them, anyone she tries to hide behind. Kyra is his. She is marked with his Jolly Roger. Her heart will be back in his possession. It doesn't matter if she loves him or wants to rip him to pieces with her teeth. He doesn't even care if she deludes herself into believing that his confession just before she disappeared is bullshit.
Liar.
The whispered word in the back of his mind is summarily ignored.
"Get out," Law commands calmly, his insatiable rage once more tightly restrained. He moves over to a different section of counters and pulls out a drawer, rummaging with his non-bloodied hand until he locates a pair of tweezers. There are countless shards of glass lodged in his knuckles; they must be removed, the wound cleaned and stitched and bandaged as soon as possible so that there is no risk of infection.
The Divine does not so much as twitch. Law considers possible ways to cause excruciating agony to the hated creature as he carefully picks slivers of glass from his torn skin.
"You will do well to rid yourself of the traitor, human, if you are to be of any help to my little one. Do so in a timely manner, or I shall settle the matter myself."
The tweezers pause momentarily. "What traitor?"
A rumbling laugh like a roll of thunder echoes through the infirmary. A glance towards his guest shows Law an expression of indulgent amusement. "You think yourself clever, mortal, and yet you are as much a fool as the rest of your kind. A human's dull senses lead to betrayal and pain more often than not. You think yourself the commander of this bright sea-beast and all that reside within it, yet there is one who works against you in close proximity at this very moment. How do you think the half-breed found you so easily? Did you not wonder how the book that informed little Kyra of my existence happened to be on a vessel which attacked you?"
Law stares at it, his mind bouncing in several directions at once. He remembers the first weeks in the New World, when it seemed he and his crew couldn't go five leagues in any direction without being drawn into a fight with the Navy. That trend stopped almost immediately after Kyra's defection, only to pick up again instantly after she returned. Law has often brooded over how exactly the damn Marines always seem to happen upon them. And Merrick - how in Roger's name had the bastard found them yesterday? Law had not had so much as an inkling that a Navy vessel was close until Gable's warning at -
Wait.
Gable had not warned Law of a Navy vessel.
Gable had said that an enemy pirate ship was on the approach.
Abandoning the first aid on his knuckles and dismissing his guest without another thought, the seething surgeon exits the infirmary and beats a path to the control room. His men, when he happens to pass them on his way, take one look at his face and hastily back off. Bepo falls into step somewhere in between the medbay and the galley, his fur standing on end due to the infuriated danger rolling off of Law in waves.
The control room is empty, save for Neil leaning over some papers in one corner, muttering into an unfamiliar Den-Den Mushi. He glances up as Law enters the chamber, jumping to his feet and hastily stuffing the sheets into a pocket on his boiler suit along with the snail.
"Where is Gable?" Law demands quietly, his voice kept steady by nothing more than sheer will.
"Went to get some sleep for a few hours, Captain, it's real late," Neil replies immediately, bringing the Dark Doctor's attention to the blackness outside the observation windows.
Bepo lets out a very quiet growl behind him; the surgeon glances back at the bear questioningly.
"He's lying, Captain. I can smell it. And he smells scared."
Law says nothing as he turns all of his attention back to Neil, the cold fury in his eyes speaking volumes. His cook flinches back, trapped as he is in this room with a furious captain and a homicidal polar bear blocking the only exit.
"Today is not a good day to be trying my patience, Neil." Law's voice is very quiet, so low that even in the absolute silence of the room it is a strain to pick it up. "You will tell me where my navigator is. You will explain why you are here and he is not, what those papers are in your pocket, and where you acquired that Den-Den Mushi. If you lie to me again, the consequences will be far from pleasant."
No sound but for the drip, drip, drip of the blood from Law's shredded knuckles as it hits the steel floor and the steady, continuous growl issuing from deep in Bepo's chest. The color has leached from Neil's face. He is sweating in the cool air of the control room. The Surgeon of Death regards him calmly from under the brim of his cap for the count of ten slow heartbeats before cocking his head to one side.
"Bepo."
The bear is instantly at his side, teeth barred in a ferocious snarl.
"Break his legs."
In barely a second Bepo has crossed the room and knocked the cook off his feet, bringing one massive paw down hard on a flailing leg with a high-pitched yell. The snap of the bone is audible throughout the chamber, followed closely by Neil's agonized scream. A second snap and a louder wail, and the first mate once again crosses to stand beside his captain, waiting for further orders. Law gestures for him to stay as he slowly approaches the crippled figure on the floor, who is screaming and sobbing in obvious pain, his legs both shattered high in the thigh.
Law crouches, stuffs a hand in Neil's pocket to riffle around and draws out the desired papers along with the Den-Den Mushi. The papers are maps, covered with Gable's messy scrawl in record of the paths traveled by the Heart Pirates since entering the New World. The snail phone is awake, gazing at Law with a disturbingly familiar bland smile.
"Who is this?" the surgeon demands softly, already knowing in his gut who will answer. The snail's smile widens a slight fraction.
"Hello again, Trafalgar Law," Rear Admiral Rafe Merrick's voice replies, sending an involuntary chill down the Dark Doctor's spine. "My, you do have quite the temper, don't you?"
She can't sleep.
The sun has long since disappeared over the horizon, leaving only the moon and stars to light up the night. The ships of Whitebeard's old fleet are dark and quiet, much like the Thousand Sunny on the deck of which Kyra currently lies sprawled out. She can hear manly snores coming from somewhere close by; the other residents of this vessel are partaking in the land of dreams as she so dearly wishes to do.
Law will not meet her there. Kyra knows in her bones that the Divine has severed their dream-bond for whatever nefarious purposes. Law is lost to her until such time as they meet again here, in the physical world. Even still, Kyra desperately wants to sleep, to release her hold on consciousness and have the freedom of oblivion if only for a few short hours. Her body is tired enough that such a wish shouldn't be so outlandish. She did just spend the better half of an afternoon and all of an evening kicking ass and having her own rear used to polished the deck. The sorceress had kind of been counting on the extreme exercise to wear her down so that when she finally collapsed, it would be into a dreamless sleep.
No such luck. Figures.
The problem lies with the fact that at no point in almost two years has Kyra slept anywhere but wrapped in Law's embrace. The man is a poster child for cuddle-sluts, however much he would deny such an accusation. If Law went to bed, he expected Kyra to accompany him, no matter what time it was or what other various tasks she might have been performing. He was not above tossing her over his shoulder and carrying her protesting form to their room. Trafalgar Law was a stubborn jackass who always must get his way, no matter what.
Is. Is a stubborn jackass. The man is not dead, there is no need to think of him in the past tense. Kyra will see him again soon. If she has to kill every life form in the New World, if she has to wall the Divine back up in its cage, she's going to see her captain again.
And she's going to punch him right in the face.
A door opens off in the direction of all the snoring. Kyra does not move as bare feet pad heavily towards her. It's probably just that asshole of a swordsman, crossing the deck to ascend the mast to the crow's nest and his impossibly heavy weights. She wishes she could have fought him earlier - shown him just how pointless his little warning had really been. But the man had spent the whole of the time during which Kyra fought various members of the Whitebeard crew sound asleep off out of the way, snoring like Bepo with a head cold.
The head that pops into view over her face is not that of the swordsman.
"How come you're not asleep?"
Kyra has had little to no interaction with Straw Hat Luffy today. She fought his brother, threw his cook into the sea, and probably irritated his swordsman. But the captain has not approached her since introductions this morning. He was not present during the sparring - or if he was, he has become much more apt in the past twenty-four months at concealing his presence. Now he is crouching over her, his face uncomfortably close, his usual enormous grin absent.
"Can't," she replies. "Would you get out of my face now?"
Luffy pulls back. Kyra pushes herself into a sitting position, scooting around so that she faces the rubber pirate where he sits cross-legged on the deck. His famous hat is perched firmly on his head of wild black hair, the full moon throwing shadows across his face. His expression is uncharacteristically serious.
"How come?"
Kyra eyes him in confusion. "How come what?"
"How come you can't sleep? Are you hungry? We can go raid the kitchen; if you're with me Sanji won't be so mad. I know I can't sleep without a full stomach. Is that why you're still awake?" He sounds rather hopeful, as if wanting her to say yes so that he will have an excuse to ransack the galley.
"That's not why."
Straw Hat visibly deflates in disappointment. "Oh."
They sit together in silence for several moments. Kyra is faintly surprised Luffy did not immediately get up and leave, off to stuff his mouth alone since she has no need to do so as well. The lack of a happy-go-lucky smile on the stretchable face is perturbing; what is wrong that one so naively innocent must look so serious?
"You miss him, don't you?"
The sudden question catches her off guard. "What?"
"You miss that guy who fixed me up that time. Your captain. You know, Tal - uh, Trafag - Trafal-guy. With the bear. You miss him, right?"
"Trafalgar," Kyra corrects in a low voice, pain flaring in her mostly-hollow chest at his name. "Trafalgar Law. The bear's name is Bepo. And yeah, I do miss him. I miss all of them. Didn't you miss your crew while you were separated?"
Luffy nods solemnly. "I don't really understand why you're here instead of with him. How come you can't go back? With that magic you use to fight and stuff? Hey, can you do magic tricks? Ooooh, I wanna see you pull a rabbit out of my hat!"
And the precious item is immediately thrust in her face, solemnity instantly forgotten at the possibility of an awesome trick.
"It's not that kind of magic, Luffy."
Instant deflation once again. "Oh."
The pathetically depressed expression directed at her reminds her very much of Aaron, whining for one more slice of dessert, pretty please? Sighing in defeat, the magician makes a circular motion with one hand before slowly pointing upwards. For a split second, nothing happens - and then Straw Hat Luffy is hovering three feet off the deck of his own ship, laughing hysterically. Kyra floats him around for a few minutes before gently setting him down again. The smile that has been missing is in full sight now, stretching literally from ear to ear as Luffy claps Kyra on the back hard enough to knock the breath out of her.
"That was way cooler than a rabbit! Can we do that again sometime? That was awesome!"
"Sure."
"Yay!" Luffy bounces in place for a handful of seconds before freezing, his smile dropping like a dead fly. "But how come you can't leave then? Is your magic broken? Hey, we can get Chopper to fix it! NO, WAIT! FRANKY! HE CAN FIX ANYTHING!"
Kyra is less than thrilled with either of these suggestions. "I don't need a doctor, I'm not sick. And how the hell do you expect your shipwright to be able to do a damn thing to help me, anyway?"
"I dunno," Luffy mumbles distractedly, shrugging as though such concerns are unimportant.
"My magic's not broken, Straw Hat, not in a way that can be fixed. I'll just have to find Law the old-fashioned way. You don't mind if I stick with you until then, right?"
Luffy stares at her, his eyes weirdly starry as he grins again. "Will you make me fly again whenever I ask? And help me raid the kitchen in the middle of the night? And pull pranks with me and Chopper and Ussop and Ace? And join my crew?"
"Yes, yes, yes. And no."
"WHHHHHAAAAATTTTT? BUT WHY?"
Holy shit, this kid has a pair of lungs. Kyra sticks a finger into her ear and wiggles it around in an attempt to stop the high-pitched ringing. "I'm a Heart Pirate, Straw Hat. That's not going to change. I'm just traveling with you until I can get back to my real captain."
Luffy assumes a pouting pose, arms and legs tightly crossed and his lower lip sticking out several inches. "Well, I guess that's okay. But you have to eat with me whenever I want! And the pranks have to be amazing!"
"Yeah, okay. We'll start tomorrow. Aren't you tired? Why aren't you in bed?"
The infamous pirate looks at her as though she has just asked an incredibly stupid question. "Because you're awake. And unhappy. I can sense it. Haki's annoying like that."
Before she can question him about this 'Haki' stuff, Kyra finds herself picked up by the now-standing Luffy and tucked carelessly under his arm. Were anyone else to dare something so humiliating, the Demon Witch would gut them with a fingernail. Being as it is Luffy, and she's fairly certain that he is too stupid to realize how degrading it is to be carried around like a sack of potatoes, Kyra merely sighs in defeat.
"Where are we going, Straw Hat?"
"Bed!"
Hold the phone. "What the fuck are you talking about? I'm not sleeping with you."
"But you need to sleep! Everybody sleeps better with company, right?"
"Put me down, Luffy, or I'm going to hurt you."
"Nu-uh!"
Despite the half-hearted fight she puts up, Kyra finds herself tucked into Straw Hat's hammock with the stretchy pirate underneath her, his arms and legs wrapped several times around her as he tries to keep her still. Somehow, the other males in Luffy's barracks manage to sleep easily through the rather noisy argument.
A hard rubber chin raps Kyra sharply on top of the head. "Go to sleep! We're going to prank Nami tomorrow, and you can't think up a good prank if you're tired!"
"I swear to Roger, Straw Hat, if you hit me again I'm going to -"
Whap. Luffy's chin moves as he speaks even as it digs into Kyra's scalp. "Sleep! 'Night, Kyra!"
And in the next instant he is out cold, his snores loud enough to drown out all the others.
Kyra will tell herself later that she follows him into oblivion a moment later purely by coincidence.
Right. Coincidence.
A/N: So... don't kill me?
I moved over the summer into a place with no internet. I've been working on this chapter piecemeal for the last few weeks. We're supposed to be getting internet at the new place next week, so hopefully I'll have another chapter out in the very near future.
Please review.