31


During free study the next morning, Law told Sanji bits and pieces of yesterday's move. He didn't elaborate on details nor offered anything extra in response to answers he gave to exhaustive questions, but he gave enough to indicate that while he was now in his parents' care. He still felt like it was only a matter of time. Leaning over his desk to hear him as Law mumbled his way through the explanation, the taller teen turned in his seat so that his legs were completely in the aisle, Sanji felt frustrated that he wasn't getting enough of the conversation to feel anything other than nervousness for him.

But the relief he felt with Doflamingo no longer present in Law's life made him feel a little better.

"At least that guy can't threaten you anymore," he murmured.

Law had to think about it, but he didn't say anything about feeling reassured of his own backup plan. "It's just his voice that sounds threatening," he mumbled, fiddling with his pen. "But leaving Rosinante – that's the hardest part."

"How are they acting? Any different?" Sanji asked of his parents.

"No…but it feels weird for a family to walk on eggshells around me," Law admitted.

Sanji could not imagine that sort of life; being welcomed into other people's homes, using their things, hiding voice and presence as much as possible to avoid becoming a bother. While he couldn't get into the depth of the experiences Law had, his limited way of thinking prompted him to think about how he'd behave around his mother and sister. He was sure he wouldn't be the same person – after all, his brothers motivated his way of action, thinking, and while Judge left him feeling he should always be tense for whatever verbal assault might occur, he couldn't imagine living in a house like the one Law left behind, where a man of that size could physically threaten him.

After a few moments he said low, "You're pretty brave, Law, you know that?"

Law gave him a bewildered look. "No."

"I just think you are," Sanji said with a light sigh, resting his chin on his cast while fiddling with his pen. His expression grew abashed. "I mean, I could stand there and shout all I want but you just walk in and – "

"It's not like I have a choice in these matters."

"Still…I think you're a strong person." Sanji examined his pen with a studious expression. Law watched him for a few moments, absorbing the compliment with some discomfort. He didn't feel brave nor did he feel strong, but the way Sanji gave it made him feel like he was all of these things. It was a different perspective for him. Setting the pen aside, Sanji then said, "But it's only temporary, right? Because they're moving closer to this school?"

"Yes." Law hesitated to ask, but since it was one of the more pressing questions on his mind, he asked, "And when…when do you think you'll…?"

"I don't know. Dad threatens it everyday, and – " Sanji cut himself off once something bounced off his head. Rubbing the spot, he looked over and saw Niji across the room sneering at him. Camie looked outraged, looking to Sanji with a distraught expression. Law looked down at his feet to see a bright orange package and he subtly lifted his foot away with discomfort. Sanji snatched it up with a curious growl, making the plastic package crinkle noisily. "What's this?"

Niji burst out into raucous laughter, Sanji huffing as he slapped it down on his desk.

"Oh my God!" Cami cried, then clapped her hands over her mouth.

Yonji whirled in his desk, trying to understand the reason behind his brother's raucous laughter.

"What is it?" Sanji asked again, picking it up and waving it in the air. He grew frustrated when others looked back at him, balked and started snickering. "Goddamn it, what is it?"

"He has a sister," Niji reassured everyone, but he couldn't stop laughing to finish his sentence. Yonji looked at him dumbly, but he chuckled just to appear as part of those that knew. Others started to laugh or chuckle, in disbelief over Sanji's reaction.

Because of the amount of attention coming his way, Sanji flushed while Law slouched in his seat, lips between his teeth. He waved the item in the air, then stood tall. "Mr. Hansen! My brother's trying to pass me a note in class!"

As kids laughed, Mr Hansen looked up from his book and saw what Sanji was holding. He wiped his face with irritation. "Sanji, put it away," he groaned.

"I don't even know what it is," Sanji protested, opening it while Law covered his mouth to repress showing anything. Once Sanji unveiled the bright white pad, he stared at it with a puzzled look before realization hit him. He stood up once again and threw it across the room back at his brother with a startled shout. Those close by erupted into laughs while Cami covered her face with embarrassment.

Niji jumped out of his seat to avoid being hit, Yonji's mouth falling open as he watched the pad settle over Niji's desk. He looked puzzled but because everyone else was laughing, he joined in noisily.

Koala stood from her seat with an outraged expression, snatching it up and refolding it back into the plastic packaging before she returned it to Cami. She sat back down, giving everyone an outraged expression. "Are all of you kidding me right now? How can you laugh at something like this? What, are you all children? Grow up! Mr Hansen, Niji obviously stole this from Cami's purse! Aren't you going to say anything about that?"

"This tiny girl has an opinion?" Niji asked as he sat, Sanji covering his bright red face with both hands. "Where was all this opinion when you were sitting in front of me?"

"All of you, quiet down!" Mr Hansen commanded. "Real childish, Niji. Sanji, I refuse to believe you didn't know what it was – both of you apologize to Cami."

"Oh my God, don't!" Cami cried, mortified to near tears. She stood from her desk, struggling to hold back. But she blurted, "I hate you guys! I hate all of you!"

She stormed out, Koala looking after her with worry as Mr Hansen wiped his face again. Niji giggled, resettling in his seat while Yonji turned around in his, still wearing a puzzled smile. Sanji slunk low in his, drumming his fingers atop of the desk while he considered the moods of those around him. Some were still wearing humorous expressions, others struggled not to look at each other. Koala glared at both of them before sitting back down.

Law looked back at Sanji, examining his face and finding him with a remorseful air.

"You're such a retard," Niji told him before turning back around in his seat.

After the class returned back to their subjects in front of them, Law said low to Sanji, "It'll be easier starting over without those guys."

Sanji looked at him, then shrugged as a response. He could see some of their classmates looking in his direction with snickers and wasn't even sure what to say. After class, he headed to his locket to exchange a few of his texts when something flew into his open locker just over his head. He looked in to see a smaller pink package similar to the one he'd handled in class, and whirled around to confront whoever it was that had thrown it. With such an active hall, no one stood out to claim responsibility. He picked it out and threw it onto the floor to finish doing what he was doing, huffing with some embarrassment. He looked up when someone tapped on his shoulder, turning to see a grinning Jango holding the pad between two fingers.

"You dropped this," he snickered, throwing it back into Sanji's locker. Sanji retrieved it and threw it back at him, but it didn't carry enough weight to chase after the senior. Jango and Fullbody laughed as they continued on, but the faces of those that had seen the confrontation were snickering with amusement.

Flushed, Sanji slammed his locker shut and hurried away from there. He found his brothers on a landing on the other side of the building, so he bullrushed Niji, slamming him into the wall with a frustrated curse. Niji cried out with surprise and made to attack back when something in his side caused him enough pain to stop in mid-action, reaching for the area. Ichiji and Yonji looked at him with surprise as Sanji snapped, "You made me look like an idiot! Now they're throwing this stuff at me and laughing about it!"

"About what?" Ichiji asked as Niji hunched over with pain, Yonji looking at him with complete bewilderment.

"First period! Stupid ass here threw someone's pad at me! I didn't know what it was!" Sanji exclaimed. "How the hell am I supposed to know what those things are? There's no girls at the house, I didn't know!"

Ichiji wrinkled his brow as he processed this, Yonji's face lighting up moments later. He slapped his knee as he laughed. "HAH! People think you need a pad!" he laughed at Sanji.

"SHUT UP! You didn't even know what it was, either!"

"Hello? I'm hurt!" Niji snapped at all of them, still holding his side. "I think he broke something!"

"Just your goddamn pride! I got you good!"

Sanji strode off after a cautious glance back at Niji, who remained in the hunched position, Ichiji looking from one to the other with a frown. Yonji cleared his throat, opening a bag of Skittles and retrieving an empty water bottle.

"I don't think I'm going to touch this one," Ichiji decided, looking to Niji. "If you started this, then it's fitting it ends like this. He gets embarrassed, you get busted."

"Why you sticking up for him? I was supposed to return to practice in another week!" Niji snapped at him. "If he busted something and I can't swim for the rest of the season, I'm taking it out on everybody!"

Ichiji shrugged. He honestly had nothing to say at this time – girls were so secretive with their menstrual cycles that even he was unfamiliar with the items in mention. But he was also aware that the humiliation would linger with Sanji because kids wouldn't forget this sort of thing. As far as he was concerned, their younger brother would get the worst of this attention while Niji healed from his injury. Both of them brought it upon themselves.

He gave Niji a disgusted look as the bell rang, causing kids to rush to their classes. "I can't believe you allowed him to hurt you like this. Serves you right. I have no sympathy for you."

"Damn. Cold," Yonji commented as Ichiji walked away, leaving Niji to look after him incredulously. He looked to Niji and shrugged, spitting rainbow colored saliva into his water bottle as he then walked off to his next class. Rubbing his side Niji hobbled towards his, cursing Sanji the entire way.

At lunchtime, Law watched as Sanji approached him with an angry look to his features. "Still?"

"Well, apparently I broke Niji's ribs, that big baby," Sanji muttered bitterly. "I don't know, he was being dramatic. Called dad, dad came and got him, they're making a trip to the hospital."

Law wondered where Judge's money truly went – it seemed that all of his kids were taking a trip to the emergency room for one thing or another. To have that sort of access to healthcare was extremely convenient; he couldn't remember the last time he'd been to a hospital or dentist since Lainy passed away.

"So dad's pissed at me, but not at Niji for starting it in the first place."

"What's your mom like?" Law asked, handing him a cigarette.

"Your parents will let you smoke these?" Sanji asked instead, looking at him skeptically.

"That's one of the rules," Law muttered around his, smoking drifting into his eyes. "They want me to stop."

With obvious reluctance, Sanji passed the cigarette back to him. "If that's so, then you better savor every one."

"It's just one. Take it. You need it right now."

Sanji held it in mid-air for a few moments then took it back, taking the lighter Law handed to him. After the initial rush, he stared up at the sky, watching the clouds drift by. Law watched him. If the younger teen left, what would he do without him? Return to hanging around quiet places with only himself for company? He would lose his voice again. He felt a returning buildup of thick anxiety return to his throat, and he removed his cigarette to cough, Sanji looking at him with concern.

"I guess it's only a matter of time," Sanji said with a sigh, shielding his eyes. "What are you going to do without me? Close up again?"

Law shrugged. The anxiety in losing another person he felt close to felt suffocating. A sort of abandonment that made it hard to think about – but as he looked at Sanji, his ugly haircut and cast standing out against his stiff uniform that he kept in pristine condition and worried over constantly made the feeling a little less painful. He could smell that shitty cologne he wore, his nose tingling despite the smell of shared cigarette smoke. That scent would always make him smile.

"Is it going to happen soon?"

"I don't know. It's just…hanging there." With some hesitation, Sanji reached for his hand, and was relieved to feel the older teen's fingers immediately threading through his.

After some minutes of silence, he confessed, "I'm scared, too. What if they can't deal with me, either?"

Law didn't want to think about that. After all he went through, he didn't want to see other people turning this kid away like they did with him. He didn't want to see this noisy spirit diminished by the weight of social pressure and family expectation. With the way Sanji spoke of his mom, it felt like it would be a completely different environment. But without brothers to cause problems and without a father that expected too much, maybe life would be simpler for Sanji.

"Just fit in," he told him.

Sanji wondered if that were even possible. He inhaled the last of his smoke and tossed it aside, forgetting about the warning signs posted around them. He shifted his bag around to rustle through it as Law picked up his filter, packing both into his pocket to toss later. Sanji withdrew a couple of sandwiches wrapped with lettuce only and passed them to him as the bell rang.

"Zeff wanted to know what you thought of these," he said gruffly, Law taking them hungrily, unwrapping one to immediately stuff into his mouth. He was pleased with the flavors that burst over his taste buds, unsure of what it was he was eating. Sanji told him on the way back to the school, excitedly explaining how the meat was cut and cooked, what spices were used, how the vegetables were drained to remain juicy yet firm to allow the sandwich to retain its shape.

As they were walking in, Ichiji appeared like a shadow from a bunch of freshmen, giving Law's eating a disgusted look before looking to Sanji. He held his phone out to his younger brother. "Call dad immediately."

Sanji rolled his eyes, rejecting the phone. "Whatever. I'll hear it when we get home. I'm sure he'll have plenty of say then. So, are they broken?"

"Niji has bruised muscles, exacerbated by your contact. He will be out for the remainder of the swim season," Ichiji stated coldly, pocketing his phone.

"With the way he was going, he would've been off, anyway," Sanji scoffed. "I don't feel bad for him. He started it."

"Whatever happened in that classroom was made worse by your efforts," Ichiji told him. "You didn't have to rise up to his challenge, and yet you did. You always make things worse."

"Instead of placing the blame all on him, it was your brother who reached into that girl's purse to take out that item," Law said with a full mouth, so his impediment wasn't as clear. "With how she holds that purse, it wasn't impulsive. The fault's all on him."

"Don't even try to talk to me," Ichiji told him. "You're not worth the effort."

Sanji kicked him in the shin with the toe of his shoe. "Shut up, alien. I'll just see dad when I get home. And I'm not apologizing for what I did to Niji, he deserved it."

Ichiji reached out and stopped Law from walking away when they turned away from him. Law jerked his arm away from him, still chewing.

"What are you going to do when he's not here?" Ichiji asked him with a faintly concerned tone. "Without him here as your buffer, you're going to suffer our company."

"Leave him alone, Ichi," Sanji said, stepping between them.

"I rhymed…ha ha. See, I can be funny, too," Ichiji said flatly before turning away and walking off. Sanji shuddered as he watched his older brother go, looking back at Law. The older teen had stopped chewing, frowning heavily as the question weighed on him.

Though all of them had been frightening in the beginning, things had changed since then. Now that he'd grown comfortable with their efforts, knew what their buttons were, Law didn't feel the same kind of fear he'd felt back then. In a way, he felt okay with the matter. They'd pick on him for awhile then eventually lose interest because their catalyst wasn't truly there – it was Sanji they truly bullied.

"Don't show them any fear, I'm not going anywhere, yet," Sanji assured him. But he reached over to hold his hand again, his hot, sweaty palm speaking oppositely of his reassurance. Law couldn't finish the rest of his sandwich, rewrapping it carefully and holding the other tightly under one arm.

Before they could do anything, laughter started ringing out as someone made their way through the throng, causing attention. Once Luffy, Ussop and Zoro made themselves visible, it was plain to see why everyone was laughing. Luffy had a pad pressed over his forehead like a wet cloth, Ussop wearing his like an eyemask, completed with rubber bands. Zoro just looked mortified hanging around the two.

"Hi guys!" Luffy greeted cheerfully, his black hair stuck to the pad's glue from the back, giving him a disheveled look. "I heard about the period incident. This isn't just a men's issue, this is a women's issue. Nami thought it was stupid that people are embarrassed about it, and thought we should bring up justice for period pads. I don't know, I wasn't paying much attention, I just wanted to do this. I saw it on a video, once. It looked great!"

"If we can get it out there that pads are nothing to be embarrassed about, we can get all the girls," Ussop hissed with a determined grin. "Feminism is in."

"I'm not involved in this," Zoro said tightly, looking sweaty.

"You guys are stupid," Sanji commented, releasing Law's hand. "Making a joke out of yourselves because of that – you're just going to be teased for the rest of your life."

"Not really, I don't agree with you," Luffy told him before spying the sandwiches Law carried. His eyes lit up. "Hey, what are those? Oh! Sanji! Dinner the other night was great! We had a great time! The food was amazing! Sabo was mad about something, I don't know, but I couldn't find you after so – great job! I'm so glad you have that job, we want to go there again! I think Garp and that old guy are friends, they kept cussing at each other. That's usually a great sign."

As their classmates giggled and took pics of them in passing, Sanji inched away so he couldn't be a part of their group. Luffy slapped a hand on his forehead, the sound muffled by the pad there.

"This is a great bandaid," he declared. "It smells fresh, too! Like flowers!"

"We're passing these out…feminism!" Ussop declared, passing out brightly colored pads from his bag, girls taking them with a giggle while boys stared at them with disbelief. "We're all for feminism! Periods are real, it's all natural! We can't be afraid of them! Why are we boys so afraid? We shouldn't be!"

"Girls bleed for days and don't die," Luffy hissed to Sanji behind one hand. "Meanwhile, I bleed and cry and whine until it goes away! It gets intense!"

Down the hall, Koala and Nami were passing out pads from her bag, Koala denouncing boys' attitudes towards periods. With how big of a show they were building, it looked very likely that Sanji's gaffe from this morning would be forgotten and smoothed over.

The boys wandered off to join them, hollering for equal rights, Zoro following with a miffed frown. Sanji looked after them with bewilderment, seeing how easy it was for them to be so blasé about the entire subject. He couldn't imagine adapting their cheerful attitudes and outlook towards life for such things, and for a moment he was envious of them. After a few moments, Law bent and kissed him, surprising him out of his reaction.

"What was that for?" Sanji asked with a blazing red face.

"You're making friends, and I'm happy for you," Law told him, urging him to go to his next class.

"Making 'friends'? How is that even possible?" Sanji asked with a bewildered tone, following alongside him.

: :

After school, Sanji saw that Judge was home and gave a nervous exhale. He could feel himself tensing up for the inevitable confrontation, rolling his shoulders to ease out the tension. Yonji snickered, looking back at him from the passenger side seat, Ichiji carefully putting the vehicle in park, administering the emergency brake.

"You're in trrrroouubbbllleee," Yonji said with sing-song, all of them getting out of the car.

"Whatever, I get blamed for everything, anyway," Sanji sighed.

"Don't you ever tire of it?" Ichiji asked him, all of them trudging up the front walkway to the house. "What is in it for you? Having father mad at you all the time, it must get exhausting."

"I'm so used to it, I don't even care anymore."

Ichiji shrugged because it seemed very true at this point; Sanji had lost his determination to win Judge's approval with every action he took independently. No longer was he so obsessed with his grades, his behavior or his future based on Judge's expectations – he still spazzed from time to time, but he seemed…happier. If that were possible for Ichiji to believe because he found it hard to approve of Sanji's choices. It made Ichiji stumble mentally – because if he couldn't reach him through threats of their father's involvement or punishment, if he had already accepted being shipped to their mother's, leaving them and his boyfriend behind, then what else could Ichiji reach him with?

Even if he continued his plan on exacting revenge against that troubled kid, Sanji would just move on with his own life in a different location.

Having no control over the situation left him feeling grumpy. But maybe there was still a chance he could interfere to set Sanji on the right path…

When they walked in, Judge rose up from the couch to greet them, Niji laying on the chaise lounge with packs of ice on his ribs.

"Big baby," Sanji sneered at Niji.

"What's the meaning of this?" Judge asked him before Niji could reply, Ichiji and Yonji hurriedly scrambling from the possible warzone that was about to erupt. "How could you do this to your own brother? Ruin his chances of a successful future?"

"With swimming?" Sanji asked, unshouldering his bag. "Swimming will take him places? What about being less of a shitty person?"

"The only reason why I'm a shitty person is because I'm attacked all the time!" Niji spoke up crossly, sitting up gingerly. "You attacked me when I wasn't even looking!"

"You knew what that was about!" Sanji snapped back.

"You caused a ruckus in class with your thoughtless actions, then take it out on Niji?" Judge interrupted.

"I didn't start it, Niji did by stealing that thing from a girl's purse!"

"Whichever, it was up to you to make a responsible decision based on your brother's behavior, and you only made it worse because you embarrassed yourself," Judge stated with a severe frown. Sanji rolled his eyes.

"So he doesn't get in trouble at all?"

"You took him out of his athletic activities, which will cause some trouble on his college applications! The injury would have been fine if it were gained from the activity, but it was by your own selfish actions. Apologize to him."

"No," Sanji said firmly. "I refuse to apologize for something that wasn't my fault to begin with."

"Dad!" Niji protested in response.

Judge glowered down at his third son, Ichiji and Yonji watching from a safe distance. "No remorse for the damage done to your brother? You have absolutely no sympathy – "

"NO ONE HAD ANY SYMPATHY FOR BREAKING MY ARM!"

"Is that what this is about?" Judge snapped over Sanji's shout. "Is this petty revenge for something that happened on accident?"

"'Petty'?"

"That was an accident, Sanji, and it's a nothing to take personally. You boys fight all the time, why is this so shocking to you? If you had tried a little harder to not have a limb broken, this wouldn't have happened."

"Unbelievable!"

"But interrupting your brother's studies to administer injury that would eliminate him from the swim team? That's unbelievable! You have every opportunity to hold yourself back and have a conversation later – " Judge sputtered as Sanji turned and picked up his bag to walk away, flipping Niji off as he headed up to his room. "I'm not done speaking here!"

"I'm done listening. This is bullshit. He started it, I ended it, and that should've been the end of it," Sanji said over his shoulder. "I'm doing my homework and I'm going to work."

"You'll not step foot outside this house, tonight," Judge barked after him. "I am removing you from that job!"

Sanji whipped around to look at him fiercely. "You can't do that!"

"I am your father, if I find this punishment is necessary, then it's done!" Judge bellowed back. "If Niji is held back from his activity, then it's fair that you are held back from yours."

"Bullshit!"

"Don't talk back to me!" Judge shouted, growing red in the face as he started towards the steps, fury indicative of every step he took. Incredulous to see his father stalking after him, Sanji froze while the others stilled with horrified expressions of their own. "Your insolence has been progressively worse as of lately, and it appears that any punishment I administer has not worked to diminish that attitude! If you can't see fit to abide by my rules, then what makes you fit to stay here any longer?"

"The only reason why it has is because you're so full of shit all the time!" Sanji shouted at him, unmoving from the step while his father towered over him. "You're never happy with me, so anything I do that isn't what you find acceptable is - !"

"If you were more competent to follow my simple expectations, I wouldn't have any problem with you!" Judge shouted back at him. "But as a simpleton, you find every reason to fuck up any chance you might have to rise to my expectations! Your brothers are exceptional because they try – you don't!"

"I always put effort into everything I do, and none of it was good enough for you! I could never please you!"

"And it's because of this we are where we're at, now," Judge said low, bending slightly to face, still two stairs down from him. "This incident further proves to me that you aren't worthy of my expectations. You clearly don't want a successful future, and you don't find yourself a worthy exception to my low standards. Your continued efforts to challenge my devotion and my temper speaks high of your own shitty levels failure. You want a future like your mom? Dumped into some small, low-class apartment on minimal income, surviving on less appealing things with no chance of success for class and reputation? I can arrange that."

"Good," Sanji retorted. "Because living here hasn't done anything for me but teach me just what a waste of time it has been!"

Inhaling deeply, Judge frowned at him for several long moments, then reacted. He reached out to grab his arm, striding up the stairway with him trailing behind him. Shocked at his father's actions, Sanji stumbled after him with startled protests while his brothers looked on with stunned faces. Once in his room, Judge released him. He snatched up the laptop on his desk and smashed it onto the floor.

"A waste of time? A waste of money!" Judge bellowed at him, opening the device to slam it at the edge of the desk, keys flying out and glass shattering over the desktop. After it was destroyed to his satisfaction, he threw the pieces across the room, then reached out and swept everything on top of the desk onto the floor. "I gave you everything you could ever need to succeed, and you repay me like this? With insolence?"

Furious, Sanji shouted at him, "That's your own shit anyway! You paid for that, that's your own goddamn fault!"

Ripping apart his name brand headphones, Judge tossed those as well. Then reached out and pulled his bookshelf to the floor, wood creaking noisily as books flopped noisily in a pile in front of it.

"You're cleaning this up!" Sanji screamed at him as his father went to his closet and began pulling out clothes.

"You want to live poorly? Then you'll look the part!" Judge shouted at him.

With horror Sanji watched him tear apart shirts, causing him to dart forward to try and at least save something as his father's temper exploded. Judge shoved him aside, so Sanji caught himself hastily and reached out to pull sweaters from his grasp before he could tear into those as well. He ended up hitting his father with his cast as Judge whipped his arms about to dislodge him, and the impact stunned him enough to stop.

Sanji froze, holding his saved sweaters close to his chest as he realized what happened. He turned to gain some distance when he felt an overwhelming shift in tension, and felt Judge grab him by his school sweater. He was whipped off his feet, losing footing as Judge screamed out, "And you dare lift a hand to me? Your own father? You dare strike at me like I'm one of your brothers?"

"It was an accident!" Sanji protested as he struggled to sit up, unable to stop his father from suddenly stomping down on his casted arm. Fear and horror caused him to scream out with terror as plaster cracked noisily under force, and pressure caused agony to race up that limb.

"This, too, was a waste! Everything I've given to you was a waste!" Judge shouted at him, using his heel to grind the broken plaster down onto the slightly atrophied limb, pushing Sanji to the side as he made to shove the bigger man away. He lifted his foot to kick when Yonji inserted himself between them, grabbing onto his brother with both arms and pushing away from Judge. Once the red haze started to ease away, Judge caught his breath harshly. He looked around the room to see the damage he'd caused, then at the faces that looked at him with apprehension.

Caught, he stepped back, completely white in the face. Several seconds of intense silence rang out, books fluttering to settle onto the floor while hangars danced in the aftermath. The floor creaked as he realized what he did, looking back at his sons again. Niji was standing in the doorway with a stunned expression, Ichiji expressionless as he watched his father.

Swallowing tightly, Judge turned away, brushing off his clothes with shaking hands.

"Clean this shit up," he said gruffly, the boys at the doorway parting to allow him space to leave.

Shocked silent, Sanji said nothing as Yonji pushed away from him, looking immensely troubled. He walked out from the room to go to his, the door shutting behind him. Niji was without anything to say, surveying the mess with his mouth open, but he turned and walked away. Ichiji watched Sanji sit up, clutching the broken cast to his stomach with a heavily stunned expression.

Ichiji swallowed tightly. Speaking low, he said, "Even if you say anything, father's a respected attorney – bringing more strife to this household would do nothing to benefit you with the reputation he's built, and our own success, considering it's our word against yours. It's best just to keep quiet about it, or go to mom's."

Sanji listened to him speak, but the words weren't processing. He rose unsteadily, his legs shaking so badly that he felt he hadn't any control over himself. So he sat again, staring at the mess covering his floor. Numbly, he rubbed at the broken material around his arm, pain not yet registering with him due to the adrenaline. His throat was tight, tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth – his stomach in knots. He didn't have the energy to say anything.


A/N: Ahh…that was tough to write. Sorry. Especially after my 'Old Souls' update. DX

RR: Rosinante didn't want Law there – he wanted him to 'be a kid', and even if his mind was leaving him, this was his one true want. It didn't go the way either wanted, but it happened. D: Law is still settling into the house, and he brings along with him his learned idiosyncrasies from living in other people's houses. It's something that his parents will have to further live with. More to come about that. Doflamingo is a scary guy on the verge of something, but after this chapter, who is the lesser of father figures? Ugh…I feel bad, but it came out almost the way I'd written before!

Naghi-Tan: LOL it does, huh? Bonny would eat him right out of the field, though, no doubt about it. Things will start to improve for Law – slowly and surely but it's well needed after all he's been through! After this chapter, Sanji definitely needs space from his family. D: I'm glad you're doing better! Take care of that wound!

Guest: Ooh, I'm so sorry D: I'm continuing it but it's still so intense! It's almost done :D