Bears & Bonds

Law sighed with relief when he finally got all the bleeders stopped. He was now finally able to get inside of Bepo and see what all the damage was. It was a huge relief when he found the bullet had past clean through his navigator and missed his heart. Bepo was extremely lucky. If the bullet had been just a mere half an inch to the left he would have been down one subordinate, a navigator, and a best friend. His eyes flittered over to his two prisoners. Kailen was still working on getting the blood off Neo's skin. And Neo was staring out into space with the bear cubs close beside her, her eyes drenched in tears and full of fear. A tiny flame of anger burned in his chest that this had happened. He wanted to march over there and demanded Neo to tell him what happened out there. But he knew he wouldn't get any answers right now. The girl was far too upset to even talk to her brother. There was no chance she would talk to him right now. Besides, as soon as Penguin and Shachi got back he would have a clearer picture of what happened out there. So he focused getting Bepo fixed up.

Law wasn't sure how much time had past since he was focused on Bepo, but suddenly Shachi was beside him. The man asked, "How's Bepo doing?"

"He's going to be fine," Law said. "The bullet missed his heart and passed clean through."

"I'm so glad." Shachi sighed.

Law could feel the man's tension leave his body. "What did you find out there?"
"A mess," Shachi said. "Apparently a poacher had killed the bear cubs' mother. Penguin and I believe that's what started the fight. Though we're not sure if they snuck up on him shortly after the kill or if the poacher snuck up on them when they found the kill. Either way, we found the man still alive in the forest."

"He's still alive?" Law flickered a glance at Shachi.

"He was," Shachi said. "Penguin and I took care of him. Neither one of us wanted his death to be on Neo's hands. She's far too innocent for that." He glanced over at Neo. "I hope it doesn't affect her with what she did."

"What do you mean?" Law asked.

"The man had vines and thorns in his body," Shachi said. "I'm surprised he was still alive after all of that. He also had several bruises so it's obvious that Bepo fought with him."

"Understood." Law nodded. Another hour past before he finally finished stitching Bepo up. Tilting his head back he sighed, relieved that his friend was fine and stable. "Let's get him moved into a recover room."

"Aye, Captain," a medic said.

Law turned to see Neo was still sitting where Kailen had put her. Kailen, the cubs, and Penguin were still gathered around her. He tossed his blood surgical gloves in the trash before walking over to them. "Has she said anything else?"
"No." Kailen shook his head. "How's Bepo?"

"He'll be sore and out of commission for a while, but he'll live," Law said.

"Thank goodness," Kailen said. "She'll be relieved."

"We're all pretty hard to kill," Penguin said trying to lighten the mood a bit. "Should I get her something? Water? Maybe something to eat? Something light?"
"Water might be a good thing," Kailen said.

Penguin nodded and stood up before leaving the room.

"I'm sorry about this," Kailen said. "We seem to bring you nothing but trouble."

"Don't worry about it," Law said. "This wasn't her fault. Once they both wake up we'll get the full truth from them." He paused. "Shachi told me there were vines and thorns sticking out of the man's body."

Kailen glanced up at Law.

Law could see the confusion as clear as day in Kailen's eyes. "That surprises you?"

"Yeah. Neo's not one to attack someone or try to kill them. But then…" He looked back at Neo. "She's never been in a situation like this before."

"You mean seeing a poached animal?" Law asked.

"Penguin told me about it," Kailen said with a nod. "As we've told you before, our people don't eat meat much. And we certainly don't kill animals for trophies. The shock must have been too great for her. Then with Bepo getting shot…it's possible she lost control and was defending them all, even the bear cubs."

Law dropped his eyes to the cubs. They were now curled up at Neo's side sleeping. He looked back at Kailen. "What are you going to do with her now? She can't stay here."

"I'll move her down to our room," Kailen said. "If I'm lucky I can get her to sleep for a while."

Law squatted down and examined her red, swollen jaw. "Anything broken?"

"No," Kailen said. "Just swollen and bruised."

"You'll need to put some ice on that," Law said.

"I got some water," Penguin said upon returning. "And I brought a small bag of ice. I figured she could use it."

"Thanks, Penguin," Kailen said. He took the cup from him first. Placing it near Neo's lips, he add, "Drink, Neo."

Neo did. She sucked back a little water before turning her head away from the cup.

"I should get her downstairs now," Kailen said handing the cup back to Penguin.

"I'll come with you," Penguin said.

Kailen lifted Neo into his arms and stood up. Leaving the room the cubs followed him.

Law watched them go, unsure of how this was going to turn out with the bear cubs onboard.

…

Neo opened her eyes to the darkness of the sub. And odd warmth was surrounding her feet. Pushing herself up she found Kailen was sitting right beside the bed on the floor asleep. The cubs were on the bed with her. They were curled up at her feet, which explained the warmth. She licked her dry lips then winced at the pain shooting through her jaw. "Ouch."

"Hm?" Kailen shifted before looking up at her. "Oh, you're wake."

"Bepo!" Neo flinched. The image of Bepo's bloody body flashed through her mind. "Where's Bepo?!"

"Settled down." Kailen grabbed her wrist before she could get the idea to bolt for the door.

"He was shot! That man shot him!" Neo said. Her heart hammered against her chest. It was accompanied by a heaviness she couldn't explain. Spinning on the bed, she placed her feet on the floor in an attempt to stand up. Pressure of Kailen's hand on her wrist kept her in place.

"He's fine," Kailen said. "The captain operated on him while you were in shock. He's stable and woke up a few hours ago. He's resting right now. Like you should be."

"He's okay." Neo sighed and sunk back onto the bed. Her pulse lowering back to normal.

"What happened out there? I noticed you got your earth crystals back," Kailen said. "Did you get the rest of them?"
"No." Neo shook her head. "A guy, Bepo called him a poacher, killed the bear cubs' mom. I lost it. I couldn't handle it. They were hurting so much. The mother was… I attacked the guy. I punched him then kicked him. It wasn't until he shot Bepo that my earth crystals came back. It's confusing. I don't understand. I tried to use my solar crystal on him but it wouldn't work."

"So you only have your earth crystals back," Kailen said.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "Why? Why only them?"
"I'm not sure," Kailen said. "It's possible that your surroundings had an influence on that."

"What do you mean?" Neo glanced at him.

Kailen took in a breath. "Well, you were in a forest. And your earth crystals responded to your need of wanting to help your friend."

"That's why?" Neo asked.

"It's possible," Kailen said. "Remember researchers back home have suggested our crystals are connected to our emotions. And it's certain that our surroundings have an affect on us as well. And it was our parents…" He paused when she flinched. "Well, it was because of that incident that you lost the use of your crystals in the first place. Maybe it will take something like this to get them back?"

"I hope not," Neo said, her eyes locking onto the bear cubs. They woke up. Standing up to stretch out their bodies before holding up their noses to sniff the air. "I can't do this. I don't want to see anyone get hurt again."

"I know you don't. But you have to remember that we're sailing the Grand Line. And we're on a pirate ship. Danger is all around us," Kailen said. "We're not in the safe boarders of Luminous anymore."

Neo placed her hands over her face. "And I wanted to set sail with Godfather."

"It would be different with him," Kailen said. "He and the crew are stronger than this crew. Plus, Godfather would be keeping an eye on you all the time. You know he wouldn't let you go off alone."

"I wasn't alone this time," Neo said with a sigh. Pushing up on her arms, she sat up. The cubs moved towards the edge of the bed. Standing on the edge they slipped down the side and started exploring the room. She watched them. "How have they been?"
"They're fine for now," Kailen said. "I fed them some fish and gave them water before taking them back to the island so they could do their business. They're still scared and confused thought. They've been sticking close to you since you brought them here."

Neo ran her fingers over their furry heads when they rubbed against her legs. "Sweet babies."

"We're going to have to talk about them when you feel a little better," Kailen said.

"I figured as much." Neo stood up from the bed.

"Where are you going?" Kailen asked.

"To use the bathroom," Neo said. "Then I'm going to go check on Bepo."

"All right. Well, I'm going to head to bed now," Kailen said. "It's been a long day."

"Sorry I kept you up for so long," Neo said.

"Don't worry about it." Kailen stood and hugged her.

Neo sighed and leaned into his familiar embrace. A minute past before she pulled away from him and left the room with the cubs following her. Opening the door the light from the hall momentarily blinded her. When her eyes adjusted she headed for the stairs. The sub was quiet but for the occasional groaning of the sub settling. It was possible the crew was in bed, though she wasn't sure. She wasn't even sure what time it was. The only thing she knew for sure was it was raining outside. So the storm that blew in wasn't because of her. Or, well, it wasn't completely because of her. She knew the dark clouds had reacted to her fury.

Coming to the captain's quarters she found the door was open. She knocked anyway while stepping inside. Scanning her eyes around the room she found it empty. After using the facilities she headed on up to the medical bay. Half way up the stairs the cubs whined. Looking back she found they were having trouble climbing up the stairs. They had grown tired from the flight they had already climbed. Half smiling, she used her earth crystals. Summoning a couple vines she lifted them into her arms and proceeded up the stairs.

With only one of the recovery rooms door closed, it was easy for her to tell where Bepo was. That and she could sense him there. Opening the door she slipped inside with the cubs. She started to cross the room when she halted in her tracks. There, sitting in a chair with his bootless feet propped up on the bed, arms crossed, hat over his eyes, and a moonbeam falling over him from a porthole, was the captain. Confusion swirled around in her mind. Why was he here and not sleeping in his room?

Upon a closer look she saw, or thought she saw, worry lines stretched out across his face. His body was stiff and rigid in the chair as if he was unable to relax at all. Her heart pounded in her ears. For some reason she suddenly felt out of place. It was like she was intruding in on something she shouldn't have seen in the first place. She started to back towards the door but stopped when she heard a groan. She gulped, wondering if the captain was about to wake up and yell at her for being in here.

"Neo?" Bepo's soft voice said.

Neo licked her lips with no idea if she should answer him or not. A cub brushed her leg, making her jump.

"I can smell you." Bepo turned his head towards her. "Please, don't pretend you're not here."

Right. She had forgotten about that. She stepped over to the bed and smiled. "Hey. How you feeling?"

"Sore," Bepo said. His lips curled into a small smile. "But I'm alive thanks to you."

"I didn't do anything." Neo wrapped her arms around herself. "Except get you into that position."

"You did nothing wrong," Bepo said.

"I freaked out," Neo said. "If I didn't do that he wouldn't have snuck up on us. We would have left before he came."

"Neo, don't blame yourself," Bepo said holding out his hand for her. "Come here."

Neo hesitated before walking over to him. She placed her hand in his paw. The cubs followed. Sniffing Bepo's scent as they attempted to climb up the bed.

"It wasn't your fault at all. That man was to blame. He was doing something he shouldn't have. We were only in the wrong place at the wrong time. No one blames you for this," Bepo said.

"You captain probably does," Neo murmured.

"He doesn't," Bepo said. "He told me that when I woke up earlier. He said you were upset and sleeping."

Neo glanced over at the sleeping pirate captain. It looked like his body had relaxed in the time she had came in here. But she couldn't be sure. Still she expected him to wake up and snap at her for being in here. Then there were Bepo's words. There wasn't any reason for Bepo to lie to her but she still found it hard to believe the captain wouldn't blame her for this.

"The captain also told me you only got a hurt jaw," Bepo said smiling. "I'm glad that guy didn't hurt you worse. How is it?"

"Still a little sore. I might have trouble eating for a few days," Neo said rubbing her jaw.

"The captain can give you something for the pain," Bepo said. "Did you really get the use of your crystals back?"

"Uh, yeah," Neo said. "Apparently. Or at least a little bit. I'm still not back up to full strength yet."

"That's good." Bepo nodded. "I'm glad you can defend yourself some now. I can't wait to see what you can do with them. Will you show me someday?"
"Sure," Neo said. "I'd be glad to." Pulling her hand from Bepo's paw, she placed it behind her back and rocked back on her heels. "Well, you should sleep now. I only want to come see how you were doing."

Bepo nodded and closed his eyes.

Neo waited a minute before pulling the covers more upon Bepo. She then left the room with the cubs. Rubbing her forehead she wandered down the stairs until she reached the third floor. There she found the galley light on. "That wasn't on before. Was it?"

She headed for it. Stepping inside she found Penguin and Shachi sitting at a table with some food scattered between them. Her stomach rumbled. She had wanted to go back to the room but now that she was hungry she knew she wouldn't be able to relax. She entered into the room. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Neo, you're up," Penguin said.

"It's kind of hard to think about sleeping when one of your best friends has been shot," Shachi said.

"Sorry." Neo ducked her head.

"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault. You know that," Shachi said with a wave of his hand. He took a bite of his sandwich before adding, "Mostly we're just relieved that he's alive."

"So what are you doing here? Did you need something?" Penguin asked before biting into an apple.
"I woke up and decided to check on Bepo," Neo said. "He woke up for a moment. He seemed to be fine."

"That's good," Penguin said. "He was worried about you when he woke up earlier. I'm glad you two got to speak."

"I am too." Neo sat down beside him. One of the bear cubs attempted to climb into her lap. When he didn't make it, she picked him up and placed him on her legs. His sister pulled herself into a chair before climbing upon the table. "You really shouldn't be up there."

The cub ignored her.

"You brat." Neo shook her head.

"She might be hungry," Shachi said giving the cub a piece of roast. "What about you? You've been a sleep for a while."

"You should eat something." Penguin shoved some food closer to her.

Neo picked up a piece of roast and gave it to the cub she was holding before grabbing a carrot for herself. They ate in silence. She carefully nibbled on her carrot, her mind locked onto Law being in the recovery room with Bepo. It seems so caring of him to stay in there. But that contradicted his harsh, stern behavior that she had seen before. Then what did she know about the captain? They weren't friends. He could be very caring towards his crew for all she knew. Only he never acted this way with Archer or Conner. Of course their wounds weren't life threatening like Bepo's. Still it seemed like odd behavior for the captain. Her thoughts were soon interrupted when Shachi claimed he was tired and going to try and get some sleep.

"I'm hitting the sack," Shachi said as he left the room. "See you two tomorrow."

"Night, Shachi," Penguin said. "So what about you? You ready for bed yet?" He glanced at Neo then looked at the now sleeping cubs. "They seem ready for it."

"Penguin?" Neo said.

"What is it?" Penguin propped his chin in his hand, resting his elbow on the table.

"I was just wondering about your captain," Neo said.

"What about him?" Penguin probed.

"It's probably nothing, but when I was in the recovery room he was in there," Neo said, her eyes locked onto the table.

"Oh, that," Penguin said. "Despite no one actually voicing it, Bepo's the captain's best friend."

"He is?" Neo looked up at the man.

"He sure is." Penguin nodded. "Bepo's very loyal to the captain since he saved him from behind bullied by me and Shachi. And while it might not seem like it the captain is very loyal to his crew as well."

Neo snorted. The idea sounded silly in her head. But hearing it out loud made it sound flat out ridiculous.

Penguin chuckled.

"What?" Neo frowned.

"I'm not surprised that you think it's impossible," Penguin said. "You've only seen the harsher side of the captain. And he is known for sadistically torturing his enemies. But he'll never act like that with someone he cares about."

"I still find that hard to believe," Neo said. "He seems to always want to jump right to killing someone than try and talk about it."

"Maybe. But do you think you could have talked your way out of that situation with the poacher?" Penguin said.

It didn't take Neo long to decide. "No. I guess not. He really appeared to believe what he did was okay. But how? How could anyone do that to an animal? I can understand killing for food and survival, but what he did…"

"It's hard. I know," Penguin said. "And we're all right behind you. What that man did was wrong. Not only did he take a life needlessly he also left the meat to waste. At least he'll never do that again."

"So…I did kill him." Neo's stomach turned. Placing a hand over her mouth, she forced a gag down. Killing was never at the top of her list. And living the sheltered life she did on Luminous and having everyone there to protect her it never even crossed her mind that she may one day have to kill someone. Her feelings were mixed on the subject. She had to protect Bepo. She had to protect the bear cubs. It was the right thing to do. Wasn't it?

"No, you didn't." Penguin placed his hand over hers and gave her a comforting squeeze. "He was still clinging to life when Shachi and I found him. You don't have to worry. We took care of the rest. Please don't question what you did to him. You did the right thing. You were defending yourself and Bepo. So, please, Neo, please don't blame yourself for that."

Tears leaked over her eyelids. With her free hand she brushed them away and turned her other hand to hold his. Penguin's words took the heaviness from her chest. She nodded. "Thank you, Penguin. Thank you so much."

"Any time." Penguin smiled. "We're friends after all. Right?"

"Yeah." Neo returned his smile. "We're friends."

"So does this mean you're starting to see the captain in a different light?" Penguin asked with a teasing lilt in his tone.

Neo snorted despite the heat rushing to her cheeks. She crossed her arms over her chest. "No! Of course not! Don't be silly! I still don't like him! He's still the biggest jerk I've ever met!"

Penguin chuckled. "If you say so."

"Though I still admit that he's not as…horrible as I first thought," Neo said. The bear cub in her lap woke up. He scrambled upon the table and started playing with a carrot. "And I do tend to favor people who are loyal to their friends."

"It's a start," Penguin said. "Well, if we're done eating we should clean up and head for bed. It's getting late."

Neo stood up with him. After the galley was clean and everything was put up, they grabbed the bear cubs and headed to their quarters. Penguin stepped into her and Kailen's room. He placed the cub down at the foot of her bed before heading out. "Good night, Neo."

"Good night, Penguin," Neo said. The door closed. She laid down with the cubs on the bed and closed her eyes.

…

Neo opened her eyes. She quickly reclosed them due to the invasive sunlight shining through the porthole. Once her eyes adjusted to the light she sat up. Looking around the room she found the bear cubs were gone but she quickly sensed them outside with Kailen. Standing up from the bed she quickly changed clothes before heading out of the room. As she got closer to the stairs she heard someone grumbling a few choice words she wasn't use to hearing. Conner then stepped up onto the floor. Grease spotted his skin and his hair was sticking up all over the place. She said, "Having trouble with something?"

"Yeah, the sub's being a real pain," Conner said.

"Are we in trouble?" Neo asked.

"No," Conner said. "It's just taking longer to fix everything than I thought it would. I'm taking a break before my frustration causes me to inflict more damage on it." He paused, seeming to notice something about her. "Did you just get up?"

"Yes. Why?" Neo said.

"It's past noon," Conner said. "You're usually up long before now."

"Oh," Neo said. That would explain the bright sunlight. "I guess I needed to sleep. Yesterday was pretty stressful after all."

"So I heard," Conner said. "Sorry you had to go through that. But Bepo's tough. He'll be up on his feet in a few days."

Neo nodded. Her stomach rumbled.

"Let's get something to eat," Conner said leading the way to the galley. Stepping into the galley both their eyes landed on a piece of paper sitting on the closest table. He picked it up and read it. "Penguin saved us some lunch. We can also help ourselves to whatever we want. The crew appears to be outside at the moment."

"I figured that since I felt Kailen was outside," Neo said.

"Hm? You felt him outside?" Conner paused in placing the note down. His eyes bore into her.

"Uh, sorry. I'm still partially sleep," Neo said quickly, rubbing her neck. "I meant I figured that's where they were since the bear cubs weren't in the room."

"Ah." Conner nodded. Placing the note down he headed over to the fridge. "They would need to go outside. I hope you're not thinking about keeping them. The captain doesn't allow pets on the sub."

"I'm not really sure what to do with them. I can't just leave them on their own to die. They're only babies. They can't fight for themselves," Neo admitted. She walked over to the fridge and grabbed the tea pitcher. "Would you like some tea?"

"Sure. Thanks. And that's life though," Conner said pulling food into his hands. He walked over to the table and placed it down. "If you and Bepo didn't come along the poacher would have killed them. Or some other animal would have. You know the whole circle of life thing?"

Neo bit back a flinch. His honesty stung. She filled their glasses with tea, put the pitcher back in the fridge, and joined him at the table. They ended up eat in silence after that. His words hung like a thick fog in the room and her mind.

He finished before she did and went back to work leaving her with her thoughts. If they were on their godfather's ship then keeping the bears wouldn't be a problem as she had them wrapped around her finger. Plus, they would have taken the bear cubs back to Luminous so they could grow up there. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. She wasn't on her godfather's ship. She was on Captain Law's submarine. It was obvious that animals wouldn't be happy inside of the sub. And being wild animals would only make it worse on them even with her and Kailen there. But how could she just leave them to die? It seemed so heartless of her to even think about it. All she really could think about was their mother lying dead and defiled on the forest floor. Her own parents lying on the ground dead and defiled flashed through her mind. She forced back a gag then focused on eating lunch.

Finished eating, she washed her dishes, put them up, and headed upstairs. She stopped off at the captain's quarters to use his bathroom before going on up to the medical bay. The captain and Bepo's voices floated out into the hall. She didn't stick around long enough to listen in on what they were saying. Right now she really didn't want to face the captain. She would visit Bepo later.

Walking out onto the deck she crossed her arms over the railing and watched the scene below on the island. The bear cubs were currently harassing Archer by crawling all over him and chewing on his cast.

"Hey! Leave that alone! It's not a toy!" Archer said during a feeble attempt to push the cubs away. The crew laughed when the cubs didn't stop. One of the cubs grabbed onto Archer's arm, hanging there when he lifted his arm. "Get off me! I'm not a tree either!"

Neo climbed down to the island. Once the cubs caught her scent on the wind they ran over to her. Smiling, she knelt down on the warm grass and stroked their backs before moving closer to Archer and Kailen.

"Man! Good thing you're here! Those pests wouldn't leave me alone!" Archer said. He lifted his leg to show her his cast. "I think they think I'm their personally chew toy! They're probably trying to eat me!"

"They like you," Neo said. Sitting down the bear cubs started chasing each other around her.

"Well, at the moment the feelings not mutual," Archer said while examining the tooth and claw marks on his cast. "They could have seriously damaged my cast. The captain would be furious if that happened. Like food we have to be careful with our medical supplies. We could run out."

"Oh, stop being such a baby." Shachi walked over. "The captain would have put on a new one. We have more than enough medical supplies."

"That's not the point!" Archer said.

Shachi shrugged. "They're babies. What do you expect?"

"Just shut up." Archer frowned.

"So have you decided on what you're going to do with the cubs?" Shachi asked sitting down.

Neo closed her eyes. The sight of the mom bear lying on the ground was still fresh in her mind. A dull ache pounded behind her eyes.

"You know you can't keep them," Archer said. "The captain won't allow it."

Neo pressed her fingers to her forehead. The smile of the poacher thinking he did nothing wrong came next.

"There should be other bears on the island," Kailen said watching his sister closely. "We should be able to find one that will take the cubs in."

"You're kidding, right?" Archer looked at Kailen.

The sounds of the cubs' fearful cries filled Neo's ears. She clenched her eyes closed.

"It's happened before," Kailen said. "I'm sure there's another mother bear living here that could help." The pirates gave him a skeptical look. He shrugged. "It's happened before. Animals can be amazing at times."

Neo looked at her brother. Sure animals have stepped up to take care of a baby that weren't theirs but that's not what he was talking about here. They could easily ask a bear to take care of the cubs. But there was still a chance that it wouldn't happen. Unable to stop herself or the visions of what happened from swimming in her head, she said, "We're not getting rid of them."

"Neo," Kailen said.

Neo lifted her hand, silencing him. "My decision is final. I can't…I won't leave them here."

"Neo." Kailen sighed.

"The captain is not going to be happy," Archer said.

"I know." Neo plucked at the grass. "And I don't care. It's not like he hasn't been upset with me before." She glared at the ground. "I just can't get my mind wrapped around leaving them behind for another poacher to come and do that to them or another bear." She wrapped her arms around her trembling body. The cubs walked over to her, brushing against her sides. "I can't see another one die. I won't do it. I can't."

"Neo," Kailen said placing his hand on her shoulder. "You know what happened back home wasn't-"

"Enough!" Neo said in her royal tone.

Kailen shrunk back.

Neo looked at her brother before catching a glimpse at the pirates. It was obvious they were confused at her unusual authority tone. A tone she hadn't used around them before. She pinched the bridge of her nose knowing the captain was going to be furious with her decision. And most likely will force her to leave the cubs behind. But what else could she do? She had to protect these two. They were orphans now just like she and Kailen were.

…

For the next two days Neo hadn't left the bear cubs side. And she had been avoiding Law in that time as well. Word had gotten around that she wasn't going to release the cubs. Needless to say the captain wasn't very happy about it. It was easy for her to notice he was avoiding her as much as she was avoiding him. The only time their paths crossed was in the galley and his room. They avoided eye contact as much as possible during those times. She made sure to check and see if Law was in the recovery room with Bepo before going in there. And that's where she currently was. Sitting in the chair Law often occupied. After an hour and a half of sitting with the bear she finally noticed one particular conversation hadn't came up yet. She said, "You're not telling me to leave the cubs behind."

"I'm not sure I can," Bepo said. "I can understand how you feel about them. Well, a little bit anyway."

Neo looked up at him. The bear was sitting up, leaning back against several pillows while playing with the bear cubs.

"I worry a lot about my brother," Bepo said. "Especially when he first took off from our home island. I'm not even sure if he's alive or not."

"So how upset is your captain about this?" Neo asked picking at the hem of her shirt.

"I'm not really sure," Bepo said. "He's been avoiding the topic since we haven't been able to set sail yet. But now that Conner has the sub fixed…"

Neo nodded when Bepo trailed off. They would be leaving this island any minute now. She stood up and headed for the door. The cubs scrambled after her. "Excuse me. I have to take the cubs outside for a while."

"Of course," Bepo said as she stepped out of the door.

…

Law leaned back in his chair. With his hands behind his head he stared up at the ceiling with a frown. The sub had been finally fixed early this morning but he still hadn't given the order to set sail. All he did was hide away in his room, avoiding everyone, especially Neo. Though he wasn't sure why. He had found out about her decision to keep the bear cubs despite the numerous times she had been told she couldn't. Of course it infuriated him. But then that was nothing new. This young woman had a habit of getting under his skin. This was no exception. She knew it as much as he did. Yet here he was. Still sitting in his room, stewing over the young blue haired woman.

The thought of warping her into a cell in the brig and sail off, leaving the bear cubs behind, crossed him mind multiple times. It would be so easy to do. They had a goal to meet after all. They had to get to Sabaody. So why hadn't he? Why hadn't he put his foot down and set sail already? His eyebrows kneaded when her crying and covered in Bepo's blood shot through his mind. Was it possible that he didn't want her to cry again? Surely not. No woman ever had that kind of control over him. So there was no way this woman could do that to him.

Law lowered his eyes to the door when someone knocked. "Yes?"
"Captain?" Shachi opened the door and stepped inside. "Sorry to bother you. But…um…the crew is wondering when we're going to set sail?"

Law sighed. Standing up he grabbed his hat and sword from his desk before heading for the door. "Prepare the crew to set sail."

"Aye." Shachi nodded, stepping aside so Law could enter the hall. "And, uh, Neo?"
Law paused for a few seconds. "She outside?"

"I believe so," Shachi said. "She was the last I knew. I think she took the cubs out for a while."

Law headed for the stairs. Out on the deck, he glanced down to the island. Sure enough she was there. The two bear cubs were chasing Neo around as she danced to get away from them. Something stirred in his chest at the sight of her fluid movements. Never before had he noticed how graceful she moved. But here it was obvious that she was as graceful as a dove gliding through the air.

His heart skipped when she did a move he believed was called a pirouette, something he had seen his sister do when they were kids. She spun on one foot while her other foot was against her knee, supporting her leg.

He shook his head when he felt himself waver in his decision to leave the cubs behind. Lifting his hand, he formed his Room and warped down to her. Neo didn't look up at him. Her eyes remanded on the cubs as she danced to a stop. He said, "We're setting sail in a few minutes."

Neo nodded once.

Law gripped his sword. "And you're leaving those animals behind."

"No." Neo clenched her fists. "I won't."

"You don't have a choice," Law said.

"I do too. We don't have to leave them behind," Neo said.

Law exhaled. "Yes. You do. Turn them lose and get on the sub."

"No," Neo said.

"Excuse me?" Law frowned.

"You heard me," Neo said crossing her arms over her chest. Lifting her eyes from the ground she glared at him. "I won't do it! I won't abandon them like that! I can't!"

"Yes, you can." Heat boiled in Law's chest. "You're not their mother. It's not right for you to force them to deal with having to live on the sub. They're not pets."

"I know that!" Neo shouted. "And I don't care! I can't and I won't abandon them! How many times do I have to tell you that?!"

Law growled. Snapping out his free hand, he grabbed her wrist, and within a second had them warped onto the sub. Pulling her close he shoved her back against the railing of a cell. A gasp left her lips from the impact. "Do you see these bars? We're currently on the brig. I will lock you in one if you do not leave those animals behind. You don't seem to understand that I am the captain here. It doesn't matter that you are not a member of my crew. You will show me the respect I deserve as the captain. This is the last time I'm telling you to leave those animals behind."

"How can you be so heartless?" Neo lowered her tear stained eyes.

"Very easily actually," Law said, "with everything that's happened to me in my past. Being nice isn't something I can afford to be anymore."

Law forced back a flinch when she glanced up at him. Not only were her eyes filled with tears but also fear, a sense of loss, and hopelessness. Something he knew all too well. Still there was no way he was going to let this woman's tears persuade him in his decision. He couldn't allow himself to cave to her because they had a very tiny connection. He tightened his hold onto her and lifted his other hand. This was it. She was going to go into the cell. And she was going to stay there until they arrived at Sabaody. Then, just as he started to spread out his Room, Corazon's smile flashed through his mind. His brow creased. Why of all times would Corazon appear in his mind? And why would it be of the smile he had before he died. Hands loosened he found himself asking, "Why? Why are you so determined to keep them if you know death is a part of life?"

"Because I know how they feel," Neo whispered almost too low for him to hear.

"What? What did you say?" Law's hands dropped.

Neo trembled before glaring up at him. "Because I know exactly how they feel! I saw our own parents died in front of me! I saw our parents being murdered by someone I trusted!"

"What?" Law asked. His anger completely vanished.

Neo slid down the cell bars to the floor. Tears formed rivers down her cheeks. She raked her fingers through her hair and clenched them. "They're dead. Our parents were murdered in front of me."

"You're parents were…" Law trailed off. The memory of his own parents lying dead on the blood-covered floor of their clinic came back to him. His parents that were murdered by the government, by someone he should have been able to trust. The same government that killed off not only his parents, but also his sister, and their entire hometown population.

"Our parents." Neo's voice cracked. "They were murdered by someone I thought I could trust. Someone that I did trust. Someone who watched me grown up. He killed them right in front of me. I should have stopped it. I had the power to…I could have…but I didn't…its all my fault." Neo buried her face in her hands and sobbed. "I could have saved them. It's my fault. They died because of me."

Sighing, Law tilted his head back and closed his eyes. More pieces of his mysterious prisoners were falling into place. They were looking for their godfather because their parents had been murdered by someone they trusted. They didn't have much on them when he found them because they obviously left their home island in a hurry. Something he could completely relate to. He too had nothing when he fled his own hometown after losing everything and everyone.

It was painfully clear that he had more in common with this woman than he had realized. With another sigh he knelt down in front of her. He reached for her. His hand paused an inch from her shoulder for a few seconds before he finally placed his hand on her.

Neo gasped and looked up at him.

The all too familiar tears and pain in her eyes tugged at his heartstrings. This must have been why he pictured Corazon a few minutes ago. His subconscious must have picked up on the similarities. That also had to be why he didn't want to make her cry and force her to leave the cubs behind. "Neo, listen to me. I know it feels like it's your entire fault they died, but that's not true. I don't know exactly what happened but from what you've just said it's clear that you had no idea that was going to happen to your parents. There was no way for you to prepare for something like that."

"What do you know?!" Neo brushed his hand off her shoulder and turned her head away from him before wrapping her arms around herself. "You're just a pirate! A pirate who has no problem with killing! Death is nothing to you! It's even in your name! Surgeon of Death! You would never understand what I'm feeling! How it feels to have the murder of your parents forever engraved in your mind! I'll never be able to unseen what Atlas did to them!"

"That's not entirely true." Law sat down on the floor, placing his sword beside him. Drawing in a deep breath, he exhaled before finally telling her the truth. "I do know how you feel."

"What?" Neo brought her eyes back to him.

"I actually do know how you're feeling." Law paused then added, "Because my parents were murdered as well."

"What?" Neo asked.

"They were killed when I was ten years old." Law placed his sword on the floor. "I never had any intention of becoming a pirate. I was studying to become a doctor. My parents were both doctors as well. We lived in a place called Flevance in the North Blue. It was also called the White Town because of the amber lead that was mined there. The amber lead was actually poisonous. The world government and the royal family knew about this beforehand but never told anyone about it. Many people died because of that. But the entire place was wiped out by an extermination team one day because of the false fear this illness would spread from host to host. It didn't. It was only passed down through blood relations. My little sister even died there. The extermination team burned down the hospital she was in. And I saw my parents' dead bodies lying on the floor of our clinic. The extermination team tried to kill me as well but I managed to escape by hiding in a pile of dead bodies."

"You were…you're parents were…" Neo stared at him.

Law nodded in understanding of what she was trying to stay. She was hearing him. She was starting to understand that he did know how she felt. "So I can understand how you feel. I too was unable to do anything about my parents and sister's death."

"You…understand." Fresh tears came to her eyes.

Law started to nod but stopped when Neo leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his chest. His body stiffened. His first reaction was to pull away from her but his body didn't listen. Instead his head tilt downward. His nose came to her hair. A sweet scene filtered into his nostrils. Bepo was right. Somehow Neo really did smell sweet. His body relaxed. One arm went around her, pulling her closer to him, while his other hand went to the back of her head. He held her close. "I'm sorry about your parents, Neo. I promise that the pain will go away someday. You'll never forget what happened that day but it will get easier to deal with. I promise you it will."

Neo nodded.

"That's a good girl," Law said with a stroke of her hair. "Now then. Let's-" A white glow appeared around them, cutting him off. "What the heck is this?"

"What's what?" Neo lifted off of him. She drew in a sharp gasped.

Law looked at her. "What's going on? What is this? Why are you, why are we glowing white?"

"I, uh…" Neo leaped to her feet and backed away from him.

"Neo." Law stood up. He studied her shocked expression. She knew something. "What's going on? Why are we glowing like this?"

Neo shook her head. Instead of answering him she dashed around him and disappeared down the hall.

Law started to follow after her, the glow fading from his body. But as he reached the door, he stopped. He knew it would do no good to try and demand answers from her. If she told him about this glow then it would be when she wanted to.

…

Neo's feet pounded on the stairs and in her head. It wasn't possible. It couldn't have been happening. Not now. Not that. Not to him of all people. In the hazy cloud of her mind she heard a few crewmates called out for her but she didn't stop or acknowledge them through her hurried pace to get to the bedroom. Reaching it, she slammed the door behind her and locked it. Her eyes roamed the room in search of her brother. He wasn't there.

"No. No. No. No. No!" Neo said to herself as she paced the room. Her body threatening to hyperventilate. "Why? How could it do that? Why him? Of all people on the world why did it have to be him? It didn't happen. It couldn't have. I was hallucinating." She ran a hand through her hair. "But he saw it. He asked about it. It wasn't a hallucination. Oh sweet crystals of Luminous. Why did this have to happen? It really did happen. Didn't it? I'm now bonded to that pirate."

Neo closed her eyes and forced herself to take a steady breath. Kailen's earth crystals appeared outside. She had to talk to him Marching over to the door, she unlocked it and jerked it open. She ran as fast as she could through the sub, ignoring the calls of the crew once more. Reaching the deck she summoned an earth crystal and threaded a vine down to the island. The railing to the ladder was open so that's where she headed. Once close enough she launched herself into the air, grabbed the vine, and slid down to the island. The second her shoes thumped on the ground she dashed over to her brother.

"Neo," Kailen said as he walked closer to the sub. His eyes went to the wrestling cubs then to his sister. "Why were you inside without the-Oof!"

Neo plowed into him. "Kailen!"

"What in the world?" Kailen shifted his leg back to keep from falling.

"I bonded with him!" Neo looked into his eyes. A cold droplet of sweat ran down her neck.

"What?" Kailen asked.

"Just now!" Neo gripped his shirt. "I bonded with the captain!"

Kailen's skin whitened. "What…how? Why?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure," Neo said before rambling off what had happened. She paced in front of him as she did. "He threatened to lock me up. I broke down and told him our parents were murdered and that's why we're looking for our godfather. Then it just happened. He was holding me."

"He was holding you?" Kailen frowned.

"Yeah." Neo flushed, unable to look at her brother. "But that's not important! What are we going to do?! You know what happened to the last bonded pair!"

"Calm down, Neo." Kailen grabbed her shoulder to stop her from pacing. "It's going to be fine."

"How can you say that?! You know the story!" Neo said.

"I know." Kailen nodded. "You know the story. It wasn't their decision to part like that. That's not going to happen to you two."

Neo paused. He had a point.

"Take a deep breath," Kailen said.

Neo drew in as much air as she could before releasing it.

"You calm now?" Kailen asked.

"I think so." Neo nodded but her body still wanted to pace.

"Good."

"So what are we going to do about it?" Neo asked.

"There's nothing we can do," Kailen said. "You know bonding is something you can't control. You just had a moment, a connection to him. It doesn't necessarily mean anything more than that. You two can choose what happens next."

"I hope you're right," Neo said. She glanced down at the cubs for a moment before realizing something. "Wait. Where were you? Why weren't you in the sub? And you were alone."
"With permission from the captain," Kailen said, "I went out looking for other bears."

"Oh."

"I found one that would willingly teach the cubs how to hunt and survive," Kailen said.

"I see." Neo wrapped her arms around herself. A tense moment of silence passed between them before she said, "I know we have to let them go."

"I knew you'd come around." Kailen squeezed her shoulder before releasing her. "I just didn't think it would happened after you...after a…" He ran his hand through his hair. "Are you going to tell him?"

"I'm not sure." Neo glanced back at the sub. No one was on deck. "He has a right to know what happened but I'm not sure if I can tell him without telling him everything."

"I'm starting to think we might not have a choice in the matter."

"Are you saying you want to tell him?" Neo looked at her brother.

"Not really," Kailen said with a shrug. "I'm just saying things are getting more complicated. We might not have a choice. But whether we do or not is really up to you."

"Responsibility really sucks," Neo said.

"I know." Kailen chuckled. He kissed her forehead. "But we all have to deal with it."

"And once again I find myself apologizing to you," Neo said. "I'm sorry for using my authority tone on you before."

"It's fine," Kailen said. "I should have seen it coming. Though I believe there's someone else you need to apologize more to."

Neo gulped when he looked over her head. Without even looking she knew it was the captain was walking over to them.

"Captain," Kailen said confirming what she already knew.

"We're ready to set sail," Law said.

"I figured," Kailen said.

Neo knew she should turn around and apologize to him but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Looking at him would only confuse her more. She had to think first. She had to figure out what she was going to tell him.

"If it's all right with you," Kailen then said. "I'd like to take Neo and the cubs out into the woods. I believe I found a bear that might take the cubs in."

"Take Shachi and Penguin with you," Law said.

"Of course." Kailen nodded. "We won't be gone long."

The two pirates soon joined them via Law's Room.

"Huh?" They looked around. Shachi was pulling up the zipper on his boiler suit. Neo hoped he wasn't brought from the bathroom.

"Go with these two," Law said.

"Aye, Captain," they said before he walked off.

"So where are we going?" Penguin asked.

"To take the cubs to a surrogate," Kailen said. "Or I hope so."

Neo could feel the pirates turn their eyes to her. With an exhale she turned to them. Her eyes went to Law's back. The captain was still walking towards the sub. She forced her eyes off him. "Yeah. It's time to let them go."

"Are you sure?" Penguin asked.

"Yes." Neo nodded. "I'm sure."

"Let's go." Kailen turned and lead them towards the woods.

"Come on, you two," Neo called for the cubs. They stopped wrestling and followed after her. The walk between the group was silent but for the playful cries of the cubs and birds singing. Fifteen minutes into the walk a small bubbling of a stream appeared. She and the two pirates mimicked Kailen when he crouched down to some bushes. Peering over they saw the stream. A bear was sniffing along the bank. Neo could tell immediately that's the bear Kailen had spoken with. She had to be in her twenties and had a few cubs of her own.

"That the bear you're leaving the cubs with?" Shachi whispered.

"I hope so," Kailen said.

Neo looked at him when he looked at her. His eyes said yes despite his words. She nodded at him before turning her attention to the cubs. "All right, you two. It's time for you to become wild again." They placed their front paws on her arms. Tears pool in her eyes as she hugged them. "You're going to be all right. You're strong. Go on now."

The cubs nodded before scurrying through the bushes.

The group watched as the cubs scrambled up to the bear. She sniffed them, pushed them around with her muzzle before leading them off into the woods.

Neo bit her bottom lip to stop it from trembling and from crying. She leaned into her brother when the warmth of his arm appeared around her.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get back to the sub."

Neo nodded, brushing away her tears. Standing up she allowed him to lead her back to the sub. They climbed aboard. The door was shut.

"So what are you going to do now?" Kailen asked.

Neo paused at the stairs. Shachi and Penguin continued on down them to do whatever their assignments were in getting the sub sailing. She knew what she had to do. She had to tell him. "I'm going to tell him about the bond. I haven't figure out how to say it yet."

"All right then," Kailen said. "I'll be in the rec. room for a while if you need me."

Neo nodded. She watched him go before finally forcing herself to move. Walking down the stairs she met up with Conner. "Uh, hey, do you know where the captain is?"
"He's in the control room at the moment," Conner said.

"Thanks." She continued down the stairs. Her heartbeat fell into sync with her shoes tapping on the stairs. She picked at her shirttail while trying to figure out how to word what she was going to tell him. Her feet stalled on the fifth floor. Just down this empty hall the captain was inside of the control room. Gulping she forced herself to walk onward. The engines purred like new as she passed the room. The purr was replaced by beeping of the controls when she reached the control room. Peaking inside she found it was just Law and one other crewmate. They were talking. She pulled back and pressed her back against the wall, thinking about her brother's words. Perhaps things were getting too complicated. Perhaps it would be best to just tell him and the crew everything. Despite a few issues she felt no real danger from them. But was that the right thing to do in this situation? Should she trust them with their secrets?

"There something wrong?"

Neo jumped at Law's voice. She turned to face him but was only able to stare at the smiley on his hoodie. "N-no. Why would you think that?"

"You were just standing there and looked a bit pale," Law said.

"I'm fine," Neo said. Seconds ticked by. She licked her lips. Her fingers fiddled with her shirttail. Mentally she tried to encourage herself to speak. Nothing happened. "If you didn't need anything." Law stepped around her.

Her heart hammered. Spinning around she grabbed the back of his hoodie. "Wait!" Her face flushed when he glanced back at her. She released him and shifted on her feet. Her eyes darted all around the hall in hopes for a distraction. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to grab you like that. I just…there's something…" She exhaled and looked him directly in the eyes. "Can we talk? In private?"

A beat. "Sure."

Licking her lips she followed him up the stairs. A couple crewmates gave them curiously looks as they walked by. Law led her to his room. Opening the door he stepped inside the gestured with a nod for her to enter. He flipped on the light and closed the door before going to his desk to sit.

"So what is it?" Law asked propping his sword upon his desk.

"It's about what happened between us in the brig," Neo said taking a quick glance at him.

"Oh?" Law's eyebrows rose. "What about it?"

"Well, it was…a bonding," Neo said.

"A bonding?" Law gave her a skeptical look.

She nodded. Dropping her eyes to the floor she tried to order her thoughts. "It's something that can happen with our people. I mean a few of them. It's actually a very rare occurrence. Only two others bonding have occurred in our history." When he didn't reply she looked up. He was studying her with an intense gaze. His eyes weren't cold, as they have been before; they were more curious and cautious. It was clear he wasn't sure if he believed her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ran away before…I mean, I should have it's just…I didn't know…I wasn't trying…with the bear cubs and all I just…"

"What happens with this bond?" Law asked.

"Not much really." Neo rubbed her hand on her left arm. "If it's like the other two that's happened we'll just feel each other's pain."

"Feel each other's pain?" Law kneaded his eyebrows.

"That's correct." Neo nodded. "I'll feel your pain and you'll feel mine. But it won't be as bad for the feeler. I mean if I get stabbed or something it'll hurt worse for me than it will you because I'm the one receiving the injury."

"Understood," Law said. "Are there any risks involved in this bonding?"

"Uh." Neo shifted.

"Tell me what it is." Law frowned. "Right now."

"It's only happened once before, but the last bonded pair died," Neo said. Alarm rose in Law's expression. "But that was because they were forced apart by their parents. It's believed that a bonded pair can't live without each other. Those two were romantically involved though. That's why they died."

"And the other pair?" Law asked. "Were they romantically involved?"

"Uh, yes." Neo nodded. "But they didn't die. They weren't forced apart or anything. So we don't have to worry about that. It's not like we're going to be romantically involved or anything. We're not even friends."

"You are correct, Miss Neo," Law said.

Neo's heart sank when he called her Miss again. Despite being in a mess at the time she still recalled Law saying just her name. It was so gentle, caring, understanding. Now their moment in the brig seem to have disappeared as quick as it came. But it was still fresh in her mind. The way he held her, what he told her, and calling her completely by her name paraded through her mind. She wanted to hear him say her name again, just her name.

"When will we be able to feel each other's pain?" Law asked. "And why did this happen in the first place?"

"We should be able to feel it any time now. I guess we could experiment if you wanted," Neo said.

"Not necessary." Law waved her off. "I'm sure one of us will be hurt soon enough."

Neo nodded. "As for the other question. We don't really know. It's just something that happens. And as I've already said, is extremely rare. That's really all the information we have on the subject. I'm sorry if you were expecting more."

"I wasn't," Law said. "You two still keep things from me."

"I'm sorry," Neo said.

"Don't worry about it," Law said leaning back in his chair. "I'm starting to get use to it. A little bit anyway."

"I'm also sorry about before." Neo shifted on her feet. "With the bear cubs and all."

"I already knew that," Law said. "And in understand a bit more now on why you acted that way."

"Yeah. My emotions have been out of control." Neo grinned sheepishly.

"It's to be expected with what you went through," Law said. "My own emotions use to be out of control."

"How did you manage to get them back under control?" Neo asked.

Law didn't answer.

"Fair enough. I have my secrets and you have yours. I'll leave now since I've said everything I wanted to say," Neo said. "Unless there's something else you wanted to talk about."

"Not at this time," Law said.

Neo nodded and headed for the door.

"Wait," Law said when she was about to open it. She turned back to him. "I don't hold anything against you."

"What?"

"You're just being emotional." Law's hat fell over his eyes. "I'll let it pass this time. But I do expect you to conduct yourself in a better manner in the future. I am the captain here and I expect you to act like it."

"Yes, sir," Neo said. "I will." She turned to leave but paused when a small smile formed on his lips. But what did the smile mean? "So, um, are we okay?"

"I guess so." Law shrugged. "Only time can actually answer that."

"Yeah." Neo nodded and left the room. Walking down the hall, she mumbled, "I guess time will tell soon enough."

...

Aurthor's Notes: Sorry for the delay. I had to house/cat sit this week and forgot to upload the chapter so I could post it.