No Snow Fun

"I hate this," Neo sighed, releasing a puff of her breath into her cold surroundings. She didn't like doing nothing. She never was a fan of fighting, but really didn't like the fact that she couldn't help her family and friends in this situation. She and Law were standing on a cliff of a snowy island that was home to a tribe of polar bear minks, much to Bepo's delight. They were looking over the snowy land below them. The crews were down below them chasing after a small group of Warpers.

"I know you do," Law squeezed her hand. "But they are doing fine. It'll be over soon."

They've been after this group of Warpers for almost a week now and never got anywhere close to catching them. Law eventually figured out that it was because they were using the snow and being able to sense Neo's presence to their advantage. So they always had the upper hand. Law decided to order Neo out of the battle, had some crew members and polar bears hide in the snow, while the others moved in for a fake attack. They were herding the Warpers into an ambush.

Luffy was using his gatling gun to smash a blizzard of snow balls coming for them. Zoro was slicing them up. Sanji was kicking them rapidly. Usopp and Nami was firing at them with their weapons while the rest of the crews, plus some other mink polar bears, were slowly sneaking upon the Warps from all directions. The crews were covered with white blankets to help them blend in.

"We really appreciate the help you're giving us," Dina, a female polar bear mink, said as she walked over to Neo and Law. She was a few inches shorter than Bepo, dressed in unnecessarily warm clothes. She was also the one the crews were staying with. That happened after the crews saved her nephew and several other cubs from a Warper.

"We were passing by this spot anyway," Law shrugged.

Dina gave Law a questioning look. Neo gave the female bear a light smile. She wrapped her arm around Law's. "He's just like that. We're happy to help you all."

"You're very sweet, Princess," Dina said.

"You don't have to call me princess, Dina," Neo said. "I gave that up long ago to be with my family."

"But you are still a princess," Dina smiled.

"She's right," Law said. "Just because you didn't assume the throne doesn't mean you're not a princess. Besides, your people still treat you like the royal you are."

"I suppose so," Neo nodded. She leaned against Law's side and poked him in the ribs. "You, specifically, do still treat me like one. Especially when we're alone."

Law's cheeks tinted pink when Dina snickered. He growled as he pulled his arm from Neo's and wrapped it around her waist. "You hush. The Warpers are almost to the trap."

Neo giggled then turned her attention back to the land below them. Luffy's group closed in on the Warpers. At the right moment, Neo summoned her wind crystals. She blended her wind into the wind that was already blowing then, with a signal shot from Usopp, Neo trapped the Warpers in her winds and the other group leaped out from their hiding spots and slapped the cuffs on the Warpers. Neo sighed when the Warpers disappeared. When she sneezed, Law tightened his hold on her. "Let's get you back inside before you get sick."

Neo wrapped her winds around the three of them and lowered them down to the rest of the group. Usopp sneezed multiple times and whined. "I hate all this snow! I'm going to get sick!"

"I love it!" Luffy grinned. He threw out his arms and gathered up a lot of snow and started to form it into a large ball. "We can build snowmen!"

"I wanna help!" Chopper said. He transformed into his human form and started to help Luffy round out the first part of their snowman.

"I just wanna get back inside and drink some hot chocolate," Nami said. She rubbed her hands on her arms.

"Hot chocolate does sound wonderful," Robin said.

"Right away, my sweets!" Sanji cheered. With hearts pounding in his eyes, he took off towards the house they were staying in while on this island. "I'm run ahead and get it started!"

"He's so funny," Dina giggled.

"She's so cute when she laughs," Bepo sighed with pink cheeks.

"Yeah and if…" Shachi's voice trailed off. He sighed. "Man, I'm too worried about Penguin and Cora to even bother teasing Bepo."

"I know what you mean," A Heart Pirate patted Shachi on the shoulder. "We can tease him later when Penguin and Cora are back with us."

…

"Mmm. Yummy!" Luffy cried just after polishing off his mug of hot chocolate. "That was great!"

Neo snuggled into Law's side as the group chattered on. She looked at her friends and family over before closing her eyes. After two short seconds, Neo snapped her eyes open. "There's another Warper!"

Just as Neo got the last word out of her mouth, a strong gust ripped the roof off their house. Wind and snow whipped into the room. The pirates and bears tried to anchor themselves down as the Warper appeared in the room. She was taller, and looked older, than the Warpers they had come across. She glared at Neo. "You! Are coming with me, you traitor to the magic world."

Before Neo could summon her crystals, the Warper knocked Neo back against a wall, knocking her out. Law tried to run over to her, but the wind kept him pinned in place. "Neo!"

The Warper picked Neo up with the wind and headed back out in the storm. Dina managed to get free and leaped up. She grabbed onto Neo and flew away with them. The Warper growled. "Let go!"

"You let go!" Dina snarled. The Warper flew down to the bear. She kicked out her foot at the furry creature. Dina grabbed her ankle and bit down on it.

"Ah!" The Warper screamed and released her two prisoners.

Dina wrapped her arms around Neo, holding her close as they plummeted from the air. When the hit the trees below, Dina tried to grab onto a branch to stop their fall. Each branch just kept breaking, but it did slow their fall. They ended up falling into a river. Dina kept her hold on Neo as they hit the water and floated down stream. Good thing I'm such a good swimmer. Hold on, Neo. I'll get you out of here.

Dina broke the surface with a gasp. She pulled herself and Neo out of the water. She placed her paw on Neo's cheek. "Neo?"

Neo didn't respond, but she was breathing. Dina sighed with relief. "At least she's still breathing. I better get you out of her and into shelter."

Dina looked up at the stormy sky. "I don't think that storm is just an illusion from the Warper. Come on."

Dina slipped her arms under Neo's unconscious form. She lifted her up and headed for a nearby cave she knew about. Once inside the cave, as far away from the entrance as they could get, Dina laid Neo down on the floor and started to gather up wood that had been stored in the cave. She had the wood piled together when she realized something. "Oh great! I don't have my supply sack with me!"

"I…I can light it," Neo said as she struggled to sit up.

"Your wake? I'm glad, but you really should lay still. You could have a concussion," Dina said.

"Better than hypothermia," Neo replied. She struggled as she summoned a fire crystal. After a couple tries, Neo finally got her crystal to come out. She shot a spark to the wood and it caught fire. "Besides, I married a doctor. I'd know if I had a concussion."

"Good point. We should also get you out of those wet clothes. I'll use this world's ability to put some clothes on you until yours are dried," Dina nodded. She help Neo remove her wet clothes. "Well, now that the fire's lit and you're undressed and sort of redressed, you should rest. We're not going anywhere in this storm. And no one else is either, including that Warper. Unless she's stupid enough to try."

"She could possible be," Neo said. She laid back down. "She can still sense me after all. She could use that to find us, even through a storm. I'm like a beacon that way. By the way, thanks for saving me."

"No need to thank me. I'm glad to help you. You've helped us after all. And if that Warper does show up, I'll protect you to the best of my ability. While you're resting, I'll practice some more on controlling the surrounding area with my mind. We'll be fine."

"Yeah," Neo lightly nodded. She had several fire crystals out to help warm them up. She stared up at the ceiling of the cave. She stared at it for several minutes, thinking of Law. When she knew she was out of hypothermia danger she allowed her eyelids to fall closed. She knew Law would want her to rest in a situation like this.

Dina smiled at Neo. Once Neo was asleep, Dina turned her attention to controlling the world around her.

…

"We have to go after her!" Law growled at the bear blocking his way.

"I'm sorry, but you can't," Dane, Dina's brother, said. He was holding out his paws, blocking the pirate captain from going out into the storm.

"Get out of my way!" Law hissed.

"No!" Dane shouted. Law released a dangerous growl and began to form his Room.

"Captain, please!" Shachi pleaded. "I understand that you want to go after her, but we can't in this storm. We'll get lost. Plus that Warper is still out there."

"Neo was knocked out," Robin pointed out. "If she wasn't, she'd be able to make this storm dissipate. We have to assume that something preventing her from using her crystals, at least on a large scale base. She's with Dina. Dina will keep an eye on her."

"Robin's right," Nami said. "We're better off just waiting out the storm. Neo's going to be fine. Dina is with her. And she knows this area very well."

Law turned away from them and growled. He knew they were right. It would be stupid for any of them to go out in this storm.

…

"Hn," Neo turned her head multiple times in her sleep. Dina was sitting beside her with a worried expression on her face. Neo had gotten a fever from their fall in the water. "Law…"

"This is just great. You have a fever now," Dina grumbled. She checked on Neo's clothes. "Your clothes are still a bit wet. But don't worry, Neo. You're going to be fine. I'll help keep you warm. My fur always dries very fast."

Dina moved Neo's clothes closer to the fire so they could continue on drying. She then moved back over to Neo and laid beside her to help keep her warm. Neo whined in her sleep again and called out for Law. "Hn…Law…Law…"

"It's all right, Neo. You'll be back with him once this storm is over," Dina insisted to her unconscious friend.

Dina stayed near Neo and worked on her mental manipulations. Once Neo's clothes had dried completely, Dina put them back on her. "So this is where you've been hiding."

"Great," Dina snarled at the Warper. "I didn't even notice the storm was dying down. But I won't let you take Neo!"

"You think you can defeat me? All on your own?" The Warper laughed.

"I won't let you touch her!" Dina bared her fangs.

"Die, bear!" The Warper shouted. She conjured up a ton of ice spiked and fired them at Dina.

Dina summoned up a wall of ice between them. The ice shards sunk into the wall with thuds. Dina then used the wall and slammed it against the Warper. "Take that!"

"You won't defeat me, bear!" The Warper hissed. She summoned balls of ice and fired them at Dina. Dina matched her step by step. With each ice ball that flew at her, Dina fired one back. "What the heck?! You're just a bear! How are you able to keep up with me?!"

Dina chuckled. "I grew up with five brothers. We did nothing but try to take each other down in sneak attacks. That took up a lot of time planning. I'm use to it. Fighting you head on like this is easy. Only a little practice was needed on learning how to manipulate this world you've all had created. I love it!"

"But this is my world! I reign supreme here! You wont win!" The Warper hissed.

"I don't have to win. I just have to keep you distracted," Dina smiled.

"Distracted for what?" The Warper asked. A second later, a huge gust of wind knocked the Warper into the wall of the cave. The cave wall dented in and crumbled as the Warper fell to the ground.

"It worked! Good job, Neo!" Dina cheered.

"We just got…luck I was able to focus enough to us my crystals," Neo struggled to keep herself sitting up. She could only do it for a few second before having to lay back down. "Let's just hope the others find us before she wakes up. We don't have any cuffs with us, remember? I don't think I'll be able to fight like that again if she does wake up."

"Well, the storm is almost gone. My brother Dane is no doubt all ready leading the others here. He knows this area as well as I do. They'll find us in no time at all," Dina said.

"Dina, take me outside," Neo said as she struggled to sit up again.

"What for?" Dina asked. She stepped back over to Neo and gave her support. "You shouldn't be up."

"We can't take that chance. The Warper could wake up any second. I think I have enough strength to send Law a signal," Neo explained.

"It's not a good idea. With this fever you really shou-"

"Dina, please," Neo pleaded.

"All right," Dina sighed. "I suppose there's no point in trying to talk you out of this."

Dina pulled Neo into her arms and carried out of the cave. Neo struggled, but managed to summon her fire crystals again. She shot a blast of fire into the air. Dina kept looking up. "Are you sure they can see that?"

Just then a blast, from Usopp, shot through the air. Dina tilted her head. "I guess that's a yes. Your friends are amazing. Let's get you back inside the cave now."

"Right," Neo said as her eyes drifted closed.

….

"Where could they be?" Brook asked as they all looked around.

"I don't smell my sister around here," Dane said. "We should move on."

Law clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He turned to follow after the rest of the group when Franky shouted out. "Hey! There's some fire! I bet it's from Neo!"

"Usopp, you should fire a signal back to let her know we see her," Sanji said while puffing on his cigarette.

"Roger that," Usopp said. He pulled out his sling shot and fired a blast into the air.

"Let's get going all ready," Law said, impatient as ever.

"I know that area well," Dane said as they all ran off in that direction. "There's a cave over there with some wood stored inside. I bet that's where they are."

Several minutes later, Dane lead them right to the cave. Dina smelled them and went outside to great them. She waved her arms. "Hey!"

"Where is she?!" Law demanded.

"Inside," Dina jerked her thumb to the cave. Before she could say anything else, Law ran past her. "There's a Warper inside too. You better put those cuffs on her before she wakes up."

"Right!" Shachi said as he ran into the cave. He slapped the cuffs on the Warper then looked over at Law and Neo.

"Neo?" Law lifted Neo and laid her against his chest.

Neo slowly opened her eyes and gave him a weak smile. "Hey…"

…

"Do you really have to leave so soon?" Dane asked.

"Yeah," Neo said. Law was holding her in his arms as they said their goodbyes to their new friends. It was a few days after Neo and Dina fell into the water. Neo's fever had broken quickly with Law's pampering and with the help of her solar crystal, but Law was still hovering over her. "I wish we could stay a little bit longer, but we really need to get a move on. We have a lot of work to do."

Dane nodded. "Yeah, I understand. Hopefully we can see you all again."

They turned to Dina and Bepo. The two bears were being all snuggly with each other while promising to meet again someday. Eventually, they parted from each other and the two crews boarded their ships and left the island. Neo, now dressed in a dark blue hoodie of Law's, watched Bepo moping in the rec. room. She felt bad he finally met a female bear, liked her but didn't get to spend much time with her. She walked over to him. "Bepo, I'm sorry."

"What for?" Bepo asked. He looked up at her and blinked.

"Well, it's my fault that you didn't get to spend much time with Dina," Neo said.

"Don't talk like that. It's not your fault. Actually, because of you, I got to meet Dina," Bepo smiled at her. "If this whole Warper thing didn't happen then I might not have meet her at all. So don't go blaming yourself for this. Besides, we'll eventually see her again."

"I never thought of it that way," Neo tapped her chin.

"How's Cora doing?" Bepo asked.

"Wanna check on him together?" Neo asked. When Bepo nodded, Neo sat down beside him and opened the compact. The two leaned against each other and watched Cora sleeping.

The two flinched when they heard Law clear his throat in a warning manner. They looked up at him, with guilty expressions. Neo was supposed to be resting in their room, not wondering the sub. Law crossed his arms and looked at her with a stern expression. "You should be in bed. I told you I wanted you to rest."

"Yes, sir," Neo stood up. She walked over to him and pushed upon her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "But I was lonely in there without you. You know if you really want me to stay in bed, you need to be with me."

Bepo snickered at Law's inability to stay in control when Neo wants something from him.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" Law twitched.

"Hm, maybe a little bit," Neo teased. "I'm still a bit cold. You really should come back with me and snuggle very, very close to me."

"All right. You win," Law pecked her forehead. He picked her up and carried her back to their room leaving behind a still snickering Bepo.

FUTURE CHAPTER(s) NOTICE: I should know more this week, but the next chapter(s) 'might' be delayed. I'm having a bit of an issue that might require surgery (not gonna go into details). I hope not. Surgeries are not fun and there's always the chance you 'won't' wake up from them. This is just a notice in case I disappeared for a while, or forever :/ Just didn't wanna leave ya'll hanging if something does happen. Good Lord I hope it get resolved without surgery. T.T

Thanks everyone for the reviews, likes, follows and well wishes.

PuddyKatz: I know! I still can't believe she had a baby too. I really love how her character has developed. And she just gets better, even more so with the rewrite.

Apple Bloom: My exact thoughts "Enemy of my enemy" thing.