Finally Together Again
"Are you all right now, love?" Neo nodded against his chest.
She pulled away and looked up at him. "We're okay."
"We are," Law nodded.
"Penguin," Neo turned to see Penguin's crystal coffin lowering to the floor. She tried to move, but found she couldn't. Her legs had stopped working. Law removed one arm from her back and slipped it under her knees. He picked her up and carried her over to Penguin. Just as Law kneeled down, the crystal coffin disappeared. Neo reached out and cupped Penguin's cheek. The color had drained from him face at some point. "Penguin?"
Law reach for the unconscious man's neck. His heart about snapped in two when he couldn't find a pulse, but a slow beat eventually tapped against his fingers. It was faint, but it was there. He sighed with relief. "He's alive."
Neo let out her own sigh of relief. Then she noticed something strange pulsing within Penguin's body. "I can sense Cora's magic. How?"
"I'm not sure," Law said.
"He must have absorbed your son's magic," Empress Futura said as she suddenly appeared in the room.
"Who's that?" Corazon asked.
"That's Empress Future," Nami replied. "She's one of the few who helped us when we were in the Time Stream."
"Oh," Corazon nodded.
"He'll be all right, won't he?" Neo looked at the empress as she kneeled down. Her eyes pleaded with the older woman. "Please, say he'll be fine."
"Well, humans and magic don't usually mix well," Empress Futura said. Neo's body tensed up. She grabbed a hold of Law as he rubbed his hand on her arm soothingly. "But he'll be fine. It appears your son's magic knows that this man was trying to protect it."
"Can magic do that?" Law asked. He gave Neo a comforting squeeze as she relaxed.
"It appears so. Magic is always and will always be a mystery, even to those of us who are born of magic," Empress Future gave both Law and Neo a motherly like smile. She then looked over at Isleen's body. She frowned.
"I was not going to let her try and escape again. I was-" Law started.
"Don't," Empress Futura raised a hand to silence him. "I wasn't going to reprimand your decision to kill her. It was probably for the best anyway. She very well could have escaped again. Well done, all of you. I will bring you and your friends to my castle now. We need to extract your son's magic so it can be returned to him."
Empress Futura raised her eyes to the gathering crews. Her orbs stopped on Corazon. "I'm sorry. But this world is currently returning to normal. You will have to be returned to your own time period now."
"What?!" Law demanded. "You can't jus-"
"It's all right, Law," Corazon cut him off. He placed his hand on Law's shoulder and kneeled down. "She's right. I don't belong in this time. My presence here has probably already put the future at risk enough."
"I know, but there so much that I…"
"I know, Law. I know. I'm just glad I got to see you all grown up. You have done very well for yourself," Corazon smiled at him. He then looked at Neo. "And you have done well taking very good care of our boy. Thank you, Neo."
"Do you really have to go?" Neo asked then turned to the empress. "Does he really have to go so soon?"
"I'm afraid so," Empress Futura gave Neo as soft smile. She then gestured around the throne room. The castle was returning to normal and Elementals were starting to enter the room. They were dazed, but seemingly okay for what they had just been through. "Just see for yourself. Everything is returning to normal because the Warpers know their queen has been defeated. Some of them are surrendering immediately while others are put up a fight. But my army will contain them easily enough. If he stays here any longer then it could cause problems to your time."
With a heavy sigh and nod of understanding, Neo held out her hand to him. The man took it. "Thank you for save him back then. If it wasn't for you, I never would have survived. I just wish you could have met our son in person."
"It's okay. I don't have to meet him to know exactly what kind of boy he is and what kind of man he's going to be," Corazon then took a hold of Law's hand and place it with Neo, cupping both their hands in his. "Take very good care of each other now."
Law and Neo nodded. Tears shimmered in both her and Law's eyes.
"Okay. Let's get to it then. I never cared much for tearful goodbyes," Corazon said, but he too had tears in his eyes. Empress Futura waved her hand over Corazon's body. They all watched as the blonde man waved and faded away from them.
"Um, Neo?" Kiba then asked. The pirates turned to him. "What's going on?"
"It's kind of a long story," Neo replied.
"One of which we don't have time to explain right now. We have to get to our son," Law said.
"Did something happen to him?" Madam Healer asked with panic present in her voice.
"Yeah," Neo nodded.
"I'm coming with you!" Kiba shouted.
"As am I," Madam Healer nodded. "I want to be sure he is being properly taken care of."
"Is this all right?" Neo asked the empress.
"It is fine. But I hope that I don't have to take all of you with me," The empress looked over Neo's gathered people. "My castle is big, but I won't be able to accommodate all of you while winding down a war."
After a few grumbles about wanting to know what was going on with their princess, Kiba eventually got the Elementals to agree to remain on Luminous.
"Let's go now," Empress Futura said after everything was settled. She then waved her hand over the two pirate groups and two Elementals. The groups blinked and found themselves in the same room as baby Corazon. Despite not looking like a hospital room, the room still had the air of one. The room was a pale blue. It had some strange kind of machines lining the walls that resembled machines found in a hospital, but still didn't look all that familiar. Only one of them seemed to be working. And it appeared to be connected, probably by magic, to the disk Corazon wore on his forehead. Five people-wearing long, light green lab coats and matching visors over their eyes-bustled around the room. One occasionally checking on the machine that was working while another one was turning another one of the machines on.
The pirates two friends were still standing guard over their baby like they promised they would. Penguin was now laying in a bed next to Corazon's crib. They were close enough that if Penguin was awake he could reach out and touch the baby. The small team of five green lab coat cladded people rushing around the room. They were hooking up strange silver disks to Penguin and Corazon's arms. The disks could easily fit in the palm of Neo's hand. They were silver all over with the exception of a small clear half dome in the middle of them.
"What are they doing?" Neo asked. Slight panic was in her tone.
"Relax, Princess," Elian addressed her. "They're just going to extract your son's magic from your brother and returning it to its proper owner. It won't hurt either of them."
"You all are probably very tired," Velocity said. "I can show you to rooms where you can rest."
"No!" Neo shouted. Tears streamed down her cheeks again. "I'm staying here! I don't want to leave them! Not again!"
"Shh," Law tightened his hold on her. "I know. You can stay right here."
"We figured as much," Elian nodded with a light smile.
"We can set you two up a bed in here," Empress Futura smiled. She waved her hand over the room and a bed appeared near Penguin and Corazon where they could easily keep an eye on the two. "But, please, do get some rest."
"If the rest of you will follow me," Velocity said as she headed for the door. They all hesitated, looked at Law and Neo, then followed their friend. Kiba and Madam Healer followed along with the pirates with the pirates promising to tell them everything.
"Law, I…" Neo started.
"I know," Law carried her over to Penguin and Corazon, knowing that's what she wanted. The beds were close, but still had enough room for Law to slip between them. He sat down on the bed Penguin was on, keeping Neo on his lap. They both watched over them for several hours until Neo fell asleep in Law's arms. He then carried her over to the bed they were supplied with and laid down with her. He brushed the back of his hand over her cheek. "Sleep, my love. They'll be with you again soon."
…
Law was leaning against the door frame. His eyes were locked onto Neo. She was curled up on the bed right beside Penguin. She had her hand through the bars of Corazon's crib and lightly brushing her finger over the baby's arm. It had been a week and a half since they had been here. And there had been no change in Penguin and Corazon but for the fact that Corazon's magic was successfully draining from Penguin's body and going back to where it belong.
Neo was always with them. Except for the couple times Law had to drag, literally, her away from them so she could get a shower. She took the fastest showers in the history of showers with the help of her crystals, then immediately returned to Penguin and Corazon. The rest of the crews would visit often then spent time around the empress's castle and grounds. The Heart Pirates stayed closed by, never wondering far, but still kept their distance so Neo could have time with Corazon and Penguin. She needed it more than they did.
Law sighed and forced himself to leave the room. He didn't want to leave her, but he needed to make sure none of the others were getting into trouble, which happened often with Luffy around. He found them all sitting outside in the surrounding gardens. The multicolors flowers released fragrances that soothed the pirates in times of stress.
Velocity explained them a few days ago when they were questioned. "They are time aroma flowers that only releases their scent when the people around them are stressed. Their scents help soothe the stresses of running such a large kingdom. That's why the empress has so many around the castle."
"Well, that makes sense," Nami said. The majority of the group was sitting around the table, Luffy was off goofing around and playing with the local wildlife, Zoro was napping, while some Heart Pirates went for short walks.
"If only we could get Neo out here," Chopper sighed. He was laying on the rounded table looking as pathetic as possible "I worried she's going to stress herself sick."
"She'll be just fine as soon as her family is completed again," Sanji said puffing on his cigarette.
Law ran his eyes over the pirates and Kiba. After the story had been told and satisfied that Corazon was getting the proper treatment, Madam Healer returned to Luminous to inform every one of what had happened.
Kiba looked up at Law. "Any change?"
Law shook his head and everyone sighed.
…
Neo's eyes were drifting close when she suddenly heard Corazon fuss. She snapped her eyes open and sat up. Their son was awake. He was sitting up, looking around his unfamiliar environment. Then he cried at all the unfamiliarity. "Cora!"
She went to pick him up, but paused. She wasn't sure if it was okay. She might hurt him or cause a disruption with the disks on him. One of the technicians, who had been watching over the extraction of Corazon's magic, chuckled lightly. "It's okay, Princess Neo. You may pick up your son. It won't hurt him at all. I'll inform your family immediately that he's awake."
Neo nodded and immediately picked him up. He clung to her as they both cried. She summoned her solar crystal to give him a boost. "It's okay, baby, mommy's here. I'm here. I'm right here."
A few minutes later, the pirates and Kiba came rushing into the room. Law was the first and immediately when to his wife and son. He wrapped both of them into his arms. "Law, our son's awake. He's awake."
"I see that," Law chuckled, tears of relief sparkling in his own eyes. He tweaked his son's cheek when he looked at him. Corazon's grabbed ahold of Law's finger and brought it into his mouth. Law smiled as their son sucked on his finger.
"What about Penguin?" Bepo asked. "Will he be awake soon?"
"It's really hard to tell," The technician replied. "There's still a little magic lingering in his body, but it's extracting nicely. I'd give it at least another week before he wakes up."
They all were relieved and sullen at the news. But it wouldn't be much longer before they all were together again. Neo moved to the other side of Penguin. She wanted to stay with him, but also knew everyone would want to greet Corazon. She sat down on the bed, with Law beside her and Corazon in her lap. The crews and Kiba took turns greeting their favorite baby. They showered him with much attention and love.
"Princess!" Velocity cried out and she and Elian rushed into the room. Empress Futura strolled in behind them in a more calm, graceful way. "We just heard! We're so happy!"
"I'm glad he's finally awake," Elian smiled.
"Thanks," Neo nodded. She looked down at Corazon. He was clearly enjoying the attention he was getting, but it was also clear that he knew something bad had happened to him. He would constantly look to Neo and Law as if to make sure they were still there. She placed her hand on his head. "It's all right, my heart. We're still here. We're not going anywhere."
Eventually things settled back down. Over the next week, things went pretty much the same as the last week and a half. Neo kept Corazon with her as she continued to watch over Penguin. No one else dared take him away from her. They did, however, spend more time in the room now. Corazon's clinginess hung around during the week. He wanted his mom and dad more than anyone else, but it was clear that he also was worried about his Uncle Penguin.
Neo was laying down on the bed with her head resting on Law's lap. Corazon was in her arms, but suddenly pulled away from her. Neo opened her eyes, wondering why he was moving away from her so suddenly. She lifted off Law. Both watched as Corazon crawled over to Penguin and onto the unconscious man's chest. Corazon then patted Penguin on the cheek and made several baby calls like he was trying to wake the man up. "Ba! Ba! Ah! Ma! Ma! Da da!"
"Cora, baby, Penguin's not-" Neo reached out in an attempt to pick their son up, but Law stopped her by placing his hand over hers. She looked back at him.
"Wait," Law said. Neo turned back to Penguin and Corazon.
Suddenly, Penguin moved. Neo's breath caught in her throat. Both she and Law froze in place and waited several agonizing seconds for Penguin to move again. He did. Penguin shifted in his sleep. Corazon patted Penguin's cheek again. "Ba ba! Pe pe! Up!"
As if on the baby's command, Penguin woke up. "Hey, Cora."
"Penguin…" When Neo called his name, Penguin turned to look at her. His lips curled into a tired smile. Tears flowed freely down her face. "Penguin…"
"Hey, Princess, sorry I worried you," Penguin said tiredly.
"You stupid idiot!" Neo cried happily. She then flung herself onto him. Putting her arms around him and Corazon, who was already hugging his uncle.
"I'm sorry," Penguin put his arms tiredly around them. He then saw Law. He held out his hand to his captain. "Reporting back to duty, Captain."
Law chuckled and took his subordinate's hand. "Just concentrate on getting your strength back. We'll discuss your duties and punishment for making Neo worry later."
"Aye, Captain," Penguin nodded with a light chuckle of his own.
Just then the two crews and Kiba came rushing into the room. A technician must have informed them of the man's awakening. The Heart Pirates rushed over and just about tackled the man in a huge group hug. Or they would have if Neo wasn't all ready attached to him like he was going to disappear if she let go. Shachi was the first to speak. "Man! You had us so worried! What were you thinking?"
Penguin chuckled again. "I don't think I was thinking. I just reacted."
"What happened?" Bepo asked. "How did you end up with Cora's magic inside of you?"
"I'm not really sure," Penguin shifted, which was hard since Neo was still clinging to him with Corazon trapped between him and her arm.
"Neo," Law said, putting his hands under her arms to try and lift her off Penguin. "Let go."
"No!" Neo pouted.
"Come on, love," Law coaxed. "He's not going anywhere. But he does need to breath."
With another pull, Law was able to lift Neo off Penguin. Penguin, noticeably by the others, breathed easier with her off him. He reached out and ruffled Neo's hair. "Yeah, I'm not going anywhere, not again."
"You stupid idiot," Neo repeated. She summoned her solar crystal again to help Penguin regain his strength.
"Yeah, that wasn't the smartest move I've ever done," Penguin said. Law slowly removed his hands from Neo like he was going to have to grab her if she lunged at Penguin again.
"So what happened?" A crew mate asked.
"Well, after being pulled into the strange vortex," Penguin tried to explain. "I struggled with Isleen over Cora's magic. I'm not sure how, but his magic burned her. It then absorbed into my body. Isleen was furious and the next thing I know everything went black and I woke up here. So what happened to you all? Where's Isleen?"
"Dead," Law said flatly. Penguin nodded in understanding. He found it no surprise that the captain killed her. He didn't even need a confirmation that it was Law. He knew it was.
Just then a technician walked over. She checked the disks that still remained on Penguin and Corazon's skin. She then smiled. "Success. All of Corazon's magic has been returned to him. Now, you're going to feel weak for several weeks. Humans bodies were created to handle magic, but you will be just fine. Just take is easy and don't do anything strenuous until you're back to your normal self."
"He won't be doing anything strenuous for a long time. Right?!" Neo said giving both Penguin and Law pointed looks. Both men nodded stiffly and knowingly. Both knew they had better obey her order on this one or they both would be in the dog house for a very long time. Both crews and Kiba chuckled at Law and Penguin's obedience to Neo's command.
…
"Mmmm," Nami hummed as the sun beamed down on her bikini clad body. "This is so nice."
"So nice," Celeste chirped while sunning herself on Robin's knee. One of the rare times she wasn't with Sanji.
"It is," Robin agreed. She too was in a bikini, much to the enjoyment of Sanji and several other men on Luminous.
"Here you go, my little lovelies," Sanji spun over to them with hearts in his eyes. "Sweet, refreshing drinks for my sweets."
"Thank you, Sanji," The women chirped. Celeste flew up from her spot on Robin's knee and took a sip of the black hair woman's drink. The cook then spun over to Neo. She was sitting under a tree with Law, Corazon and Penguin.
"Here you go," Sanji said, handing them their drinks. "Penguin, I've made your extra special to help regain your energy and strength."
"You didn't have to go through the trouble," Penguin said as he took his drink from the cook. They only spent a couple more days back in the empress's castle after Penguin woke up before deciding it would be best to finish recovering on Luminous. The empress still had the deal with the aftermath of the Warpers. It's been a month since they returned to Luminous. Penguin was now able to walk on his own, but he was still sluggish. Neo stuck to his side like glue. She watched over his therapy with Law and Corazon by their sides as well.
"Of course I did," Sanji winked at Neo, much to Law's annoyance. "You are our darling Neo's brother. I'm more than glad to help your recovery in anyway I can."
"Thanks, Sanji," Neo said as Law just nodded his thanks. Corazon crawled into Law's lap and pointed at the drink. Law smirked and help their son take a drink. "So, when do you think you all will be leaving?"
Sanji sighed and looked up at the sky. "I suspect it won't be much longer now. You know Luffy can only sit still for so long. And now that we know you all are doing better, we'll probably be leaving in a few days."
"Yeah," Neo nodded, sadly. She looked over at the rest of their crews. They were engaged in sparring with each other and some Elementals. "I'll miss you all."
"And we'll miss you," Sanji smiled.
"We'll be leaving soon as well," Law said. "Penguin's therapy can be continued on the sub."
"Yeah," Neo nodded. "I figured as much."
And so it was. A few days later, both the Straw Hat and the Heart Pirate crews were ready to head back to the seas where they belonged. Neo stood on the beach of Luminous with Law. She watched as the two crews climbed upon their ships. Corazon was with Penguin, trying to steal the man's hat as he climbed up the ladder.
"It always feels like you're never here for very long before having to leave," Kiba said as he stepped beside his sister. "It's very gloomy this time. It feels like I'm never going to see you again."
"Don't say that," Neo said. "We will see each other again. And maybe next time it will be of our own choice and not some nut job seeking revenge."
Kiba couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe."
He then hugged his sister before looking at Law. "Take care of them."
Law nodded. Law then looked at Neo. She took a slow deep breath to try and stop her tears. "Yeah. I know. It's time for us to go."
"Like you said, we will see each other again," Law said, taking her hand in his.
"So we will," Neo nodded. Law then warped them onto the sub. They waved to the Straw Hats before entering into the sub. They walked right to the rec. room. Penguin, Shachi and Bepo were inside with Corazon. Law wrapped his arms around Neo. She leaned into his embrace with a content sigh. Finally, her family was back together again. She tilted her eyes put to Law, cupped his face and pulled him into a kiss.
…
Author's Notes: 76 chapters total for this version of Neo's story. Dang! That's my longest story ever. And it's only going to get longer with the rewrite. I'm so gonna beat 76 chapters. I have mixed feelings on this being the last chapter, but I felt like it was starting to drag out a bit. At least now I can focus on the rewrite more. I'm also working on a Luffy x OC and gonna force myself to do another Law x OC (even thought it might be the only other for Law I do with a different girl), Neo will always be my main girl for Law. She's, possible, gonna get more stories in the future. But she needs her solar crystal first in the rewrite since more stories on her will follow that update version.
Thank you all for following along with this story. And thanks for all the reviews and comments. You all are great! :)
Puddykatz: Yes, Luffy/OC chapter one is already up. But I keep having doubts about it. :/
Apple Bloom: Twice? Was it really that good? ^.^ Well, glad you liked it so much.