Walls
Neo shifted on the bed when she started to wake up. She rolled over onto her back before opening her eyes to the soft sounds of beeping and fragrance of the still present flowers. She blinked at the green ceiling before lowering her eyes to Law when she was awake enough to sense him beside her. When she locked eyes with him they both shared a smile. "Hey."
"Hey, yourself, little girl," Law said. He reached up and placed his hand on her forehead before moving it down to her cheek. "Looks like your fever is finally gone. How are you feeling?"
"Tired," she replied softly, leaning into his hand. He brushed his thumb over her skin in response to her move. "My body still hurts little, but I feel a bit better than I did."
"That's good. Your get better faster since your solar crystal is helping your recovery." Law nodded. She pulled her eyes from him and looked at the crystal hovering beside her left arm, its glow steadily radiating over her body. "Do you remember what happened?"
"I think so. I was in a fight. And this thing…" Neo raised her left hand. Her eyes locked onto the discoloration on the back of her hand. It made her stomach churn. She could only look at the strange color and device for a few seconds before lowering her hand back down. "You said this thing and the one on my chest is helping me. You're here. The crew's here too. And my solar crystal is this one hovering beside me, right?"
"That's correct." Law nodded. His eyes flittered to the crystal then back to her. He pulled his hand away from her face as they fell into silence.
Neo's eyes roamed over his features. She was studying him. With a low sigh, she slowly sat up.
"Hey, easy now, you're still recovering." He grabbed her shoulders to steady her when she swayed.
With a few pants, she lifted her right hand up and touched her fingertips to the corner of his eye. Her eyebrows turned up with concern. "Law, how long?"
Law flinched. He could tell instantly she knew he wasn't sleeping with her in the condition she was in. He placed his hand over hers and gave it a gently squeeze. Sighing, he said, "Two weeks."
"Law, I don't like it when y-"
"Well, look who's finally gracing the land of the living with her presence."
Neo flinched at the unfamiliar, unexpected voice and dove into Law's chest.
Law wrapped his arms around her and shot a glare at the young healer over his shoulder.
Selene just smiled at the man unaware of what trouble her presence caused. She closed the door and walked closer to the bed. "I'm so glad you are feeling better, Princess. Madam Healer Zinnia should be here soon. In the mean time, let me take a look at you. I need to check on the progress of the antidote."
"No!" Neo shrieked. "Keep her away!"
"It's okay, Neo. I wouldn't let her near you," Law whispered to the frighten girl. He then glared again at Selene. "Back off, will ya? She just woke up. She doesn't need you getting so close to her right now."
"Oh, you're so sweet and protective of her. She's like a little sister to you, huh?" Selene pressed her fingers to her lips and giggled.
Law's glare dropped off his face. He just stared at her in disbelief. "What in the world are you talking about?"
"I suppose it'll be fine to let her-"
"Hey, Captain, I brought y-" Selene was cut off when the door open and Penguin stepped in. His own voice broke off when he saw Neo was sitting up and in Law's arms.
Neo peeked over Law's shoulder. Her eyes smiled when she saw him. "Penguin."
Dropping the tray, Penguin called for his two crewmates who were standing guard by the door before running to Neo. "Hey! Archer! Conner! She's awake! Neo's awake again!"
"She is?!" the pirates said from the hall. The two crewmates then entered into the room. Somehow their feet missed the tray Penguin dropped as they rushed by it.
Selene frowned at the pirates' brash entrance and the abandon tray on the floor. She walked back over to the door. She leaned out and signaled for someone to come over to her. A water elemental walked over to her. Selene said, "Get someone to clean this mess up. Then have one of the maids bring the princess and Mister Trafalgar some lunch. And be sure it's a light meal for the princess. Madam Healer Zinnia won't want her eating a lot to start with. So make it some broth and bread. Also, inform Madam that the princess is awake and the pirates are all in here."
"Yes, ma'am." The water elemental nodded then took off to fulfill her orders.
"Penguin! Archer! Conner!" Neo called back tiredly, but happily.
"Neo! You're finally awake again!" Penguin shouted. Once close enough, he threw his arms around her and his captain since Law was still holding her.
Neo returned the embrace the best she could with how tired she was and with the devices still attached to her skin.
Law frowned at having her taken away from him, but reluctantly let his subordinate hug her.
"I was so happy when the captain said you woke up yesterday, but now you're really awake!" Penguin said.
"We're happy too!" Archer said as he and Conner joined in on the hug.
"Don't ever scare us like that again!" Conner said.
"I'm sorry," Neo said.
"Careful, guys," Law ordered. "She's still healing and tired."
"Right, right," Penguin said as they pulled back from their hug. He kissed then cupped her cheek. His hidden eyes darting all over her face like he was refreshing his memory of how she looked.
"It's good to see you, kid," Conner said. He reached out and ruffled her hair.
"You had us so worried," Archer said. He took his turn in ruffling up her hair when Conner was done.
"I'm sorry I worried you all." Neo's eyebrows turned up. She looked around the room before looking back at them. "Where's the rest of the crew? They are here, right?"
"They're just outside the ward. They've remained close to you the entire time," Penguin replied. "Would you like to see them now?"
"Yes!" Neo nodded. She then looked at Law. "May I, Captain? Please? I feel better. And I really want to see them."
"Princess, it's against the ward's customs to let so many p-" Selene started.
"Of course you can." Law nodded. He then nodded at one of his subordinates.
Archer nodded back before walking over to the window. The Heart Pirate flipped the lock on the window then pushed it open. Leaning out, he shouted, "Hey, guys! She's awake! And she wants to see us all!"
Neo smiled again when she heard the crew cheer. Seconds later, a thundering wave of their boots pounding just outside the room was heard. The crew then busted into the room with Shachi and Bepo in the lead. Bepo, who had flowers stuck in his boiler suit and fur, jumped into the air and cried out, "Neo! You're awake!"
"Bepo! Shachi! Jean Bart! Everyone!" Neo cried happily. The crew gathered around her and Law. They took turns hugging, kissing, and ruffling her hair. They all started talking at once to the point she couldn't tell who was saying what.
"It is so good to see you feeling better!"
"We were so worried about you!"
"We're living in an actual castle! Has the captain told you about that yet?"
"And they actually have the Red Hair Pirates jolly roger flying on the castle! They finally put it back up a few days ago!"
"Is it going to be much longer before she can leave the ward?"
"Is the poison almost gone?"
"Is that your solar crystal?"
"All right, everyone," Law called to them. They obediently turned to their captain. "Settled down now. She's getting better, but that doesn't mean she needs to be bombarded with a lot of talk and questions. Her body is still weak."
"Aye aye, Captain! We'll settle down for Neo!" the crew cheered just as loudly as ever.
Law sighed. He knew he should have known better than to try and stop his crew from being so loud and happy about Neo's health returning. It wasn't possible.
"It's all right. I'm just happy to see you all again," Neo said tiredly. She leaned into Law's chest with a sigh. Her eyes locked onto Bepo's fur, small flowers of all colors were stuck in it. "I'm glad you all are unharmed and safe. But, uh, Bepo? Why do you have flowers all over you?"
"I'm sorry." Bepo dropped his head. His shoulders became shrouded in a gray aura.
"What are you apologizing for?!" Shachi and Penguin shouted. "She just asked you a simple question!"
"I'm sorry," Bepo said again.
"Stop doing that!" Shachi and Penguin shrieked.
Neo snuggled into Law's chest with a chiming giggled on her lips.
Law smiled. He chest grew warm at hearing the sound of her sweet bell filled laugh. He really missed it.
"The elementals apparently never seen a mink before," Conner answered for the bear. "The kids, especially, really love Bepo. They can't stop gushing over him. Some have asked him to come to their homes for a sleep over. A couple even want him to stay on Luminous."
"No!" Neo slightly pouted, tears appeared in the corner of her eyes. Her heart raced, causing the beeping to become loud again. She turned her pout up to Law making him blush. "Bepo's my mink. They can't have him."
"Wait to go, Mister Sensitivity," Archer said.
"Oops. Sorry, Neo," Conner said with a nervous chuckle. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I shouldn't have told you that. I should have known it would upset you."
"Don't worry, Neo," Law said with a tender stroke of her hair. "They're not keeping Bepo. He'll leave with us when we finally leave this place."
"That's right." Bepo nodded. His white furry cheeks turned pink. He pointed to himself then said, "I'm your mink. I stay with you."
"Yeah, I'm glad. How are you all doing?" Neo looked over her crew again. She carefully ran her eyes over each and every one of them, counting them like she always did after a fight. She scanned their bodies for bruises, cuts, and anything else that shouldn't have been on them. They looked just fine and healthy as ever to her. "They're not hurting you all or anything, are they? You…we are safe here, right? Are you eating? And sleeping?"
"Yes, Neo," Penguin said with a light chuckle. He pecked her cheek again. "They're not hurting us at all. And our sleeping and eating habits will get a lot better now that you're awake. As stated before, we've actually been staying in the castle. They have plenty of rooms and food to accommodate us there."
"Castle?" Neo tilted her head. She then looked to Law. "What's a castle? It sounds familiar."
"It's just a very large building," Law answered. "Typically, it's where royalty live. They're mentioned in some of your books. I guess this is the first time you've actually seen one."
"Royalty?" Neo asked.
"Kings, queens, princes….princesses," Law said. Both he and the crew stiffened up when he said the word 'princesses'. They carefully watched Neo's reaction. For several seconds all she did was stare at Law. Her brain turned with this new information for about a minute.
"Princess," Neo said softly. Her eyebrows kneaded as her eyes pulled over to the door.
The crew's own eyes followed her gaze. Selene was still standing there, silently watching them interacting with Neo. The woman had her arms crossed over her chest and was leaning against the wall.
Neo flinched when she saw the elemental was still there and watching her. She leaned back into Law for comfort. Her voice lowered now that she was more conscious of a stranger being present in the room. "They called me that before. That woman over there, the other one I saw when I woke up before and when they were chasing me. Why? What does it mean, Captain?"
Law didn't answer her right away. He just tightened his arms around her and glanced over at his crew. They all were concerned about how Neo was going to handle the complete truth about her heritage. He rubbed his hand over her back. With a deep breath, he told her everything about what happened just like he promised.
Neo lightly shook her head when Law was finished talking. Her eyes ran over all of the gifts in the room before she returned them to him. "I'm not sure I understand."
"I know it's hard for you to understand, but that's okay. You can take all the time you need to adjust and understand this. It's quite a lot to take in, especially with the way they treated you." Law shot a glare over to the elemental in the room.
Selene was in a daze while she stared back at Law. The crew's shoulders slumped in disbelief. It was becoming very apparent that the woman didn't understand what a glare meant.
"There's something wrong with her," Conner whispered.
"Totally." Archer nodded in agreement. "How can she possibly be so blind to how Neo and the captain feel about each other?"
"I'm more worried about how Neo's going to react when she finally notices how Selene looks at the captain and how she tries to flirt with him," Shachi said.
"Why? The captain will put an end to it the second it upsets Neo," Conner said.
"I know that," Shachi replied with a nod. "The real problem is Neo's never really seen other women around the captain before. When it has happened, she's always been distracted by something else or was to naive to understand what the woman's actions meant. Now she's more aware that she has a different type of feelings for the captain then she does us. She's going to get jealous. And she's never dealt with that emotion before."
"She's never been angry before either," Penguin pointed out when he slipped over to them to join their hushed conversation. "The captain will explain those emotions to her when she asks about them. She'll be all right. The captain will protect her like always. But I am a bit concerned about the captain."
"How so?" Bepo questioned.
"Haven't you noticed?" Penguin looked at his crewmates. He sighed when they gave him a clueless look. "You idiots. You all know how protective the captain is towards Neo, especially when she's been hurt or is confused or scared. The captain is all ready putting up walls around her."
The crew pulled their eyes from Penguin. At the same time, they all looked over at Neo and Law. Their captain was just pulling his harsh glare from Selene. It faded away completely when his eyes returned to Neo. He started talking to her again. They knew it was about the information that he just gave her. He was talking her through it. They also knew that Penguin was right. They easily recognized that invisible wall their captain always put up around Neo in times like this. They looked back at Penguin.
"Whether we like it or not, the elementals are apart of Neo's life now. This is where she's from." Penguin sighed. "And since we're here…"
"We need to let her learn about this place," Shachi finished.
"Right." Penguin nodded. "They obviously have a very strict culture and customs here. We're pirates. We're use to being free and doing what we want. But we are not going to be able to do that here. We're going to have to give in a little and let Neo learn about this place without us, especially the captain, putting up barriers between her and her heritage."
"She has questioned where she's from," Bepo recalled.
"Yeah, she has questioned it before. I remember that," Archer said. "I have to admit, if I didn't know anything about myself or where I come from then one day found out where I did come from, I'd want to learn as much about my heritage as I could. Neo must have a huge black hole inside of her from not knowing who she really is. This could fill that up."
"Exactly." Penguin nodded. "It could also help her confidence, too."
"The captain's going to have the hardest time doing this though. He might need some intervention," Shachi said. Once again all of their Heart Pirates eyes zoomed in on Penguin.
"Ack! Why are you all looking at me like that?!" Penguin demanded.
"You're the one who volunteered to intervene," they all said while pointing at the black and white hatted man.
"I didn't not!" Penguin snapped.
"Face it, Pen O' Buddy," Shachi said while placing his arm around Penguin's shoulders. "When it comes to the captain and Neo, you are the only one who can push the boundaries the captain has set up for her. You're the only one who's going to get the captain to see that he needs to stop being so overprotective of her, at least for a while."
"You all just want him to kill me," Penguin said accusingly.
"Of course not!" Shachi said with a fake offensive tone in his voice. "Neo loves you. The captain won't kill you just because of that."
"You are the only one for the job," Bepo said.
"Thanks a lot!" Penguin frowned.
"I'm sorry." Bepo bowed his head and became shrouded in a depressive aura once again.
"Stop going that!" Penguin demanded. He then sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'll talk to the captain about this, but not right now. Let's just see how things play out first. Maybe the elementals will be more open to Neo and the captain's relationship when they learn the two are bonded."
"Speaking of which," Jean Bart said. "Why hasn't Kailen told them about the bond yet?"
"I've been meaning to ask him about that," Shachi said. "But he hasn't been around much lately. Which is very odd. I mean I know he's trying to smooth things out with the elementals and us. But you'd think he'd come see his sister now that she's getting better. They did inform him of her waking up yesterday. She's going to want to meet him soon."
"Well, considering how the elementals are acting right now regarding Neo and the captain, it's probably best that they don't know about it," Bepo said. "It might cause more problems."
"Cause problems how?" Conner asked. "You don't think they have a way to break their bond, do you?"
A panicked and intense pause fell over the group. None of them ever thought of that before. It could make things worse. Penguin hummed while crossing his arms over his chest. He then said, "I don't think they have a way of doing that."
"What makes you so sure?" Shachi asked.
"Because they are elementals, creatures who can control the elements. None of the elements can break a bond like they have. If the elementals had other abilities, Kailen would have warned us about it before we arrived on Luminous. And he's already made it clear that he supports Neo and the captain. He wants Neo to be happy," Penguin pointed out. "I'm pretty sure he remained quiet about the bond for another reason. We all should keep quiet about it. too. At least until we speak with Kailen again and get his reason for this. We've all been on edge with Neo being sick. Now that she's better things will surely settle down and it'll all work out."
"What in name of Luminous are you all doing in here?!" Healer Zinnia shrieked.
"Or maybe not," Conner mumbled. They all turned their eyes to the irate woman. With her hands on her hips, her green eyes bore holes into the men. Beside her was Topaz who was holding a tray in her hands with a larger lid than the previous ones had. The smells from the lunch tray covered the flower fragrances in the room. It held fish, mashed potatoes, green beans, ginger broth, and bread.
Healer Zinnia proceeded to walk into the room while Topaz remained respectfully by the door. The healer pointed to the pirates then to the door. "How many times do I have to say it before it sinks into your thick pirate heads? We have rules that you need to respect and follow! The princess needs to rest! Visiting hours are over! Time for you all to get out!"
"Captain, I don't want them to go." Neo pouted as she looked up at Law with puppy eyes.
With a gentle squeeze and stroke to her hair, he smiled. "Of course you don't. They don't have to go unless you want them to or I order them to. They're staying right here with you."
"Thank you, Captain." Neo smiled happily.
"And another wall goes up," Penguin mumbled in a hushed voice. He looked over at Topaz. She was still waiting by the door with a light smile on her lips while quietly observing how Law was with Neo. A smile formed on his lips as well. He was really starting to like this elemental. He got the feeling just from the few interactions that they had with her, that she wasn't going to be pushing for Neo to stay on Luminous. And with how she was quietly observing Neo and his captain right now, he knew for sure she obviously saw the deep connection between the two.
"Ugh!" Healer Zinnia threw her arms up in the air. "Fine! Stay! But keep it down! Let me check on the antidote then I'm out of here! I've got other patients to see! I don't have time for this!"
"Good," Law grumbled. Neo whined and hid her face in Law's chest when she felt the elemental get closer. He rubbed his hand over her back again. "It's okay, Neo. She's not going to hurt you. She just needs to check on those devices and the antidote. I'm right here, okay?"
Neo nodded through her trembling.
Law then took her left arm and gently held it out to the healer.
Neo flinched when the woman touched her hand.
Law growled deeply in his throat at the woman.
Healer Zinnia glared at him then rolled her eyes. She adjusted her glasses and looked back down at Neo's hand. The discoloration was now about two inches long and an inch wide across Neo's hand. "Well, it looks like with the help of your solar crystal, the poison is now leaving your system a lot faster than I thought it was going to."
"How much longer does Neo have to wear that thing? And how much longer does she have to stay in the ward?" Bepo asked curiously.
"Well, I'd say about three more days of the antidote would suffice. I'll take these off then. You'll still need to take it easy for a couple of weeks, but you can move into the castle for that. You'll be more comfortable in there. It's going to take a while for your strength to come back, Princess. A couple days after the tubes come off, I'll start you on minor exercises to help build up your strength again. I'll just fill these tubes back up then I want you to eat some lunch," Healer Zinnia said. She then shot a glare at the pirates over her shoulders "From now on I want the princess to remain calm and relaxed. That means no getting her excited until she's back to a hundred percent."
"Hey, you don't have to tell us twice," Archer said pointing to himself with his thumb. "We love Neo. We'll do whatever it takes to help her get back to one hundred percent."
"Yeah, right. Yet here you are still in this room and being loud," the healer grumbled. She stepped away from Neo to grab a couple needles. She filled them with the antidote then walked back over to the bed. Neo flinched again when she got close. "Don't worry, Princess. This won't hurt a bit."
Neo turned her eyes into Law's neck while the healer inserted the antidote into the tubes. She clenched her eyes shut tightly until she sensed the elemental walk away from her. Law leaned down and whispered into her ear. "It's over now. She's gone."
Neo tilted her eyes up to his.
He smiled sweetly at her and tucked her hair behind her ear. He asked, "Think you can eat a little for me?"
"I think so," Neo answered.
"That's so sweet," Selene cooed. The crew sent her disapproving glares and frowns, which she didn't see due to the fantasies rolling around in her head. She then grabbed the tray out of Topaz's hands and walked towards Neo and Law. "I have your lunch right her-"
"I'll take that," Penguin said while snatching the tray from the woman's hands. He quickly walked it to the bed and placed the tray down on the near by table.
Selene frowned at being interrupted in her quest to get closer to Law. Her frown quickly morphed into a smile. She continued to walk over to the bed. "Let me fix the table and bed for you, Princess," she said with her eyes sparkling at Law. She summoned a crystal. Its glow engulfed both the table and the bed. The table extended out so it hovered beside the bed at the same time the head of the bed began to rise.
"Captain! What's happening?!" Neo grasped a hold of Law's shirt and started trembling when the bed rose.
Law tightened his hold on her while sending a sharp glare at Selene. He hissed, "Stop doing that! You can't just do things like that without letting her about them! You're scaring her!"
"So protective." Selene giggled.
Law clenched his teeth and growled. "Stop doing that."
"There is something seriously wrong with her," Conner said as they continued to stare at the woman. "Can we go throw her in the sea and get it over with? Maybe the cold water will clear her head. Or wake her up from her dreamland."
"I'm afraid Mistress Selene has always been like that," Topaz said. The crew turned their eyes to her. She had taken a couple steps farther into the room, but was still staying a respectful distance away from Neo. "When she develops a crush on a man, she loses all sense of reality. She warps things to fit into her fantasies. The last man she had a crush on was married. She kept insisting that his wife was his sister. Right now, if I had to guess, I'd say she views the princess as a little sister to your captain or possible as his child."
"His child?!" The crew blinked rapidly and in disbelief. They bounced their eyes between the two elementals.
"So, how did this previous guy finally get rid of her stalking?" Shachi asked.
"I'm afraid he didn't do anything. They just put up with it until she gave up on her own," Topaz replied with a sympathetic smile. She collapsed her hands in front of her.
"The captain's not going to do that," Bepo said, tossing the man a glance. "He can be a patient man, but he won't put up with such nonsense. He'll tell her off eventually."
"That's probably exactly what she needs." Topaz giggled.
"Right now, she needs to leave," Conner said just as Selene stepped closer to Law and reached out for him. He elbowed Archer then they bolted right over to the intrusive woman. They grabbed her under her armpits. "We're sorry."
"But it's time for you to go," Archer said. "Thank you for stopping by. If you get the feeling to return here, don't."
"Hey! Let me go!" Selene demanded as they pulled her over to the door.
"Sorry! The princess needs to rest! Healer Zinnia's orders! Goodbye!" the two pirates shouted as they threw her out the door then slammed it in her face. They both leaned against the door with big grins and shook each others hands in a 'mission accomplished' way. Incoherent mumbles came from the other side of the door accompanied by pounding knocks.
"Why did they do that?" Neo asked. She blinked a couple times while looking at the two men blocking the door.
"They were just removing a pest from the room. It's nothing for you to concern yourself with. If you've calmed down enough, leaned back against the bed now," Law said. Neo looked at him then looked over her shoulder at the raised bed.
"If I may, Princess," Topaz said softly.
Neo turned her eyes to the elemental. She leaned back into Law a bit, but kept her eyes on the woman.
Noticing Neo wasn't as uncomfortable with Topaz as she was with the other two women, the crew and Law remained silent and observed the situation before them. Neo's eyes cautiously roamed over Topaz before nodding. Topaz smiled at the given permission. "All Mistress Selene did was raise the head of the bed. This will allow you to lean against it comfortably while eating your lunch. You can put it back down in the position it was before with your crystals. All you have to do is summon a crystal and engulf its glow over the bed and want the bed to return to its original state."
"Oh," Neo mumbled softly. She looked again over her shoulder at the bed then looked back at Topaz. "Um, th-thank you."
"It was my pleasure, Princess. Now, is there anything else I can get you and your family?" Topaz asked.
"Uh, are you all hungry? Do you need anything?" Neo asked the crew.
"No, we all ready ate," Penguin answered. "We're good."
"We're fine," Neo said to Topaz. "Uh, thank you."
"Very well then, Princess. Please, do not hesitate to summon me if you need anything," Topaz said with a low curtsy. She flashed them all a friendly smiled before turning to the door. Archer and Conner opened it up for her. "Thank you."
"About time!" Selene shouted as she tried to reenter the room.
"Sorry, Mistress Selene, you have done enough for today," Topaz said as she grabbed the other woman by the back of her collar and drug her away from the room. "You have other patients that could benefit from your time and skills."
"Hey! Let me go! I still have work to do in there!" Selene's complaints faded away as she was being dragged farther down the hall like a spoil child who wasn't getting their way.
"Wow. Topaz is a lot stronger than she looked," Archer said as he and everyone else, but Law and Neo, hung out of the door to watch her pull Selene away from the room. "She's, what? Probably a few inches taller than Neo? While Selene is about as tall as the captain is."
"Who cares? Just as long as she no longer around Neo and the captain," Shachi said. The others nodded in agreement then pulled themselves back into the room and closed the door. They all scattered around the room. Some sat down on the floor, a couple remained standing while letting Penguin and Shachi take the two chairs in the room.
"Lean back now," Law ordered softly. He grabbed the pillow and put it in a better position for her before guiding her back against it.
"There she is," a whispered voice said.
"I can't believe it. She's so pretty."
"So that's what she looks like."
"Hm?" The crew and Neo turned their eyes to the hushed voices. About ten elementals had their heads stuck into the open and forgotten window.
"Captain," Neo whimpered. She jumped back into Law's arms just as Archer leaped over to the window.
"Sorry, but peaking hours are over!" Archer shouted while pushing them back out the window. He slammed it shut, locked it then pulled the curtain closed. "I'm sorry about that, Neo. I guess I forgot to close the window."
"It's okay," Neo said with a relaxing sigh. "They just startled me."
She turned her eyes to Law. He scanned his eyes over hers before nodded. She leaned back against her pillow while he removed the lid from the tray. As the smell suggested it was fish, mash potatoes, green beans, ginger broth, and a small loaf of bread. Law glared at the bread causing Neo to giggle. He sent her a playful glare before setting the lid down. The pirate crew then settled down into small talk while Law fed Neo and himself.
While he knew the bread and broth was meant her for, he still couldn't help himself slipping her a couple bites of the fish and vegetables. He didn't give her much of them and only fed her as much of the broth as she could handle. And that was a little under half. When she couldn't eat anymore, she leaned back against the pillow with a tired sigh. "I can't eat anymore, Captain."
"That's fine. You've had enough for right now." Law nodded. "You just rest now. Would you like to put the bed back down?"
"Yeah. I'm kinda tired." Neo summoned a crystal and did as Topaz explained. The bed responded to her crystals glow. It lowered back down then stopped glowing. She drifted off to asleep to the comforting sounds of the crew's voices.
…
Neo opened her eyes. Looking up at the green ceiling she gasped slightly and sat up in bed. She looked around the room. The moonlight was peaking through the curtain. It gave her enough light for her to easily make out all of the gifts in the room. She sighed as Law sat up beside her. "Neo? Are you all right? Did you have a bad dream?"
"No, it wasn't a dream," Neo replied. He stroked her hair before cupping her cheek. "I just woke up for some reason and forgot where I was. I'm okay though."
"Let's lay back down then," Law said.
She nodded and did as he wanted her to. She laid down on her back while he laid on his left side to observe her. A small smile pulled across her lips. She turned her eyes to him and said, "Today was kind of like the first time I woke up on the sub."
"What do you mean?" Law asked.
"I was scared then too. You also fed me broth and bread for my first meal," she said.
"Hm…I suppose there are some similarities," Law said with a light hum of realization. "But I say this time was better. I didn't have to force feed you."
The two shared a low laughed before settling back down. Neo rolled onto her side. She tucked her right hand under her pillow while laying her left hand on the bed between them. "Law, can I ask you something?"
"You know you can," Law said with a smile. He reached out and lightly flicked her nose, making her cheeks tint pink. "What is it?"
"Before you arrived here on Luminous," Neo said. She bit her bottom lip before continuing. "I felt something strange in my chest."
"Yeah." Law nodded slightly. "I know. I felt it, too."
"What was it? I didn't like it. It really scared me." Neo's eyebrows turned up.
"You were angry," Law said after a pause.
"Angry?" Neo kneaded her eyebrows. He knew she was confused.
"It's a very strong feeling of or showing annoyance, displeasure or hostility. You got that way because they took my ring and hat from you," Law explained. He glided his fingertips over her bangs before trailing them down her left arm. She tensed at his touch. A small smile pulled at the corner of his lips. He felt like it had been years since he was able to touch her and make her tense like that. "Those were the only things you had with you that reminded you of me and they gave you comfort. When they took them away from you, you became angry."
"So it was normal for me to feel like that?"
"It was."
"I don't want to ever feel that way again. I felt like I was losing control of my crystals again." Neo slipped her hand from underneath her pillow. She grasped onto Law's hoodie. "I really thought I was going to lose control."
"But you didn't. You don't have to feel bad anymore over that. You were able to keep your crystals under control. I know it didn't feel like it, but you did just fine. Anger can be a very powerful emotion. Sometimes it's so powerful that it destroys a person." Neo's eyes flashed with worry. Law chuckled lightly. He lifted her hand off his hoodie and placed a light kiss on her fingers. The heart monitor sped up to match both Law and Neo's fluttering hearts. The beeping slowed down as he continued to talk. "It's all right, Neo. Your anger will never destroy you. It's an emotion that you're not going to feel very often. And it's an emotion, like them all, you can control. You can learn to focus that anger when you feel it and turn it into a weapon that'll strengthen your attacks."
"I understand. But I still don't ever want to feel that way again," Neo said honestly.
"I know you don't want to, but it's an emotion that we all have. You'll feel it again at some point in the future. Just remember what I said, it will never destroy you. If it ever looks like it's going to do that, I won't let it," Law said. He tightened his hold on her hand. "I'll stop it before it can. Okay?"
"Okay." Neo smiled at him, making his heart beat rise even more.
"You ready to go back to sleep now?" Law asked, giving her hand another squeeze.
"Yes." Neo nodded. Law returned the nod. He released her hand so she could tuck it back under her pillow. He watched as she drifted off in to peaceful sleep. While watching her, his eyes drifted down to her lips. Hesitantly, he reached up and lightly brushed his fingertips over them. They were just as soft as ever under his gentle touch. And soon they would be his to kiss. He already had a plan on how he was going to kiss her. He knew it was going to be a scary experience for her at first and he wanted to be sure he could ease her into the relationship change as gently as he possible could. Now if he could only figure out how to get her away from the prying eyes of everyone else to execute his plan.
