Wings

Neo sighed to the beeping of her heart monitor and tapped her solar crystal. Her room was rather empty with the exception of the gifts that the elementals kept sending her. Her crew, but for Law, was away from the ward. She noticed they were starting to spend more time away from her. She didn't mind. They always came back to her as if they could sense her wanting them near. For now they were out getting to know the people of this island.

"Feeling bored?" Law asked when she sighed again.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "When can I leave this room? I miss the sub."

"You can't leave for a few more days," Law said flipping to the next page of an elemental medical book he managed to acquire.

With another sigh, she leaned her head against Law's shoulder. "You really finding that interesting?"
"I am," Law said. "It's surprising how our human bodies aren't much different from elemental bodies."

"That's a good thing?" Neo glanced up at him.

"It is." Law looked at her and smiled.

"I wish I could get into reading medical books," Neo said. "But I still don't understand all those big words."

"Don't worry about it," Law said. "You won't be bored for long."

"What do you say that?" Neo asked before a couple knocks came on the door.

"Come on in," Law said.

"How's it going?" Penguin stepped inside with a bag in hand.

"Hey, Penguin," Neo said. "I thought you were off with the others."

"I had to run a little errand for the captain." Penguin waved the bag. He walked over and placed it on the bed. "We thought you would get bored. So the captain sent me after these."

Neo leaned up as Penguin unzipped the bag. She gasped when he showed her what was inside. He had brought her several of her books. "My books!"

"This should keep you busy for a while," Penguin said. "Once you finish reading them I can take them back to the sub and get you some more."

"Thanks, Penguin! Thanks, Captain!" Neo grabbed a book. Settling back against her pillow and Law, she rested the book on her knees and started reading.

Penguin chuckled. "We should have got those the second she woke up. I don't even think she notices we're still here."

Law smiled. Penguin was right, in a way. He knew Neo would notice if he left the room. But she didn't have to worry about that since he wasn't going anywhere without her.

Neo spent the rest of the morning completely engulfed in her books to the point she didn't even notice when the crew had returned. Her eyes never left her book until she heard a knock on the door and sensed a couple elementals. Looking up she found Law was no longer beside her. She sensed him in the bathroom. She turned her eyes to the crew. Some of them were also reading while a few were taking naps. Bepo was sprawled out on the floor, still covered in small flowers and with a soft snore emitting from his nose. Turning her eyes back to the door she wondered who would be coming in at this point. No elemental but for the two healers came in to this room.

The two elementals were a water and an earth. Then without an invitation to come in, the door opened. The elementals stepped inside. One of them was as tall, if not an inch or two taller, than Law. She was the water elemental. Her dark blue hair was pulled up high on her head in a tight bun. She was wearing a gray and black dress that went high on her neck and fell over her wrists and feet. Her hands were covered with light gray gloves and had a small brown book folded in them. Wrinkles accompanied her tight lip frown as her blue eyes peered down her pointed nose and roamed over the pirates with a slight touch of disdain for the men in them.

Behind her was a shorter woman and earth elemental. She was the same height as Neo and a lot plumper. She had her coral colored hair cut in a short bobbed style. Rounded glasses were perched upon her nose. She was dressed in a simple white button up shirt and tan pants. Her eyes kept darting nervously around the room like she didn't know where she was supposed to look. Her hands fiddled nonstop with a notebook and pencil in her hands. She had something flat and long draped over her shoulders with numbers on it that Neo didn't recognize.

"Princess Neo." Neo drew her eyes to the tall woman, who was now bowing to her. "Permit me to introduce myself. My name is Madam Prudence. I am the castellan of this castle. It is an honor to finally meet you. This is Beatrice. She has come to take your measurements so we may proceed in getting your royal attire created. Your coronation of being crowned our princess is fast approaching. We have a lot of work to do before then. If you will, please stand up and we'll get right to it."

"Penguin?" The beeping of the heart monitor increased. Neo turned her worried eyes to Penguin just as he stood up and walked over to her.

The crew tensed up and locked their eyes on the two women. Those asleep quickly woke up from their nap.

"It's okay, Neo," Penguin said. He sat down beside and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his comforting embrace.

"Please, Princess," Prudence said walking closer to the bed. "We don't have all day now."

"No! Stay away! Captain!" Neo cried. She tucked herself farther into Penguin's arms. Her heart and the monitor beeped wildly.

The rest of the crew stepped forward. They created a barrier between Neo and the two elementals. Bepo bared his fangs with a low growl.

"This isn't necessary," Prudence said while scanning her eyes over the pirates. A small amount of concern flickered into her eyes, but quickly vanished. "All we're going to do is take her measurements, and go over some ground rules of the castle and what the princess is expected to do for the upcoming coronation. We all ready have the princess's room and Mister Trafalgar's room prepared for them to move into once the princess is released from the ward."

"Our rooms?" Neo asked softly. She turned her panicked eyes up to Penguin. "They're going to separate me and the captain?"

"Of course not," Penguin assured her. He looked down at her with a smile. "The captain won't allow that to happen. He knows you need him beside you when you sleep because of your nightmares. He'll still sleep with you."

"Do not be silly," Prudence huffed. "It is highly improper for a young woman to share a bed with a man while out of wedlock. I assure you that his room is just down the halls from yours, Princess. Now stand up, please. We have a lot of work to do in preparation for the up and coming ceremony."

"No!" Neo shout. She turned her face into Penguin's chest as much as she could in an attempt to get away from the elementals. "I don't want to! Go away!"

"Princess, you're being unreasonable," Prudence said with a shake of her head. "This is not how a princess should act."

"She wasn't raised as a princess. She was raised as a pirate." They all turned their eyes to Law when he made his presence known. His intense steel colored eyes were locked onto the two women. His lips turned down in a disapproving frown of them upsetting Neo. "And she said, 'No'. She doesn't want to be fitted to any dress. And Neo and I will not be separated. If she does move into the castle then I will be going with her. And I will be sleeping in the same room."

"Mister Trafalgar, it is improper for a man and woman to share a bed out of wedlock. There will be no more discussion on that subject." Prudence turned to Law. Her expression hardened. "Right now the princess needs to be measured so that the royal tailor can proceed with getting the royal clothes prepared."

"Neo has her own clothes back on the ship," Law pointed out. "And as soon as the devices are taken off of her, she'll be wearing those. She doesn't need clothes that she all ready has."

"These aren't just any ordinary clothes, Mister Trafalgar." Prudence frowned. "These are clothes that a princess needs. She should be dressed in regal dresses, not some everyday commoner clothes. And her hair should b-"

"No." Law said flatly. Noting Beatrice shifting uncomfortably behind the brazen woman. "You've upset her enough! Get out!"

"We are not leaving until we get her measurements! That is how it is on Luminous!" Prudence insisted. "Now, stand up, Princess. The sooner we get this done the sooner we can get on with it."

Law growled dangerously at the woman.

Neo peaked over at him. "Captain…"

"Fine. If you want her measurements…" Law stalked up to the two women. He grabbed the book and pencil Beatrice was holding, causing the woman to flinch. Jerking it open, he scribbled down Neo's measurements and height before slamming it shut and shoving it back into the shorter woman's hands. "There! Now you have them! So get out!"

"Ah!" Prudence gasped. Her face flushed upon the realization of Law knowing such intimate details. "You cad! H-how do you know of such a thing?! Have you had improper relations with her?!"

"Geez! What's wrong with you people? Just because a man knows something like that about a woman doesn't mean he's having sex with her," Law scoffed. "I'm a doctor. And I have been her doctor for over a year. It's natural for me to know things like this about her. And I'll continue looking at her body as long as she's in my care."

"Oh my!" Prudence grasped, her kneels buckled under her, and she fell backwards.

"Madam Prudence!" Beatrice cried. She threw out her hands to catch the taller woman.

The pirates bit back their chuckles at how ridiculous it looked for the shorter woman trying to hold up the taller one.

Beatrice awkwardly held Prudence to her shoulder while trying to fan her with her book. She then summoned a couple of her earth crystals and tried to use some vines to hold her up. "Madam Prudence? Are you all right? Please, say something! Oh, dear."

"What is going on in here?!" Healer Zinnia demanded as she brushed through the opened door. She placed her hands on her hips and looked over the current situation. Her eyes landed on the two women in the room. Her eyebrows bent in confusion. "Prudence? What are you doing here?"

Prudence, coming to, regained her footing. Composing herself, she brushed off her dress like the episode she had caused it to get dirty. She then turned her eyes to Healer Zinnia. She said, "I was informed that the princess was awake. I took the liberty of summoning Beatrice so we could get the princess's measurements and proceed with getting her royal attire created for her princess coronation."

"Oh for the love of…" Healer Zinnia rubbed her hand over her face in exasperation. She readjusted her glasses then pointed her finger accusingly at Prudence. "You have got to be kidding me! The princess was poisoned by the deadliest plant on Luminous, to which she's still recovering from. There is no way she can even think about any coronation right now. She can't even stand on her feet yet. How in all of creation did you think she would be able to stand long enough to have her measurements taken?!"

"Healer Zinnia, I am the castle-"

"Castellan! I know! I am very well of your standing at the castle! And the responsibilities that comes with being castellan, but I have not released the princess yet! She is not well enough to handle all of the stress that's going to come with being a royal here!" Healer Zinnia said with forced control. Prudence opened her mouth again to protest, but the healer didn't give her a chance. "I know all about the traditions here! But she does not! Throwing this on her at this point and time is highly unwise! It will only stress her out! And that is something I am trying to avoid! I will not allow this to go on any longer! I insist that you two leave immediately before I call the guards!"

Prudence huffed at the harsh treatment from the healer. Beatrice tapped the taller woman on the elbow. Timidly, she said, "It's all right, Madam Prudence. Mister Trafalgar gave me what I came for. We can go now."

Prudence scoffed. She closed her eyes tightly. When she reopened them, she looked over at Neo. She said, "Very well then. I shall hold off on my duties until you are feeling better, Princess. Until that time, I bid you a good day."

Prudence then spun on her heels and left the room without another glance at anyone. Beatrice gave Neo a hesitant curtsy before rushing after the other woman.

Neo lifted up from Penguin once she felt the two women far enough down the hall. Just as her eyes locked onto Law's a sharp pain shot through her back. She collapsed forward. "Ah!"

"Neo!" Penguin shouted.

Law winced at the pain in his own back while rushing over to her. He sat down beside her. Penguin relinquished his hold on Neo so his captain could take care of her. Law quietly called to her. "Neo?"

"I'm okay," Neo said through soft pants. Her solar crystal's glow became brighter.

Law rolled his shoulders. The pain was going away faster than before thanks to the solar crystal's help. But he still didn't like that she had to have this back pain at all. His eyes drifted over to the healer. He looked up to find the healer was carefully inspecting Neo from the door. When she met his eyes, she nodded.

"Well, I really didn't want the princess to leave the room this quick, but she needs to visit the wing crystal," Healer Zinnia said. "It's the only way her back will stop hurting."

"Captain, I don't want to," Neo said. She turned her watery eyes to him.

"Neo, you have to. I don't want you in pain over something that can easily be fixed." Law brushed his thumb over her cheek. "Do you understand?"

"Yes." Neo nodded. She leaned into Law's embrace.

"When are we going?" Law asked the healer when he turned his eyes back to her.

"Well, I'd really like the princess to take a nap before we go after that little episode with Prudence." Healer Zinnia glared at the door before turning back to the pirates. "We'll go in two hours."

Law nodded in acceptance to the woman's words.

Healer Zinnia nodded back before leaving the room to prepare for the departure.

Law turned his attention to his crew and said, "All right, you all can stay if you want, but I want you to keep it down while Neo takes a nap."

"Aye aye, Captain," they chorused.

"We should probably just go," Conner suggested. "Our crew is not known for being quiet."

"I'm getting a bit stiff sitting around here. I think I'm going to go for a walk," Archer said. He stood up from the floor and stretched out his back, his spine cracking a few times. Then he walked over to Neo to peck her cheek. "We'll see you later. Get some rest now."

"Okay," Neo said with a reluctant sigh and pout. The rest of the crew bid her a good nap and promised to see her later before they exited the room.

"They're not going far," Law said with a light chuckle.

"I know." Neo placed her book on the table. "But I still don't want them to go."

"I know. How about I take a nap with you?" Law offered.

"Really?" Neo turned back to face him. Her eyes shimmered with excitement that he was going to nap with her.

He nodded with a smile. He kicked off his shoes while she lowered the bed back down with a crystal. "You're going to lay with me."

"Okay."

Law then laid down on the pillow. He held up his left arm for Neo to come to him.

She followed his silent order and tucked herself into his side. She placed her immobile left hand on his chest. She said, "I'm not going to able to sleep, you know?"

"Oh, yes you will," Law said with confidence. She tilted her eyes up to him. Her eyebrows kneaded in a playful question of what he was talking about. "I'm ordering you to take a nap. And I'm going to rub your back. That'll help get you to sleep. It has before."

"I suppose so." Neo smiled. She tilted her chin back down and snuggled into the familiarity of his chest. Law slipped his right hand to her back. She tensed at his touch, but relaxed after a few rubs. He smiled when he felt her body relaxing almost immediately after he started working her back. "Law?"

"Hm?"

"I'm very glad you're here with me," Neo said sleepily and with a small yawn.

"I'm glad I'm here, too," Law whispered back to her. He placed a light kiss into her hair just as she drifted off. He pulled his hat down over his eyes before closing them and drifting off to sleep with her.

"So, how exactly are you going to get Neo out of here?" Penguin asked.

Neo looked over at her brother. He was peaking through the curtain in her wardroom. Someone had leaked out that she was being brought out of the ward to go visit the wing crystal. He, Shachi, and Bepo had returning to the ward to see if they could go with them. They had a difficult time wading through all the elementals to get back into the ward. A small army of guards had to be placed at the front entrance to keep the elementals from entering the building. But it didn't stop them from swarming to get a good look at their princess.

"It looks like the entire population of Luminous is out there," Shachi said peaking through the other side of the curtain.

"Is this going to cause serious problems?" Bepo asked. He was watching Penguin and Shachi then turned his eyes to Neo.

She was sitting on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest. Law was standing beside her with his sword tied to his back. If Neo was leaving the ward, there was no way he was leaving it behind. He had his left arm crossed over his chest and his right arm bend up with his thumb and index finger cupping his chin in thought.

"It'll be fine," Healer Zinnia said. They all looked at her when she entered the room. She walked to the foot of the bed and regarded Neo.

Neo flittered her eyes to the woman before returning her blue orbs to the bed.

Law carefully watched Neo. Since she didn't flinch at the presence of the woman, he knew she was starting to feel more comfortable around her, at least, as long as the healer stayed at a distance. He knew she still had issues with strangers getting close and touching her.

"We're going to go out the back way. So far no one is back there. Well, no one's back there yet. I've had some guards slip around to the back of the ward. When we're ready to leave, those guards at the front and the back are going to cause a distraction so we can slip away relatively unnoticed." Healer Zinnia paused. She took in the three pirates near the window. "Let me guess…you're wanting to come along, too?"

The three turned their sheepish expressions at the woman.

Healer Zinnia sighed. "Fine. You all can come along as well."

"You're not going to fight us on this?" Shachi asked, despite jumping for joy on the inside.

"No." Healer Zinnia shook her head. "I no longer care. Just as long as the princess is getting the rest she needs. Let's get going now. The two wind elementals I summoned are waiting for us outback. They're two of the strongest wind elementals on the island. So if the masses decide to follow us they'll easily be able to keep them at a distance with their winds. Hopefully that won't be necessary."

"Right." The three subordinates nodded.

"You ready?" Law asked Neo. He reached out and stroked her hair.

Neo turned her eyes to him. It was easy for them all to see that she wasn't. She nodded anyway. He stepped closer to the bed. Knowing that this trip was going to be a nervous one for her, he purposefully picked her up with her left arm pressing against his chest. This way she could grasp on to his hoodie with her right hand. She rested her head on his shoulder as he whispered softly to her. "It's going to be just fine. I'm right here with you. Penguin, Shachi and Bepo are here, too."

She nodded in understanding.

Law then turned to head for the door. He paused when he noticed Healer Zinnia carefully taking him and Neo in. The woman turned away before Law could figure out what exactly she was looking for. Healer Zinnia then said, "Let's go. I don't want the princess out of bed any longer than she has to be."

Without another word, the pirates followed after her. They were surprised, even though they shouldn't have been, when they stepped out into the hall. Elementals were sticking their heads out of their own wardrooms in hopes of getting a glance at their princess. They talked and whispered as they passed the rooms. "That's her."

"She's the princess."

"She's beautiful."

"Eek! I don't believe I'm actually seeing her! She saved us from the darkness!"

Neo whimpered softly. She grabbed a hold of Law's hoodie. Closing her eyes, she turned her face into his shoulder in an attempt to get away from the prying eyes.

Law shot his subordinates a silent order. They nodded in understanding before forming a circle around Neo and Law, blocking them as much as they could with their bodies.

Healer Zinnia led them to the main entrance then turned towards another hall. The pirates took a quick glimpse at the front doors. Several guards were outside trying to keep back the crowd from entering the building. They pulled their eyes from the crowd and back to the hall. Seconds later, they arrived at the back doors of the ward. The healer signaled for them to wait. She cracked opened the door and peered out. "How's everything?"

"A few elementals are attempting to hide in the forest." The pirates heard someone say. "Otherwise, it's safe for the princess to come out now. Better get going before more decide to come to this side of the ward."

"All right," Healer Zinnia said. She turned back and looked to someone down the hall. She nodded at the person. The pirates looked to see an elemental they weren't familiar with. She had shoulder length orange hair. She nodded back then nodded to someone else over her own shoulder. "Let's go!"

Shachi, Bepo, and Penguin startled when the healer shouted at them. They shouted back, "Right!"

The group then bolted outside. Just as their feet hit the grass, they were engulfed in strong winds. A second later, they were in the air, moving away from the ward. They looked around to see two male wind elementals were flying them and, down below, fire was spinning around the ward. Shachi asked, "What are they doing?"

"Creating a distraction," Healer Zinnia replied.

"How exactly is this going to keep them from following us?" Penguin asked. His eyes still locked on the ground below them. As they passed over the castle, he noticed a hedge maze behind it. In the middle of it was a fountain. Castle workers were bustling about the maze and fountain. He assumed they were trimming the hedges. He wasn't sure since they were so high up, but he thought he saw crystals shimmering beside them.

Healer Zinnia smirked. "Oh, don't worry about that. I might have fed out some new information on where the princess is going."

"Where did you say she was going?" Bepo asked.

"To see Prudence," Healer Zinnia replied. A wicked smile pulled across her lips.

"That woman who was so insistent on Neo getting measured?" Shachi questioned. "Why would you do that?"

"That woman is always so arrogant. She got a big head when she got the job as a castellan about thirty years ago," Healer Zinnia explained with a brightening grin. "Maybe this will help the swelling go down."

"So how long will it take us to fly to…uh…where is it we're going exactly?" Penguin asked. He looked around again. He found they were flying in the directions of the mountains that stood behind the castle. It looked like they were several miles away from them. "Are we going to those mountains?"

"Yes, that's where we're going. The wing crystal is in the tallest one," Healer Zinnia replied.

"We're going there?" Bepo asked. "That's miles away."

"Don't worry," one of the wind elementals said. "We'll have you there in minutes."

"I'm sorry." Bepo bowed his head in a gray depressing aura. The elementals gave Bepo a questioning look, but didn't say anything.

"Just as long as it's a smooth flight and Neo doesn't get jostled," Law said. He looked down to check on her. She had finally pulled her eyes from his shoulder. She cautiously looked around before turning her eyes up to his. He gave her a gentle, encouraging smile. She smiled back before resting her head against him.

"Do not worry," the other wind elemental said. "We'll make this a very smooth journey for the princess. And we'll keep calm and keep our distance so we don't upset her."

"Well, that was a short trip," Shachi exclaimed as the wind elementals lowered them down to the ground, right in front of a cave. The elementals just smiled in response.

"You two wait out here," Healer Zinnia said. "We won't be long."

"Yes, ma'am." They nodded.

The small group then followed the woman through the mouth of the cave.

"Wow!" Shachi, Bepo, and Penguin exclaimed at the sight before them.

Neo looked around. The entire cave walls, ceiling, and floor were solid sheets of sparkling light blue crystals.

Law kneaded his eyebrows at the crystals in concern. Looking down, he rubbed the bottom of his boot over the floor to test if it was slippery or not. He didn't want slip and hurt his precious cargo. Luckily, it wasn't slick at all.

"Let's go," Healer Zinnia beckoned.

The group then proceeded into the cave. They all, including Neo, looked around in curiosity. The farther they got into the cave more crystals began to appear on the walls. They were just like Neo's crystals. They were all different shapes, colors, and sizes, jutting out from the walls, ceiling, and floor. A couple of them were glowing softly, lighting up their path. Other cave tunnels also appeared in the crystal walls, but the healer stuck to the one they were on.

Soon she led the pirate group into a circular room. The three pirate subordinates gasped in amazement. Right in the middle of the room was a large butterfly shape wings, hovering a foot of the ground and sparkling white crystal. Embedded in the middle of the wings was a yellow crystal in the same shape as Neo's solar crystal. Roughly ten feet from the wing crystal were four other, even larger crystals. One was green, one a dark blue, one a light blue, and the fourth was red. It was obvious to the pirates those crystals represented the element crystals.

The wing crystal then started to give off a warm cobalt glow. The glow shifted in place with fluid motions before it floated over and pierced painlessly into Neo's chest. She blinked at her glowing chest then raised her eyes to Law. She asked, "What's it doing?"

"It's reacting to you because you're a royal," Healer Zinnia responded in a very soft voice. The pirates looked at her. She wore a very soft expression on her face as well. "This place is the most important and special place on all of Luminous. Our people believe this is where our story actually started. There are many stories surrounding the creation of our people and island. But there are two that are the most popular. One of them says that the wing crystal here was really a star. The legend says that the wing crystal was floating around in space until one day it came across this planet and decided to make its home here. So it came down and created Luminous. But it was sad for it was all alone. It decided to create its own children. The first one born was a royal. The crystal loved the child so much that it created more and more until it had filled the island with elementals. The second legend says that it was God who created the crystal. And that he created the elementals for the specific reason for taking care of the elements. But the humans started to treat the elementals very badly. They wanting control over them and turned them into slaves. A royal created Luminous and hide it behind a magical veil so that all elementals could live here in peace away from the humans."

"So which is true?" Penguin asked when the healer stopped talking.

"No one knows for sure." The healer shrugged. "The one thing we do know is that this island is protected from humans finding it. So a lot of elementals lean more towards the second one as being truer than the first. But, like human history, a lot of pieces are missing. We may never know the truth."

"So, how does this work?" Shachi then asked. He was pointing at the wing shaped crystal. "Does it just happen automatically? Or what?"

"All the princess has to do is place her hand on it. The crystal will do the rest." Healer Zinnia looked over at Neo and Law. She studied the position he was holding the princess in. His arm was around her back where her wings were going to come out. "It will be best if the princess was standing. It shouldn't take long for her wings to come out. Do you think you can do that, Princess?"

"I think so." Neo kicked her feet a couple of times. She then looked up at Law. "Will you stay beside me?"

Law nodded. He then walked her over to the crystal. He sat her down on her feet, but kept his arm around her waist. She looked at him again. He gave her another nod of assurance. She pulled her eyes back over to the crystal. Hesitantly, she reached out and placed her hand on the crystal. The glow on her chest flowed over to her hand. The glow then began to wrap around her wrist. It made its way up her arm until the glow had her entire body engulfed. It then gathered between her shoulder blades. Neo looked over her shoulder.

The glow extended into two swallowtail shaped wings. The crew gasped at the display of seeing the wings being created from the glow. Her wing color was a blue ombre. The ends of her wings were navy blue and faded into lighter shades of blue as it move in towards her back. The wings faded off into transparency where they attached between Neo's shoulder blades. The fact Neo was wearing a gown didn't seem to matter. The wings went right through the fabric like it wasn't even there.

"Wow! Their beautiful!" Penguin exclaimed as he and the other two crewmates stared at Neo's wings.

"She looks so magical now," Shachi whispered. "It's incredible."

"Captain," Neo said as her legs wobbled. She pulled her hand away from the crystal and turned into him.

"I've got you," Law said. He slipped his arm back under her knees and picked her up. She rested her head back on his shoulder with a tried sigh.

"Let me take a quick look at those," the healer said. She stepped up behind Neo.

Law gave Neo a comforting squeeze when she stiffened up at the woman being so close.

The healer hummed while inspecting the wings. "It looks like everything is just fine."

"She'll be able to use them while wearing her shirts?" Bepo asked curiously. He stepped closer to them to get a better look at Neo's wings. He sniffed the air to see if they had a smell to them. They didn't have their own smell. They just smelled like Neo. "It won't hurt her, will it?"

"No, her wings are created from magic. Clothes won't bother them at all," the healer said. She gently ran a finger over one of the wings. "Her wings are actually a lot like her crystals. She can wear them or not. All she has to do is will them away to hide them. And if they happen to get ripped or damaged, they'll grow back. In that way, they're also kind of like hair. It won't hurt her at all if they get damaged."

"Well, that's good to hear," Penguin said with a low sigh. "Never thought of wings as an accessory, however. It's incredible."

"Why don't you give them a little flitter, Princess?" Healer Zinnia asked. She straightened up and waited.

"Do I have to?" Neo asked Law when she looked up at him.

"Not if you don't want to," Law replied back.

Healer Zinnia sighed when Neo banished her wings from her back. She placed her hands on her hips. "Look, I understand that the princess gets scared when it comes to new things, but she has to use her wings at some point. If she doesn't her back will ache after a while. And if she goes for prolonged periods of times without using them, they'll get weak. It's the exact same as exercising your legs and arms. You do know what happens when someone sits around for too long without moving, right?"

"Of course I do. I'm a doctor after all," Law replied. He frowned at the healer. "If Neo doesn't want to use her wings right now then she doesn't have to."

"And another wall goes up," Penguin mumbled as he watched Law turned away from them all and headed back to the cave entrance.

Healer Zinnia released a frustrated sigh. She rubbed her neck then turned to the remaining three pirates. "Look, I can understand how much you all care about her, especially with the past that she has to deal with, but if you all don't start letting the princess learn about this culture then the elementals might take her by force."

"We won't give her up without a fight," Shachi said with a deep frown.

"A fight is exactly what I'm trying to prevent." The healer narrowed her eyebrows. "Don't you remember what happened a couple weeks ago? My people just about killed you all. If things keep going like they are right now, they might very well see keeping the princess from them as an act of war. I can easily see the princess will defend you all. And she is the strongest elemental alive because she's a royal. I can also tell that she won't kill anyone. If she didn't have a problem with that, she would have done it when we were chasing her under the influence of the darkness crystal. But…if you all do manage to escape from Luminous with her help all you people will do is nothing but run for the rest of your lives. The elementals will try to get her back, again. Do you really want her life to be like that? Constant running? Hasn't she all ready done that enough before she came to live with you all?"

The three crewmates exchanged looks.

Healer Zinnia dropped her hands from her hips. "I know you all love her very much. Although, I'm still unsure what exactly the type of relationship your captain has with her, but that's beside the point right now. Personally, I'm not asking you to give her up. All I'm asking is for you all to back off a bit. At least let my people get to know her. Let her get to know us."

Shachi and Bepo turned to Penguin. Shachi said, "Penguin, I think the time to talk to the captain has come. None of us want Neo to live with the elementals chasing her again. Once was more than enough."

"Yeah." Penguin nodded. "I'll talk to him tonight when Neo has fallen asleep."

The trip back to the ward was quiet. Law knew he had put his foot down. But he wasn't quite so sure if it would stay that way for long. Someone was going to say something about the way he was acting. He didn't care. He would do anything to protect the one he loved more than anything in the world.

Once they were back in the ward he took Neo back to her room. Only a few elementals peeked out of their rooms. This time they didn't bother Neo as much. She was too exhausted from the trip to even notice. It was obvious she was going to sleep again when they got back in the room.

Reaching the room, Law sat down on the bed, kicked off his shoes, and held her against his chest. Her body went limp on his. He was slowly dancing his fingers through her hair when a light tap at the door caused him to look up from her. Not wanting to risk waking her up by using his voice, he carefully removed her from his chest. She shifted from the movement. He stroked her hair to make sure she wasn't going to wake up. He then got up to see who was at the door. He raised an eyebrow when he cracked the door open. "Penguin? Is something wrong?"

"No, not really." Penguin tapped his fist against his thigh. "There's just something that I wanted to talk to you about."

The two men looked down the hall when they heard two of the ward workers voices. The two women were walking down the hall towards them. Law signaled for Penguin to enter into the room. He closed the door then looked at his subordinate. "Well? What is it?"

"Well, it's about Neo," Penguin said cautiously.

"What about her?" Law asked. He tossed a glance back over at the girl to make sure she was still asleep.

"I…I think you should stop being so protective of her and let Neo learn about this culture!" Penguin rambled quickly. His body became stiff as he waited for his captain to make sense of what he just said. He felt sweat dripping down his temple while Law quietly studied him with danger flashing in his steel eyes.

"No," Law replied flatly.

"Captain, I-"

"No!" Law repeated a little louder than he had intended. Neo whined in her sleep at the noise. He turned and walked back over to her. Her hand was roaming over the bed, looking for him. He placed his hand back on her hair. She settled down in response to his touch. "It's all right, Neo. I'm still here."

Penguin sighed. He walked over to the bed as well. Keeping his voice as low as he could, he said, "Captain, I don't mean any disrespect. And I certainly don't mean to tell you what to do, but…"

"But what?" Law asked when his subordinate didn't continue.

Penguin took a deep breath. He slowly released it before telling his captain what he really wanted to say. "Captain, you're coddling her."

"What?" Law looked at the man standing beside the bed.

"Let me ask you this…if Neo had gotten her wings while on the sub, would you have her use them or would you be doing what you are now?" Penguin asked. He remained silence while Law silently muddled over his words. "I know you love her."

Law shot Penguin a warning glance.

Penguin flinched, but stood his ground. He knew he had to say this to the captain. "Hey, we all know it. Get use to it. Despite that, we both know that Neo has questioned where she's from and who she really is. Well, we have the opportunity to learn about that now. This might be the only chance that we all have to learn about who she really is and where she's really from. And she won't do that if you keeping telling her she doesn't have to. You know she'll listen to you over everyone else. Do you really want to keep this all from her just because you're feeling guilty that you couldn't protect her?"

"I'm not feeling guilt," Law said with a deep frown. But he knew he was wrong. Penguin was right. He was feeling guilty for not being able to protect her like he thought he should have.

"Yes, you are, Captain. You're letting your guilt control the situation here. Neo's not upset with you. She doesn't blame you for what happened here." Penguin paused to give Law a moment to think about what he was saying. He opened his mouth to continue, but stopped with Law started speaking.

"You're right," Law said with a sigh.

"Captain?" Penguin asked, a little bit shock at his captain admitting he was wrong.

"I'm not doing her any favors by coddling her," Law admitted. He stroked Neo's hair again before looking up at his subordinate. "Thanks, Penguin."

"Uh, sure thing?" Penguin said with uncertainty in his voice. He stayed a few minutes longer before finally leaving to get some rest himself.

Before getting the door open, Law called out to him. "Penguin?"

"Yes, Captain?" Penguin turned back away from the door.

"Whenever you feel like I'm getting too protective of Neo, you have permission to bring it to my attention," Law said. He looked right at Penguin. If the man's hat weren't over his eyes, Law would have been looking right into his eyes. "I won't punish you for it."

"If that's what you want, Captain," Penguin said, slightly confused.

"It is. Sometimes even captains need to be shown that they are making a mistake," Law said in a low voice. His eyes dropped down to Neo's sleeping form. "And I might need an occasional kick in the pants when it comes to her."

"Hey, don't worry about it, Captain. We're all behind you a hundred percent. We've got both your backs." Penguin flashed Law a grin before finally leaving the room.

Law chuckled before settling down himself for the night. He knew his crew had his and Neo's back. He only needed to let them show that more often.