Castles

"Uh." Neo blinked multiple times in curiosity at the white shoes lying on the floor. She was squatting down beside them with her arms wrapped around her knees. They were shoes that she had never seen before with a strange stem on the back of the sole and pointed toes. They had been brought by earlier that morning by the elemental Beatrice along with the snow-white sundress she was currently, and reluctantly, wearing. It was part of her getting to know her culture. She looked over her shoulder at Law. He was standing a few feet behind her. She pointed at the odd looking shoes. "Hey, Captain, what are those? They have a stalk growing out of them."

Law didn't answer. He only stood there with his hat over his eyes and a dusting of pink over his cheeks.

"They're not a stalk, Princess," Healer Zinnia replied.

Neo watched as the healer walked closer to her and Law. The woman paused right beside the pirate. Healer Zinnia's eyes were on Law's frozen form as she shook her head.

"They're heels," Healer Zinnia said turning her attention to Neo.

"Heels?" Neo stood up. She turned to the two. The sparkling sequin flowers, decorating the bodice, shimmered in the light as she moved. This dress was slightly longer than the blue one Penguin got her for her one year anniversary with the pirates. The hem fell to her knees. But that didn't keep Law's eyes from wandering down to the bottom of the dress to which she was aware of, but didn't understand. "What are heels?"

"They're shoes that woman wears with dresses. Do you not have dresses on your pirate ship?" the healer asked.

"I have one. It was a gift from Penguin. He got it for me for my one year anniversary with them. But I only have a pair of sandals and a pair of boots. I don't like wearing shoes. They hurt my feet," Neo answered. "I usually only where clothes that I can train in. That's the way the captain wants it. He allows me to wear the one Penguin got me thought. He looked like this too when I worn that one."

"I see." The healer gave Law a suspicious look. She pulled her eyes away from the dumbfounded man and dropped her eyes to the silver ring on Neo's hand. She narrowed her eyebrows at it, but remained silent about it. Instead she said, "Well, at least he's done you well in that regard. It wouldn't have been good for you to wear suggestive clothing with how innocent you are. Anyway, I suggest you not where those heels. You're not stable enough on your legs to handle them, especially if you're not use to wearing shoes."

"Um, I guess so. Is that all right, Captain?" Neo looked at Law. She tilted her head when he didn't answer her. Worry settled in her chest. "Captain? Are you upset about me wearing this dress?"

Healer Zinnia turned her attention back to Law. He was still staring at Neo. The healer rolled her eyes. She brought her right hand in front of Law's face and snapped her fingers as loudly as she could. "Hey! Snap out of it!"

"What?" Law asked. His hat rose back up, revealing his eyes.

"It's amazing how much effect she has on you. And she's not even aware of it," the healer mumbled. She sighed before raising her voice so they could hear her. "It's about time for her to leave the ward. Now, I know you're feeling better, but I still want you to take it easy. Only walk for about fifteen minutes a day. Increase that time when you've gotten stable with walking that long. But it probably a waste of time telling you this considering this pirate isn't going to leave your-"

Law stepped closer to Neo.

"You're not upset, are you?" Neo asked again.

"No, not at all. It's fine that you want to wear the dress." Law smiled taking her hands in his. Both of them didn't even notice the healer was talking to them. He made Neo's body tense, her cheeks flush and her heart race while making circles on her fingers with his thumbs. "You look very pretty in it. How are your legs?"

"A bit tired," Neo answered.

Law nodded. He released her hands and picked her up. She rested her head on his shoulder with a content sigh, her heart pounding.

"Hey! You're not even listening to me!" Healer Zinnia growled. She pointed at the shrieking heart monitor. "And you're not supposed to be getting her excited! Stop that! Do you even hear that beeping?!"

"Did you say something?" Law asked, tossing a smirk over his shoulder at the healer.

"Never mind." Healer Zinnia sighed. "By the way, where's the rest of your crew? I figured they'd be here since the princess is leaving the ward."

"They're waiting for us in the castle all ready," Law answered. He turned to the woman. "I didn't want to bring anymore attention to Neo leaving the ward than necessary."

"Yeah." Healer Zinnia nodded. She glanced over to the window. Through the thin light blue curtains, she could see shadows of elementals moving across it. She brought her eyes back to the pirates. "So, how exactly are you getting the princess out of here without her being seen?"

"I'll warp her to the castle with my devil fruit powers," Law replied. When the healer gave him a confused look, he quickly explained to her what he meant. Neo lifted her eyes up to his. He could easily tell that she was asking if he was going to tell the elemental about the weakness of devil fruits. Wisely, he left out the weakness of a devil fruit. He gave her a gentle squeeze. She nodded in understanding and relief. Neither of them trusted the elementals enough to reveal that little secret if Shanks hadn't already told them about it. And, through a little covert mission Law gave to his crew, they come to the conclusion that if the elementals knew of devil fruit users and their weakness they didn't reveal it. So for now, that secret was safe.

"Well, I guess it's time for you to go then," Healer Zinnia said with a smile. "I'm glad I got to know you a bit here, Princess. You're a very sweet young woman."

"Uh, thank you," Neo replied. "And you're a very nice person. I'm sorry I was so scared of you."

"No apology is necessary, Princess. I completely understand. I would have reacted the same way if I were in your shoes," Healer Zinnia said.

"What's going to happen to all of these presents?" Neo asked while looking around the room. "There's no way we can have all of these on the sub."

"Don't worry about them. More gifts for you have all ready been delivered to the castle. I'm sure you don't need all of these under foot too. I'll take care of them. The flowers can be used for ointments and creams. And the toys can be giving to kids at the orphanages. You two go on now. I'll see you later," Healer Zinnia said with a wave.

Law nodded. He then formed a Room and warped them out of the ward. "Room. Shambles."

"Wow. That must be a handle little trick to have." Healer Zinnia blinked in amazement at Law's powers. She placed her hands on her hips. A smirk pulled across her lips. She chuckled lightly. "How is it possible such a naive, sweet little girl has such a strong presence and ability to soften up such a harsh man? I never thought that I'd support a relationship like theirs, but here I am. She's changed my mind in such a short amount of time. It's going to be interesting for sure how things turn out here. I wonder what she's going to do if she has to confront the elementals so she can leave this place?"

"Neo!" The crew cheered when she and Law appeared in the castle. A smile erupted on her lips when they gathered around them. Bepo rubbed his muzzle against Neo's cheek, causing her to giggle and squeal. Looking at him she found her mink was once again covered in flowers.

"Hi, everyone!" Neo said. She rubbed her hand in Bepo's fur, knocking off some flowers in the process. After she mentally counted all of her crewmembers, to make sure they all were present and accounted for, she allowed herself to look around the room. Her eyes widened with sparkling glee. The smell of the room became noticeable. It had grown to be one of her favorite smells in the world. Books. There was floor to ceiling bookshelves covering the walls and the columns. Ladders and landings were long the shelves for those who couldn't fly. She squealed happily and threw her arms around Law's neck. He had warped them to the castle library. "So many books! There's so many books in here!"

Law chuckled. "I thought warping here would make the transition smoother for you."

"You are the best, Captain!" Neo squealed. She pulled her eyes away from the books long enough to kiss his cheek. After pulling away from his now red cheeks, she looked back over the books, unaware of the crew's faces were turning away in their desperation not to chuckle and tease their red-faced captain. In a feeble attempt, she started counting the books. "Look at how many books there are! There's got to be thousands of books in here! I can't even count them all!"

Her eyes landed on one of the tall windows in the room. Several elementals were trying to peak inside. She tensed and jumped in Law's arms. Tucking her head down against him she hoped they didn't see her anymore. She jumped again when a vaguely familiar, yet unexpected voice spoke up. "They can't see you, Princess."

Neo turned her eyes from Law to see that Topaz had walked into the room. The orange haired elemental had her head down in a bow. She straightened up and smiled at Neo. Topaz said, "I apologize for startling you. I just wanted to inform you that I have darkened all the windows with my crystals so that no one can look in. You have complete privacy from those on the outside of the castle."

"They can't see me?" Neo asked receiving a nod from the maid. She turned her eyes back to the window. After a few seconds it was obvious, the elementals grew disappointed over not being able to see into the castle and left. She relaxed then looked at Law. "And I can take my time in observing them, right?"

"Of course you can." Law nodded. "You'll go out and greet them when you're ready. I don't want you around a lot of people right now anyway. You've got to focus on getting your strength built back up. We'll worry about meeting the elementals later."

"I wonder what my godfather saw in these people," Neo said.

Law nodded in agreement.

"Your godfather?" Topaz asked. The pirates turned their eyes to her. "I was not aware you had a godfather. May I ask who that is?"

"Red Hair Shanks," Neo replied. Her hold on Law's neck tightened. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything about that.

"I see," Topaz replied with a light nod. Her orange eyes gained an excited sparkle in them. "And he is aware that you are living with this pirate crew?"

Neo nodded.

Law narrowed his eyebrows.

Neo glanced up at him when she felt him tense. His eyes were locked onto Topaz, studying the woman carefully.

"Is there a problem with that?" Bepo asked.

"No, there's no problem. But it might be a solution. May I ask a small favor of you and your family, Princess?" Topaz said.

Neo looked to Law. When he nodded she gave the elemental permission to speak. "What favor?"

"Please, try not mention your godfather to anyone else," Topaz said, shocking them all.

"What? Why?" Penguin asked.

"I was still a child when he came here, but our people are very fond and trusting of Shanks. Revealing him as the princess's godfather might come in handy if it's revealed at the right time," Topaz said.

"Ahem." Neo flinched at the sounds of someone clearing their voice. The entire crew turned to see Prudence standing in the library with two other maids. One maid was a head shorter than Prudence with light blue hair, a water wielder, and the other maid was a couple inches shorter with light brown hair, an earth wielder. Both maids had their hair pulled back in tight buns on her heads. Both wearing the traditional black and white maids outfits with their hands folded neatly in front of them. All three elementals curtsied to Neo.

Neo tightened her hold on Law in discomfort at the bowing.

Prudence narrowed her eyebrows in contempt at Law holding Neo and glared when she straightened up from her curtsy. The woman then shooed Topaz out of the room with a flick of her hand. "That will be all, Topaz. You may leave now. Princess, permit me to introduce your ladies in waiting…Lyra and Medina."

Prudence waved her hand at the blue haired woman before the one with the brown haired woman while Topaz obediently left the room after bowing to Neo again. Prudence continued, "They will be attending your needs now that you have moved into the castle. They will help you dress in the mornings, change dresses for meal times and for when you go out to address the public…"

"Changing clothes multiple times a day is nonsense," Conner said with a laugh. "We'd have a ton of laundry to do. We'd have to recruit an octopus or two to keep up with it all!"

"Sure. Why not?" Archer said. "Neo already tried to keep one as a pet before. It could earn its keep doing our clothes."

The entire crew laughed at the mental image of an octopus doing laundry on the sub their crewmate supplied. Even Neo laughed with them while Law cracked a smile. Neo turned to Law with a bright smile. She said, "Can we, Captain? I'll easily be able to keep it under control."

Easily catching her joking tone, Law laughed. "Sure thing, Neo. If it'll make you happy, we'll add an octopus to the crew."

The crew laughed even harder. The two maids looked on in disapproval. Prudence released a sigh before addressing Neo again. In a stiff tone, she said, "Princess, please, this is not the time for jokes. I have rules that I need to inform you of. You have a lot of work to do now that you are out of the ward."

"The only thing she has to do now is getting her strength back up," Law said with a dark tone. "I will not have you bombarding her with a lot of ridiculous rules and customs."

"Mister Trafalgar, I am well aware of the princess's condition. Madam Healer Zinnia gave me an earful on that subject yesterday. But just because the princess is still healing doesn't mean she can't start on learning about our customs. I assure you I will not overload the princess. Your concerns are not needed here. Now, first order of business…" Prudence started. She opened the book she was carrying.

Neo gave Law and unsure look.

Before he could say anything to her, Prudence started talking again with a pointed glare at Law. "…is your room. I've all ready ordered a couple guards to stand outside of it to ensure that no trespassers will be entering at night, that includes your pirate friends. If you need anything at all you can summon them and they will take care of it. Next, all of your royal clothing has been placed in your closet in the-"

"Hey! We should check out your room together! It's huge! The entire crew can fit in there easily! Topaz showed us it earlier when we first came to sleep in this place!" Archer said, cutting off the annoying woman. "You not only have a bed in the shape of a circle, you also have a bed build into the wall beside one of the windows!"

"Captain?" Neo looked up at Law again. "Can the crew show us around?"

"If you're feeling up to it, I suppose it'll be all right," Law replied with a nod. "You're not tired are you?"

"No." Neo shook her head. "I'm not."

"Princess, please, this isn't ho-" Prudence folded her book and rested it against her dress. Before she could finish her sentence the pirates had all ready exited the room with exciting chatter. She pressed her fingers to her forehead. "This is a disaster."

Neo tightened her arms around Law's neck when they exited the library. A couple elementals maids and butlers were in the long hallway dusting crystals tables, shelves, and statues. Those of wind and earth elements were using their magic to dust in the higher up places. They looked up at her, bowed in respect before returning to their duties without a word to her. She blinked in slight curiosity at them before tucking her nose into Law's neck. "Why do they keep doing that?"

"Bowing is a form of respect that people give their royalty," Law explained.

"I feel funny when they do that," Neo said honestly.

"You're just not use to people giving you so much attention and respect," Law said. He glanced at a couple more castle workers bowing to Neo. He tightened his arms around her in a gentle squeeze to let her know everything was all right. He loosened his hold when he felt her relax.

Neo peaked out from Law's neck. She inspected the crystal walls and doors as they passed. Most rooms appeared to have only a table and chairs inside of them. One she could see had a deck, chair, and a few books on the wall opposite of the door. She had no clue what any of the rooms were for.

"You had issues on the sub when we praised you for doing something good," Penguin said. He took a couple steps to catch up to Neo and Law.

Neo looked at him from over Law's shoulder. "I did?"

"Remember when you first started cooking? You weren't comfortable when we told you that you did a good job," Penguin said.

"I guess I forgot about that. I did feel awkward at times like that. But that doesn't bother me now," Neo replied looking over her crew as they walked behind them. They smiled at back at her. "I just got use to you all."

"It's the same here," Bepo said, plucking flowers out of his fur. "You'll get use to it over time."

"But not too much," Neo said looking at Law again. "I'm not staying here."

"Of course you're not," Law replied with a smile.

The crew exchanged chuckles and glances before they turned their attention back to the castle. They had reached the main foyer. Neo ran her eyes over the room. A large staircase was to their left, opposite of the two large doors she used to go outside when the elementals were chasing her, another long hall was in front of them. It looked exactly the same as the one they had just walked down. Maids and butlers were cleaning it too.

"Down that hall is the dinning room where we've been eating. All the rooms here are very big. I'm not sure if they changed the size to fit Jean Bart or if they're normally like that." Shachi pointed down the new hallway.

Part of her was curious as to where her family had been eating without her. But a bigger part of her didn't want to see any more people.

As if sensing her desires, the crew then turned to their left to head up the grand staircase. Several steps up, the stairs split off to the left and to the right. Conner said, "Our rooms are to the right. More rooms are towards the left, but those are typically for visiting delegates and other important elementals. There are even more stairs and more rooms farther up, but we haven't explored the castle all that much."

Neo's eyes roamed over the crystal halls while the crew chatted on about their rooms, how they all looked the same, and how living in a castle was a huge adjustment from living in the sub. The walls were decorated in large to small paintings. And just about all of the paintings were of nature. Some had elementals in them. The crew told her that they were portraits of previous royals. She couldn't help but asked, "You all aren't upset about having to stay here, are you?"

"Of course we're not," Penguin replied with an encouraging smile. He squeezed her shoulder. "Since you've been better, we've actually been spending a bit more time with some elementals. They were impressed with how we were able to stand up to them with our physical attacks. They want us to teach them how to fight like that."

"You're going to train with them?" Neo asked. She turned to Law. "Did you know about this?"

"No, I didn't." Law blinked in disbelief that he actually didn't know something about his crew.

The crew chuckled at their shocked captain.

"Don't worry, Captain. We were going to talk to you about this before actually doing it," Shachi said with a huge grin. "We'd never do anything to disobey our captain. And we certainly wouldn't do anything to upset Neo. If either of you two don't want us to do this, then we won't do it."

"Hm." Law mulled over this development for a couple minutes. He then looked over his crew. "I suppose it would be fine. You all still need to train and you're going to have a lot of time on your hands now that I'm studying elemental medicine and Neo's going to be fairly busy in her own recovery and training."

"Training?" Neo blinked.

"In turning your body into the elements," Law replied. "We're also gonna have to work on this bond of ours. You were able to pull me to you that one time. We need to see if you can do it again and see if you can send yourself to me. I would prefer to speak to someone about this, but this might have to be a trail and error training since Kailen said nothing like this has happened before."

"Hey, we're finally to your room," Penguin said.

Neo pulled her eyes from Law and looked at the two large doors before them. They were crystal white, but for the silver door handles and the light blue frame. Two guards were standing there like Prudence had said. They bowed to Neo without a word before pushing the doors open. The crew walked in. They scattered around the room while she looked it over.

There was a large circle shaped bed with a clear canopy drapes pulled back with a light orange sash, it had several pillows laying at the head of the bed and a light blue blanket draped over the thick mattress. Matching nightstands stood on both sides of the bed with a flower shaped lamp on each one. Just beyond the bed was a tall window just like the ones in the library. The curtains on it were light blue to match the bedspread. A little ways from the window was a large changing screen decorated with elaborate flower patterns. Near the screen was a cushioned stool and a three-mirrored vanity with an assortment of brushes, combs, and makeup containers neatly arranged on the shiny crystal vanity top. On the other wall to their right was another window. This one had a bed large enough to fit five people comfortably. It was decorated in smaller, pastel colored pillows.

Law carried her over to the bay window so she could glance out of it. She was about to question why he did this, but knew why when she saw the sub. He said, "I had them move the sub to that beach so you could see it when looking out the window."

"Thanks, Captain." Neo looked at him with a smile in her eyes and on her lips. She then caught a glimpse of two the doors she didn't see when they entered the room. They were to the left of the main doors of the room. "What are those doors?"

"It's to your own private bathroom," Shachi said as he and Penguin opened the doors. They allowed Law to walk Neo in first before following after them. Neo's eyes widened. A small gasp left her lips when she saw the large circle shape tub embedded in the floor.

Shachi pointed to a circle shaped shower head hanging from the ceiling. "Topaz says that's like a gentle waterfall."

"Wow!" Neo exclaimed. Her eyes dropped back down to the tub.

"I think she's more impressed with the tub than anything else," Bepo said with a chuckle.

"It looks like a mini ocean inside, but its kind of big," Neo said. She tightened her hold on Law again. She continued to inspect the room. Another, smaller, changing screen and vanity was in the room, along with two more doors. "This entire place is big. I don't really like it no matter how impressive it is. And where do those doors lead to?"

"That's your closet," Archer replied. He pulled opened the doors to reveal over thirty white dresses of all lengths and styles. Matching shoes were lined up underneath them.

"They're all white?" Neo asked. She tilted her head and inspected the gowns then inspected the white shoes that accompanied them on the floor. "Why are they all white?"

"Yeah, we were going to ask Topaz about that, but she got called away before we could," Archer said. He looked over the dresses again before closing the doors. "I'm sure, if there is a reason for it, we'll know soon enough."

"This place is just too big." Neo shook her head and snuggled back into the comforting feeling of Law. "I don't like it. The bed's not even up against a wall."

"Don't worry, Neo. Remember, I'm not letting you sleep in here alone," Law said in a hushed tone just in case someone outside their crew was nearby and listening. He had no idea how thick or thin the walls of the castle were. The two guards outside could be listening in on them for all they knew.

"So what do we do now?" Neo asked.

"We can do anything you want," Law said. "We have a lot of time before dinner is served."

"When will I be able to cook for you all again?" Neo asked.

"When you're able to stand on your feet for more than a few minutes," Law said. "Feeling up for some exercises?"

"I guess so," Neo said. "What would you like me to do?"

"Just walk around the room until you feel tired," Law said placing her down on the floor.

Neo nodded. She walked around the bathroom for a few moments, inspecting it close up before heading out into the bedroom.

Law stayed close by her in case she got tired and need to be picked up.

Ten minutes passed before Neo's body grew tired. She didn't even have to say anything. Law picked her up and sat down with her on the bay window. Her eyes locked onto the sub. "It will be fine sitting there, right?"
"Of course it will," Law said. "No one other than Red Hair's crew comes to this island."

"Even if someone did manage to find this place the sea creatures would alert the elementals to them," Penguin said. He sat down at the opposite side of the bay window while the rest of the crew scattered around the room. "Besides, we take turns going back and forth from the sub."

"That's good to hear," Neo said.

"Sleep if you need to," Law said.

"I'm okay right now," Neo said.

Law nodded.

The crew remained around the room until Neo's two maids came to alert her that dinner was served. Once again in Law's arms, the crew took Neo down to the dinning hall. Everything in this place seemed to be large. And the dinning room table was no exception. There was more than enough room for her entire crew. It was filled with several dishes, mostly vegetables and fruits but some fish dishes had been laid out as well. All the chairs were even big, easily fitting Jean Bart. But only one stood taller than the rest. It was at the head of the table, near a door where the sounds of clattering dishes were coming from.

"Why is that chair bigger than the rest?" Neo asked.

"That would be where you sit, Princess," an unwanted voice said.

"What's she doing here?" Conner asked when Prudence swept into the room.

"I am here to continue going over the rules of the castle," Prudence said opening her book. "Now if you will please listen."

"Do I have to sit there? You always sit at the head of the table," Neo said.

"No, you don't have to sit there if you don't want to," Law said.

"I want you to sit there," Neo said. "And, if it's all right, I would like to sit on your lap."

"Of course it's fine." Law walked to the chair and sat down with her.

"Princess, that is highly improper," Prudence said.

Neo and the pirates ignored her. They started filling their plates and chatted about the food. Their rudeness didn't stop Prudence though. The woman, with a frustrated growl, continued to read from her book.

"Breakfast is always served promptly at six o'clock in the morning, lunch is always served promptly at noon and dinner is always served promptly at six o'clock, the princess will be required to wear the appropriate attire to each meal and to all the events that the princess shall be attending," Prudence said in a monotone that was boring everyone in the dinning hall.

The pirates kept exchanging eye-rolling glances or pretend like they were gagging themselves at all the rules Prudence kept going over. Each time Neo caught them doing that, she would giggle then receive a disapproving glare from Prudence. Neo would then tuck herself into Law who would glare back at Prudence.

The older woman eyed Neo sitting in Law's lap. "And the princess will sit in her own chair from now on."

Neo looked down at both her and Law's laps.

"I can let it slide this time, but tomorrow you will sit in your own chair," Prudence said and returned her eyes to her book. "You are not a child after all. After dinner you'll be picking out color samples for the up coming… Princess, are you listening?"

Neo jumped when Prudence's voice once again took on a disapproving tone.

"No, I'm not," Neo replied honestly, but quietly. She narrowed her eyebrows slightly, staring at Law's chest. "I don't want to listen to rules anymore."

"Princess, this is necessary," Prudence said. "You have to-"

"No," Law snapped.

"Mister Trafalgar, it is very rude of you to interrupt-"

"It's very rude of you to ignore what your princess wants," Law said with a smirk. Prudence flinched. He laid down his fork then held up his hand.

Neo blinked at him curiously when a familiar circling smoke appeared under his palm.

"It's also very rude of you to interrupted her meal. Now, time for you to go," Law said.

"Mister Trafal-"

"Room! Shambles!" The entire crew laughed at the perplexed look Prudence had on her face to Law's Room before she vanished from the dinning hall.

"Where did you send her?" Neo asked.

"Just for a little swim. Maybe the cool fountain water in the garden will cool her off." Law shrugged with a devilish grin.

"There's a fountain back there?" Neo asked.

"There is," Penguin said. "I saw it when we went to the mountains."

"I'd like to see it one day," Neo said.

"When you're stronger we'll take a walk around the gardens," Law said.

Neo nodded in acceptance to his words.

After dinner finished the pirates headed back upstairs for the night. The stress of the day was finally wearing Neo down. While being carried down the hall, the crew said their good nights to her and disappeared into their rooms. They reached her room. Medina and Lyra stood at the bathroom door.

"Princess, we are here to help you dress for bed," Medina said with a bow.

"No." Neo wrapped her arms around Law's neck and hid from them.

"Neo will not be requiring your assistance to help her dress," Law said. "So leave before you get booted out like your head maid or whatever her name is."

Medina and Lyra paled. They stepped aside, letting the two pirates enter into the bathroom.

"Well, looks like news really does travel fast," Law said with a chuckle. Though he knew they would be reporting this to Prudence later. Sitting her down on her feet, he closed the doors then helped her into her own nightclothes that had been brought up from the sub.

Neo sighed when he picked her back up.

The two maids waited impatiently by the doors while Law carried Neo over to the large bed. He couldn't help but smirked at them before sitting Neo down on her bed. He wasn't surprised one bit when she refused to release him.

She whispered, "Don't go."

"It's okay, Neo. I won't be separated from you for long. Remember my promise. I will return to you soon. We're still connected. You can feel me just like I can feel you. And we can still speak to each other through our bond," Law whispered back to her. He rubbed his hand gently over her back until she loosened her hold on him. When she loosened it enough for him to pull back, he cupped her cheek. "Climb into bed now."

"Okay." Neo nodded. She scooted back onto the bed, her eyes never leaving him.

Law pulled the blanket over her legs.

Her hand grabbed the front of his hoodie. She didn't want him to go. Both knew that. Both felt the pain swirling inside of their chests on having to separate, even for a short amount of time. He ran his finger through her hair before taking off his hat and placing it on her head. She smiled at the gesture. His scent swirled around her nose. He smiled back before forcing himself to walk away from her. Her fingers slid from his hoodie as he went. She kept her eyes locked on him as he walked over to the door, walked through the door, and disappeared from her sight. The second he was out of her sight she focused on feeling out where he was. She locked onto him as he made his way down the hall and into his assigned room.

"Goodnight, Princess," the two maids chorused.

Neo didn't hear them. She was too focused on keeping trace of where Law was. She didn't even notice the lights being shut off and the two soldiers closing the doors for the night. The moonlight flooded into the room through the cracks in the curtains. It created a ton of shadows into every nook and crack that she didn't notice when the lights were on. Her eyes wandered over the shadow and moonlit room. A cool air settled into the large space, the blanket doing nothing to keep it away. She wrapped her arms around herself. She glanced at the lamp on the nightstand closest to her. She wondered if she should turn it on while her eyes drifted over to the door. She easily sensed the two elementals guarding the doors, one a wind elemental and the other a fire elemental. She wondered if they would be able to hear her if she called out for Law. She wondered if she had to actually speak with her voice to talk to him. She decided to try it and see what would happen.

'Law? Can you hear me?'

'Yes, I can hear you. Is something wrong?'

'No…I was just trying something.'

'Trying what?'

'When I spoke to you for the first time through our bond, I did it with my voice like you were physically with me. I was wondering if I could talk to you without using my voice.'

'And did it work?'

'Yes. I'm not using my voice. How is this possible? I mean I'm glad I can do this. Those guards won't be able to hear me talking to you. I was concerned about that.'

'Well, you did very well in testing this theory. I'm glad you thought of it. We'll be able to talk in secret then since, right now, I'm not using my voice either, and I was before. This will come in handle later on when we're around enemies.'

'Thanks, Law. When are you coming back? I really don't like being alone in here. It's too open and kind of creepy.' Neo looked around the shadowy room again. She pulled down Law's hat over her eyes to hide from the shadows.

'It won't be long now, just a couple more minutes.'

'Okay. Do you think the crew's asleep yet?'

'I'm sure some of them are. A couple are probably reading or doing some winding down exercises before turning in for the night.' The two then went quiet.

Neo picked at the blanket covering her legs. When Law's presence came closer, she peaked out from underneath his hat. His yellow hoodie and spotted jeans was the first thing she saw. Before he could say anything to her, she summoned a couple wind crystals and flew into his chest. Her arms wrapped around his neck at the same time her legs went around his hips. With his sword attached to his back, his arms immediately wrapped around her waist. He chuckled lightly as she clung to him like a child. "Neo, I wasn't gone all that long, now was I?"

"Yes!" Neo replied, tightening her hold on him like she was never going to let him go.

Law chuckled.

Her lips curled into a pout. "That was too long. Don't ever wait that long again."

"I'm sorry. I wanted to make sure those annoying maids were gone." He walked over to the bed. "Come on." He pat then rubbed her back in an attempt to get her to release him. "Time to go to bed now. You can let go. I'm not going anywhere until morning."

"Promise?" Neo asked even thought he all ready promised this before.

"I promise," Law reassured her. He patently waited for her to loosen up her grip. About twenty seconds later, she did. He placed her back on the bed. While she was moving to her side of the bed, he untied his sword from his back, leaned it up against the wall by the head of the bed so it could easily be reached if needed, then kicked off his boots before crawling into bed with her. He smiled at her through the moonlight. "Happy now?"

"Yes." Neo nodded with a sweet smile on her lips.

"Good." Law nodded back. He tickled her behind her ear. She giggled softly so they wouldn't get caught. He then plucked his hat off her head and dropped it onto the nightstand. "It's time to sleep now."

"Okay," Neo agreed with a relaxing sigh. She closed her eyes for a while before opening them back up. Law all ready had his eyes closed, but she knew he wasn't sleep yet. "Law?"

"Hm?"

"There's something I've been wanting to ask you."

"What's that?" Law reopened his eyes. He propped up on his elbow and waited for her to continued.

She stared down at the sheets before raising her eyes to him. "It's about what happened when I was sick."

Law raised an eyebrow at her.

"I told you that I met Corazon there."

Law's eyebrows rose on his forehead. Carefully, he asked, "What about it?"

"Did you really stab him?" Neo asked.

"I did." Law nodded in honesty. "I didn't tell you that…I haven't told you a lot about my past because you weren't ready to hear it."

"That's okay. I know you handle me with care. And if I wasn't or if I'm not ready to hear it, I know you'll wait until I am. But…I was just wondering…if he told me something that really did happen, does that mean he was really looking out for me while I was sick?" Neo asked. She looked directly into Law's eyes as he mulled over her words. "Was he really there?"

"Well…no one really knows what happens when a person dies," Law said carefully. "And I'm not sure I can actually give you a real answer to whether or not Cora was with you or if he had anything to do with me finding you."

"Finding me? What do you mean?" Neo asked curiously.

"When I first found you…" Law hesitated. With a hard swallow he continued. He felt like he should tell her about this. "I wasn't going to take you back to the sub."

"You weren't going to take me with you?" Neo asked. A hint of hurt was clearly present in her tone and eyes.

With his heart now aching, Law reached out and ran his hand through her hair before cupping her cheek. "I'm a pirate, Neo. It's not typically in our nature to help people. But then I saw Cora. He was kneeling beside you. When he looked at me, it was like he was telling me to take you with me. So I did. And I have seen him a couple more times after that since you've been on the sub. I have no idea if he really was telling me what to do or if I was just seeing things at the time, but…" Law shifted closer to her. He pressed his forehead to hers, making her tense and both of them blush. "…I am very glad that I did bring you onto the sub. You are a very important part of my life and of the crew's life now. Nothing with ever change that. Do you understand me?"

"I do," Neo whispered back. A pause passed between them before she spoke up again. "If it's all right…I'd like to think that he really was watching out for me. That he brought me to you somehow. Is that all right? Do you think he would mind if I thought that?"

Law's eyes widened slight before he smiled sweetly at her. He brushed his thumb over her cheek before replying. "I think Cora would be honored if you thought of him like that. And…I'm glad he was there to keep an eye on you when I couldn't be there. Now, you go to sleep. It's getting late."

"Yes, Law." Neo nodded. She snuggled back down into her pillow and closed her eyes.

Law closed his own eyes, but only for a short while. He couldn't stop himself from watching her sleep and thinking about what she had said. He shifted even closer to her and trailed his fingertips through her blue tresses. A smile formed on her face before she tucked herself into his chest. His heartbeat went wild at her sleep-induced actions. After a minute, he relaxed and enjoyed how close she was to him now. He brought a strand of her hair up to his lips. He placed a light kiss on it before whispering softly, "I like to think he was watching too."