The Talk
Law breathed out as he let his mind slip passed all the blinking lights, pinging sounds of the sub, and chatter of his gathering crew in the control room. His mind went to the one he was searching for. And she was in the galley like she had been practically all day long. He knew she would still be in there. He really wasn't sure why he was checking. She's been spending a lot of time in the galley cooking for the crew since they got back on the sub. He could practically hear her singing with joy through their bond. She was just that happy about being able to take care of the crew again instead of having maids, butlers and other cooks doing it. Warmth spread through his chest at the thought of how happy she was now.
"So what did you want to talk to us about, Captain?" Shachi asked, pulling Law's thoughts away from Neo.
"About Neo," Law said, shifting his body into a more comfortable position on the wall he was leaning against. Worry began to seep into the Heart Pirates faces. Before he could halt their panic, some of them shrieked.
"Is she hurt?!"
"What happened to her?!"
Law waved his hand in a dismissal fashion. "Nothing's wrong with her."
"Geez! Don't scare us like that, Captain," Archer said with a sigh.
"I'm just informing you that I'm going to be talking with her in a few minutes on the differences between men and women." Law watched as mischievous and teasing grins were trying to force themselves upon the lips of his subordinates' faces. But the captain knew they wouldn't last long. And just like he assumed, the grins quickly faded away. His crew really loved Neo and did take her education seriously. And this was serious. It wasn't something they should or would joke around about with her. Neo and Law were in love and she needed to be informed of sexual relationships not only for their future relationship, but to also be aware of other men that might try and take advantage of her innocent nature. "I just want you all to know this because Neo has already become more aware of her surroundings. She's starting to notice things that she hasn't before. And once I open this door for her, she's going to become ever more curious about her body and about men's bodies. Now I'm going to direct her curiosity towards me as much as possible, but she's most likely going to become curious about you all too. I'll be sure to tell her to respect all of your privacies and not to intrude if you are not comfortable talking to her or answering her questions. Also, when we start getting around islands more she's going to notice when some of you sneak off to entertain a lady friend."
Unavoidable, some of the crew exchanged sheepish grins and snickers.
"Or female bears!" Bepo added hopefully.
"Or female bears." Law nodded with a half smile. He gave a nod to Topaz. "Or men, in your case."
Topaz nodded back in complete understanding.
Ignoring his most perverted subordinates continuation of snickers and suggestive wiggles of their eyebrows, Law continued, "When she does notice just be sure to assure her that you're not leaving her or the crew until she gets use to this. You all remember what she did to the younger healer woman back on Luminous. I doubt she'll go that far again, but I just want you all to be prepared in case that it does. You all know that Neo can get possessive of us when she thinks someone is trying to take us away from her."
"Like she did with the baby back at the orphanage and the first time she saw me covered with flowers from the elementals," Bepo said, reminding them all of the incidents.
The crew nodded.
"That's it." Law pushed off the wall and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm going to talk to her now so try not to interrupt us for a while at least."
The majority of the crew mumbled amongst themselves while heading out of the room.
Law started out of the room as well then paused near the doorway to take in Penguin, who was lingering back from the others. The black and white hatted man was standing strangely still. His head was down so Law knew he was starting at the floor. The captain quickly assumed what was on the man's mind. He planted his hand onto Penguin's shoulder and said, "Its just part of growing up. She's ready for this."
Penguin nodded. "Aye, Captain. Its just…she's only been with us for a little over a year, but somehow it feels like she's been with us her entire life. In a way, I'm not ready for her to grow up just yet."
"Kidnappings and near death experiences have a habit of doing that to people. You're her brother. Of course you're going to be feeling like this. People might find it weird that we take the credit for raising her, but we have. She was such a scared little girl when I first brought her onto the sub and now she's grown into a strong, beautiful young woman. But she will always be our little girl," Law said in a gentle manor that he knew Penguin wasn't use to him using. He smiled when Penguin raised his hidden eyes up to look at him. "And she's going to need you even more now. Aside from me, it's obvious that she's going to want to talk to you about more mature topics, especially when our relationship becomes a sexual one. Would you be comfortable enough talking to her when the time comes?"
Penguin paused and considered his captain's words. He and Neo always had a fairly open relationship. Thinking back over the quality times they had spent together, Neo did seem to open up to him with ease. He smiled. "It might be a bit awkward at first, but I'll be fine talking with her about anything she wishes to. I mean, as long as you don't mind. I know people sometimes prefer keeping their bedroom activities between themselves. And I certainly don't want to over step my boundaries as your subordinate."
"I understand. As you said, at first it's going to be awkward, but if she's comfortable enough with talking to you about certain things, then I will be fine with it. She's going to need the emotional support when the time comes. And I can't think of anyone better to help her during the times she not ready to come to me. You've already done a wonderful job in being the big brother she needs. I expect you to keep doing exactly what you have been doing for her," Law said in a mixed tone of being Penguin's captain and being his future brother-in-law.Blue Reflection Ray
"Huh?" Penguin blinked his hidden eyes. He pondered on the captain's words for a while. He never thought of how the captain saw him while being Neo's brother. And he was closest to her, next to Law. Their relationship had just happened so naturally. It was almost impossible for him to see it without really putting some thought into it. He smiled. "I will do my best for her, Captain. And if she ever brings up something I think you might not be comfortable with me talking to her about, I'll ask you about it before talking to her about it. I'm here to support you both."
Law nodded. "You should spend some bonding time with her soon. We'll be heading for the New World before too long and you might not get as much down time with her then."
"Sure thing, Captain." Penguin quietly studied his captain from underneath his hat. Knowing the Surgeon of Death long enough, he could easily tell a plan was being formed in the infamous captain's head. What that plan was he didn't know. And he knew better than to ask what it was at this point. The captain would tell them all soon enough.
With that said, Law left the room. And left Penguin with his thoughts about the conversation they just had and what the future held for them all. He hummed. "The New World, huh? I wonder what kind of adventures are awaiting for us there. And I wonder what the captain is planning."
…
Law crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame of the galley. His lips curled into an amused smile as he watched Neo dance around the room with a sheet of cookies in one hand and a spatula in the other. She had probably four, or five maybe even six, dozen cookies spread out cooling on the counters and the table. The warm galley air was filled with sugar, flour, vanilla and a variety of other cookie making ingredients.
He quickly noticed she was so lost in her cookie making bliss, she didn't even notice he was there even with their bond. It was rare for him to tease her. And this was one time he couldn't pass up the opportunity to do just that. "Your bond is suppose to be with me, not with cookies."
"Law!" Neo smiled at him. She scooped off the last cookie from the cookie sheet, laid the pan and spatula in the sink then ran over to him. He lowered his arms just in time to get hers wrapped around his torso. She buried her face into his chest, taking a deep breath of his scent, before looking up at him. "You are my bonded, silly! You've just been busy today. And I still feel like cooking for my favorite crew."
"I noticed." Law looked around the room full of cookies. His hands rested low on her back as he observed the room. He dropped his eyes back to hers and smirked. "If you keep feeding the crew like this you're going to make them fat. They won't be able to fight then."
"Of course they will. I'm not making that many sweets," Neo insisted with a small pout. "Oh…was there something you wanted?"
Law nodded. "It's time we had our promised conversation."
"Promised conversation?" Neo tilted her head. She blinked a couple times before remembering their conversation back in her bedroom in the castle months ago. "Oh! You mean about marriage as well as the difference between men and women?"
"Yes. Are you ready?" Law asked.
"I guess so." She tossed a glance back over her shoulder. Her eyes ran over the mess she had made while making her cookies. It wasn't a large mess, but her pans and mixing utensils were still scattered about the galley counters and sink. "But I still need to clean up in here."
"Don't worry about that right now. I'm sure one of the crew will take care of it. I told them we were going to be talking for a while. It won't be long before your cookies tempt them into the galley anyway," Law said. He slid his hands from her back and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. He started down the hall with her following by his side.
Neo waved to the crew enthusiastically when they passed in the halls. They waved back as she informed them of fresh cookies await them. "Cookies in the galley."
"Yeah!" the crew cheered.
Law rolled his eyes at how happy his crew was at getting sweets again, but he didn't say anything. He wasn't going to rain on Neo's cooking parade at all. He wanted her to have this time before they took her back into dangerous situations that came with being in a pirate crew. And this time was going to be a lot worse than the previous times. Law had kept her sheltered during the few times they have been on other islands with people. But he knew she would be able to handle it a lot better this time. She had become more stable with their adventures on Luminous and especially since she accepted her elemental heritage and her role as their royal. He still had his concerns of putting her in dangerous situations, but he knew she could handle it better now and he would always be right there beside her to make sure she, and they all, came home safely.
Law pulled her into their room and closed the door behind them. He continued to guide her over to his desk. He sat down then pulled her onto his lap. He pecked her cheek before she turned and glanced at the books he had laying out on his desk. He waited quietly as she inspected them.
"Sexual reproduction and anota…anatomay…uh?" She huffed in frustration.
"Anatomy," Law said, pronouncing the word correctly for her.
"Oh…you have multiple books on them both dealing with human and elementals?" Neo pulled her eyes from the books and looked at him. He had his left elbow on the arm of his chair while resting his cheek against his fist. "Is this what you've been doing all day?"
He nodded. "While I did study all of these with the healer woman, I still wanted to go over everything one more time before I spoke to you to make sure I didn't miss anything. Luckily, there's not many difference between elementals and humans. There's a few minor differences in our bodies, but it's nothing that will hinder our relationship as it progresses."
"Okay. So where are we starting?" Neo asked. A tiny hint of eager danced around her tone. She smiled and waited for Law's next move.
"Well, have you noticed any difference between men and women yet?" Law asked.
"Um…" Neo kneaded her eyebrows. "I'm not sure."
"Here's a hint. Think about my chest and yours," Law coaxed. "Remember how my chest looks?"
"Uh." Neo dropped her eyes down to Law's chest. She stared at it for a couple minutes before realization rose into her eyes. She blinked before planting her hands onto his firm chest. She rubbed his flat toned chest before removing his hat and his hoodie. She inspected his bare, tattooed chest for a minute then pulled off her own shirt. Leaving her bra on, which Law was secretly glad and slightly disappointed about. She bounced her eyes back and forth between their chests. "We are different."
"That's right." Law nodded. He let her openly inspect the differences in their chests. She rubbed her hands over his flat chest then over her own rounded one. He was extremely grateful that he was already in 'Doctor Mode' when she pushed her beasts up then lowered them back down. Not wanting to lose control, he pulled his hoodie off her lap and slipped it back on. He then held up her own shirt. "All right. That's enough of that. Put your shirt back on so we can continue."
"Okay." Neo obediently pulled her shirt back on. "How could I not have noticed?"
He then reached for one of the anatomy books and opened it up.
Neo turned her eyes to the book. She ran her eyes over the page, carefully taking in everything on it. She glanced at the woman's figure then at the unfamiliar words with lines pointing to the body before glancing back at Law in eager anticipation for his explanation.
"Both human and elemental women have breasts. They are a pair of milk-producing organs of the female reproductive system. They project outward from the front of the chest as a mass of skin-covered soft tissue. And a small cylindrical projection of erectile tissue at the tip of each breast is called the nipple. Around both nipples is a thickened, bumpy skin called the areola. Internally, each breast is made up of many mammary glands. They're arranged into a radial pattern around the nipples." Law glided his finger over the book as he talked about each part. "Narrow mammary ducts connect the mammary glands to the nipple. Adipose tissue, right here, contains collagen and elastin fibers that surround the mammary glands to provide strength and protection to the delicate glands and to project the glands outward from the chest. Within the adipose layer are bands of connective tissue called Cooper's ligaments or suspensory ligaments. These ligaments give the breasts support by connecting the skin of the breasts to the pectoralis muscles below them."
"Is there a purpose for having them?" Neo asked.
"There is. The technical function of the breast is to provide milk to feed infants. Milk is produced and stored by the mammary glands, which is released through the mammary ducts and nipple. There are sensitive nerve endings in the nipple that send signals to the brain to produce the hormone oxytocin and initiate the release of milk. Other stimuli, such as manual stimulation, hearing a baby crying, or even just seeing a baby, can also cause the oxytocin to be produce. Oxytocin causes the smooth muscle tissue surrounding the mammary glands to contract. It forces the milk out of the mammary glands."
"Feed infants, huh?" Neo wondered.
"When babies are born they can't eat solid foods like we can. They rely on their mother to feed them," Law explained. "Babies are very soft, fragile and helpless. They rely on their parents for everything."
"Where do babies come from?" Neo asked.
"We'll get there soon. First we need to establish the difference between men and women." Law tapped her nose lightly.
She blinked when his finger made contact with her nose. She pointed to her chest then asked, "Is there anything else that these are suppose to do?"
"The breast also contains many sensitive nerve endings. They play a big role in human sexual arousal. Stimulation of the breasts, especially the nipples and areola, sends signals of pleasure to the brain. The erectile tissue of the nipples fills with blood in response to stimulation of breastfeeding, sexual arousal, and even cool temperatures."
"Sexual arousal?" Neo tilted her head.
"We're getting to that point soon. Now the female reproductive system includes the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, vagina, vulva, mammary glands, and breasts. While male reproductive systems include the scrotum, testes, spermatic ducts, sex glands, and penis."
Neo giggled.
Law paused and took her in. "What's so funny?"
"I'm sorry. I know this is a serious lesson." She blinked innocently at him. "It's just that some of these words sound so weird and funny. Like that last one you just said. What is a penis?"
Law chuckled. "You're sure impatient today."
"I'm curious. I didn't realize there were so many differences between men and women. I want to know more." Neo ran her eyes over the books on his desk.
"And you will know more." Law gently took her chin in his fingers and pulled her attention back to him. "As long as you slow down. We have a lot to go over. Can you do that for me?"
"Okay, okay! I will!" Neo nodded enthusiastically. With a deep breath, she settled back down and waited for Law to continue.
"Let's step back to women's reproductive system. Now the vagina here is a hollow, muscular tube extending from the external opening at the vestibule all the way to the cervix. The ovaries are a pair of small glands that are about the size and shape of almonds. They're located on the left and the right sides of the pelvic body cavity lateral to the superior portion of the uterus. The fallopian tubes are also a pair of muscular tubes extending from the left and the right superior corners of the uterus to the edge of the ovaries. The uterus is a hollow, muscular, pear-shaped organ located posterior and superior to the urinary bladder. The vulva is the collective name for the external female genitalia located in the pubic region of the body. The vulva surrounds the external ends of the urethral opening and the vagina and includes the mons pubis, labia majora, labia minora, and clitoris. The mons pubis, or pubic mound, is a raised layer of adipose tissue between the skin and pubic bone that provides cushioning to the vulva. Now most women, both human and elemental alike, have a menstrual cycle or period that they go through ever month. For both the menstrual cycle begins when a girl reaches the age of puberty. For human females the menstrual cycle, on average, lasts between twenty-eight to thirty-five days. On the first day the cycle begins on is the first day of bleeding which can last for three to seven days and ends just before the next menstrual period. An elemental menstrual cycle last between fourteen to seventeen days and bleeding lasts only for three days."
Law paused when Neo's eyebrows narrowed and she placed her hand on her stomach. She mumbled, "So that's what this is? That's why I bleed every month?"
"Yes." Law nodded. "And I'm so sorry I never explained all of this to you before. I really should have talked to you about this long before now. I messed up."
"No." Neo shook her head. "It's fine. Really. We both know that my life has been very different from others. You knew that I wasn't ready to know all of this until now. I would have been utterly confused. I've gotten a lot more comfortable with speaking up. It would have been only a matter of time when I asked you about this anyway. You have done wonderfully in raising me and explaining everything when I need to be told about it."
"How did you even handle this when you first got your period?" Law asked with concern. "You must have been so scared."
"I was. I never heard women talking about this before. When it first started I thought I was hurt or something and was going to die, even though I did want to die at the time. Then it quit for a while. I think it took about four times for me to stop being scared of it and just figured it was something that was suppose to happen," Neo explained. When she felt Law's guilt rising in his chest, she shook her head. "It's okay, Law. Really it is. You're explaining everything now. You don't have to feel guilty because you didn't find me as quick as you think you should have or wished you did. I'm with you now."
Law cupped her cheek and gently kissed her before continuing the explanation of the phases of a women's menstrual cycle. He then flipped the pages until he landed on a diagram of a male's body. He remained quiet to let Neo inspect the body. She ran her finger over the page, outlining the body. Her finger paused when it landed between the legs of the male diagram. She kneaded her eyebrows in confusion then flipped back to the diagram of the woman. She flipped back and forth between the pages several times before turning to Law. "Why does this guy have a third leg? And why is it so shorter than his other two legs?"
Law chuckled. "I've heard that called many things, but never a third leg."
"Then what is it?" Neo asked.
"It's a penis. All men have one of them unless they suffered an unfortunate injury," Law replied.
"A penis." Neo dropped her eyes down to the zipper of Law's jeans.
While she stared at him, Law waited just as patiently as ever. He wondered what was going through her mind when she turned her eyes back to the pages of the book and took in the diagram once more. He was tempted to use their bond to hear what she was thinking, but respected her space and refused to do that to her. It didn't take much longer for her to turn her eyes back to his. Full of seriousness, she asked, "Will you show me your penis?"
Law about lost it. A bright smile formed on his face before his laughter pushed passed his weak attempt to keep it in. He knew she was become more bold and curious, but somewhere deep inside of him he still saw her as that cute, shy, timid little girl that had trouble voicing herself out to others and wasn't prepared for her to be so bold. As quickly as he could, he composed himself. "Well, aren't you just the bold little princess now."
"What? Should I not have asked that?" Concern started to replace Neo's serious expression. "Did I do something wrong?"
"Mmm…not really. It's natural for you to be curious about our bodies now. And it's okay that you asked me that, but it's not okay for you to ask that of any other man," Law said.
"Not even the crew?" Neo asked.
"Not even the crew. It's not appropriate to ask someone to show you his or her body parts. Remember how that mercenary touched you and you didn't like it?" Neo nodded. "You can think of it like that. It's an invasion of privacy. Most people have respect for their bodies and don't want to go flashing it around. There will be some people who are more open and don't see it as a big deal to flash their body around, but most do find it unacceptable. You need to have respect for not only your body, but also other people's bodies. That means, while you will become curious about the crew's bodies, you are forbidden from trying to get a peak at them. Remember I can sense where you are. And if I catch you trying to peak in on them while their changing or in the shower, I will punish you. Do you understand?"
"I do." Neo nodded. "I didn't like that man touching me at all. And if it is really the same then I don't want to put that feeling on the crew."
"Good girl. There will be some things the crew will be comfortable talking to you about, but it'll take time to figure that out. If they tell you they aren't comfortable discussing something with you then respect that and let it be. You can always come talk to me about it."
"Are bodies really that uncomfortable to talk about with others? You don't seem to have a problem with it."
"That's because I'm a doctor. I deal with bodies all the time. And it's on a professional level. That's how I've been able to take care of you. The times that I've seen you naked, I've been your doctor not your boyfriend. I looked at you as a patient, someone that I was taking care of. If I was looking at you as a man who wasn't a doctor then things would have been different and most likely very inappropriate."
"I think I understand, but I'm not sure."
"That's just fine. This might take some time for you to completely understand. We'll continue with today's lesson and then we'll keep talking about it until you completely understand everything. Let's get back to today's lesson now." Both Neo and Law turned their attention back to the diagram. "This is the scrotum. It's a sac-like organ made of skin and muscles that houses a man's testes. The two testes, or testicles, are the male gonads responsible for the production of testosterone and sperm. Each testis can be found inside its own pouch on one side of the scrotum, right here. And it's connected to the abdomen by a spermatic cord and the cremaster muscle. The epididymis is the sperm storage area. It wraps around the superior and the posterior edges of the testes. The testes is where sperm is produced. It then moves into the epididymis to mature before being passed on through the male reproductive organs. The length of the epididymis delays the release of the sperm and it allows them all the time they need to mature."
Neo nodded as she continued to carefully listen to what all Law was telling her, occasionally interrupting him for explanations on words she didn't understand.
"This is the penis. It's the male external sexual organ located superior to the scrotum and inferior to the umbilicus right here. The penis is roughly cylindrical in shape. It contains the urethra and the external opening of the urethra. Large pockets of erectile tissue in the penis allow it to fill up with blood and become erect."
"Erect?" Neo asked.
"Rigidly up right or straight. Like this." Law flipped to the next page and showed her the diagram.
"And there's purpose for that?"
"There is. The erection of the penis causes it to increase in size and become turgid. The function of it is to deliver semen to the vagina during sexual intercourse. The organs of the male reproductive system work together to deliver semen out of the body and into the vagina where it fertilizes the egg cells to produce offspring."
"Deliver semen to the vagina? How does that happen exactly? If a woman's part of the body is on the inside of her, how does the man parts get to it if they're on the outside of the body?"
"That's where sexual intercourse, or sex, comes in. When a man becomes aroused his penis becomes erect and hardens. He then pushes inside of a woman's vagina here." Law flipped over a couple pages and showed her the next diagram.
"That doesn't look or sound like it's very enjoyable." Neo scrunched up her nose at the image the diagram provided for her.
"I suppose it does sound painful to someone who's just now learning about this. And intercourse for the first time, at least, can be painful for some women."
"Why?"
"Because during sexual intercourse, the vagina stretches to accommodate the penis. Sometimes the couple just needs to try penetration from a different angle or go in more slowly. Sometimes insufficient lubrication could also cause pain. If that's the case then a woman may need more time for stimulation. Nervousness and tension can also cause pain. Penetration can cause the woman to bleed sometimes too."
"That really doesn't sound nice."
"It's a natural occurrence," Law assured her. "The vagina has it's own natural lubrication. It becomes lubricated, or slippery, by the passage of fluids through the vaginal walls. This allows for the penis to slide in and out of the vagina. It also changes the chemical nature of the vagina. It makes it more alkaline and less acidic. This allows an environment that's more hospitable to sperm."
"And what is the sperm exactly?"
"The sperm is basically a tiny little creature that swims up inside of a woman's body and fertilizes the egg inside of her. Semen is the fluid that's ejaculated out of the body during sexual intercourse. Semen contains the sperm. It's the male reproductive gametes, along with a number of chemicals suspended in a liquid medium. All of these chemical compositions of semen give it a thick, sticky consistency that helps sperm to remain within the vagina after intercourse. During a woman's ovulation an ovum is released. The ovum travels from the ovary to the fallopian tube where it can be fertilized before reaching the uterus.
The uterus is a hollow, muscular, pear-shaped organ. The uterus is also known as the womb where it surrounds and supports the developing fetus, or baby, during pregnancy. The inner lining of the uterus, known as the endometrium, provides support to the embryo during the early development stages. The visceral muscles of the uterus, right here, contract during childbirth to push the baby right through the birth canal."
Law paused when he sensed some distress coming from Neo. He glanced at her wide-eyed expression as she stared at the images before her. Law lowered the book. He rubbed her lower back. "What's wrong, love? Am I making you uncomfortable? Or am I getting to graphic? Do I need to simplify it down?"
Neo slowly shook her head. Before answering him, she swallowed. She said, "There's a lot of stretching in the body of a woman. First the man's penis enters into her and stretches her out then her body stretches out even more when she has a baby? That baby back on Luminous wasn't very small. And it passed through this little opening here on a woman's body?"
"The woman's body was created to handle sexual intercourse and childbirth. Besides, that baby wasn't a newborn. She was at least six months old. She would have been a bit smaller when she was born. It might sound like it's an impossible feat, but I assure you it's not." Law smiled. "You'll be able to see what I mean we our relationship becomes a sexual one."
"And this is going to happen to me?" Neo blinked. "I'm going to become, um…uh…"
"The word you're looking for is pregnant. And, no, you won't become pregnant." Law closed the book with an audible thump. "I won't allow that to happen to you."
"Why? If this is how babies are created, then why won't I become pregnant?"
"Pregnancies can be fairly dangerous for some women. And they are very painful, especially during the birthing process. I don't want you to go through all of that. And it won't happen because we will be using protection," Law answered. He placed the book down on his desk then pulled open one of its drawers.
Neo watched with interest as he pulled out a small, square package.
Law ripped it open, tossed the package into his small wastebasket, and then placed the unfamiliar, to Neo, circle like object over his finger. He began to roll it down over his finger, demonstrating its purpose. "This is a condom. The man wears it over his penis to prevent the semen from entering into a woman's body."
"Huh." Neo ran her finger over the rubbery like material. "And this will keep me from getting pregnant?"
"It will help. The only hundred percent way for a woman to not get pregnant is to not have sex. The condom can always fail in preventing pregnancies."
"Then how are you sure that we won't get me pregnant?"
"I'll be monitoring your menstrual cycle very closely when we become sexually active," Law said. He placed his hand on Neo's stomach and caressed her. "That will also help in preventing an unwanted pregnancy."
"We're talking as if we're really going to do this sexual intercourse thing." Neo giggled. "But we can't, can we? This is what Healer Zinnia and the others were talking about, right? I can't have this sexual intercourse until we are married?"
"Correct." Law nodded. "If you do, you will lose over half of your magic and will be weakened. That's why we are waiting until we are married."
"I understand. I'm also kind of bummed we have to wait. I'm curious to know how this sexual intercourse actually feels." Neo glanced over at the books lying on Law's desks. She pulled her eyes away from them and peered into his gray orbs. "Is this why the crew acts so weird when they see women? Like back on Amazon Lily? They want to have sexual intercourse with the women?"
"Yes. In some cases they do, but not all of them." Law's eyebrows raised in concern when Neo looked away from him. She dropped her blue eyes down to her lap and started fiddling with her fingers. He sensed her closing herself off to him. "Love, what is it? What's wrong?"
Neo bit her bottom lip in hesitation. She took a relaxing breath then forced herself to speak to him. "There's something I want to ask you…but I'm kind of afraid of the answer."
"You know you don't have to ever be afraid of asking me anything. If the answer is going to be hard for you to hear, you know I'll give it to you as gently as possible," Law said. He placed his hand over both of hers. Stroking his thumb over her skin, he added, "Go ahead and ask. Don't be afraid."
Neo still hesitated.
Law waited quietly and patiently for her to get the courage to ask him about whatever was on her mind. The soothing humming of the sub's engines was the only sound penetrating the air around them.
After a couple minutes, still keeping her eyes locked onto her lap, she finally asked, "Have you ever…you know…had sexual intercourse before?"
A short pause passed between them before Law gave a soft, yet firm, "No."
She lifted her eyes to him at that point. With one eyebrow raised she gave him a skeptical look.
He chuckled. "Is that hard to believe?"
"Yes," Neo said.
"Why?" Law asked curiously. He leaned back in his chair, resting his elbow back on the arm of the chair and his temple against his fist and waited for her answer.
"Well, because you're just…you're just so…"
"Don't stop now," Law encouraged.
"You're just so attractive!" Neo then blurted out. "I know that might not seem like much coming from me since I'm already attracted to you…or maybe not…I don't know. I just know that you are a very attractive man. I saw how Selene looked at you back on Luminous. I didn't like it. I didn't understand it then, but I do understand it better now. And I know that other women have surely looked at you like that before. And I'm sure other women will still be looking at you like that when we are on islands. And I know you've traveled over the seas since you were a kid. You've met so many women and have traveled to so many places. This sexual intercourse is just natural right? And it's how babies are made. It's how the human race survives. And-"
"Neo, Neo slow down and breathe." Feeling her anxiety and heartbeat rising rapidly while she started talking faster, Law took her cheek in his hand once again and got her to take a deep breath. "Now, despite what you might hear from other people, not all men sleep around with a bunch of women just because they're there and that's what people think they should do. Some men do wait for the right woman to come along and marry her before having sex. And some men are committed to just one woman for their entire lives. You know I won't lie to you. I haven't slept with a woman before. I have been kind of busy with my obsession with taking down Doflamingo to think about much else. But that doesn't mean I haven't been tempted into having sex with a woman. I have been."
"I believe you, Law. I know you won't lie to me. And I haven't noticed you obsessing over him," Neo said.
"Not surprising considering everything that's happened to you. You'll definitely notice it now, especially with our bond. It'll be all right though. Now what else is on your mind?" He dropped his hand from her cheek and placed it back over her hands.
"I don't know…I guess I'm just concerned that I'm not going to be good enough for you. You just have so much more experience in life than I do." Neo sighed. "And this sexual intercourse thing sounds like such a huge step and sounds like it's a very intimate thing for people to do. Way more intimate that anything we have done so far."
"It is a very intimate thing for people do to. It's supposed to be a time where both the man and woman are at their most vulnerable. That's why people should always take it serious and be married. Or I think so anyway. Some don't have problems sleeping with multiple partners. It really all depends on one's beliefs towards sex and a lot of the time it also depends on their religious beliefs. We both will be going through a lot of emotions after our first time with sexual intercourse. But I will be there for you to talk to. Most likely you'll also want to talk to someone else about it. That's why I'm glad that Topaz decided to join us. Having another woman around will be very beneficial for you in so many ways. Sexual intercourse will be one of those. And, if I'm correct, I figure you'll be talking with Penguin about this too."
"Penguin? You'll be comfortable with me talking to him about our sexual intercourse?" Neo asked. Confusion rose in her eyes again.
"It might be a bit awkward at first, but if you are comfortable talking about it with him then I want you to feel free to do so. I trust Penguin with you. And he is second closest to you," Law explained.
"And you'll be talking to someone too?" Neo asked.
"I'm going to keep the majority of our sex life private from the crew, just like they keep theirs from me, but I'll probably talk to Bepo about it some. Would that bother you?"
"No. I don't think it will. I trust Bepo. But if it does ever bother me, I will tell you." Neo paused. "What about other women? I don't want to get jealous of them, but I know I will. What if I try to attack them like I did with Selene back on Luminous?"
"You don't have to be concerned about that or about any other woman looking at me. You only lashed out at her because you were stressed. And it was the first time you noticed another woman that was attracted to me. It took you by surprise and you just reacted automatically. You'll learn how to control your jealousy better the more you experience it. You are a strong, beautiful, smart young woman who just got dealt a lousy hand in life. But you are learning everything at a steady pace. You'll become more experience in life just like we all do. It just takes time. And sexual intercourse is a big step. It's a very huge one that people should always take seriously. And I take it very seriously when I think about you and me. When we do finally reach that stage of our relationship, we'll take it very slowly. And whatever you need, I'll do it for you. Always remember this, I have chosen you. And no matter how many other women look at me, you are the one I will be looking back at. And you are the one I will always return home with."
With a flattered smile, Neo breathed out. "Law, you have got to be the most patient man in the entire world."
Law laughed. "I don't know about that."
"I do know that. With everything you've done for me? You took me in, a complete and totally stranger that you knew nothing about. You may have been a bit rough at the start, but you knew, somehow, that it was exactly what I needed. You somehow just knew. You might not have felt like that at the time. You taught me how to read and write and your continuing my education about everything. And you…" Neo paused.
Law tilted his head when he noticed realization dawned in her eyes as she subconsciously searched his feelings and memories from over a year ago.
"And you…you've been attracted to me for so long. Ever since…oh my gosh!"
Law's heart raced as he watched Neo finally put together the time frame of how long he has been attracted to her. A smile spread across his lips while his cheeks flared up with heat.
Neo covered her lips with her hand. "Law! You've been…when you taught me how to cut a carrot?! Even before that?! How could…for so long?! And the carrot! When you showed me…I was…that's when I started to feel attracted to you?! Why didn't you tell me?!"
"Because you wouldn't have understood," Law replied simply. "You needed time to just be a kid before you got into the more complicated things of being attracted to someone and being an adult. You needed time to grow up."
"Law, you are the most patient man on the planet," Neo insisted. "I can't believe you waited for so long. It must have been so hard. Knowing, feeling what you did, but being unable to act on it."
"I won't lie and say it wasn't difficult. There were so many times that I just wanted to kiss you, almost did a few times," Law said.
Neo nodded in remembrance to those times he leaned in towards her.
"But you were and are definitely worth the wait. Now I can kiss you anytime I want."
Neo took a breath and let it out. They both sat quietly as she processed everything that had just been revealed to her both through Law's anatomy lessons and through their bond. Suddenly, she leaned into Law's chest and pressed her lips to his.
Law's eyebrows shot up.
Seconds later, Neo pulled back and took in his expression. Worry etched over her face. "What? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, you did nothing wrong. It's just…that's the first time that you've kissed me," Law said with a pleased smile.
"Well, I wanted to." Neo dropped her eyes to his shirttail. She fiddled with it before shyly glancing back up to him. "That is all right, isn't it?"
"Yes. You can kiss me any time you want." Law's smile grew.
"Really?"
"Mhm." Law nodded. "Just get my attention and do it. Or, if you prefer, you could just ask me to kiss you."
Neo studied Law's eyes before letting her own eyes drop down to his lips. She looked back up at him. Whispering, she said, "Kiss me."
Smiling, Law cupped her neck and leaned back in towards her. His warm breath washing over her skin made her heart speed up. Her body tensed when he pressed his lips to hers. He pulled back, pressing their foreheads together, they panted slightly.
Neo smiled with a content sigh. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself into him. "I love you so much for everything you've done for me. Don't ever leave me."
"I won't." Law slid his arms around her, holding her firmly to his body. "I'll always be right here for you. I promise. Let's review today's lesson now. Do you have any questions?"
"Well," Neo pulled away from him. "I'm not very clear on this whole sexual arousal thing. Could you show me?"
Law chuckled softly. "As much as I'd like to do just that, it wouldn't be very appropriate for our relationship right now."
"Why not?"
"Touching you in a sensual way could lead to crossing the line. I might have been able to control myself up to this point, but I'm still only human. Besides, you still can't even handle me kissing you with a basic kiss very well," Law explained. "Let's get past that barrier first before considering something more."
"I can handle it." Neo pouted.
"You think so, huh?" Law said, slightly amused. He then brushed the back of his fingers tantalizingly slow over her arm. He sent multiple waves of shivers over her body as he glided over her skin. She tensed up with a tight squeak. Deep chuckles rumbled in his chest. "See? You're not ready yet. Let's wait to get more physical when you get better at handling kisses. Soon I'll start showing you how to kiss more than just the basic kiss we have been doing. Okay?"
Neo nodded slowly.
Law nodded back. He gave her a few minutes to come back down before they settled back down into Law's anatomy and reproduction lessons. When the lesson was finally over, Law reached to the right side of his desk. He pulled up a bag and sat it down on her lap. "What's this?"
"A gift. I think it might help you learn more about people and relationships," Law said as he watched Neo pull out the books inside of it. "Relationships vary from couple to couple, but these should be of some help to you."
"You are the best, Law." Neo smiled just before Law pecked her lips again.
…
Neo dabbed her towel in her wet hair. She paused when she caught her reflection in the mirror above the sink. Starting at her facial features, she placed the towel down on the sink. She tilted her head before removing the towel that was around her body. Summoning her wind crystals, she lifted herself up into the air. Slowly, she turned her body around and inspected herself in the mirror. She ran her hands down the sides of her curves, noticing them for the first time ever. She moved her hands over her hips and down to her thighs. She started to notice things about her body that she knew was there, but never thought much about them or their purpose.
She allowed one of her hands to slip between her legs. Law's diagrams and descriptions of what happened between a man and a woman down there filled her mind and fueled her curiosity. She wanted to know more, but knew, from Law's lesson, that experimentation was the only option for that. They wouldn't be able to have sex for some time now. She flinched when his examples of other types of sex entered into her mind. When her heartbeat started to rise, she pulled her hands away from her body and lowered her feet back to the floor to get dressed. She wasn't sure if she was ready for this. Law told her she was going to become more curious about her body and would want to experiment on herself. She knew she wasn't ready for that and decided to wait. She grabbed her clothes, threw them on, and left the bathroom.
