Lovely Snow [Trafalgar Law]

[IX] Night

Warning: depression and mention of su!cide

Law was in the library when he heard it. A heavy metal door closing in the late hours of the night. Who, in their right mind, would be up at this hour?

Based on the heavy thud, it was a safe assumption that it was the door to the deck. The Polar Tang was surfaced and it must have been a beautiful night. But why was someone else up?

Law cares for the health of his crew. He knows they should be getting plenty of sleep. Curious, the Captain headed toward the deck to investigate. There he found an all too familiar silhouette leaning against the railing.

"Miyuki-ya?" His deep voice sent a wave of comfort over the girl. As much as she wanted to be alone, her Captain's presence satisfied something deep inside her. Even so, she refused to take her eyes off of the waves so beautifully lit by the moon.

"Do you ever feel like jumping in?" Law looked at Miyuki in shock. He knew the young woman was depressed. That had been obvious from the beginning, But he didn't think it was that bad.

"No," he answered truthfully. "Not anymore."

"Must be nice."

Mituki watched the waves. It was a beautiful sight. She wouldn't mind it being her resting place. Especially not if she could see the stars shining above her.

Law approached slowly, leaning on the rail next to her. He carefully picked his next words. "Is that what you are doing at here? Jumping in?" Law's question shouldn't have come as a surprise, but it did. Miyuki finally looked away from the waves and met her Captain's gaze.

"No," she returned his honestly. That wasn't why she was out here.

"Are you going to tell me what you are doing out here?" Miyuki smiled softly at this. It wasn't like the smiles she had given him before, this one felt sad. There was a loneliness behind that smile. One that Law knew all too well.

"Just thinking about the woman who raised me."

They sat in silence for a moment as Law pondered her words. "Tell me about her." Miyuki looked confused. "Tell me about her." He repeated.

Flashes of the elderly woman brushing Miyuki's hair danced through her mind. She had a kind smile, one that always warmed Miyuki's heart. "She never spoke to me."

Law nodded trying to suppress the memories of Corazon. "I never knew her name, but she was there to take care of me. She taught me how to cook and bake. She taught me how to take care of myself. But most importantly, she taught me that there are good people out there."

"Is that how you survived?" Law asked this after a moment of silence. He had been curious about this for a while. Most saw Miyuki as a glitch in the system, but he knew there was no way she survived without help.

"Yes." For the first time, Miyuki was vulnerable in front of Law. She was openly displaying her wounds. Her sad smile was lit by the moonlight; he could clearly see the streaks of tears she had since repressed. "She came almost everyday with a basket of food."

"Granny used to listen to me talk for hours. She never responded but she always smiled." Miyuki laughed. For a split second the spark returned to her eyes. "You should've seen the face she would make every time I called her Granny. I made the mistake of calling her old once. It got me slapped."

Law chuckled. The sound gave Miyuki a sense of comfort. Everything about him did. She wasn't alone, not anymore.

"Where is she now?"

Miyuki's smile faltered for a moment. "She died shortly before my twentieth birthday." Her voice was weak and shaky, tears welling up in her eyes once again.

"That's when you started working at the cafe." Miyuki nodded. Law was spot on. She not only lost her sense of security, but she also lost her source of food.

"Do you miss her?"

Miyuki looked up at the moon. Did she miss her? She missed the old woman so much it hurt. The memories felt like she was so close, but just out of reach. It cut Miyuki to the core. "Yes," the tears flowed silently. Nothing could be done to stop them.

Law felt slightly uncomfortable standing next to the crying girl. But despite her tears, Miyuki looked so peaceful. "I had someone like that, but they died when I was a kid." The tears stopped when Miyuki heard the honest vulnerability in Law's voice.

"Will you tell me about them?"

"There isn't much to say." Law answered. "He was clumsy and a walking accident." His eyebrows were furrowed and he looked out over the ocean as he spoke. "But he meant-" Law stopped.

"That's okay, we don't have to talk about it."

Law appreciated that. He realized that he had grown to really appreciate her. Miyuki wasn't just a member of his crew. They feel into silence as Law pondered over this.

"I've finally made friends here. A lot of them." Law looked at Miyuki to find her sad smile replaced with a calm look. Her blue eyes met his. "But you are probably the most important."

This took him aback. He stared into her deep blue eyes looking for some sort of answer. Her eyes were like the sea. Law has fallen into the sea before, only to be saved by Shachi. But he clearly remembers the color of the water from under its waves. It was the same as her eyes.

"You saved me from that life and from myself, Law."

That was the first time she had called Law by his name. He hated to admit it, but he liked the way it felt to hear his name come from her lips. A wave of serenity washed over him.

"You gave me a new home and showed me that it is possible for me to make friends. You gave me the family I never had."

Law opened his mouth but words escaped him. Miyuki was being so open and honest about how she felt. Law was grateful that Miyuki felt this way about life with the Heart Pirates. When Miyuki first stepped on board, a part of Law worried that she would come to regret it someday.

"But most importantly, you were the first person to accept me as I am. The first person that wasn't afraid of me. You took me in and showed me a whole new world."

A light blush covered Miyuki's cheeks when she realized how intensely Law was looking at her. She couldn't understand these budding feelings. He was one of her first friends and her Captain. But despite this, it didn't feel wrong.

Miyuki could tell she viewed Law differently than she did Penguin, Shachi, and the others. It started out as admiration, but now it was something different. She has only been a part of the crew for a little over a month, but she could feel herself and her emotions evolving.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you Captain."

Word Count; 1203

Published: 4/3/2024

Unedited