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mekachu04Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage Sex
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Summary:
Its a light rain, warm fresh water splashing his face, the edge of a tropic storm building on the horizon. It picks at his memory, like a forgotten dream, a lullaby from the few calm points of his childhood; a point of peace where he knew he was going to die, but that was okay. He's thirteen again, and his world is ending, but it's okay, because he wasn't alone anymore.
Corazon is standing at the front of their tiny ship, staring out at the storm with a look of worry. He was just as Law remembered him, large and imposing as equal as soft and kind.
It was a nice dream to die in, Law supposed.
Kidd had watched Killer and Victoria leave, frown on his face.
"Afraid Killer and her are gonna run off together or something?" Law mocked, before he could stop himself. He did regret his words when Kidd shoved his hands in the pockets of his shorts, but didn't argue back.
Oh.. this might be an actual thing Kidd would have to deal with. Law was just so used to the two joined at the hip, he hadn't considered that someone might come between Kidd and Killer at some point.
"Well," Kidd announced finally, "I'ma gonna see if anything from our base can be salvaged. Thanks again old Heart, Doc.' Kidd said, only bothering to look at Corazon.
"Wait - you're leaving?" Law climbed out of the boat, stepping into the sun and... "Holy shit..."
Last night, the ocean seemed like it was lapping at the shelter's mouth, ready to over take them. Now, under the sun, and the calm of day, storm rolling far off in the distance, the shore had receded down to what Law assumed to be the normal water level. A good 40 feet lower than their shelter.
"That storm you made, with those other devil fruits," Kidd offered, "Nothing like anything I've ever seen. I dunno if we've even had waves that high with a tsunami."
"Tsunami's can reach 100 feet at landfall,' Law offered, "with the right conditions."
"Well, we've never had one with the right conditions then,' Kidd grumbled, picking his way across the scrap. Impulsively, Law followed, glancing back just once to check in with Corazon who waved him on. The man would follow along at his own pace, but gave the two boys the space to chatter between themselves.
"Killer and me built our place way above the storm line - we've always been fine. Now I gotta go see if anything's left before the other vultures pick us clean." Sometime in the night, the rest of the pile had shifted after all. The little place that Kidd and Killer had built for themselves swept away in the night, now as indistinguishable as the rest of the area.
The hair on the back of Law's neck prickled, his arms itched, and he looked over to see Kidd's face in a deep scowl as he studied the area at his feet. "What-"
"Shh!" Kidd hissed, "'m finding for our stuff."
It looked like he was just standing there, glaring at the ground. But no, his head was cocked to the side and he picked his way though the rubble. Law followed, realizing that Kidd had turned himself into some find of radar.
"The steel and iron want me to pick them up," Kidd said finally, picked through the trash, seeing to have found something, "So they're the loudest. I just gotta find the quiet areas." He shuffling some piles with his power, exposing few wooden boards, but dismissed them.
They wandered a little more, before Kidd smiled to himself, and pushed Law back before shifting a larger mass of rubble to himself. He pulled up a batted book - spine torn, half of it gone, water logged pages with smeared ink instead of words. He held it before the turned to look down the mountain. 40 feet down, hundred yards away, the ocean glinted peacefully back at them. Last night it had been over Killer's head, Kidd trying to pry him free before before he was overwhelmed and swept away.
"People aren't as quiet as you'd think," he said, Law following he gaze to the water line, "I can't move them around or anything, but I can hear their hearts beating... Calling me. So many are gone now..." Kidd murmured. His orange eyes were distant, and Law had to wonder if this was the iron in someone's blood calling out to his magnetic devils fruit, or if Kidd had unknowingly begun to tap into his observation haki. How many had he felt die already at this age - how many just last night, lost now in a storm never meant to touch down in the blue seas.
Then Kidd turned to look at him, that same far away look in on his young face. "Except you. You're as quiet as death."
Law swallowed thickly, wanting to step back, but also not wanting to back down to Eustass Kidd. Kidd raised a hand, and Law could tell from the metal around them he was using his power, but Law didn't see to what ends. Kidd frowned, look of annoyance on his face, but just stood with his hand up.
"What are you doing?"
"It doesn't want me to come any closer."
"What doesn't?"
The air lost it's tension, and Kidd reached forward with ease, roughly jabbing his fingers at one of the white spots on Law's face. "That."
"It's Amber Lead." Law states, waiting to see how Kidd would react. In the North, this is were people would back away in fear. Kidd just studied his face, "It's a disease. It'll kill me if I don't treat it soon."
"Does it hurt?"
"Yes. Some days so much I can't get up."
Kidd's eyes flashed over his shoulder for a moment, Law glanced back to see Corazon's silhouette. "You know all that doctor stuff, right? Can't you treat it yourself?"
"I.. I couldn't before. But now I can. I know how to." He wasn't sure how, or even if, he should try and explain that part. "There's not a hospital here, is there?"
Kidd looked like he didn't even know that that word meant. Blues, he might not. "A clinic, some place you go where a doctor could preform a clean surgery? I can treat myself now, but there is still a chance of infection."
"The Bosses have 'em, but unless you're paying them tribute that's not a chance they'll let you see anyone. Heaps people like us usually go talk to the Barber. I've never had too, but people at least come back after seeing him."
There was too much to unpack with that. "Uh.. yeah okay" Law doesn't need the barber, just a clean sterile place to cut himself up. He's not sure a barber shop is the best choice, but at least one to start. Better than the cave he'd done this in the first time around. "Where's he?"
Kidd looked uneasy, but still gave him directions before turning away then to go back to the search for his things. The next pile reveals more boards, and a little robot doll. Kidd pulled the doll out thoughtfully.
"Do you... want help?' Law offered, unsure exactly he was meant to do that. Kidd waved him off, doll tucked into the crook of his left arm. His smile was sad.
"Nah, I gotta talk to Killer before we pick a new spot anyway. You go find the Barber, and I'll see ya off once when you two move on, don't worry."
"Move on?"
"Nobody stays here,'' Kidd laughed harshly, " 'specially not if they actually have someone to belong. You two are from the North Blue, right? Now that you're going to make yourself better, you're gonna go home, yea?"
"Yeah, I guess,' Law agrees. And its true. Even 13 years removed form this time, he knows that Bepo is waiting him to rescue him. That Penguin and Shachi will need him soon too. He'll need to get to Swallow Island, for his own people's sake. He and Corazon still have to figure out how to get across both the Grand Line and the Red Line, and that could take a long time. Law looked back up to where Corazon was watching them, gesturing for the man to join them.
Suddenly, Kidd causally jerked a piece of sheet metal away - revealing a treasure trove of smashed and destroyed belongings that had been part of his home until last night. Shredded cloths, torn blanket, a pillow stuffed with rags spilling out when Kidd pulled it free. Focused on salvaging his own stuff, Kidd barely looked up when Corazon sat down by Law. Ignored them as Law explained the barber situation, and that he was going to go check it out.
Law looked back at Kidd once more before he left, but the child refusing to look back at him. Corazon had wanted him to wait until Killer had returned, not wanting Law to go alone. Law just wanted this done, though, and he needed to know if this place would work for him or not. He also didn't want to see Kidd trying to pretend he was okay with the fact Law and Corazon would leave. They'd known each other for one night. Kidd would be fine.
Corazon watched Law pick his way up the rubble, causally watching out of the corner of his eye as Kidd pile up his belongings next to the man. It seemed that anything not metal was being added to the pile, though Corazon could not understand the reasoning for some pieces. The one exception seemed to be a little robot toy Kidd has positioned to be sitting in the front, as if on guard.
Corazon inspected the little robot, turning it over carefully in his hands. It was crudely made, clearly home made and not something mass produced. Doffy had showered his 'children' in toys, Baby 5 and Buffalo had a small army of plush dolls back home. Law had rejected those gifts, but even as thick skinned as he pretended to be, Corazon watched him curl around his hat on bad nights, cuddled to it like the child he still was. Kidd's stash showed no such soft comforts. The only thing that showed a child once lived in the wreckage was the fact that the clothes were so small. And this little robot.
"Hold the torso," Kidd instructed him, looking excited to show off his toy. What ever mood he'd been stewing in when Law left evaporating away. Corazon did as he instructed, "Okay, now move his arm forward."
When Corazon moved the little robot's left arm forward, there was a -tick tick tick- from under his fingers on its chest, and the left leg and right arm moved back on their own while the right leg moved forward.
"That is pretty cool," Corazon said placatingly, but then Kidd said something that took him by surprise.
"It took Killer and me so long to find pieces the right size to just get him moving in sync. One day, I'm going to figure out how to get them to move on their own so he can really walk."
"You made this?"
"Yep."
Corazon studied the toy again, a new found respect for it. "Kidd, this is incredible..."
The boy tilted his head, like he wasn't sure how to interpret Corazon's praise, "Yeah I know - Killer told me."
Corazon didn't think he really understood just how impressive it was. He continued to turn the toy over, looking closer at it's assembly as Kidd returned to his self-appointed task. There where no weld marks, pieces carefully fitted together in a way that the pressure they applied on each other kept it assembled, with a bolt here or there when absolutely necessary.
As the sun kept higher, reaching it's zenith, Kidd seemed to have found all he planned on finding for the time, sitting on his salvage pile and fiddling with some metal scraps that caught his attention. Positioned so he was nearly eye level with Corazon, who still idly held the robot, watching him toy with the metal.
"Why didn't you take Law to the barber this morning?" he asked finally, hoping to prompt the boy into telling him why he'd been in such a tiff when Corazon had joined them earlier., "Did he say something to you?"
Kidd just grunted, as he fiddled with a few of the scraps in his hands, twisting them together until they interlocked. " 'm not supposed to go into the city without Killer or Victoria with me."
"Oh?"
He held one end in his right hand, showing it to Corazon. His left hand twitched, outstretched but not touching and his brows furrowed in concentration. Then the joint moved on it's own, slowly rotating as he -pushed- on it with this devil fruit.
" 'cause I can do this. The bosses.. sold? the other devil fruits users..' Kidd explained, as best as he understood it, "I dunno to who... but there aren't any others on the island. Not until you two showed up last night. I'm not suppose to let anyone see me move things." he put his arm down and eventually, the piece stopped rotating.
"But Killer was... He was trapped. And I didn't care if you sold me too, I wasn't going to watch him drown. But then Doc -moved- us before we got smushed, and you helped keep Killer from panicking, and then all of the-" he waved his hands like a cheap magician, "-and Doc fixed him all up, and he promised Killer won't loose his leg, and that's great! So... so I think its okay that I can move things around even if you're watching. Right?" His voice beseeching, a child hoping he wasn't in trouble.
"Kidd," he said carefully, making sure the young boy's attention was on him fully, "Law and I will keep your secret, but do not ever trust that another devil fruit user will not hurt you just because you have this in common with them, okay?'
Kidd nodded solemnly. He looked a little afraid but he held Corazon's gaze. "Kidd, tell me you understand this."
"I understand," he said, voice small.
lead is diamagnetic - meaning it tends to repel magnets off of itself. I am running off the assumption that Amber|White lead has the same properties.
next chapter will see a rating hike, and some darker themes. warning you now if you wanna bail while it's still sweet.
