Law's motorcycle slowed to a stop, the engine's noise gradually getting quiet until it was nothing more than a constant purring. Kicking up the stand, he leaned back and unstrapped his helmet, releasing his head from inside and shaking out his unruly hair as the cold air hit his face.
Light from the sun streamed through the tree leaves above, and he had to squint to see, adjusting his vision from the darkened visor of his helmet. Propping the headwear on the handle of the bike, he took out the key and pocketed it, a heavy silence filling the cemetery once more. Unclipping the satchel at the back of the bike, he took out three roses, tied together at their stems.
He left the bike at the curb, wandering into the grass and in front of three gravestones. Lami. Susan. Jack. He read the names once more, lowering himself to the grass. Each grave had a small holder for flowers, and he placed one in each, making sure not to break off any of the leaves as he untied them from each other.
Leaves had fallen from the trees onto the plaques, and he brushed them away. The grass was warm from the sun and free from the morning dew. May was quickly turning into June, and the temperature would rise significantly in the coming weeks, but here and now it was pleasantly warm, seeming to lighten his soul a little.
Overhead, the chirping birds filled the empty air with a calming song, and every once in awhile, he could hear the fluttering of wings as they took flight through the trees. Interrupting the natural sounds were the occasional car driving down the road further back.
Law sighed, leaning back on his hands with his legs crossed in front of him. He stared up at the sky, or at least the patch he could see through the numerous trees dotted about the cemetery. The bright blue atmosphere was partially blocked by large, white puffy clouds. He marveled at how opposite the places most familiar to him were. The Heart Seat was always slightly dimmed to create that quiet and laid-back atmosphere, while the cemetery was always bright and joyful, as ill-fitting a description as could be possible.
Everything was just so painful. Whether it be faking a smile to those who expected happiness, or feeling like he should have moved on by then, nothing seemed right. Coupled with the paranoia of somehow finding his way back into the drug cartels, he never felt like he had a break.
"You should smile more, ya know?" Summer had said as they had eaten their ice cream that night. He looked at her quizzically, cocking an eyebrow, and she responded with that beautiful smile of her own. "Even if it's fake. Eventually it'll be a real one, because sooner or later you'll find something that's worth smiling for."
Those words had surprised him. Even with that big smile of hers, those violet eyes held a deep sadness that he couldn't comprehend. How could someone so outwardly positive feel that much sorrow? Had he been seeing her wrong this whole time? What could have made her feel so lost like that?
But before he could question or even fully explain it to himself, it was gone. And still he wondered where it had come from.
He was brought out of his thoughts by the aching in his wrists, the joints supporting his body at a strange angle. Pushing up from the grass, he crouched forwards, resting his elbows on his knees.
It was strange, sitting in front of these three stones every Sunday. He supposed it was a sort of penance.
Law wouldn't describe himself as religious in any sense of the word. His parents had raised him Christian, but after watching them be gunned down it had certainly changed his perspective. How could he believe in an almighty entity who hadn't done a thing to prevent such a tragedy? Didn't the bible teach that all life was precious? So how could this have been allowed to happen?
Even so, the mistakes he carried with him always felt a bit lighter sitting before these graves. All his worries seemed a little smaller, just a touch less significant. In the end they all died anyways, and he'd never been worried about living a life free of mistakes. It put things into perspective, sitting there. Quite a few things, in fact.
It must have been the heat of the sun, surely, that prompted him to dig his cell phone out of his back pocket, unlocking the screen after typing in the pin. It was a little difficult to see. The sun glared down on the screen, and he shielded one side with his hand. He tapped the call log icon, scrolling down a few names before spotting one number in particular that he was looking for.
Sparing only a moment to ask if he really was going through with this, he pressed call and held the phone up to his ear.
Sundays were usually fairly slow for the blonde. Most of the time she never bothered changing out of her pajamas if she could help it. Today was one such day. Having no messages on either of her advertisement pages for her photography services, Summer decided that the best way to spend the day would be to catch up on her favorite tv shows on Netflix.
She shut the blinds in the living room and turned off the lights in the adjoining kitchen to make it as dark as possible. Having slept in for awhile, it was already almost 11 o'clock, and so she grabbed small bowl full of pretzels and poured herself a glass of iced tea, settling herself into a nests of blankets on the couch. Placing her snack on the side table, she reached for the remote and navigated to her favorite program.
University had taken up almost all of her time during finals, and she still had two seasons to catch up on, so she clicked play and set the remote to the side, tucking the blanket underneath her feet so her toes wouldn't get cold.
After finishing the first episode, Max padded sleepily into the room, wandering in aimless directions and sniffing around.
"Come here, Max. Come here." Summer patted the blanket beside her, making small noises to get his attention. He stopped and looked at her, then glanced at where she patted the couch, but ultimately walked into the kitchen to find whatever it was he was looking for. Giving up, Summer returned her attention to the tv.
Several episodes and one pee break later, Summer had finished the season she'd left off on. Oh, the producers really hated their viewers it felt like, since they just had to end each one with a huge cliffhanger! At least she didn't have to wait for the next one, she thought with excitement, clicking over to play the next season's first episode. The opening intro came on, and she wiggled in place, mouthing the words to the song.
There was a loud buzzing noise off to her left, and she jumped in place, turning to see her phone vibrating on the side table. Pressing the pause button on the remote, she reached over and grabbed her phone, checking the screen for who it was from.
…Law?
Her body froze, her heart suddenly beating a little harder in her chest, but she quickly swiped to accept the call and held it to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Hey, I hope I'm not interrupting anything." His voice answered. She checked the time once more, just to make sure it wasn't, in fact, the evening. There wasn't one time she could think of where Law had called her during the day. It wasn't even past 2.
"Hi, Law. And no, I'm just sitting at home. What's up?" She asked pleasantly, leaning back into her makeshift nest of blankets. Her curiosity was piqued. What was the purpose of this very unexpected call?
"Ah, I've just been…thinking about a lot of things." It was difficult to tell, but it sounded as if he wasn't sure about his words. Summer frowned, confused by his vague answer. In all the years she'd known him, he always sounded so sure of himself.
"Is something wrong? You seem distracted."
"No, I uh…Well…" He started, pausing in between sentences. "Are you…" Finally, he sighed deeply, and she began to panic a little. He'd never acted this way before.
"Would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?"
It took a moment or two before Summer fully processed what he had said, but that moment had been enough for Law to hesitate and begin backpedaling. She opened her mouth to answer, but he spoke first.
"Unless you've got other plans, that's fine." He muttered in a rush. But before he could say anything more, she smiled. Deep inside her chest began a warmth that she'd been missing. Law was actually asking her to another date.
"Yes, I'd love to!"
"T-that's…great." He stopped, seemingly caught off guard by her reply, and she chuckled. She could almost see the shocked or confused expression on his face, his eyebrows drawn together, head cocked to the side.
"So…you'll pick me up at six?"
"Six will work." Law seemed to be gaining back a bit of his confidence now that she'd accepted his invitation, but there still seemed to be some hesitation, like he wasn't sure of what he was doing. "Any place in particular you'd like to go?"
"Hmm…" She thought, feeling rather hungry already. "Chinese?"
"I know a good place." He gave a little chuckle, sounding much more like his usual self. His previous hesitation still left Summer a bit perplexed, but she simply waved it off as nerves.
"Awesome, then I'll see you tonight."
"Great."
They said their goodbyes and Summer hung up the phone. She placed it on the table beside her, then just sat there as she let everything sink in. Several seconds turned into a dozen or so, until finally she covered her face with her hands, a wide smile in place.
"Oh, yes!" She shouted aloud, standing and spreading her arms wide as she spun in a circle. "Finally!"
The excitement bubbling up, she ran to the door, still in her pajamas, and stepped out into the outside hall, running to the apartment door beside hers. "Hitomi!" She called, knocking on the door, going to tell her friend the news.
Hanging up, Law looked at the gravestones. He wondered what his mother would have thought of Summer. Surely, she would have demanded to meet her at some point. But he was willing to bet Summer would have quickly been introduced and accepted into the family, invited to all their holiday dinners and events. Remembering how his mother was a social butterfly, he was willing to bet she would have tried all her might to get them together, as Corazon was taking it upon himself to do.
He grinned, thankful that he'd went back to the bar that next day. Then, realizing that he was still scheduled for work, he dialed another number and held it to his ear. It rang for several seconds before Corazon picked up.
"What's up, Law?" He answered automatically, knowing who it was already.
"Is there any way I could get the night off?" On the other end, he could hear the owner blow out smoke from a cigarette.
"Ah, let's see…" There was a shuffling sound, and Law wondered if he was in his office rummaging through paper. "I'm sure we'll be fine without you for a night. What for?"
"I've got a date."
"Ooh! That's great! I've gotta call Bellemere and tell her she owes me that money!"
"Yeah, whatever." Law grumbled, saying goodbye and hanging up.
Later that night, after she'd showered and put on something appropriate to actually go out in, Summer touched up a few spots of her makeup, all the while getting dressed. Nothing too fancy, but enough to boost her confidence a little. Knowing that they'd probably be taking his motorcycle again, she spent very little time on her hair, deciding to only blow dry it out and keep it down. It would be messed up after wearing that helmet anyways. Picking a simple blue blouse and nice jeans, she nodded it satisfaction.
Attention rapt on the mirror as she rubbed away a smudged mascara line, she felt something furry brush against her ankle, and she looked down to see Max staring up at her.
"Meow!" He cried, obviously wanting some attention. Finishing up her last touches, she put away her things in her makeup bag and stooped down to pat the kitten's head.
"I gotta leave soon, but I'll make sure we play before I go to bed tonight, ok?" She cooed, scratching the top of his head how she knew he liked. Max closed his eyes in pleasure, leaning into her touch.
A knock came at the door, and she straightened, grabbing her purse and heading towards the living room. Max followed meowing every few seconds as if he were begging her not to leave.
"Max, don't cry. I'll be back later." She bent over to pat the kitten's head once more, hoping he would be satisfied.
Reaching the door, she took one last deep breath before swinging it open, revealing Law leaning casually against the opposite railing.
"Hey, how are you?" She asked, opening the door a little wider and stepping out of her apartment.
"Quite well, actually." He grinned, looking down towards her feet.
"Meow!" Came a tiny voice below her, and she smiled down at Max, who stood beside her at the doorway. Tentatively reaching a paw out, he placed it on the concrete floor, his first steps out in the open.
"No, don't run away." Summer cooed, setting aside her purse to try catching him, but he'd already walked out of her reach.
"So, this is Max?" Law questioned, stooping down to see him closer. The little kitten gazed up with little blue eyes, inspecting the stranger who crouched above him. Law held out a hand, allowing the creature to sniff one of his fingers before nudging it with his nose, indicating he wanted attention.
"Yeah, he can cause trouble sometimes. Once I found him chewing on my phone charger cord."
"Hmm…" Law muttered, softly scratching the little guy on the head.
"Alright, come on buddy. Back inside." Summer picked him up and placed him back into the apartment, watching to make sure he didn't run outside again.
"Be good while I'm gone!" She called, gathering her purse once more and locking the door behind her. "Alright, I'm ready now."
Law nodded and walked with her down the steps to the main floor, then headed down towards the parking lot where she spotted his yellow bike, complete with two helmets hanging from the handles.
"So, where's this Chinese place you know of?" She asked, the two of them reaching the bike. He handed her a helmet and she put it on, strapping the cords under her chin so it wouldn't fall off.
"On 23rd street, not quite as far down as the aquarium. It's called Dragon Hill. I think you'll like it." Putting on his own helmet, he hopped on the bike and offered her a hand up, making sure she was comfortable behind him on the seat. Automatically, her arms wrapped themselves around his waist, leaning her chest against his back. Under the helmet, he grinned, finally inserting and turning the key.
The engine revved to life, and he undid the kickstand. Summer watched as he reversed them out of the parking spot and straightened out, starting up towards the road.
Unbeknownst to Law and Summer, Hitomi watched them leave through her window, smiling as they drove away on Law's loud motorcycle. It was good that things were going the blonde's way for once. That girl was too lonely for her own good.
Which brought up the question of Hitomi. My, what was she to do? Life as a lawyer was rather boring, to say the least. Enjoyable, nonetheless. It brought her great pleasure to put away scumbags. But traversing a courtroom was growing rather dull. And with a sigh she realized that she was quite lonely herself.
"Hitomi! Can we go to the swimming pool again?" Soma called behind her, wielding his plastic toy guns around as he shot up invisible soldiers around the apartment. Eyes fixed outside, Hitomi gave a little smile.
"Maybe tomorrow after school, alright? It's getting late."
"Aww…But we haven't gone in a long time." He pouted, slumping his arms in defeat. Chuckling a little, Hitomi glanced at her younger sibling, coming to a decision.
"Tomorrow for sure, I promise. Besides, don't you want to see Uncle Shanks tonight?" The young boy gasped, waving his hands in the air.
"Uncle Shanks is awesome! He's so cool!" He ran back into his room, shooting his little pistols over and over again. Hitomi rolled her eyes, chuckled. She wandered over to the kitchen where her purse sat on the counter. Digging through the contents, she found her phone and swiped the screen open.
She could hear Soma messing around in his room, probably looking for his xbox controllers so he could play video games later. Returning her attention to her phone, she scrolled through the list of contacts, eyes landing on the number for Uncle Shanks.
Hitomi hit call, holding the phone to her ear as she moved back to the living room to turn off the television. She wasn't really watching it anyways.
It rang several times, and she almost thought he wouldn't answer, until a ring cut short and she heard scuffling on the other end.
"Hello?" Came his jovial response.
"Uncle Shanks how are you?" She asked.
"Oh, Hitomi! I've been great!" He sighed then, chuckling a little. "I miss the nice beaches of Hawaii, but hey, nothing beats the smog-filled air of downtown!"
"So you're in town, then?" She tried getting to the point but of course, that was always difficult with Shanks' butterfly mind.
"You bet! Say, did I tell you I'm writing another song? It's about a-"
"Yes, I think you mentioned it last time you called." She interrupted, hearing a particularly loud thump come from Soma's room. Raising a brow, she went to make sure he was ok. "Listen, I was wondering if there was any way you could watch over Soma tonight?"
"Ah, I've missed that kid." He laughed. Hitomi peeked around the slightly ajar door to Soma's bedroom, seeing him trying to clean up his stuff before Uncle Shanks got there. She smiled, leaving him to it.
"Yes, he would really like to see you. But would you be able to babysit tonight?"
"Hmm, I don't think I have any plans…Makino! What are you making for dinner tonight?" He called to his wife, pausing to hear the answer. "Yeah, I'll definitely look after Soma for you. The wife's making meatloaf." He whispered the last part.
Hitomi chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Great, how soon can you be here?"
"I'll leave right now, girly! Be there in half an hour!" And so saying, he hung up the phone.
ns 15.158.61.12da2
