Chapter 25: Yulie and Law

Yulie wanted to leave, wanted to run away from everything, from the island, from her past that had never existed, from Law. But instead, she found herself staring at the medicine she had created to contradict the effects of the smile fruit. She had perfected it and had sent her butterflies to Wano to help those who had ingested it. 

She let out a sigh as she sprawled on her bed and remembered how she heard her name came out of Law's lips earlier. After Law earlier, she found herself hurrying up to go back to her house, leaving a flabbergasted Law up there. It felt surreal, she hadn't thought of hearing that name again and yet here they were. One of her butterflies flew and landed on her nose, the ebony colored one. Yulie quickly smiled as she scooped it up and played with it. 

"Should we go? or should we stay?"

She was scared if she was being honest. Law shouldn't have been able to remember her and yet he said he had dreamt of her. She had spent so many years hiding from him, from everyone and yet, fate still brought him to her. She sneered at fate before deciding to grab some alcohol for her to be able to have a good night's rest.

However, she regretted it as the sight of the Heart Pirates inside the bar greeted her. They almost occupied every seat there was. Her gaze instantly found Law's who was equally surprised at her arrival.

"Oh Lily, there you are, we were wondering why you haven't joined earlier"

Right, it was still the festival. It was natural for the townsfolk to be welcoming especially when they were in the midst of the celebration. Yulie tore her gaze from Law and walked up to the bar counter where the owner immediately offered her food and alcohol. Alcohol which she immediately drank just so she couldn't feel Law's gaze at her back. She settled herself with talking to the bar owner and the people who would sit right next to her every once in a while.

It was the loud music echoing on the streets that made Yulie and everyone inside turn around. Today was the last night of the festival, and it was customary for everyone to join in on the music and dancing. Yulie however, had a good amount of alcohol for her to even be able to stand on her feet and dance. She let out a sigh as the whole bar almost vacated.

One last glass, she thought as the tip of her glass made contact with her lips only for it to vanish into thin air replaced by a piece of apple. She almost rolled her eyes when she felt Law behind her, his hand now holding her glass as he sat beside her.

"I'd appreciate it if you return that glass now"

"You're drunk"

Was the only thing he could say as he stared at Yulie, her face the color of the apple she was now playing with.

"I don't think that's any of your concern"

No, it wasn't, he thought and yet he still felt inclined to help. Felt inclined to intervene as if some thread was pulling him to do it.

"I'll take you home"

"I don't need—"

Before Yulie could finish her words though, Law had already transported her to her house, to her pharmacy where they had met yesterday. She glared at Law and almost hissed when he opened his mouth to say.

"You look sleepy, you should go sleep"

One look at Law's worried and confused expression made Yulie's knees buckle with fear. She didn't want to see those expressions on him any longer. She didn't want to see him anymore. Because anymore of this interaction and she knew she wouldn't be able to leave him again. Not again.

Law stared at Yulie, his face contorting as anxiousness washed over him. Something he never understood. He shouldn't be worried, shouldn't be mad at Yulie for drinking more than what she could handle. Shouldn't even be jealous when those townsfolk struck up a conversation with her and how she laughed at them. He had just met her, not even a week had gone by and yet all he could think of was her.

"You should leave"

She muttered under her breath, just audible enough for Law to hear it. 

"I'll leave when I can leave, you don't need to throw me out of your house"

"No, I meant you should leave this island. Leave and don't ever come back"

Law raised an eyebrow at the subtle tone Yulie had used. He ignored the sharp sting on his chest as he stared back at Yulie who was staring at him. Law caught his breath when he saw the pain flashing across her eyes, he tried to reach for her eyes, wanting to brush away her invisible tears but like instinct, it landed on her cheeks.

"What's wrong?"

Yulie's throat bobbed as Law's hand caressed her cheeks, as his voice asked her so softly. And amidst the noise outside Yulie felt her thoughts screaming so strongly, wanting to be freed.

Don't do that, she thought, don't make me yearn for you, not after all of these years. I tried so hard to stay away from you, to change the cycle of our ill-fated relationship.

"Lily"

Law breathed out as tears started pouring from Yulie's eyes, he brushed the tears staining her face only for her to push him lightly. Her palms spread out on his chest and he felt the heat from them stinging him underneath his sweater.

"Just leave Law, please"

She pleaded as her tears dropped from her eyes, one after the other. But, all Law could think about was how she had felt so familiar. How she said his name with so much ease like she had been doing it for a long time. 

"Do you know me? Have we… Have we met before?"

He silently asked as he still held Yulie's cheeks, cupping them so that he could look at her. But when Yulie's tear stained eyes met his, he knew he was damned. His heart silently screamed at the pain flashing and crossing her expression. He felt his heart racing, like a horse trampling all over it as his lips found hers.

As he bent down to kiss her, and all Yulie did was to close her eyes as tears ran down from it, one after the other.

It feels right, Law had thought, as his lips grazed hers and his hand found itself wrapping against her thin figure. All he could think of was how everything about her felt so right.

And yet, all Yulie could think of was her ill-fated life as she closed her eyes and let herself succumb to sleep that had tainted her whole being.

Law stopped when he felt Yulie's body limping in his arms. He found Yulie sleeping, a sight he didn't know he'd find to be so peaceful. His arms went under her knees as the other held her weight. He carried her upstairs to where he found an almost bachelor-like room.

A bed on the corner, a study table in front of it, stacks of books on the floor and shelves all around. A cabinet and one more door that might have been the bathroom. And on top of her study table were jars of different sizes, lots of them.

Law laid Yulie down on her bed and looked up only to find countless butterflies on the ceiling. Their colors are different from one another making it seem like they were decorations. But then they moved. Their wings fluttered as they swirled around the room.

Blue, yellow, green, red, purple and black. Law tilted his head as one of the ebony colored butterfly fluttered its wings and landed on top of his laid out finger.

"Are you her pets?"

He had seen some of them before, on the first night he had seen her, dancing with her. And on his ship, in his bed, and with his crew. Law's eyes widened at the unfamiliar memory as he tried to remember something. Something that had been covered by a fog inside his mind. But he remembers, he remembers the butterflies. His breathing hitched up as he stared at Yulie again, her eyes still tearing, her expression still weeping.

He reached out for her only to stop when he felt a sharp sting on his finger, the one that had been holding the butterfly. It had stung him, he ought to swat it away but it flew and as he gazed on its wings, it was then that he had felt it.

Everything all at once.

"Room"

He breathed too deeply. Too ragged. Too heavy.

"Shambles"

As Law landed on his bedroom in the Polar Tang all of the memories flooded in. A hundred lives worth of memories. A hundred lives where Yulie had always died. Always promised that she would find him first in her new beginnings. Always loved him and saved him. 

Always leaving him heartbroken. Always making him weep and beg for mercy to not take her away from him. And his last one was no different.

Law fell on his knees as his fist clenched onto his wild beating heart, his tears pooled from behind his way finally making its way to his cheeks as he wept loudly. 

In an instant he was there. On that ice-covered greenland, Luffy and Sabo crying right next to him as his own tears rolled continuously. As he held on tightly to Yulie's lifeless hand. He watched as he pulled out the sword that had struck her heart and broke it into pieces as he held his lover's lifeless body. As he lay her on his lap, his arms enveloping her into a tight embrace, his lips near her ears. As he muttered over and over again the words he should've told Yulie.

"I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you so so much. I'm sorry. I love you."

And on that night Law curled up on his bedroom floor as he wept and mourned for all of the times that he had lost Yulie. 

The warm sunlight traced Yulie's cheeks as she opened her eyes to see that she wasn't alone in her room. She sat up in her bed, body undeniable heavy from the crying she had done the night before. Law was there, sitting at the chair right next to her bed. His eyes were almost lifeless as Yulie gazed on it. He had been crying, she thought as she noticed the red rim on his eyes. On that expression that had pained her. 

Before she could even ask Law stood up on his feet and walked towards her as he cupped her cheeks and planted his lips on hers. Yulie's eyes widened as she tried to recoil from his touch and kiss but Law was adamant as he held her.

He only stopped when Yulie placed a hand on his chest. His breath hitching as some life flickered in his eyes, in his now watering eyes. Yulie blinked twice as Law still held her face, his forehead touching hers. 

"What's— what's going on?"

She asked carefully as Law knelt in front of her, right there on her bed. Law only held her for some time before the words left his mouth. The words that Yulie had not expected to hear.

"Yulie, Yulie Anne"

Yulie felt another surge of pain hit her as she stared at Law who was still staring at her, a tear threatening his eyes. Then Law smiled so painfully it made Yulie's own heart ache as the tears finally came rushing out.

"I love you"

What Yulie had been wanting to hear for so long. What she had been yearning from Law for all the lives she had spent. It finally came. That short sweet confession of his heart laying naked for her, only for her.

"I had loved you for so so long. I had loved you over and over again. You never knew— you— I never told you, not once"

Yulie felt herself tremble as Law began to stutter, his tears crashing down on her like waves wanting to break open the gates she had enclosed herself with.

"I love you, I've loved you since the first time we met in your first life. I have loved you the second time and the third time. And I have loved you over and over again as you start another beginning, another cycle of your life. And I have never told you any of that. Never, not once"

"How did you know that?"

Yulie's eyes showed fear. Her whole body trembled with it as she tried to free herself from Law. 

"'Yulie"

"You shouldn't be able to remember me, know me. You weren't supposed to know me in this life. And you shouldn't be able to remember all of those past lives. So how? What did you do?"

Law stood up from his place just as soon as Yulie had stood up and threatened to leave him. He held her in his arms as he beheld that anxiety and fear quickly enveloping Yulie.

"Yulie"

He tried to call again but Yulie wouldn't meet his eyes. They were wild like she was searching for something that was amiss. They had crossed and searched the entire room until the tears finally swallowed her up.

"You— you weren't supposed to meet me, to know me, to remember me. No, Law you shouldn't. If you do— you'll…"

die, Yulie choked on the word as a sob escaped her lips. As Law held both of her cheeks and stared at her eyes, his own mirroring the sadness and pain on hers.

"Love"

Yulie stifled another sob as she felt herself choke on those words. As Law called her so sweetly, his arms snaked across her waist.

"You shouldn't Law"

Law gave her a sad smile. A pained one as he remembered how broken his heart was at the realization that Yulie had given her life over and over again for another chance. Another beginning that might be better than her previous one.

"Last night, your butterfly gave me a gift…"

He started, his words audible enough for Yulie to hear amidst her quiet sobbing.

"In an instant I saw you, remembered you, everything that you had done. I saw how you die over and over again. Watch as you mutter promises after promises of how you'll search for me in the next life. And it broke my heart. It— It broke everything inside of me to see you, watch you, feel your life seeping out from my hands. I thought my heart was going to break but then on the previous one, you—"

Law sharply took in a breath as his hand on Yulie's waist tightened. 

"On the previous one, you never said any promises, you— never offered another life where we could be together. You just simply smiled— and told me– told me you love me, as if— as if you don't have any more intention of meeting me. Seeing you now, where you're a little bit older, and how you weren't at the place that you were supposed to be, it broke me further."

Yulie wept as she choked on another sob.

"In this life, you intend to die alone, old and weary, lonely and utterly heartbroken. Why? Why not sought me out like before? Why choose to break yourself over and over again?"

Law looked at Yulie, his eyes stained with uncontrollable tears as he stared at Yulie whose whole body was now trembling.

"I can't— I don't want you or anyone to die anymore. I can't do that again— I—"

Her words caught and died down between them when she saw Law's eyes. Sadness. There was so much sadness in his eyes, so much longing that it made her want to curl up in his arms. Law pulled Yulie into a tight embrace, so tight Yulie could almost swear her lungs would give out but, it wasn't her lungs that gave in.

It was her heart as Law quietly told her. 

"I love you Monkey D. Yulie Anne. Please, please enough running. Please stay by my side. I can't— I can't lose you again, not again. I don't think I'll ever be able to bear not being with you again. I lost you too many times already, please"

And right there Yulie cried so loudly, her heart weeping alongside her as Law held her tightly, enveloping her in a warm embrace. She cried until she had laid all of herself bare to him. Until she had cried out every last one of her heartaches. The ones that broke her and the ones that will break her more. 

"Please stay by my side for the rest of this life. I'll protect you, we'll protect each other."

Law muttered softly against her ears, his own tears staining his face as he placed kisses on her head.

"Enough heartaches love, gone are the ones who always made our life miserable. They're long gone. Please, let yourself be happy again"

Law whispered to her again and she knew he would never let her go again. Knew that he wouldn't be able to stay away from her as he held her so tightly afraid that she might vanish from his sight. 

But Yulie did want to be happy again, to live again. She wanted Law, she never really stopped loving and wanting him. But the fear of what might come was starting to envelope her again. The fear of losing everything all because some people kept on seeking her powers. But then a voice sang at the back of her head.

It's fine now, little one. Let go, we had survived. 

Yulie's eyes widened as she recognized the voice that she thought had long vanished. The very first one, Yulie on her first life.

I never really left, I will always be with you.

And a gift, this future, your future will be fruitful and happy now.

A different future than any of us had.

So let go, it'll be alright now. You'll be alright.

And right then and there Yulie let out another cry as she held to Law tighter, her own arms tightening against his body as she buried her face on his chest and wept. 

Another chance.

Another shot at being happy with the man she had loved over and over again.

The man she always fell for a hundred times already.

And the man that she knew she would always choose and love over and over again.

And she knew she would be happy, they would be happy. Albeit the fears and the nightmares, they would be happy because they finally found each other again. 

As Yulie start to let go little by little of the fears that took hold of her heart, the words she wanted to tell him again poured out like water freely flowing through her.

"I love you Law, always"