AN-Sorry about the long wait. I was having laptop problems. I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

-Part 1-

-The Next Transition-

-Now-

Anxiety was beginning to show it's ugly face.

Monet walked over, overlooking the group of tired men. Doflamingo barely noticed the cup of coffee was placed right in front of him. He caught a glimpse of her sly smile before walking over to Vergo and handing him a cup of his own.

"Three hours in," she murmured.

"A few more to go," Vergo responded, taking his cup too quickly and spilling some of it's contents over the floor before managing to get a sip.

"Shurororo!" All three heads turned and looked over at the only resident who wasn't tired from hours of tightly packing drugs into cheap condoms. The only member, who, in Doflamingo's opinion, ought to be near pissing himself after everything that had happened the past 24 hours.

"Something funny?" Vergo asked, tipping his cup forward and causing a small splash upon the table.

"There is no reason to be so moody," Caesar chimed. "We made more than we thought we would. And my product is the best!"

Doflamingo rested his long fingers around the warm cup, his eyes leering towards Caesar. "You realize my friends suggested I should have you killed, right?"

"Your friends are fools!" Caesar responded. "When Kaido discovers how good everything is we'll be in business."

"You're being reckless," Vergo retorted. "And I suggest you be careful, calling your new bosses fools…"

Caesar frowned. He turned over to Doflamingo. "What is he talking about?"

"My boys will be keeping things together," Doflamingo answered. "And they'll be with me on the decision making…"

Monet giggled as Caesar's expression began to pale.

"If anything goes wrong you'll be the first to know," Doflamingo threatened. He picked up his cup and took a small sip, producing a small smile in Monet's direction.

"Tasty."

"Thanks," Monet responded.

"K-kill me?" Caesar muttered to himself. He sank into Vergo's stiff furniture and went silent with the rest of the group.

Doflamingo looked down at his cup, staring at his murky expression. His eyes were not visible to him, and he could make out the misshaped smile, but deep down he could detect the growing fear, anxiousness, worry for himself and those few who mattered most to him.

"Are you alright?"

Doflamingo looked to see Monet just about to leave the dark living room. Her hand held on to the door frame, appearing to be keeping hold of her entire body. Her legs were stretched, one in the kitchen, the other still in his line of sight. She had let her glasses slip down her forehead and cover her wonderful face with lenses so thick she was almost unrecognizable.

In another universe, Doflamingo silently thought, he would have every last inch of her.

In this one he would have a few hours worth.

"I'm fine, dear," he said; giving the young girl a warm smile. It was enough to get her to smile back at him, reminding him of those few hours.

He quickly added, "Why don't we get some rest?"

-Then-

Doflamingo stood in the middle of the clothing aisle in an overheated thrift store, his naked eyes staring out at the moving figures ahead. Diamante thought it would be a good idea to try to find Pica some normal-looking attire, while Trebol had commented on Doflamingo's lack of fancy shades, leading the four of them to the tiny hole in the wall in hopes of finding something worth sneaking out.

The blond followed, merely reacting to his friends' suggestions when something was placed in front of him. It wasn't as though Doflamingo didn't care what was happening around him. He couldn't bring himself to think beyond the events that had occurred two weeks prior. How was he supposed to think straight after that?

This was all Crocodile's fault!

"Hayyy, hey Doffy," a lisped chuckle followed. The boy looked and stared at the giant grin just slightly above his eyes, the teeth aligned with a row of newly tightened braces. Diamante picked up a pair of yellow sunglasses and offered them to Doflamingo. "What do you think?"

He looked over and stared at the passerby's, trying to spot Trebol and Pica in the sea of used clothing and materials.

"They're ok, I guess," he muttered back, still looking away.

"Oh. Well, ok then." Doflamingo could hear the disappointment in Diamante's voice. It upset him, but not as much as that night in the hospital.

"Hey, what do you think of this stuff?" Trebol asked, popping up right behind Doflamingo. The boy nearly jumped, finding Trebol's touchiness damn near impossible to work with.

"What the fuck is that supposed to be?" Diamante asked.

"They're goggles," Trebol proclaimed. He pushed the dirty little things up at Doflamingo. "And they're made out of leather! Try them on."

Doflamingo peered at the stained looking goggles and pulled in his lips to keep himself from smiling. They did look pretty cool.

"See, he likes them. I can tell."

"Whatever. The only people who wear goggles are those geeks who watch those Japanese cartoon," Diamante muttered, lisping every other word.

"Do giant robots count as Japanese?" Doflamingo asked, picking up the goggles.

Despite being in horrendous condition the goggles looked nice. For several seconds Doflamingo forgot the reason he had felt so upset, so confused and hurt, and he took the goggles and examined the worn harness that was barely keeping things together.

"I think they look cool," Doflamingo said.

"Dude, nobody looks cool wearing those," Diamante said.

"Watch me change the direction of today's current flock of sheep," Doflamingo said, quickly stuffing the goggles down his pants.

From out of nowhere Pica's lightly whispered, "Doffy, isn't that stealing?"

"Stop being so Mormon and live a little," Diamante responded.

"Seriously," Doflamingo said, grinning at their largest member. "You already had a coffee and a cigarette the other day. No point in trying to save my soul when you're already damned."

He laughed, but was suddenly reminded of how he had learned to steal. The several seconds had passed and Doflamingo was thinking about him again.

It was all Crocodile's fault.

"Why the long face?" Pica asked.

Doflamingo looked up and the taller boy hovering above him and shook his head.

"Those must have been some sunglasses," he heard Pica comment.

Doflamingo frowned. "They were."

"But the goggles look nice," Diamante quickly added.

"I thought you said they were dumb?" Trebol asked, leaning against the taller boy.

Diamante shrugged, pushing Trebol off of him. "Don't be fucking retarded!" He snapped back into place and gave Doflamingo a sincere look. "Whatever, they'll probably look cool on you. If you like them, that's what counts, right? Sunglasses out, goggles in."

Doflamingo smiled. "Thanks." His mind could not leave the sunglasses. He couldn't pull away from the many memories of snatching foods and drinks and nick-knacks and all other sorts of small treasures. He kept going right back to Crocodile. Fucking Crocodile.

Doflamingo grabbed on to a shirt that was handed to him, not thinking as he let his long fingers dig into the fabric. He heard Trebol make a comment about something. People were moving forward. Doflamingo couldn't feel his own legs and the thrift store was too hot and the goggles were pressing against him in a very uncomfortable manner.

Where did the gun come from? Doflamingo asked himself a few times over in order to detract from the main problem. How did someone like Crocodile get a gun? A question that was closer to what was really bothering Doflamingo, but still not the true issue at hand.

Why does Crocodile not "Ah-ah-ah-no!"

"Holy shit," Diamante said. Doflamingo felt hands grab hold of his shoulder, reeling him back into reality. "Are you ok?" the taller boy asked.

"What?" Doflamingo asked.

"Your goggles fell down your pants!" Pica somehow whispered loudly.

"Man, you look pale," Diamante continued. He felt another hand reach forward and place itself above Doflamingo's forehead. "Are you feeling alright?

"He's not warm," he heard Trebol say.

"You sick or something?" Pica asked.

Everyone was staring at him. They all looked incredibly nervous. Doflamingo wanted to back away and yell at them. He couldn't understand why they were staring at him. He was the normal one! There was no reason to stare at him. This wasn't his fault. It was all Crocodile. Him. It. Whatever the hell Crocodile was supposed to be.

Doflamingo frowned, eyes turning into sharp slits as he stared down his friends.

"It's rude to stare," he muttered.

Trebol pouted. "Eh?"

"You look sick," Diamante responded. "Sorry for giving a shit."

Doflamingo looked off to the entrance of the store. He wasn't sure why he felt so compelled at this very moment to find the bastard and kill him. Remove all trace of this horrible memory from ever existing. It wasn't like Crocodile was a part of his life anymore, and yet Doflamingo had never felt so disgusted, so angry, hurt…betrayed.

"I-I-I….I need a shovel."

"Shit, maybe he is sick," Pica said. In any other situation hearing that high-pitched voice say such a thing would have been worth celebrating over.

"Doffy," Trebol said, getting uncomfortably close to the younger boy, "why do you think you need a shovel?"

-Now-

Doflamingo sometimes wondered where Vergo spent his free time. He took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh scent of the pillow that was as clean as the day it was bought. It was clear that his right hand man was not spending the majority of his time in this "home."

"I should move in with you," he heard Monet mutter through the blankets.

"I'm in a committed relationship," Doflamingo responded.

"I don't care about that," the young woman said. She uncovered herself and peered over at Doflamingo with a Cheshire smile. "Caesar can be quite a handful to deal with. Can you imagine my situation?"

"Just tell him what I did to you a few minutes ago. He'll leave you alone."

Monet frowned, letting half her face become covered in blanket again. Doflamingo shrugged, letting his arms wrap around his pillow.

"If I let you stay at my place…" Doflamingo sighed into the sheets, "I think I might very well lose track of what I'm supposed to do."

"This person?" Monet asked.

"It's a long distance thing. I gotta find him and–"

"–him?"

Doflamingo wasn't the least bit surprised by the disappointment in her voice. He was beginning to feel sleepy. He let his arms wrap around the cool side of the pillow before smirking and relishing in his private glory.

"Don't worry. You can still donate. Just keep your mouth shut about it."

"You never took me as a fan of the male form."

"I'm a connoisseur of many things."

Monet leaned over the bed and made a quick grab for her top. Doflamingo could feel the sleep just around the corner.

"Please tell me this man was worth my hands getting stained with coke?"

Doflamingo laughed into his pillow. "You have no idea what this man accomplished! What he means to me."

At this point the young woman had left the bed and was lurking around the room, trying to figure out where Doflamingo had hidden her undergarments. He closed his eyes as he listened to Monet's movements. After everything that had just occurred he couldn't help but feel some need to attach himself to another human being. He stretched his legs and tried to imagine what impossible meant in such a chaotic world, where a person could literally become whatever they so desired.

He looked up and stared at Monet's nervous expression.

"Your panties," he muttered.

"What?"

"Right underneath my foot," he said with a smirk. Doflamingo kicked up the blanket and watched Monet quickly grab her soft undergarments from him. He was a little upset when he saw how calm she was.

"Tell me," she said as she continued to dress herself, "what are we going to be achieving again?"

"The impossible," Doflamingo replied.

"What is impossible?"

"Your dreams. My dreams," Doflamingo replied. He sank back into the bed. "I want to become a god. To you. To everyone. To him…especially him."

"That is quite the dream," Monet commented. She nudged him. "Why impossible? And where did you put my bra?"

"Impossible is just societies way of hoping we don't aim high," Doflamingo said, once again lifting his head up so that Monet could hear him clearly. "The world doesn't want you to know that anything is possible. How terrible would it be if people took hold of true power and did as they please?"

"There would be chaos."

Doflamingo chuckled. "Exactly." He moved his arms from underneath the pillow down to his side. From within the tangled sheets he managed to pull out a sky blue bra. Monet plucked it from his tight grip without saying a word.

"He did it," Doflamingo added. "He proved to me that nothing is really impossible. You can become anything."

"So you want to be god?"

"At the very least, I want to live like one. I think I would gladly settle for him seeing me as a god though."

Containment. The ultimate goal was to contain that powerful force. Wherever Crocodile was Doflamingo knew he would find him, contain him, and finally, control him. He had to. Crocodile opened the door to the chaotic world. Crocodile owned the key. Doflamingo had to take it back.

"You sound obsessive," Monet commented.

"You'd be too if there was a chance your goal might never be accomplished," Doflamingo responded. He sighed. "Every day that goes by without proof of him existing is a sign that I might have already run out of time. I have to find him. I need to hurry."

"Do you think Kaido will speed things up?"

"If we get our name out in the market, sure," Doflamingo replied. He reached out and grabbed his sunglasses, placing them on his face. He knew rest was needed, but his heart rate would no longer allow it. All of this thinking about Crocodile made him too anxious. He sighed again and wished there was something to distract himself with.

"Rest," he heard Monet whisper. Her soothing accent made his heart skip a few beats. He knew it would only begin to ache more.

"I can't," he answered back rather loudly.

"You look tired."

Doflamingo turned and faced the younger woman. "It's impossible to sleep when you're reminded of what a fool you were."

-Then-

He found the gun.

Crocodile must have hoped that Doflamingo would never return. No, Doflamingo was sure the older teen had relied on that horrific scene to be the wall that would ultimately separate the two of them indefinitely.

It took two days. Two days of sweating out in the smoldering heat of the desert. His hands were red and raw, wet from blisters forming and bursting from intense, never-ending digging. Hours wasted from digging up a hole that he hoped was in the right spot. Unfortunately the desert during the day looked very different from the desert during the night. Tire tracks and ash were blown away, a result of Doflamingo being so foolish to take two weeks to realize what a fool he had been.

He was an idiot. A fucking idiot.

Doflamingo's hands shook as he held the weapon. He kept looking around the isolated scenery, making extra sure that the cactus or boulder was not a potential interloper. He placed the gun back inside the box, trying his best to think of a way to safely transport the gun without risking injury to himself.

Doflamingo picked up the handgun. He knew nothing about such weapons. He placed it back in the box and trembled with frustration. He picked the handgun up again. He was sure there was a safety trigger of some sort. He thought about how Crocodile had so carelessly held the gun in his hands without so much as a thought to those around him. He almost threw the gun back into the shoebox before accidently pushing something, releasing the chamber and spilling bullets all over the sand.

Doflamingo tossed the gun away out of he realized he had not almost killed himself he crawled over and picked up the bullets one by one, filling his pockets as he thought about the horrific scene from more than two weeks ago.

Where was Crocodile? Doflamingo sat down on the hot sand, his blistered hands burning as each grabbed on to a handful of the dry earth.

He simply could not understand. Doflamingo did not understand. It was something he had never heard of. Something he could not have ever fathomed.

He looked over to the split pistol that lay on the desert floor just a few feet away from him. The boy wondered whom Crocodile had planned to kill. He guessed that whatever Crocodile was might have had something to do with it. He thought more about it and remembered Mihawk being part of that mysterious discussion.

He frowned. He was sure Mihawk must have known this awful secret. There was no way, with the way Mihawk had acted over the few years he had known him, that Mihawk was unaware of the sick truth. He knew and acted like it was nothing!

He looked back at the gun.

What was Crocodile?

Doflamingo cupped his sore hands together as the question circled his mind. The dry winds pushed his thin body to the side. He was in pain. He kept his focus on the terrifying question that he wanted to answer.

Obviously Crocodile had to be…male. Crocodile didn't look like a girl. He didn't act like a girl. Doflamingo had seen Crocodile's chest. There was no way he could be a girl!

But what he had felt…

Doflamingo raised his hands up in the air, his face red while he tried to calm himself down and bring his breathing back to a normal pace.

But what if Crocodile was a-a-a-female? What if something like that could exist? It sounded impossible, but for some reason Doflamingo couldn't let it go! The more his mind lingered on the idea the more he felt that he was closer to the truth.

Doflamingo stood up and picked the gun and all it's remaining contents from the sandy ground, shaking off the few particles from the weapon and deciding for himself that this precious treasure would now belong to him. At least until he could get the answers he so desperately craved.

Why did he need to know the answer? There was no reason for him to return to that hell that was Crocodile. Why did Doflamingo feel the need to count the bullets in his pockets? Killing Crocodile would solve nothing. Why did his chest ache so damn much whenever he thought about that freak of nature?

The boy reached into his back pocket and pulled out the remaining change he had on him. It was enough to get him back home. It was enough for him to get to Crocodile's place. It was not enough for both.

Doflamingo knew better this time. He understood that he could turn back and spend the rest of his days with his real friends. He could go back and invite everyone over to his house. They could play games and sneak in some smokes, maybe even a few drinks if they were careful.

For some reason Doflamingo chose the worst decision to be made yet. He went ahead and placed the gun in his backpack, picked up the shovel and made his way to the bus stop that would eventually take him to see Crocodile.

It was nearing ninety degrees and he was shivering.

And yet you did not cry.

Doflamingo stared heavily at the front door, his fingers grabbing on to his clothes as he guessed the likelihood of Crocodile being inside and waiting for him just to knock. His insides burned and twisted with nervousness. He planted the shovel on the front lawn, knowing full well he might very well hit Crocodile if he had the chance.

He reminded himself what he was going to do. First off, he was not going to shoot Crocodile right in the head. That would be mean and wrong and would probably get him sent off to jail or something. Instead he would use the gun as leverage. Crocodile had valuable information that Doflamingo wished to possess and he was sure the gun was something Crocodile did not want to fall into the wrong, corrective officer's hands.

He hesitantly pushed the doorbell.

After a few seconds of waiting the door opened.

Lo and behold! It was Crocodile.

Doflamingo felt his jaw slowly drop as he stared up at the older boy. His face was still covered in bandage, though there was far less. There was just enough for Doflamingo to recognize the young man in front of him, but so much to let him know that something permanent had occurred.

There was definitely no going back now.

"Croco-"

The door slammed in front of him with enough force for Doflamingo to feel a cool breeze of air hit him in the face.

He stared blankly at the door, somehow surprised by Crocodile reaction. Yeah, it was pretty damn rude of Crocodile to close the door on him, without even letting him finish what he was going to say! Idiot. Sure, he had said a few things, things that were incredibly hurtful, but did it really warrant that reaction?

"Crocodile!" Doflamingo yelled at the door. "Open the door!"

But of course the door did not open. It never did.

"Crocodile!" This time he yelled up, in off chance Crocodile might have slipped up into his room. Or it's room. Whatever Crocodile was. This was his entire fault by the way.

"Crocodile!"

The back of his throat actually tingles from that last yell.

Open the door! I know you're in there!"

Luckily most passersby's were in their car, completely unaware of what an ass Doflamingo was making himself. Even Doflamingo could feel his face burning with some embarrassment. He wanted nothing more than to pull out the gun and shoot at the door.

"Crocodile!"

He grit his teeth. He kicked at the door. He stomped at the floor. He paced about the porch as he thought about his options.

He could call Crocodile out. He could blab his mouth and tell every stranger about what he had felt between Crocodile legs.

Doflamingo glared at the door. He knew he could make Crocodile's life absolutely miserable. But that wasn't what he wanted from Crocodile. He needed the young man to open the door. To let him inside the house. To be willing.

"Crocodile!" Doflamingo yelled out, "I have it! You know? It? I have it in my back pack!"

There was no response, but Doflamingo took into consideration on how vague the remark was and continued, "I found it in the dessert. Mihawk didn't do a very good job hiding it!"

How did he do it?

Doflamingo huffed at the door. It wasn't fair. How did Crocodile do this? How did he make something like that happen?

"I'll tell everyone!" he screamed.

There was no response. He was sure Crocodile wouldn't risk jumping fence right now. Doflamingo stared intensely at the barrier in front of him.

"Crocodile!"

"Crocodile!"

"Crocodile, I'll never leave!"

-Now-

The phone was ringing. Doflamingo could hear it through the echoes of water hitting his skin and the tile flooring.

He imagined it was either Baby 5 or Gladius calling to confirm their arrival in the south. From this point onward it mean two separate things; Baby 5 locating and eventually returning back with Pica, and Gladius purchasing the proper materials to continue the smuggling. Hopefully things would continue smoothly for the next few days until Gladuis' departure to the east.

There was a loud knock on the door.

"Give me a minute!" Doflamingo yelled. He stood under the hot water and ran a hand through his hair, trying to hurry and get rid of any remaining shampoo.

Another loud knock, this time harder and with less patience.

Doflamingo frowned. Had things not gone according to plan? It was extremely unlikely. He wondered if Baby 5 had located Pica and decided to cal to inform him of the god news?

Then, without his approval, the door quickly opened, Vergo walking right into the steamy room with a phone in his hand.

"Sir!" Vergo exclaimed, the phone in his hand smacking the glass wall in front of Doflamingo face. "We have an issue."

"What?" Doflamingo said.

"It's Gladius."

That was not the name Doflamingo wanted to hear. He turned the shower off and slid the glass door open, grabbing the phone from Vergo and bringing it up to his wet ears.

"What the fuck is going on?" Doflamingo said into the phone. He wiped his face of any soapy residue as he listened to the very frantic sounds of heavy breathing.

"Oh-ho! Hey, Doffy, look…"

He was panicking. Gladius was panicking in the middle of an airport.

"Gladius," Doflamingo said into the phone, "I need you to calm down and tell me what the hell is going on." He listened to breathing slow down. "Remember where you are," he said, his voice lowering, and continued, "You need to appear cool and collected."

"Right." Doflamingo heard something in the background of the noise. Movement. Gladuis was moving. "Right, look, here's the thing; I got separated from the girls."

"You and the girls got separated?" Doflamingo looked over to Vergo, and down at his naked wet body, and turned red. "Then go to the help desk and ask for them!"

"That's just it…when I found them..." Gladuis paused, taking in deep breaths.

"Gladius?"

"When I found them…they weren't alone."

No. Oh no.

"They were with this woman," Gladius spoke with a tremble. "A young well dressed woman. Definitely not a local…and then she took them away."

No. No. No.

"Sir?" Vergo asked.

Doflamingo paled. He leaned against the wall as he held on to the heavy phone in his hand.

"I've been following them, but the woman…I think she might be on to me."

"Doflamingo?" Vergo called.

"I don't know if she's with border control or the police…she looks so young, but somehow she knows what's going on…Doffy? Dude, what do I–"

Doflamingo threw the phone on the wet, tiled floor. He jumped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, turned around and turned the water back on, watching the phone flicker once before hanging up on the call.

"Doflamingo?" he heard Vergo say right behind him. He turned and stared back at the older man, not concerned that fear was leaking through his movements, his expression.

Doflamingo blinked, barely aware of the warm, soapy droplets of water falling down his face.

"Vergo," he muttered.

"Sir, what do we do?"

Doflamingo bit his lower lip. What was there to do? Literally the worse thing that could happen had just happened, and it happened thousands of miles away where he could do nothing.

And Kaido was waiting.

"Ha…"

Vergo took a step forward, an arm extended and ready to grab Doflamingo at any moment.

"Fufufu…shit!"

"Doffy?"

Doflamingo grabbed ahold of himself. A hand moved up to cover the disappointment that was certainly radiating from his face. He forced a trembling grin to appear as he thought, over and over, how close he had come, how far he still had to go.

"Fufufu. Game over. I've lost. Fufufufu!"

-End Part 1-

-Then-

In over ninety-degree weather, only a fool would stand out in the middle of a shade less front lawn and scream their energy out. An irrational, unintelligent, overemotional fool.

"Crocodile!"

Doflamingo was all of these. A stupid, ignorant, spoiled little brat that never knew the pain of missing something. The poor little prince discovers that a secret was kept from him, and now suddenly there's an impossible argument.

"Crocodile!"

In the house it was a barely bearable eighty. Anyone trapped inside would feel the sweat from anxiety and newly discovered nervousness building as the stupid boy outside continued to send threats.

"Crocodile, I'll never leave!"

Crocodile rested his head against the wall. The pain medication he had taken prior was beginning to wear, and the pain was starting to break through the stitches.

He stared apprehensively at the guarded window, listening to that boy's screams.

There was reason to believe the boy.

There were reasons to keep quiet and hope that he would simply leave. Give up. Always.

And yet there was this dizziness, nausea, and pained ache that spread throughout his being. He could feel his heart practically beating against his ribcage. He could not get up from the floor that he had sank into and walk away, back into his room. The room was beginning to appear smaller. Things were at a tilt. Crocodile could not bear to keep his eyes open.

"Crocodile! Pretty please, open the door!"

The feeling that spread throughout him. It was familiar. He had felt it before.

"Crocodile, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I said those things! I was sc–––please open the door!"

Trapped.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I did a quick read through this so hopefully most mistakes were picked up. Please leave any comments in the form of a review!