Chapter 13
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, but Kyra was my idea.
Law very quietly eases open the door to his magician's chambers, stepping in and gently sealing the portal shut behind him. The slight chill in the room brings goosebumps to his flesh as he is dressed only in the long lounge pants he sleeps in, leaving his arms and chest bare. Movement in the corner on the other side of the empty bed draws his attention to Bepo, sitting on the floor with someone snuggled in his lap. Grinning faintly,the Dark Doctor moves to sit on the edge of the mattress, running long fingers through his naturally messy hair as he takes in the cute little picture before him. Kyra is dead to the world, curled up against Bepo with one of her hands tangled in a fistful of fur and the other crushing a pillow to her chest.
"It's like she's hibernating, Captain," Bepo tells him in a rumbling whisper. His point is proven when the girl doesn't so much as twitch at the noise, merely continues to draw the even breaths of oblivion.
"I need her awake. If she doesn't clean up the mess she made in the galley last night before Neil gets up, he's likely to come in here and try something foolish." Law's voice is just as quiet as his first mate's and garners the same reaction from the subject of the conversation.
Bepo shifts ever so slightly. It takes a moment before his captain realizes that the bear is now almost hiding Kyra from view with the way his limbs are positioned, and the low vibration in his ears is doubtlessly a growl. If not for the fact that he knows Bepo would never growl at him in such a manner, he would be quite angered at this reaction.
"He smells dirty around her, Captain," the shy bear mumbles. "He's mean to her even though you told him to leave her alone. Kyra never says anything about it, but she doesn't like being near him."
Law sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face and wishing he had put his hat on before leaving his own room. He feels curiously bare without it, incomplete, and unable to focus on what exactly he should do about his chauvinistic cook disobeying his orders in regards to the girl yet again. He is the Surgeon of Death. He is more than capable of being cold, or merciless, or outright ruthless when the occasion calls for it. His crew knows perfectly well what the penalties are for continued disregard of orders, be they mundane or a matter of life and death. Neil is one of the men who have been with him from almost the start; he's had longer than most to accustom himself to the iron hand with which Law runs his crew. This repeated disobedience is unacceptable. Punishment of some form will have to be distributed lest the other men start to wonder if their captain is growing soft.
He will deal with his cook later. Right now he has a magician to wake up. Sliding off his perch on the mattress, Law squeezes between the wall and Bepo's shoulder before carefully slipping his fingers into Kyra's curls. Bepo promptly shifts again so that he can poke the girl in the ribs with a claw, earning a grunt from her as she starts to rouse.
"Kyra, Captain wants you to wake up," the bear informs his drowsy crewmate, who lifts her head rather blearily and attempts to look around. Her efforts are hampered by the fingers in her hair. Law carefully eases her head back so that she is forced to meet his eyes, not missing the way her entire body goes rigid when she sees him standing so close. He smirks at her, male ego slightly pleased that she feels so threatened by his proximity.
"You made a bit of a mess last night in the galley, Kyra," the doctor intones, watching the way her pretty blue eyes widen slightly before narrowing.
"Fine. I'll go clean it up now," Kyra replies, sounding rather subdued as she carefully extracts herself from Bepo's lap and Law's grasp. True to her word, the girl marches from the room without bothering to change out of her pajamas beforehand, leaving her bedroom door open after she exits. Law and his trusty first mate follow her to the ransacked galley, where she moves to stand by the table and surveys the damage. After a quick scan of the room, the pirates watch from the doorway as the magician raises a single hand and makes a wide sweeping gesture with that arm, looking tired and vaguely upset but not the least bit put-upon by the disaster zone she has to clean.
It becomes apparent why a scant second later. As soon as her arm has been swung through the air, things begin to lift from the floor and return themselves to their proper places. Dishes mend themselves while whisking back into their cabinets. Dented cans of food are as good as new when they land on vacated shelves in the cupboard. The spigot for the sink, which had shot through the air the night before along with a fountain of water that has long since dried, reattaches itself with barely a squeak. In less than a minute the galley is once again restored to its usual spotless condition, with even the busted light over the stove winking on for a few moments before Kyra walks over and switches it off. The girl sighs, running a hand through her hair as she glances in Law's direction.
"Anything else you need right this moment, Captain?" She sounds neither snarky nor sarcastic as she asks, merely half asleep and uncaring. Law notices that she is refusing to meet his eyes now that he isn't forcing her to, but brushes this off as unimportant.
"Not at the moment," he replies calmly, moving into the room and seating himself in the usual spot. Kyra apparently takes this as a dismissal and rather quickly leaves the room, sliding past Bepo with a muttered thanks. The fluffy creature turns to watch the girl retreat back to her room, not saying anything until she is well out of sight.
"She talks in her sleep, Captain."
Law studies the bear, his curiosity sparked. "What does she say?"
"Last night she kept talking to her mother. Something about someone calling her evil and not wanting to go back. She kept apologizing, saying she hadn't meant to kill him and asking her mother to forgive her." Bepo wrinkled his black nose as though smelling something unpleasant. "She cried a lot in her sleep, too. I'd hug her or growl a little and she would quiet down and grip my fur tighter. Last night's the first time since we left that woman island that she's gotten more than a couple of hours of sleep. I'm worried, Captain. Is there anything we can do?"
Law shakes his head. "I'm not a pyschologist. All we can do is keep an eye on her. Hopefully the nightmares will fade eventually. I don't want to give her sleeping pills; oftentimes all that accomplishes is trapping the patient in their nightmares and doing more harm than good. I'll see what I can find in my medical journals about treating insomnia, but I doubt there will be much there."
Bepo practically wilts, instantly depressed. "Yes, Captain."
The bear ambles off soon afterwards, leaving Law alone in the galley for a period of silent pondering before his magician stumbles back in with a muffled curse. Her arm seems to be stuck, bent at an odd angle as she tries to push it through the sleeve of the shirt she's wearing. Her wet locks are even more mussed than usual, probably from being hastily toweled to a reasonable dampness. Finally getting her arm to cooperate, the girl straightens her clothing and goes to the massive refrigerator without so much as a glance in her captain's direction, obviously unaware that he is still in the room.
Law dislikes being ignored almost as much as he loathes being ordered around. Smirking mischievously, he rises from his seat and quietly crosses to stand behind Kyra as she bends to rummage amongst the food, her whole head stuck inside the fridge. Bending with her, he puts his lips right next to her ear and whispers, "What are you looking for?"
He has to jerk back to avoid her head smacking into his chin as she straightens with a yelp, banging her crown in the process. Kyra snaps upright and whirls, eyes black as night. She pauses when she sees him, glowing orbs slowly returning to their natural color while the girl scowls.
"Eggs," she answers shortly, turning back to the fridge and reaching in to grab the carton of eggs off one of the shelves. Kyra has to back up to close the door, bumping into Law's bare chest as she does so and immediately going stiff as a board. The Dark Doctor grins, waiting for her to snap at him to back off or maybe to strike out at him with fists and magic. It is therefore rather surprising when she says nothing, merely steps sideways and pivots around him to head for the stove. Law's grin grows wider at this new turn, and he opens his mouth to say something only to be interrupted.
"When are we diving, Captain?" Kyra asks, crouching down to pull a skillet out of one of the bottom cabinets. Deciding that he would rather not risk a head injury if she swings the iron cudgel at him, Law retreats to the table and sits once again.
"After breakfast. It should only take a few hours to reach Fishman Island, barring unforeseen catastrophes. Don't forget that I want you in the control room with me."
His magician pauses with two eggs in hand, in the process of cracking them into a large bowl. "The cook won't be in there, will he?"
Law's lazily lidded eyes narrow at this question. Why is she asking about Neil? "Has he been bothering you?"
Kyra shrugs, focusing once again on the food cooking before her. "He's a prick. If I can avoid being stuck in a room with the man while attempting to keep us all from getting eaten by monsters, that would be great. If not then I'll deal with it."
That is not an adequate answer. This is the second time already today that Law has heard of Neil recently pestering the girl and he wants details. "Elaborate on the part where you called my cook a prick."
Kyra carefully flips the sizzling eggs as she replies. "Oh, I'm sure you've noticed that the guy doesn't like me. He's gone to a lot of trouble to make sure I'm also very aware of that fact. Mostly he's just a mouthy little bastard. 'Women can't cook worth shit', or 'women belong under a man, not next to him,' and he thinks all the stories about how dangerous I am are bullshit. He's convinced that the only reason you brought me here is so you can have a ready whore whenever you want one and a quick way to bring any of your guys that croak back to life. I think he's hoping that once you get tired of me you'll let him have me for a while."
Law is starting to get very, very unhappy. "Define 'mostly'."
His magician immediately clams up. The meal is prepared in silence, with Law watching from the table until place settings float over, at which time he leaves briefly to dress and retrieve his sword. The surgeon watches Kyra closely all throughout breakfast, during which time she speaks to Bepo or the few crewmembers who address her but ignores him with a vengeance. This does not improve his poor mood, but he refrains from overtly harassing her for the moment and spends the time concentrating on his meal. Once his crew has consumed the food and the mess has been cleared away, the Dark Doctor moseys over to his magician and slings an arm low around her waist. He uses this leverage to gently propel her in the direction of the control room, blithely ignoring her glare. One finger is stealthily inserted under the hem of her loose shirt, drawing a slight flinch from the girl when skin meets skin. Kyra mutters something sounding suspiciously like 'touchy bastard' under her breath as the pair enters the control room, but does not attempt to distance herself from her captain.
The bridge is currently empty but for Gable, who is hunched over a set of charts muttering to himself, and Neil. The cook is sitting off in a corner, gazing into space and looking half asleep. Law is somewhat surprised to see him, as it is still fairly early in the morning and Neil is not in the habit of rising before noon unless ordered to do so because of an emergency. These thoughts are derailed to be replaced by his earlier irritation when his magician comes on guard at the sight of the cook, a scowl marring her pretty features as she finally moves out of Law's reach to stand with her back against the wall directly to the right of the door. Neil rouses from his daydreaming and spots Kyra, a somewhat disturbing grin lifting the corners of his lips.
"Breakfast over then, girlie? Wanna come sit? My lap's awful cold, I would love it if you could warm it up for me." He pats his thighs in an inviting manner while leering at the girl, apparently unaware of the look Law is directing at him. This will never do, of course, so the irritated surgeon speaks up.
"Neil."
Neil's head immediately snaps in his captain's direction, face noticeably paling when he gets a good look at the Supernova's expression. It's obvious he failed to notice Trafalgar's arrival. "C-c-captain!"
"Leave her alone," Law orders, his voice icy cold. Neil flinches, possibly from the intensity of his captain's glare or from the chill in his captain's voice. "Don't make me repeat myself again. Do you understand?"
The cook nods, apparently unable to speak at the moment as he swallows convulsively.
"Out."
Neil is halfway down the hall before the word fades from the air in the control room, Kyra peering out the door watching him flee with a surprised look on her face. She turns back once the cook is out of site, raising an eyebrow at Law while looking vaguely impressed.
"Damn, Law. You've got him absolutely scared shitless of you. What's your secret? I figured he'd be afraid of me after that first time I threw him across the galley, but that doesn't seem to have worked. I don't really want to kill him, since he's your underling and I'm not usually in the habit of killing pirates unless they try to off me first. You got some kind of technique you use to terrify people?" she asks, sounding perfectly serious. The Surgeon of Death smiles charmingly at her, amused by her reaction.
"Now where would be the fun in telling you the answer to that?" he mocks her teasingly, strolling over to the captain's chair and plopping down. "Don't worry; I'll be here to protect you until you figure it out. Gable?"
Over Kyra's indignant sputterings, the navigator replies with a slightly distracted "Yes, Captain?"
"It's time to dive. Inform the crew and take us down."
"Aye, Captain."
"Kyra, now is as good a time as any to put up a shield around the sub. I'd rather not take any chances at getting surprised by a Sea King."
His magician mutters something too low for him to hear, but a translucent shield immediately spreads out in front of him. He watches through the wrap-around observation window as the protective bubble extends roughly twenty feet beyond the sub before stopping, hovering over his craft with nary a ripple. Gable putters around the room, altering this and turning that until the sub slowly begins to move. They go forward a ways, picking up speed until they are fairly cutting through the water. Once the navigator is satisfied with their speed the vessel sinks beneath the waves, protective bubble still wrapped around it.
Law smiles, immensely satisfied to be below the surface once again. This is where he belongs, here in the growing gloom and the silent emptiness. The depths of the sea fill him with a quiet pleasure unattainable anywhere else. If not for his crew's need for fresh air and sunlight, the Dark Doctor would happily spend every moment of every day for the rest of his life submerged. Bepo once said that Law would have been much more content with his life had he been born a merman or some type of dangerous fish; that way he would not have to be seperated from the sea by the thick steel walls of his sub, but could become one with the waters that he has long called his home. The Four Blues, the Grand Line, the New World - wherever it may be, the sea is the sea, and it is there that Law is at peace.
Neither Gable nor Kyra says anything as they sink further and further, any light penetrating the water slowly growing fainter the deeper they go. Law watches with interest as Sea Kings of all sizes bounce off of his magician's shield like they ran into a brick wall, with no visible damage done to the shield no matter how large the offending monster. Deep under the surface, the sub passes through a valley of underwater volcanoes that should have made the temperature skyrocket; nothing happens. He remembers what she said about nothing being able to penetrate it, not men or bullets or cannon balls, and is pleased to see proof that she had not been exaggerating.
"What are your plans once we reach Fishman Island, Kyra?" he asks her lazily after several hours of silent travel, slouched low in his seat with his hands folded over his belly. There is a pause before the girl replies, her confused and slightly wary voice when she does so explaining why.
"I don't know. I guess I'll go wander around? How long are you going to stay here?"
He shrugs, not particularly worried about setting up a schedule for this trip. "Don't worry about it. I'm not going to leave you behind. In fact -" - and here Law grins to himself, knowing just how receptive to this idea his magician is going to be - "- I think I'll just join you. Ladies shouldn't be walking around an unfamiliar place unescorted, after all. I'd hate for you to get lost or hurt."
"Fucker," Kyra mutters, just a little too loudly for Law to miss it. His grin grows wider at her predictable annoyance.
This is going to be a rather enjoyable trip.
This is going to suck majorly.
Kyra grits her teeth in annoyance and pain, the headache that started hours ago pounding with the beat of her heart as that annoying bastard Law speaks to his men. Her discomfort comes from the fact that the aforementioned bastard has taken the liberty of once again slinging a possessive arm low around her waist, his tattooed fingers worming their way beneath her shirt and stroking absently at her skin. The fucking cook has noticed, of course, and is currently leering at Kyra from his place amongst the rest of the crew where he listens to his captain warn them not to do anything stupid.
They have finally arrived at Fishman Island, completely unscathed owing to Kyra's magical intervention. As thanks she has been given what might be turning into a miniature migraine and the promise of Law's constant company while she wanders around the island. She's starting to wonder if she shouldn't have just let one of the numerous monsters between Saboady and this underwater haven eat the damn sub - death being preferable to the Dark Doctor's exclusive company after the shit he tried to pull last night.
Well, if she's doomed to be stuck in the man's presence then she's at least going to get rid of the literal headache. Coating one hand in white healing magic, the cranky sorceress puts her palm to her forehead and concentrates on soothing the feeling of a dozen clubs simultaneously beating her over the noggin. The relief is instant and wonderful, pulling a sigh from Kyra's lips that has Law's attention shifting to her. She glares at him, attempting to step out of his hold and failing for the umpteenth time as he smiles.
"Eager to explore are we, my magician?" he asks. The crew actually titters like idiot girls at his pet name for her, sounding distinctly unmanly for a group of bloodthirsty pirates.
"I would be if it weren't for you, bastard," is Kyra's sullen reply, followed by a scowl at the ensuing laughter. In response the hats of every crewmember are all abruptly jammed down hard over their faces, drawing more than a couple of surprised yelps as the blinded men fight to lift their stuck headwear. Law simply grins as he pushes his furry hat back into its proper position, his fingers beating out a random rhythm against her side.
"Dismissed, men," he says to the gathered crew, waving them off with his free hand. "Have fun."
Everyone immediately bolts with shouts of joy. Only the giant man called Jambarl and the lead mechanic Haru are to remain on the sub, having volunteered to do so in order to keep watch while their crewmates go exploring. Neither man is inclined to join in, and so took the lookout job with no regrets. Kyra wonders briefly as she is shepherded off the sub whether Law will allow her to stay behind if she says she's changed her mind about exploring. From the possessive way he's got her pressed up against his side, she sincerely doubts it. At least Bepo is still here; the quiet polar bear walks on her side opposite from Law, carrying his captain's nodachi in his paws and looking around the strange subsea island in gape-mouthed awe.
Kyra can't blame him for such a reaction. The place is amazing, not least because of the sky above them with its clouds drifting lazily on a nonexistent breeze. Fishman Island is one-hundred thousand meters below the surface - how the hell is there a sky at all? And light? The place is as sunny as the area around Saboady where the Heart Pirates have floated for the past two weeks. Considering this island is sitting on the ocean floor, that fact is rather cool.
The people bustling around them as the trio moves deeper into the island are weird yet fascinating. Everyone seems to be in a hurry to get to their separate destinations, rushing around with their heads lowered and their eyes fixed to the ground as though afraid to make eye contact with anyone else. Tiny mer-children perched on bubbles like those on Saboady are dragged along behind their fishman mothers, with miniature fishmen hustling to keep up with bubble-riding mermen fathers. Law cuts a lazy path through the small crowd, going in a seemingly random direction as Kyra and Bepo follow silently after him. Everyone rushes to get out of his way as though terrified of him.
"Where should we go first, Kyra?" the captain inquires calmly, not seeming to notice the looks others are giving him as he moseys along.
"You pick," Kyra replies shortly, eyes darting around in search of threats. She doesn't understand why these people are acting like this. Why are they so afraid of the three pirates? Surely pirate crews are a regular fixture to Fishman Island - the place is the only way for anyone to enter the New World. What's the big deal?
As if on cue a scream pierces the tense air, sending the mixed crowd on the street near the docks into a panicked frenzy. In seconds the area resembles a ghost town, not a living soul in sight aside from the three Heart Pirates. Bepo moves closer to Kyra, knocking into her and pushing her over until she is pressed against Law's side. The surgeon loses no time in pulling her closer still with the arm that seems to always be slung low around her waist, squeezing her across the belly until she huffs at the tightness. Unsure what is going on, uncomfortable and very aware of the rumbling warning growls rolling out of the bear's chest, the sorceress cautiously throws up a shield to offer an unbreakable layer of protection. Law's grip loosens slightly once the shield has surrounded them, his head cocking curiously to the side as another cry for help tears through the otherwise silent area.
From out of a dark alley a short ways in front of them comes a group of men, dragging what is plainly a young mermaid between them. The pretty blond fantasy screams and cries as the men hustle closer, thrashing around in a fruitless attempt to free herself. The men are clearly pirates, all of them wearing matching bandanas with the same Jolly Roger.
"Someone help me! Please! I don't want to be a slave!" the mermaid wails, her blue tail wiggling wildly in spite of the two different pairs of arms wrapped around it.
Without stopping to think, Kyra raises a hand and sweeps it in a flourishing 'come here' gesture. The screeching beauty is instantly yanked from the grasps of her captors and brought floating through the air, passing through the mage's shield and coming to a stop resting gently in her arms. The kidnappers stare with their jaws dragging the ground in awe. A slight nudge of an elbow to his ribs is enough to have Law release her, allowing her to bend and carefully set the weeping mermaid on the ground. Stepping over the girl, Kyra passes through her shield and immobilizes the pirates before her with a wiggle of a pinky. They are forced to stand still as statues while the furious sorceress marches over to the man closest to her, where she wraps both hands around his rather scrawny neck.
"I fucking hate slavers," Kyra snarls. Magic flares in her hands as she rips the man's head from his shoulders while his buddies watch. She tosses the head aside as the body falls backwards to the ground and turns to Law, raising an eyebrow in inquiry.
"Can I kill them, Captain?" she asks, sounding to herself as nonchalant as though asking after the weather. A grin tugs at the man's thin lips; an inclination of the head is all the reply he gives.
The remaining kidnappers all simultaneously explode. Kyra's magic shields her from flying limbs and blood splatters, though the buildings on either side of the empty street are not so lucky. The rescued mermaid screams again and sobs louder than ever, curling into herself with her hands over her head as though to protect it from an oncoming blow. The black-haired killing machine isn't sure why the hell she's so upset now, seeing as how her kidnappers have been permanently dealt with, but figures it's probably just shock.
Snapping her fingers, she dispels her shields and saunters back over to her captain and Bepo, crouching down in front of the mermaid and reaching out to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. It is withdrawn rather quickly when it is met by an even louder wail that makes Kyra's ears ring.
"What the hell?" she mumbles, standing up and shooting a questioning look at Law. The sadistic surgeon looks rather bored now that nobody's blowing up, giving her a shrug as if to say 'What are you looking at me for? Saving her was your idea'.
Asshole.
"Um... excuse me, Ms. Mermaid?" Kyra asks rather hesitantly, feeling foolish as she gently nudges the sobbing figure with her foot. "They're dead now. You're safe."
The mermaid pays her no mind and simply continues bawling into her tail. Bepo's ears are now lying flat against his furry head, his nose scrunched up at the shrill noise. The bear cautiously takes a subtle step away from the golden-haired banshee so that he stands partially behind his amused captain. Law merely starts chuckling.
Kyra's beginning to feel rather panicky. Why is the mermaid still crying? She's just been saved from possible slavery, shouldn't that make her happy? What the hell should Kyra do now? Shit, she's pants at all this emotional stuff - being a lab rat under a sadist for so many years put her in the habit of suppressing emotions that weren't rage of some kind. Sure, she's better now than she was say three years ago, but give her a sobbing woman of any species and she's completely lost.
"P-p-please! Please don't kill me!" the pretty mermaid suddenly wails, uncurling enough to fling herself at Kyra and wrapping her arms around the baffled mage's knees. "I DON'T WANNA DIE! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME LIKE THAT!"
Why the hell would Kyra have saved the mermaid if she had been planning on killing her? Apparently mermaid logic is not the same as human logic - or maybe this one is simply stupid. One or the other.
"Look, Ms. Mermaid... lady, I'm not going to kill you," the sorceress says rather loudly, trying to make herself heard over the sobbing and her ass of a captain's chortling. "I don't kill women. Please stop bawling and...could you please let go of me?"
Amazingly, the mermaid abruptly stops weeping and lifts her face out of Kyra's thighs to look up at the human woman. The smile on her face stretches from ear to ear, reminding the three pirates of a certain rubber idiot of their acquaintance.
"Really?" the mermaid cheers, her mood having done a complete turnaround from seconds before. Kyra can only nod, marveling at the weirdness of this whole encounter.
At that instant a swarm of fish-and-mer folk descend upon her, effectively knocking her to the ground and hiding both sorceress and recently rescued mermaid from view. They disperse as abruptly as they appeared, the mermaid gone with them and Kyra flat on her back with a bewildered expression on her face. What the hell just happened?
"Did I just get mob-stomped?" she blurts out, much to the vocal amusement of Law.
"It would seem so," he replies as Kyra gets back to her feet, dusting off her clothing and looking around suspiciously.
"What the hell," she mutters, stuffing her hands deep into the pockets of her trousers as the trio continues on down the once again deserted streets. "This place is weird. Why was everyone acting so paranoid?"
"Perhaps you should try harder to keep up with the current events of the world, Kyra," Law drawls, mockery so thick in his voice it's a miracle he doesn't choke on it.
"Are you going to be a bigger jackass than usual, or are you going to explain what the hell that means?"
"Fishman Island is one of the islands that was formerly under the protection of the Whitebeard Pirates. As you may recall, Whitebeard died at Marineford, which means his defenseless territories are now free game. Nobody was stupid enough to try kidnapping anyone from this place before his death, but without his protection these people are living targets."
Kyra scowls, her anger building with each word Law speaks. Of course. She knew this was going to happen the moment she saw Whitebeard's corpse. Thanks to that...that...fucking monster who'd killed him, the world is already plunging headfirst into the early stages of chaos. People like the inhabitants of this island are having their lives turned upside down, getting kidnapped and sold to the highest bidder because they are different and exotic. How many others like the mermaid she just saved have already disappeared?
And how the hell can Law talk about stuff like that so fucking calmly? Is the man completely indifferent to the suffering of those who are not members of his crew?
"That fucker," Kyra hisses, hands balling into fists in her pocket. "I should have killed him. Fucking bastard."
"Who should you have killed?" the laidback surgeon at her side inquires, glancing at her from the corner of his icy eye.
"That guy. The one who did in the old man. I was going to kill him at Marineford, but that dumb bastard Shanks stopped me."
She is abruptly pulled to a halt by the hand that appears on her elbow. Looking back in confusion, her eyes scan the shadows beneath her captain's fur hat in an attempt to see his eyes. "Law?"
"You fought Blackbeard?"
Confused as to why the man sounds fairly pissed off all of a sudden, Kyra carefully coaxes her magic into shielding just enough to free her arm so that she can take a cautious step away. "Fat tub of lard, lots of kinky black hair and beard, missing several teeth? I didn't exactly ask for his name. I was going to kill him, but the Yonkuo Red-Haired Shanks showed up and stopped me. I probably wouldn't have lived very long if I had harpooned the fatass; I was pretty much drained to the dregs by the time he showed up, anyway. After Shanks got me to stop I teleported to your - hey!"
Law's hand shoots out towards Kyra's face. She manages to dodge this unexpected attack, annoyed when she gestures at him in an attempt to freeze his muscles and nothing happens. He's attacking her and still her damn magic won't hurt him? Traitorous thing. He's so damn fast; it's hardly a surprise when he manages to grab her by the front of her shirt and drag her towards him until only an inch or less seperates their noses.
"Do you have a death wish?" the Dark Doctor hisses at her through clenched teeth. "Do you realize what kind of danger you put yourself in by engaging someone like Blackbeard in a fight?"
"Hey, I could have taken him!" Kyra fires back hotly, insulted that Law actually thinks she could lose in a fight against that pathetic excuse of a man. "What's your problem?"
Law pushes her away, watching dispassionately as she stumbles backwards a few steps before straightening up and glaring at him. "Jackass!"
Said jackass stalks past her without another word, leaving her to scramble along behind with the confused bear. Bepo hasn't said a word since leaving the sub, nor had he interrupted that little spat. Kyra remembers how protective the bear is every time that stupid cook so much as looks at her. Why is it different with Law?
She opens her mouth with every intention to ask, but never gets the chance as something strikes her in the back of the neck.
"Gotcha!" a voice shouts as Kyra stumbles, her vision immediately going fuzzy. She crashes into Bepo, grabbing onto his jumpsuit in an effort to steady herself as the ground seems to tilt crazily beneath her feet. Law is instantly at her side, snatching his long sword out of his first mate's grasp with a very unhappy look on his face.
"And what, gentlemen, do you think you are doing to my magician?" he inquires in a deadly quiet voice. Kyra would probably be impressed if she didn't feel so odd at the moment. Bringing up a shaking hand, she rubs at the back of her neck and pulls out whatever struck her, bringing it around in front of her to see a tiny dart. The ground suddenly lurches up towards her; only Bepo's quick actions keep her from face-planting.
"Captain, Kyra's hurt!" the bear exclaims in a frantic tone.
"Room."
Kyra vaguely registers the weird revving in her ears as she tries to stand up from being flopped in Bepo's arms. She hears the sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath, followed by the whistling of steel slicing through the air. Several voices start screaming somewhere behind her.
"Whazz - whazz goin' un?" she slurs out, tongue dragging like it now weighs a hundred pounds. It feels as though someone has stuffed cotton in her ears, as all the sounds around her are strangely muffled as her eyelids droop.
"Shambles."
The faraway screams kick up a notch while Bepo carefully scoops Kyra up to cradle her bridal style, his chest once again vibrating with a continuous stream of deep growls. She feels the bear swiftly start to back up and is momentarily confused - isn't Law currently killing people behind them? Shouldn't they be going forward?
"Whaddar ya doin'?" she attempts to insist. "Goin' da wrong way."
Screaming all around. Bepo's growls graduating into full-fledged roars. The weird lethargy that drags down her senses seemingly without regard to protective magic. All this combined should prevent her from picking out anything below the level of a scream.
It's only a whisper. There's no way she should be able to hear it.
But she does.
"Hello, lovey."
Gut-wrenching terror cuts through the strange fog in her head at the sound of that voice. Oh fuck no. Please no.
Expending a huge amount of effort, Kyra slowly manages to lift her head in the direction of the speaker. From the sound of it, the voice is coming from directly in front of them, possibly a few yards ahead now that the bear is scrambling furiously backwards. What she sees is enough to have clumsy hands scrabbling at the material of Bepo's jumpsuit, the sorceress' body shrinking into the bear's chest as he hugs her tighter and a keening wail pierces the ears of all around her.
Is he really there, in her head or out of it? No way to tell. With him, there isn't much of a difference anyway. He's dressed so casually. A t-shirt, jeans, boots. He always wears such normal, boring clothes. He's so forgettable too, with his plain brown hair, normal skin tone, well-maintained body. Just another face in the crowd, the kind of person that steps into a mob and disappears. Nothing that indicates who he is. Nothing to give away what he is. No uniform, no insignia, no badge.
Merrick. Here. Standing a handful of yards in front of her, causally leaning against the side of a builing with his hands in his pockets. Merrick, his lips quirked up in a smile and his eyes fixated on Kyra.
He should be ugly. As hideous on the outside as he is on the inside. Twisted and evil in looks to match his personality.
He shouldn't look so fucking normal.
"Captain! He smells wrong! We need to run, Captain, we need to go now!"
"Is this a new pet of yours, lovey? A talking polar bear, how unique. We'll take him with us, shall we? He can keep you company in between testing. Would you like that, lovey?"
He's standing so close, oh gods he's so fucking close. She has to run, get away. She has to get Law and Bepo away from him. She has to go now!
NOW!
A powerful whip of pitch black magic lashes Merrick. Kyra doesn't see if it hits, for at the same time another string of her powers darts over to wrap around Law and yank him to her side again. As soon as he's next to her the girl's magic surrounds the trio, encasing them in a solid sphere which disappears half a second later.
Simultaneously, at different points across the island, members of the Heart Pirates are spontaneously wrapped in onyx energy and teleported away, to the general astonishment of any who happen to witness their departure.
Two minutes later, a yellow submarine with a grinning Jolly Roger painted on it, docked at the Fishman Island's port, abruptly vanishes into thin air.
A/N: Please review. Beta'd by Tomas the Betrayer.