Chapter 26

Law

He leaned down, looking into the passenger side window of Doflamingo's care frowning at the smirking face of his uncle. The window rolled down slowly, and Doflamingo looked past him at Luffy who was waiting by the door of their house.

"You're welcome." Doflamingo spoke before he could. He didn't know what he should be thankful for. He was more confused than anything, how had Doflamingo known he'd need an excuse? How did Doflamingo know anything?

As he pondered Doflamingo decided to speak up again, this time a wary expression crossed his face. "Law, be careful with this one." Doflamingo warned, and then laughed casually before rolling up the window causing him to jump back.

He had many questions, but his uncle only waved and blew him a kiss before backing up out of the drive way. He sighed, knowing that even if he called his uncle he'd receive no answers. This was something he'd have to figure out on his own.

He took a second to collect himself before turning and walking over to Luffy who was tapping his foot with a disgruntled expression. "I don't understand." Luffy huffed when he was within hearing distance, and he shrugged walking past Luffy into the house.

"He's always one step ahead. I don't understand either." He admitted, walking into the kitchen to assess their food situation. They'd have to stock up again. He grunted in annoyance, and turned to look at Luffy. "He told us to be careful."

Luffy paused and then crossed his arms. "What do you think he meant?" Luffy asked. He shook his head, unsure of Doflamingo's warning. "I'm not quite sure," He hesitated, and locked his eyes with Luffy, "But let's proceed with caution." He spoke firmly, hoping to engrave the words in Luffy's mind.

"What do you want to do first?" Luffy asked, his arms still crossed. "I need to see these bodies, to find out how this person works." He murmured, his fingers itched to touch the two bodies found. He needed to know all that he could before confronting this killer that was if he could even find the killer. This would have to be the first step.

"How can you see those bodies? The cops have them." Luffy asked in confusion. He shook his head, "Not necessarily, the hospital has them in the morgue. That's where they are kept when under investigation." He corrected Luffy, slightly annoyed at the lack of his lover's knowledge. It only showed how unprepared Luffy was to be dealing with this kind of situation. He should have stayed home.

"Okay, how do we get in?" Luffy asked, looking almost excited. He held back a scowl before speaking carefully, not wanting to offend the younger. "I'll have to play my doctor card here, I'm going to go in and talk to a colleague in order for myself to weasel in. It's too risky to try and bring you along. I can't seem suspicious." He watched Luffy carefully, hoping he didn't argue.

Thankfully Luffy only pursed his lips, "Fine but you won't do something reckless without me, right?" Luffy's face was filled with concern, and he shook his head. Luffy was the one that was reckless, not him. "If by chance I do fine something, I'll tell you. I don't plan on handling this carelessly." He said carefully. It was close to the truth, he wouldn't do anything carelessly, but he'd only tell Luffy what he needed to know.

"What am I going to be doing?" Luffy suddenly asked, excitement shining in his eyes once again. "What do you mean?" He snapped, and then frowned at his lack of control over his emotions. The sooner this was all handled the better, he'd never felt this on edge before and he was sure it showed.

"You don't expect me to just sit here?" Luffy looked slightly hurt. He sighed, and walked over to pull Luffy against his chest. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, just be patient. I need to get this information before we can proceed. I need you to stay put for now, we don't want any unnecessary attention." He noticed the way his words wavered as he spoke, and hoped Luffy didn't catch his uncertain tone.

"How boring." Luffy sighed. "That's how we want it." He replied, frowning into Luffy's hair.

..

He breathed a little easier as he walked into the hospital, he was happy that Luffy was safely home. He couldn't shake the feeling that Luffy shouldn't be here, and having this much needed space made everything easier to handle. He could almost pretend his lover was working hours away at the coffee shop, safe and away from any danger.

He was recognized before he had even made it to the front desk, a receptionist he hardly remembered calling out to him. "Oh, Dr. Trafalgar! Are you here to see Dr. Rayleigh?" She asked in an overly friendly voice. He halted, not sure how to respond.

To his luck he didn't have to wait long, the said man was currently walking into the lobby. "If it isn't my star pupil! What brings you here?" Rayleigh called; his face looked surprised but happy. He thought over the lie he'd been formulating before pushing away all nervousness and smiling back at his old superior.

"I came to talk to you actually." He responded. "About?" Rayleigh had now closed the distance between them. "I needed to have a look at my old medical entries; I have a few things I'd like to review for an upcoming surgery." He lied easily, making sure he looked sheepish at having to admit his fake need of the entries.

"Sure, sure. No problem, follow me. I was just about to head to my office anyway." Rayleigh laughed, gesturing for him to follow. They walked in silence for a couple of minutes before Rayleigh initiated small talk. "So how has that new job been working out for you?" The older man asked. "Good. I do miss the staff here though." He admitted, it was easier to kill his patients at this hospital then it was at the other.

"That's why you need to visit more!" Rayleigh joked, mistaking his statement. "Right." He chuckled back, and was glad to see the office doors come into view. He waited patiently as Raleigh started to print his entries; he waited for his opportunity to bring up the bodies.

Luckily he didn't have to initiate the conversation; luck seemed to be on his side today. "Before you leave can you do this old man a favor?" Rayleigh asked, handing him the entries which he folded and neatly placed in his pocket. "Concerning?" He asked, pretending to not be interested.

"There are a few bodies that have come in regarding that infamous Surgeon of Death, I have a few questions and I'd like a second opinion before I go forward with this to the detectives. There's no better set of eyes than yours." Rayleigh complimented, seeming very determined to get him to look at the bodies. He held back his triumphant smile, and looked at his watch.

"I suppose I have the time." He concluded.

..

He felt a spark of interest as Rayleigh pulled out the two bodies to be examined. It was easy to tell which one had been submerged in water, and he noted that the drowned girl had been his sister's friend Rebecca. Not that he'd let that information slip, so his mom had been onto something when he'd come for Christmas.

"What would you like to know?" He asked, holding himself back from rushing over to examine the two girls. He had to seem like he had no interest, he didn't need to make Rayleigh suspicious. "Just tell me what you see." Rayleigh sighed, handing him a pair of examination gloves.

He made sure his face stayed impassive as he examined the two bodies, he trailed his fingers over the various stab wounds, and then he explored into the open chest wound. The heart was messily removed, but there were stitches meant to replicate how he cleaned up his own victims. This person was not skillful though, and he couldn't stop his nose from scrunching up in distaste. How could they confuse this sloppy work with his?

He lastly let his fingers trail over a weird pattern of holes along the arm. They were small and he couldn't figure out what had caused them, he checked the second body, noticing the same thing. He noted that there was a foreign object inserted just under the rib cage, must have been the note. After a few silent minutes he finally snorted, "Well he's no surgeon."

"Why do you say that?" Rayleigh asked, walking over to stand next to him. "Too many jagged edges," He started, trailing his fingers along the open wound in the chest, "And the stitching is a mess, even for a medical student." He walked over to the other body, Rayleigh following, "By the looks of the abrasions on both of the necks you can tell there is hesitation," He ran a finger along the body's neck, and then moved it down to the stomach. "But by the looks of the lacerations on the abdomens you can conclude that this was rushed and aggressive. This person had to build up to kill." He let his hand fall, deciding not to mention the small wounds on the inside of the arms.

Something was off about these bodies, and he couldn't put his finger on it. He wanted to head back to Luffy, something wasn't right but instead he sucked in a breath and turned to Rayleigh. "My thoughts exactly, nice to know these old eyes aren't failing me yet." Rayleigh joked, patting him on the shoulder.

"Well, that's all I can tell you." He chuckled, hoping Rayleigh didn't hear the undertone of nervousness in his words. He took another glance at the strange holes, what were they from? "Anything else you need from me?" He asked, Rayleigh shook his head. "That'll be all, thank you for your time."

He nodded, and took one last glance at the bodies. "No problem."

..

He spent the rest of that day and night thinking of the strange wounds, not coming up with any answers. The next day he decided it would be best to visit the burial site of his bodies; maybe it would have some sort of clue. How was he going to find this killer?

Luffy didn't seem as stressed as he was as they walked through the woods to the crosses, he seemed more annoyed than anything. He felt his heart falter as they walked up to the crosses; the roses had multiplied and were littered around each cross.

He held back the urge to stomp the elegant flowers into the dirt, Luffy on the other hand walked up casually picking up the closest rose. "Why are there so many?" Luffy asked, turning to him with the rose in his hand. "I don't know." He admitted.

"It's we-. Ow!" Luffy hissed in pain, dropping the rose. He closed the distance between them in seconds, pulling Luffy's bleeding index finger into his hand. He examined the wound, squeezing it to draw out a drop of blood. "What are you doing?" Luffy grumbled, and he raised his hand to make Luffy be quiet.

"This shape." He mumbled, connecting the dots. "What about it?" Luffy squeaked as his hand clenched, causing another drop of blood to slide down Luffy's finger. "I know who is doing this." He spat, letting go of Luffy's finger that to his disapproval Luffy immediately placed in his mouth.

"Well who is it?" Luffy demanded, almost bouncing on the heels of his feet with excitement. "That damn blonde from the store, the one with the roses, the guy we keep running into." He growled, smashing the rose Luffy had dropped with his foot. "How do you know?" Luffy asked, eyes growing brighter as his excitement grew.

"The wound on your finger, it matches the wounds on those girl's bodies. The wounds were caused by rose thorns." He felt his hands start to tremble, no wonder he'd always felt something off about that blonde. "Let's go get him!" Luffy insisted, pulling on his arm.

"We don't know where he is." He frowned, not sure where Luffy was getting the enthusiasm from. "Why don't we just follow the roses?!" Luffy bounced, pulling him harder toward the car. "What?" He sighed, not in the mood for Luffy's nonsense comments.

"The store Law, we can wait for him to show up! He was there last time." Luffy insisted, looking at him like the answer had been obvious. "That could work." He agreed, feeling a touch of excitement. He'd enjoy taking care of this copycat.

..

"I'm tired of sitting in this car." Luffy whined, leaning over the console to wrap two arms around his neck. He made sure to keep his eyes on the stores front doors while answering Luffy, "It's only been three days and this was your idea." He reminded, not responding to Luffy's nuzzling against his neck. He had no time to be distracted.

"I'm bored and hungry." Luffy whined, his stomach growling to emphasize the statement. "We can eat when we get home." He mumbled, his eyes locked onto every blonde set of hair entering the store. Finally it happened; the blonde from the other few times came into view.

"I think that's him." He pushed Luffy away gently, and pointed toward the blonde. They watched the blonde enter the store and before he could speak again Luffy was out of the passenger seat, and heading toward the store at an almost running pace.

He jumped out of the car, catching up to Luffy and pulling the younger against his side roughly. "Do not do anything to him." He warned, not trusting the way Luffy's eyes glinted. It was like an animal on the hunt, and he knew a scene now would be disastrous for them. "Uh huh." Luffy mumbled in response.

They followed the blonde for a few minutes and he was debating on how to confront the blonde when Luffy made himself 'accidently' knock into the blonde who was looking at different cleaning supplies. "Oops, didn't see you." Luffy spoke coyly, and he held back a burst of anger. Why did Luffy always have to jump into things without thinking?

The blonde turned in surprise and smiled at Luffy. "Oh, no worries, accidents happen." The blonde laughed. Luffy was about to answer and he quickly swallowed his anger before stepping in front of Luffy. He didn't want Luffy to be talking to this man; the man who he was certain was the copycat killer.

"Excuse us." He smiled tensely, and the blonde blinked assessing him. "I remember you two." The blonde smiled wider, and he shifted so he and Luffy were both a couple feet away. "What a coincidence, small world." He responded, and the blonde shrugged. "More like small town, speaking of that, I don't see you guys around much, visiting?" The blonde asked, and Luffy managed to push his way out from behind him. He settled with placing a possessive hand on Luffy's waist instead.

"Work related stuff; I got called in for some cadaver bodies found. Apparently some killer is on the loose." He chuckled, playing the oblivious card. Thankfully Luffy stayed silent and let him take control of the conversation.

The blonde's interest perked up at that, he looked almost enthusiastic. "Yeah, he's the most notorious killer around these parts; they call him the Surgeon of Death." The blonde chirped, and he could swear he even puffed out his chest a bit as he spoke.

A wave of anger shook him, and he was glad his hand was secure on Luffy. "I wouldn't call this person a surgeon from what I've seen." He growled, and the blonde took a step back. "From what I've seen they are nothing more than a lazy, pathetic, show boater." He snarled, not able to hold in his anger.

The blonde's eyes darkened and his whole demeanor changed causing him to take a step back. "Is that so," The blonde started, and then his eyes lightened again. He blinked, not sure if the change had truly occurred. "All we can do is send our condolences to those poor families. I hope those girls find peace. Rebecca had so much life ahead of her." The blonde trailed off, eyes filled with remorse.

"I'm sure this will all end soon." He smirked at the blonde's mistake. "Yes, well lots of shopping to do. I should be going." The blonde rushed out, brushing past him. "Have a good day." He called, and started to walk back toward the front doors.

"So is it him?" Luffy asked, speaking for the first time once they were sitting in the car. "Yes, he said Rebecca's name. The news never stated a name." He chuckled, now completely sure he was after the right person. Luffy shuffled in delight turning to look out of the window.

They waited for another thirty minutes, and then followed the blonde home. He was surprised to see the blonde lived relatively close, and grinned at the success of this trip. He had been worried that he wasn't going to be able to find the killer, and now everything seemed to be going exactly as planned.

..

Luffy

He followed Law through the front door, not understanding why they had come home. "Why didn't we follow him in?" He asked, ignoring the way Law frowned at him. The whole trip seemed to be filled with tension, and he had decided to just ignore Law's obvious dislike at him being here.

"I can't be hasty right now Luffy," Law sighed, "Something is off about this guy. I can't put my finger on it but even if I felt like he could be taken on now, I still need to plan first, this guy is a killer and I don't want to go into this blindsided." Law concluded.

He didn't like the way Law kept using I and he shuffled uncertainly, Law wasn't planning on trying to do this alone again was he? "But there is two of is, we have the upper hand. Even if the guy is strong, we are stronger." He insisted, it'd be easier to just get this over with. Why was Law being so hesitant? It was just one guy.

"That's the thing Luffy, there isn't going to be two of us. It'll only be me." Law's lips were set into a hard line. Law was not about to do this. Why did Law keep trying to push him out?! He blinked away the angry tears that tried to fill his eyes; he couldn't wrap his mind around why Law didn't trust him to be able to help with this situation.

"Why do you keep trying to do this alone!? I already told you this is no longer a solo act, it's you and me!" He shouted, his emotions getting the better of him. "This is none negotiable, you can be as mad as you want about this but you will stay away from that man." Law's voice grew louder, and he felt angry tremors start to shake him. He wasn't going to let Law do this alone!

"Just because it's your name on the news doesn't mean it doesn't affect us both!" He yelled, closing the distance between himself and Law. "How can you be so selfish!?" He continued. Law couldn't do this to him. He'd die waiting around to see if Law was going to come home or not.

"It's not about being selfish! This isn't a game we're playing, this isn't some fun adventure!" Law yelled back, he took a step back at Law's outburst. Hurt overtook anger, is that was Law thought? That he was considering this a game? Of course he didn't, this was their life.

Before he could respond Law started talking again. "I don't want to be worrying about you, don't you get that?" Law growled, and he felt his anger flare up again. He wasn't a little kid, he could look after himself. "Don't worry then! I don't need you to!" He snapped, and Law's face grew harder.

"How can I not worry with the rash decisions you always make?!" Law snapped back, and he took another step back, this time because of the immense feeling of hurt that filled him. He knew he was a lot to handle, but he didn't know that it bothered Law. "Screw you." He hissed, almost pathetically and ran to their bedroom slamming the door.

He'd prove to Law that he could handle himself.

..

He lay in bed, watching the sky turn pale and then dark. He could hear Law open the door to check on him every few hours, but he never turned around to acknowledge the older male. Anger was still churning in his system, and he knew the only way Law would accept that he didn't need babysitting was for him to prove himself.

He waited a while longer, and then snuck out of the bedroom to look at Law who had fallen asleep on the couch. He took a breath and debated on if he really wanted to go through with what he had planned. It'd upset Law but he was tired of being treated like he couldn't hold his own.

He gave one last look at Law sleeping before making his decision, and walking back to the bedroom only to climb out of the window and hop down into the bushes below. He'd take care of this other killer himself, and then Law would never push him away again.

He shivered as he walked, the night was cold and he knew he couldn't have taken the car. The noise would have woken up Law, so he settled for huddling in on himself and walking toward the house a few blocks away. He could vaguely remember the way, the house had been blue so he was hoping when he spotted it, he'd remember.

The sight of rose bushes, gave the house away and he snuck around the back looking for a way in. He'd sneak into the house, and kill the guy while he was sleeping. Easy. Law would have no problems with this plan; it wasn't like he was going to challenge the guy to a fist fight.

The back door was locked and he frowned, not sure how to get in without breaking a window. He gave another look around the side of the house and was happy to find a small window that lead to the basement open. He squeezed his body into the small square, letting out a small hiss when he fell through midair and onto a hard floor.

He paused to make sure his thump hadn't been heard, and sighed in relief when no sounds could be heard from above. He stood awkwardly, rubbing his sore bottom and then looking around the dark basement. The only light he had was from the moon shining in from the small window, and it dimly lit up the room.

The first thing he made out was the make shift operating table, not unlike Law's. It had a bucket of various knives and other instruments next to it and he became even more positive that he was in the right house. He looked around, and blinked in shock when the moon lit up the closet wall next to him.

It was covered in clippings and articles about the Surgeon of Death about Law. He read the news clippings, and hummed in awe. He had underestimated how infamous Law was; there was easily over a hundred clippings just on this one wall.

He was tracing one of the news articles when a shimmer caught his eye. He looked down at a small syringe sitting on the counter, it was filled with clear liquid and he reached down to pick it up. Before his fingers made contact with the syringe though, his elbow hit the bucket behind him spilling its contents on the floor.

The loud crashing made him flinch and he knew he wasn't going to get away unnoticed now. The light flickered on only a minute later and he turned to stare face to face with the blonde from the store. The blondes eyes flickered toward the spilled contents, and then to the news clippings.

Anger started to bubble in his stomach, this man was the one causing them all of this stress. He would have never fought with Law if it wasn't because of this person. "You will never be him." He growled, and the blonde's eye's snapped to him.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll be better." The blonde smirked, and he couldn't contain the burst of rage that shot through him. Before he could process what he was doing, the blonde was on the floor underneath him. He raised his fist, bringing it down hard. To his surprise the blonde dodged just in time, and he punched the concrete next to the blonde's neck.

His knuckles cracked loudly, and pain shot up his arm. Something was definitely broke. He didn't have time to think about it though, the blonde was quick and he was thrown to the side. His body connected roughly with the wall and he blinked dazed.

He hissed in pain as a handful of his hair was taken into the blonde's fist and he was dragged toward the operation table. "Let go of me!" He growled, kicking his leg out and tripping the blonde. He smiled in satisfaction when the blonde's cheek connected loudly with the floor.

"You little shit." The blonde huffed, standing up to face him. He scrambled quickly to his feet, and charged before the blonde had a chance to move. He threw his whole body into the tackle, and straddled the blonde once they hit the floor; he threw another punch that this time connected.

He knew he only had a limited amount of time before the blonde managed to flip him again, and he was preparing to throw another punch when his whole body froze. The blonde underneath him was strange. It was like another person was staring up at him, the eyes were darker, the smirk on the face was dangerously confident.

He swallowed, and threw the punch, only to have it caught midair. He yelled in surprise when he was once again flipped, this time he hit the floor causing the air in his lungs to rush out. He coughed in panic, trying to catch his breath while the blonde stood up, grabbing his hair again and dragging him next to the table.

Once he was placed on the floor between the table and the counter the blonde released him and he sat up, sucking in much needed air. The blonde was staring down at him, an unreadable expression and he extended his leg to trip the blonde again.

This time his leg kicked air and the blonde chuckled, grabbing his hair and dragging him up onto his feet. He kicked out, his leg still connecting with nothing. He could feel his rising panic, he couldn't lose here! "Does your boyfriend know you are here?" The blonde laughed, his lips turning up into a cruel grin.

He bit his lip, grabbing the hand holding his hair, trying to tear it away. "What? Nothing to say?" The blonde started to laugh louder, and pain filled his cheek as the blonde slammed his face into the edge of the counter. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, and he could feel blood trickle down his chin.

"Come on! Speak!" The blonde laughed hysterically, slamming his face against the counter again. The pain of his lip splitting caused him to groan, and he looked up at the blonde, his vision wavering. "Fuck you." He snarled, why was this blonde so strong? He pushed harder at the hand holding him.

"Too bad I'm going to have to kill somebody so cute." The blonde chuckled, leaning in to lick the blood from his chin away. He kicked wildly, as the tongue came closer to his lips. He finally felt his foot connect with the blonde's leg and the hand on his hair loosened just enough for him to pull away.

It wasn't enough; he hardly had time to blink before his lips were covered with the blondes. His wrists were captured by two strong hands and he tried to turn away from the unwanted kiss. He held back his whimper of fear at the treatment, knowing it'd do him no good.

Instead he deepened the kiss, taking the blonde's shock as an opportunity to bite down roughly on the blonde's lip. "You stupid bitch." The blonde snarled when he managed to pull away, blood was dripping down his chin. He grinned, spitting the blonde's blood back at him. The bloody spit landed on the blonde's cheek.

"I've had enough." The blonde threw him to the side, and he hit the table hard. He took the opportunity to create some distance and he scrambled to steady himself so he could run. Before he could run a small prick went into his arm, and he immediately felt his body sag. He couldn't control his body, he realized in fear.

The blonde caught him, and turned him around. His fear grew as the blonde waved the now empty syringe in his face. He had no idea what had been injected into him. He tried to speak, but his mouth was numb. He was incapable of doing anything but stare at the blonde, who lifted him as if he weighed nothing and placed him on the operation table.

This couldn't be happening. Why hadn't he listened to Law? Tears filled his eyes; he could feel the wetness when he blinked. The blonde tsked, and started to remove his clothes. A crushing fear filled him as the blonde spread his legs, staring at him appreciatively. "What a waste." The blonde licked his lips as he spoke and his eyes grew blurry with frightened tears. He didn't want to be raped again, never again. He only wanted Law.

He could still feel everything and a whimper left his throat as the blonde slid a hand against the inside of his thigh. This was sickening, and he couldn't even struggle. He wanted Law to save him, but he knew Law was sleeping peacefully on the couch unaware of what was happening. What was Law going to do when he woke up and found him gone? He hadn't just screwed this up for him; he'd ruined everything for Law.

Why was he so weak? He felt a sob get stuck in his throat, and he blinked away more tears. "What are you doing?!" Another voice spoke, and he blinked, hope filling his chest. Had someone come to save him? His mouth went dry at the sight before him; the blonde was staring at him in shock. What was going on?

The blonde shook his head and the face was suddenly annoyed, "I'm going to have some fun." The blonde responded, and he realized the blonde was talking to himself. He wanted to run away from the scene before him. The blonde shook his head again.

"There is no time. Get it over with!" The blonde's voice changed with his face. "I do what I want; we both know you won't do it!" The colder blonde came back, and stared down at him with a lustful gaze. Just as quickly the blonde was overridden by the other personality, "I said hurry! The boyfriend could be on his way." The blonde hissed to himself.

"Well, great. Another toy to play with." The colder blonde smirked. "We have no time for this! Kill him now!" The second voice commanded. "You ruin all the fun but sadly I have to agree." The blonde shook his head one last time and he was faced with the cold eyes.

He watched as the blonde reached down onto the floor to grab a knife. "This may hurt a bit." The blonde grinned, and the tears sprung back into his eyes. He knew exactly what was going to happen, this blonde was copying Law. He wanted to run, fight, scream, but as the knife was plunged into him all he could do was lay there.

The pain was unbearable; each cut felt like somebody was digging into his chest which was probably what was happening. He could see the blood covering the blonde's hands, and he could feel each tug and pull but his body was still under the drugs affects and he couldn't life his head to look at what was being done to him.

Eventually the tears in his eyes grew so heavy his sight was blurred, and he just closed his eyes accepting the fact that he was going to die here, without ever seeing Law again. This was his fault, if only he'd stayed home, he could be curled up on the couch next to Law.

Another pull sent an even stronger pain through him, and even under the influence of drugs he felt his body jerk. He opened his eyes, only this time his vision was blurring on it's on without tears. The pain was starting to ebb away and his mind started to become fuzzier. It was like he was thinking through fog.

I'm sorry Law, I love you. He repeated over and over in his head, a mantra that he'd never be able to say.

Thanks for reading.. don't kill me.