Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.
Author's note: Hey, I'm back and it's time for a little Bleach crossover. Why? … Because, period. If you don't happen to know Bleach, don't worry, it's totally peripheral. Enjoy.
Oh, and it's 12 pages on Word to make up for the delay. I'm really sorry. Thanks anna, for being this story's 100th reviewer, and thank you all for your support so far. Makes me happy *wriggles Chopper-style*
Chapter 28: The Octopus Incident
"Welcome to my humble abode," the man said as they were led into the hall by his servant. "I hope your journey was not all too troublesome."
His smile flashed bright teeth, and his eyes seemed to sparkle. To some women he could definitely go for attractive, Ace thought, and not only because he, well, owned a castle.
"We're used to harder things, thank you," Ace responded and took the guy's white-gloved hand as he offered it.
When he took Yami's, however, the man's smile grew even broader. "Milady, your beauty exceeds everything that decorates this house. I am pleased to have you embellishing my home tonight." And he breathed a small kiss on the back of her hand.
"Well, thank you," she smiled back, and Ace frowned. Shouldn't that be the point where she started to stutter and blush like a normal girl? Oh, but what was normal about that woman anyway. Besides, the guy's attitude annoyed him already. The trail of slime he was leaving behind was so thick one had to pay attention to not slip and fall face-down into it.
The pirate cleared his throat to break that silence filled with strange eye contact on the part of the other two persons in the room. "So, what have we done to deserve such a welcome?" he demanded, and the castle owner was forced to raise his glance towards him. "And moreover, why did the village people send us up here instead of letting us take a room in the hotel?"
"Well," the man smiled, "that would be because I told them to. My home is so secluded that it does not happen frequently that travellers come by, and I love their stories. In return, the villagers receive my thanks."
Another white-robed servant entered the hall with tablets on both hands. He was no more than a boy, his white hair standing in all directions and not bigger than a twelve-year-old. But his bright green eyes had a graveness to them that made him seem like ten times his age, whatever it was. "Master, it's arranged," he told the man with a bow and placed the tablets with steaming cups and a teapot on the large table.
"So bring forth the meal," the castle owner nodded to him, suddenly gone all high-and-mighty, and Ace just couldn't help feeling a slight aversion against the guy, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
The boy bowed anew before handing out the teacups to his master, Ace, and Yami, who took it with an eagerness that reminded of a little child grabbing for a lollipop.
"Ah, sorry, but could I sit there for a moment?" she then asked and pointed at the fire that was flaring in the fireplace. "I'm actually positively freezing."
"Be my guest." And his smile was back in place as he cast her an ardent glance. Then he looked over to Ace. "Of course the same goes for you, my friend."
Friend? What the heck? "No thanks," he replied and his attempt to not let his voice sound like it was covered with a layer of ice completely failed. "I'm not cold at all."
"Of course," the man said and sat back on his chair. "By the way, I have not properly introduced myself. My name is Lord Aizen Sosuke, owner of Turquoise Island and admirer of all that is beautiful and interesting. I am very glad we happened to cross paths."
"Owner of the whole island?" Yami inquired and raised her eyebrows from where she was sitting and warming her fingers.
Turquoise Island? Ace thought. No name more unfitting for this place. It was white, nothing but white, white as the servants' robes and the boy's hair.
"Why, yes," Aizen answered, deliberately ignoring his two servants carrying in all kinds of edible things the sheer look of which was enough to make both their mouths water. And the scent almost made them drool. "This island belongs to the Aizen family for more than five hundred years."
"Ah," Yami said, obviously for lack of other things to say.
"Now, it would be a pleasure if you dined with me. Toshiro?" Aizen gestured for his white-haired servant to fill three glasses of red wine, which he did without looking at his master. He didn't look at him at all, Ace noticed. But then again, perhaps that was an order. Wealthy guys often had flaws like that. Money made you strange.
Then dinner started. Yami dug in her plate in a manner that made Ace – who really wasn't the one with the greatest table manners here – almost face-palm in embarrassment. Aizen continued to compliment her around the terrestrial globe, and she, after having finished her feast, actually responded. Ace gritted his teeth. Of course she thought he was worth a lay. Of course. To her, anyone was. And why should a guy who owned a castle make any difference?
"I have never seen a woman more beautiful than you …"
Oh, please. You only say that to get her into your bed.
"Well, probably you don't see many women up here, no?" Which was accompanied by her sticking her finger into her mouth to lick away the sauce covering it. When she drew it out, her tongue swirled around the tip. She grinned like a cat, and Ace was once more reminded of his dream, uh, nightmare the other night. He gulped hard and averted his eyes, staring his plate into pieces and trying to ignore the shudder that ran down his spine.
"Not many, no," Aizen said, clearing his throat. "Yet that does not imply my being unable to satisfy a woman's needs. In any way."
Shut up, you bastard!
And the more he listened to their shameless flirting, the more he felt the urge to throw up right on the plate in front of him. He couldn't eat anyway, he wasn't hungry at all. He didn't even want to drink the wine of that guy. He didn't want to sit on that chair of his, he didn't want to be in a room of his, and damn him if he didn't want to sleep in here tonight. But in fact he'd rather sleep in a bed of snow outside than in a bed that guy owned.
Oh, jealousy was a bitch, and it bit him hard. But then, on the other hand, didn't you have to be in love to feel that kind of thing? Or at least feel a bit of affection, or ownership about the person it concerned?
Yeah, ownership. That would be the key here. Fuck his male pride and territorial behaviour, she was not his. Not at all. More like she was everybody's. Wasn't there a switch of some kind he could just push and that stupid instinct thing was turned off? Because it annoyed him, it annoyed him a great deal. With every word that was exchanged, his anger grew more and more, and he needed so much self-control just to keep it at bay.
Fuelling his anger was the fact that that guy actually seemed to know what he was thinking, judging by the sly grin directed at him from time to time. Oh, he could explode. Literally. But he wouldn't give him that kind of satisfaction.
Ha, no, Yami would give him satisfaction. Tonight. Like that other guy in Alabasta.
His anger grew so hot that his vision got fuzzy, and he wondered if he was really exploding now. That means, before he recognised that special kind of thing, and short before he completely blacked out.
Oh, crap …
He awoke with a start. Which scared the blond servant, who was currently standing beside him with a napkin, to hell.
"Ah, you're back," a voice he certainly didn't want to hear now resounded from somewhere near.
"Sir?" the servant asked and made a hesitant movement with the napkin. Ace watched with a puzzled expression as he approached him and then wiped something off his face.
Ah, right. He knew what that meant.
"I fell asleep again," he sighed and looked down at the mess on his plate.
"Yes. It may seem you and your beautiful companion over here have something in common," Aizen said and Ace saw his little smile before he turned his head – only to see Yami slumped over her chair backwards, her head over the backrest and her mouth gaping slightly. A little snore escaped it as Ace watched her with raised eyebrows.
"Well, she did say she was tired," Aizen stated and dabbed his mouth off with a napkin the servant handed him after he was finished with Ace. "A pity."
Yeah right. For you, he thought maliciously as his inner self did a little happy dance. Outwardly, he just shrugged with an utterly expressionless face.
"Izuru," Aizen called out with a snap of his fingers, and his blond servant returned from behind his chair where he had positioned himself. "Take her to the room you have prepared for her. Assure yourself that everything is to her wish."
The servant nodded and went to pick her up. Suddenly, Ace felt a surge of energy flowing through his body, and he almost jumped up from his seat. Seeing her in that boy's arms just didn't feel right … ah, fuck that! Freaking possessiveness!
So he just watched as the servant carried her out of the room carefully and tried not to be angry at himself. That was not very helpful at the moment.
As his eyes focused on Aizen's face, who was looking at the now closed door too, Ace recalled the reason of his being here. And now that they were undisturbed (which meant that he didn't have to listen to that disgusting flirting and get mad at anything in his environment), it was the perfect time to ask some questions. Then, he thought, he would go to bed and try to sleep. And perhaps accidentally burn something to ashes. Or, even better, taking some of those nice decorations with him and sell them on the next island. He was a pirate, after all.
When he cleared his throat, Aizen's eyes darted over to him, reminding him of his spontaneous dislike of the guy. Those eyes, even as he smiled his uncanny smile, were too dark. Not because of the colour … just dark. Emotionless.
"Well," Ace began and toyed with his glass of wine, sliding it over the table, from one hand towards the other, "My being here serves a certain purpose." Fuck it if I can't talk as if I'd have a broomstick up my ass too.
"What would that be?" The guy's voice also had something strange to it. As if he were suppressing something.
"I am searching the lands for a character named Blackbeard. Do you know anything about his whereabouts?"
"Blackbeard …" The man's hand went up to cup his chin as he appeared to think about the question. "At any rate, he did not set foot on this island."
"Are you sure?" Ace watched him as he tried to figure that damn guy out.
"Indeed, I am. This lovely island, as you know already, belongs to me. I am well informed about any occurrences upon its soil." That sly smile. Heck, Ace just couldn't shake off that strange feeling of his, the feeling that something was seriously wrong with this guy. But then again, probably he was in 'male rivalry' mode at the moment, which was influencing his way of thinking. Such stupid crap. Why, just why did he have to react like that? Like he had already pointed out to himself, he was not interested in Yami at all. It really was all that stupid dream's fault. Yes, that was the reason he now felt like he did. Perhaps the guy was nice in reality, and he just didn't notice through his testosterone glasses?
His exploration tour into his own psyche, however, was interrupted by the blond – Izuru? – entering the hall again. He positioned himself behind Aizen's chair once more, who covered a huge yawn with his beringed hand.
"Why, I feel tired now. Toshiro, lead my dear guest to his quarters and bring him his wine," he commanded, and as if he had been there the whole time, the white-haired boy was at his side in no time.
"I don't need any wine," Ace protested, but Aizen just put it off with a wink of his hand as he rose from his heavy chair, and the servant took Ace's glass of wine as well as a new bottle from the table.
"Wine, you know, simplifies falling asleep," he smiled and waited for Ace to follow the little servant out of the room – which he did gladly. Anything was better than staying in the same room with that guy for so long. Perhaps he should request more wine and get drunk.
The servant led him up a grand staircase covered with a thick, burgundy carpet. The handrail was of a deep dark wood, fully covered with golden inlays in the form of petite ivy twines creeping up towards the first floor.
They went up another staircase to the second floor, and Ace was shown a beautifully and richly adorned room, with burgundy cushions on the bed and the armchairs and burgundy curtains framing the windows as well as the large bed.
"Make yourself at home," the boy said and bowed once before he placed the bottle of wine on the table and reached the glass out for Ace to take. "And drink this wine. It is made of vine stocks growing in the snow and has very healthy effects on the body."
"Growing in the snow, huh?" Ace asked distracted as a weird feeling befell him. He couldn't tell why; the boy was only offering him a glass of wine. Perhaps it was the eagerness he now put in his task as opposed to the lack of emotion he had showed earlier. Perhaps it was the way his hand had started to tremble ever so slightly. Perhaps it were his green eyes, adding something dark to his otherwise youthful appearance, like they had seen way too much for their age.
Ace decided to cover his suspiciousness and took the wine, watching the servant closely. He seemed to be somewhat relieved the second the glass was taken from him, which didn't make any sense. Ace stared into the glass as if pondering to drink it, then put it on the table nearby, saying, "Ah, no thanks, I'm not in the mood for wine now." He stretched both arms over his head and faked a yawn.
"Please, sir –" the servant uttered, then went still.
Ace's eyes narrowed as he turned his head. Please what? Please drink the wine or my master will be angry? Bullshit!
The boy had lowered his gaze to the floor and seemed tense. Now there definitely was something wrong about this. The bad feeling in his guts grew stronger the more he looked at the boy, but he couldn't put his finger on it. In two quick steps, he was at the guy and took his shoulders in an iron grip. The face that shot up was not that of a boy, he seemed not even frightened, but the tension in his body was almost palpable.
"Does he hurt you?" Ace asked, since he could not imagine any other threats at the moment. "Speak, Toshiro! That's your name, isn't it?"
The boy's eyes were hard and cold as ice. He shook his head, but remained still.
"What is it, then? Tell me!"
"Sir, if you might please just drink your wine and go to bed," came a calm voice from the doorway. Toshiro's head whirled around, and his face became worried when he saw the other servant standing there.
"Izuru, stay out of this!"
Ace let go of the boy and took the glass of wine. He looked at it scrutinisingly, but well, it was just a glass of wine, for fruck's sake!
"How about you drink it for me?" he said without turning, his voice near to a low growl. Something was so seriously wrong here …
A swoosh next to his ear let him whirl around – just fast enough to barely evade the wrong side of a sword.
"Are you kidding me?" he yelled and set a hard punch to Toshiro's hand that held the weapon. The blade was dropped instantly and the boy jumped back with a yelp. "What the heck do you think you're doing here?"
"No! Please!" Izuru exclaimed and rushed forward to protect his comrade.
"I won't fight you, kiddo," Ace growled and folded his arms in front of his chest, giving both boys a sharp, determined glance. "But could you now please tell me what the fuck is going on in this curio collection?"
"Owww …" Yami mumbled as she opened her eyes. She noticed several things in the moment she came to consciousness. Her head felt like it had been slammed in with a hammer, and buzzed like one thousand bees' home. Her limbs felt heavy, like she was stuck between two large rocks. And her whole body, well, seemed to lie on a rock, judging by the hard surface that was below her. Oh, and it was terribly cold. Her senses managed to inform her that she seemed to be naked. All in all, not the peaceful awakening you had in a bed on a Sunday morning.
"Shit, what …" she muttered, then moaned. Anything she did just hurt like hell – well, anything she could do, for that matter. Her whole body felt like it had been paralysed, and the only real movements she could do was blinking her eyes and moving her mouth. And breathe.
She clenched her teeth as she tried to turn her head, but slowly, she managed it. What she saw, however, didn't really contribute to her feeling any better: a dark, rough stone wall, an equally designed floor, and the edge of the thing she was lying upon. Dark stone. Kinda like a table … Her eyes widened. Could it be … that she was lying on an altar? But how? And when? And where? Why was she naked? And … damn it, she was confused. The last thing she remembered was their entrance in that castle and the dinner, and that she had been feeling better, and then … blackness. As if she had drunk too much and now suffered from a major blackout.
But she was sure she hadn't drunk that much. One, no, two glasses of wine. Certainly not enough to make a pirate girl drunk, thank you very much. She also remembered Ace's falling asleep. Perhaps she had done so too? Perhaps narcolepsy was contagious …?
Yah, right. And neptunians are mermaids in disguise.
Hell, even thinking hurt. Yami couldn't suppress a groan as she put her head back to look why her naked arms felt like they were held back by something.
What the …!
She knew that kind of colour. It was the same as the hidden dagger in her boot. Dark grey, almost green, with odd blotches.
Fuck! she thought … and realised that she was in real danger.
"Kairoseki … what's kairoseki doing here? This a Marine station?" she asked loudly. The silence made her crazy … she would rather suffer from her sore throat than take that any longer. "Just … where the hell am I?"
"Oh, the narcotics finally vanished from your body," a voice came from somewhere at her feet, and her head snapped up. "That is wonderful. And to answer your question, you did not move from your previous location. What you see belongs to my home."
"Aizen!" she hissed and struggled against her confines – needless to say, futilely. "What the fuck is this?"
Aizen smiled coldly. "Milady, what a language you have there."
"The hell! If you wanted to fuck me you could've just asked! But now you got me pissed! Make me free or I'll –"
"You what?" he interrupted, his smug face inspiring in her the desire to deliver a steep kick into those curved lips, and that straight nose, and those cold eyes. "Oh, and how mistaken you are. Forgive me if my behaviour led you to the wrong conclusions. I do not intend to violate you."
"Isn't that great?" she mumbled sarcastically. "And here I thought you were just the average rapist asshole."
Aizen chuckled in amusement. "Oh, but by no means."
"So what the fuck is going on here?" Yami spat out. Her whole body was hurting so badly and trembling all over from cold, pain or anger or most likely all three at once, but she had forgotten to care. How dare that bastard chain her up here? Oh, if she ever got free, she'd so beat him up.
"Ah …" Aizen said slowly and walked around the table – altar – thingy she was lying on. "Well, you have to understand my situation. If I do not feed from you, my life is over. So, you see, I do not have a choice here. Tourism is, like you can surely imagine, very rare on Turquoise Island. Therefore I always enjoy the company of such fresh and young people like you and your friend, and that is the reason why I instructed the villagers to send you up here."
"Feed from me? What are you, a cannibal? Or a wannabe vampire?" she sneered and once again struggled against the chains that tied her to the plate. As if she had any sort of chance against kairoseki. Even if she wasn't a devil fruit user, that stuff was just hard as hell. "Just great! You're not only an idiot, you're also crazy. I'm being caught by a crazy idiot who thinks he's Dracula's son. Isn't that just my kind of luck."
"And again you are misled, my dear," Aizen smiled, making her want to vomit. "I am no vampire, although the concept of extracting energy from the human body is rather similar. But fear not. I do not intend to drink your blood." Slowly, ever so slowly, he started to peel off the skin of his silky gloves, and Yami watched with narrowed eyes.
"This," he said and held up his right hand, "is the key to immortality."
She gasped as he the dim light revealed the palm of his hand, and her face contorted in aversion.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" he mused and stared at it tenderly, like it was his treasure. Or his lover.
"Ewww! What's that thing?" she bit out.
The palm of his hand was littered with little circles, like ulcerations. It pretty much reminded her of an octopus' tentacle, only it was dark red and looked like it was sore. And probably the most disgusting thing of all was, the things pulsated.
Aizen laughed. "I do not expect that you understand. But soon you will. Soon …" And he took that damn thing down and actually caressed her stomach with it. He touched her. With that thing.
"Don't you fucking dare …!" Yami clenched her teeth in anger and disgust as her whole body suddenly convulsed, leaving a tingling sensation where he had put that thing on her. "What the fuck are you doing? I'll so kill you if you do that again …"
"I do not think so," he replied, his eyes practically glowing with excitement. "And I will do it again. I will take up all the energy from you, and it will strengthen my very existence. But first, let me enjoy that voluptuous body of yours. Verily, you are almost too beautiful to believe."
"The fuck, asshole! Pervert! Bastard! I'll kill you!" Rage really was a great energy source. But unfortunately, still not strong enough to stand up to kairoseki handcuffs. It was all so futile. She could never get out of here on her own, now could she …
Suddenly, a thought occurred to her, and she gasped.
Ace.
What about Ace?
Her voice lowered to a growl as she glared at the bastard, who was still eating her alive with just his damn bastard eyes. She should keep in mind to scratch them out when she got free. "What did you do to him?"
Aizen stopped staring and chuckled nastily. "Ah, I guess you mean your rather aggressive friend. He is sleeping soundly at the moment, waiting for his turn. Do not worry, he will be next after I have finished you."
"That's not what I'm worrying about!" she grumbled, glaring daggers at him. But at least the cowboy was safe … for now. If Mr. Bastard's plan worked out as he wanted, they would both be dead before the sun rose the next day.
"He seems to be quite the possessive one," Aizen mused and slowly rubbed his fingers over his chin. "But he is not your boyfriend."
Yami preferred to answer that with a death glare. Definitely not that bastard's cup of tea. "Sleeping my ass," she blurted out. "He'll come any second, and then your head will be in for a good few kicks, got it? He'll come and kick your fucking ass!" She just had to believe that, right? Since there was not much of an alternative to it. All she could do was lie there and hope he'd come. Sure, she wasn't the type of girl who needed a knight in shining armour; she had never been. But now … a shining armour just seemed incredibly nice.
Ironically, she had to smile absentmindedly when she imagined Ace in a suit of armour, on a white horse, a shiny sword in hand. Riding in here and piercing the weapon through Mr. Bastard's chest. Ah … nice, really.
"No, I do not think so," Aizen smiled, not at all aware of her little daydream. The glances he gave her exposed body made her shudder, and definitely not in a good way. "He does not suspect a thing, and if he did, my excellent little servants are instructed to take all measures necessary to prevent him from doing as you said."
Argh … No, that just couldn't be. It just couldn't. He wouldn't let them trick him, no way in hell. He was Whitebeard's Second Division Commander, and they would not die here. They. Would. Not. Die. By. That. Bastard.
"As if they'd stand a damn fucking chance!" she spat at him.
"There is more to them than meets the eye, you see." Aizen lowered his hand towards her. The hand thing. Yami clenched her teeth and did her best to get away from it. "Like with me … I am not what I seem," he smiled. "I am truly great, yes, almost god-like, you could say."
"I'd never say such shit!"
"I am over five hundred years old," he continued, deliberately ignoring her. "Over the years, decades, and centuries, not only my reason and intellect increased. My eyes, my ears, all senses of mine grew better and better."
All of a sudden, he placed the thing squarely on her belly. It felt as if he'd given her electric shocks; her whole body contracted with clenching, jerking muscles. "Awwwg …" she groaned and almost bit her tongue off as she tried to shut her mouth so as not to allow any more noise to escape. She would never grant him that satisfaction.
"Bastard!" she hissed through gritted teeth.
Even if the whole contact only lasted for a few seconds, she felt the energy getting sucked out of her. It was that thing that did it. That was how he intended to kill her. First her … then Ace. Who was sleeping.
Damn, she would even believe in thought transmission here if it helped! Perhaps she should give it a try …
"My, my," Aizen laughed. "You are stubborn. Why can you not accept that I am in the process of taking your life? It will end here. Soon you will be a part of me. And is that not wonderful? Being a part of such a divine being?"
"Shove it!" she cursed. She'd have said she would rather die than be a part of that asshole … but well, in this case, the two things included each other, and wasn't that just great.
ACE! she yelled mentally. GET YOUR FUCKING ASS DOWN HERE AND KICK THIS BASTARD INTO THE SEA!
But hey … wait.
Better senses, he said? And why yelling mentally when she could do so much better?
"Come here," she whispered, suppressing the cat-like grin with all her might. If she had to die today, she'd put up as much of a fight as she fucking could. "I wanna tell you something." And damn him, but he really did what she said, a curious look on his conceited face. He bent over until she decided it was enough.
"Now, what do you –"
The yell that came from her mouth would have shattered glass into pieces. She put all her might in it, as if it was her last deed. Which it probably was. She cried and cried and cried … and enjoyed, yes, indulged in the way his handsome face contorted from pain, the way his hands shot up to cover his ears.
"What's it like to have such great senses, now? Tell me, asshole," she croaked hoarsely after having taken one deep breath, smirking up at him mischievously even with the certainty that she didn't stand any chance.
"Why you little bitch …!" he growled and grabbed her by the throat with the ulcerations on the thing pulsating rhythmically, ready to suck out her life.
"He's going to kill her if we don't obey!" Izuru yelled, his voice shivering. "He's going to kill Momo-nee-chan …"
"He's got a hostage?" Ace asked through gritted teeth. "Your sister?"
"Izuru's sister," Toshiro corrected. But judging by the way worry was etched upon his face, she meant a lot to him, too.
"So what's he up to?" Ace pressed. "Who's that guy?"
"He … he's … a monster," Toshiro explained quietly. "And you should hurry, Fire Fist Ace. He wants to kill your girl, perhaps just now."
"She's not my …" His voice trailed off as his brain fully got the meaning of the white-haired boy's words, and everything froze. He closed his eyes. "He what."
"I said, you should …"
"I FUCKING HEARD WHAT YOU SAID!" he yelled and seized Toshiro by the collar. "TAKE ME THERE! NOW!"
"Yes."
That was why he was now storming down the seemingly endless staircase towards the dungeon, the two servants on his heels. Damn, had this whole goddamn mountain gotten hollowed out or what?
"Be careful. You mustn't touch his hand," Toshiro explained mid-run.
"Why the fuck couldn't you tell me that earlier?" Ace threw a question back.
"He's got Momo," the white-haired boy replied, calm despite of the pace Ace was setting.
I'll be too late. I'll be too late. I'll be too late … the cruel chorus inside of his head warbled away while he ran as fast as he could. He clenched his teeth while trying not to think about it, not to imagine Yami getting killed right at this very moment.
He would never allow that to happen.
He would so kill that freak.
He would –
He almost stopped dead when he heard the cry.
His heart almost did, too.
NO!
Author's note: Major cliffy here. Sorry 'bout that. I blame the serial character of both manga and fan fiction for it. But I promise I'll write as fast as I can.
Ah, by the way. It's Aizen Sōsuke and Hitsugaya Tōshirō, but since those things (those neat little lines) never occur in One Piece, I did it the way I did.
Coming up:
Ace burst into the chamber like a hurricane of fire. The voice screaming in his head was as loud as never before, telling him that he was too late, too late, too fuckin late.
It seemed like a dance, a dance between predators, smooth, sleek, and tense, ready to pounce and rip the other's throat out at the first opportunity available. – Here comes your fight!
Oh … fuck! was all he could think when realisation hit him … and his knees went weak. – And that's bad. Very bad.
