The End of a Life's Chapter, and the Beginning of Another, Chapter Twenty Four

The taste of dirt in my mouth. Filth on my face. The icy wind blowing. The sun's rays blocked by the giant trees of the forest. Their menacing forms staring me half to death. The pain in my left leg. I ignored all of that to get back up from my brutal fall. I dusted away my clothes while angrily staring at the tree's branch that made me fall. I split out the soggy dirt still in my mouth and inspected my leg. A simple scratch. So I got back on track, slowing down this time. It was my precipitation that made me fall, after all.

It must have been approximately fifteen minutes, even more, since I entered the forest. I didn't cross anyone's path, not even the one person I was searching for. Where was she?

Frustrated, and tired from running half the time, I stopped and sad down on a big rock. Like the weight of the events sat on my shoulders, I suddenly felt depressed. I really had the impression I was dreaming, of a terrible nightmare. How did a normal girl like me ended up involved in a war between a rich psychopath, his ex-employee just as crazy, and even the police. And I, Cerys, 17 years-old, photograph fanatic, now was in the middle of all this. Could it get any worst?!

…Maybe running after someone in a forest and getting lost myself? I started to ask myself if Luffy's stupidity robbed off a bit on me…

I sighed and got up. It wasn't time to question my intellectual capacities. I had a goal to accomplish, and no matter the consequences that would surely follow, I'll get it done.

I walked through the trees, somewhat determined, but mostly anxious. Like a creed, a thought flocked through my mind. Law's gonna kill you, he's gonna behead you! Then, I thought of something else. Wait… Maybe he'll be so worried he'll ignore my behavior! He'll run towards me and take me in his arms. He'll whisper how devastated he was at the thought of losing me and he'll suddenly kiss me! He'll then tell me he loves me and-

A branch slapped me violently in the face, pushed by the wind, taking me away from my impossible daydream Like it wanted to make me realize it was unthinkable, that it wasn't his type and it would never happen. Well…

After that attack, I still looked for the blonde. My footsteps echoed in the forest. The dead leaves that got crushed by my foot made a strange sound. A bird chipped away in the distance. It reassured me. In horror movies, the forest was always calm and quiet. Too calm and quiet. At least, nature's sounds dominated the forest. The wind blowing through the trees. The squirrels skipping through the fresh grass. The muffled crying sounds…

I froze. Did I hear right? I listened closely. It was faint, but I could hear it. Terrified and curious at the same time, I went towards the sound as quietly as possible. The cries made me think of the Witch in Left for Dead. I shivered.

As I got closer, the sound became cleared and familiar. I already heard that voice before. Finally, I arrived at a… hole? Carefully, I leaned over to see inside. There was a body curled up on itself, only letting me see the blond hair dirtied by soil. "Roxanne?"

At the sound of my voice, a jump ran through the person's body. Slowly, she lifted her head and her blue eyes filled with sadness looked back at me. "Cerys…"

A bit of hope ran through my heart. Perfect, I found her! Now, I just had to figure out how to get her out of there. The hole was more than four meters deep, the slope steep like a metal bar, and wasn't really wide. Only four people could be in there at the same time. No way she'd be able to climb it. I frenetically looked around to find something to help me. I spotted a long branch that seemed strong enough. I turned around so I could go get it.

"Patience, I'll get you ou-"

My foot slipped on the ground still from Roxanne's fall. I felt my foot lose hold and my body fell backwards. I screamed.

xXxXxXxXxXx

With just one kick, Law managed to make a guard fly into the wall. Said guard heavily fell down on the grown while grunting in pain. It seemed the man got a bit of energy back as soon as he heard Cerys was out of trouble. Shachi whistled, impressed. "You didn't lose your touch, I see."

Law smirked his way while he calmly continued down the hall. Well, on the outside anyway. Inside, his thoughts were a real storm. He only thought of one thing: finding Cerys. That's why, without showing it, he hurried to the exit, where his friend told him earlier she was waiting.

Too slowly for his taste, he finally reached his destination. Without wasting another second, he opened the doors leading to the outside as fast as he could. He ignored the many cars scattered all around to concentrate on one. He walked towards Shachi's.

However, the closer he got, bigger doubt surrounded him. He didn't see an once of the young woman inside. More, the left rear car door was wide open. Anxiety ate his heart.

His footsteps doubled in speed. He ignored the pain coursing through him. In the end, he almost ran. He arrived on the car left side. Empty. His fists tightened automatically and his teeth cringed. Shachi ran towards him. "Where is she?" His friend said, surprised. "I told her to wait for me!"

Law was boiling on the inside. "It's him…" He hissed. Shachi didn't understand. "Him?" "Doflamingo." Without a warning, Law ran back to the mansion. "Wait!" Shachi tried to calm him down. "You just have to use the…"

Law was too far to hear. Shachi sighed for a few seconds and followed him reluctantly. What a stubborn bastard, this one…

xXxXxXxXxXx

Unlucky. I was the unluckiest girl in the world. Falling in the hole where you're trying to get someone out off. Genius Cerys, on that one, you're the best…

A death silence was present for a few minutes now. After my magistral drop, Roxanne came to my side to see if I was alright. Unless we count my pride which took a serious hit, and my coccyx which was protesting violently, I didn't break anything. After that, I tried to climb up the cliff, but like I imagined, it was impossible. It was far too straight and slippery. I even asked Roxanne to climb on my shoulders, but it was to no vail. For a second, I'd thought of calling for help, but I remembered that I had one chance out of two that the wrong person would come help us. So I abandoned that idea and just let myself fall on the ground where I was right now, Roxanne by my side. She stopped crying, but got back to her initial position. Which is her knees to her chin, her arms around them and her face down and hidden in her maid's uniform full of mud. Like my own clothes, actually. If the night before, someone told me I would get stuck in a hole…

Losing my cool, I let out an enraged scream, feeling powerless. Roxanne jumped and looked at me with big eyes. I innocently smiled at her. After a while, a teeny tiny smiled appeared on her lips before disappearing just as fast. In its place, tears built in her eyes. She hid her face again.

"What am I supposed to do now…" Her voice barely reached me, muffled by her clothes. "I have nowhere to go.. This mansion, it's all my life!" Her shoulders were violently shaking due to her jolts. Slowly, I looked up at the sky. The leaves only let through tiny bits of light rays.

"What about starting over?"

Roxanne looked up, her cheeks soaked with tears. Her entire body trembled. "S-starting o-over?" I nodded.

"Find a new place to live. Go to school. Make new friends. Have a new life."

She shook her head. "But I know nothing except for my life inside the mansion!"

I looked at her, a million questions on my lips. I was dying to ask her how she ended up here, but I wasn't that insensitive. Maybe it was a delicate subject, like Law, and I didn't want to push the knife further into the open wound. So I stayed silent. For a couple of seconds, she stopped crying and swallowed her sobs.

"Besides, I don't see myself in a classroom." She said in a playful tone. I smiled.

I observed the sky once more and thought of Law. Did he notice my disappearance? Was he okay at least? He was pretty badly injured, the last time I saw him… But he was tougher than he seemed. Well, I think…

Without me noticing, Roxanne silently watched me. After a short while, she got me out of my thoughts. "You're worried about master Law?" She gently asked. As soon as she said it, I became as red as a lobster. "I didn't… It's not…!" She silently giggled at my panic state. I pouted. "It's not funny!"

"But miss…"

"Don't "miss" me!" I got angry. "We're about the same age anyway!"

She tried to protest. I calmed down and smiled. "Friends don't call each other by titles, right?" I simply said. She stared at me, frozen, and the tears appeared again in her eyes. I panicked once more, but for another reason.

"Hey, why are you crying again?" She shook her head while whipping the tears away, like she wanted to tell me it wasn't my fault. "It's just that…" She dried her tears before talking again. "I've never had any friends before…"

This time, I tenderly smiled. Did you had that feeling before, where someone is so adorable you want to suffocate them under a hug contest? Well, I almost had to hurt myself so I wouldn't jump on her. "Then I'll be your first and most loyal friend!" I said to her. Her tears came back. "Thank you…"

I patted her back to comfort her. Then, more determined than even, I got up, a new fire burning in me. We will get out of this hole! Because of my sudden movement, I felt something fall out of my jean's pocket. The object fell on the floor. I stared for a few seconds. My cellphone. But of course! How could I forget about it?! I can contact someone with this!

I immediately took it in my hands and opened the screen. My eyes narrowed, like it would help me see. Nononononono. I waved my arm in the air, going to the left, the right, going as far as standing on my tiptoes.

"What are you doing?" Asked the blonde, intrigued. Frustrated, I let myself fall hard on her side. "I don't have any signal!"

That little piece of sh-

xXxXxXxXxXx

Law was furious. People around him had no difficulty noticing it. As he walked down the hall, every single person got out of his way. His aura seemed to say: you get near, I kill you. Shachi, behind him, had trouble following. "Wait Law! Slow down!"

The man turned a deaf ear and just went his way. So incredibly enraged, it didn't cross his mind that he didn't know where the blond was. He stopped abruptly. After surveying around for a sec, his eyes locked on a guard trying to flee. He took his collar in his hand and pushed him hard on the wall behind. The man winced.

"Where's Doflamingo?" Hissed Law with a menacing tone. He was in the man's face, ready to hit. Said guard was trembling like a leaf, terrorized. Law was losing his patience. "Where is he?!" He screamed.

"I-in his office, on the second floor" He answered nervously. Law let him go. He weakly let himself slide on the floor. The teacher ignored him and went back to his chase, Shachi hardly following close behind.

Just as they find the stairs, Penguin appeared in the peripheral vision. Law didn't care and just went up the stairs four at a time. As for Shachi, he stopped to talk to his friend.

"Hey, 'sup Shachi!" As nonchalant as ever I see… "Where are you going? You seem in a hurry." Shachi sighed. "See Doflamingo. You comin'?" Penguin's smile reached his ear. "You don't even have to ask!"

xXxXxXxXxXx

For maybe the first time in his life, Doflamingo was shaken up. Or at least worried. He always had complete control over every little aspects of his life. Money was overflowing, people respected him, he made those who didn't obey him, or those he just didn't like, disappear, and medias and the police left him alone. So why was today different? He did see the dozens of police cars outside his mansion. It must have been a plan from that brat, he was sure of it. He knew he would try something someday – like his so called infiltration -, but he didn't expect him to go to such length. The blond cringed. He will pay for this!

Suddenly, a terrible racket took place on the other side of the office door. It opened violently with a kick from none other than the unwelcomed bastard himself. He smirked maliciously. "Ha, my dear Law! Why do you honour me with your presence?"

Law slowly walked his way, threatening. "Don't play dumb with me. Where. Is. She?" Doflamingo shrugged. "But who are you talking about?" He faked. Law started to lose his patience and see red. "Cerys, you son of a bitch!" He got mad. "You'll tell me where she is, or I swear I will-" "Law, calm down."

Shachi appeared on the doorstep with Penguin by his side. Doflamingo didn't recognize these two characters, but it gave him bad vibes. Shachi put his hand on the brunet's shoulder to try to calm him down before turning to the blond, an all-too serious expression on his face. Penguin pulled out his gun, just like his partner, and they pointed them towards the pink clothes millionaire.

"Donquixote Doflamingo, you're accused of drugs and narcotics trafficking, of death threat, intimidation, murders and much more."

The blond faked being surprised and offended. "Who, me? But I'm innocent!"

"Liar!" Yelled Law, outraged. "You're just a bloody murderer who only thinks of his little self!"

Doflamingo smiled, a sickening expression on his face. "Do you have any proof of what you're suggesting?" This time, it was Shachi's turn to speak. "In fact, we do. We find very compromising documents that your employees were trying to destroy. Fortunately, we arrived just in time to seize them." Doflamingo's smirk disappeared. Those good for nothing imbeciles! "And we also have witnesses, who will talk eventually," Continued Shachi.

Doflamingo clicked his tongue silently. Even if he did have control over almost the entire police and members of the court, he won't be able to get out of this like nothing happened. Not this time. "I really don't see what you're talking about."

Law shook his head, disapproving his words. "It's over Doflamingo. You won't kill anyone again. You won't make anyone suffer with your schemes. No more fathers only trying to survive in this low world, no more mothers consumed with despair. No more orphan children because of you!"

The blond gave him a sadistic smirk. "Talking from experience?"

That was it for Law. He savagely jumped on Doflamingo and made him fall on the ground. Even in his weaken state, adrenaline and rage gave him the strength to hit him, again and again, until his victim was drowning in his own blood. Out of breath, Law cessed his aggressions, his joints paining him.

Even broken on the floor, Doflamingo smiled. His face looked like an expired steak. "So what, you won't kill me?" Was that man crazy? How could he smile in this sort of situation? Law shook his head negatively. "No, because I'm not a murderer."

I don't want to taint the one I love when I'll take her in my arms.

Law slowly got up, pain coming back ten folds. Shachi helped him keep his balance, while Penguin harshly picked up the blond from the ground and put handcuffs on him. "You're under arrest. Anything you say will be held against you."

As Penguin got him out of the room, Doflamingo looked over his shoulder and stared at Law with crazy eyes.

"I'm not the only one in the wrong here! If I go down, you follow too! Think of all the horrors you did for me!"

His silhouette disappeared in the hall. And his morbid laugh echoed in the mansion.

I have a little question for y'all! Someone commentated that it was hard to follow the dialogues, since they follow each other instead of being separated. What do you all think? Should I change the way I do dialogues?