Naghi-Tan: Hopefully this chapter gives some clues to where Gin is in this fic. Just some! Law is having a very hard time with the similarities in personalities…but it's time to talk about it. :D

6: A Loveless Romantic


"Capturing a gleam takes a reasonable amount of practice," Law said later that evening, holding up a lock box with a number written atop of the lid in Penguin's angry scrawl. It rattled ever so slightly in his hands.

Penguin scoffed from the kitchen table, Shachi's head bowed over his own cellphone as he concentrated on re-learning how to use it. The group had brought Sanji home and removed Luffy from the blond by luring him from Sanji with a hamburger. Law didn't give him time to manifest as a ghost – just captured his gleam that he then trapped inside of the lockbox with the hamburger.

Jean Bart was down in the street waiting for them; he assured them to take their time, patting a twelve-pack sitting on the floor by the passenger seat. When Sanji was aware of himself once more, he was chagrined to see the company he was in, but Law was giving an impromptu lesson about how to use gleams correctly. Lecturing him, apparently.

"The first time I was introduced to it, I allowed the gleams to manipulate my every action and thought. Under their influence, I was allowing them to think everything for me. At the time, I questioned whether or not I was this person in the first place. I saw things where I hadn't known they were, considering how well they knew an area. All I had to do to pull in a gleam was to invite its presence over mine. A touch, an emotional or mental understanding. That was how you were able to pull in Eustess, wasn't it?"

Sanji frowned up at him from the couch. He was uncomfortable, bloated and heavy, and his heart was racing soundly. The intake of so many calories at one time left him ill, and all he wanted to do was panic about it. After discovering the state of his clothes, he'd changed into overalls and a white t-shirt that had a cut-out collar.

The lock box in Law's hands shifted with enough force to have Law catch it quickly within both hands.

"Let him out," Sanji muttered tiredly. "He's just a shitty kid, he doesn't understand, yet…"

"All he has to do is behave," Law said with warning. After a moment, he added, "And you, too."

Sanji had come to realize that Law was treating him differently. Holding back – there was anger in his eyes and in his tone, and Sanji wasn't sure what it meant.

"Gleam that strong won't ka-tow to anybody using force over it," Penguin stated crossly. "That ghost is about as strong as Eustess was."

"Eustess was a scary guy," Shachi whispered.

"You remember him?" Law asked them curiously, the lock box shaking violently in his hands.

"I know we were under the influence of our preferred collection," Penguin said impatiently, "but that one stood out in my memory because of whom he was. A violent, scary guy. He rattled other ghosts' teeth without them being aware of being hit in the first place."

"And this is why we're set to find the new guy," Law murmured. "Because of his potential impact. The more I learn of him, the more understandable it is to get rid of him."

"Who sent us to find him in the first place?"

"Your friends on the internet, Penguin."

"…Ah…so this shit is my fault…"

"If he's been there for years, what's the point of bothering the man now?" Shachi asked curiously, wiggling his nose to straighten his glasses as he looked up. He blinked heavily from behind the hideously large lenses. "He occupied a haunted forest where people go to die – just let him live it out there! He's not harming anything…"

"Anyone with the knowledge of how to use gleams could mistreat this violent power of his," Law answered him impatiently. "The fact that another ghost hunting group from the world wide…the internet…where Penguin received the information from – "

"Hey, hey, hey," Penguin interrupted, finger wagging, "Don't start shit, Trafalgar! I already admitted this was my fault!"

"They cool, man?" Shachi asked curiously. "Those other guys, they cool?"

"We've never met them. Penguin coordinated the hunt with their guidance through phone calls and…DM's…?"

"Oh, fuck, so it's all my fault?" Penguin snarled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It was a good thing," Law assured him patiently, "because now that we're aware of this evil person, we can rid of him permanently before someone else thinks to invite his gleam for unfathomable purposes."

"…You're welcome." After some consideration, Penguin asked tentatively, "If they referred us to it – because I'm not calling it a man – then why would they? Was it already a problem?"

"They were aware of our feats. On…on the forum you manned."

"Aghhh!" Penguin exclaimed with exasperation, dragging his hands down his face. "It all goes back to the freaking computer!"

"Science!" Shachi boomed, then snickered, slinking low in his chair.

"Which is why I suggest you…" Law trailed off, then looked to Sanji. "You didn't notice anything unusual about my personality, other than the dog?"

Sanji shook his head. "No."

Law wore an expression of worry, holding hard onto the lockbox with both hands as his friends watched him with some thoughtful expressions.

"Why don't you go talk to Corazon?" Sanji then suggested gently. "He's the one that knows shit about you best. He could tell if something more was off."

"The clown," Penguin whispered as Shachi looked frightened. Both of them looked rather nervous, Sanji watching them with a skeptical expression.

"You guys are afraid of clowns?" he asked.

"Shut up!"

"Don't mock a man's fears!"

Sanji rolled his eyes. Law nodded, setting the lock box down onto the coffee table. "I'll do that."

"This piece of shit thing," Sanji then said slowly, picking up his phone to find the photo that was sent to him. He turned it around to show Law. "If it had taken the gleams you were using, it hasn't been feeding off the shit around him."

Law studied the photo with confusion, then took the steps necessary to take the phone from him. Giving him a cautious look, Sanji asked, "You…don't remember sending that?"

Flustered, Law rubbed his face. He examined the picture once more, then gave the phone back. "Capturing ghosts on…devices are a rare event. These are…astoundingly clear."

"You…I was sent a photo of the shitty dog, as a…I don't know, proof of what you were doing," Sanji said awkwardly. He shifted on the couch to sit at the edge of it, examining the photo once more and noting the particular details as he'd seen them that night.

In that moment, watching him, Law was hit with a memory of the waiter squinting at a piece of paper, cigarette caught between his teeth. Both these men could have been the same person – with the same squinting look, the concentrative frown on the lips – even wearing the same shoulder hunch. But instead of being hit with pain – the warmth of affection hit so hard that it didn't occur to Law why Sanji was squinting in the first place. He had the man's glasses tucked inside his jacket pocket.

It nearly took his breath away to realize that it didn't hurt so much, anymore.

Unaware of this scrutiny, Sanji then gave Law a startled look. "What if you were being sent a clue?"

Law struggled to concentrate, swallowing hard to get his focus back. But as Penguin and Shachi watched with thoughtful frowns, he couldn't quite reveal anything. It was ingrained in him, a habit, to keep relationships secret. It wasn't so open back then as it was now – he glanced at the two men to judge their characters, but they'd known the waiter. They'd known the relationship that he and Law had shared, but it was taken as close, uncomfortable friendship. It was known, not said. He wasn't sure how the men would take to it, now. But surely they already had a clue.

He was uncomfortable with his feelings showing on his face. He was uncomfortable saying anything at all.

"You saw the dog," Penguin verified slowly, "and sent that guy a picture of it?"

"No, not him," Shachi explained. "The other guy. Remember him?"

"Oh…yeah…" Penguin murmured, wearing a confused expression. "I remember bits and pieces of him being totally annoying."

"I remember the other guy," Shachi then whispered, looking surprised that he did. "Because he was such a beatnik."

"Beatnik," Penguin echoed. "I feel angry for some reason just thinking about his clothes…"

Sanji waved off their conversation and locked his phone, putting that aside. He returned his attention to Law. "Is there a clue? I mean…I'm still getting used to the role, I'm not seeing these things like you would. You have to look at it from the point of view as a ghost hunter, I guess. There are ghosts present in the photo with the dog – yet those gleams you used are gone. So…putting two and two together…"

"He wasn't feeding off the negative energy left behind," Law murmured slowly, struggling to think. He paused. "I had a suspicion that perhaps he – the dog – he wasn't alone. What if they'd both piggy-backed upon each other…?"

"What was this lecture earlier about allowing the gleams to manipulate your every action and thought? Under their influence, you allowed them to think everything for you? I vaguely remember you saying something like that," Penguin asked in a slightly snarky tone. Sanji watched Law blush ever so faintly. He ducked his head and wore an uncomfortable look before shooting Penguin a grim frown. Sanji furrowed his brow, reviewing his own memory of that morning. Had he missed seeing something?

"Having no previous contact with the man, I….have no idea how he could influence me," Law mumbled.

"Demonic entities feed off the living's fear and of the ghosts around it," Penguin started when Shachi intervened quickly with, "First off, fellows, we need to find out why that group referred us in the first place. What happened with them to want to contact us dudes that can get rid of it?"

"Start from square one!" he continued, rising from the chair while Penguin scowled at him. He held his cellphone out to Sanji. "Here, young child, find this information for us. I don't know what I'm doing, and somehow, I've been looking at something called hentai all this time and I still don't understand it. I'm uncomfortably aroused."

"You're such a freak," Penguin exclaimed, looking at his friend with dismay while Shachi snickered.

Sanji saw that Shachi had his Twitter feed up – the hashtag revealed thread after thread of pictures and proclamations for the online art that made his eyebrows lift.

"What is Penguin's Twitter handle?"

All of them stared back at him with puzzled expressions, Sanji giving them impatient looks. He held a hand out for Penguin's phone, and the man sullenly gave it over. He was halted by the fact that there was a lock screen in place. He gave it back and returned his attention to Shachi's with a heaving sigh, finger scrolling and tapping away impatiently.

Law sat slowly at the edge of the couch, clenched hands together to rest against his forehead. "Considering the oddities right now," he said low, "I still ask that you are re-layered. Jean Bart can help you with it."

"With the amount destroyed, will there be enough to distribute amongst the three of us?" Penguin asked crossly.

Sanji glanced at Law. "Is he possessed, or is this is real shitty brown personality?"

"Hey, brow boy, I don't know what you're insinuating, but I - !"

"We were all troubled men for our time," Law explained to Sanji over Penguin's rising snarl. Since Sanji was warned previously, he shrugged. He then perked up.

"I found his handle," he said with relief, then searched the man's DM's. Once he found the message inviting the group to investigate the forest, he located the sender's profile and examined the brief bio. "'We specialize in spooks, demons, and aliens! Contact us for more info.' Well…I'll send them a message to call Penguin's phone. You should be the one to talk to them."

"I'll be the volunteer," Shachi offered, hand up. "I'm the nice one."

"It's my phone," Penguin reminded them bitterly as Sanji sent the message. "It should be my responsibility!"

"Can't you just force it?" Sanji asked Law tentatively. "Hold them down and force the layers they've been using to - !"

"I can't just force it. It has to be accepted," Law said. Shachi and Penguin were arguing over the man's phone, holding a tug of war over the kitchen table. He pulled out his phone, and swiped through it. Sanji covered his mouth delicately with one hand, trying to repress any mirth because with his squinting eyes and confused hold of his mouth, Law looked much older than his twenty-six years; like an old man bewildered by the convenient tech in his hand. Once he pulled up the picture his other selves had sent Sanji, Law studied it.

"If he was so bloodthirsty," he murmured thoughtfully, enlarging the picture to examine various details, "he wouldn't have stopped. He destroyed the gleams I'd used – he knows what they are. If only I could remember exactly what happened that night – were they that careless?"

"You weren't careless," Sanji told him softly, feeling awkward. Who did he speak of when addressing Law? "You were careful. It's not like…you were irresponsible. Either of you. So if you – he – sent me this picture…there's something in it asides the dog that he was attempting to show you. Not me. You."

"They were reaching out to communicate with you," Law muttered bitterly.

"Maybe. But. Even now, don't gleams work with something that's already ingrained in you? You plan ahead. Use irritatingly small details to get your way. So this is a detail," Sanji insisted, tapping on his phone. Law fiddled with the phone, noticed the two men wrestling for Penguin's phone, then glanced at Sanji.

Speaking low, he said, "Luffy mentioned that…you needed to be nicer to me, because I'm…traumatized. You had to take things slow and easy with me so that you don't scare me off. What does that mean?"

Sanji gave him a bewildered look, unable to recall the conversation. But as he thought about it, he could see vague images in which he was addressing Law so lightly and casually – seeing it from a third person's point of view. Speaking with a voice that wasn't actually his. He swallowed tightly, a little embarrassed that this was revealed.

"Well, he must've captured some of my insecurities," he replied. "You were traumatized. Right? With…with his death. That's not…that's not news. And…taking things slow and easy, isn't it the right thing to do? Times are different, and you're still stuck in yours. I…if I don't…do this the right way, of course…of course you'd get nervous. I…I'm trying to keep you from running away."

Law considered his nervous words, observing the way Sanji's fingers entwined and loosened then clenched again with anxiety. Penguin's phone was ringing at that moment, and both men were trying to swipe at the same time over the screen, their fighting causing the chairs and table to crash over. For that moment he tuned them out, running the words over and over through his thoughts and attuned to Sanji's anxious hands.

He swallowed hard as Penguin's phone fell onto the floor, clattering underneath the nearby throw rug. Both of them landed there, grappling for it.

Law looked back at Sanji, giving a nod. "Thank you for your consideration."

He went for the phone, snatching it out of fighting hands to see that the screen was unlocked to allow for the call. Sanji watched after him with a mystified expression, unsure of what Law meant. His expression gave away nothing and his tone wasn't exactly helpful, either. Law answered the phone briskly, introduced himself, and promptly asked for the speaker to speak up.

Sanji looked at the picture of the dog once more, puzzled by the content. Robin had walked the room that night, and he remembered seeing her laughing and talking with glass in hand. The various subjects she spoke with talked comfortably with her, but every time he glanced at her, it seemed like only friendly conversation they were sharing. She never told him what she'd found out – but that was Robin. If one didn't ask the right questions, she didn't have an outright answer.

He hopped up from the couch and went to his room, rummaging through his nightstand drawer for the bullet. It was hard to see without his glasses – he wondered where they were. He had a spare set in their box in the back of the drawer, so he retrieved those, cleaned them hastily with the edge of a bedsheet, then slipped them on. The older prescription had him wincing – but the thicker frames with chewed ends would just have to do. He then resumed looking for the bullet. He examined it for a few moments, then pushed it into his pocket. He walked back out to hear Law confirming some information before hanging up. Penguin and Shachi watched him warily from the floor, sitting like scolded children with their hands in their laps.

"The reason they brought him to our attention was that upon one of those hunts, they captured EVPs of a ghost that was frightened of this man. That ghost claimed Gin wasn't a ghost – but a demonic entity. Gin was real – his crimes were real. Ghosts are capable of killing the living, we know this. But this one is also capable of killing other ghosts." Law then paused, furrowing his brow. "This animal…I have a strong feeling that the animal itself is the spirit we're looking for. Not the man."

Shachi exhaled with relief. "That's good to hear. I totally was hoping we wouldn't have to hurt the dog. I like dogs."

Sanji pulled his phone up to look at the picture once more, pushing his frames up his nose as they slipped. The body missing its head was pressed up against the tree trunk – the hanging persons that were visible within the flashing light of lightening pulled his attention. The more he looked, the more he realized that their hands were outstretched towards the trunks of the trees they were hanging from. Their limbs weren't random branches – the ghosts themselves were trying to hide from the "puppy" facing the camera.

The human hands in his memory sprang forward – they were those of a man. Blackened and scarred, but with the sound of crackling ice present when Sanji had kicked them. It wasn't an animal – ghosts didn't mutate into otherworldly creatures, so he was positive animals couldn't, either. Almost at the same time, Law looked over at him with the same expression Sanji was wearing. He reached for his hat and coat.

"Stay here," he instructed the men sitting on the floor. He then pointed at Sanji. "With him. None of you are to leave this room."

"WHAT?" the three cried out collectively.

"I'm going to go see Corazon – I don't trust myself at this moment, and this case has grown progressively alarming," Law said, shrugging on his black coat and zipping up. He grabbed his sword from nearby, looking down at the rattling lock box on the floor. He used his sword case to point to Sanji. "Deal with that mess, there."

Once the door slammed shut behind him, the three looked at each other with rising displeasure.

"He's always leaving us behind!" Penguin complained, rising to his feet.

"Thank god, because I get weak within a whisper of danger," Shachi said with a sigh, bracing himself with elbows on the floor.

"I know I'm stupid in the face of the things you guys do, but I see these things better than you all," Sanji muttered, using his nose to wiggle his glasses back into place. He picked up the lockbox with Luffy inside of it, and tried to open it. "He has the damn key…"

"I got a spare, man," Shachi assured him, pulling at the thick collection of keys he had in his back pocket. Penguin gave him an odd look when a cigarette case followed that, Shachi hastily shoving that back. "We can find the key together! Like a team."

"How do you sit with all of that?" Penguin asked him.

"Oh, this big thing covers everything I do. I lean to the side, a bit. Rest it all on one cheek. Didn't want them all jingling on me, because what if we run from the cops? I'll give us all away…" Shachi shrugged as Sanji and Penguin stared at him silently before looking in other directions.

Before any of them could move again, there were small knocks on the door. Penguin answered it after a brief glance through the peephole, giving a confused tilt of his head. Law stood there solemnly, his face grave and his fists bunched at his sides. "Change of plans. We need to leave. Now."

All of them wore expressions of confusion, but Penguin noticed Law's apprehensive glances around them. He slid his phone back into his pocket and patted it for assurance. "You okay, man?" he asked. Law nodded once to indicate that he was.

Sanji grabbed his messenger bag and stuffed his necessary items in there. He stuffed Luffy inside, giving the box a reassuring pat. He then drew the bag over one shoulder, Shachi and Penguin making their way past them to the elevator. At that moment, pushing his glasses up with the back of his hand, Sanji wondered what the waiter thought of all this – was he ever involved in their hunts?

Was it polite to inquire of an ex? he wondered with vague discomfort. He wanted to know – his curiosity ate at him with both shame and guilt.

Law shut the door behind him, and said low, "We'll take the stairs."

"Why?" Sanji asked him with confusion.

"Exercise," Law murmured, urging him toward the stairway with hand gesturing for him to walk, and Sanji looked over to the opening elevator doors with vexation. Penguin and Shachi walked in, but the opened doors showed Sanji the sight of the woman with the groceries, sprawled out in pieces against the back wall. The walls and floor were splattered with blood and innards – but they were slowly fading away, like an invisible hand was erasing the evidence. She was staring out into the hallway sightlessly – missing her lower jaw. Her groceries faded slowly, eventually evaporating without fanfare as the doors closed.

"You actually did it," Sanji commented dully, struck by the image as Law opened the stairway door. Sanji then thought of the way Wolf had disappeared after being ripped in half by the beast, comparing the image to the ashes that were often left behind when Law struck down an otherworldly soul.

He then looked at Law with fright. Law looked at him, jaw set. Before he could say anything, Penguin slammed into him – or, he would have if he could touch him. The man's heavier body slammed and connected with Sanji, knocking them both into the stairwell. They hit the stairs with hard thumps and tosses, coming to the landing with an entanglement of limbs and grunts. Looking up, Penguin watched as Law frowned heavily before stepping soundlessly out of sight from the stairway.

"OW!" Sanji exclaimed noisily, looking at Penguin with panic before looking for Law. His glasses were gone – broken and bent atop of a stair. Bewildered, he stood up with effort as Penguin winced and touched his ribs. "What happened?"

"Little differences, stupid," Penguin grunted as he used the wall to pick himself out. "Our Law left with his sword – this one didn't have it. Ghosts have a difficult time mimicking that thing. This doppelganger couldn't take a step into the apartment – you got spells up, or something?"

"…No?" Sanji wheezed, incredulous at this level of manipulation. He brushed himself off, looking up at the stairway with a hard squint once more. Both of them touched places that ached and hurt, the stairs unforgiving. "This thing is that intelligent…?"

"Back to the apartment," Penguin said hastily, urging him up the stairs. Both of them had trouble doing so, wincing and cringing with each step, hand railings held with clenching fingers. "Back to the apartment, he can't enter until he gives us the password."

"He separated me from you guys," Sanji said with a start. He froze in mid-step, numb while his mind whirled from the encounter. That phrase ran through his mind continuously, horrified at what could have happened.

"The fact we could see it without you guys to tell us what we're looking at says a lot about its strength," Penguin said tightly. "It's a strong entity. It couldn't enter your apartment – we're just gonna stay there until he gets back."

"What if he's attacked? Someone has to be there to watch over him!"

"I'll call Jean Bart – more than likely, Law had him drive him to see the clown – hey!"

Sanji hurried down the stairs, digging into his bag for his phone. He ignored Penguin's shouts, feeling panicked. Once he was outside, he searched the street for the white van while calling Law's phone. When he heard the older man's voice answer, he heaved a breath of relief.

"Come get me," he demanded, struggling to catch his breath.