7: All That He Really Wants
The swirling black mass of shadows that was Law's mentor was sitting on the stairs of the museum when Jean Bart pulled up in the parking lot. From the distance, if he squinted, Sanji could see the cigarette smoke that he often smelled. Ghosts with a gleam could chose to show themselves, and he'd only seen the man in a photograph Law kept in a locket. Jean Bart put the van in park, and while the area was littered with chattering visitors and people taking advantage of the area's restaurants and tourist trap-type shops, it seemed strange to see the living pass through the swirling mass like it were nothing. Sanji could hear a couple of complaints about the cigarette smoke they passed through, but the ghost wasn't given any more attention than that.
"It's about time," Sanji heard Corazon say crankily as they approached. The never-ending swirls of shadow rose and curved with the ghost's figure. Sanji wondered what Law saw when the older man looked at him. He glanced about to see if anyone was paying any attention to them – the only looks shot their way were on the taller man next to him.
Sanji couldn't help but glance up at him as well, sliding his hands into his pockets with a hunch of his shoulders. Of course attention would be drawn to those pleasing facial lines, the precise grooming, and the presentation of a well dressed figure with obvious tattoos; of course a closer look would be the want into those serious amber eyes. The man was a looker, himself or not – and instead of making him feel insecure and hopeless, it made Sanji feel good because he already had pleasing knowledge of the man's obvious – and not obvious – places. (Yeah, I fucked him. And he liked it!)
In spite of the conversation being held, Sanji's only thought at the moment was, I'm the one standing next to him.
"What are you looking all creepy for?" Corazon asked him suddenly, startling Sanji out of his thoughts.
He jerked ever so slightly, grasping his bag. "What? It's my face. I can't help what my face looks like!" he snapped, reddening completely.
He could feel both of their bewildered stares on him so he kept his attention diverted. His bag jumped, causing him to press both hands on it against his hip.
"Anyway," Corazon resumed blithely, "as I was saying, I couldn't help but notice the terror casted upon the streets, attacking us. Their screams are different from those of the living – the living can't hear them. So…what'd you do?"
"I might have allowed a demonic entity loose," Law answered gravely, noticing Sanji's efforts with the box. He withdrew a key from his inside jacket pocket – touching the glasses he had within. So he gave them both over to Sanji, who took them gratefully. "I wasn't aware that I had, and now…now I appeal to you. Is there anything strange about my character that might prelude to a possible possession?"
"I don't see anything different," Corazon answered with snobbish disdain.
Law watched the curving shadows build and loosen before resuming their continuous swirl. "Yet, you're not revealing yourself to me."
"I'm shy. Asides that, who is this piece of shit?"
Luffy reappeared next to Sanji with a shout, fists in the air. The hamburger spilled out messily onto the sidewalk, causing Sanji to wince and crouch to pick it up and throw it away in a nearby trash receptacle. Luffy adjusted his hat, pulling the brim over his eyes, then turned to Law furiously. Law's mouth curled with disdain as he looked down at the teenager, Sanji then sweeping his glasses on with a breath of relief.
"I'm going to kick your ass," Luffy vowed, fist cocked.
"You can't even touch me," Law returned coldly. Sure enough, Luffy's fists swept through him as he flung them, Sanji giving Law an impatient look and coming between them to push Luffy back a few steps.
"You locked me into a box! Said all this shit – I can hear all of that, you know!" Luffy shouted at him, then looked at Sanji with surprise once he realized the blonde's hands on him. Sanji looked around nervously, knowing his actions looked odd to those looking. But before anything could be said, a swirl of black swept out and ensnared the boy's hands within him, jerking him to the side.
"You touch the living, you cause them injury with your aggression," Corazon snapped at the boy, who looked up at his creation with a wide-eyed gasp. "And if you touch my kid, I will render you with pain you'll feel for the rest of your miserable afterlife!"
"I'm not your kid," Law muttered tiredly.
Sanji stared at him for several seconds, unsure if he'd seen what he'd seen. But Corazon released Luffy quickly, Luffy adjusting his jacket and hat as he looked mulishly at the living. With a quick dart of black smoke, Corazon slapped Law aside of the head. As his head snapped to the side, Sanji saw the flicker of people lost in the movement, appearing moments before rebinding themselves back into the man.
Law retrieved his hat and rubbed at his scalp. Sanji crossed his arms over his chest and tutted while Corazon exhaled enough smoke to cause Luffy to cough noisily.
"They're older gleams, the oldest of the supply I've had on stock," Law told Sanji with a guilty face. "I….layered before I came back to retrieve you. Jean Bart has a supply of them in the van – this is necessary. I don't know what exactly I'm facing."
"Danny Phantom is back," Sanji commented lightly, Luffy straightening his hat to laugh then look confused.
"Oh, so…we're not the Mystery Gang?" he asked with a puzzled expression. "I'm not exactly Tucker Foley material, so maybe I can wing Paulina's spot. I'm kinda pretty…"
Sanji bit his lips, trying not to create the image of Luffy as Paulina. But his eyes stung with held back mirth as Luffy laughed at himself. He reached out to pat Luffy's shoulder.
"I thought they were old enough for you to not recognize that they weren't part of my personality," Law then told Corazon, fixing his hat atop of his head. He hadn't any idea what the two were talking about. "They're weaker – my self is at the forefront. Newer ones are stronger, which overtakes my personality. What I can do with them is limited."
"And you tried to trick me," Corazon accused him with a low hiss. "No matter. In that moment, I saw nothing of what you had described. In the case of demonic entities – "
"This one is smart," Sanji spoke up with hesitation. "It created Law's doppelganger. Penguin was the only one to notice that it couldn't replicate his sword."
"Is that a special sword?" Luffy asked Law curiously, looking for the weapon. "Can I see it?"
Law glared down at him, tattooed fingers clenching the strap of his case tightly. "No. Go away."
"Is that a tattoo? Are you some sort of hoodlum? You look like a missionary that went rogue…what'd you do, not fulfill your destiny? Hey, do you have a bike? Does it have a bell?" Luffy then laughed, mimicking the movement of ringing a bike bell. "I wanna see you do this with that angry old man face of yours!"
"His voice and everything," Sanji continued over their voices.
"As I was saying," Corazon said impatiently, "demonic entities will possess a host that suits them. Smarter ones will choose ones that fit their hunger."
"Gin was a suitable host," Law murmured. "Considering his crimes…"
"What happened to him?"
"We never ran into him," Law reported, glancing around them. "This entity confronted me within my layers – those persons took a picture of the creature. It might be a clue – "
"Then re-layer yourself with those entities."
"…They were destroyed by it."
"It can touch you, but you can't touch it. Good thing you have some living shields you can push forward in front of you," Corazon then said.
"Cora," Law then said low, taking a step closer to him.
"Don't touch me with your multiple entity hands…"
Ignoring the man's testy complaint, Law said, "Can you be sure that it's me when I remove the layers?"
"I can see you for who you truly are when you're empty." After some consideration, cigarette smoke suddenly strong in the air, Corazon asked, "You're worried about this, aren't you?"
"I didn't sense the presence at all, and…" Law glanced at the other two, Luffy saying something to Sanji that caused the blond to smile. For a moment he paused, caught in the sight of it. Corazon cleared his throat noisily so Law said hastily, "…I could be a danger to those around me. This doppelganger – why did it choose to attack when my back was turned? I've never come into contact with either soul in the length of my time doing this, so it seems like it's personal for it to single out my actions..."
"Then maybe it's time to stop doing this," Corazon said gently. "You think word doesn't travel far with us dead about your exploits? I sense that you've lost your cockiness with the job, and now it's just…something you do because it's something you've done for a long time."
Law exhaled, nodding grimly.
After a moment, Corazon said – Law could see the man's tired smile, his blood splattered skin lifting with the gentility of it – "This is you. This person talking to me. Just…follow your heart, Law. If it's telling you to do something – do it. Stop being so indecisive."
Law considered his words. "This will be my last job."
Corazon reached out to pat him, the shadows allowing for a large hand to become visible – before he drew it back sharply before touching Law.
"You have my item," Corazon then said. "I'll be there if you need me."
: :
"It must have touched on some of my feelings. That's why…that's why it attempted to separate you from the others."
Sanji blinked at Law from behind the lenses of his glasses, looking away from the window to the seat in front of him (neither of them could sit together – it felt too intimate. Even now). Luffy was sitting in the passenger side seat, talking miles per minute – Jean Bart couldn't hear him. He maneuvered the white van back towards Sanji's apartment building. The streets were busy with the evening commute, so lights lit up the area like chaotic fire. Pedestrians risked chance as they crossed, and planes rattled over the high reaching buildings around them. There was a different light to the sky that made it dreary and somewhat ominous – clouds were building in the distance, with nothing more than a light threat. The chill of the season's change was present, forcing those on the streets to bundle with added material – it wasn't something Sanji really noticed in terms of any type of beauty. His head was often focused on the sidewalk.
But it seemed lately that he was looking up more often.
Hearing Law speak softly startled Sanji out of his weightless musing. He focused on the man's reflection in the window. Once the words settled in, he let them linger. 'Thank you for your consideration,' Law had said earlier. Now Sanji knew what he meant.
"Probably for a more gruesome death than it planned with the other two," Law continued, causing Sanji to frown. "The more negativity it finds, the stronger it gets."
"So, the more you feel, the stronger it will get feeding off your feelings if….something happens."
"Correct."
Sanji sucked his lips between his teeth, weighing those things. One outweighed the other. He lowered his head, smile tugging at his lips as he focused on his fiddling fingers. "Considering what you intended on doing in the forest, it probably thought of you as a threat. Who knows what was said to it that night to exacerbate the situation…"
Law exhaled with annoyance. He had one ankle atop of one knee, arms crossed. Every so often, his shoe would tap against the van's wall. He was properly belted in. "I'm not the chatty type, either."
"Maybe this was the plan," Sanji then said, leaning forward to brace himself against the seat Law sat in, arms folded underneath his chin, "because it was thriving in that forest on the souls left behind, and the only way to beat it in a fair fight was bringing it in where you had the advantage. Maybe it wasn't an act on the behalf of the thing's, but yours."
Law frowned at the window. He sought the reflection of the other man in there – his skin prickling underneath his clothes at the nearness of those fair arms folded upon the seat. He was ultra-aware of him and unsure of how to keep his reaction in control. But his emotions – his own and the others, whomever they were – were lifted and relieved. This man wanted to be close to him – taking note of his uneasy feelings and moving slowly; knowing that he wasn't always himself, knowing –
In his time, when he'd mentioned these fantastic things to the waiter, the man didn't believe. He didn't have to. Spooks and ghouls at that time were tamer, limited to poltergeists and sad grandmothers occupying their childhood homes. As times changed, so did the jobs. The waiter knew Law's life span, he was aware of what he did – but he didn't see ghosts. He didn't hear them, he wasn't aware of their proximity with Law's presence. All the waiter cared about was him. Near same of this man here – even when it seemed Law couldn't get his feet on the ground, Sanji was still there for him. The immensity of the fact made him feel frustrated with his own efforts so far.
Maybe it was time to stop fighting his own indecisions and doubt, and start showing. He felt anxiety at the fact – it was so open, now, how could he just…? His chest tightened.
Sanji glanced at him when he didn't hear a response. Only able to see his profile, he saw Law's face tightened with some concentration, but his tattooed fingers were clenching as they held onto his arms, and Sanji wished he was a mind reader. He had an urge to kiss him, to assure and comfort him. But he restrained himself because he didn't know what Law was thinking, and didn't want to make a risk that could backfire. He sat back in his seat with regret.
"Could be," Jean Bart said from the front, answering Sanji's theory. Hearing his voice startled Law, realizing he hadn't said a thing and was only focused on his thoughts. "It makes more sense here in the city. Not all ghosts are sad ghosts. Not all of them are as strong as those in the forest. That thing is probably just now realizing it."
Once they pulled up to the building, Jean Bart parked on a side street with a quiet belch. Luffy turned around in his seat to look back at them with expectance. In moments, he was out on the sidewalk, stretching so noisily that pigeons took hasty flight to the building's roof.
"What we doing next, boss? Now that it knows we're here, we can't exactly expect that this will always be a safe place – "
"It didn't walk into the apartment," Sanji said aloud, remembering the moment. He watched as Luffy pressed his mouth against the window, blowing on it and making goofy faces. "It seemed it couldn't. It knocked and waited for us to move."
"You have spells or something up there?" Jean Bart asked him curiously.
Sanji shook his head, tucking his hair behind his ears, bangs still in his face. "No. I bought it once I had the money – it just felt right."
"If ghosts couldn't enter your apartment," Law said slowly, "then why was…he able to?"
"He never stayed very long," Sanji mumbled.
"Plus," Jean Bart added with some vague discomfort, "he lost layers every time he came back. Always needed to recharge. That's when he was the goofiest."
"Was it….was it his?" Sanji asked Law tentatively.
"Hey you guys, what's taking you so long to come out here?" Luffy asked, halfway in and halfway out of the van but bracing himself against the van doors.
"Having an adult conversation!" Law snapped at him. To the others, he said, "he occupied an apartment just above the restaurant. With an older man."
"Well, it sounds boring," Luffy muttered, pushing himself back out onto the sidewalk. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted out "HELLO!" – none of the pedestrians passing him made any indication that they heard him.
"…Zeff?" Sanji questioned tentatively.
"Yes. I never thought that was his name, it sounds so….inane…"
Sanji considered the cook he knew, who gave him what he lacked in the Vinsmoke household. It was perplexing – did the old man know his origins? It felt like such a shame he couldn't ask. But he felt such affection for Zeff at that moment because Zeff was more of a father than Judge ever was – even as a pesky ghost, he'd done what he could to see that Sanji had some company amidst his bullying brothers and father.
"Some places are just naturally powerful," Law murmured with discomfort. He made a face as Luffy dropped his pants and mooned them, cheeks sliding over the van window while he laughed. Sanji cringed. Law cleared his throat and steadfastly ignored the boy. "We'll retrieve those two and just return to the bar."
"Man, you guys are no fun at all!" Luffy complained, fixing his pants into place as Jean Bart swiped at his phone screen. Luffy then fell over backward onto the seat Law was sitting on, missing him completely. But Law unbuckled himself from that seat and moved away while Luffy sighed noisily, hands on his stomach. "I get you guys are working on some weird issues, but I absolutely don't know what's going on. Are we solving mysteries, or looking for a freak to fight? I used to fight all the time in high school. My brother, Ace, he fought all the time too, and my other brother, Sabo, was always breaking us up but really I just wanted to win like Ace, so – "
"We are in the middle of investigating a bad ghost," Sanji told Luffy. "And they're a big threat."
"What are you going to do about it? Challenge them to a duel? Hey, can I see your sword?" Luffy then asked Law again, Law pulling his sword case to his lap and hugging it with a scowl. Luffy scowled at him. "Is this a special sword? A sword that kills demons? Hey, how can you - ?"
"Sanji, please," Law begged, hand to his temple as Sanji shook his head. He invited Luffy to sit next to him, the boy scowling at Law the entire time as he switched seats.
"Why is he such an old man? He reminds me of my old man," Luffy complained to Sanji.
"He's got a lot on his mind, and all your jabbering is throwing him off. You know he's an older man, you need to be more careful. Stop being such a spaz," Sanji scolded him, reaching out to fix his hat as Luffy huffed with impatience. "Take a breath, wait between sentences before spitting out the next one."
"Can I see your sword?" Luffy asked again, very slowly, then took a deep breath to add, "Please."
Law turned and gave him a vicious glare, Luffy glaring back before crossing his arms over his chest and slamming himself back first against his seat. Sanji struggled not to show any emotion, but he covered his mouth with his hand anyway, looking out the window.
"Why am I even here?" Luffy then complained, hands behind his head. "I should be back in town with Sabo! He's such a nervous driver – I could be with him right now!"
"Robin thought it was important that you were here," Sanji told him patiently. "You're important, kiddo. Just stop being a little shit, and you'll know why, soon. Probably when you're least expecting it."
"Important? How? You guys don't even know me. I don't even know you! But I must admit, this is pretty cool," Luffy then admitted, sitting up straight. "But what's the deal? Why are you guys freaking out over everything? All I hear is some talk about a puppy and some dude…"
"This ghost can kill other ghosts," Sanji explained. "Perhaps just troubled ghosts. He's building strength in himself, and he's angry at this guy, here. That's the basis of it."
"Ohhhh, so…how am I important in all this?"
"You will be used by Sanji," Law muttered from his seat as Jean Bart opened up a new can of beer, having finished his call. "As a layer."
"I don't understand – what's a layer?"
"It's when a strong ghost can possess the body of the living," Sanji explained with discomfort. "And I didn't know that was the plan. I had the thought you'd be using him."
"So, I can possess somebody," Luffy started slowly before Law could answer, "and when I do, I can be that person? Or will they be me? Hey, that's why I was able to eat, huh?"
"No, it's because you're the vulnerable person. A housewife nearly wiped you out," Law muttered in response. Sanji stared at him with irritation while Luffy eyed the ceiling of the van, hands on his knees.
"Don't take it the wrong way," Jean Bart spoke up from the front, can to his lips. "Put aside your feelings and understand that this is Law's way of protecting someone he cherishes. He's afraid to lose you…again. I don't understand why the subject is still taboo."
Law felt his face flush as Sanji's face twisted with understanding, Luffy straightening up in his seat when he realized the atmosphere had shifted.
"Again? Are you a ghost?" Luffy asked Sanji with surprise, Penguin and Shachi hurrying up to the van.
"Thought I'd just put that out there," Jean Bart told Law as the doors were flung open. "So things weren't misunderstood. Speak up, Trafalgar. Times have changed."
"Goddamn it, Law," Penguin snapped at his friend, taking the passenger seat while Shachi climbed into the bench seat next to Law, "get your shit together! Wait, what are we talking about? Maybe I should know the context before saying something."
"Don't worry guys, I have the keys," Shachi assured them, digging out the tangled bunch from his back pocket as Jean Bart prepared to drive. "All of them. I don't know if we need them, but just know I have them in my possession."
Before anything else could be said, one of the tires blew out noisily, causing the van to rock to one side. All of them caught themselves with surprised faces, Luffy latching onto Sanji with a startled shout. Sanji was surprised to feel the kid's heart thumping frantically against his chest – startled at feeling a ghost's physical fear manifest like a living person's. It took a few moments after that to realize the impact on his body – it felt like the wind had been knocked out of him, ribs bashed directly from a fist. It took everything he had to repress any noise, gritting his teeth, sweat collecting around his face. Everywhere Luffy had touched him made it feel like he'd been hit by a truck. With some clumsy action, he slung an arm around the kid's shoulders, patting him with comfort.
"Tire blew," Jean Bart said with surprise.
Shachi slumped low in his chair, hands pressed against his chest. "I thought we just got shot at, man!"
"Those dirty bastards will pay for this, whoever they were," Penguin snarled, hopping out from his seat. Law opened his case, sword handle gripped with apprehension as he nudged Shachi with his free hand. All of them clamored out from the van, pedestrians glancing at them with dismissal as Jean Bart examined the damage.
Seeing how shredded the tire was caused him a low whistle and a shake of his head. He straightened and looked at Law. "It was him. This was no ordinary blowout."
Luffy shakily managed to release Sanji, hand to his heart. Sanji looked at him with concern, noting how pale and unsteady the kid was. It made him feel sympathetic for the boy at that moment, knowing Luffy was replaying out his death with just that sound. Sanji wasn't sure how to comfort him; every part of his upper torso ached with pain, and he refused to show it; Luffy needed comfort. The kid didn't need to know what his actions had caused. It would feel like a backhanded slap to know he couldn't find comfort in the afterlife.
"That scared me," Luffy admitted with a weak chuckle. "I just…all these images just flashed to mind, and…I know I'm dead, but, wow, just a sound…!"
"It's a perfectly reasonable reaction," Sanji assured him tightly, gritting his teeth. His arms snaked up to his ribs before he forced himself to drop it. Ghosts are unconsciously that destructive, he thought with shocked awe. It made him think of how Sora caused the deaths of her own children; accidental, in her own grief to get close to them. It made him think how Corazon kept warning them not to touch the living.
How unfair, he thought.
Before Luffy could say anything else, Law stepped between them, giving Sanji an impatient look. "Boundaries. Learn them. You can't do anything more for this kid. He's already dead."
Jean Bart turned and whacked him across the shoulders before Sanji could respond. Luffy mimicked the action from the other side, cursing when his arm swept through the older man. He hit the sidewalk with another curse as Jean Bart told Law, "Be nice. Stop picking on that kid."
"Trafalgar, why do little people scare you?" Penguin asked Law impatiently, hands on his hips as Luffy picked himself up with a troubled mutter. "Man up, eh?"
"Oh," Shachi murmured, eyes wide behind his too big lenses. "There's a kid involved? Where was I when this all happened?"
"You were right there, dumbass!"
"Was I? I don't even remember this alleged moment…did it really happen? I don't remember you ever being there, either," Shachi asked Penguin suspiciously, hands on his hips. Penguin threw up his own hands with exasperation.
"Before we do anything," Jean Bart said sternly before Law could say anything, "take a time out and explain why this bothers you. Because this will fuck up any other future action, should it happen. You can't change someone's nature to accommodate yours."
"I'm only saying this because I'm looking out for you, too," Jean Bart added gruffly. "And it's about time. You two idiots – help me with this tire."
"I like this guy," Luffy said with a snicker, indicating Jean Bart. "He's large and in charge. Hey, is he the real boss?"
Sanji exhaled, anxiety racing through him. But Jean Bart's tone made it clear that there was no room for Law to escape. While the others were complaining noisily about the task, he reached out and tugged on Law's jacket.
"C'mon. We can talk while we look for this thing," he said assuredly, the older man refusing to look at him at that moment. Seeing his stubbornness, Sanji shifted his hold from his jacket to his fingers. He squeezed firmly to indicate he wasn't going to let go. "He's right. It's good to talk."
"What's this?" Luffy asked, crouching between them to stare at their hands. His face bloomed with confusion, but Sanji refused to let go. He linked their fingers, even as Law stood there stubbornly, glaring off to the side. Luffy's confused eyes darted from their hands to their faces, struggling to comprehend what was happening. "Is this a Korra and Asami moment? Hey, is this when we were blasted that they were actually - ? Oh, wow, I am blasted. I had no idea. Neither of you guys said anything at all to what was happening – this is a Nick moment, and I'm processing, processing, and….! I don't know, where were the first clues that this was actually a thing? None of you said anything! I just thought you guys had some weird bromance going, but…wow. Total wow moment…I need a few moments to get this…it's fine, everything's okay, but…wow. I didn't even know…"
He staggered away, then braced himself against a light pole, breathing deep and evenly. Sanji looked after him with amusement, smile twitching against his lips.
"Everything's fine!" Luffy then shouted at them. "I accept you!"
Law was combating his nervousness and residual anxiety, his shamed admittance that his unreasonable actions were because of his own fears. But to share them now, when he wasn't ready – when would he be ready? Jean Bart was right. Law's continued actions could hurt somebody if he didn't explain himself. Maybe it was the right moment to express himself, considering what was happening.
He just hoped he said the right things.
