There! A little bit longer than the previous update. Thanks for the reviews.
Warmth flared in her face, sweeping over her skin as she realized he had been awake. Her eyes met his consuming glare and suddenly, her throat went dry, very, very dry. She swallowed… hard. No words spoken as she kept staring into his eyes. Time seemed to stand still and she found herself leaning in as if he had a magnetic pull that drew her closer and closer to him. She felt the warm breeze of his breath against her lips, and it made her realize she was so close to his face.
Jerking back, she pulled away unsteadily. Law sat up and turned so his feet found the floor. He stood and stretched causing her to take a few steps back to make space between them. Her heart was beating fast and she lowered her gaze to the floor. He was going to think she was creepy for caressing his cheek, or touching him when he was asleep, or almost kissing him, whichever. And she thought, she had to explain.
"I-I thought you were cold so i went to get the blanket for you... a-and… and did you have a good nap? Are you tired? I mean… you do look tired…" she sighed heavily, "... didn't know you were up… " she realized she was just babbling and found no way to finish her sentence so she let her words trail off and waited for his response.
Silence thickened and everything seemed awkward. She risked a peek at him, saw him walking towards the sword stand, grabbing his sword and heading to the door. At least he didn't look angry. He just seemed a little bemused. She gave out a silent sigh of relief.
"Do… Do you need... anything?" Nami stuttered as she trailed him to the door.
"Nothing really." Law replied as he slid open the door and paused.
There was silence again. He didn't leave, and he didn't say anything, either. He was still standing at the door with his hand holding the door frame. She stood behind him, waiting in anticipation. Was he going to ask her about things that happened just now? Getting caught staring at him was already embarrassing, and stroking his face while he was sleeping, almost kissing him… she bit her lower lips, slightly regretting her action.
"Thank you." Law said as he slightly turned his face to her.
"Huh? What?" Her eyes widened as she looked at him in disbelief. "I mean, you're welcome?" Law gave her a tiny grin, more like a twitch of his lips than a smile. Her heart swelled with happiness and felt warmth spread through her chest and she smiled back. Sparing her a glance, that tiny grin came back, then he walked away and slid the door close.
"Danna, will you really go to the banquet?" Monet took the cup from Doflamingo's hands and set it on the table in front of them. Then she leaned closer to him. "Can I come along?"
Doflamingo smirked then turned his head to her. "Why?"
Lifting her head up, she looked at him, "Why you asked?" For a while, she held her gaze and smiled. Slowly, her fingers reached down to his fingers and laced her fingers with his.
"Escorting my danna. That's why."
"Worry about me?" He chuckled as he took his cup from the table with his free hand.
"I'm more worried about Cobra's intention." She disentangled her fingers from Doflamingo's.
"It's nothing to worry about." He assured. "Cobra isn't that stupid. We are not really on good terms… his faction, mine… but, we don't need another enemy. We don't really have any reason to kill each other..." He took another sip. "yet."
She sighed softly. Her hands reached the teapot and poured the liquid into his almost empty cup.
"I just want to remind you," She put the teapot on the table and turned to him. Her hands reached out and cupped Doflamingo's face, gently turning his head so he was facing her. She held his gaze, "Danna, one could never tell when the present calm might be shattered by another battle." She said softly. "I am sure you understand this undoubtedly."
"At this point, Cobra isn't my real concern. He's not a threat anymore." Doflamingo uncupped her hands, turned his face away and smirked, "I don't want to lose my men. Especially those I trust the most. If this invitation signifies a reconciliation, then it is an advantage on my side." He glanced at her and the corner of his lips turned up, "Monet, you worry too much."
She looked away nervously and bowed, "I am sorry, Young Master… I didn't mean to… I am just so full of myself-"
"That is why you don't need to worry about such things. You don't have to." He cut her off and held her face up. "You only need to be a good informer and gather useful information for me." He planted a quick peck on her lips and stated firmly. "Just that is good enough."
"Yes, Young Master." She bowed in understanding.
10 days later…
When Gladius and Law arrived at the harbor, Diamante was already there. His henchmen transferred the crates to the horse carriage in which both Law and Gladius had to escort, more like guarding the carriers until they reached destination - the fishman village. Upon their arrival, Buffalo and Senor Pink were already waiting and they exchanged carriers. They took charge of everything from then on. Law and Gladius then returned to the mansion to report everything back to Doflamingo in a short meeting. Law was briefly told about the banquet with Cobra's faction but he did not pay much attention to the details and left the room before Doflamingo went on about the invitation. He had no intention to stay in the mansion anyway.
Law crossed his arms as he strolled slowly among the crowd following the road that led to the inn he was currently staying. He stopped walking, listening and counting the sound of the bell. Eight bells hour. He quickened his pace. As he walked past the bridge, he stopped on his track, turned his head to the side observing something then walked off.
Law took off his sandals and left them at the genkan as he stepped on the tatami floor. As he walked through the hallway, he noticed light from the living room. He took a quick glance as he passed by and saw Lao-G and Jora were sitting at the table, talking.
"Dinner in the kitchen."
He heard Jora yell out and he waved his hand at her. He walked straight to the stairs, sparing a quick glance at the kitchen. He wasn't really hungry, and he wasn't going to eat alone, either, so he climbed upstairs.
Law had assumed she was already sleeping. Slowly, he slid open the door and tried to not make noise. In that dim light of the lantern and the moonlight, he saw their futons were neatly laid on the floor near the window but she wasn't lying there. She was sleeping at the window sill. Then he remembered, he had not told her that he would be late. She must have been waiting, and fell asleep there. A knot of guilt rose up within his chest. He stepped into the room, carefully closing the door behind him.
Law headed in her direction, standing over as he watched her. The moonlight illuminated her features. Her head in her arms resting on the window sill, her shoulder rose and fell with every breath she took. He took a while contemplating his choice whether to wake her up or not. He decided not to wake her up. He sat next to her, leaning back against the sill and put his arms over his forehead. He sighed heavily.
Law tried to sleep however, his head couldn't stop thinking about Nami. He had no idea how, and why suddenly she came to his mind. He remembered the time when he caught her off guard touching his face, and the almost-kiss after that. The curved of his lips turned upward as he recalled the incident. He was so aware of her presence, of what she was doing while he was dozing off - he wasn't really sleeping, but just resting his eyes. He was just startled when he suddenly felt her soft touch on his cheek that he had to open his eyes... and caught her eyes staring at him. He saw her leaning closer. But then, she turned red, which amused him. He opened his eyes, slowly removing his arm that was resting on his forehead. He wondered what her thoughts were about him at that moment.
His attention shifted to her when he heard her soft groan. Sitting up, he turned his face to look at her. She was still sleeping. Her eyes and lips closed tightly. He stared at her lips for long and wondered what they would taste like. A slight breeze brought her hair across her forehead and his fingers automatically reached out and brushed it back into place. His gaze fell to her face. He spent some time admiring her, taking in every detail of her face while stroking her hair gently. He was surprised that he felt utterly captivated by her.
Realizing he had done something he should not have, he slowly pulled his hand away from her hair. Pulling up a blanket that was just inches away from his feet, he dragged the blanket up to her shoulder and he leaned back to his position and crossed his arms. That feeling wasn't real. He was just making that up because he'd been sexually deprived, or so. It was just the moonlight softened her features until she looked somewhat attractive and beautiful. That had to be the reason why he felt that way.
He closed his eyes and sighed, trying to brush all the feelings away and turning his head to the opposite side. However, he kind of felt her touch lingered on his cheek. Drawing his hand to his face, he ran the back of his fingers across his face - the area where she had caressed and felt some kind of tenderness for her. He was smiling and could feel his smile just as he could feel her caress against his skin. He turned his head to look at her again. It seemed impossible that it would feel natural to have her by his side, yet it did. They had been spending time together for quite a long time. He got used to her presence around him. Every time she was with him, it gave him some kind of good feeling - a mix of comfort and happiness. But at the same time, he was afraid - of something uncertain. He wasn't sure what it was. He stared at her, searching for answers he knew he couldn't find. Unable to fathom his own dilemma, he sat up. The more he thought about it, the more difficult it became. He walked over next to the door and sat down. He leaned against the wall, sitting crossed-legs and folding his arms together. He let out a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes.
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"Damn man… he's fucked up real good." Diamante remarked, giving the corpse a disdainful look. The body sliced open from neck to waist. He inspected the dead body, running his finger along the diagonal cut in his chest, "Vergo was right. Only a highly skilled swordsman can inflict this kind of strike." He added, looking at Lao-G. "Such accuracy… sharp cuts, same depth - was done by one of the swordsmen, perhaps. "
"Probably just testing his skills." Lao-G replied as he uncovered another corpse. "What a shame."
"The same people who killed Cobra's right-hand men." Vergo pointed out. He peered over at the other dead bodies that were still covered with the straw mat- there were four more. "All of these weaklings were killed by one swordsman. If there are ten of them in that group..." a concern in his voice.
Lao-G and Diamante nodded. Understood very well what Vergo was trying to imply. The vicious strikes those swordsmen inflicted were no joke. Even a skillful swordsman had to be very careful and avoid the strike or they probably would die.
"Doffy isn't going to like this." Diamante muttered. "By the way, which faction do… did they belong to?"
"Wapol's." Vergo replied. "That bastard ran away while he sent his men to fight for him."
"These men served the wrong lord. How pitiful." Diamante chuckled. "Anyway, I am going to return to the mansion." He put on his sandogasa and cloak then he exited the inspection room.
"Give me some time to examine these corpses." Lao-G suggested.
Vergo nodded. "Take your time. You have all night." He then exited the room, following Diamante.
"Aahh… This is giving me a headache. " Diamante uttered when he heard Vergo's footsteps behind him.
"At least, you've got to see with your own eyes. You probably can tell once you meet the swordsman." Vergo replied as he opened the door to the main room. "That's if you don't die."
Diamante gave Vergo an annoyed stare as the latter walked past him.
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"Monet is going, too?" Trebol asked.
Doflamingo shook his head. "I'll have to ask mother to allow Monet a day or two away." He chuckled. "And, that's a pain."
Trebol laughed. "Of course. Monet is her gold mine."
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. The door opened revealing Diamante and Lao-G entering the room. Trebol took his usual position, sitting along with the other elites in the room.
"So, how is it going so far, Diamante?" Trebol asked. All eyes were on Diamante and Lao-G who were heading to the center of the room.
"Nothing much." Diamante replied as he took a seat. He let out a sigh then continued, "They really do have skillful swordsmen."
"Just one swordman might not be a problem. Gladius alike can probably handle them. Problem arises when they work together." Lao-G added. "Those cuts weren't a sloppy kind of cuts. It's a perfect kesagiri attack."
Doflamingo raised his brows. "Really?"
"Yes." Diamante replied.
"Kesa-giri…" Doflamingo repeated, rubbing his chin with his thumb. "Not that I remember. But, I could be wrong."
"What do you mean you could be wrong?" Diamante asked.
"Do you remember Crystal-Moon Village?" Doflamingo asked no one in particular. Some of them in the room nodded their heads. "Well… that was a long time ago. As far as I remember, there was a dojo that practiced that sword style."
"But we had demolished that village." Trebol added and then laughed.
"That's not the point." Doflamingo continued, "To think there are still kesagiri practitioners nowadays… some of them had survived back then."
"Hey, what is with this kesagiri attack?" Buffalo whispered to Law.
"You will die before you even know it." Law whispered back, smirking as he saw the latter snap at his remark.
"What?" Buffalo frowned and growled at Law..
"Shh… shut up!" Baby 5 demanded, covering Buffalo's mouth with her hand and pulled him back, "Young Master is still talking."
"I wouldn't be surprised if they actually recognize us." Diamante added.
"If they do know us, they would have attacked any of us." Gladius remarked.
"Nevermind that." Doflamingo stated, "Though you know, it's not happening yet, but this unknown faction is going to conquer everything if we don't stop them. As they are working on their plan, we also should make our move."
"I have prepared palanquins." Lao-G said. "You will be leaving in the afternoon."
"Baby 5, Pika and Gladius are coming with me." Doflamingo stated. The said people nodded their heads.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
"I- I don't know who you work for… but I can pay you twice… if you join me."
Law heard the man he assumed to be the leader of the gang, spoke between ragged breaths. The light of their lanterns shone full in their face and at the same time ran across the blades. The man had his men in front of him, taking their stances, swords in their hands ready to block his assaults. Every time he took a step forward, his opponents took a step backwards.
"Just name your price…" the leader stated again, "anything.. women, positions, lands… I can offer you those..."
Law shot a glare at the leader. He had heard about them from Diamante. This small group was doing business on Doflamingo's turf. The existence of the group had just recently been discovered by Diamante. And he was told to erase them completely.
"Damn boss… He didn't listen." said one of his men.
Law resumed his walk, proceeding with the same quiet steady pace, with which he had been wending his way to the men in front of him. Taking his stance, raising his sword high above his head and his right foot leading, in a quick motion, he sprinted towards the group.
"As expected… It won't take you long to finish this task. Tch."
Law shook his sword and turned to where the voice was coming from. Diamante smiling and sitting on the crates.
"You can handle this by yourself." Law said as he wiped the blood with the cloth Diamante just threw at him. "Did Doflamingo send you to watch over me?"
"No. I am waiting for Vergo." Diamante replied as he pushed himself up, walking over to the dead bodies laying on the alley. "Sad… so sad." he mumbled as he was examining the dead body of the gang's leader.
Law looked at Diamante. Somehow, there was something that did not sit well with him. He had a feeling that they were being watched and he voiced it out to Diamante. All of a sudden Law sensed another presence projecting a different feeling compared to the one he felt when he was around the gang. He knew Diamante could sense it, too, as the older man was now up on his stance, hand on the hilt of the sword. They stayed focused.
Standing back to back with Diamante, he scanned every inch of his surroundings for some movement. He waited. Moments later, two black silhouettes appeared in front of him. Moonlight pouring displayed their features in cloak and sandogasa covering their entire identity. However, none of them initiated a conversation. One of them drew his sword out while the other just stood still. The edges of his sword reflected the moonlight and in a quick motion, the one that was holding a sword charged towards them.
Nami had just finished taking her bath and was heading to the hallway, walking at the same pace towards the second floor, to the bedroom. Her hair was still wet so she let it loose. She lit the lantern and the light spread across the room lighting all up but the corners. Then she walked over to the window, sliding open the window to let in some fresh air. The moon was bright and clear, displaying every object as clearly almost as if it had been the day. She sat on the sill, looking up the night sky. She had overheard Jora talk with Lao-G that Law had been assigned a mission. She would not know whether he was coming back or staying out. Law had not told her anything about that. She sighed. Even though she had never said it to Law, she was always worried about him. She drew her legs to her chest, hugging them and rested her head on her knees. She closed her eyes while planning to lay the futon after she took a quick nap.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
"Leave it be, Law." Lao-G said as he threw a dry clean cloth over Law's head. "You better clean yourself and patch up your wounds. You smell like blood." He continued, leaving him at the washstand.
Law hissed at the sharp pain as he shoved his hand under the water. His mind flew back to his fight with the unknown enemy. That person was no ordinary swordsman. He could fight on par with both of him and Diamante joined together. And they were just facing one of them. He could not imagine what would happen if the fight would drag on. Vergo came on time with few of his subordinates and that made the opponents retreat. That fight gave him an unsettling feeling. He did not have a chance to land a hit, nor, keeping up with his speed. That person however, was able to make him bleed. He slapped the water causing him to grit his teeth and hiss again as the pain stung.
Law removed the upper part of his stained kimono revealing his fresh wound. The wound was still throbbing and bleeding freely. The cut was rather deep but he thought he didn't need stitching. Dampening the clean cloth, he carefully wiped the cut starting from his collar bone across his chest to the above of his waist.
After cleaning his cuts, he made his way to the second floor. When he slid open the door, he walked into the room and saw their futons had been laid out in the center of the room. He saw her sitting near the futons with a medicine box next to her. Lao-G had probably supplied her with that. He thought. He walked over to her and sat on the futon in front of her.
"You're not shocked anymore." He commented.
"Lao G-san had told me." She replied with a smile, holding a jar with her hand. "Let me see…" She started from his chest, checking the cut and satisfied when she noticed it wasn't as deep as she thought it would be. She scooped out the salve from the jar. "This might sting a bit." She warned before applying the salve on the cut very carefully.
She heard him hiss and groan reacting to the pain. She leaned forward and gently blew, hoping to ease the pain just a bit.
Law's stomach jumped every time he felt her soft blow against the cut. Chills ran up and down his spine every time her breath touched his skin. It felt strangely good. He stared down at her bowed head and watched as she tried to sooth the pain. The sight struck him, sent a strange tingle down his spine and around his front shooting into his groin. He growled and forced his gaze away from her.
He let out a breath he had been holding when she moved away and placed the jar into the medicine box. She took out a few clean linen and began to wrap around his waist. He stared back at her as she worked on her task. That strange sensation came again, tingled all over his body every time her fingers grazed his skin and his body went full alert at how close she was. She had to lean forward - sorta hugging him, while her hands worked to wrap the linen around his torso. She was silent for what it seemed like eternity to him. Heat pooling in his loins and he gripped on the futon as an effort to not bury his fingers in her hair and yank her up his body. She remained unaware of her surroundings while he was busy trying to sort out the strange reaction his body was having for her.
"Your arm."
Her voice set his world back in place. He felt her palm smooth over his bandage as she said so. She was giving him a wide smile over a job well done. Law let her tend to the small wounds that she had spotted on his arm to his palm and back, savoring the same sensation that his body went through at her touch. She had filled him with an overwhelming desire and now he wanted more. Then he felt her hands patted his back and he knew she had done with her work and was getting ready to move away.
"I guess, it's time to sleep."
He knew he should just let her go, head to sleep, forget everything that just happened and regret nothing. But no, he didn't want that. He was craving for the sensation of her touch and he didn't want it to end so soon. He wanted her. His hand reached out and grabbed her right wrist before she could back away and hauled her toward him.
His eyes stared down at her and judging by her reaction, she did not see this coming. She did not pull away nor say anything, just staring back at him with a pure shock. She was close enough that her scent was starting to go to his head. He inhaled her scent into his lung then exhaled, and he found his body crave more. His free hand reached out and gently ran his fingers down her cheek in a soft caress as he watched the shock in her eyes slowly drained away to be replaced by confusion. His gaze slid to her lips that he'd long wondered how they tasted, how they felt. Still in that awkward position, he lowered his head and gently brushed his lips against hers, once, twice and a third time before settling his mouth firmly on hers. He delighted in the soft feel of her lips under his.
He felt her stiff at the contact before her muscles went lax. He cautiously loosened his grip on her wrist to slide his hand around her back and pulled her closer. He slanted his mouth and deepened the kiss further. He gave a soft groan at the satisfaction when he felt her lean slightly into the kiss. Now he was sure it didn't feel like something he would regret anytime soon.
I'm glad there are still readers reading this story.
Ashyu : yeah, I'm back and thanks for waiting.
Sarge1130: I wish you could draw that scene. I would love to see it. And thanks for the review. 3
Kamisama97 : you're welcome. And thanks for reading and reviewing.
Guest : Thank you.