One Piece
The Five Second Rule
Chapter Seven: Questions and Answers
Celine checked the time as she got out of the bathroom. There was still three hours left before she was supposed to go see Vic downstairs in the basement. There was still the matter of frosted muffins she was supposed to bring her, but she should be all right to come without them, right? It's not like Vic won't help her just because she didn't have them, after all Celine's probably the only one that can do something for her from out here.
Since she didn't want to show up empty-handed, Celine snuck out of her bedroom and headed downstairs, hoping to bump into that will direct her to the kitchens. Peeking into each room in her way, she noticed that the castle was vastly empty. There were numerous guest rooms and lounges but all looked like they haven't been touched in a long time.
Stepping into what looked like a study, Celine glanced around as this room looked regularly used. Perhaps there was a maid or too lingering about somewhere… But like the last few rooms, the place was deserted too.
Celine looked through the bookshelves, they all were history and geology books. These books looked far more advanced for a sixteen-year-old, they must have belonged to the king and queen.
Realizing there was nothing more for her here, Celine turned around and almost toppled over. Hanging above the door was a large portrait of the royal family – a younger Jareth sat on the king's lap, both sprouting similar grins and a small baby lay in the queen's arms.
The resemblance between queen and her were uncanny. The queen had fairer hair but her face was almost identical to Celine's. Something Celine didn't know what to think of. Didn't Jareth hate his parents? Shouldn't he have struck her down the first moment he saw her?
"Nii-chan! I found her!"
The door was creaked open and Dean poked his head in, he waved his hand as Jareth appeared behind him.
"I need to speak with you," he said.
"So do I," she nodded.
Dean stood by the door as he looked between the two, unaware of the events that happened after dinner.
"… In private," Celine elaborated when no one moved.
"Right," Jareth nodded then turned to the boy. "Dean, head back to your bedroom now."
Dean made a face at his brother and then held onto Celine's arm, pulling her down to his level.
"Tell Karen I say hi," he whispered quietly before running off.
"What was that about?" Jareth stared at his brother until he vanished behind the door.
"He was just saying goodnight," Celine lied. "What did you need to talk to me about?"
"It's about what happened earlier," he took a seat on one of the armchairs. "Trafalgar Law was your captain right?"
"… Yes, but I don't see how that matters anymore," she sat next to him.
"Was there more to your relationship?" he absentmindedly ran his fingers on the soft velvet of the chair.
"What do you mean?"
"Did you two share something more?" she gave him a quizzical look. "… As in, were you two involved?"
"… Are you jealous?" she slowly smirked.
"Not at all," he shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous."
"Then why did you ask?" she sneered.
"I was just curious," he snapped. "It's not normal to burst into tears like you did earlier."
"Well we're only human, right?" she shrugged. "It's normal to cry when feeling sadness."
"… There's something else," he said.
"Hm?"
"You also said if I let you speak with him, then you'd do whatever I want," he slowly began. "It's a little strange but I would like to-."
"Not so fast," she hushed him. "You've already asked a question, I think it's my turn."
"… Fine, go ahead."
"That old lady, Carmen was it? She said I looked like your mother," Celine said as she pointed up at the portrait. "And it looks like she was telling the truth. What's this about? Didn't you hate your parents?"
"… You don't look like her that much," he murmured.
Wow, he really was just a kid.
"Seriously? You think I believe that?" she looked to the portrait again. "It's like looking in a mirror, except she has nicer hair than me."
Jareth said nothing but sat up a little in his seat.
"So you're not going to tell me?" she sighed, quickly getting on her feet. "Then we have nothing more to talk about."
Celine gave him a look before heading out the door, staring at the portrait the whole time. Thinking to herself – what was he really hiding?
"I didn't realize it at first," he called after her. "When I first saw you… I just couldn't bring myself to attacking you without speaking with you first."
"I don't follow," she slowly sat back down.
"I didn't realize that you looked like my mother immediately," he sighed. "I just thought you were special then. … But moving on, about the favor you owe me…"
Celine gulped and turned away from him. Thinking she should have left when she had the chance…
XoXo
"Why only me?"
Jonah frowned at the crewmembers gathered on deck. They had found out from Carmen that the log pose will take at least five days to set, so someone will need to inform Celine and make sure she doesn't leave too early, and of course to help her.
"You're sixteen," Kane said. "Anyone older than the king can't enter. So we're stuck out here."
"And how exactly am I supposed to reach Celine?" Jonah crossed his arms. "I'm not exactly going to stroll into the castle and ask for the king's fiancé/prisoner."
"You'll have to find a way," Law spoke quietly.
The captain's been on an edge ever since the incident that happened earlier. Originally, Law had wanted to avoid a fight with Jareth at all costs, if he's a Logia fruit user then that'll make things a lot more complicated. Though he knew trying to avoid him would be almost impossible, so if he were to fight Jareth, he needed more preparation on his part. Much more.
Law has fought Logia fruit users before, and they were incredibly annoying to deal with. Even with Haki, many manage to recover as if nothing had happened. Though they were more older and experienced users, perhaps Jareth at such a young age has never experienced someone with Haki before. If Law could find the right moment, he just may be able to use the element of surprise to defeat him.
Maybe things will work out for him. Sure Jareth had a superior fruit to his, and he controls the whole island's weather, but he's only narrowly survived an encounter with an admiral and because of his age he was probably more irrational and prone to make mistakes. The more Law thought about, the keener he was to fighting Jareth.
Taking down someone with such a high bounty would mean that his would rise too. Also if he does manage to take down Jareth, then the people of the island would be grateful to him too. So not only does he get Celine back, but there's much more in it for him.
"Alright! I'll go…" Jonah sighed.
"Atta boy!" Kane grinned.
XoXo
With the help of Carmen, Jonah had managed to sneak into the inner rings through the drainage pipes. It hadn't been pleasant, but whatever works. The inner rings were very much different from beyond the tall wall. For one, the snow wasn't stained red with blood. There were also children running around, and a lot of women who were to take care of them. Well more as if they were to tend to the children's every single request – no matter how small or ridiculous it was.
In short, Jonah didn't like the place.
A heaven for children?
It was more of an uncivilized circus of bratty spoiled children.
Jonah kept walking down the cold stone path that led to the second gate to the castle. Haven't thought much about it before, Jonah was no worried over how he was going to get in. Perhaps he can sneak in? There's bound to be some cracks in the tight security.
"Hey!"
The voice came from a short little girl that reminded him a lot of Raena from the last island, but much older, at least in her early teens.
"Are you new here?" she asked, studying his face. "I've never seen you around here before…"
"Uh… sorta," Jonah rubbed the back of his head. "What's your name?"
"It's Amy," she grinned. "… You know, you stick out like a sore thumb."
"What? Do I really?" he glanced around.
"Yeah," she chuckled. "You're not planning to sneak into the castle or something, are you?"
"… Am I really that easy to figure out?" Jonah mumbled.
"Eh," she shrugged. "But you've got no chance of entering the palace… at least not now."
"What do you mean?"
"It's almost midnight, try tomorrow afternoon," she advised. "You might be able to get an audience with the king then."
"I'm not looking to see the king," Jonah said. "I need to speak to Celine."
"Celine? As in the king's fiancé?" he nodded back. "Just who are you?"
"I'm a part of the crew she was in," he replied.
"… Come with me," she said quietly.
"What?"
"Just come," she insisted with a small wave of her hand. "Let's speak at my house."
The girl didn't seem like the type to cause any troubles for him, so he went with her. Jonah learned that Amy shared a house with two others, both were aged fourteen and were taken from their parents. The two were already asleep when they came in. Amy poured a glass of water for Jonah and they sat at the dining table.
"When's your birthday?" Amy asked.
"September," Jonah replied.
"Good, you're younger than Jareth," Amy nodded. "Even if you're born in the same year as him, the moment you turn seventeen you get treated like an adult."
"And how are adults treated?" he picked up his cup.
"Poorly," her eyes wavered down to the table. "I've always lived on this island, and when Jareth became king my parents were taken from me."
"Can't you just lie about your age?" Jonah asked.
"Sure, someone did that once," Amy tapped her finger. "Jareth found out anyway and had him killed on the spot. No one tried again."
"Oh…" he gulped. "Where are your parents now?"
"Dad lives in the outer ring, and my mum works in the castle as a servant," Amy said.
"Do you ever see them?"
"I see my mother occasionally when she escorts the prince around town, but never my father."
"Do you ever speak with her?"
"No."
A heavy silence overcame the pair. It wasn't Jonah's intention to offend her at all, he was just curious to know about the island's customs. Carmen had told the crew about the injustice in Jareth's ruling, but never did Jareth imagine it would be this terrible.
"Anyway…" she coughed. "What business do you have with Jareth's fiancé?"
"…"
"I won't tell," she reassured him. "I hate Jareth just as much as you, trust me."
"… My captain plans to rescue her, but he doesn't want to fight through all the security," Jonah explained. "He wouldn't say why, but I think it's because he knows that many were forced to serve under Jareth."
"I see…" Amy nodded, wondering what kind of person his captain was. "So what's the plan?"
"Sneak in, tell Celine about the log pose and how it'll set in five days, help her break out in five days, and if lucky, run away in time so that Jareth doesn't catch us."
"But you can't just leave us!" Amy exclaimed. "Your captain is strong right? He can beat Jareth right?"
"Well, it's true that Captain's never lost to anyone but…"
"But?"
"Jareth is decently strong…"
"… You're right," she sighed. "Knowing Jareth, he won't go down without a fight… I doubt you'd be able to escape with fighting him."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Jonah rolled his eyes. "So how do you propose I get into the castle?"
"Your best bet would be get hired as a bus-boy or something," she said. "Sometimes kids that are about to turn older than Jareth begin working first so they can secure themselves in a nice spot. I'd try the castle kitchens, they're normally in need of help."
"Alright, thanks," he nodded, sipping his water.
"Who's Celine anyway? Is she your captain's girlfriend?"
"Nah… They argue like it's their job, but they should really get together though. They're kinda one of those couples that are just meant to be," Jonah slowly smiled. "And even though she hasn't been with us for long, we're like a family, and family don't leave each other behind. Especially after Celine made such a face when she begged us not to leave her."
"I don't get it."
"Huh?"
"But you're pirates," she slowly said.
"Well my captain's a special guy," Jonah shrugged. "He judges a person well and only recruits good people. Anyway, I should get some rest if I'm to get to the castle early tomorrow."
"You can take the sofa," she pointed to the living room.
Jonah said his thanks and finished his glass of water. He had a very long day ahead of him tomorrow, and he should get as much rest as he can.
XoXo
'Wedding in four days… Wedding in four days…'
Those words haunted her as she slowly paced her bedroom. When she found out Jareth's favor wasn't anything sexual or awkward as that, she was incredibly thankful, but then he said that he wished to be wed in four days. That was way too soon, Celine hadn't even thought of a way to escape yet.
The clock chimed twelve, and Celine knew it was time to go.
Maybe Vic had a nice plan for her.
Celine had completely given up on the frosted muffins and decided to just go on ahead to the basement without them.
The stairs were as frightening and dark as ever when she slowly made her way down. Things were a lot scarier in the middle of the night and without a talkative little boy with you.
Like Vic had said, the halls were once again empty as Celine strode across the room and to the cage. Karen and Susie were asleep in their bunks and Vic sat on hers at the very top, slowly swinging her legs back and forth in waiting for her.
"Took you long enough," she hopped off once again. "Where are my muffins?"
"Couldn't get them," she said. "Jareth made me drop them."
"That little asshole!" Vic cursed. "… Whatever. Here, take these."
Vic held out a clenched fist through the bars, and Celine lifted a gloved hand. A handful of Kairoseki fell onto her palm. The feeling of unease magnified considerably.
"I gnawed them off the cage, bit by bit," Vic told her, rather proud of herself. "Found someway to use them to stop the brat. It's not much but I'm sure a pretty gal such as yourself can think of something."
"You think too much of me," Celine frowned as she placed the stones in her pocket. "But I'll try to do something with them. Thank you."
"Alright!" Vic grinned. "You should get back to your comfy little bed for now, and cook up a good plan in your dreams."
"Okay, goodnight," Celine turned to leave.
"Wait, one more thing!" Vic called her back. "Don't forget to lie about your powers, you just might be able to use it to your advantage."
"Understood," Celine nodded. "Thanks."
Vic waved goodbye as Celine left the hall.
The next morning, Celine was called down early to join the brothers for breakfast. The whole night, Celine was thinking of ways to make use of the Kairoseki, but it would be difficult to do anything with them by herself. Jareth would feel the stone if placed anywhere close to him, so the only way would be to catch him off guard.
"Did you sleep well?" Jareth asked.
"Like a baby," Celine lied with a polite smile.
"Good," Jareth smiled. "New boy! Can we have some water?"
A servant stepped up and poured the three glasses, Celine mumbled thanks as he walked around to the other side of the table to pour Dean's cup. Celine lifted the glass for a drink. The boy looked up towards her and she choked on her water.
"Are you alright?" Jareth patted Celine's back. "What's the matter? What did you do?"
Jareth glared at Jonah who in return looked over at Celine.
"Nothing, your highness," he replied.
"… You look familiar," Jareth said after a short moment. "Where do I know you from?"
"Jareth!" Celine called after catching her breath. "I just had a grand idea for the wedding!"
"Oh?" Jareth immediately turned his attention to his fiancé. "What is it?"
"I was thinking maybe we can-."
Jonah quickly took his place amongst the row of servants and quietly listened on. Celine really saved him back there, if Jareth had recognized him then things will get nasty. As he listened to Celine speak, he slowly caught on the flow of the conversation. She kept repeated the words 'four days', Jonah slowly pieced together what has been said and realized that the wedding was in four days.
This won't do at all. Things would be a lot more complicated if they tried to leave after the wedding, it'll definitely have to be before the wedding that they leave. But that'll mean they'll most definitely have to fight Jareth.
'What would I do if I were Captain Law?' Jareth thought. 'I'd probably think of some badass plan – beat Jareth's little royal butt and get the girl.'
It wasn't working at all. Jonah was no Law, he can't make big decisions such as this, and now working in the castle, it'll be impossible to make contact with the crew again.
"I need some alone time to think… about the wedding!" Celine announced from the table after she ate. "No one disturb me! No one!"
She really couldn't be more obvious.
Celine marched out of the room and shut the door soundly. Jareth and Dean spoke quietly as they finished their food, mostly Dean asking if Celine was crazy and his brother brushing the topic off.
Soon the two left and Jonah helped gather the dishes with all the other servants. After his work was done for the morning, Jonah made his way up to the bedrooms. Unsure where exactly Celine's room was, he wandered around aimlessly for a couple of minutes. That was until he bumped into another servant that looked a lot like the blonde girl he met last night.
"A-are you Amy's mother?" Jonah stopped in front of her.
"Yes," she replied. "Who are you?"
"I'm Jonah, a friend of your daughter's," Jonah quickly said. "I need to find Celine's bedroom, can you tell me how to get there?"
"I'm Jane," she nodded. "Celine-sama's bedroom is right above this floor, the second door along the right. But she asked not to be disturbed."
"I understand, thank you."
Jonah stepped around the older woman and headed towards the stairs.
"Wait, Jonah-san!"
"Yeah?"
"How's my daughter?"
"… She's doing well."
XoXo
Celine tapped her foot anxiously as she waited for Jonah to show up. It's been a few good hours since she saw him at breakfast, so he sure was taking his time. Finally a short knock came from the door.
"I asked to be left alone!"
The door pushed open nonetheless and Jonah crept in, cautiously shutting the door behind him.
"About time!" Celine got on her feet. "What were you doing? Did you get lost or something?"
"Unlike you, I actually have to work while I'm staying here!" Jonah snapped. "You just sit here all day in your fancy little bedroom!"
"Oh shut up," Celine growled. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Captain sent me here to tell you that the log pose will set in five days," he said. "But if the wedding is in four days… then perhaps we need to leave sooner."
"You're telling me!" she frowned. "If I actually marry that brat, I think I might kill myself. We're definitely leaving before the wedding. I'm sure Law can take care of Jareth."
"About that…" Jonah mumbled. "Captain's been acting pretty strange since last night…"
"After what he did to me, he well better be!" Celine plopped back down on the chair. "God, I can't believe he would do that! … Even though he was pretending, seriously… I thought you guys were really going to leave me…"
"No one's leaving you, Celine…" Jonah sighed, sitting across from her. "I don't know if this will help, but Ryuu laughed at you afterwards."
"No, Jonah," she rolled her eyes. "Ryuu laughing at me does not help at all."
Even if she said that, a telltale smile slowly emerged on her lips.
"Oh yeah," she remembered, reaching for a wooden box on the table. "One of Jareth's ex-wives managed to get me some Kairoseki. Since you're here you can help me do something with them."
"And what exactly are we supposed to do with them?" Jonah stared at the box now in his hand.
"Hell if I know," she sighed. "I can't even look at the things without feeling sick, I'm afraid it's up to you."
"What about the ex-wife?"
"Uh… her name is Vic," Celine turned to face him. "She's trapped in a Kairoseki cage down in the basement… Actually going to see her might be our best bet. Jareth's planned all kinds of things for me to do these next few days, so you'll have to see her tonight just after midnight."
"Are you sure? Just who is she anyway?" Jonah asked, unconvinced.
"Yeah," Celine nodded back quickly. "She's got Devil Fruit powers too, if she helps us we'll probably have a better chance of escaping. While you're there, tell her we need to find a way to catch him off guard, something that'll keep him down for a while."
"Yeah, I got it."
"You should probably go now, it'll be troublesome having to come up with an excuse if someone catches you here," she shoved him through the door.
"Yeah, yeah…" Jonah nodded. "I'm taking the stones with me, alright?"
"Take them," Celine waved her hand.
Jonah disappeared out the door and Celine let out a quiet sigh. She was glad there was now someone else with her than could help greatly, Vic had been great so far, but having one of your own is much better.
"Uh Cel?"
The door pushed open and Jonah quickly rushed back into the room.
"What are you doing?" Celine glared daggers. "I won't say it again, if Jareth catches-."
"Your fiancé is coming down the corridor as we speak!" Jonah gave a hushed shout.
"Oh god dammit!" Celine stomped her foot.
Knocks came from the door.
"Celine? Are you alright?"
Things never seem to go her way.
"Under the bed!" she mouthed as she pointed. "Go hide under the bed!"
Jonah crawled under the bed but he had a foot dangling out from the side.
"Uh… yeah!" Celine kicked his foot. "Give me a moment!"
"Ow!" Jonah's foot jerked in a strange angle before disappearing under the bed.
"Celine? Was that you?"
"Yes!" Celine rushed to the door quickly and pulled it open. "I accidentally kicked the bed! It hurt pretty badly…"
Jareth wasn't entirely sure what kind of stunt she was trying to pull but he didn't pursue it, he had more pressing questions at hand. He walked in and sat on one of the chairs and she sat next to him.
"So, what brings you here?" she asked.
"It's a strange question but I need to know," Jareth said. "Just what are your powers? I mean, is it safe for me to touch you at all? Or maybe a bit?"
'What do I tell him? What do I tell him?'
"Lie."
Celine remembered Vic's words.
"I ate the Tachi-Tachi no Mi," she said. "I drain the life-force of whomever I touch to the point where they pass out."
"And you can do this on will?"
"Yes."
Celine studied Jareth's face, unsure if he bought the lie or not. Yes she was wearing gloves, but it was perfectly acceptable in such cold weather. Everything made sense, right? So why wasn't he responding?
"I see," he nodded. "… That's a pretty cool power."
Jareth really was just another teenage boy under all that power and authority. Celine smiled a little at his response and agreed with a nod. Then her eyes strayed to the bed and remembered Jonah was still stuck under there.
"I would like to go on a walk," she stood up. "Would you come with? I'd like to speak some more."
"Of course," Jareth was delighted by the idea of her warming up to him.
Celine picked up the poncho from last night and hooked her arm around Jareth's then they headed out the door, giving Jonah the perfect chance to escape.
"I'd like to know something," she said as they left castle grounds.
"By all means, ask away."
"I understand that adults are locked in the outer ring while children stay protected behind the walls?" she said and he nodded in response. "Why did you do this?"
"… I've never liked adults," he chose to answer truthfully. "Since when I was a child, all I've ever done was listen and follow orders. When my parents denied me of what's rightfully mine, that hatred for them grew stronger. I got sick and tired of doing what I was told. I suppose this was my way of retaliating for all those years."
"But not every adult was responsible," Celine pulled her arm from his. "You can't hold everyone in account for those few that wronged you –Those few who have already paid, with their lives, no less. Well what are you going to do as you grow older? Keep it the same way?"
"You won't understand," he turned away. "Explaining to you is pointless."
Why was he so damn stubborn?
"Just tell me," she walked after him. "Please, I want to help you the best I can… as your queen."
Jareth looked at her, he watched her expression steadily.
"When you're younger, your mistakes are more likely to be overlooked," he said eventually. "I'm still sixteen, and I do good work for the World Government. There is also the fact that I'm distantly related to the Celestial Dragons. In due time, I can see this place changing."
Mistakes?
Good work?
Celestial Dragons?
Can he possibly mean he'll stop after he's had his fun?
If he really were indeed related to the Celestial Dragons even the slightest bit, then that'll mean he'll get off as if nothing ever happened. Even though he's using his age as his main excuse.
"Why not change it now?" she asked. "These people have suffered long enough. They've understood your power already. No one will oppose you."
"It's not about that," Jareth shook his head. "Of course, the weak know who the strong ones are. It's only natural they follow obediently. It doesn't matter much anyway. I have no plans of changing anything right now, so there's no point in speaking into this matter."
"Can I say one more thing?"
"No."
"Please?"
"Fine," he sighed. "What is it?"
"They're not mistakes if you're making them intentionally, you know," she put her arm through his again. "Just thought I should make that clear for you. Not everyone thinks like you do, your highness. They might not be so compassionate."
XoXo
Jonah had been working his butt off the whole day. These people really knew how to stress a person out. First it was cooking, then delivering, and then serving, and it was serving Celine, no less. She looked so smug the whole time she was eating, demanding this and that from him.
Finally after hours of work, he was finally let off and just in time before midnight. He's asked directions from Jane for the basement earlier the day when he bumped into her. He's supposed to go down a spiral staircase and eventually he'll get to the basement. So far, so good. The staircase was a little darker than he liked but he managed with a lit torch.
Eventually he arrived in the basement and he walked along the corridor and at the end of the room was the Kairoseki cage.
"Uh, which one of you is Vic?"
A tall woman stepped forward. She looked him up, down and snickered.
"Get lost or something?" she smirked.
"I'm actually here for Celine," Jonah said.
"Celine?" she repeated. "Who are you?"
"I'm Jonah, Celine and I are on the same crew," he explained.
"Oh, cool," she nodded. "What's up? Did she come up with a plan yet?"
"No, but she said we need to find a way to catch him off guard," Jonah pulled the box out from his pocket. "She somehow gets the idea that he'll be able to avoid the Kairoseki easily."
"Oh, she's right," Vic mumbled. "I was thinking maybe she can stick them down his throat or something. He can choke on em' for all I care."
"Uh… right," Jonah took a small step back.
"Did she lie about her powers like I asked her to?"
"Yeah."
"I heard from the guards that the wedding is going to be in a couple of days…" Vic thought out loud. "So on the day if she can make him vulnerable with her touch for even a moment, we can use the Kairoseki to keep him down for just long enough for us to escape."
"Us? You're coming too?"
"Well, hell yeah!" Vic snorted. "I'm not staying down here, so you better find a key or something."
Jonah grimaced slightly but agreed to help anyway.
This was all for Celine.
All for the crew.
All for Captain Law.
With those thoughts on his mind, he continued to brainstorm on their ideas for the wedding day.
XoXo
Across the island, by the icy coast, Law gazed up at the stars on deck. It's been quite some time when he last just sat back and watched the night sky. It was very beautiful. The cold reminded him of home, it was just as if he were back in North Blue.
"Law! I lo-."
Celine's voice rang in his head loud and clear. Back then, he actually wanted to hear her say it and was slightly disappointed when she realized what was going on before she said it. A chance for him to hear those words from her probably won't come for a long time, something Law wasn't too pleased about.
His cheek still stung a little too. He hadn't been hit in a while and that slap woke him up pretty well.
"Captain?"
Ryuu emerged from the hatch door and sat down next to Law.
"Aren't you getting cold sitting out here by yourself?" Ryuu asked.
"I was just doing some thinking," Law said.
"Is that your way of telling me to go away?" Ryuu grinned.
"… Yes."
"But hey, this is really something, huh?" Ryuu sighed, ignoring his last comment. "Who knew we'd stumble onto such an island and have one of ours taken."
"We came to the Grand Line preparing for the worst," Law reminded him. "It's just a shame that it had to be Miss Celine that was taken."
"Yeah… and so soon after she joined the crew too," Ryuu yawned. "Say, Law?"
"Hm?"
"Just what do you think of Celine? You like her right?"
'I can ask you the same question.'
Law kept a calm demeanor as he turned to face Ryuu.
"I do," he replied.
"Don't play around, Law," Ryuu sighed, seeing through him completely. "You know what I mean."
"Well what about you?" he asked. "You two have been spending a lot of time together lately."
"Do I like Celine?" Ryuu said, quietly giving it some thought. "To be honest, yeah, I do. Though I don't think I like her to the extent you do. Not to mention she obviously likes you over me."
"…"
"Heh…" Ryuu chuckled. "There you go with the thinking again… You should be more straight up with your feelings, Cap."
"You're the one to speak," Law huffed. "You're probably the sneakiest fellow I know."
"Sneaky how?" Ryuu glanced over.
"Well you managed to get what you wanted just now, didn't you?" Law sighed. "Sometimes I can't tell if you're dense or just in denial over everything."
"Touché," Ryuu grinned. "I gotta get back in now, or I might freeze to death."
"I'll stay out longer."
"You know, Law, just because we're from North Blue it doesn't make us super icemen," Ryuu rolled his eyes as he stood up. "Don't catch a cold."
A little shorter than what I was originally planning to write. I was going to add the whole wedding scene onto this chapter, but I knew I wouldn't get it up for another week or so with school starting tomorrow. So I'm just going to upload what I have so far :)
Sorry if the Law/Ryuu talk at the end was little OOC, I just thought guys would be more open when talking unlike girls that seem to avoid these kind of questions all together :P
And of course, I just wanted Law to (somewhat) admit his feelings.
I just wanted to say a big thank you to all my readers, I write these fanfics for you guys so I'm very pleased with all the feedback I've been receiving so far. Once again, any ideas you have for upcoming islands would be taken into account. I'm just coming up with things as I write so they're probably not very good :P
Thank you all again!
Also thanks to those that alerted and favorited! :)
Reviews:
Demeter13909 – I didn't understand your review but it did make me laugh :P Thanks for your review anyway xD
angelrider13 – Flufffinesss :D Yeah, my sister suggested and I was like, 'heck yeah! Sounds good!' :P Thank you for the review!
xxOMGgalxx – Thank you! A little shorter this time around but I'll be working harder to get the next one up soon! :)
the everchanging – Thank you! Haha, I'm glad I wasn't that only one in pain during that bit :P
ladeste – You're very welcome! :D I just hope I can keep up the quick updates :P Thank you for the review!
Death's Eternal Rose – Yeah… he's a weird little kid… Haha, yeah! I thought Law deserved a little slap for putting Celine in tears :P Thank you for the review! :D
Guest – I don't mind the length at all :P I'm glad you liked it! :D I love discovering stories and reading it from chapter one all the way to the last update :P I'm happy I did the same for you! :) Thank you for your review! I appreciate it!
10th Squad 3rd Seat – Yeah, Jareth's just got a little mummy complex xD Thanks for your review!
Noitalapsi – I hope this chapter explained it a bit. Jareth would probably grow up into a pretty terrible ruler if he keeps things up, even if he stops the whole adult/child divide. He understands that as he gets older, things can't stay the same. But for now he can do what he wants, so he keeps it up now because he thinks he'll be able to get away with it later. Thank you for your review! :D
TwilightMelodiac – Thank you! I'll do my best for the next chapter! :)
Chuu112 – Haha yeah, but then I thought 'Law you're not getting an 'I love you' after pulling that. He doesn't deserve it :P Thank you for the review! :D
Aiko Yamazaki – Thank you! And I will fight back against your raccoon with Chopper!
Reviews please! :D