One Piece
The Five Second Rule
Chapter Nine: Red Snow's Resolve
Ryuu offered her a hand and she held on tightly as he pulled her up from the ground. The two hopped off the deck and began walking towards the settlements. It wasn't a long walk at all, but it felt like ages as they trudged through the stiff snow.
"So, that was a pretty good hit earlier," Celine said. "What was that? Tiger claw or something?"
"Eh, something like that," Ryuu smiled. "Why? Do you want to learn?"
"I doubt you'd teach me," she chuckled flatly.
"There's no point anyway," Ryuu agreed. "You've got jelly arms."
"Stop with the names already," she rolled her eyes. "And I'll have you know I've improved a lot from your stupid weight-lifting exercises."
"Ha, if you say so."
The settlements were pretty torn up, bits and pieces from the buildings were scattered all over. It didn't look like Jareth had spared anyone else from his wrath with that large blizzard earlier. Even now, there were only a fraction of the villagers wandering around, trying to fix structures back up.
"Hey, where's the old lady, Carmen?" Ryuu asked a man stood by a hut.
"If I remember right, I think I saw them carry her into the barn."
"Carry? Did something happen to her?" Celine took a step forward.
The man recognized her as Jareth's runaway bride almost immediately and looked down uncomfortably. It wasn't as if it was her intention to bother him, but how else can they find out?
"Carmen was outside during the storm," he replied.
"And?"
It was a foolish to ask. Celine knew that, and the man knew that. He looked down and shifted uneasily, unsure of what to say to her.
"You know, why don't we go have a look for ourselves," Ryuu placed a hand around Celine and directed her away from him. "Thanks for your help."
"What do we do if she's… you know," she whispered.
"We don't know anything yet," he told her. "For all we know, she could just have tripped over or something."
"Tripped over or something," Celine stared at him. "Sure, that sounds about right."
"You know what I mean, Celine," Ryuu sighed. "For now, lets just hope for the best."
Ryuu led her to the barn, having been inside before. He pried the heavy doors open and let Celine in first. The barn was full of injured people, all lying in makeshift hay cots. It wasn't a pretty sight, but they came in expecting the worst.
"Hey, is Carmen around?" Ryuu stopped a lady.
"She's around the corner there," she pointed forward. "But she's not doing so well… she shouldn't have been out in that storm, not at her age."
"Why was she out at that time?" Celine asked. "Why didn't you stop her?"
"She insisted on going to see Jareth," the lady frowned, slowly shaking her head. "We tried, we really did, but she didn't listen."
Celine bit back a comment and strode past her, and forward towards where she pointed. At the end of the room, Carmen laid on her cot, looking very ill and pale. She took a step forward to the cot and bent down on her knees.
"Carmen?"
"… Celine?"
"Yes, it's me."
Carmen forced her eyes open wearily and turned around to face her.
"You've stopped him."
"We did."
"Did you kill him?"
"No."
"Good," she sighed. "You've got to speak to him, tell him he's wrong and he needs to change."
"I can't," Celine slowly shook her head. "You should, he'll listen to you."
"Celine, my dear, you look like his mother," Carmen coughed. "It may not seem like it now, but he adored his mother. That was probably why he liked you so much."
"I look like her, but I am not her," Celine insisted. "Please, he probably hates me now. He won't listen to a word I have to say."
"A dying woman's wish," Carmen eyed her beadily. "Give it a shot, please?"
"Dying?" Celine stood back up quickly. "You're not serious, are you? You'll be okay right?"
"I'm afraid not."
Celine stumbled back and her back hit into Ryuu.
"W-what do I do?" she whispered.
"You go speak to Jareth, I'll stay with Carmen," Ryuu patted her shoulder.
"But-."
"Just go, Celine," Ryuu said. "If we leave Law alone with Jareth any longer, he might decide to kill him. He's a pretty sadistic guy, you know?"
"Alright, I'll go," Celine nodded. "Hang in there, Carmen."
Ryuu watched Celine go quietly and as soon as she was out of earshot, he turned to the old woman in bed.
"You're not actually dying are you?" Ryuu cracked a smile.
"How can you tell?" Carmen opened an eye.
"Eh," he shrugged. "You kind of remind me of my grandma, she liked to play dead too so we'd take pity on her."
"Well, lucky that Celine's not as sharp as you," Carmen smiled.
XoXo
Jareth shivered as he watched Law toss his scalpel in the air for the fourth time, and like all the other times, he caught its grip with ease. The captain had dragged him down three flights of stairs and has tossed him on the patient bed in his office, the bed was comfortable but he felt uneasy watching the captain glare at him.
"What exactly are you planning to do with me?" Jareth eventually asked.
"Please refrain from talking," Law drawled. " I am already having a difficult time keeping you in one piece."
"I am a king, you will tell me!"
Jareth really wished he hadn't yelled, because as soon as he said another word, Law shot him a deadly glance and grasped onto the small blade. The stainless steel gleamed under the harsh lighting, something Jareth couldn't bring himself to look away from.
"… Why am I alive?" he gulped.
"Miss Celine," Law sighed.
"What about her?"
"Misguided as she is, she believes you deserve a second chance."
"Really…"
"Yes, really," Law rolled his eyes, growing impatient with the boy. "And if I were you, I'd keep my mouth shut before the man with the shiny tools decide he has had a change of heart."
Quietly calculating the odds of Law brutally murdering him, Jareth soon came to the conclusion that he won't lay a finger on him before Celine gets back. So for now, he should be safe to speak.
"Am I going to die with this Kairoseki inside of me?"
"… No."
"How can you be sure?"
"I am a doctor," Law's patience began wearing thin.
"You're in love with Celine, aren't you?"
"Excuse me?"
"You love her, which is why you fought me."
"As I told you before, I fought you because you are an imprudent maniac of a child that needed to be brought down."
"That's just your cover up," Jareth scoffed.
"Look kid," Law stood from his chair. "I've been relatively pleasant up until now, if you speak anymore I'll cut something off."
"Lets see you try."
"Right, stick your tongue out."
"What?"
"Stick your tongue out."
"You're insane, back off."
As soon as Jareth's mouth opened to speak, Law took a grab for his tongue. With his surgical gloves on, Law found it a lot easier to keep from slipping.
"Alright…"
Law yanked the appendage as far as it'll go, and placed the blade to the left side, and then to without a word, he pulled it away moved it to the right side. While contemplating on which side he should begin cutting from, he was oblivious to Celine who had just charged into the room. Celine took one look at the whimpering boy and frowned.
"Hands off him, Law."
"Oh, Miss Celine," he slowly dropped his hand. "You're back."
"Were you going to cut his tongue off?"
"Maybe," Law released the boy's tongue. "He was bothering me."
"Yeah? Well he's no good to me if he can't talk," Celine sighed. "I'm hoping you haven't done any internal damage while I was away?"
"I was too worried over what you'd do to me if I had," Law said.
"You should be," she nodded. "Can I speak to you? In private?"
"Of course."
Celine headed back out into the main wing with her arms crossed, while Jareth sent him a cheeky look.
"You shouldn't threaten other people's prisoners, you know?"
"So now he's your prisoner?" Law lifted an eyebrow.
"Well, considering you wanted to kill him an hour ago," Celine said. "Yeah, I think we'll keep him as my prisoner."
"An hour ago, she says – I still want to kill the little bastard," Law sighed. "Where is Carmen anyway?"
"Uh yeah, about that," Celine looked down to her feet. "She was in that storm, and she's not doing so well at the moment. She told me to speak to Jareth in her stead."
Law clicked his mouth shut. Celine wasn't sure if he was mad or just thinking.
"And do you think he'll listen?"
"Well… I don't know… but I'm still going to try," Celine shrugged.
"I really hope whatever you have in mind works," Law said. "Because if it doesn't, then we'll have to resolve to killing him."
"Yes, I understand."
Celine desperately wanted to say something that would ease the tension, but what could she say at a time like this? Law was giving her a half-expecting look when she didn't say anything further.
"I'm leaving it to you then."
Giving her a small pat on the back, Law walked past her and headed upstairs. It wasn't very reassuring, but she took that as a 'good luck'. Celine took a deep breath and headed back to the office.
"Hey."
"Oh, it's you," Jareth muttered.
"You should be more thankful to the person that saved your tongue," Celine crossed her arms.
"That certain someone also so happens to have embarrassed me to everyone on the island, and because of that person I can now barely move and am tied up."
"Look Jareth, I don't want to argue," Celine pulled Law's chair out and sat in front of him. "I just want to talk."
"I have no interest in talking with you," Jareth looked away. "I'd much prefer to speak with that sadistic doctor."
"Okay, now that I know is a lie," Celine sighed. "It's obvious you two despise each other."
"And it's obvious you two want to tear each other's clothes off and make mad love."
'He's just a bratty kid… He's just a bratty kid… We don't want to kill him…'
"That was uncalled for and untrue," Celine looked down immediately, afraid if her cheeks have been stained red. "Just listen for a moment, remember when I asked you about your plans for the future?"
"You mean when you tricked me into telling you by saying you'd rule by my side?" Jareth said. "Yes, I remember that."
"I had to know, alright?" she clasped her hands together. "It's not as if I wanted to hurt you, but you gave me no choice. You can't force someone into doing something they don't want to. That goes for both marriages and the way you run your island."
"You've failed once and you'll fail again," Jareth scoffed. "I have no intention of changing the way I rule. You might as well kill me now."
"No!" Celine stood up. "Stop being a child! If you want to be seen as a king so much then start acting like an adult! What you're doing is irresponsible and childish! All you ever do is hide behind that pathetic excuse of yours. It's not going to work, kid. Do you think the World Government will really stand for that after they find out what you've done?"
"… The World Government can't touch me, I'm a Celestial Dragon-."
"No. Your great grandfather was one, but not you," Celine snapped. "You're nothing more than a pawn to them. Stop before it's too late, this coming not only from me but from Carmen too – she is lying in bed breathing her last breaths because of your insolence."
"… Carmen is dying?" his demeanor changed. "Because of me?"
"She was caught up in that snowstorm earlier," Celine nodded. "The villagers said she just wanted to stop you."
"To stop me…"
"We all just want what's best for you and your people," Celine slowly sat back down. "These people deserve to be happy."
"Heh…" Jareth snickered. "… That's what my mother used to say."
Celine sat back and waited as Jareth kept quiet, obviously giving everything she's said some thought. How she wished she had the ability to read minds. Just waiting for his response was nerve-racking. Had it worked? Has he changed his mind?
"Untie me."
"What?" Celine said. "I won't do that just because you asked me to, you haven't even-."
"I need to go see Carmen."
"… I don't think I can do that. Whatever you have to say, you'll just have to-."
"Please, if you're not going to let me go there myself, at least take me there. I need to speak with her."
"… Let me go get someone."
XoXo
"Are sure this is wise?" Law asked.
"Who are we to stop them from meeting?" Celine shrugged.
They walked through the flat snow, following behind Kane who carried Jareth over his shoulder. They were walking through the settlements towards the barn, and villagers avoided them like the plague. The looks they gave Jareth were priceless, Celine would have laughed if it weren't for the seriousness of the situation.
They found Ryuu standing by Carmen's bed, in the exact place where Celine left him. He didn't bat an eye when he saw his brother carrying in Jareth, he just calmly greeted them like usual.
"Why's he here?" Ryuu watched Kane place the boy down on a pile of hay next to Carmen's cot. "Don't tell me you all fell for his boy-scout act."
"No one's fallen for anything," Celine walked next to Jareth. "He just wanted to see Carmen."
"Oh, uh… well," Ryuu scratched the back of his head. "Okay, I'll go wait outside. Why don't we give them some privacy, Cap, Kane?"
Ryuu pushed Law towards the door and shot his brother a look telling him to follow. Kane looked to Carmen then back to Ryuu, unsure of what's really going on, he decided to leave with his brother.
Although she wasn't sure entirely, Celine knew something was going on.
"Carmen?" she said quietly. "It's Celine, I'm here with Jareth."
"Jareth?" the bed-bound woman opened her eyes. "Have you changed your mind? Have you finally come to your senses?"
"Yes, I have and I'm sorry for what I've done to you," he replied. "For everything I've done."
Celine wished she had left when Ryuu brought everyone else out, watching all this made her feel incredibly uneasy.
"Good," Carmen smiled.
That look Carmen gave was like the look people would make when Celine touched them longer than five seconds, except this lady was at peace. Death has been a recurring thought of Celine's. It pained her to have this much power over life and death, but having no control over Carmen's life.
Jareth took a deep breath when Carmen's eyes fluttered shut.
"Untie me, Celine."
"I already said-."
"I'm going to leave the island," he sighed. "When these people find out I'm no longer ruling, the news will get out. Then the World Government will be after me like any other criminal."
"So you're just leaving your brother here?" she asked, tugging on his ropes.
"… Well, I can't take him with me," Jareth shook his head. "He'll rule in my place."
"He's seven," Celine contravened.
Jareth stretched his hands over his head, and rolled his head back feeling a satisfying crack in his neck. It seems his body has more or less gotten used to the Kairoseki now, he just wasn't able to use his Devil Fruit powers. He then looked up at Celine who was still waiting for his reply.
"Six actually," he corrected.
"My point exactly."
"I'll look after him."
They froze simultaneously then turned back to the cot where Carmen laid. She had her eyes wide opened and a small smile.
"Excuse me?" Jareth's eyes grew sharp. "Weren't you dead a moment ago?"
"Have you changed your mind?" Carmen too grew defensive.
"Well, no… I'm still leaving."
"Then no, I'm alive and well," Carmen sat up.
For a moment there, Celine thought Jareth was going to snap, but he just stared and smiled eventually. Celine wasn't entirely sure what had happened and why the supposedly dead woman was still alive, but if things worked out then she's not about to object.
"Hey Jareth, once you're done with your business on the island, come over to see Law. I'll talk him into getting that Kairoseki removed for you," Celine said as she headed for the door.
The boy gave her a small nod as Celine left the barn. Outside, her crew waited for her.
"Lets go back," Celine sighed.
"We're leaving him behind?" Kane asked.
"Yeah, he's going to come by the ship later to get that Kairoseki out," Celine nodded. "And then he's going to leave the island."
"Just like that?" he sounded uncertain.
"Just like that," Celine reassured.
"And I take it, Cap's gonna have to pull that stone out of him?" Ryuu glanced at Law.
"If you'll be so kind," Celine turned to her captain. "Please?"
"I help him one time and I'll never have to see him again?" Law huffed.
"Yes, of course," Celine nodded with a smile. "After this, we can leave the island when our pose sets."
"Alright."
Law may have agreed to help, but that doesn't mean he'll make it as painless as Jareth would have liked.
XoXo
"Ow!"
Jareth gagged as the doctor stuck a pair of tweezers into the freshly cut open flesh. Law was having fun with this, that he can tell easily.
"Stop your whining," Law grumbled. "I'm trying to work here."
"Trying to torture me, more like," Jareth frowned. "Can I have someone else do this for me?"
"Hey kid," Ryuu called from across the dining hall. "Why don't you keep it down? Some of us are trying to eat, yeah?"
The crew was forced to watch their captain do the dirty work while eating their lunch. This was all because Jareth refused to be alone in a room with Law. Which Celine thought was completely understandable.
Law hummed contently as he proceeded with the extraction of the Kairoseki. Celine walked up behind him and watched on quietly.
"Does it hurt that much?" Celine asked when the boy flinched again.
"Yeah."
"Well, Law's the best we have, it'd probably hurt more if we had someone else do it," she explained.
'Not entirely true,' Law thought as he twisted the metal tweezers in his fingers.
"Ow! Ow!" Jareth's voice rang. "Okay, now that was on purpose!"
"That's ridiculous," Law finally pulled the stone out.
"Ow!"
"I'm just doing you a favor."
Law dropped the small stone onto a metal tin tray and pulled out a roll of bandages.
"Even with your Logia fruit, your wound will take a while to heal because of the Kairoseki," Law said as he passed the roll to Celine. "Give it a few days to a week. Patch him up, Miss Celine."
"Thanks Law, I'll bring your things down later," she called after her captain who gave her a light wave of a hand before vanishing out the door. "You know, the least you could have done is thank him."
"For what? Removing the Kairoseki that he placed in me to begin with?" Jareth scoffed as she fixed the wound's dressing. "I don't think so."
"You boys are so stubborn," she shook her head. "Hold this down while I tie the bandages around."
Jareth stomped a hand over the gauze without a word and turned to look away from her. Celine sighed as she began to wrap the bandage around the boy's torso. She wasn't very good at it, but he didn't seem to notice. The cloth unfurled further and further until it was all used up.
"See that wasn't so hard," she fastened the cloth. "… Does this mean you're leaving now?"
"Yes, I've already said my goodbyes," he nodded slowly.
"Do you know where you'll go?"
"I'm thinking I might head to Mariejois," he wondered out loud.
"And why in the world would you want to do that?" she almost choked.
"I want to meet my family," he shrugged. "Why? Are you worried about me?"
"Well, anyone would be worried for you," she packed Law's equipment up. "As you said earlier, you're going to be wanted after the news gets out. And Mariejois is pretty much the marine's headquarters."
"I may not be a full Celestial Dragon, but I am still one," he stood up. "If I manage to meet up with my family then all my charges could be revoked."
"That's if you even get that far," Celine shook her head. "It'll be dangerous, you should just leave the Grand Line."
"Someone with my bounty living outside the Grand Line?" Jareth mocked her. "That's unheard of."
"Well if you're so keen on getting yourself killed," she shrugged. "It's your life."
"… Yes, I should go."
Jareth stood up and walked towards the door. He stopped by the frame momentarily and turned to face her.
"Celine, sorry for before," he said quietly. "And thank you."
"Um- you're welcome… good luck to you."
He gave a small smile and left the room just like that.
Celine stared after his shadow, a little unsure over if she should see him off or not. After all, he is a changed person – more or less. At least he understands what he's done was wrong and has elected to leave himself. Maybe she should go and properly say goodbye…
"Hasta la vista, you little brat! No one's gonna miss you!"
Shachi's voice echoed down the hall.
The crew broke out into laughter behind her.
Celine looked back at the boys, and they immediately shut their mouths. Shachi looked as if he were ready to die there and then, but instead of the scolding they were expecting, Celine smiled instead.
"You're right," she agreed with a nod. "No one's going to miss him."
Hurriedly packing everything up, Celine pulled Law's bag off the table and headed down to the med-bay to return it. From the dining hall, she could hear the boys taking big sighs of relief and continued with their eating and drinking.
Feeling overly uncomfortable with everyone's sudden change in demeanor she quickened her pace down the hall.
When Celine reached the med-bay she saw that Vic was inside speaking with Law.
"Oh hey, Celine!" Vic jerked her hand around strangely in what's supposed to be a wave.
Celine looked between the two suspiciously but said nothing of it. She walked up to one of the beds on the side and placed the bag down.
"Jareth's gone, so I'm just going to leave this here," Celine mumbled. "Sorry for disturbing you…"
"Rubbish!" Vic called, tugging her back. "I was just about to head upstairs. You stay!"
Vic rushed out of the room leaving a very disoriented Celine wobbling over to Law.
"What was that about?" she asked.
"She's asked to be dropped off on the next island," Law said.
"So soon?" Celine rested herself onto one of the beds. "I was hoping she'd join us."
"After all this, she's going to give up on being a pirate," Law told her.
"Well, I suppose that makes sense considering her crew abandoned her and all," Celine sighed. "Did you talk about anything else?"
"… She asked about us."
"Of course, she did," Celine looked down to her feet. "What did you tell her?"
"I told her I wasn't certain, "Law replied. "… Is it true that you're not interested in me?"
"Oh, she told you that did she?" Celine pushed herself off the bed.
"Well I was the one that asked her," Law said.
"Why would you care if I was interested or not?"
Law looked trapped. As if he was fighting within himself about what to say.
"… Well I care because I-."
"Captain!'
Bepo emerged from the stairwell and ran in between the two.
"Yes? What is it?" Law asked, regaining his composure.
"There are some people outside who are looking for you… and Celine."
"What now?" Celine groaned.
"I-I'm sorry!" Bepo's ears drooped like the always do.
"We should go see what they want then," Law sighed.
He grabbed his Nodachi and led Celine to the stairs.
"What do you think they want with us?" Celine whispered.
"Nothing," he said. "They probably just want to thank us."
"You know Law," she grinned. "For a pirate, you do a lot of good deeds."
"They're all coincidental," he told her. "The things I do are for my own reputation and personal gain, sometimes they just happen to be good deeds."
"You're surprisingly humble," she smiled.
Law said nothing as they have reached the deck. They walked to the side of the submarine and saw dozens of people gathered on the coast. At the front, Carmen stood with little Dean in a toll.
Gratitude was expected but Celine didn't expect so many people to show up. She walked to the edge of the deck and leaned forward of the railings.
"We would like to thank you, Celine and Law," Carmen said, tugging onto Dean's arm.
"Yeah," Dean nodded curtly.
After all thanks were said, the villagers went their way. Many took this chance to leave the island, two large cruise ships were sent out almost immediately after. More than half of the island's population left, leaving behind just the people that lived on the island originally.
Vic had decided to stay with the Heart Pirates because she was told the next island had a large port that had ships that travelled to just about anywhere.
With everyone rushing off the island, only about thirty families remained and those families were all invited to the castle for a feast. Out of those thirty only four showed up and one of them was Amy with her parents. An invitation was extended to the Heart Pirates as well.
Dean sat in his brother's previous throne-like seat up at the front of the room. He didn't seem to mind at all that his brother was gone and enjoyed taking his brother's place.
The meal was incredibly awkward as no one spoke, apart from Dean and his mindless chattering.
"Trafaglar, you're Celine's captain right?"
Shachi and Penguin broke out into a hysterical laughing fit.
"Trafalgar," Celine coughed.
"What's what I said," Dean frowned. "Right, Trafalgar?"
"Yes."
Law looked as if he wanted to stand up and leave the room all together, but he remained sat down and kept his calm demeanor. The crew were all having a good time – Shachi and Penguin stuffed their faces imprudently while Kane and Vic seemed to have vanished off somewhere.
The new little king sat next to Law and was pestering him over and over again about pirating – much like what he had done when he first met Celine. Law always seemed to find himself stuck in unfortunate situations involving children annoying him.
"Dean, thank you for everything, but I'm going to head back now," Celine stood.
"Oh really?" Dean looked up to her.
'Okay, take care!"
The boy looked back to his left, but saw that Law was gone. He turned back to Celine and watched as Law walked out of the room with her.
"Trafaglar! Come back!"
Law twitched slightly when the boy called after him, but did not dare turn around in case he actually decides to pelt his sword through the little boy.
"Did you tell him that was my name?" Law asked.
"Well, he wanted to know about the crew," she shrugged. "So I wrote the names down for him. He read it wrong, I swear I wrote it correctly."
"I don't believe you," he said.
"Well then you'll have to deal with it, Captain Trafaglar."
He gave her a displeased look and continued walking. The island was still snowing, but not as drastically as before. Lots of the snow melted during the day when the island received around an hour of sunshine, but by night it was back to snowing.
When they reached the submarine, Law helped her onto the deck first then he followed after.
"What a day," Celine stretched. "I almost got married, you almost killed royalty, and we saved a whole island."
"I have a query about what happened at the wedding."
"Hm?"
"We all watched the broadcast, and I noticed your powers worked earlier than five seconds."
"… Yeah," she shifted slightly. "I'm not really sure what happened either."
"Here, give me your hand."
Celine felt his hand circle around her wrist slowly, he then held her hand up and removed her glove. After giving the hand a short examination, he placed it on his cheek.
"Don't," she tried to pull away. "You'll get hurt."
"I know," he kept it in place. "I'm not afraid."
'One.'
"Law please," she tried again, this time using her other hand to try to peel his hand off her bare one. "I don't want you hurt."
'Two.'
"Stop it Celine," Law grabbed her other hand. "I know exactly what I'm doing."
'Three.'
"You don't! So just let me-."
Law grew tired of her yelling and leaned down, capturing her lips softly with his.
Experiencing something entirely new, Celine wasn't sure how she should react – how was she supposed to react.
Celine let out a small gasp when she felt his lips over hers. When she realized struggling wouldn't do much in a situation like this, she stopped but instead she embraced it. She pulled her glove hand free and grasped for the other side of his face. Pressing herself towards him entirely, the two were entranced in each other's embrace.
When the two finally pulled away to catch breaths, Celine was pushed up against the outer wall of the submarine. She clutched onto Law's slender figure and breathed in out slowly.
"W-Wow," Celine whispered. "… That was longer than five seconds."
"Yes," Law smiled. "It seems there's something strange going on with your powers."
"Seems that way," she giggled.
Celine's heart was thumping hard. This feeling was something new to her entirely, sure she's had crushes now and then back on Kalmado but nothing quite like this. Also as much as she wants to deny it, she was attracted to her handsome captain.
Law was to lean in for another kiss, but she stepped out of the way.
"I'm not going to risk kissing you again until I take a shower."
Celine grabbed her glove from him, and slipped it back on.
"It doesn't bother me," he held her hand again.
"Oh, but this shower isn't just for you," she grinned. "Trust me Law, later you'd be glad I took one."
"… Be quick."
He released her hand and she headed downstairs.
Not only was it dark inside, but also because of what happened earlier, Celine was feeling incredibly disoriented. While she walked, she held onto the railings as if her very life depended on it.
Celine was feeling very hot when she arrived in her bedroom. She removed her clothing and wrapped on a towel. Everyone else is still at the castle, meaning that the whole submarine was empty with the exception of her and Law. She would have never guessed how much she would miss the musty crew showers, especially when she spend the last week living in luxury.
She opened the door and almost screamed. On the ground inside, was a blob of naked flesh melded together.
"Sorry!" Celine rushed out.
With her face flushed beet red, she slammed the door shut behind her. Looks like love was in the air, and not only for Celine. From behind her, inside the room she can hear Vic and Kane laughing at her as they went on with… their business.
Celine gathered herself eventually and pushed herself off the door.
The image of their little display was still fresh in her mind when she arrived in the med-bay. As the crew showers were occupied, the only other choice Celine had was her captain's showers… and after their little heated exchange upstairs, she was almost certain she could talk her way into anything with him. Wearing nothing but a towel, and a small bundle of clothing in her hand, she marched up to Law's bedroom.
With a light knock on the door, Celine went on in without waiting for his reply. Inside, she found Law sitting on his leather armchair with a book lay open on his lap. He looked up when she walked in, and his eyes widened as they laid on her.
"Towel?"
"I need your bathroom," she said.
"What's wrong with the one upstairs?" his eyes wavered slightly and he looked back down at his book.
"… It's currently uh- occupied," she tried to sound blasé.
"I see," he nodded, looking up again but this time he turned to the door on the far side of the room. "Bathroom's through there. Take your time."
"Thanks."
A week ago, if you had asked Celine what were the chances of her wearing a towel in Law's bedroom, she would have laughed in your face. But now while standing in his large bathroom, Celine felt maybe her chances weren't that bad to begin with.
Dropping her towel on the ground, she stepped into the marble tub and flipped the switch on.
XoXo
Once the sound of water running came, Law let out a deep breath. Yes, he was the one that initiated the kiss, but he never expected things to move on so quickly, and so well. For whatever reason the crew's showers were occupied for, he suddenly felt thankful for. If it weren't for that, then Celine wouldn't be standing naked about twenty meters away.
Apparently deciding on a short shower, he heard her turn the water off and the curtains pulled away. The seconds seem to tick by painfully slowly as he waited for her to emerge from the room.
When the doorknob clinked open, Law immediately turned his attention back to the book on his lap, his eyes darted all over as he tried to look for the right spot to stare at.
Body.
Bones.
Flesh.
Blood.
Life.
Death.
The words flashed through his line of vision.
Why did all his books have to be medical ones? Normally they'd serve as factual and knowledgeable sources but right now they're just plain disconcerting.
"Captain?"
"Wha- Yes?"
Law looked up and felt a little relieved when he saw that Celine was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a sweater that was returned to her.
"You're looking a bit pale," she noted. "Feeling alright?"
"A little hot actually," he closed his book.
"Yeah?" she walked over and picked it up from his lap.
"Hm."
A strange feeling Law felt as she watched her flip through the pages, she made little effort as she skimmed through the pages. Once reaching the end of the book, she snapped the book shut and ran her fingers over its hardcover. He watched her nervously, unsure of what she's planning.
"You like books don't you?" she placed it on the end table.
"Amongst other things."
"Oh?" she smiled. "What kind of things?"
"Celine…" Law sighed. "Stop it…"
"What?"
"Enough."
"What do you-."
For the second time today, Law grabbed her by the wrist. Celine was pulled like a ragdoll, she tumbled forward and fell onto the armchair. Her legs were bent oddly at the knees but fit around Law's nonetheless.
"No more games," he held an arm around her back, the tips of her wet hair just straying over his arm. "If I say it, will you?"
At such proximity, she felt uneasy. All the confidence from before vanished just like that. Every bit of courage she gathered during that small shower left her at a single touch.
"Celine?"
The only response she could manage was a meek little nod. Law tightened his hold on her with a curved smile on his lips. She smiled too in response, trying to encourage him.
It never actually occurred to her how much she wanted to hear those three words from him, those three little words that can change their relationship entirely – for the better or the worst. The very same words she was about to say to him a week ago.
Celine's heart ached in anticipation. The wait for him was almost unbearable. She placed a restless hand on his neck and inched forward.
"I love you."
There were no words to describe what Celine felt when she heard those words. She has just received a genuine 'I love you' from her haughty captain. The man whom she had felt attracted to even when they first met.
Her chest beat rapidly as she planted a kiss over his lips.
A small twitch came from Law, and that was enough for her to realize something wasn't right. She pulled away and gasped at the sight of him paling. The skin under her fingers was tinted gray and his lips were beginning to lose their colour.
"Oh my god," Celine fell off him. "I-I'm so sorry…"
Celine was mortified by what she's done to him. There was no way for her to know what he felt at the moment. His head hung low, forcing him to look to his lap, and his body was shaking all over.
Since eating the Devil Fruit, Celine had always found a way of hurting those around her, especially the closest ones. From her brother first, then his sister, and from then on she never got close to anyone else. Even when boys would come around to ask her out, she'd always decline them.
Today was the only time she has broken that rule, and she has learnt from it.
Celine pushed herself off the ground, and pulled the sleeves of her sweater down over her fingers. She reached for Law's chin and held it up for him.
"It was never my intention to hurt you, Law. I'm sorry."
He said nothing – he couldn't say anything. He just watched her beadily.
"Earlier you had said you were not afraid of this power," her eyes were now watery. "But I'm afraid for you."
Law may not be able to move nor speak, but he could understand every word she was saying. It hurt him that she was saying all this based on her own assumptions. Did she really think he hadn't thought about the risks to being with her?
"You know, I used to have this strict 'no boys' rule," she smiled a little, rubbing her eyes dry. "But in the showers, I thought – 'Maybe it's alright this one time. I can give it a go'. I was only fooling myself. I slip up one time and now you're be immobilized for at least few hours…"
She lifted his chin back so that he was resting comfortably on the backside of his head.
"Better for the neck," she played a smile. "I'll go now… it's getting late. I'm sorry again."
Celine picked her things off the ground, and headed out the door without looking back once. Law had hoped she would come back later, but during the tedious hours of waiting she did not return once.
While waiting, Law had come up with all sorts of plans for when he regains control over his body. But because of the long wait, Law soon felt heavy-eyed. When that feeling first came up, it didn't take much longer for him to drift into sleep.
Disappointing? Yes.
More to come? Yes.
Will you stop reading this fic now? Probably not :D
I don't know about that fail confession moment… It seemed a lot funnier in my head when I first thought of it… Maybe I just have a talent for writing everything into mushy sad pile of goop. Oh well!
Super rushed chapter, but hey, I just wanted the loose ends tied up already :P
Thanks to those that alerted and favorited this story as usual! :)
Reviews:
Aiko Yamazaki – Thank you for your review as usual! Sorry I haven't been PMing this week (I've been sick and I've just been writing this the whole time). I'll read your story when I have time next week :) I'm attacking with Labooon!
fritillary252 – Whoop whoop! xD Aahhh mistakes, thanks for spotting them out for me! I've already edited my doc files just haven't uploaded them yet… I'm too lazy :P You have such good memory! Oh my god, I can't even remember what I've written and what I haven't :P Ohh, I was gonna add the lights part in this chapter but it just had to wait… Haha! I'm glad you like this story!
the everchanging – Glad you think so! :D
xxOMGgalxx – bwahahaha, it's been my diabolical plan all along! I will string readers into thinking into this is going to be a romance when they never get together(gasp,ohnoes)! Jokes, They'll get together soon! :P
Noitalapsi – Yeah, I really can't kill off some kid even if he is kinda crazy. But now he can go crazy somewhere away from all these innocent people! Yaaay!
10th Squad 3rd Seat – I AM CONFUSED OVER YOUR COMMENT BUT THANK YOU ANYWAY :)
bluerulez – I'm glad you like it!
ladeste – Grrrr, I didn't expect people to actually like Vic :P I planned her as a side character, so she won't be joining the crew, but I do have plans for her to make appearances in later chapters :D
Shima Namida – oh my god! Don't say that! :P SeriouSLY! Did not think people would like Vic, AT ALL. Like I said above, she's not going to be joining… sorry about that. But she's going to show up later on in the story (Y) omg, you keep saying nice things to me and my head will explode into rainbows and glitter! Thank you!
Laryssakura – Whoa! What language is that? I'm sorry – I can't seem to find a translation for your review, but THANK YOU! :D