One Piece
The Five Second Rule
Chapter Fourteen: Ascent
Celine remained unconscious for three days straight. Law made daily checkups, and much to everyone's relief, she was fine every time he checked. Whilst she was out, the crew had decided to leave Amaretto since the log pose has set and to avoid a nasty encounter with Olive, who was now the only Grenadine left.
Along with their victory over the Grenadines, they gained Sei. Though it wasn't in the majority's favor, Law had accepted Sei into the crew for the time being. Other than Law making his morning and evening checkups on Celine, he's remained in the med-bay with Sei the rest of the time.
When Celine woke up on one stormy night, she forced herself out of bed and dressed accordingly before rushing to look for someone – anyone really, anyone that can tell her what happened. One second she was about to die, and the next she's waking up in her bed.
Checking the dining hall first, she saw Bepo fast asleep at one of the tables. Deciding she better not disturb him, she chose to look somewhere else. If they were moving, then it meant that Ryuu was steering the submarine from the observation deck. If it's as late as she thought it is she might as well go see him and avoid bothering anyone else.
Even under the sea, the storm was hitting them pretty well. The sub shook every few steps Celine took, and she almost fell over when she reached the stairwell. Holding onto the staircase railings for support, Celine waited for the turbulence to pass. Once the shaking stopped, Celine headed up the stairs.
"Oh? Fancy meeting you here."
Looking back, Celine almost stumbled backwards again when she recognized the pale man. The colour drained from her face so quickly that she might as well have been his shade. Sei was passive to her melodramatic reaction.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "… Why are you alive?"
She thought that if she was alive, it could only mean that someone had defeated Sei in her place and saved her. But that doesn't seem the case; he looked as if he's been staying on the submarine for a while, and not to mention he was coming from Law's deck.
"Your captain invited me to stay," he replied. "He's still awake down there if you want him, I'm sure he'd be happy to see you up."
With that, Sei stepped past Celine and headed towards the crew quarters. Celine watched him go unblinkingly; the man that she was fighting with, the man that tried to kill her, he was right here on the same ship as her. There wasn't even a way off if she wanted to as they were sealed in the metal tin can.
Hurrying along downstairs, Celine hoped to find Law to sort this whole mess out. Luckily for her, Law was just standing by the aisles when she reached the med-bay.
"Celine!" he seemed genuinely happy to see her. "How are you feeling? I didn't expect you to awake so soon."
"I feel fine," she nodded along. "… I ran into Sei-san on my way… why is he here?"
"That's something we can leave for the morning," Law shook his head as he pulled an arm around her. "I want to have a checkup on you."
"No," Celine tried to pull herself free from him. "That is something we can leave for the morning. I want to know why the man that almost killed me is here, on our ship."
"Fine," Law sighed. "But at least let me check your heart first. Your heartbeats have been irregular these past few days, I just want to make sure you're safe from any cardiac illnesses."
"Alright then."
Law pulled her into his office, and instructed that she pull her sweater off as he went to retrieve his stethoscope. Under her sweater, she wore nothing but her underwear and a thin t-shirt. It wasn't that she was embarrassed in front of Law; it was just a lot colder down here compared to the rest of the submarine.
The cool metal of the stethoscope glided over the area above her breasts, giving her goosebumps all over. Once finding the right spot, Law placed the chest-piece on the skin just above the hem collar of her shirt.
"Deeps breaths."
Celine did as she was told. Taking deep breaths in and out. Law listened intently and watched her chest rise and fall. She shifted slightly under his fervent gaze on her chest.
"… Law?"
"Mm… everything sounds alright," he recovered quickly, pulling the apparatus off. "If anything hurts, you'll come straight to me. Understand?"
"I got it," she nodded back. "Now will you tell me?"
"Go take a shower first."
"What?" she frowned. "There's no need for that. Just tell me why-."
"Celine, I consider you not only my crewmember but also my patient," Law told her. "And I'm keen on taking care of my patients."
"I hope this isn't some ploy in trying to stall me."
"I assure you, it's not."
"Fine," she headed to his bedroom. "But I'm using your bathroom."
"Help yourself."
So once again, Law found himself reading one of his many books while waiting for Celine to come out of the shower. When she returned she looked rosier and less on guard than she was before. Law smiled slightly; she may have been right in suspecting that he was planning something, but she was just wrong about his intentions.
"Ah!" Celine stretched. "That was nice!"
Celine walked over to his bed and jumped on top of it. Her hair soaking through one pillow completely, she frowned a little at the growing dampness under her head. Pulling his sheets over her body, she gave a content sigh.
"This is nice, Law," she called. "You should come over."
"I would probably enjoy it better if the bed was dry," he said as he walked over. "Though I must say, having you in it makes up for the wetness."
"There you go sweet-talking again," she rolled her eyes. "Don't think I've forgotten about the Sei thing. You're lucky that I'm sleepy from the hot shower."
"I was hoping it would wear you down," he lied down next to her.
"Sneaky bastard," she mumbled, pulling him under the covers. "You're so lucky I find you to be the most attractive man on this ship."
"Really?" he chuckled. "This whole ship?"
"Are we getting paranoid again?" she giggled, snuggling up closer to his warmth. "I already told you there's nothing for you to worry about."
"I suppose so," he held an arm around her, pulling her close to his chest. "Celine, I don't mean to complain but can we sort your hair out?"
"Would you happen to have a dryer?"
"Not currently in this room, no."
"Then too bad~."
"There should be a few upstairs."
"… I'm not going up there," she looked up to him. "I thought I was the sick patient that you felt the need to care for?"
"Of course…" he sighed, crawling out of bed. "I'll be back. Don't go falling asleep."
"Aye-aye, Captain!"
After he left the room, Celine was having a rather difficult time trying to stay awake. Like Law had planned, the hot shower had worn her down well and the only thing currently on her mind was sleep.
Using all her effort, she sat up and rolled out of bed. She tiptoed around the bedroom looking for something to occupy herself with. She noticed a pile of books on the end table next to his armchair, picking up the first one she fell onto the plush leather seat.
It was a notebook of sorts, documenting his observations and experiments on various things. There were a few pages on the short-lived experiments he had on her; it was nothing that he hadn't already told her… he's even written a detailed paragraph on her refusal to carry on after realizing the other party felt afraid. Then she noticed the Subject Profile and almost laughed.
'Subject name: Given name, Celine. Surname, Cutie - UNKNOWN.'
The entry was written on the night of the experiment, which was around three days after they've met; it was adorable to know that Law had thought of her that way from the start.
Flipping through to the next page, Celine stumbled onto his documentaries on the recent talks and experiments on Sei. Everything he wrote was rather vague and undetailed, it was as if Law wasn't really sure what to write. There were instances where he started sentences and the words just soon turned into lines of scribbles.
"Celine?" A light knock came from the heavy door. "Come out here."
Scrambling onto her feet, she dropped the notebook back in its place and headed for the door. Most of the lights in the med-bay have been turned off with the exception of Law's little office at the end.
"Come sit," he waved the dryer. "I'll dry your hair."
Celine almost jumped when he flipped the dryer's switch on. Ignoring the startled feeling, she walked over and sat in his chair. She felt the heat over her head and the whirring in her ears.
There was no way the two could have made any conversation with the sound coming from the hair dryer, but it was a mutual silence. Once her hair was relatively dry, he ran his long fingers down her dark hair, smoothening the strands out. After another minute or so, Law turned the dryer off and placed in on the desk.
"Let's go sleep," he patted her shoulders.
"Carry me?"
With a short sigh, Law scooped her up in his arms and headed for the bedroom. Celine held onto him closely as he kicked the metal frame shut behind them. Putting her down onto the mattress carefully, Law climbed on top of her.
"Hm? You forget something?"
"My bra, you mean?" she half-whispered. "Left it in the bathroom. I've had it on for three days, not about to put that cage back on."
"Heh," he laughed. "I meant your necklace, but I'm not complaining about your lack of underwear."
"Well aren't you just a sweetheart?" she grinned. "I forgot to take it down with me; and I'm not bothered to get it, so you keep your hands to yourself, got it?"
"That won't be difficult."
It won't. Celine was covered almost from head to toe. She wore her t-shirt and a long pair of sweats on the bottom. It'll take a lot of misbehaving from his part to get immobilized.
Celine pushed him off of her before wrapping herself under the soft sheets. Feeling a little neglected, Law reached for her. Much to her demurral, he managed to take the bundle in his arms.
"… I hope you'll listen to what I say this time," she mumbled softly. "I don't want you stiff for the whole night again."
"You say that as if that's the only way I can be stiff."
"… It's saying things like that that worries me about sleeping in the same bed with you."
"I was only teasing, Celine," he smiled. "I promise to behave tonight. If something goes wrong with your heart in the middle of the night, I'll need to be able to treat you right away."
"Thank you," she gave him a quick peck on the tip of his nose. "I appreciate it."
"I finally get one and it's on my nose?" he leaned forward. "One on the lips."
"You said you'd behave," she tried turning away.
"It's a goodnight kiss," he droned, holding her closer. "A quick one."
"Alright!" she pushed her lips on top of his. "There! Happy?"
"Thrilled beyond words."
"Ha-ha," she shifted under the material. "Let go of me, and go get the lights."
The mattress shifted as he got up. As he released her, Celine kicked the sheets off and laid them over herself properly. With a flip of a switch, the room grew dark. With her eyesight gone, her hearing grew sharp. His footsteps approaching the bed were loud and clear, the creaking of the springs of the mattress was all too suspenseful for her.
"One more thing," his arms held her from behind. "I thought…" he whispered into her ear. "When you kicked Olive into the sea… I thought that was pretty damn hot. Stupid, but very hot."
Celine's breathe hitched in her throat. He's always had a way with words, and she knew that, but this time he spoke so directly to the point and so huskily into her ear. That was kind of hot.
What was she supposed to say to that? Thank you? Would a thank you even cut it?
"Well… You were worth it."
"My little fits of jealousy are nothing compared to yours, right?" his chest rumbled as he chuckled. "I feel flattered that such a fine woman feels so possessive over me."
"Glad you like the attention, now please let me sleep. Goodnight!"
"Hm… good night indeed."
XoXo
"Celine's awake, really?"
"Saw her on my way up."
"That's great," Ryuu nodded. "If she carried on sleeping for another day or more I might have gone insane."
"… I see."
Over the time Sei's been staying with the Heart Pirates, he'd grown to know Ryuu better than rest of the crew. If he wasn't down at the med-bay with Law during the day then he'd be with Ryuu at night. He didn't find it very comfortable down at the crew quarters with rest of the boys; he got a strange feeling that they didn't want him around very much. Ryuu offered his hammock to him when he was working, so here they were.
Ryuu had been wary of Sei from the moment he met him, but after a while he saw that the guy wasn't half bad. He was a little strange, but no stranger than he was, plus the guy was mentally and physically ill. The least he could do is to cut him so slack.
"How's the cure coming along?"
"I'm not sure, Trafalgar has been experimenting with a sample of the drugs and my blood," Sei rubbed his eyes with a yawn. "He's done some initial research but can't find what's actually wrong with me."
"That's troubling."
"Yeah, I suppose."
"… But hey, our captain is probably the best doctor in the whole of Grand Line," Ryuu reassured him. "If all the normal doctors could do for you was to give you medicine, I'm sure Law can cure you completely."
"Thank you, Ryuu. That's kind of you to say so," Sei gave one of his rare smiles. "… Do you think she hates me?"
"Who? Celine?"
"Yes."
"I don't think so, why do you ask?"
"She looked at me strangely when we saw each other just now."
"Well, I guess there's no helping it. You did try to kill her the last time she saw you. Maybe you should apologize or something."
"Apologize?" he looked bothered.
"It's only common courtesy," he shrugged. "Don't worry, she's reasonable. I'm sure she'll forgive you… after you tell her what you've told me."
Sei held his gaze; he stared at the deep blue outside the window as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Perhaps for him it was, he's never been off the island or so much been on a ship.
"I'm going to sleep."
Almost immediately after, he stood and walked towards the back of the room. Ryuu didn't have to look back, he could already tell that he's in the hammock by the shifting he heard. Turning around when he heard light snoring, Ryuu watched the man from where he sat. From what he's heard of Sei's past, there's no doubt that it was depressing and unfortunate, but there were some key things he's forgotten.
Apparently memory loss is part of the side effects with the medication he's been taking. Ryuu doesn't know what it must have been like to be alone like he has, but he does understand the feeling of wanting to be alone. Wanting everyone to just go away and leave him be.
Having Sei with the crew now meant the Heart Pirates have grown stronger by a reasonable amount, Ryuu only hoped the rest of the guys would come around soon… and that Law manages to cure him. If not, Sei's not going to last very long with the amount of drugs he has left.
The Heart Pirates had been sailing for another two days without any sight of an island. Celine, who has gotten tired of breathing the same air for close to a week, demanded that they surface for a day before going back underwater. The rest of the crew saw her logic and voted for it as well.
So now, one by one, the crew was slowly emerging from the hatch into the harsh daylight they've grown foreign to. Even though Celine was the one that initially asked for it, she was one of the last people to reach the deck.
"Oh wow," she shielded her eyes with her hand. "It's really bright out."
"What else were you expecting?" Jonah sighed. "You're the one that forced us to come up."
"I never said I didn't like it," Celine stuck her tongue out. "It's nice! I love the sun!"
It was nice indeed, a very nice change from the underwater sea that they were so used to seeing. The air was clear and had the distinct saltiness of the sea. Stretching her arms wide, Celine took a long deep breath.
"I'm telling you, the view off deck-."
"Ow!"
Ryuu didn't get a chance to finish as he bumped into something placed inconveniently outside the door. He's been speaking to Sei and wasn't faced the right way while walking backwards.
"What the hell! Don't just put your crap around like- Oh hey, Celine. Sorry bout' that."
"Why don't you watch where you're going, you dolt?"
"Shut up, who do you think was the one that-."
"This was Ryuu's fault. I apologize in his stead."
Sei stepped forward past Ryuu and into the sunlight. It surprised Celine to see the two together, but she should have expected Ryuu's unpredictability. The man had always done the opposite of what she thought he would do. Judging from his bed hair, she'd say he just woke up not long ago.
"… It's fine," Celine looked away quickly. "I-I'm going to go over there now… bye."
The two men watched Celine wobble away in the most discreet way she could pull off (which wasn't very well). As soon as she was out of earshot, Ryuu slammed his hand over Sei's chest.
"What was that? Shouldn't you be taking my side?"
"I want her opinion of me to improve."
"That doesn't mean you have to go and kiss her ass," Ryuu rolled his eyes. "Seriously, man."
"At least I'm not the one secretly in love with her," Sei smiled. "Stop worrying about me, you're the one that needs to do more ass kissing."
"Yeah? Well, shut up! I gave you my clothes!"
At the front of the deck, Celine peeked over her shoulder when she felt the floors shake. Sei and Ryuu were now engaged in what looked like a play-fight. Neither one was really trying in anything other than annoy the other.
Sei looked a lot different than she remembered, more like a human being and less like a caged animal. Also happier, much more happier than when she last saw him.
"Since when were they so close?" she whispered to Jonah.
"I'm not sure," he looked back. "Since Sei-san joined us."
"Seriously?" she almost gasped. "That's so suspicious…"
"Well, Ryuu doesn't do anything without a reason," Jonah reminded her. "I'm sure he has a good one."
"Hm… well have you spoken to him?"
"No way," Jonah shook his head. "He's way scary, and he's almost always doing with something else. The captain's been doing all sorts of tests on him, and when he's not with Captain Law he's with Ryuu."
"Speaking of which, where is Law?"
"Shouldn't you know?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Uh… well, you two are spending a lot of time together… I just thought you would know."
"Hm… You want me to go away, is that it?"
"What? No! Jeez Celine, you always jump to the strangest conclusions."
"I'm just teasing, Jo," she stuck her tongue out as she leaned onto the wooden rails. "What kind of place do you think the next island will be?"
"I'm not sure… I think you'll have better luck asking Sei-san."
"But…" she looked over her shoulder. "I'm not sure I want to do that…"
"He's actually pretty alright, you know."
Penguin and Shachi appeared next to her. They both shared anxious looks on their faces and refused to look Celine in the eyes.
"Y-Yeah!" Penguin nodded. "He's a really great guy! I think we really misjudged him based on the people he used to hang out with!"
"Yeah! Totally! I wholeheartedly agree!"
It was almost insulting that the two thought Celine was stupid enough to fall for their little act. Glancing over their shoulders, she saw Sei staring at them from behind Ryuu's head. The man was a lot taller than Ryuu was, and his snow-white hair stuck out like a sore thumb. It was obvious who set Shachi and Penguin up to this.
"Seriously?" she arched an eyebrow. "That's the best you two can do?"
They nodded back instantly as if they were panicked by her response. Celine sighed as pushed past the two and headed towards Sei.
"Look, I think I understand what you're doing and let me just say, threatening my crewmates into helping you isn't the way," Celine said.
"Told you…" Ryuu whispered to him.
"And you almost killed me," she added. "I don't hold it against you or anything. I'm sure Law had good reason to let you come on even after what you did and I trust in his decision. But it's just probably going to take a while before I feel comfortable around you."
Sei was at a complete lost of words; he simply nodded and watched Celine walk back towards the rest of the crew. He had truly wanted Celine to forgive him for what's he's done. She must know that he didn't actually want to fight her in the first place; he's said so the whole time.
"There you are," Kane spoke as he arrived on deck. "Law wants to see you."
"Me?"
"Yeah."
Giving Ryuu a quick look, he headed down the hatch without another word. The brothers stared at the dark stairwell, listening to Sei's steps echoing as he dwelled deeper down.
"Did Law say what he wanted?" Ryuu asked.
"Nah," Kane shrugged. "He sounded serious though."
"Hope, Law doesn't kick him out or something."
"Hm, don't think so," Kane chuckled.
The brothers eased up as they watched the crew. Celine was buying a newspaper from a passing by News Coo. How she got the money, no one knew, she probably stole it from the crews' stash considering how easy it's for her to access the captain's bedroom.
"Hey guys, check it out!" she held the widespread page. "We're in the paper!"
"Wow, she's right!"
The boys gathered around her as she read the article.
"The Heart Pirates, a relatively new pirate crew from North Blue has taken down and driven the infamous Red Snow Jareth off his island just last week. The captain, the Surgeon of Death Trafalgar Law gets a boost to his existing bounty and new member Devil Hands Celine gains a new bounty."
"That's not fair," Shachi whined. "We should get some too!"
"She was the star of the show," Kane walked over. "Of course, she'd get one."
"Hm…" she flipped through the pages. "… Guys."
"What?"
"The Shichibukai, Sir Crocodile was arrested a couple of days ago… it seems he was running a criminal organization in secret," she read on. "This was found out by the now commodore Smoker-san."
"Anything else after that?"
"Just some usual bounty raises…" she shook her head slowly. "Wait! … Monkey D. Luffy… 100,000,000…"
"Who's that?"
"Um, no one important," she passed the paper over. "Here."
Jonah, Shachi and Penguin grabbed the paper and flipped the page back to the posters of Celine and Law. Once they got a better look they began laughing over Celine's picture.
"Whoa, check it out! Pirate Hunter Zoro got a boosted bounty too!"
"Who's that?"
"The guy from East Blue!"
The guys rambled on about their fellow pirates and compared all their current bounties. Like Law said, it really did seem like a competition of some sorts. But she really didn't expect to hear the name Monkey D. Luffy so soon again. It's been around a week or so ago when Ace left, and he kept reminding her to look out for his little brother's name, she had jokingly agreed to it back then but now she felt a little startled.
"Are you alright?" Ryuu tapped her shoulder. "Looking a bit pale."
"… Just disappointed with my picture," she smiled.
"There's nothing to be disappointed about," he reassured. "It looks just fine."
Celine looked up and their eyes met. Once again Ace's words echoed in her hollow head. Thankfully, Ryuu broke their eye contact and turned away first before she started blushing.
"Thanks," she nodded quickly.
"You're welcome."
XoXo
Downstairs, Sei was just arrived on the third deck. Whilst staying on the ship, Sei and Law had kept a strictly professional relationship. He's already seen Law today regarding his medication, and he doesn't usually call for Sei a second time in a day. Both knew that they could gain something from the other, and that was the only reason they were working together.
"You asked for me, Trafalgar?"
"Hm, I did. How would you feel about assisting Miss Celine?"
"What's wrong with her?"
"I'm sure you know of her Devil Fruit abilities. They're dangerous and just recently she's been having difficulties controlling them – not that she was any better before."
"What are you asking from me?"
"Well I understand that your powers allow you to phase through solid objects."
"Yes, that's right."
"And from what I've heard from her, you phased straight through her when she tried to kill you. That is impressive, and something no one other than you can do. You may be the only one that can help her."
"So… You want her to practice on me?"
"Afraid of dying?"
"That's not the problem," Sei shifted. "My whole life had previously felt like an experiment, I just don't want to die in one."
"Training," Law corrected him. "I understand, but consider that this time she's won't be trying to kill you (in fact, she'll be against killing you entirely), and you've got the ability to stop your own death if she gets carried away."
"…"
"She's a fast learner?"
"Does she know about this?"
"I wanted to make sure the other party was willing first before getting her hopes up."
"Has she been waiting for a partner?"
"Not exactly," Law shook his head. "She's been waiting for me to find a way to help her. Devil Fruit powers are tricky, you should know as well as I. The only way I see for her to improve her control over her own abilities is patient practice. I've tried before with one of my crewmembers but he was blatantly afraid so she refused to carry on."
"And you don't think I'm afraid?"
"Correct me if I'm wrong," Law smiled slightly. "But you seem like a man that would embrace death."
"Well, I can't disagree with that," Sei nodded back, returning a polite smile. "I'll help her."
If any sane person had witnessed their conversation, they'd think the two men were completely mad. There was logic in the things they've said, but it's frightening how little they thought of life. How little Law thought of others' lives, and how little Sei thought of his own life.
XoXo
"And he's asked you to help me?"
"Correct."
"Why isn't he here to tell me this himself?" Celine peeked out the doorway. "This is the first time I've heard of this."
"You don't have to sound so suspicious, Celine-san," he gave a sweet smile. "I'm simply following your captain's orders."
"… So, are you not part of our crew?" she didn't budge.
"No one has said anything about that yet," Sei shrugged. "But please, I truly am just following orders, and I understand why you may feel uneasy about this but I do just want to help. I also apologize for what happened earlier today."
"Well, alright," she pulled her door open for him. "Come on in."
Unknown to her, Sei was already plenty familiar with her bedroom. While she was out cold, him and Ryuu had spent a reasonable amount of time in here whenever his friend felt the need to check up on Celine.
In all honesty, Sei couldn't understand why Ryuu feels what he does for Celine. The cons majorly outweigh the pros. Of course, Celine was easily the most appealing woman any man could ask for, but she was also with the captain of their crew and that touching her could mean sudden death.
Sudden death that he knew for a fact Ryuu didn't want to risk.
"So what's the plan?"
"Trafalgar believes the best way for you to get a better grasp of your powers is through practice."
"… So, I'm practicing on…?"
"Me."
"No way," she crossed her arms. "I'm not doing that."
"Why not?"
"You know how serious this is, right?" she frowned. "I don't want a person's death on my hands."
"You didn't seem so worried about that during our fight."
"That was different!"
"How so?"
"You threatened me and my crew! It was the obvious choice to fight back! But this is different, I don't mean to kill anyone that has proven to be an ally."
"Listen, you won't kill me. I promise you that. I was able to slip past you last time, and I can do it a second-."
"Stop right there! You got lucky that time, but this – this!" she waved her bare hands in his face. "This is not a joke, I'm not kidding when I say I could kill a person in a heartbeat. You may not have the chance to slip away next time."
"There is a very fine line between life and death, and I'm not afraid to cross it, Celine-san."
"… Why not?" she asked, her opinion of him beginning to change. "Why aren't you afraid?"
"Because people die regardless."
His words hit her like a rare cool breeze would back at home during the long hot summers. It was strange remembering home over such depressing words, but it was something her older brother had said to her when their parents passed away. "Good people will die regardless, Cel. There's no use dwelling in the past. We've got to stay strong for mum and dad now that they're no longer with us." She was young then, only seven, and her life was crumbling apart as she knew it. The only family she had left with her brother and sister, and if Bernie hadn't said those stern words to her she may still be grieving now.
"I think I understand where you're coming from… but that doesn't mean you must shorten your life like this."
"I carry a disease that needs daily attention, and now without a proper supply of medication I wouldn't have much time anyway," he carried on, again with that dismal sweet smile. "So I'm happy to be of service until then."
"What are you saying?" she felt her tears brimming. "Isn't Law working on something right now? Putting aside everything you've just said, you've got a chance to be properly cured – to live again. You've got to pull through until then, okay?"
"Well you better try hard at stabilizing your powers, because I'm still helping you with your training," he said coolly, rubbing her stray tears away with his cuff. "We'll start tomorrow after lunch, alright?"
Once he's said that, he turned to leave. He said a quiet goodbye before shutting the door behind him. Celine could hardly comprehend what just happened; she just stood still shocked over his words, listening to the clicking of his clogs slowly disappearing. If his intention was to win her favor over, then he's accomplished so much more than that. She might as well have hopped onto the 'Become BFFs with Sei' train like Ryuu has.
With a sigh, Celine walked over and sat on her bed. She does remember asking Law to come up with something for her powers, but she never expected him to ask someone such as Sei to help out. She'll definitely speak to Law about this later, but for now she's got more important things on her mind.
The next day the whole crew was gathered around the dining table for lunch. Celine looked to be in a daze as she stared off into space. Everyone wondered if she and the captain got into a fight, as he wasn't present. Jonah who had brought Law his food, claimed that wasn't the case at all and the captain was just tired like he usually was. They thought different because since the two got together, Law had started making the effort to come upstairs for meals for the sake of seeing Celine.
"Celine-san?"
"Y-Yeah?"
"Are you sure you're not going to eat?" Sei watched at her.
"Oh, right," she nodded, picking up her fork. "Of course."
"I heard you two are going train together?" Kane asked.
"What?" Penguin and Shachi gasped. "Wait, WHAT?"
"… I heard from Ryuu…" he pointed to his brother.
"And I heard from Sei," the brother pointed to the albino man. "… He is speaking the truth, right Celine?"
"Yeah," she nodded quickly. "We're going to start after lunch."
"Aren't you afraid?" Penguin turned to Sei.
"Not at all," he shook his head. "I'm happy to help."
"Seriously?" Shachi grinned. "I'd be scared, her powers are crazy scary!"
"Mind what you're saying," Kane warned. "She's just alright."
"Hai-hai," Shachi nodded. "Good luck with that then. I'm done, so I'm gonna leave first."
"Take your dishes with you," Jonah tapped the empty plate.
"Oh, you can handle it, Jo," he grinned. "Come on, Penguin!"
The two stood up together and scampered off together before anyone could protest. It looked like poor Jonah was going to be stuck with the dishes again. With a long heavy sigh, Jonah stood up and began gathering the dishes and cutlery.
"You guys done?" he reached for the brothers' empty plates.
"Yup," Kane nodded, passing his plate over. "Thanks kid."
"You guys really are mean," Celine stood as well. "Come on Jo, I'll help with the dishes. It's been a while since I last did them anyway."
"Will you, Celine?" he looked a tad bit happier.
"Yup," she nodded. "Sorry, Sei-san. This won't take long, if you like you can head-."
"I'll help as well."
"You will?" she couldn't help but sound surprised.
He replied with a light nod as he picked up his plate. Ignoring the look Ryuu was giving him, Sei followed the two into the kitchen.
"Thanks for the help, Sei-san," Jonah said.
"It's not a problem. And you can just call me Sei," he replied. "You too, Celine-san."
"Right, well you don't have to call me Celine-san either," she smiled lightly. "Celine's fine."
The three were content as they washed the dishes together. Celine did the washing, Sei the drying and Jonah stacked the dishes back in the cupboard, the trio made a surprisingly good team.
"Thanks guys," Jonah smiled, depositing the last of the dishes. "That was a lot quicker than if I were on my own."
"You're welcome!"
"You're welcome."
"I'll see you two later," Jonah returned their smiles. "I've got to go get Captain Law's dishes."
"You'll be fine with that?" she asked.
"Yup," he nodded as he headed for the door. "Good luck with your training!"
"Shall we go, Celine?"
"Yeah."
She knew that there was no point in trying to prolong the wait; she had already agreed to do this so they might as well start sooner. They were quiet as they walked.
"… So how do you think we should do this?" she asked as they reached the dojo. "Should we just hold hands or something?"
"Yeah, that sounds about right."
"Seriously?" she followed him in.
"What, would you rather fight?"
"… No, let's hold hands then."
They found a spot on the mats and sat down. Celine took her Kairoseki chain off and stuffed it in her pocket. It felt a little awkward to be holding the hands of a man that's practically a stranger (the man that almost became her murderer), but it was for the sake of training.
"Okay. I'll try to stop it for as long as I can but if it starts don't worry, I'll let go immediately."
"Alright," he watched as Celine placed her palms over his. "How long did it normally take?"
"Five seconds."
"Three, Two, One…?"
"As I've told you, it's been weird lately," she told him. "Just wait for it…"
The seconds ticked up slowly. Her powers were being very strange, it's been well over fifteen seconds already and still nothing's happening. Celine was about to speak when he jolted. She pulled away immediately and watched as he took deep hoarse breaths.
"Are you alright?" she asked, holding onto his clothed shoulder. "Want some water or something?"
"No, it's okay," he shook his head quickly. "It just feels really strange when you do that."
"Sorry," she grimaced.
"Nineteen."
"Hm?"
"That was nineteen seconds," he told her. "That's far longer than five."
"Well, you'd be surprised by how quickly it changes," she shrugged. "Shall we go again?"
"Yes."
XoXo
The two have been at it for hours already. The range between the shortest and longest was a large gap – the longest was around a minute whilst the shortest was a second. But towards the end of their session, her times have been going over the ten seconds mark.
Sei was feeling completely exhausted after having his energy drained continuously for hours. He was resting on his back while Celine was having a go at the dummies.
"Thanks for doing this," she called. "I think we're making slow but good progress."
"Hm," he sighed. "Yeah."
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Just a little worn out."
"I suppose we should only do this once every other day," she suggested. "I don't want you to get sick over this."
"I don't think it's possible for me to get even more sick," he chuckled. "But yes, I agree. Having a day's gap in between wouldn't hurt."
Celine listened to his words attentively, by his tone of voice he almost sounded like he's given up. It reminded her of what he said last night; how he feels that he's time-bound by his disease. That may be more or less true at the moment, but that didn't mean he should lose hope.
"Hey Sei?"
"Yes?"
She walked over and sat next to him. He was still resting with his eyes closed, and it seemed all that training took more of a toll on his body than hers. Studying his pallor, she wondered if she should really be doing this with him. His skin was light and pale like a doll's, and his hair was a vivid snow-white. It was a little scary how much he looks like a doll, even his eyes were an unreal vibrant cobalt.
"How's progress with Law?"
"So-so," he mumbled back. "He's given me a full body check up, taken blood, sampled the meds I'm taking at the moment, and done tons of reading. He told me he doesn't know what he's working with, but he'll work something out."
"… Do you doubt him?"
"… No," he opened a dazzling eye. "… Are you worried about me?"
"Naturally," she nodded with a light shrug. "It's normal for friends."
"Are we friends now? I thought you were uncomfortable around me."
"… My thoughts have changed," she said. "After speaking to you a bit more, you really don't seem that bad of a person."
"Hm…" he shut his eyes again. "… With you that makes two."
"Two friends?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "First there's Ryuu, and now you… that rhymes, doesn't it?"
"Mm…" she watched him closely. "Have you always been this pale?"
"No," he opened his eyes. "It is a bit strange, isn't it? I think I may have been tanner than your captain when I was younger."
"No way."
"Well, I don't actually remember that well," he gave a lighthearted chuckle as he sat up. "And it's been a while since speaking to someone about this."
"About what?"
"… Myself," he replied after some thought.
It's incredible – the words that come from this man, once again Celine was stunned speechless. He may be unaware of it, but with each word he says Celine's growing more and more sympathetic to the man.
Trying to avoid his eyes, she averted her gaze away. Looking around, she noticed a tall katana resting against the pile of weights. It was definitely the sword that was with Gin when they fought, she hadn't realized it was there until now. No one on this ship could use so much as wield a sword, so that meant it must have been Sei that brought it along.
"Is that yours?"
"Yeah," he looked over his shoulder. "I don't have my own space yet, and I found out this place is almost empty all the time. You guys don't appreciate a fine dojo, do you?"
"Well, I can't deny the fact that no one comes in here unless they've really got to," she shrugged. "So, can you use that katana?"
"Sure."
"How skilled are you with it?"
"I can kick your butt, if that's what your asking."
"I don't doubt that," she chuckled. "Can you teach me? … In addition to the training you're already helping me with, I mean."
"Doesn't your captain wield a sword?"
"Yeah, but have you seen the size of that thing? I'm not going to be able to lift that." she smiled. "Not to mention he uses his with his powers."
"Well you can easily incorporate your powers with a weapon," he stood up. "I've seen Trafalgar in action and you can understand why he needs such a large sword."
"… You can?"
"Well, the larger the sword the larger area the sword covers, right?" he said. "In his case, once a target enters his room, he wants to be able to chop them up immediately without fail. So a sword a larger surface area would be ideal."
"Well, okay that makes sense," she nodded along. "Then what about you? Why do you use a katana?"
"There is no way I can use my powers with the katana but I am fast," he shrugged. "And so are you. Being fast with a blade is already a deadly skill. I also understand you don't like punching, that's not-."
"It's more like I can't punch," she corrected him. "No strength in the arms."
"Don't say that," he chuckled. "With your speed and a sharpened katana, you won't need strength."
"You think so?"
"Definitely," he replied. "I can help you with it when we're not working on your powers."
"Thanks," she agreed with a smile. "I look forward to it."
"Hm… it's about time for dinner, isn't it?" he checked his wristwatch. "Should we go?"
"Yeah, alright."
XoXo
After dinner, Celine made a stop at the med-bay to speak to Law with one topic in mind specifically. She found him sitting in his armchair, scribbling away in his little notebook. He clicked the cap back onto his pen when she walked in, and placed the pen and book aside.
"Good evening," she fared. "Am I interrupting your little thinking time?"
"Not at all," he smiled. "What brings you here? How was your session with Sei today?"
"Good," she nodded. "I'm actually here about Sei."
"Did something happen?"
"No, nothing happened," she reassured. "I just wanted to ask about the whereabouts you're at with his treatment."
"I see," he sighed, picking up his notebook and running through his notes again. "Not far, I've began developing the countermeasure, but it's just going to take another day or so."
"Yeah?" she sounded relieved. "That's good."
"Are you concerned about him?"
"… I think I might be feeling sorry for him," she replied. "I mean, he's dying and losing his memories. It can't get worse than that."
"Don't worry, Celine," Law walked over to her. "I'll do what I can for him. He'll be alright."
Law really wanted to believe that what he was saying weren't just empty words in order to comfort his beloved, but he was in a race against time and he knew his patient won't be lasting much longer once his medication runs out. He'll have to start working earnestly tomorrow in order to complete the cure.
Here's chapter 14! I hope the readers that weren't sure about Sei are now convinced! He's a really nice guy - Celine sure is convinced ;)
Merry (belated) Christmas to everyone, and wishing you guys an early happy new year!
Thanks to those that favorited and alerted this story!
Reviews:
ladeste – thank you! I'm glad I was able to sum up some questions hopefully this chapter helped answer some more :)
Girl-luvs-manga – wow, thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
10th Squad 3rd Seat – thank you! And they're still a little wonky but she'll definitely get them in check soon ;)
Aiko Yamazaki – Yes! Just wanted to give a bit more to Sei's character as he's going to be playing a large role throughout these few chapters :) thanks for your review!
Shiningheart of ThunderClan – I was hoping the flashback would sum up some things :) I'm glad you liked it and thank you for reviewing!
Portgas D. Paula – haha, creepy was certainly not how I was trying to portray him :P but thank you for your review and I'm glad you're enjoying the story! :D
Moonlight Calls – thank you! :)
Noitalapsi – thank you! I'm glad you thought so!
SkittlesKat – whaa, thank you! I'm really happy you like it!
UNICORNSPOORAINBOWS – haha! I'm glad you like him! thank you~
cicir – I just wanted to say that I absolutely loved reading your reviews! They brought a smile to my face! I'm glad you're enjoying my story so much! And I'm awful sorry about causing your inner fangirl to come out – forgive me? xD anyway, thank you for your reviews they really made my day :)
Oriax Ailaht – Hello OA-san! Thank you for your kind and detailed review, and happy holidays! I don't get those very often (especially for this story) so I'm really happy when I received yours! I'm very happy you like the story and OCs, I'm putting a lot of effort and both so I really appreciate it when my readers mention it! Thank you again!
Happy holidays everyone!