Doflamingo knew of Anberlyn's hatred of him, he watched it grow the more her thrill of the kill grew, and fester. She hated that she had the same primitive desire that all humans had to see blood and take lives and she resented him for awakening that side of her. But, he was always waiting for her to act. On more than one occasion, he had presented her with a chance to betray him, to take a stab at his life. Sometimes even exploiting her shaky loyalty to him benefited Doflamingo.
Anberlyn was always full of surprises. She never acted in a way he least expected. She was still like that, acting unpredictably, but, always with is best interest in mind. It hadn't always been like that, but she was now and that was all that mattered no?
There was the time when he had gotten sick, that was a prime example of her unpredictability.
Anberlyn wandered around the ship, it was about three in the afternoon and she had not yet seen Doflamingo, he had not yet harassed her in any way or snatched her up to take her to one of his Underworld business trips, she had not yet seen a gleaming smile or heard a wicked laugh. And, as happy as she knew she should have been, she could not get rid of the worry that was building in her chest.
It wasn't that the idea of escape had not crossed her mind, because it had, several times. She knew that this was one of the few opportunities that she would have to leave this life and that accursed man behind. Never again would she have to kill, she could be free. The only problem was that even if she did make it off of this ship, out of his grasp, she would have to spend the rest of her life running and hiding.
You see, Doflamingo had powerful enemies and one by one their numbers were waning by her hand and the World Government knew this, they knew of her and her affiliation with Doflamingo and if she were one of them, there wasn't much she wouldn't do to put an end to him and his legacy. But, she was just a victim but, no one else would see it as such.
"Hey, Baby 5." She approached the woman as she came onto the deck.
"What do you want?" She asked giving her a once over. To say that she and the Donquixote Pirates got along was a lie. They tolerated her sure, but toleration and acceptance were two very different things.
"Uh…where's Do-Captain?" For some reason most of the crew either called him Doffy or Young Master. But, to keep a barrier of formality between her and the blond man, Anberlyn insisted upon calling him Doflamingo. Calling him Captain was almost as unbearable as calling him Young Master or Doffy.
"He's sleeping." She was curtly informed.
"Is something wrong?"
"There's nothing to be concerned about." And with that, the woman began walking away.
"But I need to know or…or I won't be able to rest easily." Those words were not easy to choke out, not in the least. But, they had the desired effect on the woman, who turned around, her hands on her face, crooning about how somebody needed her help and how she could not refuse.
After getting the desired information, Anberlyn thanked Baby 5 and headed towards the Captains quarters.
Poised to knock, she thought her course of action over again. Was she really about to go into the belly of the beast, walk right into the grasp of the man she so despised while she could be escaping and getting on with her life?
The answer should have been no. She should be well on her way. But, instead, she opened the door and peered into the darkness.
From what Anberlyn could see, a large bed that looked like it could fit ten, if not fifteen of her comfortably. But, instead of ten or fifteen people lying in the bed, there was but on large bump, and that bump's name was Doflamingo.
This was her last chance to turn back, to get gone while she could. But, she didn't, instead opting to slip through the door and take a few steps into the room; the floorboards creaked as she made her way across the room to his bedside.
In the bed lay Doflamingo, his mouth, for once, not sporting a smile, his sunglasses lying next to the bowl on the table beside his bed. His breathing was heavy, the blankets thrown off his lithe form, his limbs were sprawled around him, his chest rising and falling in a steady beat of a silent war drum. No laughter escaped his lips, but perspiration covered his body, soaked his blond hair and the blanket beneath him.
"So even people like you can get sick huh?" She whispered reaching for the cloth that was laid across his forehead.
Doflamingo always seemed so indestructible, nothing could touch him, no one could bring him down from his kingdom so high in the sky. The smile always present on his face was always so hard to wipe clean and yet here he was, sleeping soundly, sick.
This fact humanized the man before her.
He could get sick, one day his kingdom would come crashing down, she realized that now and it gave Anberlyn hope. She would be that one to knock him from his throne, to destroy him. All she had to do was keep working hard, to keep getting stronger and to stay by his side so that no one else could touch him.
Anberlyn dunked the cloth into the bowl of water, wrung it out, folded it up and then placed it back on his forehead. She let her fingers sweep down from his temple and jawline to his chin.
She realized something else at that moment. Her hand went to rest on his neck, her fingers lightly wrapping around it. Yes, she could kill him now, in this moment of vulnerability of his, and end it all. She could kill him and then escape; the crew wouldn't realize that their beloved Doflamingo was dead until it was too late, until she was long gone.
She could go back to one of the Blues and spend the rest of her life hiding. She could change her name and never use her devil fruit powers in front of people.
With her other hand, she reached for her Katar. Her fingers curled around the bar and she lifted it out of its sheath. Slowly, she brought it up to Doflamingo's throat with every intention of shoving it through his trachea and then leaving.
But, just as the tip of the blade sliced through the first layers of skin, a hand grabbed her wrist, something wrapped around her waist and before she knew what had happened, she lay on her back, his body pressed against hers. She was looking up into the uncovered eyes of Doflamingo.
Through her clothes, he could feel her heart pounding away, he could feel her chest rising and falling with the effort to regain her breath. Having scared the girl so badly was just what he needed to make his day.
"You didn't think I was going to let you kill me did you?" Doflamingo laughed. The expression on her face was one he would not soon forget. Her eyes were wide with fear, her lips forming an O. In his grasp, her wrist fluttered, but she wasn't really fighting.
"I-I thought-You were-awake?" If that was the case, he was a convincing sleeper.
"I didn't wake up until you wrapped your fingers around my throat. You know I don't mind if you choke me Sweetheart but, I've gotta draw the line somewhere don't I?"
Did that mean that he was able to react that quickly after having just woken up? If that was the case, then she was nowhere near ready to take this man on. She would have to get a lot stronger, a lot faster. Anberlyn had a long road of work ahead of her.
"I-I'm sorry." She choked out, still quivering.
Wrenching the weapon from her hand and tossing it behind him, he just let out a hoarse chuckle. He grabbed her chin, thumb brushing across her lips before he said, "You're not really sorry Sweetheart. You're just sorry that you got caught.
"Wh-what are you going to do with me?"
She had seen what he does to people and none of what he did to those people, friends and foe alike, were pleasant. And there was absolutely no reason that she would be exempt from that torturous treatment.
"What do you think I should have done with you Anberlyn?"
The way he said her name did not bode well, not for her at least.
After a pause, he stooped down, so that their faces were too close for her comfort, and asked, "Are you afraid Sweetheart?" The question had an obvious answer; it was too clearly presented in her eyes, and in her expression.
Anberlyn could not lie, not when that smile knew the answer regardless of her verbal response, so she nodded her head and muttered the word, "Of course."
He leaned down and brushed his lips against her quivering jaw and planted several kisses up the hard line until his lips reached her ear. She lay shock still beneath him, shuddering when his tongue traced the shell of her ear.
The quiet word, "Good." slithered from his mouth, swirled around the shell of her ear and then burrowed into her eardrum.
With his intentions all too clear, she managed the quiet words, "I'll get sick."
She didn't think that he had heard her because he didn't respond. But, after several long moments of long, wet kisses sporadically placed upon her neck and the empty plane of her chest, his hungry lips moved to hover just above her lips. When this point was reached, they formed the words, "You should have thought about that sooner Sweetheart. You're not leaving my bed until I'm done with you."
So much for sick. Anberlyn mentally grumbled at him. What man was 'in the mood' while he was sick? The answer was obvious, it was the one pinning her to his bed, not giving two shits about his current condition.
Doflamingo's hands were so covered in blood, his mind filled with evils untold. He was a wicked man who had all but enslaved her and she couldn't just let him have his way with her. She turned her head to the side and testily squirmed about. The grip around her wrist tightened and she realized that there wasn't much wiggle room and there sure as hell was no way that she was going to make it to the door before he seized control of her body.
So Anberlyn just let out a heavy sigh and looked up at Doflamingo's shadowed face.
"I expected more of a fight Sweetheart. Don't tell me that you see how futile resistance is and plan on just lying there and taking it." A disappointed frown tugged down the corners of his mouth. He most certainly did not expect for her to just lay there, to just let him have his fun. No, he was expecting some kind of fight, verbal or otherwise.
"You said n-no one's…complained y-yet." She bravely said, her voice betraying her.
Anberlyn should have run while she had the chance, she shouldn't have taken so long to kill him. She hadn't planned on things doing down like they had, but as he promised in the auctioning house, it wasn't that bad. Once Anberlyn got past the hate and the fact that he was sick, it was actually quite enjoyable.
Having Anberlyn, as filled with rage and hate and as stubborn as she was, writhing in the throes of pleasure beneath him was an absolute delight. Her brilliant face lit up the room from the pillow case. At first she just lay there and took it without so much as a flinch or objection.
At first green eyed girl beneath him was not the one he had picked up at the Auctioning House, she was too quiet, too still, offering no glares or biting comments. But, Anberlyn couldn't keep her cool for long, not when she shook at every brushstroke of his fingers against her flesh.
Yes, the more Anberlyn shook, the more she gave away until she began responding. She was timid at first, unsure, as if she wasn't yet sure that she wanted to react. She probably wanted to deprive him of any pleasure of knowing just how much he was getting to her. But, it didn't take long for her to show her true colors, to show him just how much of an animal she was when the door was shut tight and she gave into human nature.
Anberlyn lay pressed up against his body, his arms under her neck, their legs tangled together and her head resting on his chest. Upon his face was a satisfied, rather smug smile that she was fortunate enough not to get a glimpse of. The sheets were cocooned around their bodies, their skin slick with sweat, catching her breath.
As Anberlyn came down from her high she heard him ask, "You're not going to go kill yourself now are you?" Doflamingo remembered her saying how she was going to do so if he intended on using her body. Well he had used its power several times before, but now he had used it in the manner in which she said would make her commit suicide.
"I have to kill you first." She whispered.
Three days later, she was as sick of a dog, hardly able to think straight. And it made her realize that either Doflamingo's body was just that strong or he was just that good of an actor. Unfortunately, she figured it was the first of the two.
Another example of Anberlyn's unpredictability was when Doflamingo had sent her, along with ten other men, on a business trip. They were to deliver a ship of weapons to an island on the Grand Line to an island in the midst of a civil war.
When Anberlyn returned, she had done so alone.
Anberlyn quietly approached the door to Doflamingo's office. What made the space behind the door an office was the fact that a desk occupied most of the rooms' area, as well as a bookshelf on each all on either side of the desk and of course there was the fact that he conducted business behind the door.
She was afraid of his reaction, but knew that hiding or prolonging this moment was not going to solve anything. If anything it was going to make things even worse. You see, she had set sail with six men and four women and they had all been lost, but not at sea.
Gingerly she raised her fist and was about to knock, but instead she quietly rested her closed fist against the doors surface, heart beating in her throat as she went through all of the possible scenarios and outcomes of the next few minutes.
Since having vowed to stay by Doflamingo's side to ensure that she would be the one to take this monster down, not Baby 5, the World Government or any of his other enemies, she had been resisting the urges, ignoring the opportunities of escape.
They were there. Always there. Always tempting her. Always calling to her like the enchanting song of a siren. It pained Anberlyn to ignore them, to stand by and let them pass, to have to wait until she was stronger before she could rid this world of Donquixote Doflamingo. But, she had accepted this and would leave everything as it currently lay until the day came when she was strong enough.
Slowly, Anberlyn opened the door and peeked into the room. Behind the desk adorned with a pink transponder snail, sat Doflamingo with his feet on the seat of the chair, his rear planted on the back of the chair, forearms resting on his knees, hands clasped, smile on his face as it always was.
"Tell me Sweetheart-"
"Anberlyn." She hissed under her breath as she slipped into the room, quietly closing the door behind her and putting on a brave face. She couldn't show this beast fear, it was debatable if he could smell it or not, but she wouldn't doubt it if he could.
"Waving away her usual response he asked, "How did your first mission go?"
"I had the chance to betray you." She boldly claimed, watching his face for any change in his expression.
At that he laced his fingers under his chin and, with a little chuckle, asked, "And what did you do with this opportunity?" To say that he was interested in what the girl before him was about to say was an understatement. Unbeknownst to Anberlyn, he had selected the other ten members of the mission for a reason.
"I used it to get rid of the traitors among your ranks."
And my competition. She silently added.
Those words sent Doflamingo into a fit of laughter. Despite the fact that he was leaned back, clutching at his stomach with one hand, this palm pressed against his temple, he did not fall off of the chair.
Anberlyn didn't understand what was so damn funny. She had just told him that she had just killed ten of his subordinates. And if that wasn't enough, she had just revealed to him that there had been ten traitors on his ship.
Why was he laughing!
This was no laughing matter.
Why wasn't he angry?!
There was most definitely wrong with that man, it was an indisputable fact, but, what it was, the world would never know.
The results of the mission were better than he could have hoped for. Doflamingo had expected all eleven of them to bite the dust. Yes, even Anberlyn was expected to have gone down with the others. Even though her loss would have been tragic, she was replaceable, once her devil fruit was reborn all he would have to do is find it and find a more suitable, more loyal, more easily manipulated host. It seemed however, that he would not have to go to such lengths, because apparently there were only ten traitors on that ship, Anberlyn was not lost.
It was quite an interesting outcome. The girl hated him for several petty reasons, things could be worse for her after all, and it was obvious. He would have guessed that she could have jumped at the chance to betray him; he would have been interested in what they would have done with their hate and disloyalty. But, Anberlyn had done no such thing and she had returned alone. So did that mean she had done what he thought she had?
There was but one way to find out.
"What, may I ask, did you do with those traitors?" He asked after reigning in his laughter and getting it under control.
Her reply was simple enough. "I slaughtered them."
The proof had been burned. The ship, her bloody clothes, their corpses, they were all nothing but a memory and scattered ashes.
What Anberlyn didn't notice was the cruel smirk that curled up a single corner of her mouth and the gleam in her eyes that revealed just how much pleasure she had derived from the act of killing those men and women.
"I'm surprised Anberlyn-"
"Sweethea-" She stopped short upon realizing that she was about to correct him for using her name and not that stupid nickname. The smirk vanished and her eyes narrowed, "What are you saying?"
"I didn't realize that you had devoted yourself to me."
The words, 'I haven't' were on the tip of her tongue, seconds from being hurled from the tip of her tongue and into the air between them. Fortunately, she was able to stop herself before anything that she be left unsaid slipped.
"Maybe I'm more dedicated than you think." Dedicated to killing him that was. And if Doflamingo mistook that dedication as loyalty then so be it, she wasn't about to correct his mistake if that meant that he was going to keep her around that much longer.
The smile that lit up his face reminded her of that of a wolf with greedy, shining eyes and a dangerous smile. "I'm delighted to hear that Sweetheart, but I want proof."
"A simple tattoo of your jolly roger isn't going to suffice is it?" She asked rather nervously.
"Fuffuffuffu. I'm afraid not."
She was still after his life, he would be braindead to think that she had changed her mind and goals.
A/n: Anyone listen to Pierce the Veil or Evans Blue? I got a line from each of those bands songs scattered within this chapter, what can I say? Music inspires me more often than not. So if anyone was curious…
I can't wait to see your brilliant face. Light up the room around the pillowcase. – One Hundred Sleepless Nights by Pierce the Veil.
The more you shake the more you give away- Cold (But I'm still here) by Evans Blue.
Another song that sort of inspired some of this chapter is Animal by The Cab.
I'd urge you to check out these songs or bands…but you don't have to. I thought I'd just let you know where some of my inspiration came from…that and I'm disclaiming my ownership to those few lines…because I don't want to be sued…Anyways have a good day.
Review please. I would be delighted to hear your thoughts and opinions. Please, if you think that I have gotten anyone OOC, tells me. Thank you much for reading and I hope to see you next chapter.