Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. *smiles sadly*
Author's Note: Okay, here comes that character and my own take on his/her personality and appearance(and background).
Warnings: Colorful language, and a fail attempt at an accent.
Without any further ado, I give you chapter six.
The polar bear swiped the branch out of Law's grip with a single move before the teen could even follow the creature's movements. Weaponless and practically defenseless, the raven-haired youth could only glare at the bear as it nudged a paw on his broken leg. Law gasped as fresh surge of pain crept on his limb. The bear glanced at him before repeating the action.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, you idiot?!"Law snapped with a mixture of frustration and self-pity at the situation he was in, causing the polar bear to fully look at him. It tilted its head to the side as if trying to comprehend what he just said. The teen groaned and panted as the pain remained, only to intensify as his other injuries finally screamed with protest at the cold. Law looked at his fingers and saw that they were now tinged with blue. He did not seem to notice that the temperature dropped even more, and he was now positively freezing despite his thick, woolen jacket and pants. His toes were frozen in his boots, and slightly wet from the melted snow that seeped through it. He looked at the bear, suddenly envious of the thick fur covering its body. The animal must be feeling warm and comfortable while staring down and wondering when to eat him, which just made the raven-haired Law annoyed. With an intensified glare, he scowled at the bear and lifted his nose up in the air with dignity. "Have you finished deciding whether to eat me or not, you stupid beast?"the teen asked arrogantly. "I haven't got all night to spend here with you, you know."
The bear emitted a low growl and pawed the ground in an angry manner. Law blinked, surprise slowly showing on his pale face.
"C-Can you... Can you understand me?"he asked apprehensively. The bear snorted then nodded. Law's mouth fell open.
It nodded.
The freaking polar bear nodded at him to show that it can understand everything he said.
Before a flabbergasted Law could manage to curse out loud, another batch of footsteps sounded somewhere and a cloaked figure appeared, headed towards the duo. The darkness did not allow Law to see the stranger's face when they dropped their hood. The stranger clicked their tongue and shifted a little, until a small flicker of light appeared and vanished rather quickly, leaving a small orange glow floating in front of them. The smell of cigarette then invaded Law's nose.
"Pawsie."
At the sound of the word(Or was it even a word? Law thought), the bear's head snapped up and turned to look at the stranger. It then gave Law one last fleeting look before it bit one leg of the hem of his pants and proceeded to drag him. Law yelped with shock as he was dragged, wincing as the movement jarred his injuries.
"S-Stop, you- argh!- idiot!"the teen yelled angrily while he clawed on the snow with his good hand in a futile attempt to pull himself away from the savage. A booted foot kicked his hand away from a tree when he managed to get hold of it, causing him to glare daggers at the stranger. For the second time that night, Law's mouth fell open with surprise as the stranger commanded the bear to stop.
Standing before him was the prettiest woman he's ever seen, despite her face being set in a frown. With what little light the lighted cigarette offered, Law could make out her bright crimson eyes and long thick lashes. An inverted heart was tattooed under her left eye, making it look like a teardrop. Her nose was small yet pert, and her full lips painted with red lipstick. Her skin was the fairest his eyes laid upon(Law berated himself for thinking just that). Strawberry blonde and beautifully curled hair framed her heart-shaped face, and Law stopped right then and there from struggling against the polar bear to marvel at the beauty in front of him.
"Ya fuckin' brat. Don' make things bad fo' Pawsie, he's just tryna help ya!"she yelled at him brusquely, grabbed him by the scarf , and hoisted him up almost carefully before setting the teen on the bear's broad back. The woman then stepped beside the animal and scratched the back of its ears, her eyes sparkling in a cutesy manner. "Jus' ignore wot this stupid raccoon said, okay, hun?" Her face lit up when the bear let out an unmistakable grunt and she instantly threw her arms around its thick and furry neck. "Aw, Pawsie's just so freakin' adorable~!"
Yes, she was very pretty, but the cigarette sticking out of her mouth and her brusque manner made her the ugliest in Law's eyes. The teen glowered at the woman who then stood up and walked forward, the bear following her wake. The pain Law was feeling dulled, but the fact that they remained annoyed him. The woman seemed to have heard him when she threw him an impatient look.
"Wot's with tha' look?"she asked, one elegant eyebrow raised. Law responded with a glare, good hand grabbing a fistful of the bear's soft and fluffy fur. The animal felt warm and comfy against him, but he would not give the woman the pleasure of informing her about it. "If ya wanna argue, save yer energy fo' late'. Wot's yer name, anyway?"
The raven-haired suppressed another growl before mumbling a response. "Trafalgar Law."
The woman stopped in an instant and without warning, causing the bear to accidentally bump its snout against her leg. She quickly looked at him, her neck snapping dangerously which made Law wince. Her mouth was hanging open, the cigarette dangling on her lips and her eyes wide with recognition.
"Trafalgar Law? Tha' brat Doflamingo-sama raised?"she gasped, the cigarette falling down the snow-covered ground. The woman ignored it and flashed Law a huge, unladylike smile. "My, ye're all grown up, kid!"
Law blinked. Doflamingo-sama? So, she was one of his brother's henchmen. The woman resumed walking, the bear and the teen on its back following suit. "You know who I am?"
"Yeah, tho' I rarely saw ya. Maybe, er, five, six times?" She lighted another cigarette and grinned at him. "When ye were still a freakishly cute baby, tho. Aft' that..."
"What?"
The woman let out a tinkling laugh. "Bah, I dun' need ta 'xplain ev'rythin' to ya. Why're ya out here, anyways? An' who da hell beat ya up?"
The questions shut Law's mouth. He looked away and buried his face in the bear's furry back. He did not want to remember what Vergo did again. It was horrible. Very horrible.
"Dun' wanna talk 'bout it?"
Law remained quiet and the woman took it as a 'yes'. She sighed.
"'Kay then. Jus' sleep, take a nap, wotevah floats yer boat. I'll jus' wake ya up once we..."
Law never got the chance to hear the rest as his eyes fluttered shut, fatigue fully taking over and sending him to sleep. He will just ask for her name and how she came to work for Doflamingo later...
+.+
Law felt incredibly warm and comfortable upon returning to the waking world. His sleep, thankfully, was not plagued by memories turned into nightmares of Vergo beating him up for extreme 'disobedience'.
Although he felt restricted due to the bandages wrapped around majority of his body, the teen could not complain because of the comfort the warmth of the bed offered as well as the body heat of a sleeping polar bear beside him. Law sighed contentedly and snuggled against the furry hulk.
"Hmm, sum'one's obviously enjoyin' Pawsie's company,"came a teasing voice from the door, causing the raven-haired teen to quickly open his eyes and look up at the speaker. His eyes narrowed with suspicion upon seeing the same woman from earlier, walking towards him and carrying a steaming bowl of soup. Law heard his stomach growl as the delicious smell of food wafted around the room. It reminded him that he was very hungry. The teen then felt the polar bear shift a little before it lifted its head up to look at its master expectantly.
"I'm not hungry,"he declared stubbornly then looked away, not wanting to owe the woman another for patching his injuries up(that he was not sure, though someone might have done it instead of her). To his annoyance, she just cackled at him.
"Who told ya this wou'd be yers, brat? This soup if fo' those who 'xpects it, thus the reward goes ta me darlin' Pawsie!"she chirped sarcastically,dragging a chair on the bedside and settling herself on it. The woman set the bowl on the bedside table before petting the polar bear. What the hell's wrong with this woman? She would rather feed a bear rather than a starving and beat-up teen?
Law tilted his head towards the woman and scowled at her, only to be replaced with an embarrassed expression when his stomach growled louder in protest. To the teen's further shame, the woman laughed out loud and slapped her hands on her thighs. Law's cheeks reddened and he kicked his uninjured leg to vent out his frustration. If only he can shut this woman's mouth...!
"Stop it! Stop laughing, you old hag!"
Things then happened with lightning speed that Law failed to follow the course of events: One moment the woman was laughing her head off at him, the next she was lifting him up by the collar of a too-large shirt he was now wearing. The chair was tipped down the floor, and the teen found his bare feet dangling almost a foot off of the ground. It dawned on him how tall, fast, and strong the woman was for moving in the blink of an eye. He lifted his gaze to look at the woman and suddenly wished he hadn't. Extreme violence flashed in her bright crimson eyes, and a wicked smile was on her lips that promised of a slow and violent death. Normally, it would not work on Law if it was Vergo who was looking at him that way, but it was this woman and he did not even know who she was and what she would do to him except being one of Doflamingo's men. That fact alone brought a chill on his spine.
"What did you just call me, sweetheart?"she asked in a dangerous and girlish tone, voice dripping with poisonous honey. Law swallowed a lump in his throat, suddenly afraid of the sudden change in the woman and her now unaccented words. He may not know her for a very long time, but her aura alone managed to scare the living hell out of him for reasons he could not explain. It was like when you screwed things up for your older sister and she caught you red-handed...
Law's mouth opened and closed for a few times like a fish out of waters, struggling to speak until he managed to stutter the words, "I-I would like s-s-some soup, p-please..."
In an instant, the woman smiled brightly at him and carefully put him back to bed like an infant. "Good. I thought I jus' misheard ya,"she then told him and patted him lightly on the cheek. He couldn't help but think how volatile this stranger was. The woman then turned her gaze on the bear which was now whining for attention. "Down, Pawsie. 'M gunna feed li'l Trafalgar-ya. C'mon now,"she said and the bear instantly followed. Law watched quietly as the woman proceeded to cuddle the huge bear(how did that even fit on the bed with him?) before pulling away and getting the bowl of the still-steaming soup from the bedside table. He tensed when she fully focused her attention on him, spooned some of the soup, and lifted it up in front of his lips. The teen blinked, feeling awkward at the thought of being fed by another, much less a woman he just pressed the wrong button with and angered just moments ago.
"Er, I can eat on my own..."he muttered, turning slightly pink on the face. The woman raised an eyebrow then placed the spoon back in the bowl. She then placed the bowl back on the bedside table and leaned on her chair, lifting her legs up and resting them on the bed. She then casually placed her hands behind her head and whistled a tune the teen recognized as Bink's Sake. When Law did not move with fear of screwing things up, the woman raised her eyebrows at him.
"Wot'sa matta'? Go on, eat up," she said nonchalantly as she leaned further back in her seat. Law gaped at her for a moment before considering the matter at hand. The bedside table was on the left side of the bed, his injured left arm was bandaged up and he could not move it let alone his fingers. He could not properly twist his body for angle to get the bowl with his right hand because of his broken ribs. Law opted for another option, and that was to sit on the side of the bed. Slowly, he got up and moved carefully when his broken left leg stung with pain. His face scrunched up at the feeling but he pushed the discomfort away, his stubbornness getting the better of him. He would show this woman that he can feed himself!
But before he could even settle himself in a proper position, the woman clicked her tongue and took the bowl. When she ladled a spoonful and aimed it on his mouth, her face set in an unimpressed expression, Law gave up and just complied. He opened his mouth and allowed himself to be fed. The woman gently amiled a genuine smile. It made her even more beautiful and if Law had not managed to compose himself, the soup he just took would have flowed out of his mouth in case he gaped at the sight. A threatening growl came from behind her, and the teen saw that it was the bear, staring at him very intently and its eyes glinting with... jealousy?
"If ya wanna shred sum'one to pieces, Pawsie, Trafalgar-ya is not in the options,"the woman chuckled. "Doflamingo-sama will kill me if he finds out, so stop being such a jealous male and behave yourself. Besides,"she added, sparing Law a calculating look, "I dun' like men younger than me. An' this brat's too thin an' lanky fo' my likin'."
Law pretended that he had not heard what she said and decided to press on more important matters when Doflamingo's name was mentioned. "Who are you? How long have you been working for him? Where are we? What the heck's with that polar bear? Were you the one who attended to my injuries? And why did you help me?"he asked, throwing questions one after the other. The woman chuckled and lifted her free hand up to her chest's level as if surrendering.
"Whoah, calm tha fuck down, brat! Can't ya ask me questions one at a time?"she complained though amusement was dancing in her crimson orbs. "The name's Korazon, bu' I pr'fer 'Kora'. If I hear ya callin' me th' former, I'll wring yer neck. Gottit?"
Law nodded and opened his mouth to relay his questions but the woman beat him to it.
"I've been workin' fo' Dodlamingo-sama fo' as long as I can remember, we're here in me house, Pawsie's sucha jealous bear t'ards otha' males who admires me t' answer yer wot tha heck question.." A playful wink was sent on his direction that caused Law to blush faintly and roll his eyes. She laughed and continued. "Yeah, I was, and..." The woman now known as Kora gave him a serious look. "I got curious as t' why Vergo-ya would beat up a brat the Young Master personally raised."
Law's eyes widened with shock after her final answer completely sunk in. "H-How did you know it was Vergo?"he asked, face paling at the memory. Kora placed a hand on her torso and traced lines with a frown.
"Tha' damned bamboo staff o' him lef' wounds an' marks. I din' know tha' bamboo marks 'gainst skin can be kinda ugly,"she replied in an annoyed tone.
The raven-haired's uninjured hand quickly flew up to his banged-up torso where Vergo's bamboo staff first made its powerful blow. His stomach also lurched at the memory and a pang of pain lashed in his chest. Images of a dark room, Vergo's stern face, and droplets of blood against the pure white snow flashed in Law's mind. His body trembled with the horror of it all that he so wanted to forget and he looked away to hide the tears that might be forming in the corners of his eyes.
Silence lingered in the room, disrupted only for a moment as the sound of a fire-starter flickering to light a cigarette rang. Law's hand clenched the sheets, gritting his teeth as another surge of pain flared up. He glanced at Kora who was smoking her cigarette and felt his cheeks burn upon seeing that she was staring very intently at him, a slight scowl on her face. The bear behind her threw the two humans a curious look as it crawled its way to its master, whining a bit before resting its head on the woman's lap. Kora tore her gaze off of Law to pat the bear's head and was now looking pensive.
"I hate it when a fighter can't defend himself anymore,"she started, eyes still fixed on her pet. Law blinked, his grip on the sheets loosening. She sighed and chuckled, looking a bit embarrassed. "Fo' one workin' under Doflamingo-sama, I revel in fightin' a fai' fight."
"There is no such thing as a fair fight,"he shot bitterly, wanting to tell her the account of how Vergo came and just lashed at him without any prelude. He also wanted to tell her that the older male did not even give him a chance to defend himself.
Kora gave him a dark look, but Law felt that it was not intended for him. "Vergo-ya stripp'd ya off the priv'lege o' a fair fight, if ya can call it one. But if ya wan' t' kick 'is ass, send 'im ta hell, or make life hard fo' him, ya gotta be strong. Very strong, an' dun' giv' that' bastard a fair fight coz he sure as hell din' deserve it fo' beatin' a defenseless child!"
Instead of being annoyed for being called a child, a slight smirk tugged on the edges of Law's lips. He cast Kora an amused look. "I thought you like fair fights?"he asked, smirk now a wide grin. The woman flushed pink a little then smacked the teen hard on the head. "Ow!"
"Weren't ya payin' attention earlier? I said he din' d'serve it!"
"Hm."
"But really, Trafalgar-ya. Anger aside an' all, ya should ge' strong so ye'll be able t' defend yerself next time Vergo-ya decides t' make ya a punchin' bag 'gain. I can help ya."
Law stared at her, surprised that a stranger offered him help so freely. Sure, he wanted to kick Vergo's ass, but can he trust a person he just met?
Kora grinned at him cheekily and stretched out a hand at him. The teen studied her perfectly manicured hands, slightly revolted at the idea of having to touch them but he shook the thought off and tried to consider her offer. Maybe he could trust her since she was working for his brother, and of course the help she gave him freely earlier was another consideration.
"If ye'd lemme, tha' is."
Law tore his gaze off of her waiting hand and stretched out his own to grasp it.
"Deal."
A~nd another cut. I hope you'll like how I presented Kora-san in my own little(epic fail) way.
I really wanted to know who Kora-san really is and his/her connection to Law. Maybe after the Dressrosa Arc, or somewhere between it, Oda-sensei will reveal it for all of us. And Sabo's appearance(still not very formal) in the latest chapter still overwhelms me. I'm a proud believer that he was still alive, and whoah, did I almost cry when I saw on the last page Ace's and Whitebeard's graves and the three sake cups in front of it. Cheers for Sabo, and Luffy for regaining one of his brothers whom he thought long dead! *grins happily*
I will not stop writing, I will ignore the holidays, and hopefully I'll be able to put chapter 7 here before 2014 starts.