Omen
Fifteenth Sign
Magnitude 8, that was what struck Elka's city. It was as if their city came alive - literally. The earth ferociously trembled in vertical motion, lifting portions of cement and stone like lungs expanding, leaving cracks and fissures on the streets like mouths gaping, shaking buildings tearing them down like bones breaking.
It was a nightmare in broad daylight.
Civilians were all over the place running and stumbling to all directions. Elka couldn't even be bothered worrying about them as she was preoccupied with her own situation. Law led the way, running just a few inches ahead of her and Elka could only command her feet to run faster and pray not to stumble during the vigorous shaking of the ground. Once in a while, Law would use his ability to keep the newly opened fissures steady so the two of them could go across. Despite not knowing where they were headed, he went in a steady pace keeping his eyes peeled for a slight hint of safety.
Elka couldn't have known only a few seconds had passed since the two of them evacuated the school. There was panic in the streets with houses crashing and falling debris, tall posts of telephone and electric lines alike falling apart with its wires threatening to capture and entangle everything, cars both moving and unmoving seemingly driven to crash all over the place, and the earth itself opening its jaws to gobble the whole place and bury it forever.
And then Elka fell out of balance. The ground beneath her shot up without warning, effectively separating her from her companion.
"AH-!"
Law instantly stopped in his tracks when he heard the woman shriek. Witnessing the situation, Law responded with summoning forth his room demanding authority at that particular portion of the earth.
"Stay still, Elka-ya!" he told her whilst guiding the fissures together, mending the divide.
After minutes of keeping themselves alive, the quake gradually subsided until it finally stopped. Despite this, a few houses and the ground itself still rocked for a short while. It was the longest 'few' minutes Elka had ever experienced, and it turned out that it was also Law's most challenging time pressured survival stunt he ever faced. Earthquakes were infrequent in Elka's nation, but she admitted they had a few experiences of it in the past. She was aware of how it had been devastating some of their neighboring countries and it was well known that earthquakes, in the continent of Aisa in particular, were fairly strong that magnitude 6 must have been the weakest recorded so far.
It could have been worse. That was what Elka thought once she was able to collect her thoughts. Elka and Law both successfully got out of the building before it collapsed and Elka didn't seem to know what to feel about it. She witnessed tall buildings dance like there was no tomorrow, houses crashing as if hit by a bulldozer, cars sliding as if the ground was covered in ice, posts and wires crumbling and twisting, and the ground cracking and gaping wide open as if it wanted to devour. Elka was partly in denial of what was thrust against her face, and at the same time, she was impassive. It was like she was in a dream - a nightmare - and the only escape she had was chanting the words 'wake up'. Unfortunately, she was wide awake, and while she couldn't begin to fathom how she was going to swallow it all and shove everything down her throat, Law had clasped her arm to shake away her doubts.
"We need to find shelter." was his dry statement. He pulled her up, a little too rough in Elka's opinion, and they moved on.
Soon after, the duo found themselves on the road they previously took going to Elka's school from her dormitory. The place was devastated and it seemed nearly impassable even for humans. The bridge was broken as well, and Elka could tell even from afar that the En city suffered as well.
"I don't believe it..." was all she could mutter. She was both in shock and despair. She could only blame herself for all misfortunes happening one after another, and it was getting worse. She needed to find a way to resolve it quick or a meteor might just fall on their planet and annihilate their entire nation off the face of the world.
"Doctor," she hesitated. "Do you think you can..fix this?"
Law could feel his eyes widen in utter shock. Was she asking him to repair the road? Heck, she might be even asking him to fix the whole city!
"I don't see why I should." he deadpanned.
Elka lowered her head. "...Guess not. Stupid question." she muttered to herself.
Virtually stuck, Law and Elka began their walk to find shelter. She couldn't be more thankful that her parents went abroad and her younger sister was entering a different university up north. Elka attempted to contact Ross but there was no signal in the area for the moment. She knew the army's headquarters' location so at the least she wanted to reach them.
=/=
The two backtracked and returned to the hospital's premises. Destruction was everywhere. People were injured, some trampled by huge debris while others stuck under walls and posts. Elka wanted to help but she didn't know who to lend a hand first. She decided to approach one man closest to her but all she could offer was first aid. All others would need proper medical attention which she was unable to give. It frustrated her and she hated her uselessness in that situation.
Law silently watched her as she tried to help the injured. He watched her scrunch up her face once she turned her back from them. He saw her struggle with her emotions as she gave them first aid. He watched her, and waited for her to accept what was thrust against her face, until he could no longer stand her pitiable state.
"Elka-ya, we need to move." Law tugged Elka's arm dragging her away from the school's premises. He was unsure where to go next but he determined it was best to get away from people as soon as possible.
Elka did not struggle. She let herself be dragged by the dark doctor and tried her best to ignore the people around them. It was a sorry excuse for her to turn his eyes away from the injured, or perhaps it was the worst possible excuse she could ever have to look away from an actual disaster.
The silence and the steady pace they were going ate at the young woman. Mind racing, Elka's thoughts were all messed up. Her thought process malfunctioned, her legs were practically moving solely on instinct. Her head held down, her gaze fixed on the soil she was stepping on, both breath and heartbeat erratic. Anxiety, fear, head spinning, stomach curling, she was ready to vomit when she collided with Law in a sudden stop.
Elka was partially grateful for the impact for she knew she badly needed that, but had to stop short in her query when she saw what made the dark doctor stop in his tracks.
Soldiers.
She could swear she had seen them somewhere before. Deep green combat uniform, complete with helmet and ballistic goggles, and of course, firearms - the emblem embroidered over their right shoulders somehow reminded Elka of Ross.
"...They're that brat's men." Law muttered to himself as he carefully examined them one by one. He waited for them to move, or at least speak first, both mentally and physically preparing himself for a little skirmish.
A moment later, one of them stepped forward and spoke. "Ah, medical practitioners." he remarked. "We're soldiers of the special forces. Let us guide you back to the shelter. We need your skills to help the injured."
Law had to take a moment before deciding to lower his guard. "How many people have you rescued?"
"So far, 16 people injured, 22 others with scratches here and there. Are you students, perhaps?"
"I'm a doctor." Law immediately answered. He glanced back at Elka and continued, "She's my assistant."
"All right. Please follow my colleague to the shelter. We still have people to rescue." the man ended as he gestured back to his men. One of them stepped forward and removed their helmet, revealing medium ashen gray hair and almond eyes.
"I'll be escorting you to the shelter. You may address me as Raven."
=/=
They've only walked for approximately two minutes and Law was slightly miffed at Elka's sudden fidgety demeanor, glancing hesitantly over the female soldier every once in a while. True, he himself was acquainted with the name Raven as he already heard the name mentioned by Ross once, but he did not imagine the person to be female. Nonetheless, that wasn't the point. Elka's apparent knowledge about the woman Raven and the lad's connection was what most bothered him. He figured Elka had been itching to ask the female soldier in regards to the redhead's whereabouts, but wondered why she had been so hesitant. If she was so worried, just spit it out once and for all.
"Uh-um, Raven, ma'am?" Elka finally gathered her courage to speak up. She slid beside the female soldier and continued. "Um, have I..seen you before?"
The woman wondered. "I believe I don't have the answer to that, miss. Why ask?"
"Your face seems familiar." Elka looked at her but the moment their eyes met, she quickly looked away. "Er, well at least I think when that incident at En Hospital happened."
Raven hummed. "True, I was in charge of the evacuation that time."
Elka instantly brightened. "Then you're familiar with a man called Maris?"
The older woman was obviously surprised, her pace evidently faltering. She stared at the young woman walking beside her, almost as if memorizing her features. "The late General Maris? Everyone knows him, he's a hero after all."
"Not the hero, his son! Ross Maris!" Elka clarified.
Now Raven was getting suspicious. This was her own captain they were speaking about.
Ross was famous, or rather, infamous. It was a huge controversy, the late General made a bizarre decision to pick up an enemy soldier - a child soldier of the West, of the Valctovoel bloodline, a child of the Lords of Warfare. General Maris was proclaimed to be hero for obliterating the notorious Valctovoels, and yet, he decided to spare one of their spawns. But that wasn't the issue, it was because of this fact which got Raven so suspicious of the young woman. The lieutenant was clearly disliked, hated, to the point that the masses demanded his death despite the late General's defense in having the boy as his trophy, living proof of his overwhelming victory over the ruthless lords of war. So why? Why would this woman ask about the person considered as taboo, and call him by name so easily even?
Seeing Elka looking at her expectantly, Raven decided to answer, ever so cautiously with a few carefully selected words. "The lieutenant. As a lower-ranking officer, I at least know the names of my superiors."
"Do you have any news about him?"
"News?"
"Where is he? How is he doing?"
Raven halted in her tracks and glanced over to the man trailing behind them. She then looked back at Elka, a serious expression plastered on her face. "Why do you want to know? Who are you?"
Elka flinched. From the female soldier's tone, she figured she might have crossed something she wasn't supposed to. She had no idea whatever rules the military had over their officer's identities so she wasn't sure if she was breaching the law or something. She ended up faltering, opening and closing her mouth in hesitation, like fish caught on land struggling to breathe.
That was when Trafalgar Law stepped in. He had been quietly listening in their conversation. He admitted he was curious as well as to the redhead's whereabouts. After all, he was one of the reasons that kept him looking forward to staying in their world for a while longer.
"Ah, you see, my assistant's an acquaintance of the lady Maris." Law plainly stated. "She just wants to relay the news to the lady."
Raven threw him a pointed look. "The Major General makes it a point to keep the lady well-informed." She stared at the dark doctor for a while longer, examining him, scanning him, almost as if measuring his strength. "Besides, the lady herself never has to ask about the lieutenant. He himself keeps her informed."
Law frowned. He figured they weren't going anywhere further from there. The female soldier was obviously vigilant. He could tell by the way her body tensed up, ready to attack or defend.
"Um, Raven, ma'am, if I may," Elka looked straight at the female soldier, her eyes filled with determination. "I'm friends with him. And I'm worried because I haven't heard from him since."
Raven stiffened. Did she hear that right? Really? Her captain? A friend? He ever only showed concern over them in the battlefield, his own personal commanding unit, but made it painfully clear they were only allies, comrades in arms. True she respected and loved him just as much as anyone from their unit. He was an excellent leader, a captain with exceptional abilities, skills and knowledge in warfare despite his age. He even got enough charisma to convince all of them to completely submit to him. But then he actually had friends? That lone wolf? Seriously?
For a moment, Raven had to force herself to breathe. To calm down. A second later, her shoulders relaxed, a small smile playing on her face. "I…don't believe you one bit." she finally said. "Please stop this before I am forced to take you into custody for questioning."
Elka's jaw slacked, shocked at the soldier's response. She couldn't understand the older woman's logic. What did she mean by it? More importantly, did she just imply that Ross wasn't friendly at all? Or perhaps, she was implying Ross had no need for friends? Or was it the other way around? Either way, Elka took offense at the lady's response, making her glare. She opened her mouth, about to scold her.
The dark doctor pulled Elka's arm, forcibly making her turn to him, ultimately stopping her from whatever she was about to say. "Elka-ya, that's enough." he muttered in a low tone. He quickly stole a glance at Raven, who by then resumed walking, and whispered, "She became wary of us when we mentioned Ross-ya. I'd wager something has happened surrounding him."
His statement only made Elka feel worse. If something bad happened to Ross, she would probably have enough reason to hate herself for the rest of her life. In a panic, she rifled through her bag, taking out her cell only to find it with no signal still. Elka stared at its screen, almost glaring as the shaking of her hands became more evident. She clutched the device tighter as if in an attempt to squeeze it into pieces. Anger ate at her, frustration swallowed her whole.
"Elka-ya." Law lightly called. He placed his hand over the device, making the woman flinch. She eventually stopped shaking, pulling her head up and meeting grey eyes. "Calm down. You told me yourself, he's fairly capable. He should be fine on his own."
"Am I not allowed to worry about him?" Elka immediately replied, worry evident in lines between her eyes that had not been so prominent earlier. "This is the least I could do for him, for all he has done for me."
Law bristled at that. There was a sudden surge of annoyance he was unaccustomed with and an unspoken snarl he kept from spilling at the back of his throat came out as a deep sigh, in which took him more effort to hold back than he would like to admit. "I understand but it won't do anything. For now, let's keep moving."
Elka hung her head low in an attempt to conceal her dislike at Law's reply. A reluctant reconciliation because the man was not wrong. With a grunt, she put away her cell and stepped away from him. Her walk became a jog, and then turned into a sprint as she tried to catch up with the uncaring female soldier who had already marched far ahead of them. She struggled to keep her calm, diverting her attention by generating happy thoughts, which inevitably went to formulating ways to gather information and then planning to reach their headquarters. Elka decided to put matters in her own hands.
Trafalgar Law, on the other hand, kept his steady pace, his steps deliberately unhurried. He stared at Elka's back, thinking how small she looked from their distance. She seemed so small and fragile, and before he knew it, he held out a hand over Elka's figure, curling his fingers around her delicate form until he was holding her whole frame in his fist. The realization over this action tugged the corners of his lips into a smirk, internally mocking himself as he shoved his hand into his coat's pocket, partly wondering what compelled him to do that. The question to his abnormal irritation to the woman's extreme worry over another man remained just below the surface of his own thoughts. It was a wonder how and when he developed such feelings when in fact she'd been worried over the redhead for far longer than he knew. With a slight shake of his head, he decided to dismiss the issue and focused on the matter at hand. And then a thought, perhaps Elka had plans of reaching the Ross by then.
When they arrived at the encampment, the sun was still high up dazzling its sickening rays. Temporary tent shelters were lined up, housing at least four people each, with a makeshift kitchen just outside the front row. There were ambulances and armored vehicles, soldiers cooking and distributing some soup and bread while people in white uniforms tended to the wounded. There were also a pair of large water jugs by each armored vehicles, and Elka thought it impressive of how amazingly quick the government's response to calamity was. But then again, it was part of the main city, and most of their forces' headquarters virtually surrounded the place so the transportation was swift compared when calamity hit far away provinces.
"All right, we're here." Raven announced, halting to take a moment to check on her company. "That tent on the far left has two victims with their limbs injured, perhaps broken even." she raised an arm and pointed to the direction of said victims. "A nurse is already tending to them." she added as her almond eyes settled on Law. "We'll be counting on you, doctor."
Law simply nodded. "I'll see what I can do." he then gestured at Elka as he resumed his walk to a new destination.
Elka immediately followed suit, desperate to keep herself from looking back to the female soldier. Her worry and frustration were starting to get the better off her. Blindly following Law's lead, Elka was easily pulled away from her current engagement in her mind as moans of pain carried by the careless breeze reached her ears. It completely slipped her mind, the place they were in was a place with plenty of patients, no, victims who suffered from the previous tragedy that was an earthquake. Elka had to bite her lip before slowly raising her hands to cover her ears. She had to close her eyes, she had to convince herself to ignore it, she had to mutter apologies in between gritted teeth, she had to-
"Elka-ya." Law gently called, abruptly stopping in his tracks.
Elka bumped into him once again, and she couldn't be more thankful for those moments when Law interrupted her thoughts. It prevented them from getting worse and doing irreversible damage to her mentality, though there still remained the guilty feelings she had ever since her friend, Maribelle, died on her.
"Do you think you can fetch me some ice pack and clean cloth?" Law asked as he began to roll up his sleeves.
Elka looked dumbfounded for a moment, her eyes briefly scanning the scene. She had to take a second before understanding the situation. Livening up, she determined it was her chance to redeem herself. With a vigorous nod, she took off in a sprint.
Law allowed a smile to appear on his face as he watched Elka's figure grow small from a distance until he couldn't see her anymore. He proceeded to check on the man with a large hematoma over his left leg. The dark doctor had strong suspicion the man might have broken a bone, but because of the limited medical equipment at hand, he decided to at least lessen the swelling. He also had to make sure there was no on-going bleed, measuring up the man's blood pressure before he carried on. The other patient though, a young girl, clearly had a broken arm. Her right arm was twisted in a way that her elbow was folded laterally. He was confident he could fix it but he'll need to put her arm in a cast.
After his assessment and performing the medical intervention he could, Law asked the nurse if it was possible to get the two to a proper hospital soon, to which the woman positively responded. Because of the quake's damage over most of the major roads and pathways, the nurse explained the bringing of patients to the hospital was by fours only, starting from those with the gravest injury. Explaining it was best to continue their treatment in a hospital with complete equipment, Law instructed the nurse to get an ambulance for them soon, to which the nurse readily agreed, ultimately leaving the tent to notify a soldier outside.
Elka came back with a basin of ice cubes and two pieces of clean cloth. She placed them by the small wooden table situated between the two patients and began to wrap ice in one of the cloth she brought. As she worked, she could see from the corner of her eyes that their injured limbs were wrapped in a rolled up newspaper tied by ribbons of tattered clothes, and it drew a smile on her face.
"I didn't think you'd actually help, doctor." Elka commented as she finished.
"I didn't really help." Law replied as he gestured for Elka to apply the ice over to the man's swelling leg. "A makeshift splint can only do so much, they need proper cast."
"This is still considered helping, you know." Elka's eyes were now smiling. She gently placed the ice over the man's leg and used a loosely wrapped bandage to hold it in place.
Law paused, taking in Elka's expression at that moment. "It's not for free anyway."
"What?" Elka instantly turned to him, knitting her eyebrows. "You can't be seriously thinking of robbing these people, right?"
"I'm not that cheap."
"Doctor!" a voice from outside interrupted the two's conversation. It was the nurse, running across the tents towards them.
Law gave Elka a quick glance. "This is the payment I was talking about."
Elka raised a brow at that, she wondered what sort of payment he expected to receive from the nurse.
"Doctor, an ambulance is ready to take them to the hospital."
And that short statement was the answer the young woman was looking for.
=/=
It was easy convincing the EMS and military personnel alike to let them ride the ambulance together with their patients. Thanks to Law's smooth talking, the two of them were now being carried away from the wreckage and towards the city of Em. It was the neighboring city of En, approximately situated at En City's northeast.
"To think this was your ulterior motive." Elka muttered in a low tone, her eyes still fixated at their patients.
"I figured you'd be better off that place." Law deadpanned.
"...Thanks, I guess." Elka replied, frowning, not at Law but at herself.
Look at me, wanting to be a doctor but doesn't have a heart of steel. What a fool. she thought, almost gritting her teeth in frustration. With a deep breath, she slapped her cheeks and decided it was not the time to grieve. She convinced herself it was only another hurdle in her life, and it meant she had more room for improvement.
Rather, she should really focus on solving the real problem.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Law quickly finished his conversation with the physician ready to see their patients and was easily released. In a hurry, he grabbed Elka by the hand and walked out of the establishment. As the distance between them and the building grew farther, a turn into a corner and Law felt it was safe to pause to look for a place where they could sit and talk to plan out their next possible move.
Unexpectedly, Elka who had been quiet and passive for a while tugged at Law's coat, instantly grabbing his attention. She pointed to the west to which Law's eyes followed, finding a sign that read 'Coffee Ben'. Elka marched wordlessly to the place while Law followed suit, observing Elka's current expression. Law couldn't help but worry about Elka's current state, and for the short time they spent together he had understood that her indifferent expression was simply a mask to protect herself.
Soon they were inside the shop. There were too few people present that the place seemed gloomy despite its serene atmosphere. Nonetheless, Elka proceeded to take a seat in the far corner of the place.
As Law took a seat across her, she abruptly announced, her tone demanding, "I want to go home first."
Law didn't seem to mind the tone she used against him. "Back to the dormitory?"
"Yes." Elka firmly nodded. "All these things wouldn't have happened if I only focused on getting you out of here in the first place." anger and impatience coated her words, an underlying weariness in her voice convinced the man nothing he says could soothe her, so he chose to say nothing and allowed the woman speak her piece.
"I've been thinking ever since we met miss Raven. I understand nothing can be achieved with wanting to check on Ross. If he's in danger, I'm to blame." her hands over her lap gradually curled into fists, a hint of control over her conflicted emotions. Her eyes darted down, avoiding Law's gaze, perhaps due to the discomfort to their apparent situation. "If I can fix this now, everything will go back to normal. I just know it. There's hope. I should focus on getting you out of here and problem solved. But you know what? I keep thinking you don't belong here, so you should have really been spitted out by my world but I really don't understand why you're still stuck here. I don't get it. I've been digging my brain all this time you know. I've been thinking so much already I feel like my head's overheating, but I don't understand why nothing I ever come up with worked! This is all so frustrating! So I thought, maybe what I'm doing wrong was leaving my room. Yes. That's it!"
Elka kept on talking and talking as if she was only talking to herself. Her head began spinning, even her eyes seemed out of focus by then. She'd been shaking, she'd been sweating, tears were already welling up under her eyelids yet she couldn't stop her mouth from trembling as words formed and without a care released to make a sound.
"That's the place where you actually turned up! That's where the portal is! What was I thinking? I'm so stupid for going in circles, but you know what? Maybe it's because I wanted to spend time with you. Maybe because even you tried to kill me in our first meeting, I wanted to gain your favor. Maybe because I wanted to be friends with someone like you. Maybe because you're so unreal that I thought it'd be nice to have you around for a moment. Maybe because this chance was once in a lifetime." she lifted her face up, meeting his gaze squarely with her own, obsidian eyes a tumult of emotion, "Or maybe because I irrationally like you."
Law was taken aback. He wasn't just surprised, he was utterly shocked. He could feel his eyes widening as he watched the variable sizes of droplets of clear fluid streamed down her anguished face, her rising ire evident from the color in her pale cheeks, her chipped lips from all those biting due to her endless anxiety, all of it came as a great shock to the dark doctor that he was left speechless, his mind blank.
"Oh wow, that came out wrong. What am I saying? You're fiction. I'm the real one, I should be complaining about all these misfortunes you brought me." Elka was now hurriedly wiping away the tears from her face. A show of defiance against her broken fortitude, a spot of strength in her weakened form. "This doesn't sound good at all. I'm supposed to get you out of here, yeah, I should hate you real fast. Come to think of it, why didn't your ability work on me? Maybe because you're actually too soft. Maybe because you couldn't commit to it. Oh, what am I saying? It's obvious! It's because you're not real while I am! I'm real! This is real! This is my reality, and you, you're not part of it! That's right! You don't belong here! Get out of my world! Just leave already!" Elka was panting heavily, a testament to the amount of energy she expended by merely baring herself in front of the man who held her in both fear and admiration. A pained expression crossed her face as he kept her gaze towards her, his eyes unreadable. To the young woman, it seemed he was uninterested, no, perhaps he never really cared after all. His silence tormented Elka, anxiously waiting for a reaction, even deciding she could welcome violence as a response.
Yet Law remained unfazed. He looked at her, grey eyes effortlessly boring a hole into her, quietly observing her, as if staring into the depths of her whole being, watching her writhe in unease.
Her brows furrowed in a glare. "Aren't you angry? I said you're not real. Aren't you going to retort back? Aren't you going to hurt me? Come on, say something! Do something!"
Law said nothing for a long time until a wearied sigh escaped him. "Are you done?"
Elka flinched. It felt like it had been forever since she heard his voice, the deep baritone made her body shiver.
"I understand. I don't think you are real either."
Elka's eyes snapped wide open, staring incredulously at the dark doctor.
"I've been in denial myself. You should know, it's rough on me as well." Law continued, his face plastered with a solemn expression. "Especially since it's only me in here. It's hard to keep myself intact when there are more things threatening to influence me."
Elka's face showed a variety of expressions, turning from understanding to guilt. She suddenly had the urge to apologize, to which she never got the chance as Law continued to speak.
"I'm not saying my situation's worse than yours, but I hope you understand none of us wanted this bad luck." Law gingerly placed a hand over Elka's cheek, a small attempt to comfort her. "The way I see it, it's no longer about fiction or nonfiction. It's about acceptance. We both exist, and there's nothing wrong with it."
Elka's tears flowed, a steady stream of warm fluid once again. She gently touched the hand that was over her cheek. It was cold. She thought about all the people she lost. She thought about all the events that transpired for the past days. And then, she began to reminisce about those precious moments she spent with the Trafalgar Law. Were they time well spent? Were they worth it? Worth all of that pain? Worth all of those losses?
Actually, was he worth more than the life she carefully protected for years?
Elka remained silent for quite a long while, staring at the dark doctor's face, almost memorizing the lines of his jaw, the color of his skin, the volume of his sideburns and goatee, his ears, his lips, his nose, the sharp gaze of his grey eyes. They looked so surreal. All those years, she admired him from a drawing, the scent of wood and paper, a fantasy, a dream, fiction, and now he was before her. Of course she was happy, why shouldn't she, but perhaps, her heart still wept, for she knew it was something impossible after all. Accepting something like it was truly trying, for all her life she'd been living with a clear line between fantasy and reality. The world was cruel, and so was the Trafalgar Law before her.
"Elka-ya." Law called, brushing his thumb over the warm tears pooling from his touch.
Elka blinked, suddenly jerking off his hand from her face. "Ah, sorry." she muttered as she urgently wiped the tears away. "Ah, my head hurts from all this thinking and crying. Sorry about that." she stated, a forced giggle slipping from her lips. "Anyhow, let's just go back for now. Can't make progress without moving forward, yeah?"
The dark doctor frowned at her poor acting. "Listen, I'll go along with you but you don't have to fake your emotions. It's just painful to watch."
Elka felt really happy upon hearing his words, yet she couldn't bring herself to smile a genuine one. She decided to push it aside, her feelings weren't important, so she turned to her heels and led the way.
But minutes before they reached the exit, Elka came into a sudden halt as the realization hit her, there must be some network signal by then. Meaning, she could finally contact Ross. She turned to Law and gestured to seat at the nearby high chairs situated by the window for the time being. She then placed her bag over the table and rummaged through her things searching for her cell. After a few seconds, she pulled it out and checked for its upper right hand corner of the screen. To her delight, the signal wasn't just back, but also very strong. No doubt she'd be able to connect to Ross by then.
Law patiently waited as he watched Elka dial the number. It was true he was curious about the redhead's whereabouts, and he was relieved to see Elka sort of happy by then. But at the back of his mind the annoyance he felt earlier managed to resurface, and this time he was fully aware of its cause and its remedy. However, he decided not to act on it, ultimately resisting and suppressing it.
The phone rang for a good minute, making Elka wonder and worry what was taking the redhead long to pick up his phone until finally, it clicked, signaling that the person on the other line finally picked up.
In a fit of vexation for the fact that Ross took so long to pick up, Elka shouted over the phone, "Ross, you liar! You didn't show up this morning! I couldn't even contact you after that text message! Tell me where you are, right now!" she figured she sounded very mean and demanding but she knew Ross would forgive her, after all he did deserve it for being such a jerk, although it was perhaps the first time he ever acted as one to her.
The person on the other line said nothing for a long while, and Elka's worry only increased the longer the silence stretched on. "Hello, Ross? Can you hear me?"
A second later and finally, a voice answered back. "Hello~ princess, this is your reaper speaking."
Elka's heart sunk. Although it was a male's voice, she was one hundred percent certain it didn't belong to Ross.
"Who is this?!" she demanded, anger and fear blending from her voice. The redhead was strong, it was impossible for anyone to steal his cell. It was just plain impossible.
From the grave look of Elka's expression, and obviously from her tone and choice of words that came next from her mouth, Law knew something was off. If Elka was asking who's on the other line of the phone, then he was certain he was correct with his earlier assumption - something did happen to that brat.
"This is Ross's number, meaning you're using his cellphone. Who are you?!" Elka repeated, her free hand clenching into a fist. "Answer me quick!"
"Eh? I don't think you're that close." the voice answered in a derisive tone. "And what's the hurry? You're an unknown number. Clearly, he doesn't know you so why do you know him?"
Elka's lips were trembling. If the man on the other line was telling the truth, it meant Ross was aware something like it was bound to happen. She knew the guy better than anyone else, he was sharp, too intelligent for his own good. If her number was displayed as unknown, then Ross purposely deleted her contact to safeguard her. This hurt her even more. Whatever trouble the redhead was in, it was serious enough that he was forced to cut his connections that pointed to her.
But why?
All right, calm down, that can't be right. Elka thought to herself. Ross was strong, he had always been, but hey he could be clumsy as far as she knew. He was still human after all, perhaps it was his phone that was malfunctioning because hey, it looked old enough, its model had been out for seven years now, that's gotta be it. And maybe, someone else picked it up. Maybe he carelessly left it somewhere. Yeah, that's gotta be it, otherwise why was the man asking if she knew him? Maybe he was going to take it back to Ross?
No, she couldn't take any chances. Elka recalled how the guy answered earlier. There was a sinister vibe she sensed from his voice alone, and no normal citizen would say something like princess and reaper, unless he was a creep, though it didn't make much difference. Clearly, he was dangerous.
With a deep breath, she endured her violently swirling emotions with great fortitude. She finally opened her mouth, and she inwardly commended herself as her next words flowed smoothly. "We knew each other from our last mission together. The lieutenant must have forgotten he lent me his number."
There was a brief silence from the other line before a sudden burst of laughter cut through.
"Hahaha! Nice try princess, but ginger's unit were mobilized to help with the damage control from the earthquake earlier. Besides, ginger here never speaks with his men through his personal cell."
Elka stiffened. What did he mean by here?
"Hmm, I get it, I get it. I kind of have a hunch who you are by now. It'll be fun to meet you, princess. What say you?"
Shocked, Elka had to take a moment to understand what the person on the other line said. She slowly turned to look at Law, almost searching for an answer from his seemingly confused look. She then decided to agree, which delighted the man.
"Great! Let's meet at Hotel Lei. Accommodations on me, I'll book the room under the name 'Red'. Ah, no need to hurry, but I'll be looking forward to it! Bye-bye!" and the call ended.
Elka let the noise of the cut dial tone reverberate on her ear for a few more seconds, taking in the foreboding tone she picked up from the man's voice. Abruptly, she turned to the dark doctor and unceremoniously grabbed him by the arm, hurriedly pulling on Law, as if dragging him on his feet towards the exit.
"Wait, Elka-ya, hold on!" Law called, confused and somewhat irked at the gesture. Although he could easily overpower the younger woman and pull her to a stop, he couldn't bring himself to do it and allowed her to drag him around. Judging from the urgency in her actions and the grim expression she held, he figured something wrong went down with the conversation on her device.
Elka took a sharp turn at a narrow street leading into a back alley and went into a sudden stop as the noise of the crowd coming from the main street waned. She released Law, who in turn wondered about their shady location and the motives the woman held for bringing him there. But before he could even ask, Elka suddenly slumped down to her feet, hugging her knees as she tried to muffle her sobs, which gradually turned into cries until she began hollering at no one in particular.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHGGG!"
She held her head, pulled the strands of her hair as if she wanted to rip her scalp off, beating herself about all manners of things which her pretty head conjured. She shouted and yelled and shrieked until she was satisfied, ultimately turning to the dark doctor who was left flabbergasted by the sudden turn of events.
With a huff, Elka stood up and dusted her skirt. She wiped away the tears from her face and then raised her chin. "That felt better."
"...Elka-ya, mind telling me-"
"We're going to Hotel Lei. It's situated west of here, in the city of El." Elka interrupted, turning to her heels as she checked for the time on her phone. "I'll tell you all about my previous conversation on the way there. For now, I just want to hurry."
=/=
El city was on the opposite side of Em city. If En city was the center of their nation, Em city and El city were both situated on its north with which Em city was the east side while El city was the west side. With that in mind, Elka figured it would be a good four-hour travel from their current location, and that was still assuming the traffic's good. They were going to ride two consecutive buses, and Elka couldn't even worry about their fare when it was about Ross's condition at stake.
It was a quiet travel right after Elka finished speaking to Law about her conversation over the phone. With Law commenting it could be one of the military personnel, Elka figured a battle was inevitable. She always favored staying out of trouble but if it meant Ross's safety, then she was willing to battle, that was why she apologized to the Warlord as they neared the said city.
"Doctor, I'm going to count on you." she began, her voice soft and low. She was ashamed she couldn't even fight her own battles, and even dragging Law in it. He wasn't even supposed to be there. "I know it's wrong, but I'm certain we may have to fight the army. I don't really know what became the problem between them but, I do feel like we'll have to fight them so..I apologize for, well, using you."
Law only listened to Elka's monologue, not even thinking too hard about it. It was true he might have a hard time without his sword but he could make do with a few table knives and silver forks.
They arrived at the area minutes before nightfall. The traffic wasn't really great so an extra hour was added to their travel time. Also, it seemed they had to walk a good distance before reaching the area since no cab accepted their request to take them to the place, which actually piqued the duo as they walked.
That was why when they arrived at the place, they felt less wonder and surprise. The area seemed a bit, well, deserted. The hotel itself looked gloomy with only a few lights on, and it even seemed like they weren't open at the moment, like a construction was still on-going. What was more suspicious was not only that specific establishment looked abandoned, but the other nearby buildings as well.
"We didn't get the wrong address, right?" Elka muttered to herself as she checked her phone for the third time now. That mysterious man took the liberty to send them the complete address, so Elka couldn't begin to fathom how they arrived at someplace that seemed, well, off-limits.
"The sign does say Hotel Lei though." Law dryly stated.
Elka looked up at the building. "Hmm, I wonder what we got wrong?"
And then loud noises began to emerge as if on chorus, engines, turbos, and then suddenly, bright light shone over them, blinding the both of them momentarily.
"This is the Special Forces." a loud, static voice announced. Judging from how the voice was distorted, Elka knew the person used a megaphone to speak.
Hold up, didn't she just miss a very important point? Special forces?
"We have you surrounded. Surrender now or we'll be enforced to use force against you."
Without delay, Law held forth his right arm and under his palm a vivid light blue aura appeared.
Room
The vivid light blue aura swiftly expanded around Law, covering the entire area reaching the noses of a number of vehicles parked a good distance away from them. Pulling out Elka's stealth knife, he performed a swift slashing motion, cutting the vehicles and beckoning them before him to serve as a shield. This bizarre display of his made all of the military present flinch both in shock and terror, except for one person who proceeded to brazenly enter the dark doctor's spherical territory.
"That's just plain stupid. I expected more from you."
He was a tall young man standing at a height of approximately 180cm. He sported a short red haircut, had pale skin, a pair of blue eyes and a rather childish freckles over his nose and cheeks. He wore a long, tan coat, khaki-colored pants and dark combat boots, and on his back rested a fairly long, black sword bag case. The man stopped in his tracks just a few inches from the floating pieces of metal that was previously some part of vehicles.
"Displaying your devil fruit ability in broad, er, moonlight. And here I thought you were a cautious man." he drew a smirk as he raised his right arm, as if relaying a message to the men remaining at the ready behind him. "To think you'd be underestimating human capabilities this much. You disappoint me, Mister Law."
His open palm curled into a fist before he finally rushed his opponent, easily slipping through the cracks from the clumsily lined metals, meeting Law's stealth knife with his own gloved fist.
=/=
"I already said I don't know."
Ross was persistent with that one sentence, repeating it over and over when the subject about the man riding the motorcycle with him was asked. Because of his apparent defiance, Ross was kept in a special cell. It was special in a way that it was similar to a proper room, with a bed, bright colors and lighting and it had its own comfort room, yet it was barred. And he wasn't exactly left free to move in there as he was stuck on a chair, both arms tied behind his back and his ankle was chained to a heavy metal ball. He was subjected to a suspension, but not just any suspension - he was locked away in a cell with all his things confiscated, including personal belongings. A court had to be arranged before deciding his guilt and his punishment, it was the reason for his current containment. Ross was prepared to take anything, although he did think it was such a waste to die that way.
And that was when a man with dyed red, voluminous curly hair and a pair of emerald eyes came in. He was Jack, and he brought with him news, one that Ross found rather disgusting.
"Yo, ginger! I know it's funny but the higher-ups hastily decided what to do with you." he began, waving a hand, a show of his possession of the young lieutenant's personal cell.
Ross did not respond. He simply looked at him, glancing once at his own personal cell and then back to Jack's dumb-looking face.
"Cheer up, man! They decided to set you free, ya know!"
Now Ross had the reason to look surprised.
"Yeah, you heard me right." he dug his free hand under his pocket and pulled out a pair of silver keys, dangling them in front of him as he approached the bars. "See? It's legit."
Ross could only smirk from his position.
"What? Aren't you going to ask what made them decide to free you?" Jack was being playful, yet there was venom in his tone.
Ross grinned, a set of pure white teeth showing. "It's obvious enough it was your suggestion, snake. The only question here is what poison you gave them this time."
Jack's brow visibly twitched, his smile slightly falling. "Ah-ah, again with our silver tongue. Stop being bitter with me, it was still your own choice to go there you know. Not my fault."
Ross only closed his eyes in resignation, implying he was never bitter about it. He knew what he was getting into and he was already aware of Jack's hatred over him. He wasn't dumb, he already figured the man baited him so that he could report him and watch him get punished. It was so painfully obvious that Ross was too tempted to bite. Besides, he knew Jack wouldn't set up things just because, he knew the information was at least genuine so it was worth his while.
Jack was visibly annoyed at the redhead's composure. "I always hated you for this, always acting like you're so superior it's irritating! You're not even one of us, you cursed Valctovoel! Anyway, let's stop with the chitchat and get to the point." he suddenly grabbed the metal bars with both hands, producing a ringing sound as the phone and the keys hit them. "It's your job to capture that guy, alive."
"I'm not capturing anyone." was Ross's immediate reply, sapphire orbs glinting in defiance.
"Listen, Ross, we don't have plastic for eyes. We can see, vision 20/20. That man can do something otherworldly, and the army wants it."
Ross clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Those were just camera tricks. I can't believe you people believe in this sort of magic."
"Stop playing dumb! You saw that plane incident! That plane remained afloat for almost five minutes! That was not normal!"
"Are you sure? Didn't it fall down?" Ross remained calm, his tone flat.
Jack was quiet for moment, staring blankly at the redhead before a chortle escaped his lips. "You're too defensive about this, Ross. You can't be trying to hide it from us, right? Is he someone from the West? Is he a secret surviving member of your accursed bloodline?"
Ross pursed his lips, a tiny bead of sweat forming on his temple. He didn't really want to get Law involved, but perhaps luck just wasn't by his side after all.
"Oh. You went quiet." Jack remarked, almost mockingly. That was when Ross's personal phone abruptly rang, making both men jump.
"Ah, what? Someone actually calls you?" Jack commented as he checked on the cell's display. He thought perhaps it was only the lady Maris, but he was certain the lady was already informed by the Major General himself about Ross's treachery and the grave he dug himself into.
To his surprise, it was an unknown number.
Jack hummed. "An unknown number?" he looked at the currently bound redhead who seemed to remain calm, yet he could somehow tell the man was slightly tense by then.
"Oh well, might as well answer." so he clicked a button to pick it up and swiftly clicked another button to switch it to speaker mode, finally hearing the voice from the other line.
"Ross, you liar!" was the first line that came out from the other line, making both men shocked. "You didn't show up this morning! I couldn't even contact you after that text message! Tell me where you are, right now!"
Ross felt a cold sweat when Jack slowly turned his head to him with that creepy wide smile plastered on his face. He stood firm, refusing to show any signs of weakness and distress. He didn't want Elka to get involved. He didn't want her to worry. He didn't want her upset. He didn't-
"Hello, Ross? Can you hear me?" the voice spoke again which made the redhead unconsciously furrow his brows deeper than usual.
Jack then determined it was time to talk, maybe scare the lady a bit, so he turned off the speaker mode and spoke with her.
Ross remained silent throughout Jack's conversation over the phone. He had been thinking, he was certain it was Elka, and now that she agreed to meet the bastard, he had no other choice but to accept the offer to hunt down Trafalgar Law. Frankly, it was his pleasure to hunt that man, a satisfaction he was sure to receive if the man died by his hands, yet he decided not to do it for Elka's sake.
All for her.
If only he was much stronger. He began squirming in his chair, struggling to break free from the chains binding him, not noticing the sinister glare he'd been throwing the unknowing red-haired.
When Jack was done with his conversation, a sudden chill ran down his spine. It was a sense of danger, of a looming threat, raw and savage. It was hardly a surprise to see what the cursed Valctovoel had been trying to do when he turned to look, and he saw the man's blue eyes ignited, blazing in rage, almost feral.
"Whoa~ Still ferocious, I see."
"What are you planning, bastard?" Ross growled in between gritted teeth. He was trying his hardest not to burst in anger. He didn't want to give the enemy the pleasure of holding the upper hand against him.
"Nothing much." Jack smirked. "Just planning to meet this woman of yours. Although it would have been better if it was that guy. More evidence with you and him allied meant more reason to off you, you know."
Ross forcefully pushed his body out of his chains, producing a brief, loud rattling sound of metals and chains, almost as if there was a possibility for him to break out of his bindings. And he did not miss the fear that crossed the accursed snake's eyes as he kept at it. "I swear, you dare lay a finger on her-!"
"Hey hey calm down! It's not like I'm meeting her to kill her or anything. We ain't that heartless." Jack quipped, almost enjoying that rare look of rage and endless hatred from Ross's face.
"Fine!" Ross conceded, a detestable act for him yet a small price to pay to ensure Elka's safety. "I'll catch the damn guy! I'll do what the army wants!"
"Eh, who cares? That wasn't the issue, what about that woman of yours?"
"Keep her out of this! I'll make sure to capture that man, you have my word."
A/N: Wow, this took me a while.
...
Okay maybe not a while but more than a year, yeah, maddening huh? Sorry about that. Life happened. I also got stuck about how I'm supposed to put the scene in my head into words. Really sorry about that. Anyway, thanks for sticking around, I guess, and well, I'm hoping to finish this fic real soon. Hopefully. Thanks again and enjoy the approaching Christmas!