One Piece

The Five Second Rule

Chapter Fifteen: Bittersweet

The Heart Pirates had been sailing for almost two weeks before they finally neared the next island. From what Sei has heard the next island was supposedly a large tourist attraction with large amounts of bars and entertainment. In short, it was similar to Amaretto, but minus the ports making the place a lot cleaner and friendlier.

Sei has been receiving his treatment in doses. It seems a week's worth of doses once a day is needed to fully administer the cure. Before his treatment began, Sei has been working hard with Celine everyday in the dojo. Her control over her powers have gotten better, but not to the point where she should be openly walking about without Kairoseki. The record was two minutes the longest and this was achieved with only two knockouts and with only one time when Sei almost fell through the floor. Everything was moving smoothly and they made good progress.

Her sword training was a different matter though. She still had difficulty waving the blade around with fear of chopping her own arm off. Sei's been patient with her, but even the nicest people's patience run out eventually.

"It's all about finding the right balance," Sei grumbled lightly. "… Why don't we just take a break?"

"You're just sick of watching me, aren't you?"

"Basically," he shrugged. "Plus we docked minutes ago, we should be exploring the place instead of staying cooped up in here."

"Yeah, yeah," she sheathed his katana. "I'll take a quick shower first, so why don't you go see Law about your dose at the mean time? I'll come get you two when I'm done."

"Alright."

The two walked out together, but once reaching the junction they turned the opposite way. Celine stretched her arms upwards and rolled her neck backwards and forwards. Hearing a satisfying pop, she dropped her arms as she neared her bedroom. Celine picked out a dress and pulled out her bag of toiletries before heading into the showers.

Most of the crew was already gone. As usual Shachi, Penuin and Jonah were sent on groceries duty along with Bepo while Kane and Ryuu were buying extra parts for the submarine. This meant that Celine could openly enjoy her shower without fear of someone walking in on her.

She kept the shower short, and quickly dressed herself. She contemplated if she should dry her hair or not, but decided against it as Law and Sei were waiting for her. Tying her hair into a large knot on top of her head, she clipped on her necklace and headed downstairs.

The two were speaking in Law's office when she entered the med-bay. She saw them on the far side of the room and headed over. They hadn't noticed her presence and were speaking quietly. Then to Celine's surprise, Sei let out a light-hearted chuckle to something Law had said.

As he laughed, he turned away slightly to his right. It was then when Sei took notice of Celine staring at them.

"Hey," she waved a hand. "Sorry, I took so long."

"It's fine," Sei stood up. "It gave me some time to thank Trafalgar."

"Oh?" she glanced over at Law. "Is it done? This was meant to be the last dose, right?"

"Yes," Law nodded.

"Are you feeling better?" she turned to Sei.

"Much, much better than I've felt in a long time," Sei nodded a reply. "And I'm indebted to you two."

"You can save that for when the results come in," Law stood up from his chair. "It's only the first day, we don't know about the potential counter-effects and-."

"There's no need for talk like that," Celine interrupted. "Don't listen to him, Sei. I know for a fact that Law's a great doctor, and he can't do wrong."

"Hah… You flatter me too much, Celine," Law chuckled as he plopped back down on his chair. "But yes, your condition is stable now Mister Sei… at least for now."

Celine rolled her eyes at his words. It was a time for celebrations yet Law was saying such dubious things.

"I understand that you two were planning to go out," Law spoke slowly.

"Aren't you coming?"

"I'm afraid not, Celine," Law sighed. "I'm terribly tired – exhausted even. I won't be very fun to have around this evening."

"You're never much fun when we're out anyway," Celine chuckled, grabbing a hold of his hands and tugging him forward. "Let's go! You must be curious about this place too."

Putting all her strength into it, Celine did her best to pull Law off his chair. But unlucky for her, his chair had wheels on the bottom and the harder she pulled the closer his chair rolled towards her but he was still sat.

As she pulled him along, Sei took one look at Law's face and got a gist of where this was heading. With a small smile, he turned around and headed upstairs first.

"Wait, Sei, where are you-."

Just as Celine noticed the albino leave, she felt the weight on her hands lift up. Turning back around, she saw Law stood up on his feet and taking a step towards her. He snuck his arms around her lower back and pulled her close.

"You're so sly…" she mumbled under her breath. "Are the two of you in this together, or something?"

"Please," he chuckled. "Mister Sei was able to read the situation well, that's all."

"Tell me, Law," she sighed. "Why don't you want to come with us?"

"Baka…" he loosened his grip. "I'm just tired. I've been working non-stop this past week, I think I've earned the sleep I deserve."

"It's not as if I said you didn't deserve it," she smiled. "After doing so much for Sei, I'm sure you deserve more than just sleep."

"Any ideas?"

"None whatsoever," she ignored his smug grin. "Okay then, I shouldn't keep him waiting. You'll be fine?"

"Hm…" he nodded, his fingers reaching towards the pendant glistening between her collarbones. "You look really lovely today, by the way. I just had to tell you before you go."

"You really think so?"

She grinned when he replied with a brisk nod. She did look very nice today, she wore a white sundress that really complimented her bright blue eyes that resembled a lot like the jewel that hung from her neck. Law eyed the blue stone in his fingers closely.

"What's the matter?"

"It's nothing," he smiled slightly. "Take care, alright?"

"Of course," she pecked him lightly. "Sleep well."

Law yawned as he watched her go. He had originally wanted to go, but he's overworked himself these past weeks. Like Celine said, in theory Sei should have been cured but it was possible that it may not have worked. But at least he seemed to be at a stable condition. The worst has definitely passed, now all Law can do is take this time to rest and wait for results.

XoXo

The docks were still quite a distance away from downtown, but from here he can already hear the bustling parties and crowds. On the deck, Sei had been observing the area before Celine finally joined him. It hadn't been a long wait, but still she apologized needlessly and profusely.

"You didn't manage to convince Trafalgar?"

"No, he pulled a fast one on me," she sighed. "You may not be able to tell, but that man is sly as a fox."

"Oh no, it's not that hard to work out," Sei nodded. "He's certainly an interesting character."

'Oh you have no idea.'

Celine gave him a small grin as the two stepped onto the island. There seemed to be a festival of sorts going on downtown, and the streets were lit up with lanterns and light arrangements. It was the kind of loud crowded places that Law would have hated – perhaps him staying in really was for the better.

The streets were full of people, ranging from villagers to pirates and even some marines. But tonight was a night for festive and fun, no one paid mind to who the other was; everyone just danced and drank.

"Some crowd," Celine said after she stepped out of the way for a couple heading it off.

"I knew this was a friendly place but I didn't expect… this," Sei surveyed the people. "I wonder where Ryuu is."

"Maybe we can meet up with everyone else…" Celine got on her tiptoes. "Doesn't look like we'll find anyone in this crowd though."

"Good point, how about we head indoors?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

The two ducked into the closest bar only to find that the place was beyond crowded as well. The tile dance floor was completely packed, the dancers were all swaying along to the live band that were up on stage. The place had a nice atmosphere, but Celine found it difficult to appreciate with the obscene amount of people.

Looking towards her companion, she saw that their feelings were mutual. Not only were his eyes downcast, but he was frowning too.

"Look Celine," he held her shoulder and pointed towards the very back of the room. "There's Kane and Ryuu."

Following his finger, Celine spotted the brothers easily. The two sat next to each other with a group of women surrounding them, and there were two girls clutching onto their toned arms. They looked like they were enjoying it too but in their defense they looked completely out of it with sloppy grins on their faces.

Celine had always wondered if they were aware of how attractive they were, but with such a display in front of her, it was clear that they literally using their looks to get to these women.

"I say those boys have had a little too much to drink," Celine sighed.

"Shall we go join them?"

"Yes, lets."

Maneuvering their way through the dance floor they soon reached the brothers. Kane spotted them first and gave them a lighthearted wave.

"Aw Celine, you look so cute wearing that lil' dress."

'Yup, definitely drunk,' Celine tried hard not to roll her eyes. "Thanks Kane, and you're looking like you're really enjoying yourself."

"Oh, I am," he chuckled back. "Here have a drink, sit down and relax. You too, Sei. Come on, don't be shy! Girls, would you scoot a little over for my friends?"

The girls were happy to receive Sei, but Celine? Not so much. They made room for Sei right away and pulled him down between them, but no one so much as batted an eye at Celine. It was typical treatment, almost a little too typical. Celine wasn't one to fuss over something so little, so she was about to grab a different chair before Ryuu caught on. He picked up the girl latching onto his arm, and scooted over to make room between him and his brother.

"Over here, Celine," he called, patting on the empty spot next to him.

"… Thanks."

She quietly made her way over, ignoring the nasty looks she's getting from the other girls. It was when she sat between the brothers did she really realize how out of it they were. Their body heat can be felt from where she sat, and the hotness was overwhelming, especially with her dress that hugged her upper torso so tightly.

Glancing forward, she saw that Sei was also having a difficult time, but his situation was vastly different from hers. He was sat up straight, trying to shake off any of the girls that made advances towards him. They cooed and stroked his shoulders as if he were a prized pet.

"Here, Celine," Kane passed her a bottle of god knows what. "Good stuff here."

"What is it?" she sniffed the contents, it reeked of strong liquor.

"Not sure," he shrugged. "Where's Law, by the way?"

"Sleeping," she replied before taking a quick sip.

"On such a fine night?"

"… Yeah," she grimaced a little at the taste. "Because it's just so much fun out here."

"Snarky, aren't you?" he chuckled. "You just need a bit more to drink."

"Yeah, not this stuff," she put the bottle back on the table. "I feel like my life's been cut short a few years just by one sip."

"Really?" Sei picked up the bottle up.

"Don't drink it," Celine mouthed. "It's bad stuff. Doesn't even taste good."

Amused with her warnings, he gave her a light nod as he placed the bottle back down on the table. With everyone half-dazed; he might as well stay sober for the sake of the group.

With Celine's presence, each one of the women were starting to get up one by one. Seeing as all three men had their attention on her now, they saw no gain in sitting with them. Eventually it was down to the last woman who was holding onto Ryuu. Everyone was aware of her presence is entirely adventitious, but no one wanted to be the first to complain.

Celine kept to herself, and would only speak when responding to someone. She felt very uncomfortable under the woman's unfriendly looks; and it wasn't as if she was doing anything wrong. It was as if she was upset with her just showing up. Much to everyone's surprise Celine reached towards the bottle slowly, she picked it up and took a large gulp.

She didn't like the taste very much but at least it gave her a distraction from her environment. And it was also working well, whatever she was drinking must have been pretty strong stuff because with a single bottle Celine was already feeling lightheaded. Normally Celine was able to handle her liquor well and it was surprising that a single bottle was already able to waste her to such a state.

In no time was her head pounding and heart racing. She doesn't normally get drink so much to get drunk, so this was still a foreign feeling for her. It was warm and bittersweet.

"This sucks," she drawled out, her head toppling over onto Kane's shoulder. "My head's gone."

"Yeah, I felt like that at first but then it gets super great."

Nothing they were saying made any sense to Sei, but he watched on quietly. It was only then did he notice Ryuu – more specifically, the way he was looking at Celine. His hazel eyes were focused entirely on her, as if his world revolved around a single woman's existence. On Celine.

Sei's never loved anyone before, but he still felt sorry for the man. He can understand loving someone so perfect and sweet only to have her with someone else, and that was someone else was his captain no less, a man that he should be devoted to entirely within any circumstances.

It was wrong to think this way after all Law had done for him, but the two looked so wasted that they probably wouldn't recognize right from wrong. It couldn't have been the work of just alcohol, like they had said what they had was unidentifiable but there was probably something mixed into the drink. Plus, they probably wouldn't remember the next day.

"Hey sweetheart," Sei called out to the girl latched onto Ryuu. "What's your name?"

"Jill."

"That's a lovely name," Sei put on the best smile he could. "Why don't we step out? We're bound to find something more fun than sitting around here with these guys."

"That's not nice, man," Kane stirred. "You hurt my feelings."

"Would you like to come too?" Sei couldn't be happier with how things are going. "The three of us can go take a walk somewhere."

"What about me, Seeei~?" Celine put her hand up like a school-kid would during class. "Can I come too?"

"No," Sei gave her a stern look. "You stay where you are. Ryuu will take care of you."

"Buut-."

Before Celine could say anymore, a hand flew over hers. Turning around, she met Ryuu's eyes. His gaze was heavy, and his face was much too close to hers, but in her inebriated state she wasn't able to realize that.

"Stay with me, Cel."

"…"

From the corner of her eye, she watched the three leave without so much as a goodbye to them. Seeing that her attention was averted, his gaze followed hers. He wasn't thinking very straight but Ryuu could still recognize an opportunity when it's being handed to him on a silver platter.

He squeezed her hand tight, causing her to look back over to him. His breath inched closer towards her by every passing second. Celine's thoughts were too distorted to fully comprehend what was happening, but she knew that what she felt was completely different from the man in front of her.

Celine's breath hitched when Ryuu brought a hand to her cheek, cupping her face closer their lips finally met. For a moment, Celine let herself indulge in the man's sweet scent and flavor. In her drunken state, there were no thoughts to distract her from her primal instincts. No worrying about her time limit or her past experience with boys and touching – all there she felt was pure lust.

Reaching both her hands up, she pulled his face down towards her roughly and without hesitation. A groan escaped her lips when their tongues met, a slippery battle commenced between the two with neither wanting to back down from the fight. Her heart raced as she began to breathe heavy; Ryuu felt a knot in his stomach when Celine gripped his hair tight. The way she grew so wild and possessive, it both scared and excited him. It wasn't until she finally ran out of breath when they finally pulled away.

"I-I…" Ryuu panted as he tried to collect his thoughts. "I think I love you, Celine. I always had ever since I saw you… You're so beautiful…"

"… What?"

None of his words have processed at all; her voicing out was instead mistaken as doubt. Celine rested on his chest in a daze, the voices seemed so far away at the moment and she barely registered where she was anymore. She didn't even realize when Ryuu gritted his teeth and coiled his fingers into fists.

"… I need you… so bad… oh, this fucking sucks…"

Celine's head was really hurting now, she winced as she reached for Ryuu again. Caressing his jaw with feather light touches, she felt something strange running down his cheek… it was wet. Her mind may have been blurred but she can recognize tears when she saw them.

"Aw… what's wrong?" she whispered. "Mhmm… don't cry… I'm here… I'm here for you…"

"Screw you," he knocked her hand away. "… S-Screw you…"

The warmth beside her disappeared when Ryuu shifted forward. He stood up and left without giving her another look. Celine just watched through her hazed eyes, unsure of what exactly just happened and how she should be feeling. Her hand stung a little though, so she reached for her wrist and rubbed the pain until it turned numb.

With him gone, Celine began to shiver as she watched the crowds in front of her. What felt like hours must have passed before someone came up to her. He was a young man and was dressed a lot like a sailor. It didn't seem like he had any ill intentions, he just took up the vacant spot beside her and began speaking. Celine nodded along to his rambling, not really sure what he was saying and where he was going with this.

"You're pretty."

She caught that line loud and clear. It was something she's oh so familiar with hearing.

"I know," she murmured.

"You should take better care of yourself, you know," he told her. "You might not have realized but those men sitting a few tables next to us have been leering at you the whole time you were alone."

"Hm… Where's Ryuu?"

"Who?"

"Forget it," she forced herself onto her feet. "I'm leaving."

Navigation was definitely not a good idea for her at the moment. It was taking her every effort to just keep from toppling over. She tried to take a step but that only ended in her falling backwards back onto the cushioned seat.

"Are you alright, Miss?" a hand reached around her shoulders. "Why don't you come with me tonight? I'm sure-."

"Let her go."

The man looked up and saw a tall muscular man. He would have been afraid if the other man's eyes weren't all red and tired looking, but he still looked threatening with his size alone.

"And who are you?"

"Ryuu."

"Oh, are you her friend? She mentioned your name earlier."

"Yes. Let her go."

"Of course," he held his hands back. "Are you two tourists?"

"Yes."

"Well be careful," he warned. "This place may seem fun but it's just as dangerous as any other island. She was being targeted by those bunch of men over there just a while ago."

"… Why do you care?"

"Is it so strange?"

"… No."

"Well, I'll be on my way then," the young man smiled before turning away. "Take care of her, Ryuu-san."

Once he was out of the way, Ryuu turned to look at the men that were mentioned earlier. True to his words, like he said they were watching them intently. Giving them an unfriendly glare, he turned back to Celine. From the way she stared, it didn't seem like she remembered what happened earlier.

"Come on, Celine," he reached out a hand. "Let's get you back… Give me your hand."

When she didn't move, he reached forward and grabbed both her hands. He tried pulling her to her feet, but she wouldn't budge from where she sat. Releasing her hands, he began to wonder just what did he come back for. She was obviously going to be a pain in the ass for him, and it wasn't as if she's going to remember his little confession or this act of kindness anyway.

'It's because I love her…'

Reaching for her again, he slipped his hands under her waist and legs. It was a little difficult at first, but he managed to pick her up. She grumbled slightly from the movement but didn't say anything. He maneuvered the through the crowded room and exited the bar.

It was considerably colder outside from the ocean breeze, this was what helped Ryuu cool his head down when he first stormed out. And now it was affecting Celine as well, she was starting to get a hold of her thoughts and place, but with that the pulsing in her head also magnified.

"My head hurts," she whined.

"I know."

"Put me down," she began struggling. "It hurts."

"No," he held her tighter when she moved. "Stop it, Celine."

She stopped wrestling against him and just lay still in his arms whilst rubbing her forehead back and forth. By the time they reached the submarine, Celine's pretty much fallen asleep in Ryuu's arms. He wondered if Kane and Sei were back yet, and if they were was that other girl with them. Kane had a bad habit of bringing in any girl into his bed, and that has caused some annoyances in mornings. Mostly the crew having to ignore the crude yelling from next-door while they ate their breakfast, it didn't happen very often but still occasionally.

He's decided that he's had enough of mistakes for one evening, and brought Celine down to her bedroom. Tucking her into bed, he pulled her covers over her shoulders. It was painful watching her, she looked so calm and angelic while she was asleep, and it was like none of what happened today had fazed her. While he was in so much despair, she can calmly sleep this incident off as if nothing happened.

Ryuu sat down on the side of her bed, his legs giving out a moment before. He knew from the start that nothing good would have come from loving a woman like Celine, a woman that already had eyes for someone else, and now here he was alone and miserable.

"… It's not fair."

"It never is."

The door creaked open wider and the last person he wanted to see appeared. Not only did his heart almost stopped beating, but he almost toppled over as well. Standing at the door was none other than his captain, and by his expression it seems he's witnessed the whole thing. His hat was uncharacteristically off, giving him an even more intimidating aura. For the first time in a long time, Ryuu was actually afraid.

"L-Law," he gaped.

"What happened here?"

Law entered the room and walked over to the bed. He reached forward and ran a finger down Celine's warm cheek. The way he eyed her was something Ryuu couldn't comprehend at all, it was so tender and caring; and he got all that just from a single look at Law. A dark hole emerged in his heart – it was doubt. Was he capable of giving her everything Law can?

"Ryuu?"

"If the terrible smell didn't give it away already, we had a bit too much to drink," Ryuu tried to brush this off quickly. "Celine in particular, she passed out a little while ago so I brought her back."

"I see…" Law pushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Are your feelings for her still the same from when we last spoke?"

"… Yeah."

"I was afraid of that," Law sighed. "That complicates things a little, doesn't it?"

"I suppose it does," Ryuu braced himself for the worst. "… And…?"

"And?"

"Aren't you angry? Don't you want to hit me or something?"

"No, you're my friend and a valued crew member," Law replied simply. "Celine and I may share a relationship and that doesn't change our friendship. But I must reaffirm my feelings for Celine. It may not seem like it but I love her, so I would like you keep your feelings in check."

"So you want me to back off?"

"Predominantly, yes."

"And if I can't do that?"

Law's smile turned chilling. It was an expression that Ryuu hasn't seen in a long time – A look of pure dementia.

"Well, I don't know," he shrugged lightly. "I'm sure everyone has noticed my amiability since Miss Celine's arrival… sparing so many of our opponents," he shook a little as he held onto the bedframe for support. "But let me assure you that I haven't forgotten what it feels to carve into a victim's fresh flesh, and the gripping sensation of watching those red fluids drip from a fading body… the exhilaration of ending one's life."

Ryuu got a gist of what he was saying – 'does your love for her rule over your fear of me'.

"… And here I thought you've gone soft…" Ryuu forced a quick chuckle.

"Never."

It wasn't threatening, not really anyway. He had asked Law to be more forward with his feelings before, and now here he was being as forward as one can be; doing what he can to protect the one he loves.

"Good thing you're our captain then," Ryuu headed for the door. "I'll be going first then."

"Hm," Law gave him a nod. "Good evening."

The look he gave said otherwise, absolutely cold and unwelcoming. Ryuu looked to Celine one last time before ducking out of the room. Once the room grew silent, Law finally let out a deep breath. The room grew quiet and still as the seconds slowly ticked on. It had been difficult confronting someone like that with accusations such as his, but he had somehow managed.

Law sighed again as he sat down on the bed.

"You're really giving me a lot more trouble than you're worth," he mumbled, reaching her arm around her. "You do nothing but attract annoyances and now you've turned one of mine against me… Oh, Celine…"

She shifted against the contact from his arm and snuggled closer into his chest. Law couldn't help but let out a small smile at that, she may have been nothing but trouble but now her mess was his mess. He's grown to adore her so much that it'll take more than an outsider's interference to change his feelings. He's well aware that something more must have happened between Ryuu and her earlier this evening, but that problem lied entirely on Ryuu.

Like Celine said, when she was jealous she wouldn't hesitate to beat someone down for making a pass on her man, but she was wrong about one thing – one thing about him. Jealousy is something that can poison one easily, and Law is no exception to such dark corruption. When he grows bitter, he won't act upon it immediately; perhaps he'd wait a bit and allow his rival the delusion of security before going in for the kill – much like a hunter and an animal falling prey.

Law wasn't about to strike down a friend, but he's also not going to hand over his woman without a fight. If a long bloody battle awaits them then so be it, but for now he'd like to avoid any sorts of conflict for as long as possible.

"Celine."

He patted her cheek lightly causing her to stir from her slumber. It was a while before her eyes finally opened, and that concerned Law a little.

"… L-Law?" her voice was faint. "Where'd you come from?"

"It's more like you've appeared from nowhere," he grinned. "You've really got no idea what happened, do you?"

"… No? Did something bad happen?"

"… I don't know for sure," he ran a hand through his hair. "Ryuu brought you back a little while ago."

"Did he… where is he now?"

"He retired to rest for the night."

"… You seem upset," she sat up, ignoring the rush in her head. "What's wrong? Something did happen… tell me."

When he didn't reply right away, Celine pushed him back onto the headboard and straddled him. Her thoughts may have cleared up considerably but her body still craved for the opposite genders. The heat from before returned at the presence of another man – of Law's presence.

"And you probably had something a little more than just a drink, right?" he grinned at her forwardness. "Did they drug you or something?"

"I don't even know anymore…" she held him tighter between her shins as ran a finger down his chest. "Get this off."

"What are you planning to do to me?"

Even with his questioning, Law still obliged to her little demand. She may have not known, but her drink had definitely been spiked with something, that Law caught on with his doctor's eye. It would have been serious if she wounded up in some stranger's bed, but she came back just all right – that was something he can thank Ryuu for.

With his chest now exposed, Celine's eyes wandered down the man's flesh. It was a little embarrassing having her eyes sweep over his body like the way she was doing, especially with her sucking on the inside of her mouth like that.

Law shivered when his eyes met with her blue ones, that stony gaze from before vanished and they were now replaced with a vigorous fire.

"… I want you…"

Her body begged for the sensation, the newfound pleasure that she haven't yet experienced before. Law felt her need – her lust. In any other normal circumstances, he would have been all for this, finally taking her in the most intimate way possible was something that he's always thought about but put on hold whenever he had the chance. On those past occasions for different reasons, but today it'd feel like he's taking advantage of her. Celine was a strong and beautiful woman, and he'd like to take her when she held a clear conscience. When she'd be fully aware of her feelings for him and the pleasures he's making her feel.

"Laaw~."

Before he knew it, her lips were clasped over his. He may have wanted to stop this tonight, but he found it difficult with her tongue tracing his locked lips and her thin little fingers sliding down his abdominals and down towards his crotch. It was inherent that Law reacted to her advances; keeping his mouth shut tight, he reached for her waist and grabbed her sides. His heart began to race as he felt her hips through the sheer fabric of her dress.

Falling into her pace, he pushed his hands upwards, past the small curve of her waist and up to her breasts. His thumb fingered the thin strap of her dress, sliding between the fabric and her soft skin. Celine pulled away to get a better look at his movements; she shivered from anticipation before turning to face Law. She bent forward until their nose touched and they felt each other's breathing. The heat was really driving him insane, and her passion-filled eyes that never left his.

Ignoring the voices in his head that disagreed, he pulled the straps down on both sides and watched as Celine shimmied herself out of the top half of her dress, pushing the fabric down to her waist. She was in her bra now, a pretty little silk one, and Law was finding it very difficult to keep his hands to himself.

He was about to push her skirt up before he jolted from the feeling of a hand over his zipper.

"C-Celine…" he panted, pushing her away. "Stop it… I-I can't…"

He barely had the time to react before she caught his lips again. The way she was making his body feel… how his own body reacted to hers…

It would have so easy… it would be so easy to give in and let her have her way with him. He knew he had to put a stop to this soon; by the way his breathing has grown rugged, it wouldn't be long before he loses his discernment to indulgence.

"Enough," he pulled her off with all his strength. "Not like this."

"W-What?" she mouthed. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," he held her cheek. "Your judgment's off, I can't do this to you… not when you're in state."

He wasn't sure if she quite understood what he meant, but those burning flames in her eyes died down. All passion and libido that exuded from her earlier was now gone. She just stared him down, those gunmetal blues of hers causing him to freeze up.

"Celine?" he shook her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

"Hm…"

She collapsed onto his chest and rolled off to a side. Turning her back to him, she unhooked her bra and then pulled the dress back over her shoulders. Without another look at him, she crawled under the sheets and lied down onto her pillow.

"I'm going to sleep…"

"… Are you upset?"

"No, I'm not… I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he held her shoulder. "It's not your fault… Just sleep it off, alright?"

"Mmm…"

They stayed like that for the moment, with Law holding onto her from behind like he was cuddling a stuffed toy. He hadn't managed to sleep a wink earlier, all he could do was read while he waited for Celine's return. He hoped he'd be able to catch some sleep with her, but that's not the case at all. He's now even more awake than he was before.

He yawned lightly as he clutched onto her tighter. It was going to be a long night, and he knew he wasn't going to get any sleep.

XoXo

It's been a strange kind of night.

Ryuu finally picked up the courage (through alcohol) to confess his feelings to Celine, but she brushed it off as if she didn't hear it. And now here he was, holed up at the observation deck drinking his feelings away.

From the corner of his eye, he spotted Sei returning to the ship with his brother slung over the poor albino man's shoulder, looking to be singing some sort of song. Ryuu winced slightly, feeling slightly sorry for Sei, and also a little thankful that the windows were closed. He was about to turn away before he noticed something. They stopped walking, and Sei held onto his throat as he staggered over to hold the railings.

Without thinking, Ryuu walked over to the window and pushed the glass outwards.

"Hey, you okay, man?" he heard Kane ask. "Should I get- get… get Law or something?"

"No," Sei said through heavy breaths. "I'm fine, I just choked. I'll be alright."

With Sei's reassurance, Kane grinned and went on with his singing. His brother might have been convinced in his drunken state, but Ryuu wasn't. Things may have sucked for him today, but now he's got even more pressing things to worry about than his little broken heart. He watched Kane wander off down the hatch while Sei hung back on the deck. He began a fit of coughs again, and when it stopped he sighed as he looked up at the sky.

"Done watching?"

"You knew?"

"It's not that difficult so spot your silly looking face peering out the window," he chuckled.

"… Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I choked."

"… Seriously?"

"Your brother says some funny things when he's drunk," he shrugged. "He caught me off-guard with a rather crude joke…"

"How bad?"

"Bad," Sei rubbed the back of his neck. "And he's been a pain in the ass… but it's been an interesting night."

"Oh, tell me about it," Ryuu grumbled.

"How about we stop this Romeo and Juliet setting and save what we've got to say for tomorrow?"

"Hm."

Sorry for the long wait! Chapter 15 is finally here! ^-^

Thanks to everyone that alerted and favorited this story! :D

Reviews:

mr. chair – Thank you! :D

D.L – Hehe, you've got to read on and see! Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it :)