Life Can Be…
l. So Unpredictable

Summary: For thirteen years, he believed the man he cherished most in the world had died. Now Trafalgar Law was about to find out that Life was much more unpredictable, cruel, and twisted than he ever thought imaginable.

Warning: mild swearing, slight AU, some ooc. No pairings.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. :P I wish I did. BECAUSE THEN CORAZON WOULD BE ALIIIIIVE. (Or, in Corazon's own words. "My death… It has…ALL BEEN AN ACT!")

Love seems to draw dark, twisted pleasure tearing at me 'cause I can't let you go
Mercy, like water in the desert, shine through my memory like jewelry in the sun
Where are you now?
Blindly face the blazing gun, 'cause I'm afraid I will be left here without you
I'll sell my soul to dream you wide awake
I'll sell my soul to dream you wide awake

It was all over. The chaos that had consumed the kingdom finally came to an end, and the dark cloud that had been secretly floating above Dressrosa had dissipated. There were no more toys walking the now broken streets, only people who were overjoyed to be reunited with their family and friends once more. Tears of joy and tears of sadness fell from the citizens as they closely held either deceased loved ones or loved ones who had been erased from their minds so long ago. King Riku took his rightful place one more upon the throne and went around the kingdom to help in anyway he could.

The Straw Hats were all gathered in one area, tending to their own wounds while they had the chance. Fujitora was still in the kingdom and the last thing they wanted to do was fight someone who held the tittle Admiral after an already long, fatiguing battle. Mansherry had offered to heal their wounds, but the pirate crew refused; stating they rather have her heal some of the civilians who were in more dire need of help. "Luffy, we need to get going," Robin stated, turning to face her captain.

"Torao's not done yet," was the reply she received, Luffy's eyes fixed above on the battlefield he earlier fought on.

Zoro gave a thick sigh. "We don't have the time–"

"Then we'll make time," Luffy quietly interrupted. The tone of his voice left no room for an argument, and the green-haired swordsman wondered what it was that Luffy knew about the surgeon that he didn't. "We are not leaving until he's done."

The Straw Hat captain knew just how important this whole mission had been for the Surgeon of Death, for the man had confided in him a little on the way to Doflamingo. He learned a little more, too, during the fight. He was avenging the death of the person he had cherished most in the world. Corazon, if Luffy remembered correctly, was the man's name. Doflamingo's own brother. The corner's of Luffy's mouth twitched downward for a moment, and his hands curled into loose fists. He couldn't understand how someone could purposely hurt, much less kill, their own brother. It would be like him trying to kill Ace or Sabo, or vice versa.

How? How could you do that? Doflamingo had killed his younger brother. Weren't older brother's supposed to watch over and protect their younger siblings? Luffy wanted to know what happened, curiously wondering what pushed the ex-warlord over the edge to go far as killing his own flesh and blood. But he didn't dare ask; if Law wanted to confide in Luffy on his own, that was fine. But Luffy would not ask for the details.

So he stood there among his friends, eyes locked on the battlefield above as he patiently waited for the surgeon's return.

Law stood before the motionless body of Doflamingo, his face void of all emotion. His body screamed for rest as every single wound deeply ached. But he refused to move, refused to acknowledge anything except the corpse lying before him and the fact that he had finally, finally avenged Corazon.

What the clumsy blond had started so many years ago had finally come to an end.

Dressrosa was no longer under Doflamingo's command, and the demon himself had been put to rest. No more could he harm others or ruin lives for his entertainment. After years of planning and scheming, Law was finally free.

Free from the iron borders of the White City.

Free from the Amber Lead Disease.

Free from Doflamingo and his family.

Totally and utterly free.

He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, holding it a while before slowly exhaling. Silence. All he could hear…was silence. The drum of his heartbeat soon mixed with the silence. He both loved and hated the silence. It reminded him of Cora-san, how the silly man's powers would cancel out the sound of the world so Law could fall asleep at night. It reminded him how silent he was when he cried his heart out when the person he cherished most was shot protecting him, and no matter how hard he cried his anguished howls never came to sound until Corazon finally passed on.

But at the moment, Law relished the silence. He let it embrace him, just like Corazon would have those many years ago. His heartbeat reminded him of the nights where all he could hear was Corazon's heart beating in his ribcage as he laid awake against the blond's chest, desperate to stay alive for a few more weeks until they found the Ope Ope no Mi despite the fact his body was wracked with pain from the Amber Lead Disease.

He wished he could bring Corazon back to life. To see the blond once more. To see him slip and fall, to see him catch his shoulder on fire, to see him smile and give a victory-sign while saying, "I love you!" He would give anything to see the male again…but that was impossible. Corazon was dead, and he only lived in Law's memories and heart now. His arm traveled to his wounded chest, resting his hand over his tattoo.

"Cora-san… I…" 'love you, too,' his mind finished. But he just couldn't find the will to say the words. Instead, he finished with, "I miss you…"

He wished he could stay longer, but he knew they had to leave. Marine reinforcements were coming and Fujitora was still on the island. He had no doubt that Straw Hat already told his crew they would not move until he was done, and for that he was silently grateful to the other captain. Turning away from Doflamingo, he left the still corpse without saying another word, or without another thought about the ex-warlord.

"You all done?" Luffy asked.

"Yes. …Thank you," he added, and the Straw Hat captain merely gave his usual grin. He looked around, making sure everyone was together before giving a nod. "Then let's head for the docks." The crew stood and began to head for their destination. Law felt himself stumble a few times, but when Luffy asked if he was okay Law would simply wave him off. He'd lost a lot of blood when his arm had been severed, and the fact that he was completely out of stamina had him feeling exhausted. He knew that the moment he got onto a ship and had his wounds attended to, he'd be asleep in seconds.

"How's your arm?"

"It's fine. They stitched it on perfectly."

"And your other–"

"Focus on not getting captured by marines right now, Mugiwara-ya," Law interjected, his eyes scanning their surroundings. Fujitora could appear any moment, and Law had no strength left to deal with the admiral again. Though as they ran through the debris filled streets, Law couldn't help but steal a quick glance at the other pirate captain.

So many things happened along the way to reach Doflamingo. His plans, one by one, had been torn apart; forcing him to improvise and think quickly on his feet without a moment to lose. Of course, having the ever idiotic Straw Hat captain hadn't helped very much. But Law had known he could rely on the male, knew that, in the end, he would pull through with a miracle like always. Then the fight with Doflamingo started.

It was then that, for the first time in a very long time, Trafalgar Law had put his life and ambition in someone else's hands.

The result he got was far from disappointing.

Luffy came and rose above the call of duty in the alliance. He refused to let anyone he cared for die, refused to let Law's life come to an end no matter what, refused to let Doflamingo have his way, refused to let Dressrosa fall. In the end, he did indeed bring a miracle. And Law found himself giving the Straw Hat captain some new respect at that. The man was still an idiot, though. That would never change, no matter what.

They were halfway to the docks and so far they hadn't run into a single marine, something the surgeon was grateful for. As much as Law simply enjoyed his time time bleeding to death in the kingdom, he wanted to get off Dressrosa as quickly as possible. So the small group of pirates, and the two samurai, ran through the kingdom with smiles and grins; everything going absolutely perfect so far.

That had the Surgeon of Death worrying. If there was one thing he learned during his time in the alliance, it was that nothing ever went according to plan when the Straw Hats were involved. Life with the small pirate crew was definitely…erratic.

And Trafalgar Law was about to find out first hand that that Life could be quite unpredictable.

Because as he turned his head, there, across the clearing and debris, his eyes landed on the very tall form of Corazon.

A/N: So yeaaahhh. New story. It absolutely wouldn't leave me alone and i had to write it down and upload it. Don't worry, though! I already have the next two chapters written out. :3 (It ain't gonna be a long story, probably five-seven chapters at the most.) Update shall be next week! Also, slight AU here for another reason. Law planned on meeting the rest of the Straw Hats at Zou, but that's not gonna happen in this. They're gonna meet up with Thousand Sunny which is anchored about a day away from Dressrosa. Then it'll take a week or two to reach Zo. Hope that's okay. ^^; .So what'd ya guys think so far? Is it okay? Should I edit any part? Is it terrible? Let me know, please! x_x

Good news for my other story Memory Trap, the new chapter should – hopefully – be uploaded tomorrow. :D

Your shy ice elemental,
~»roo the psycho«