Iris's eyes glistened with glee, burning a bright violet. "Hey guys! I think I see the exit!" she exclaimed excitedly, scooting closer to the end of the broom. She raised her arm, and stretched her fingers as if to graze the faraway portal.

Law looked right about ready to kick her off the end of the broom and finish the deed for good. His hair was a mess from Iris manhandling her broom. His hat was gripped tightly in his hand, the fabric threatening to tear from the pressure. "You said that the last seven times. Once, it was even a black hole you idiot." he growled.

Alyssa laughed, and waved her hand. "Come, it wasn't that bad." she protested. "It was kind of fun, even y'know, like a gamble-?"

"We almost died." Law cut in.

Alyssa joyfully slapped him on the back, "Again! What we have you for!" she smirked.

Law turned his head around to give her a piece of his mind, "How exactly could I do that while decapitated?" he snarled sarcastically.

Alyssa shrugged, "You're from One Piece. Make shit happen, oh great doctor."

Iris raised a sharp eyebrow, "Again, what is this... One Piece, you speak of? You never seem to be referring to the actual treasure." she mumbled thoughtfully.

Alyssa laughed and shook her head, "Nah, it'd just confuse you Iris." she answered. The raven head tilted her head as she peered closer at the glowing portal. It certainly looked...better than the other 'exits' Iris found. It was a calming sky blue, and had no sparks flying from it or weird tentacles.

Iris slid her fist onto her open palm as a gesture of comprehension, "Yes, it's definitely this one, no doubt." she decided confidently, a sparkle in her eye.

Law grit his teeth loudly, and the girls absentmindedly wondered if this was why Law wasn't a dentist. If he was, well, he certainly wouldn't be a good example. "Definitely, you say. Just like the one where-"

"Yes, yes." Iris cut in, waving a wild hand, "I understand you are scarred, we are all scarred you selfish bastard. Be optimistic, it was one portal closer to the right one-"

"Or our deaths-" Alyssa innocently pointed out, lifting a finger.

"Thank you." Iris smirked stiffly.

Law placed his hat back on its rightful place. "Death or not, here we go." he muttered, tilting his head down as if he was in a funeral. The portal's glow had became unbearably bright. Iris closed her eyes and Alyssa settled with face planting into Law's back.

Then, as soon as the bright glow began, it ended. Iris blinked wearily, vision foggy from the brightness. Her eyes widened in childish joy when she could see clearly again. She tilted her nose in the air proudly and crossed her arms over her chest. "See? We're back in one piece." she declared proudly.

Alyssa chuckled at the word pun, although it was muffled from her face being on Law's back. "Never doubted you." she offered sarcastically.

"I did." Law muttered, sighing heavily and taking off his hat. "I still do, actually."

Iris rolled her bright purple eyes, "I'm glad you guys trust me so much." she answered sarcastically. The broom lowered to the floor slowly. Iris leaped off grandly, and looked towards the horizon.

"Somewhere out there, mon amour is waiting for me!" Iris's eyes flashed with determination as she hopped back onto her broom, "Hold on!" she offered before she kicked off from the ground.

Alyssa clung to Law tightly, despite not wanting to, as the speed caused her hair to fly behind her. "Iris! We are gonna get fined! Who the hell drives at 300km/h?" she screamed against the wind.

Iris's eyes narrowed dramatically, "Someone who is absolutely not getting fined," she muttered under her breath, "...Again."

Law smirked, despite his bangs poking his eyes, "Did you just say again, Miss Iris?"

Iris growled and amped up the speed, if that was even possible. "So what, I'm not used to Alyssa's world's laws! I mean, 50km/h?! Who are they trying to kid?!" she hissed.

Alyssa smiled lopsidedly, "You were driving at 240km/h. At least, that time. It was fun though. You weren't even fined, you knocked him out with your burrito." she sighed.

Iris drooled at the thought, "Oh yeah, those were really tasty." she replied.

Law frowned, "I doubt the possibility to knock one out with just a burrito-"

His lover wrapped her arms around his waist tightly and whispered into his ear, "Why don't I show you sometime?"

He shivered unpleasantly from her words, but didn't resist her touch. "I'll pass." he answered.

Alyssa pouted, "You're missing out on the chance to get some valuable data-"

"Guys! We're here!" Iris yelled loudly, leaping off her broom while it was still fifteen meters in the air.

Law hissed as he grabbed the broom, which seemed determined to throw him off, "How do I control this thing?!" he growled.

Iris smiled cutely, "You don't," she answered, and with a wave of her hand, it threw Law off while keeping Alyssa sitting poised. "I do."

Law ignored the witch's antics in favor of charging towards his submarine. He quickly scaled the ladder and pried the hatch open. He leaped in, and wasted no time sprinting across the hallway. His hat had fallen off sometime during his sprint, but he found he could not care less.

Alyssa smiled sadly at Iris, "You think he knew you purposely threw him closer to the submarine?"

Iris shrugged, "Maa, it was for the good of Penguin. I really don't care if he knows or not." she answered.

Alyssa nodded briefly before sprinting towards the submarine as well, eyes glazing over with concern. "Please be okay, Penguin... You're so fun to mess with. You're my nakama too, so you can't go dying so easily."

Law stormed into the infirmary, eyes steeled and ready. Beside the unconscious Penguin, stood the other head mechanic. Shachi quickly snapped out of his daze, "C-Captain, Penguin is-!" he yelled.

"Not dying." Law cut in, pulling out the antidote and filling it into a syringe. Before Shachi could protest any more, Law more or less stabbed the needle into Penguin's arm.

Alyssa sprinted into the room a few seconds after, nearly colliding into a shocked Shachi. "Shachi! Status report!" she demanded.

Shachi could only stare helplessly at the girl. "Penguin," he grit out, "He-"

"-isn't breathing!" Law growled, slamming his fist into the medical bed, shaking Penguin's body. For a moment, everything was silent and stilled. Alyssa's eyes widened before her bangs covered her eyes. Shachi's hat hung loose over his eyes, which were covered.

"Dammit!" Law swore, running a hand through his hair. "Fuck this." he swore gravely, collapsing to his knees. He was exhausted now that the adrenaline had left his bloodstream.

The swordswoman's lips parted, as if to say something, before they closed. She couldn't fathom what to say. No condolences, no cheerful words, nothing. Her mind was a state of mental panic. "H-How long?" she asked finally, eyes wavering slightly. "How long since he stopped breathing?" she demanded, steeling her eyes.

Law almost chuckled, the thought of Alyssa-ya asking all the questions he should be asking amusing.

Shachi slowly came back to life, his head moving mechanically to look up at her, "A few hours, at least." he answered dumbly, as if the words that left his mouth puzzled him.

Alyssa closed her eyes in thought, "Would CPR help?"

Law laughed coldly, "Would CPR help a dead person?" he retorted. A silence fell over the room again. Law had said it. Dead. Such a foreign word. Alyssa wasn't used to it. Her nakama were strong. She never expected it. Hell, she knew they were strong enough to conquer anything. She childishly assumed death was an exception to them.

She was tired. Her knees finally gave out, hitting the hard and cold floor. "What now?" she asked robotically.

Law studied her for a moment, before looking away, "I don't know." he answered, a soft caressing whisper.

Alyssa growled deeply, a rumble from the back of her throat. She stood up immediately, and walked up to Law. Shachi was too tired to stop her when she grabbed the hem of Law's cloak. She forced him closer to her face, her hands trembling from the force she was emitting on his cloak. Her eyes were narrowed desperately. "Do something, goddammit!" she screamed.

Law stared down impassively at her. For once, his dark eyes weren't so harsh. They almost looked gray under the soft infirmary lighting. They were somber, with a underlying sadness.

The long haired girl reluctantly released her grip, hands trembling. She fell to her knees once again. "Do something." she ordered weakly.

"Such as?" Law humored her, albeit it being a weak attempt.

"...CPR." she answered.

"It doesn't fix everything, Alyssa-ya." he sighed.

"It could work, you never know unless you try. Every second you're wasting not doing anything, could be the second that decides if Penguin really dies or not-!" Alyssa babbled incoherently, stressed to the point of hysterics.

Law sighed in defeat. Whether it was in defeat of arguing with his nakama or the apparent death of another, he trudged his way towards Penguin. Without missing a beat, he bent down and pressed his lips to Penguin's, trying to coax oxygen into his lungs.

Alyssa's head was swarming with thoughts. So many 'what if' questions but not nearly enough solutions. She didn't even notice the arrival of a certain witch. "Ah, Penguin." she mumbled, walking towards the bed.

The black haired girl weakly reached forward to grab the hem of Iris's dress. "Don't." she whispered, head flopping down, "...He's dead."

Iris's lips curved into an odd smirk, "I know." she answered, holding her arm out. Alyssa squinted her eyes to make out what had slithered out of her dress. The thing coiled itself around Iris's arm, hissing softly as it did so.

The young girl narrowed her eyes, "A snake?"

Iris grinned and nodded, "Yeah-" she answered.

"-the one that poisoned Penguin!" Shachi grit out, jumping to his feet in alarm.

/gets stabbed by pitchforks/ Hi~ I don't have any excuses, I really don't... Thanks for all the reviews while I was gone though! Eheh, the chapter finally gets back to plot, good bye crack... My birthday is coming up (June 7th) I'll be 16~ 6 more weeks until finals. Then summer break ;)