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The only thing a doctor cannot heal
Is a broken heart
I know
I've tried
And failed

Chapter 10

The light in the room was dim, the windows open. It was early in the morning, the sun about to raise. Corazon was standing in the doorway, his gaze stern as he looked at the small figure lying in the big bed.

Law was sleeping, his breath heavy and his skin pale,almost glowing white in the dim darkness of the bedroom. From time to time there was a heavy sigh or a soft weezing to be heard, a reminder that his lungs were trying their best not to collapse under the heavy weight of the illness.

To Corazon he looked dead. There was no other way to describe it. It was as if death was hanging over him,reaching out for the boy, ready to grab him if Corazon looked away for just a minuted.

He was afraid, very much so.
One day,two days, how long would Law last?
He was so young, and no kid was supposed look like this, ill and pale and almost dead already.

It made Corazon's heart string with a familar pain that he knew very well. He had felt it years ago, while sitting at his mothers bedside.
He had cried when she had died,of course, but it had been Doflamingo who had cried the hardest.
After that,though, Corazon had never seen him cry ever again.

He didn't want things to repeat themself. He didn't want to watch Law die,unable to help him just like back then when he had been unable to help their mother.

This time he would save Law.
This time he knew how to do it.
This time, Corazon swore to himself, no one will die.

His plan was risky.
They would have to leave, but it was for the better.
Law would die if he stayed here, one way or another, and Corazon wouldn't let that happen.
No.
He would take things in his own hands, he would take Law far away, would make sure he was save. he would get the fruit, would give it to Law, and then they both would flee, far far away where no one would find them, where Law would grow up save and healthy, where he could be a kid just like he was supposed to be.

Yes, Corazon was determined to make this happen, even though it sounded like a stupid naive dream even to himself, but he didn't want to let go of this little bit of hope that he had just found in the deepest darkness of their reality.

He made sure to be quiet as he walked up to Law. The boy was so tired all the time but sleep was something he rarely got. Most of the times he was lying awake at night, coughing and wheezing with a high fever, trying his best to be quiet.

It was horrible, to see him this way, really horrible.

Corazon pressed his lips tightly together, and he was sure his lipstick would be gone in a few minutes if he continued to gnawn at his lower lip.
He really, really tried not to cry, but everything was just too sad,wasn't it?

If just things were different...
If just Law was healthy at least...

"This really isn't fair,is it.." Corazon mumbled, more to himself than to the sleeping child. Next to Law lay the cat,curled next to his head,sleeping quietly. They had become quite the pair,those two. The cat was always at Law's side whenever he was in the room, which had become more often during the past weeks, with him having to stay in bed. However, the cat seemed to help Law with having to stay in the room,giving him something to do while he was unable to do much else.

"All this...I am so sorry." Corazon swallowed down the lump that had formed in his throat, his face determined now.

Everything would be fine. Yes, it was a promise Corazon was going to keep.

Carrying Law out of the bedroom was easy. He was a light-weight and a small child, and he was so exhausted that he didn't notice that they moved.

The cat meowed, trying to follow them, but Corazon couldn't allowe her to follow. She would run away for sure, but sayting here wouldn't be better...

Corazon's gaze drifted to the nightstand , where he had put Doflamingo's glasses.

The cat would be taken care of,he was sure. She was not his first priority now, and as much as he liked the cat, taking it with them was out of question.

"I am sorry, but it's probably for the best."

The cat,of course, did not answer.

"You will probably hate me for this.." Corazon mumbled, as he put Law down on the bench of the small boad. He had made sure to take as many blankets for Law as he could find, because of there was one thing that was important than it was keeping Law warm, since his body refused to have a steady and normal body temperature. "... but I am sure you'll understand it one day."

They had been lucky, very much so, because no one had been on the deck to stop them, and even if, Corazon's powers would have easily allowed him to pass them without any of them noticing it.

It really wasn't fair, to take Law away from the Donquixote crew now, because they had become Law's family. Doflamingo was a person that Law did admire, maybe more than anyone else, but Corazon just couldn't let him stay here. He had to take Law away, even if it meant ripping him away from his new found family and his beloved pet. Law and the family had never been on the best terms to begin with, but Corazon was sure that it would be difficult for Law anyhow.

They had tried to find a cure, but had come up with nothing, nothing except the fruit.
However, Corazon would refuse to give up.
There were hospitals everywhere, and he still had the location of the fruit...

Corazon looked down at the piece of paper in his hands, the small notes he had taken from Doflamingo's table while his brother had been asleep.

"It's going to be alright." He promised the sleeping Law,as he tugged the blanket higher so the kid wouldn't be cold. He leaned upwards, his eyes on the big ship of his brother, which grew smaller and smaller in the distance, almost hidden now behind the soft veils of the early morning fog.

He wished he would never see that ship again, but something told him this wouldn't be the last time to see it.

With numb fingers he reached for a cigarett, only to remember that he had forgotten the pack on the ship.

xxx

Law was very quiet, had been quiet for the past few days.
He had been angry at first,of course, had thrown a tantrum about how he wanted to go back, how he missed his cat, how he wanted to talk to Doflamingo...

Corazon wondered if Law even knew about his condition. He was smart, though, so Corazon didn't doubt that Law already knew that he was not getting any better, only worse.

Corazon hadn't told him,though, about how serious it was. He had told him, of course, that they would go and get the fruit for Law. "You need an awesome Devil Fruit ,too."

Corazon was sure Law knew already that this trip was no concidence but well planned.

No calls had been made, the Den Den Mushi was oldy silent as well, even though by now the crew must have noticed their disappearance. He wondered what this meant, but had no time to spend further thoughts on the family and his brother; Law's health was at its worst, and slowly despair began to gnawn at Corazon's heart.

"We will reach the island soon." He informed Law, as he sat next to him on the small bed he had made out of blankets.
"The fruit is there. You remember me telling you about it,right?"

Law's glassy eyes moved just a little to gaze at Corazon, but no sound came over his slightly parted lips, only the heavy weezing was to be heard. Corazon wasn't even sure if Law could recognize him in his current state of fever delirium.

Corazon forced himself to smille soothingly, his hands running through Law's sweaty hair.
"If we get the fruit you will be able to heal yourself. Isn't that great?"

He had no idea how often he had told Law those words, those lies about how everything would be just fine...
He told him those so often that Corazon himself started to believe that they would both get away unharmed.

How delusional, how naive..

"After that you'll be able to be a real kid. I know you want to become a doctor,but first you need to go to a real school. A school with other children where you learn everything you don't even need to know but it will be glorious. We will have a little house,you know,I thought about it. Maybe something at the beach, because I know you like the sea. Not being able to swim will probably be a problem, I know,but it is worth sacrificing your ability to swim in exchange for your health,don't you think? And wow, those powers must be awesome,I heard so much about them..."
Corazon trailed off.

Law was quiet.

The days passed on, and a bad feeling was starting to grow stronger and stronger; this was taking too long. He hadn't properly estimated the time they would need. ..

If Law died now, if this was his fault...

He should have waited.
He should have waited until Doflamingo got the fruit, should have waited until Law had eaten it,should have waited until the boy was healed and able to walk before he left the crew with him.

He was so stupid!
In his fear of Law being sacrificed, tangled in Doflamingo's strings just like Corazon,unable to escape, he had forgotten that Law's body was not able to move around in his current state.

If Law died now it was all Corazon's fault.

They did reach the island, finally, finally after two weeks on the sea, with only a few stops where Corazon hastily got them everything they needed.

Law was half asleep, blinking confused as he noticed that they weren't moving anymore.

"We have reached Swallow Island." Corazon said cheerfully, looking down at Law as he stood up. He tried to keep up his carefree attitude around Law,because the last thing Law probably wanted was to be pitied because of his current state. A little hope would do him good.

"The island where I will find the fruit."

It had begun to snow, the cold being almost unberable now. Corazon hoped that Law would get through the few hours that he had to leave him alone in order to get the fruit.

"How long will it take?" Law asked, trying to sit up. It took several attempts to do so,but Law refused to accept any help from Corazon. He was too proud to admit that he was too weak to handle normal things like sitting up or eating by himself.
This small action alone had left him drained of all his strenght, his pale face sweaty and exhausted looking.

"It shouldn't take too long." Corazon smiled, reaching into the pocket of his coat to show Law the note he had taken from Doflamingo's table, his lips froming into a grin. "I have the exact location here, all I have to do is go and get it."

This was a very optimistic view on the current situation, but telling Law the truth was no good either.

Law had a frown on his face, a sign that he wasn't really convinced that any of this would work, but he stayed quiet about that.
"I don't want to stay here." He declared, his arms crossed infront of his tiny chest. "It's cold and lonely, and I don't have anything to read."

Oh,of course Law would complain,he did that quiet a lot lately. Maybe it was because he was so annoyed by his sickness, maybe it was the puberty that was starting to show.

"Stop whining!" Corazon huffed, flicking his finger against Law's head; the boy yelped, rubbing his forehead as he glared at Corazon.

It was good that he was at least strong enough to do that. There had been days where all he had been doing was lying around, breathing unsteadily.

Those days where the worst, because Corazon always feared Law would die any minute. He often stayed up till late at night, making sure the boy was still breathing.

"I'll be back before you even notice that I am gone! And then you'll get the fruit. After that you'll be busy trying to get to know your new power and all."

Law still looked very sceptical but did not argue. He didn't look very happy,though...

Corazon sighed, leaning down to ruffle the boy's hair,and Law grimaced as he ducked away, maybe embarrassed by the action.

It was shocking, the illness had not only made Law's skin pale as snow, but slowly started to bleach his black hair to white. Law usually hid his hair underneath the hat, but today the hat was out of sight.
Corazon wondered where it was.

"I don't like being alone..." Law grumbled. It sounded stubborn, like children did when they didn't like a desicion that an adult had made over their head, but Corazon knew that Law was speaking the truth; it was a deep hidden fear inside Law, to be left alone by everyone he actually cared for. Law had never really uttered that fear, but Corazon didn't need to hear it; the worried look in Law's eyes was enough to tell him that the boy wasn't lying when he said he didn't like being alone.

"I know, I know." Corazon sighed heavily as he leaned back up. " Try to sleep,alright? If you sleep time will pass even faster." He grinned wide, but Law only frowned more.

"What if someone comes and finds me? And the boat? I cannot protect any of our belongings..." he trailed off, the sentence ' because I am too weak ' was left unsaid hanging in the air between them like a cold pressure to the chest.

"That won't happen." Corazon assured him calmly. "I have docked the boat where no one will find it, I promise. Just...rest, stay warm. I'll be back when you're awake."

Law looked as if he wanted to say something, but he closed his mouth again and stayed quiet.

Corazon continued to smile at him as he jumped off the boat onto the snowy beach.

"Hey,Law." He called out, turning back to the ship. Law looked over the railing to him, only his eyes visible behind the wood.

"After I got the fruit and we're off on our own we won't be returning to Doflamingo. There are different reasons I'll explain to you later, but what I want you to know is that it will be time for you to call me by my real name, because I won't be Corazon any longer."

Law blinked, maybe a bit confused, but nodded. "What is your real name, then?"

Corazon grinned, waving. "I'll tell you when I'm back. Meanwhile you can ponder about it, and you better come up with good ideas."

"That's not fair!" Law said, his head now fully visible as he glared at Corazon.

The blond only snickered as he walked towards the center of the island, his frame hidden in his fluffy black coat as the wind yanked at his clothing.

He would be back in no time! With his powers it would be easy to soundlessly approach the men and attack them. After that all he had to do was get the fruit and hurry back to the ship.

Corazon could feel the hope getting stronger and stronger, the single spark turning into a wildfire that consumed his whole heart and lit it aflame.

He would save Law.

He would get the fruit.

There was no need for despair, because Law would survive.

After that,all he had to make sure of was to cut the strings that tied him and Law to Doflamingo.
He had been planning to do so a while back, and now he had the courage to finally do so.

He had to tell the Marine.
There was no other way from stopping his brother than giving him to the government.

Some part of him had always refused to do so earlier, why he could not tell. Maybe it had been the single sliver of hope that he had carried within him, the hope that his brother would change to the better. None of this had happened though and now that Law was here, in danger of being caught in the net of lies and corruption, things were even more dangerous.

He walked fast and without a stop towards the location that had been written down on the paper.
It was a small warehouse that served as a base for the pirates in charge of the fruit. Corazon was careful as he approached the building, staying hidden behind the few trees. The snow was too bright and his dark coat too conspicuous for the white surrounding, but he was lucky; no one ws to be seen outside house.

Maybe today was his lucky day.

Using his powers he walked towards the house, crashing through one of the lower windows after making sure that no one was in the room. The glass broke without a sound and his feet touched the dirty ground without a single noise to be made.

It was quiet.

Not because of his powers, no. No sound was to be heared, everything was quiet.

Maybe too quiet?

Pirates were loud and did not fear their enemies. Them staying here should involve loud talking and noise, but there was only silence.

Corazon frowned, an uneasy feeling nagging at his heart.

This smelled of a trap.

Nevertheless, he had to move forward, had to make sure if his worry was right or wrong.
With quick long steps he walked down the endlessly long corridor. It was dark here, darker than outside with only a few dim lights burning here and there, which were illuminating the cracks in the wall and the holes in the wooden boards of the floor.

No sound was to be heared, not even his own footsteps.

Silence was all that was.

The bad feeling only grew worse and worse with each empty room he passed.
The lower floor was completly empty, and he had lost all of his hopes for the upper floor already when he entered the single big room.

They were dead.
All of them,either that or they had left their captain alone to rott here, silced open in the middle of the room. Judging from the cuts and the dried blood on the dusty floor the man couldn't be dead for longer than three days.

It meant the fruit was gone.

Corazon could feel his heart stutter, and all strenght left him as his knees hit the floor, his eyes fixed on the dead body in front of him.

He had failed.

He had failed Law.

Law would die.

This was his fault.

He should have been faster.

If he just had been faster...

Just a little...

His hands trembled as he clenched them to fists, trying to swallow down the lump that had formed in his throat.

His heart was beathing so fast he was sure it wanted to escape his chest.

They had no time...

There was no time to search for another cure. This had been their only hope.

Now it was gone, out of reach, maybe somewhere at the other end of the world...

Corazon closed his eyes and tried to calm down; crying wouldn't help him now!
He had to stay strong, for Law, for them both, because if he gave up now they would be damned for sure.

There was hope,there was always hope, always a way even if it was just a small path to go.

There was a chance that the fruit was still on the island! A very small chance, but it was a possiblity! If it wasn't on the island it had to be around somewhere, they couldn't have gotten far within two to three days...

Corazon hastily stumbled to his feet, almost falling over them. He needed to hurry, the faster he got back to Law the sooner they could sail off.

However, it would probably wise to check the island first, for any possible information regarding the new master of the fruit. Corazon doubted that he would find anything, not if the person who had stolen it was careful enough to hide their tracks, which they probably were.
The fruit was desired by many pirates, and the Marine had their eyes on it as well. Being in possession of the fruit was a lot of trouble, and probably not even worth all the money it could bring.

Maybe, Corazon thought as he jumped over a fallen trunk, maybe the fruit has been eaten already.

What then?

Would he be able to kill that person?

Nah,not if he had to...

He could, of course, be as ruthless as his brother if it came to certain things, but he tried to avoid killing people as much as possible.

Asking the person to heal Law was another option, however, knowing how long it could take to handle the power of a fruit this was probably out of question, especially if the person didn't have the requiered medical knowledge...

His feet nearly slipped on the snowy ground as his long legs carries him over the icy.

He needed a plan.

Maybe, he wondered, maybe trying to do this alone hasn't been a good idea.

He was one man trying to come up with a plan to save a sick child, a man with not enough money and certainly not enough time.

You can always go back to your brother...

The voice in his head sounded like Doflamingo, and it made Corazon flinch inwardly.

No,never, he couldn't go back.

He couldn't do that to Law.

But what good would it do Law to make him suffer, when there was the possibility that Doflamingo and the crew could help them...

No,no, no,no!

They couldn't go back!

They would never be allowed to leave again.

A life in a golden cage, was it worth it?
Was it better than dying?

Was it selfish of Corazon to decide such things without asking Law first?

He is a child, Corazon's voice gumbled in his head, he's too young to decide anything like that, something so drastic...

Was he,though? Too young?

Corazon pressed his lips so hard together that it did hurt, but the cold wind slapping into his face made him hardly noticed the pain.

He was out of breath, his lungs hurting thanks to the freezing air as he reached the place where he had docked the little ship.

It was still there, and relief washed through Corazon, filling him with warmth.

He hadn't even realized how afraid he had been to find an empty place without Law.

He quickly walked over the big ice field. The snow was almost taking his sight now, the wind harsher than in the woods, where it had been blocked by the big trees. Now it was blowing freely, taking already fallen snow off the ground to throw it into Corazon's direction.

Grabbing his hat by the tassels so it wouldn't fly away, he called out for Law.

"Oi,Law! I am back! There is a slight change in our plans, but don't worry! I've got this!"

Corazon sighed as he finally reached the deck of the ship. Having to leave Law alone was something he always disliked. There was always a pessing feeling of fear that the boy had gone when Corazon returned.

"I hope you could sleep a little. I know the storm doesn't make it easy, but the blankets were warm enough, weren't they?"

Corazon brushed the snow off of his shoulders as he entered the little cabine that they had provisionally built out of wooden rods with a blanket as roof.

"Uh,are you still asleep?" Corazon looked down. "I am sorry if I disturbed you I-"

Corazon reached out for the bundle of blankets on the ground, expecting Law to turn over as soon as he felt the familiar hand on his small shoulder, but Corazon's hand found no shoulder.

There was no Law.

Only blankets.

Corazon's heart began to beat so fast that he felt like throwing up.

"Law?" he called out,hoping the boy was somewhere else on the small ship, but there was no where he could have gone...

The ship was empty.

"Law!"

No response.

Law was gone.

Where was Law, why was he gone, where was he!

Corazon quickly turned around and ran towards the railing,leaning down to see if he could find the boy somewhere in front of the ship, but no, nothing.

Only white snow.

Panic began to grip Corazon in a tight grip, making it difficult for him to breath.

Had Law been kidnapped?!

Had to, he was far too weak to leave the ship all by himself!

How long had Corazon been gone?

How many hours had passed?

"Law!"

Corazon jumped off of the ship, his feet hitting the snowy ground with a soft crunching sound, a sound that seemed far too loud to Corazon's ears.

Footprints,there had to be footprints!

Frantically he began to search the ground, nearly on all fours as he tried to find anything that could lead him to Law.

But there was nothing, nothing at all! The snow was completly untouched, Corazon's footprints the only sign of life.

Oh god, oh god, oh god!

Corazon's breath began to speed up, and he tried his very best to stay calm, but it wouldn't work! All he could think about was Law not being here with him.

What if they had killed him?

"No,no,no,no!"

Corazon was close to ripping his hair out.

This was his fault! He shouldn't have left him alone, shouldn't have taken him away in the first place!

God,how naive had he been that he had believed this would work out!

"Oh god, no..."

His heart was beating fast,so fast he was sure it would fly away and out of his chest in any minute,leaving him alone and bleeding.

"Law, I am sorry,I am sorry..."

He need to find him! He needed to look around the island, he had to be here!

Corazon turned around, his shaking hands grabbing the tassels of his hat. He would find Law, he would and -

His eyes grew wide and he had to suppress a gasp. The hands holding the tassels let go and fell to his side, while all words left his mouth without a sound.

"I am disappointed, Rocinante." Doflamingo said, and his voice was as cold as icy as the air that lashed out at Corazon. However, nothing, nothing felt as cold as the ice that began to freeze Corazon's wild heart, turning it into a biting cold chunk of ice that began to paralyze his whole body. "So very, very disappointed in you."

He was standing in front of Corazon, only a few feet away, wearing a black suit and his dark shades. One hand was hidden inside the pocket of his trousers, the other arm was holding Law who was resting his head on Doflamingo's shoulders, seemingly asleep.

Law was alive.

All breath had left Corazon, and he could slowly feel his world crumbling apart.

A smile formed on Doflamingo's lips, but it was cold and bland, just like the ice around them, without any joy.

"You haven't learned anything at all..." He took one step forward, his impossbile long legs steady and sure, as if he had all the time of the world. He sighed heavily as he reached Corazon,looking down at him as if he was a missbehaving child. "I told you,didn't I?"

Corazon was quiet.

All thoughts had left him, leaving him empty.

Doflamingo's cold smile grew wider as he leaned down.

"Seems like we have to start all over again."