The apartment was a mess.
Whoever had broken in must have been looking for something, as all of the doors in the house had been opened, save for the closets in Soma's and Hitomi's room. This small miracle had no doubt been what had saved Soma from any harm he might have otherwise been subjected to.
In addition to that, there were many other strange signs of destruction. The chairs from the kitchen table had been pushed around and knocked over. The couch had been flipped upside down, and the potted plants Hitomi had standing to either side of the doorway had been broken and split apart, spilling brown dirt and flowers all over the floor. The intruder's reasoning why wasn't quite clear.
The damage didn't stop there, either. Soma's bookshelf had been broken in half, somehow, and his stuff was dumped all over the floor. It was difficult to step through with everything that had been seemingly tossed around.
Even some of the food in the fridge had been taken out and eaten. As if to add insult to injury.
"Besides some superficial damage to several of your personal items, and based on the list of your valuables, we don't think burglary was the motive." The police officer briefed Zoro, flipping through a list of items that Hitomi had provided. "Nothing appears to have been stolen."
Zoro nodded, despite his internal confusion. If burglary wasn't the purpose of the break-in, then what was? He glanced over at Hitomi, who was sitting beside Soma on the couch to make sure he was ok. She'd been conflicted between clearing things up with the officers currently inspecting her home and being there for her brother. Zoro had promised to take care of the details. Family was most important.
"Do you have any suspects?" The security guard asked.
The officer shook his head, smoothing back his hair with a weary look. "Not at this time. But we'll cross-reference our database to any recent crimes with a similar MO, and take some witness statements from your neighbors. See what they heard or saw."
He flipped to a new page on the clipboard, clicking his pen against it and clearing his throat. "Alright, now I have to ask you some routine questions, just to get your statement." He said.
"Sure." Zoro agreed, gaze flicking over once more to make sure Hitomi and Soma were doing alright. One of the officers was crouching down in front of the boy and speaking quietly to him, no doubt asking him questions as to what happened. He was wrapped in a blanket, and appeared a little shaken. However his face was set in determined lines.
"Could you please describe when you left the residence? Include any and all details you remember."
"I drove here to pick her up, and went inside to talk with her for about…ten minutes or so. We left right after that and went to the restaurant. Nothing unusual or odd happened." Zoro explained, crossing his arms.
"What time did the two of you leave the house?"
"Just before 7."
The officer nodded, eyes on the clipboard as he wrote. "And did you notice anything suspicious at that time? Any strange people hanging around, strange noises that seemed out of place?" He asked.
The security guard thought back for a moment, recalling when they'd left. "Nothing that I noticed. I don't think there was anyone around, but then again I wasn't looking."
"Alright," the officer took a moment to write that down before glancing up at him, "and how are you affiliated with the resident?"
"I'm…her boyfriend." Only the barest hint of hesitation came through. It was the first time he'd called himself that and it…felt strange. Good, but strange.
"Do you live here?"
Zoro cleared his throat. "Umm, no."
"Ok…" The officer drawled out as he finished the form. "I'll just need you to sign at the bottom that everything you stated is true to the extent of your knowledge, along with your contact information if we need to ask any further questions." He handed it to the security guard to sign, along with a pen.
Zoro started on the form, and the officer coughed. "I would look into updating the locks on the door, double check that all windows are locked at night." He suggested with a glance around the living room. "Victims of break-ins don't expect a second attempt directly after the first, but it's more common than we like to admit. Once a house has been targeted, often times a vulnerable security system can attract more unwanted guests."
Zoro nodded, eyes once again finding their way to Hitomi and Soma. The boy was shaking his head, arms crossed, at whatever the officer was saying to him. She nodded slowly, as if in understanding.
"I'll make sure they're alright." He promised, and the officer nodded. "Here." Zoro finally said, having filled all of the required fields on the form. He was no stranger to police reports. Security brought many incidents where law enforcement had to be called in.
"Thank you, and here is my card if you think of any other details or need to get in touch." The officer said, handing him a simple business card.
With a nod, Zoro stepped away and joined Hitomi and her brother by the couch. Now that he was closer, he could hear what the female officer crouching in front of him was saying.
"…happened after that?"
"I ran to grab the gun in Big Sis's room. Then he got inside the house, so I hid in her closet."
"How long would you say he was in the house for?"
The boy shrugged. "Maybe 10 minutes. It didn't feel that long."
The officer nodded, writing her own statement down. "Ok. Did you get a look at him? We could have you sit down with a sketch artist if you feel confident you could describe him for us."
"No." Soma said with another head shake. He sounded surprisingly calm, given the circumstances. "I stayed in the closet the whole time, and there weren't any openings I could see through."
She looked back up at him with a small smile. "Did he say anything? Do anything strange that you know of?"
Soma paused for a second, squinting down at his lap for a moment. "Right before he left, he said something. Maybe he was talking on a phone or something. He said that… she wasn't here? And he said to tell Vergo something."
"Vergo?" She asked to clarify, and he nodded.
"Yeah, that's what it sounded like. The guy said to tell Vergo that she wasn't there."
Zoro watched as Hitomi's eyes narrowed minutely. He could practically see the name etching itself into her brain. She'd definitely be doing some research of her own the next time she went in for work, he was certain. Because while Hitomi may come across as a carefree woman who doesn't let things get to her, Zoro knew better.
Hitomi never forgives, nor forgets, those who wrong her or her family.
The officer frowned, writing more things down on her statement. "They were looking for your sister?"
"I guess so. I don't know. He never said a name."
"Ok." She said, noting a few more items down on her paper. "Is there anything else you can remember? Even the smallest detail could be very important."
Soma sat for another moment, and Hitomi rubbed at his back comfortingly while he thought deeply. "No, that's everything."
"Great." She reached into her pocket and produced a very similar card to the one Zoro had been given. "Here's how you can contact me if you think of anything else, or if you just want to talk. We want to make sure you're ok."
"I'm fine." Soma said, but was respectful enough to take the card anyway. He handed it to Hitomi, who kept hold of it.
"Thank you, officer." She said to the female. She nodded with a smile, standing and taking her paperwork with her. All of the policemen and women began to file out of her apartment, and Hitomi went to stand by the door to see them all out. It was simple courtesy.
She shut the door behind the last one. The red and blue lights that had been flickering against the window for the past half hour finally shut off, and the patrol cars drove out of the apartment complex silently, off to answer the next call when it came.
There was a pregnant pause, a thick silence laden on the air for the occupants inside. Hitomi crossed her arms and rubbed at her eyes with one hand. At this point she didn't even care if it smudged the eyeshadow and eyeliner she'd worked to perfect before her date.
"I'm sorry, Big Sis. I should have called the police sooner." Soma finally said first, looking away in shame.
"Soma, you've got nothing to be sorry about." Hitomi said quickly, moving to kneel in front of him like the officer had. Her hands smoothed down his reckless hair. "You did everything right. I'm glad you thought for yourself and made sure everything you did kept you safe first and foremost."
He seemed to feel uncomfortable under his sister's praise, shrugging silently and staring down at his fingers. They fidgeted nervously.
"I'm so glad you're ok." Hitomi said, enveloping him in a tight hug. The boy accepted it eagerly, wrapping his hands around her back with a squeeze.
Zoro stood to the side, happy that things had turned out fine tonight, but feeling a little out of place. This wasn't exactly the right place for him. He felt like an intruder on their moment of relief. He glanced around awkwardly, waiting for them to tell him to leave. He was sure Hitomi would want to stay home and make sure Soma was going to be fine.
After a moment, she pulled away, rubbing his shoulders in a soothing gesture. "Why don't you go take a shower to freshen up and help you relax?" She suggested, smiling when he finally nodded silently. "I'll be out here in case you need anything, ok?"
He nodded again, then stood and let the blanket slide from his small frame. Both adults watched him retreat to the bathroom, soon hearing the water turn on not long after. They shared a glance, and she didn't need to say anything at all for Zoro to know that she needed him to hold her.
They came together and his strong arms enveloped her frame. Hitomi didn't cry, but she shook, arms wrapped around his back to keep him close. Zoro rested his chin on the top of her head, breathing deeply so she could feel how calm he was. It helped her calm herself down, in turn.
"I was so close to losing him." She muttered into his chest.
"I know." He said, rubbing at her back evenly. "But you didn't."
She shook her head, not wanting to even think of the alternative any longer. Zoro allowed her however long she needed to compose herself, the shaking slowly dying down until only the occasional tremor could be felt. With a deep breath, she stepped away. Her hands still remained on his chest though, keeping him close and feeling his warm strength.
"I know you may not feel entirely comfortable doing so, and I only ask this for Soma's sake…Would you spend the night tonight? I think having someone else in the house that he trusts will help him feel more secure." She asked quietly, eyes staring at her own fingers on his chest.
She was right. Zoro didn't know how comfortable that would make him. Not only physically—the couch wouldn't be the best on his back, truthfully—but also romantically. They weren't too far into this relationship and neither had brought up the topic of sleeping over at the other's place before. It was an unusual circumstance, and he understood the reasoning, though.
Zoro reached down and lifted her chin with his hand, catching her gaze. "Of course." Was all he said, hoping that despite his discomfort, the promise to make sure they were both ok prevailed through his hesitation.
She smiled after a moment, leaning her head forward to rest her forehead on his chest. When she lifted it, Hitomi was back to her usual self: calm and relaxed. Well, as relaxed as she could be. "I'll let you go home and grab some things, then."
Zoro nodded, feeling slightly disappointed when they stepped away from each other. For the first few moments after, he stood there awkwardly, scratching at his ear trying to figure out what to say.
"I'll…be right back." He eventually managed, backtracking to head back to his car outside. She watched him go with amusement…and a blatant appreciation. He wasn't used to seeing that from anyone.
Before he could get lost staring at that expression, she turned away to go to her own bedroom, and Zoro left in a hurry.
Law kept his head down, trudging along the snowy sidewalk with weary eyes and a sense of accomplishment. A small smirk was fixed in place. Things seemed to be going his way for once.
Not only was he able to order a successful hit on Machvise, Joker's main agent for forgery and counterfeit currency, but he'd just gotten word from another person who owed him a favor that they'd taken care of Dellinger as well.
Law remembered vaguely that Dellinger had been a young boy when Law had been a part of the cartel, taken care of mainly by Jora, They'd never associated, but apparently he'd grown into Law's own spot of running drugs throughout the city. According to the information he had, his boyish appearance made him ideal at influencing the younger populations in richer neighborhoods.
Two hits in one night. Joker's network was shrinking more and more everyday. The smug expression on Law's face just wouldn't go away, his shoulders hunched to try warding off the flakes that fell to the ground and on him.
He was close to his hideaway now. Despite his confidence that things were going exactly how he wanted them to, he wasn't stupid. He knew Joker would find him here eventually. Perhaps it was about time to move on. A few more days at most, he suspected.
He turned the corner towards the abandoned building, eyes coasting left and right for any sign of someone following. He'd tried being as vigilant as he could, but he was getting tired. Living like this wasn't easy, and the fatigue was beginning to wear at him. He reached up and rubbed at his eyes, blinking rapidly to rid his sight of the white dots that speckled them afterwards.
Law rounded the corner of another building and headed straight towards where he'd be sleeping that night, craning his neck to the side to pop the joints back into place. His sigh blasted a cloud of white air in front of his face. His bed, for as uncomfortable as it was, was a welcome thing after such a long day.
He reached up to push aside the plank covering the window-
The sound of a footstep directly behind him was too quick for him to react in time before the cord whipped down over his head and tightened against his neck. Law choked out in surprise, his air supply cut short by both the cord and from being pushed against the brick wall.
Eyes wide, with adrenaline pushing his movements now, he was able to twist in the attacker's grip and face them. Surprised, they stepped backwards, which gave the bartender enough room to maneuver himself. He leapt towards them, sending them tumbling to the ground in the snow.
In the confusion and scrambling on both parts to right themselves, the cord was dropped in the snow. Law sat on the person's chest breathing hard, dressed all in black and indistinguishable as to their identity, and pressed his hands to their neck, squeezing to restrict his oxygen.
They kicked their legs out from behind Law, trying to push themselves away, but it was no use. Law had a firm grip and refused to let go. The person tried scrambling for something behind Law and-
Something hard and metallic hit him in the side of the temple, sending him reeling in shock off of his first attacker. The first blow left him dazed, sharp stars crossing his vision. He tried to stand, the instinctual desire to flea filling his thoughts, before the second hit to the head knocked him out completely, dropping him to the ground in a crumpled heap.
When he awoke, it was to the sensation of a raging headache. Well, more than a headache, actually. He could feel the crusting of dried blood on the side of his face, and there were straps or cuffs holding his hands together. The sudden realization of what had happened flooded his memory and he snapped his head up, trying to pull his hands free from each other.
He was chained to a metal ring on the floor by his feet, the chain allowing only a few feet in any given direction for movement by the looks of it. His hands tied together with a zip tie. behind him. He didn't recognize this place. There were two other people seated in the room with him, who looked up when he rose to a sitting position, raising their heads with disinterest before looking back down at their phones. Apparently they had better things to do than watch a prisoner.
Law looked around the room, noticing old swathes of carpet patches scattered here and there. He was laying on one himself. Some looked stained and disgusting, perhaps temporary bedding for the homeless or less fortunate. Covering the concrete walls of the room was old and fading graffiti. Along the edges of the room looked like trash and the remains of old fast food bags, crumpled and torn and dusty. He spotted a few drug needles here and there too. So, maybe more like a drug den than anything else.
He rested his head back down on the carpet swathes and sighed heavily. Shit…Shit! He'd gotten too cocky. Too sure of himself that everything was working according to plan. Just when things were going right…This could be very bad, depending on who exactly had found him. Joker had full reign over his most trusted subordinates, but they largely operated independently within their own specialties. Some were more dangerous than others, and Law was certain that Joker had all of his network looking for him, no doubt.
After several minutes of silence within the room, neither one of his captors apparently intent on speaking to him at all, Law turned his head to regard one of them. "Where are we?" He asked, feeling groggy and in pain. The question didn't sound as confident out loud as he'd intended it to be.
The guy shrugged, eyes never leaving his phone. "Some old house. Not that it matters. When Vergo gets here, it's not like you'll get to leave anyway." He stated in the same tone as if he were commenting on the weather. He seemed oblivious to Law's inner turmoil and slight fear. Not wanting to converse further, he shifted positions in his seat and continued scrolling on his device.
Vergo.
Who answered directly to Joker and did everything the man said. The perfectly trained attack dog without a leash, obeying every command it received without question. A cruel man who enjoyed the pain he inflicted on others.
The one who had hated Law the most out of all of the people in Joker's ring. Of course it had to be him. Of all the people…
Fuck.
"Uh, happy early Christmas?" Penguin said, holding out a small wrapped package to the blonde. Shachi stood behind him, watching expectantly as she gingerly took the gift from his friend with wide eyes.
"You…got me a present?" They nodded and she gave them a slanted smile. "Guys, you really didn't have to. I don't have any way of getting you ones in return right now-"
"Don't even worry about it." Shachi said, waving her concerns away. "We wanted to get you something, and you don't owe us presents or anything because of it."
"Well?" Penguin gestured to the mystery gift. "Aren't you going to open it?"
Summer smiled, tearing open the wrapping and pulling the contents out as she saw them. The smile grew wider when she saw the large sketch pad they'd bought for her, and underneath that was a whole array of pencils and shading tools. It wasn't like it was all that surprising. They'd promised to get one for her the other night, but it was still a nice gesture that she appreciated greatly.
"Thank you." She said with a smile. "I'll get started on some drawings right away. I haven't practiced in so long."
"No problem." They said, leaving her be to let her do her own thing. It was Shachi's turn to go home and rest, so Penguin decided to lay down on the couch, his hat covering his eyes as he took a nap after a long day of work.
Summer took her new pencils and sketch pad and took them into her bedroom, setting everything up how she wanted it. Once comfortable, she paused, staring at the empty page. What to draw…Gosh it had been so long…
She tapped the pencil's eraser on the page a few times, letting her mind wander a bit. Sometimes she would start something unconsciously and just go with it after the initial lines. The pencil continued to wiggle back and forth above the page, until finally she thought of something.
Her lines started on the left side, tracing out a smooth, curved edge…
Vergo kept Law waiting on the cold floor of the abandoned house for an hour. At least that was his best guess in terms of the passage of time. There wasn't exactly a clock he could look at to confirm that. And the lack of conversation on his captors' parts meant it dragged on in silence the whole time.
In the meantime, he'd moved himself into a sitting position. It was awkward and slightly painful due to the shackles on his ankles. He couldn't cross his legs properly, but at least he wasn't in such a vulnerable position by laying on his back. He didn't like feeling vulnerable.
A door opened somewhere above him, and he glanced up, eyes trailing the ceiling to follow the sound of footsteps. Several footsteps. Despite himself, Law swallowed. Surely one of them was Vergo. He only hoped the other wasn't Joker himself.
The footsteps continued past him to the other side of the house, then started down a set of stairs. The wood on them creaked uneasily, setting Law's teeth on edge. If this wasn't the most prolonged entrance in history…
A door opened to Law's left, and the tall, well-groomed man stepped through the door. Clad in a long white coat, sunglasses in place as they always were, Vergo brought his hands behind his back and walked up closer to Law to inspect him. Just behind him, another person stepped out, and he narrowed his eyes. Flaming red hair, tall stature-
What the hell was Kidd doing here?
"Joker hasn't appreciated your meddling, Law." Vergo said, drawing his attention. The man's lightning-style facial hair and buzz-cut hair suited him better than how he remembered him styling it.
Law's expression switched from confusion to a hateful glare in no time, piercing the larger man with as much spite as he could in his gaze alone. "Yeah, well, I haven't appreciated his."
"I wouldn't call it meddling when you ran away from the family like that. Nobody takes kindly to deserters." He continued, walking patiently around him. A shark circling its next meal.
"I wouldn't call what he's got a family. More like a cult." Law spat, unable to see Vergo as he walked behind him, so instead switched his gaze to Kidd. He looked smug, arms crossed and smirk set in place, just watching the exchange. As far as Law knew, Kidd wasn't affiliated with Joker, so why was he here?
"That's because you never respected him." Vergo stated simply, tone never changing from it's smooth neutral. "You could never see the kindness he was paying you, despite the way you acted as a brat."
Law let out a huff of unamused laughter, head shaking incredulously. "You're delusional. None of you know what kindness even is."
"Even now, as you kill his family members, Joker is willing to give you a chance. I'm sure you know I certainly wouldn't have given that to you. You don't call that kindness?" Vergo said suddenly, taking off his white coat at the corner of Law's vision. He wore a skin-tight black mesh shirt that brought attention to his physical physique. "I'm only here to make sure you've learned your lesson, since apparently I didn't reinforce it well enough the first time."
Perhaps it wasn't the best decision, but Law gave a little smirk and shook his head. "I'm a slow learner, I guess."
"You're not stupid, so I'll make this simple." Vergo continued, accepting the metal pipe that the first set of captors had used to knock him out originally, and walking forward menacingly. "I'm going to ask where the girl is, and you're going to refuse to answer. Then, I'm going to beat you with this pipe. How does that sound?"
Law grit his teeth, clenching his hands together behind him. "I'm not afraid of you, Vergo."
Immediately, the man's foot planted itself into Law's chest and shoved him onto his back. His head, already in pain from the pipe hours before, was slamming into the concrete. He groaned out through his teeth, eyes closing involuntarily. More weight was pressed onto his chest, and he cracked his eyes open to see Vergo leaning down into his face.
"I believe that's Vergo-san…to you. And you certainly should be."
"Fuck you!" He spat, ignoring the fact that it was hard to breathe with Vergo's boot pressed up against his ribcage. He tensed his muscles as the first of the blows from the pipe reined down on his body.
It was late evening by the time Summer finished her sketch. To Shachi's and Penguin's relief, she came out for dinner and socialized with them a bit before retiring to bed and finishing her project. She didn't shut herself up in her room the whole time. After realizing that doing so would only make things worse for everyone involved, she wouldn't let herself get to that point again.
She brushed a few more lines along the far right side of the face, smoothing it out just a bit more, then adding a few more details into the hair.
Law's soft gaze stared back at her, and she marveled at the fact that the gray of the pencil's graphite matched his real color rather well. In her sketch her looked calm and content, a far cry from the worry and concern for their safety he expressed the last time she saw him. But this was the Law she remembered most vividly. Of nights listening to her talk at the bar, slowly getting to know her.
Summer stared at it, head tilted. She'd always loved that expression on him. Whenever she pulled out her sketchpad to draw, or when she'd show him the newest picture in his camera. Like he wouldn't want to be anywhere else but right there with her, that's what she wished she could capture in a photo and have forever.
She smiled sadly before flipping the page closed, setting it aside to go to bed. She was tired and needed rest.
Law began to rethink what some of those stains in the carpet swathes were on the ground, head pressed into the patch of carpet where most of his bloodstains would soak into. He coughed, seeing flecks of blood as he did so. How many others had been taken here for the same reason? Some of them looked a familiar shade of dark redish-brown.
Every part of him was in some sort of pain, either by Vergo's boot or his pipe. He seemed to enjoy switching between the two for maximum pain. It was part of the reason Vergo was one of Joker's most trusted right hand men.
Speaking of which, his boot caught his shoulder and shoved him back onto his back, leaving him staring up at the ceiling. He panted from pain and physical exertion. His attacker wandered around him in a circle, as if searching for the next part of him to target, before he paused and stared down at him quizzically.
"You're really doing all this for some girl?" He asked, but Law was in too much pain to respond at that moment. "Never thought you'd be the type to let a pretty face get to you."
All Law could manage in way of reply was a low growl, unappreciative of his offhand reference to Summer. As if a pretty face was all she was. He could feel a warm, metallic liquid in his mouth. Without preamble he spit the blood at Vergo, getting flecks of it on his skin and shirt.
His action was met with another painful blow to his knee, and Law grunted in pain, muffling it as best he could. Vergo enjoyed hearing his victims suffer, but the bartender didn't want to give him the satisfaction of hearing him scream or cry out.
"I have a dozen other things I could be doing instead of this, you know." Vergo sighed, as if he was the one inconvenienced by all of this. The atmosphere was interrupted by a phone ringing. Vergo pulled it out from his pocket and stared at the caller ID. Then he turned and walked away from Law. He easily swung the pipe around and tossed it to Kidd who was sitting in one of the chairs, watching with interest. "Here, we promised you'd get your turn. Just don't kill him."
"Great." The redhead practically purred, standing and taking Vergo's place above him. The man disappeared back up the stairs, his muffled voice no doubt answering the call.
Law directed his gaze to Kidd, who cradled the pipe delicately, almost reverently, staring down at the bartender with malice. "What the hell are you doing here?" He asked quietly in confusion.
"Did that guy knock out your brains or something? You beat the shit out of me. Did you really think I'd take that lying down?" He smacked the pipe against the palm of his hand, over and over in an intimidating gesture.
The bartender rolled his eyes in disbelief. "All of this because of that?"
"I don't forgive people like you."
"You deserved it." Law wheezed with closed eyes, his lungs hurting sharply with his exhalation of breath.
"Doesn't matter." Kidd claimed, planting his feet right beside Law's face. "No one knocks me out and gets away with it."
To punctuate his claim, he brought the pipe down on his chest with a thump. Law only grunted, waves of pain accompanying each blow as Kidd gave them. He didn't stick to one target at a time, like Vergo did. Instead he simply let the pipe land where it may. It was impossible to defend himself with his hands tied behind his back, so Law could only take the beating in stride.
The blows to the face hurt the worst. They left him dazed for moments afterwards, before the next one would land somewhere else and he'd be shocked back to reality again. This repeated over and over, and he began to wonder if he preferred Vergo's beatings to Kidd's. At least he could anticipate where the next one would come, rather than this random assault on his person.
This went on for several minutes. Bruises left behind in Vergo's first beating were worsened by Kidd's additions. He was sure he'd be black and blue all over once this was done with. If this was done with. Who knew how he was getting out of this one.
Kidd took a break once Vergo returned to the room, inspecting Law's beaten body with interest. Then, once satisfied that Law was indeed suffering, he turned to the two lackeys who'd been thus far only watching the beatings take place.
"I'm being called elsewhere. I will return later. Watch them." He said, and they both nodded. As he passed by Law, he paused and tilted his head. "I'll beat the truth out of you eventually."
And with that parting promise he disappeared back up the stairs.
Law was left staring up towards the only means of escape he could see, until Kidd dropped the pipe and sat on his chest. His shirt was yanked upwards, and Kidd's fist wailed on him over and over, until he finally lost consciousness.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
