Chapter 1

"Lissy!"

A little six-year-old girl whimpered as she sat in her corner, calling out for her older sister in a pathetic manner with her arms wrapped tightly around her own legs. She heard quick steps, ears perking as she turned her head toward the sound, hoping it was her sister and not their father...

Gentle hands reached out and hugged Temperance; she recognized the touch as her sister's and slowly relaxed into the embrace, wrapping her own arms around her older sister.

"Are you okay, Tempy? What's wrong?" Temperance heard the concern laced in Felicity's voice, and gave her older sister a tiny smile.

Even though she couldn't see her sister's face, she could still remember what her sister had looked like from times before she lost her sight. She knew Felicity had long black curls, big brown eyes, and funnily enough, those who didn't know the young girls would have never realized that they were in fact full-blooded sisters.

"I-I got scared..." A crack of lightning resounded and Temperance cried out, clinging as tightly as she could to Felicity.

The ten-year-old girl merely tightened the hug and began to rub her younger sister's back. "Shh, it's alright... I've got you now. Nothing's ever gonna hurt you, Tempy, not while I'm around. I promise."

Temperance never felt as safe as she did whenever her sister was around. If it weren't for Felicity, the little girl didn't know what would happen to her. Felicity took care of all her needs, helped her whenever her blindness made her a burden to others and no matter what, Temperance felt nothing but love from her sister, no condemnation whatsoever.

"I'll never leave you, Lissy! Never!" Temperance's voice was filled with happiness, so glad that no matter what she'd always have her sister. After all, they couldn't count on their father for a single thing, not since their mother had died more than two years earlier.

Felicity remained silent for the time and Temperance frowned slightly, gently tugging at her sister's sleeve to get her attention. "Lissy?"

"Tempy, you can't make promises like that to me."

Sightless eyes widened in shock at the statement. "Wh-What? But why?! I mean it, Lissy! I won't ever leave you! Never ever!"

"Listen to me, Temperance!"

The white-haired girl froze, unsure how to take her sister's current attitude. Felicity never acted like this before, so why...

Felicity sighed, hugging her little sister tightly again. "You know how our stupid father won't get you help. Says it's justice that you became blind and that you deserve to stay that way, but he's wrong! And..." Temperance heard Felicity take a deep breath. "I want you to promise me, if the chance ever comes for you to get help for your sight, if you see an opportunity to escape from this life then I want you to take it!"

Temperance felt tears come to her eyes, whimpering before shaking her head at the realization of what her sister was saying. "N-NO! I won't! I dun' wanna leave you, Lissy!" Fat tears began to stream down her cheeks and she felt Felicity's hands grip at her shoulders, shaking her.

"Don't say that!" Felicity's voice cracked, and it was obvious the little girl was trying to keep her emotions in check. "I want you to promise me that the first chance you find at getting help, that you'll leave and never look back!"

Temperance continued to shake her head, sniffling as she listened to her sister's words.

She heard Felicity shuffle until she felt her sister sitting right by her side. Felicity gently grabbed onto her sister's hand, squeezing gently. "Mama would want you to."

Those five words were all it took for the dam to burst, Temperance's tears flowed freely as the six-year-old bawled.

In that moment, amidst the tears and sobbing, Temperance made a silent vow, that if she ever had to leave Felicity behind someday, that her sister's sacrifice would never be in vain...

The bond between the two sisters was just too great.

16 Years Later

"Temperance!"

A young woman with long snow-white hair tightly gripped a shawl that was draped over her shoulders, smiling warmly as she heard the sound of an all-too familiar voice. The tall, slender beauty turned in place, head cocked to the side so that the one calling for her could see just where she was.

Sightless, bright blue eyes couldn't see a single thing in front of her, but she knew that her older sister was close by.

"I'm right over here, Lissy," She laughed softly at the grumbling of her sister, her footsteps getting close and closer.

"Damn it, how many times have I told you not to call me that? We're not kids anymore! And don't get too far away, I can't look out for you if you're not close by."

The blind girl laughed again as she felt her older sister reach up to ruffle at her hair. It was odd, considering that she was the younger of the two how her older sister was so much shorter than she was. In fact, the drastic differences between the two sisters, both looks and personality-wise were something that the two had learned to bond over, to joke around with one another.

The younger of the two women gave an involuntary shudder as the cries from the nearby battle grew louder and louder, her fingers gripped at the shawl she wore even tighter. "What's going on now?" Her voice came out barely as a whisper as her head turned toward Felicity.

Her ears perked as her older sister snorted. "What do you think? Dear old dad and the rest of the Marines are doing their damndest to see to it that the Whitebeard Pirates lose this fight."

"It's so sad," Temperance murmured softly. "His only crime was being born..." Of course the he that she referred to was Portgas D. Ace, a boy who was only two years younger than she herself was, and he had been sentenced to die all for the fact that he was Gol D. Roger's son.

Felicity sighed. "Yeah, it's not really fair but what could we do about it? Not a damn thing."

It was true, they couldn't do anything useful whatsoever. A fact their father reminded them of daily...

The two young women stood on the deck of a Navy ship that was docked just outside Marineford, both clinging to each other as the sounds of battle and bloodshed wore on.

"Now Whitebeard himself is joining the fight," Felicity's voice was filled with slight awe and it was moments like those that Temperance wished she could have her sight restored so she too could see everything going on around them. To be able to see... A dream that she had given up on long ago.

"Felicity, what-"

Her words were cut off as suddenly the boat, as well as the entire sea rocked and both girls were flung across the ship. Temperance's hand reached out for her sister's and she could feel her sister with her bare fingertips, but she was suddenly flung off the boat, falling into the murky waters outside Marineford.

"Felicity!" She shrieked, flailing and reaching still for her older sister's outstretched hand as she tried to keep herself surfaced above the water.

"TEMPERANCE!"

The white-haired girl managed to kick herself toward the surface of the waves, gasping for air as her head broke through the water. However it was only momentary, as she was soon dragged underneath the waves once again, her sister's voice screaming for her all the while.

She was falling, falling, falling... She knew at the rate she was sinking it was only a matter of time before everything ended for her. Her legs continued to kick against the water but she was a terrible swimmer, always had been and she couldn't force her legs to kick herself back to the surface of the water.

Slowly her consciousness faded into nothing and she felt nothing, not even when her body gently collided with the deck of a yellow submarine.

It seemed a shame that she would die without even seeing the surroundings in which her life would end.

"Captain!"

Trafalgar Law frowned as he heard the voice of his first mate call for him, turning his head to acknowledge that he had heard Bepo. "What is it?"

"Something's landed on the ship! What do we do, Captain?!"

The captain of the Heart Pirates found his frown deepening and the grip he had on his nodachi tightened slightly. Well, they were right in the heart of the waters of Marineford. What could it hurt to bring the ship above water now to investigate?

"Bring us up, let's take a look at what's going on."

"Aye aye, Captain!"

Law moved toward the stairs, waiting for his crew to bring the sub to surface before stepping out onto the deck of his sub where he found a woman crumpled in a heap right on the middle of said deck. The Surgeon of Death knelt by her side with the rest of the crew surrounding them, leaning his head down to her chest to ascertain how much water was currently in her lungs.

Both his hands gently pressed against her chest in a compression and after another compression, the woman began to cough and hack up any sea water that she had swallowed in her near-drowning.

The woman was completely soaked from head to toe, giving her a drowned rat appearance, but Law still managed to get a good look at the uninvited visitor on his ship, noting that she had long white hair and bright blue eyes. She sat straight up and after Law got a better look, he decided he didn't recognize her whatsoever.

Well now that that was out of the way he could kick her off the sub and be about his merry way.

Suddenly without warning, she placed both her hands against his face, gently tracing his features with her fingers.

This was definitely new to the doctor.

"Wh-Who are you? I don't recognize your face..." She scooted away from Law, finally drawing her hands away from his face and tucking them in her lap as she seemingly stared out into space.

The captain felt a brow slowly arch, reaching a hand out and waving it back and forth in front of the woman's face. Seeing no visible reaction come from her, he made the judgment that this woman was in fact, sightless.

Odd... Even with his extensive medical knowledge about this subject, Law himself hadn't come into much contact with individuals who suffered from a loss of sight.

Not that any of that mattered at this moment in time. His eyes narrowed slightly as he pulled his hand back, standing to his feet to stare down at the woman. "Well shouldn't I be asking that of you, considering you fell on top of my ship?"

She stiffened, fidgeting in place as though debating whether or not to speak honestly to the man whose identity she had no clue about. "I... My name is Temperance. I-I fell off a Navy ship and I've never been able to swim very well with my," She paused, head turning in the direction she had heard Law's voice come from. "With my condition."

"And what condition would that be?" Law knew exactly what she was referring to, but wanted to hear her say it out loud, wanted her to confirm it for him.

Her teeth gently began to bite on her lower lip as she forced herself to say the next words: "M-My blindness."

"Captain," Penguin hissed into Law's ear, tugging his captain back slightly by his arm, effectively ending his captain's inner musings. "What are we supposed to do with her? We can't keep her on the ship if you want to get to Straw Hat!"

"He's right, Captain," Shachi took this opportunity to pipe up even though he couldn't stop himself from blatantly staring at the drenched woman, after all someone would have to be not in their right minds to notice how attractive she was even with her disability.

Law turned on his crew members, narrowing his eyes in the process. "You all should know better than to order me around. I'll be the one to decide just what we're going to do with her."

Penguin, Shachi and the others, with the exception of Bepo and Jean Bart, paled visibly. Their captain ignored them and their rapid apologies and once again knelt at the woman's side, using a finger to gently turn her head toward him. She jumped in place upon feeling the digit touch her, but Law ignored her reaction entirely as he continued to study her.

As a doctor, he was always intrigued by any unique medical anomaly. Now most would say that blindness wasn't an anomaly, but then again he wasn't most people, and slowly the wheels in his mind began to turn at all the possibilities...

"E-Excuse me," She spoke up again, her soft voice holding a bit of nervousness as her fingers began to tug at her skirt. "If you could somehow take me to my father's ship, I would be ever so grateful."

"TEMPY!"

Her head whipped around, freeing herself from Law's grasp upon hearing her sister's voice pierce through the air. Scrambling to her feet, she quickly made her way to the railing on the submarine, her lips curving upwards into a bright smile. "Lissy? Lissy!" So her sister was close by! Now she could find her older sister and then get out of these wet clothes into something warmer.

While Temperance was silently planning all of the things she would do once reunited with her sister, Trafalgar Law was silently planning something of his own. A way to test the limits of his own medical abilities and knowledge.

Gray eyes narrowed slightly and a slow smirk made its way across his face as he casually walked up to the woman, placing a hand to her shoulder. She flinched but still turned around slowly, caution written all over her features.

"May I ask you something about your condition, Miss Temperance?"

Her smile quickly turned into a frown, but she gave a curt nod. "If you must..." The white-haired woman didn't have a good feeling about this.

The triumphant smirk Law wore grew wider and he continued. "What exactly was it that brought this loss of sight on? Is it something you've dealt with since birth?"

She fidgeted in place, not liking this line of questioning one bit, but she still answered. "N-No, I," She paused, taking a deep breath before jerking her head off to the side. "I suffered a terrible fall when I was four years old and the impact of that fall caused my blindness."

Interesting...

"Captain," Penguin hissed, painfully aware of the interest the captain of the Heart Pirates had taken in the girl before them.

Law held a hand up, effectively making Penguin shut his mouth while he debated what to do with her. The fact that her condition wasn't congenital was a good indicator. It appeared that she had suffered a traumatic brain injury from her fall and because of this TBI, she was now blind.

He had never treated someone with this sort of condition, but something in the back of his mind told him it was entirely possible that he could help restore her sight. Just the thought of being able to help restore someone's sight...

Law decided that he had to get her to agree to this, by any means possible.

"Miss Temperance," His voice was smooth, trying to put her at ease as much as he could in the given situation. "I'm not sure if you realize this, but my name is Trafalgar Law. You may or may not have heard of me, but that's not the point here. I'm a doctor, a proficient surgeon actually and I believe I can possibly help you fully restore your sight."

He decided to let this sink in and see whether or not she took the bait.

Temperance froze in place, unable to move or even breathe for that matter. She had let the man named Law say what he had to, but upon hearing that he was not just a doctor, but also a surgeon who claimed he could help her be able to see again, her heart hammered in her chest.

Could it be... Was there really a slight chance of her being able to see again?

She forced herself to swallow, still cautious but very much curious to see if what he was saying was true. "Are you certain of this?"

"Nothing is 100% certain I'm afraid, but I can promise that if you'd permit me to, that I would do everything in my power to make you see once more."

Her fingers began to tug at her skirt as the wheels in her her mind began to move a thousand miles a second. Her excitement grew more and more, oh she just had to tell Felicity! She didn't need her father's permission for this, Trafalgar Law was offering his services to her for free! And...

"In order for me to help you, I'll need you to come with me and my crew as I have no plans on staying here to allow myself to be captured by the Navy. I'm not sure if you realize this or not, but I'm very much a wanted pirate captain."

She deflated right there in that moment, her hopes dashed in the span of a single second. So this doctor was also a notorious pirate... So much for getting help. Temperance released a sigh and slowly felt her lips coil into a weak smile as she tried to find the words to respond with.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid-"

"Tell me something, Miss Temperance," Law could sense she was getting cold feet, about to back out and he couldn't have that, not when this girl had already piqued his interest. He took a step closer, now towering over her. "Has anyone ever offered you what I'm offering you now? Have you ever been given the chance to see if you truly could regain your sight? What's really keeping you back from accepting and coming with me?"

Temperance jumped the moment she sensed that Law was getting too close for her liking, taking a quick step back and biting on her lower lip as she took his words in.

Honestly... She couldn't think of a single thing keeping her back from going with him, other than the fact he was a pirate. Well, there was one other thing keeping her from agreeing... "Could... Could I bring my older sister with me? It's just that, she's my closest friend and I just couldn't even consider leaving her-"

"No." The answer was instantaneous, short and clipped as Law interrupted her. "The last thing I need is to babysit your sister on top of trying to find a way to cure your blindness. The offer stands for you and you alone. Now what will it be, Miss Temperance?"

Her teeth gently began to nibble on her lower lip as she tried to come to a quick decision. What did she do? Did she decline the offer and go back to her miserable existence with her father refusing her help every step of the way? Or did she accept this virtual stranger's offer, leaving everything she knew and cared about behind to see if the slim chance of having her sight restored was possible?

What would Felicity want her to do?

Taking a deep breath, Temperance spoke up again. "If... If I agree to this, you promise you'll do everything you can to help me? And if it turns out you can't help, then you'll bring me right back to my sister? If not, then I'll just turn right around and go about my merry way."

Law's lips coiled into a wide grin, knowing he now had her. "Of course, as a professional I can guarantee I'll do everything within my ability to ensure that I do everything possible to help you, and if you aren't satisfied after a certain period of time then I'll have no problems whatsoever taking you wherever you wish to go."

He draped an arm around her shoulders, turning Temperance away from the sister that was still calling her name.

Her features relaxed and took on a look of relief. Finally! Finally she could possibly get the help she had so desperately hoped to find for more than half her life! But...

She slowly turned against Law's grasp and turned her head back to the ship, her ears still picking up on her sister calling out for her. Her heart broke as she felt the pirate captain forcibly turn her back once again and allowed herself to be ushered into the sub by the members of the crew.

If Felicity knew that this pirate was in fact a doctor who could possibly help restore her sight, she would have told Temperance to go with the man no matter what.

But it didn't help that it hurt more than anything to leave her best friend behind without even getting to say goodbye.

And there's the first chapter of Perception! If any of you have read my MarcoxOC story Against the Tide, you may recognize Felicity from that story! And surprise surprise, she and Temperance are sisters! There is definitely more to be seen from Temperance and Law so stay tuned if you want to see more! Also feel free to let me know if you feel I'm not keeping Law in character. I absolutely adore him and would hate if I got his character wrong in my writings.

Now I'm no expert in traumatic brain injuries, but I've taken a couple anatomy and physiology classes and we discussed in some detail about neurology. TBI's can indeed cause blindness, mainly cortical blindness, which is what Temperance suffers from. Cortical blindness caused from a TBI can be treated depending on the severity, but for storyline purposes I'm not going to have Law go about the normal way of restoring her sight right away.

In this story, it will take some time for Law to be able to find a treatment to help Temperance and I haven't determined yet if he even will be able to help restore her sight. You'll just have to wait and see what happens my ducklings~. All will be revealed with time, even how Temperance came to lose her sight.

The picture used in the cover is indeed of Temperance which was drawn by a good friend of mine on deviantart, that is how her Heart Pirates uniform will look and how she looks in general.

Sooo what did you all think? Loved it? Hated it? Feel free to let me know in a review if you ducklings wish~!