Firstly Thank you for reading so far. (Thank you especially to all those who have posted reviews. All of them a joy to read!) Secondly sorry for updating so late! I'm working on two fictions simultaneously and I sort of jump from one to the other...sudden bursts of creativity take you to strange places. XD

Well, still, enjoy and please let me know what you think! XD

5

The moment on the roof played over and over in Kid's mind, like a broken record. The only thing worse than being stuck in a replay was the shameless way his mind added the extra scenarios. In his deprived, lewd version conjured by his over imaginative brain, the cigarettes weren't the only thing they shared.

In his fantasy the moment went as before up till the catching of the fire. That's where reality became distorted. In reality they finished their smoke which was straight away followed by the ring of the bell. They parted ways, each with their own thoughts, heading to their own classes.

In his mind however, Law closed the distance between them to light the cigarette when Kid grabbed him harshly by the waist and pulled him right up to his chest. With his free hand he threw the cigarettes away, freeing their lips. Law looked up with a surprised and lustful expression clearly wanting the same thing Kid did. Law joined his hands behind Kid's neck, bringing them even closer.

Before anything could happen to stop this moment, Kid took full advantage of the situation and pressed their lips together. The kiss was electrifying and Eustass caught Law's chin between his forefingers holding him in place, not that either of them wanted to stop. Then the hand holding Trafalgar's waist shifted around to his stomach and fondled the soft skin, undoing buttons as he did so.

This was the point where Kid snapped his eyes open or pinched himself or found some other way to shake himself up. It was getting to be a serious problem. At first he was only preoccupied with Law because of the bathroom scene which was….confusing. Now, the more he saw him the more he wanted to be the one ripping Law's clothes off and act out his fantasy.

It was also harder and harder to pretend it wasn't like that. He was beginning to have doubts about his true feelings for the raven-haired genius. A part of him was still in denial, mostly because acting on those feelings was not something he was good at. He had to suck it up and hope those feelings were nothing more than lust and simple physical desires and eventually they would go away.

The crisp air was very refreshing. Kid let his thoughts wonder rather than keep them under lock and key since it was better to get them out of his system. Luffy and Zoro were arguing about a possible name for Zoro's new sword move. Kid stopped paying attention to their ridiculously useless banter a long time ago. He half hard them and some of the ideas they had made him want to run away and pretend he never knew them.

'Where exactly are we going again?' Kid's voice sounded calm enough. Zoro and Luffy looked surprised at the sudden interruption. Kid had no doubt they were so absorbed in their own discussion they had lost sight of the real world. Luffy looked worriedly at Zoro who shared the confusion.

'Um…I don't know.' Luffy had his signature sheepish smile on. Bad news. Zoro had even less of an idea. One thing was for certain, you never ask Roronoa Zoro for directions. That's a disaster waiting to happen.

'So...basically, we're wandering around the school grounds with nowhere to go.' Another exchange of looks between Luffy and Zoro.

'Yeah.' Both their voices agreed simultaneously.

If Kid had been paying an ounce of attention, rather than get lost in the maze of his own dreams, it would have been obvious they were heading in an unknown direction long before realization struck. As it was, he surprisingly only felt a little exasperated. Not at the two morons who, for some inexplicable reason were his friends, but himself for being so distracted all the time. He had to stop this and he had to do it now.

From that point on no more Law, no more memories, no more daydreams and most of all, no more fantasies.

'Well since we're wasting time, we might as well waste it on the roof where I can have a smoke.' Oh how badly, he needed one of those.

The hazardous, addictive act always managed to calm his nerves. And if he ever needed to calm his nerves it was at that moment. Without waiting for a reply from the two other boys, he spun around retracing his steps, letting them do the catching up.

'We're lost. Again' it was a declaration, not a question. Kid looked accusingly at Zoro. What was he thinking when he followed him, of all the people in the universe? Before he came to his resolution, about quitting Law, he followed the emerald-haired boy silently not even realizing he was doing so. Thanks to that they ended somewhere outside the school premises. Zoro claimed he knew exactly how to get back, and for some inexplicable reason Kid gave him the benefit of the doubt.

Good news was that they were back on school ground. Bad news was that they had no idea where that actually was. It was ridiculously huge for a school. It even had a park, which was part of school property and not one pool, but a collection of seven grand size pools. On top of that there were the dorms and the actual school building, library and restaurant. There were also a few shops and cafes and other such places, where students could work and have a good time. In truth, the whole place was like its own virtual village.

Kid pushed yet another leafy branch from his way. The tall oaks and birches rose way above his head, blocking some of the sun rays. For the fiftieth time he checked his watch and exhaled an exasperated breath. Not only did the break end, he also missed two classes. Not a big issue for Kid, but it annoyed him that instead of being home or some-place relatively fun he was wandering aimlessly through a dense park that resembled a forest straight out of a faery tale book.

'It's not so bad! I'm sure we're nearly there!' Kid shot Luffy a look that screamed, 'Keep talking so I can kill you.' Luffy's optimistic nature could become very irritating very fast in such a situation. At least Zoro kept his mouth shut. Kid blamed the whole incident on him and his broken inner compass.

'What part of this is not so bad?' Kid's voice was thick with sarcasm.

'Um…. You're missing classes. It would be worse if you were stuck here in your free time!' Luffy looked real pleased with himself. Kid rolled his eyes.

'I shouldn't be stuck here at all. Aren't you angry you missed lunch?' The last question was really just a sarcastic comment. Too late did he realise his error.

'I'm HUNGRY! I want some FOOD!' Crap. Once Luffy's mind was stuck on food there was absolutely no way to change it. Thank be to god Zoro was there. Kid was still irritated with the boy but at least he kept Luffy quiet. The two re-engaged in their previous discussions about sword moves and names. 'Morons do think alike.' He really didn't have the patience or nerve to deal with Luffy's whining as well.

Kid shoved his hand into his trouser pocket and took his packet of cigarettes out. He'd been smoking continuously since two hours ago when they first realized they were lost. The reason he was heading for the roof was to engage in the health-damaging act without being caught. He seriously doubted anyone would catch him in the park, so that was just as good a substitute as any place. His nerves thinned as the time progressed and he ended up smoking another one and another one after that, and another one after that other one.

He tapped the pack and put the cigarette between his lips. It was the last one. 'A whole pack? That can't be good…. 'He had to buy another one. 'Do I even have enough money with me?' The smoke left his lips and twirled into tiny spirals above his head. The motion was strongly soothing. He followed it with his eyes as it floated above his head.

And there it was. Every cigarette brought him to mind. It was unbelievable how hard it was to not think about something. It was like telling himself to think about nothing. Freaking impossible! Every time the smoke entered his lungs visions of the brunette boy seemed to filter through as well. The way his skin smelled, like a brand new book, his heat, warmer than the golden sun rays, his lips, parted for the cigarette, thin and soft…..

Kid slapped the branch from his way. He did it with too much force and the tree retaliated whipping his hand back. The skin below his knuckles cracked and blood oozed out, trailing down his wrist. The cut wasn't bad but it stung like hell, and it certainly didn't help with Kid's mood. It was bad enough he seemed unable to push that one damned guy out of his thoughts; he didn't need all this crap on top of it.

'Shit!' The curse was an involuntary response. He felt Luffy's eyes on his back, full of concern. He didn't turn back and chose to keep walking pretending like he was perfectly fine and nothing was wrong. It seemed to work since soon after, he heard the conversation pick up again. This was not his day. Too bad he didn't know what was going to happen still…..

Happy just didn't describe what Kid was feeling when at long last the trees thinned out and were replaced by shrubbery. The paved path they had been sullenly following led them to the exit of the park. Luffy and Zoro gave a cheer while Kid grinned with foolish relief. He'd never thought he'd ever say this, but man he was glad to see the school building in the near distance. There wasn't much point in going there though, since they had about ten minutes of classes left. He could get his bag tomorrow. Who cared about homework anyway?

In a couple of meters the path turned into a small road and Kid could see one of the seven pools materializing in front of his eyes. It never chased to amaze him how huge the gathering of water was. It must have stretched for at least 40 meters, nearly long enough to fit the requirements of an Olympic one. The springboard was just as menacing, rising like a silent eye keeping watch over the clear liquid. Kid let his gaze wander to the top of the wooden plank.

He squinted and stared intently while stopping in his tracks. 'That can't be right…..' There was what appeared to be a person on the tip of the board. Behind him or her was another one, half their body supported by the metal steps. Not a big deal by itself. The pools were there to be used and diving was a sport many of the students practiced.

The confusing part was that the two looked to be fully clothed. Kid was no expert on diving, but he did know one didn't swim with his clothes on. Beside him Luffy stared as well, as did Zoro. They, like him, though something was wrong. They sensed it more than saw it. A worried expression crossed all three faces. Something was definitely very wrong. Luffy was the first to start running. The sight before them was beyond strange and this was confirmed with each hurried step.

They reached the edge of the water and they could go no further. Kid's eyes were glued to the platform. Disbelief, fear and worry radiated from his unbelieving stare. Words lost their meaning in his mind and it all became a confusing mess. Luffy or Zoro said something beside him but he didn't hear. His surroundings dissolved into nothingness and all he could see was that plank of wood.

Law stared with pleading looks at the approaching group. He would have called for help or screamed or attracted attention to himself if he could have used his voice. If only the tape wasn't stretched over his mouth stiffening each and every sound. A thin muffled whimper was the only thing coming out of him, even though he was shouting at the top of his lungs.

The rope cut into his bound wrists. His hands were pressed together behind his back. The knot was so tight, that even the smallest struggle sent shocks of pain through his limbs and through the rest of his body. This was it. They were going to kill him. They were actually going to kill him. Realization spread through him like a liquid drug, burning all else away. The fear came back like the hit from a loaded cannon when he saw the red-head.

Despite himself, tears sipped from the corners of his eyes. He was going to be drenched soon enough anyway... However, showing weakness in front of them was worse than anything. His day rapidly fell asunder around lunch time. In his wildest dreams he couldn't have foreseen the disasters that befell him.

As it was his custom, he headed for one of the many benches around the campus. He had one in particular, near one of the pools where surprisingly few people visited. He liked the silence and peace of that place. On especially long and harsh days he wanted nothing more than to relax for a little while with a good read. It wasn't like he didn't have friends. He just liked being by himself sometimes. Just him and his book.

It was one such day and Law engrossed himself in his read. He let the words rock his mind to a faraway land possible only between the white paper pages. Sometimes he wished he could just stay in one of those worlds. A world where no matter how bad things seemed to be one could always be sure there will be some sort of happy ending. A world where the impossible became possible and the difficult became simple. A world which wasn't the real world.

The heroine of the novel was describing her love for the hero. Of course they would end up together. This was a fictitious story after all. Law's mind wandered to a certain ruby-haired boy. Ever since he had laid eyes on him, or rather ran into him, his thought became more and more preoccupied with the said boy. There was something very attractive about him. Loving to mess with him was a bonus.

However Law made it his business to push any such thoughts deep down inside and lock them up within his heart. He would never act on his feelings, not on this category of emotions. If he opened up he would be vulnerable and he would get hurt. It was his biggest fear so he kept the lock tightly shut and his facade firmly impassive. Masks were his speciality after all.

His vision went blank. Pain spread through his skull like a torrent of icy water. His limbs went limp and he vaguely felt someone touching his face. Then he was lifted and his hands were pulled harshly behind his back. His senses slowly returned, but by that time it was far too late. His eyesight was still slightly blurred and dizziness numbed his thoughts. He was looking at the world upside-down. It took him a while to comprehend that he was actually heaved over someone's shoulder.

The ground got further and further away. He opened his eyes wide and understood the unknown person was climbing a ladder. He would have struggled but he knew that was a bad idea. A part of his pain-induced brain screamed reason. If he struggled they could both fall and they were high enough for injury to be a serious danger. He had no choice but to stare in shock and dismay at the pavement shrinking away. Law squeezed his eyes shut.

Once at the top he was brutally shoved to his feet and pushed forward. Afraid he would fall due to his woozy vision he walked slowly, but his center of gravity came back to him. He was pushed as far as the tip of the plank. Law waited with a drumming heart for the final shove to come but none did. He would have questioned the person, who he realized was male, if there wasn't tape clamped over his lips. He would have turned around to see who it was that wanted to hurt him, but he didn't trust his shaky feet.

The silence was worse than anything else. The guy said nothing behind him and Law was left there with only his fear as company. He stood like that for more than two hours, though to him it felt like a lifetime. Torture was a kind word for it. It was horrifying, knowing his life literally hung in the balance. All the guy had to do was push a little and Trafalgar would plunge to his death. Even if he could swim, which he couldn't, the tight knot around his wrists prevented any chance he would have had. He would be dead in the water.

Never in his life had he been so scared. He purposely numbed his body to the fear and shut his eyes, letting his mind find refuge in a safe place. He feared his legs would collapse under him. He didn't even know how long he was going to be kept like that. Maybe this was some cruel punishment for something he did or said. He searched his mind trying to identify his oppressor and the answer soon materialized despite his throbbing temple. He knew without being told that he was behind this and he knew causing misery was his biggest joy.

His pathetic attempt at a fake inner peace shattered. He heard a noise and his eyes shot open. A part of him was desperately clinging to a last ray of hope. Maybe a teacher or another student was around. Maybe they would see him and help him. He had never been happier to be right. The flicker of red was unmistakable. The tears he held back overflowed. His fear and loss of hope gave way to pure joy for just a second.

He felt the ground shake below his feet. An earthquake? His eyes widened even further and filled with desperate pleas for help. This was it. He was going to die, drowned in the school pool for their amusement. Suddenly the shaking became tenfold more violent and he lost his footing.

The cold wind slapped his face like vicious whips. Through the whole fall his eyes stayed stubbornly open, despite his deepest desire to close them. This way he had no choice but see the rapid approach of his impending doom. When his body made contact with the water, Law felt darkness close around him and swallow him. It was cold and numbing. His eyelids flickered just before the darkness took complete hold of him and they finally closed.

Kid watched in stunned silence as Trafalgar fell. He only snapped back to his senses when Law disappeared from his vision, below the merciless opal liquid. The only trace that a boy was just swallowed by the water was a clear ripple stretching to the four corners of the enclosing. Before Kid even realized it, his body was ready to jump in. He felt something preventing him from taking the leap and he looked back annoyed at Luffy who was holding his shoulders back.

'Wait! You can't swim!' Eustass knew that what he said made sense but that part of him was overpowered by his overwhelming desire to save Law. He considered shoving Luffy harshly aside. He probably would have done just that had Zoro not acted as fast as he did. Kid saw him dive from the corner of his eye and knew that this was the most logical solution. He was the only one of the three who could actually swim.

Luffy let go but Kid felt the smaller boy's hands still hovering near him, just in case more force was necessary to stop him from doing something irreversible. He searched the even surface for any sign of the two. The few seconds it took for Zoro to resurface with an unconscious Law slumped against his chest seemed to turn to hours. The break in the surface was a welcomed sight.

Zoro swam to the edge where Kid and Luffy waited impatiently, and pushed Law's body up letting Kid drag him out. Zoro climbed out with water cascading down his frame like waterfalls and exchanged a worried look with Luffy. Kid's attention was focused on one thing and one thing only.

'Kid you take care of Law. We'll get the guy!' Luffy's words trailed as he ran in the direction of the target. While the three concentrated on saving Law's life, the offender got down from the platform and ran in the opposite direction. Luffy had kept a close eye on him and if it wasn't for Kid's yearn to plunge into the pool and up the body count by one, he would have chased and caught him before then. Now that Law was safe and Kid wasn't going to kill himself, he and Zoro were free to hunt down the bastard that dared hurt one of their nakama.

Luffy was gone. Zoro was gone. Kid was left alone with Law. He sent panicked stares at the unconscious boy. He tried real hard to remember anything he knew about a situation like this. First he removed the tape in one quick motion, leaving a pinkish rash across the skin. Then he listened intently for any sign of breathing. To his unbelievable relief, Law was breathing faintly, his chest rising with each gulp of air. Eustass let out a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding.

He got hurriedly to his feet and held Trafalgar in his arms. Kid followed his friends' example and broke into a furious sprint heading straight for the school doctor, hoping against all hope he hadn't left for home already.

Thank you very much for the read and I do so hope it wasn't a waste of your time...But if something wasn't to your liking please don't forget to tell me! I'll try my best to improve whatever you mention!

So thank you again and please review, review, review! XD