Chapter eight is DONE! XD For those who though the sex between Kid and Law was a bit rushed, well, this will hopefully put your mind at ease.I hope you like and please, please review! X3 ENJOY!

8

It was like he was seeing the world through new eyes. Kid stared at the sky for hours, mesmerized by the colours flushing across the lazy swaying clouds. Had it always been so pretty? How come he didn't notice it before? The sky wasn't blue, like everyone seemed to say. More like, it was an enormous diamond reflecting the light of the sun in hundreds, if not thousands of blues. One colour was just not enough to describe it.

It wasn't only the sky. The rest of the world seemed to shine and vibrate with vivid colours he never noticed before. He stared at the simplest acts of nature and found himself catching his breath. He was so high. High on love. He was higher than the twinkling stars. Out of nowhere he'd burst into fits of laughter or grin like he was Luffy. Was this how his brunette simple-minded friend saw the world? 'Lucky bastard…..'

Whenever someone went on and on about how amazing and beautiful and life-changing love was, Kid always smirked. How could a feeling make everything different? It was beyond ridiculous and he didn't believe it for a second.

Until now. All the times when he was in 'love' before, he only now realised, how wrong he had been. That 'love' was pathetic compared to this new love. It was all very new.

He finished his cigarette and lit another. Usually he only smoked when he was on edge. This was different. He enjoyed seeing the white smoke climb upwards, curling in the wind and forming shapes lazily, like a snake moving through grass. He looked at the spirals and clouds like they were the creations of Van Gogh or Da Vinci. When he reached up to them they vanished, daring him to follow.

He let out another puff of smoke, replacing the vanishing one. He was at least grateful he decided to stay home that day. It was afternoon when he woke up, so either way there was no point in going to school. He wished Law was still there with him. He really wanted to see him, touch him, hear his voice. He was happy. Happy that he wasn't the only one plagued by beautiful and merciless love. After all it was Law who came to him.

There were still many things he didn't know about Law, but he didn't dwindle on that thought. A flicker of rainbow coloured bruises hit him and he pushed the memory down, refusing to ruin the good feelings. There would be time for all that later…..

But it was already too late. The good feelings went away, fleeing like scared children. Once more the sky was just blue. Kid finished the cigarette and flicked the bud, still burning, harshly on the grey and cold pavement below his window. The sky was darkening.

Eustass walked with quick strides ignoring, but at the same time, careful of the dozens upon dozens of puddles. They were the only remains of the torrential downpour of two nights ago. Kid shuddered briefly as the memory played on his mind. He hurried past, feeling the puddles watching his back like a hundred sightless eyes.

He shook himself up once he was inside the school building. 'Keep it cool!' He had to pull himself together. For once, he was early. Shanks, the homeroom teacher, would be proud. Or rather, he would look stupefied before tilting his head back and letting out a loud laugh. 'Eustass Kid's early? Something bad is going to happen today. Hell must be freezing over!' Then he's slap Kid on the back, knocking the breath out of him before continuing to laugh like a god-damn idiot.

Despite himself he chuckled at the idea. Shanks was a weirdo and if Kid met him on the street the last thing he would assume the guy did for a profession was teaching, but he was a kind man. He cared for his students and always extended his help. He was also sort of fun, not like the other stiff and rigid pain-in-the-asses. Still, he vowed to himself to do everything in his power to make sure the ruby-haired man would never ever find out he had been early. He would rather do without the ridicule.

Eustass finished throwing some of the books in his locker. His back relaxed, relieved to be rid of the extra weight. He ran his eyes over the spines and pages of the messy gathering inside the metal container. He never bothered cleaning it up and now was one of those times when he was sorry about that. He needed to find a book and it was like looking for a needle in the haystack. He could take them out…Nah. That would be too much effort. 'Oops. I left it at home.' Shanks would never know.

Satisfied with his reckoning, he strolled down the corridor, making his way towards the canteen. There was still about half an hour before the bell would ring, electing dozens of unified groans from students all over the campus. It's like every day they hoped the bell would just break down. Alas, it never did. Kid figured he could at least grab a bite to eat since he had to wait anyway. If he was lucky, maybe one of his friends was in early too and he could find a diversion.

Luffy? No way in hell that guy could be early. No way in hell he could be in earlier than the end of the first class. Somehow oversleeping was his talent. 'And eating a whole chicken in one bite.'

Zoro? There was another hopeless idea. If Luffy was one class late, Zoro was half a day late. Why did he even bother coming in at all? 'His boyfriend.'

Sanji? Maybe. The blond was one of the few who had a genuine integrity. He didn't like being late, but that didn't mean he'd be early. Maybe he was trying some of his recipes in the home ec. room. The though was appealing to Kid. 'Dinner and a show.'

Nami? Another possibility. She was never late. In fact she was probably his safest choice. If she was in she would be at the canteen chatting with some group. She liked gossip. 'Rumour mill….'

Killer? Eustass grinned. He wasn't even a possibility. He hadn't been in school a single day since, Kid thought about it, a month ago. Kid still hung out with him outside school, but his wilder friend hated studying so he just didn't come. 'I should give him a call….'

Bonney? Ha! Her early? He had more chances with Zoro. Kid liked her company though. She was fun, though one should never ever have Luffy AND Bonney in the same room. They'd probably even eat the walls. 'I wonder who can eat more?...'

Kid ran through all his friends and in the end he had two possible positive options; Sanji and Nami. The two who he least wanted to deal with. He knew they'd see through him. How, was an absolute mystery to him. Ignoring them only seemed to spur them on and give them the idea he was hiding something. They would pester and pester until they got what they wanted. The thought made him shudder. He'd rather face a gang of angry mobsters than those two together.

Before he realised it, Kid was at the canteen. He peaked inside and saw there were no more than about five students scattered around. He didn't know any of them. Kid shrugged, expecting this outcome, and left. He wasn't that hungry after all. He didn't want to eat alone. That was the loner's guide.

Law? Could he be early? He was a loner…Kid's gut clenched at the thought of seeing him. He was surprised at how much he missed him. 'I saw him yesterday!' Saw? They did more than look at each other... Kid shook his head violently. Those sorts of thoughts, in school of all places, were a recipe for disaster.

Kid walked aimlessly rounding corners and crossing arches. This was hopeless. Kid sighed, realising he rounded the C corridor about ten times. He scratched the back of his head, ruffling his hair which was held back by his favourite black bandanna. 'Law. Hopeless. Law ! Hopeless!' Any other thoughts were elapsed by those two. 'I need to see him…..NOW!'

Eustass glanced at his wrist watch and widened his eyes. Twenty minutes passed! Where did the time go? Kid had five minutes to get to class…..on the other side of the campus. 'Shit!' Hell wasn't going to freeze over yet. Kid was, as usual, late.

Lunch was a welcomed thought. In fact it seemed to be pretty much the only reason Kid even bothered to come to school anymore. Well in truth he was just bored staying at home all day long. Today lunch was even more welcomed and Kid wished the stupid class would end already. He wanted to see Luffy and Zoro and ask about their chaise.

Who knew? Maybe they caught the bastard and thought him a lesson he wouldn't soon forget. That was Eustass' hope anyway. The woman teaching chemistry went on and on drowning the class in her monotone voice, making Kid almost wish he was listening to White Beard. At least his scolding was packed with some sort of emotion. Finally, she started naming the pages with homework questions, letting the class know class was nearly over. 'Like I'm going to do that.' Chemistry wasn't his subject.

At long last the bell rang and Kid was the first one out the door. He wasn't running but he was close. Knowing Luffy, there was really only one place he would be. Kid twisted endless corners until he reached the canteen. He glanced around, searching the faces of those present, but found no sign of Luffy's. The possibility of him not being there didn't even cross Kid's mind, and he was at a loss of what to do next.

'You're blocking the way.' Kid turned and came face to face with Nami. She smiled up at him indicating she hadn't been serious. If anyone would know where Luffy was it was her.

'I'm sure you can squeeze past. Where's Luffy anyway?' Nami eyed him suspiciously.

'Luffy? Why are you looking for Luffy?' Kid remembered she wasn't there when it happened.

'If I say it's personal, would you tell me where he is?' Nami's frown deepened. She was very suspicious now.

'Is it personal?'

'Sort of. Are you going to tell me or should I go now and look for him?' Kid was quickly becoming irritated.

'Don't bother. He stayed home sick today.' Whatever it was Kid hadn't expected that.

'Idiots don't get sick!' Nami flashed him a look, a bad look. She didn't take kindly to others insulting her boyfriend. Kid hastily mumbled a sorry. She let it go. 'What about Zoro? Do you know where he is?'

'…..no. But I know where Sanji is. He should be able to answer your question.' Kid sighed exasperated. What choice did he have?

'Lead the way….'

'Where's Zoro?' Sanji looked up surprised from the open book on the desk in front of him. Kid met his gaze while Nami hovered behind him. She was curious to learn more about Kid's 'personal business'.

'Hello to you too.'

'Hi. Where's Zoro?' Eustass repeated the question, this time with a slight but noticeable edge. Sanji got the hint. Kid wasn't in the mood to mess around.

'He has a kendo tournament today. He'll be gone until late in the evening at some time. Why?' Kid scowled at the news. Perfect! The one time he needed the two idiots, they were nowhere to be found.

'None of your business.' The look Nami and Sanji exchanged didn't escape him. The curiosity only seemed to grow. Nami came around to stand by Sanji, who stood up. They fixed him with their eyes in union.

'Law?' It was Nami who spoke. Kid held his tongue. He didn't want to get into the whole thing if not necessary. The two took his silence as approval.

'You'd better tell us what happened.' Their usual teasing attitude was gone. Somehow they understood this was serious. Whatever Kid had to say to Luffy and Zoro was important. Eustass kept his mouth closed.

'Look. You'll feel better once you get it off your chest.' Sanji's advice made sense. Kid's scowl darkened. He hated being so obvious.

'You can trust us.' Kid let out a resigned sigh. Maybe they were right, and Nami was speaking the truth. He could trust them. He fixed them with an iron stare. The meaning was obvious. 'This stayed between us.' The two nodded in union.

When Kid finished he wasn't surprised to see Nami and Sanji wide-eyed. The silence hung above them like an invisible weight. Eustass flexed his fingers, just because he had to do something.

'…..are you sure?...' Sanji's voice was very quiet. It almost seemed like he was afraid of breaking the silence. Kid looked him straight in the eyes.

'About what?'

'Everything.'

'…yeah.' Another overwhelming silence.

'This guy you mentioned, describe him to me.' Nami's voice was almost back to normal. It sounded out of place after the silence.

'Green eyes. Brown hair, straight. Average height. That's pretty much all I know.' Nami was quite, contemplating the new information. Sanji remained like a statue.

'…..how badly was he abused?...' Her voice was low again, sick at the thought of another human being capable of being so cruel. Kid told them everything. From bathroom scene to clinic scene. It was a lot of information to digest, all at once.

'…..' Kid wondered how he should answer. 'Really bad. I've never seen so many bruises on one person. I don't know for how long, but most of them weren't recent.' Another silence.

'You should tell someone. Someone who can do something.' Sanji spoke again, but his voice was just as low. Kid stared at him like he was speaking another language.

'No. Whatever's going on he doesn't want others to find out. I'm telling you, if someone finds out about this he'll….' He didn't know what Law would do. It would be bad though, of that he was sure. Another thing occurred to him. 'This stays between us. Everything I told you is for your ears and yours alone. Don't even tell Luffy or Zoro! Promise me!' The sudden raise in his voice startled the other two. They agreed, though. Eustass relaxed somehow.

'What are you going to do?' Nami asked.

'Nothing. I'll be there if he wants to talk to me. I'm not going to get into his business.'

'That's crazy! He's being abused! You can't just sit back and do nothing!' Sanji flared. Kid fixed him with his death gaze and thinned his lips. The words that came out of his lips were venomous and spiteful.

'Shut the fuck up! I already meddled enough. This is none of my or your business and I don't intend to change that. Clear?' Sanji clearly didn't agree and he was about to say so when Nami interrupted.

'That's enough. This solves nothing. I agree with Kid. Law has his own motives for keeping quiet. If anyone did anything about it, he'd see it as a betrayal. Maybe he's being blackmailed. Either way, we could do more harm than good if we're not careful.'

Both boys listened attentively to her. Sanji still looked sceptical but it was clear he wouldn't pursue the topic any further. Kid thanked the stars the blonde never went against any girl's wishes. Then he thanked the stars Nami was a girl.

'If something comes up tell us, okay? Meanwhile we'll try to find out who this guy is.' Nami smiled kindly and Sanji nodded approvingly. Kid flashed them his own grin in return.

'…sure.' He said that, but he knew he was lying.

The figure seemed to grow out of the shadow. Strands of auburn hair fell in front of cold green eyes. His Cheshire Cat grin stretched from one ear to the other. He heard Eustass Kid's voice as he left the three unsuspecting students behind.

Thank you for the read! XD

Don't forget to leave reviews! O3O