Black Rose

A/N: The reviews…So many reviews… MY HEART JUST CAN'T TAKE IT. I FEEL LIKE I'M ABOUT TO EXP– *explodes*

Disclaimer: :D .heh heh heH .sdrawkcab remialcsid ym etorw tsuj I ,thgir s'taht ,haeY D: .sretcarahc citsatnaf sti fo yna ro eceiP enO wno ton od I

'I'll be judge, I'll be jury,' Said cunning old Fury:
'I'll try the whole cause, and condemn you to death.'

Protective wall may impede you, but the walls most difficult to penetrate are those that surround our hearts.

Chapter warning: rape scene.

There were certain things that happened to people after they've been (or were about to be) raped. Number one: Paranoia sets in. They become paranoid that it could happen again, and they take every single step of precaution to make sure it doesn't. Number two: A fear of being touched is created. If they have indeed been assaulted, being touched is the very last thing they want, even if it's by people they know and trust. Number three: They're never really the same again. If the (near) assault happens at a young age, that person will forever be changed. Whether it's from a small habit to their entire personality, they have been changed in some way. Number four: They learn how to fight, or always carry a weapon with them. If they know how to ward of an attacker, they can prevent an (or another) assault. Number five: Shame is grown. If the assault has happened, they will most likely feel dirty or disgusted with themselves. Shame will also be a big factor. Even though it's not their fault, some will still feel as if it is, and undeservingly punish themselves. And, finally, number six: Fear. Some say this ties in with number one, paranoia, but it doesn't. There will always be that fear in the back of their minds that their attacker will come back for them. Even if the attacker is behind bars, there is always that fear in the back of their mind.

Eustass Kidd knew these six steps well.

He had been through each and every one of them.

He knew the signs, could see them even when he wasn't looking for them. The signs of assault never disappeared too quickly. There was shock, then denial, and finally acknowledgment. For some, it took up to a day to a week to finally admit it. For others, it could take months.

Which was why he was currently confused.

Trafalgar Law hadn't shown a single one of the steps. He saw no paranoia, no fear of being touched, no real change in behavior, he (apparently) already knew how to fight, no shame or self-disgust, and no fear.

And that didn't make any damn sense to Kidd at all.

He stared at his ceiling as he continued to lay on his bed, his brows furrowed and a small scowl on his lips. He couldn't understand it. 'Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe there was no rape at all. It could have been a small scuffel between two people.'

'That's bullshit and you know it,' his mind scolded. 'You just aren't looking close enough.'

He was starting to get a headache and his mental war wasn't helping at all. He rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. A little sleep would help clear his mind.

"There you are, little pretty."

His mother always told him to be strong. No matter what, be. strong. But in his current situation, Kidd found it hard to strong. He was laying on the bed, the blood-soaked sheets smearing the crimson liquid that once belonged in his mother all over his back. He struggled hard against the attacker's strong grip, but he was a small child; there was no way he would be able to fight off a large adult. Tears ran down his cheeks as he still continued to fight, his eyes glaring hard at the man above him. He would not show fear. He would not show fear. He wound now show fe–

His shirt was the first thing that went, the large male tearing it off Kidd's thin body with ease. The man's fingers dug into Kidd's shoulders, and the redhead bit his lip to suppress a whimper of pain. He leaned down and smelled the child's hair, a shiver of pleasure running through his body. His eyes looked over the boy beneath him, and he gave another sickening grin. "Beautiful," he remarked. "Such fair skin." He trailed a finger down the redhead's face, neck, and abdomen before he stopped at the top of the shorts. The finger hooked the material and dragged it down, and Kidd's body gave an involuntary tremble of fear. His pants were gone, leaving only his boxers left.

"No," he growled, though it was more like a quiet whisper. He swallowed hard, gritting his teeth. "No," he said again, this time with more strength. "Be strong," his mother always told him. "Be strong." He would be strong, he would not show any fear.

"Yes," the man purred back, his hand moving down to Kidd's nether regions. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to ignore the man's touches as he continued to struggle. His body was shaking more now. He was scared. He couldn't be strong, he just couldn't. His mother's warm blood was smeared all over his back and some of it was smeared on his face and chest from the man's hands. His tears wouldn't stop now, no matter how hard he closed his eyes. His boxers were pulled away, leaving him totally exposed.

The man's grip on his left shoulder tightened even more, and Kidd couldn't help but give a cry of pain. If the man gripped him any tighter, he was sure his arm would break. The man gave up the touching before he finally flipped Kidd onto his stomach. His face was pressed into the sheets momentarily and he let out a sudden cry when he realized his face was covered in his mother's blood. He turned his head to the side to breath and took in a shuddered breath. He opened his eyes and saw his mother's cold, unmoving body next to him. He could see the horrible open gash in her neck, how the wound was ragged on the edges because the man has used a serrated knife. A serrated. knife. As if his mother had been nothing more than a piece of food. He couldn't even use a smooth blade to end her suffering.

This man had treated his mother as if she were nothing; a piece of trashed that had been used and needed to be tossed in the trash.

And something in Kidd snapped.

He started to scream – not in fear, but in pure anger. He began to thrash, and his auburn eyes seemed to turn more red than brown. "Fuck you! Get the fuck off me, you fucking perv! Let go!" He suddenly had a newfound strength, and he managed to get one hand loose, raking his nails over the man's face. The child jumped off the bed the moment the strong grip on him was gone and ran for the bedroom door, but the man managed to get a hold of Kidd's blood-red hair, yanking him to a stop. Kidd screamed again, his anger and rage boiling his blood. He kicked out, hitting the man in the shin and then the knee. The man gave a small curse before he raised his hand and slapped the boy.

"Shut up!" But Kidd didn't. He continued to scream. He screamed louder than his mother, screamed so that the whole neighborhood would hear him and call the police so this fucker who killed his mom would go to jail and rot. The man tried to cover his mouth, but the moment his fingers were near Kidd's mouth, the redhead snapped at them; biting down on hard on the man's fore and middle finger. He gave a shout of pain, pulling his bleeding hand away and cradling it, and Kidd started to scream again. "I said shut up!" A punched landed this time, and Kidd was knocked to the ground; his head hitting the corner of the bed as he fell. His world faded to black for a moment, and he gave a groan at the pain that throbbed in his forehead. The man picked him up and threw him back onto the bed, wasting no time to continued what he was doing earlier. He pulled his pants down to his thighs and positioned himself.

"Now relax," the man growled, his hands moving to the child's hips. "This'll barely hurt."

Kidd gripped the sheets below him and grit his teeth, the tears stinging at his eyes again. "Help me, mother," he whispered hoarsely. "Please…"

Kidd's eyes snapped open as he awoke from his dream. He took in several deep breaths and released them when he realized he had been dreaming again, and that it was nothing more than old memory. He was partially curled up and his arms were wrapped around himself, his body trembling lightly. His one hand moved on its own, lightly rubbing his shoulder where the man had once gripped him so hard. He blinked. "That's it," he whispered. He remembered grabbing Law's shoulder and the other male had flinched in pain. But then his brows furrowed again. "But there were no other signs. It was almost as if he was used…to…"

He suddenly sat up, his mind racing.

He threw himself off the bed, running into the living where he found the newspaper he bought on the way home and the one he bought yesterday. He scanned both papers in record time and wasn't all too surprised when he saw nothing about a rape case. Law hadn't reported it, not even anonymously. It wasn't unheard of for people not to report when they were assaulted, but Kidd knew that Law didn't report it because of shame. (Because to him, Law seemed more like the type who, if raped, would go out and kill whoever assaulted him rather than just keep quiet.) No, it had to be something bigger. Kidd thought for a second, 'If you were being assaulted repeatedly, what would stop you from asking for help?' "Blackmail," he answered.

Law was being blackmailed?

It was only explanation he could think of. Law had obviously been assaulted before, and the only reason he hadn't done anything about it by now was because someone was pulling his strings. "Talk and I'll end your career forever. Talk and I'll kill anyone you call a friend. Talk and I'll make sure you'll wish you were never born."

"I don't need friends!"

Yeah, it made sense now. Kidd fell heavily onto his sofa, tossing the papers off to the side. 'How long has this been going on? Weeks? Months? …Years?' He really hoped it was the latter. Years would be too much, no one would submit for that long and continue on in school as if nothing was going on. Maybe months, but not years. Kidd silently hoped it wasn't months, though. Weeks was long enough, let alone months. But there was still one problem left: How was he going to befriend Law?

He stared at his hands before giving a groan, smashing his face in to the couch's pillow.

He hated complex situations.

And this…

This is was turning out to be a very complex situation.

Law mentally sighed when he heard footsteps approach him once again. Quickly zipping up his backpack, he threw it onto his shoulder and turned to look at his guest. "Back for more, Eustass? Or are you back for revenge?" He wouldn't have been surprised if it was the latter. He knew Kidd's reputation, how the male would sometimes beat a dozen people up 'just because they looked at him wrong' or 'because they laughed at him'. No one took down the Crimson Demon and got away with it. If it was revenge that Kidd wanted, Law wasn't just going to roll over. Not for the Crimson Demon he wouldn't. He lifted his hand to his backpack's side pocket where he always kept a scalpel wrapped up. He could feel the cool and smooth metal against his skin, metal that was begging to drip precious rubies. It called for it, called to be used. Law would gladly answer its call if needed; but for now, he kept it hidden. He didn't want to jump the gun.

"I want to be your friend," Kidd answered honestly again. But this time, he didn't just wan't be the male's friend to 'fix' his mistake. He wanted to be friends because he honestly wanted to help. He honestly wanted to become his friend. He found the male mysterious and, in a few ways, Kidd had always been drawn to mysterious things. Law's eyes narrowed, partially with frustration and partially with surprise. His hand remained near his weapon, though. For all he knew, this could be a trap; lure him in with false friendship before jumping and beating him. He wouldn't be fooled.

"I thought we went over this yesterday," he said. He began to walk past Kidd, his eyes remaining forward. "I told you I don't n–" Kidd grabbed Law's elbow when he was next to him. Law tensed, ready to attack if necessary. Neither looked at each other.

"Please," Kidd finally said, his voice unusually soft. Law blinked, he didn't think the male could sound so…gentle. "I want to be your friend."

A thick silence fell between the two. Neither moved, neither breathed. Kidd hoped using the 'please' word worked. He hardly ever said it. If this didn't work, he'd have to just spit it out; that he knew all about Law's secret. But he didn't want to take that route. He may be cold and rude, but he wasn't that cold and rude.

Law's throat constricted. He was conflicted. On one hand, he wanted to jump at the redhead's offer. He was tired of living a lonesome life, tiring of hardly ever having to see his old friends. Tired of his empty life. He wanted to get know the male he had been secretly eyeing the last few weeks, and maybe even go out on a limb and try to start a relationship with the male if he was gay or bi. But on the other hand, he knew he couldn't say yes. He would be another target of Doflamingo's. And, like before, he couldn't let that happen. But he wanted change so badly, wanted to actually wake up in the morning and look forward to another day of unexpected events. But he couldn't have that, couldn't wake up and actually look forward to another day. He couldn't say yes...right?

"Fine." The reply was quiet and dull, and Law couldn't believe he just agreed. His voice had worked on its own, answering without his permission. His legs hastily took him away, and Kidd was speechless.

"It actually worked," he quietly said to himself. "I can't believe it." He looked back at Law's retreating back. This was going to be interesting, there was no doubt about that. He sat down on the bench Law had just left and let out a small chuckle. "I guess this 'please' word has more power than I originally thought," he mused.

Something deep-blue and dark-red caught his eye, and he looked over at what it was. On the ground right next to the bench were two books. The Human Circulatory System was printed on the blue cover. Picking it up, Kidd inspected it. It was a thick book, over five-hundred pages filled with nothing but information and illustrations. The red book read The Fallen Tree. A fiction book, one with three-hundred sixty-nine pages. The bookmark placed in it told him the medical student was almost done reading it. "Law must have forgot these." He looked up and found Law was already gone. Damn that guy was fast. "I guess I should return them," he mumbled. He didn't know where the male lived, though. 'That's alright,' he thought. 'I guess it's time I gave Killer something to do anyway.'

Taking out his phone, he dialed a number.

"You do know you owe me $35, right?"

Kidd rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Trust me, I wouldn't dream of forgetting that I owe you money. I'll give it to you when I have it."

"You do have it," the voice replied, and the redhead furrowed his brows.

"I do? But I pulled out all the money I could for the month already."

"Well, your account says you still have $35."

Kidd was silent for a moment. Then, "You took that money out of someone else's bank account and put it in mine, didn't you."

"I sort of need it today," was the only answer he got. Kidd rolled his eyes but he couldn't help but give a grin. That was Killer for ya.

"Alright, I'll pull it out and come over. I'll be there in twenty or so."

"Thanks." Hanging up, Kidd stood from the bench; the two books tucked safely under his arms. He readjusted the black headband that held his hair back so it that it was no longer loose.

"I guess while I'm over there, I'll see if Killer can find who's blackmailing Law," he mused, leaving the school's premises. "Whoever it is, me and Killer will take them down easily. I mean, they can't be that powerful, right?"

"What the hell were you thinking?" Law scolded, slamming his front door shut and locking it. "What the hell were you thinking?" He roughly tossed his bag onto the couch, giving a harsh sigh. "You weren't thinking," he answered with a light snarl, making his way over to the coffee machine. "You weren't thinking and now you just put Eustass Kidd in harm's way. Good going, Law." He made some coffee and the moment it was done, he poured himself a cup and took a drink. "He'll probably be dead within a month, and you'll have another death on your hands." He took another sip, heading over to the couch to set his coffee down on the old, wooden table he'd had for years that now took the place of his recently broken glass table. He walked back into the kitchen and opened the third drawer down, taking out his laptop. He set it on the table and turned it on, taking another drink from his coffee. He buried his hands in his hair.

"What the hell were you thinking, Law?" He asked again, this time more quietly. Once his laptop was fully on, he got on the internet and looked for the newest medical updates. But he couldn't concentrate, his thoughts still glued on the redhead from earlier. Of all the people in school that suddenly wanted to befriend him, why did it have to be Eustass Kidd? Of all the people, of all the seven thousand people that was enrolled in the college, it had to be the one person Law found attractive.

It had to be the one person Law couldn't stop himself from thinking about.

"Here's your money," Kidd said, slapping the money into Killer's chest as he pushed his way past the blond and entered the house without an invitation. He heard Killer say his thanks again before he closed the door, leaving the room pitch-black except for the several computer monitors that glowed from the other room. "Jeez, do you live like a bat or something? Get some lights on!" The overhead lights flipped on and Kidd blinked a few times as his pupil's contracted. "Alright, I got a serious job for you." He turned to face Killer.

The male was tall. His blond hair, as usual when he wasn't wearing his mask, covered his eyes. The rest of it fell down his back, curling up in several different spots before it finally ended just past his hips. Small scars – each only about an inch or so long – could be seen on his face; one across the bridge of his nose, one over the left corner of his mouth, and one on his left jaw bone. He wore a black jacket with white-polkadots and normal black pants. Though his eyes were hidden, he could tell Killer raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah. You busy right now?"

"For you, I'm always free," the blond said, making his way past Kidd and into the room with all his computers. Kidd rolled his eyes at the statement but chose not to retort. He followed the blond into, what Kidd called, Killer's Domain, or just The Domain for short. The blond had several – coughtwelvecough – monitors set up in a semi circle with several – coughfourcoughcough – keyboards on his desk. Some other technical equipment was set up but honestly Kidd had no idea what they were even for. He was a mechanic, not a techie. Taking a seat in his swivel chair, Killer went through the process of clearing the monitors from their previous project. Kidd raised an eyebrow as he stared at each screen.

"Were you trying to hack the world government's network?"

"Yeah, I've been at it for about four hours. Would have had it in another two hours but something much more interesting popped up."

The redhead, obviously intrigued by how the sentence was stated, looked at the blond. "Oh? Something more interesting than hacking the world government? What was it?"

"You."

Kidd sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Why is it that every time you say stuff like that, it sounds romantic in some way?" Killer shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe I'm a romantic at heart?"

"In your dreams, pal," Kidd smirked. "I'd hate to see what your honeymoon would be like. I think it would involve computers, scythes, and a few dead bodies."

"On a beach under the stars," the other finished, a small smirk playing on his features as well. "Alright, so what's the job?"

"Alright, first, I need you to look up the address of a Trafalgar Law."

"The medical prodigy?" Kidd looked down at Killer as the blond began to type away on his keyboard.

"How do you know about him? You don't go to college."

"He's not just any medical prodigy, you know. He's quite famous, especially in the North Blue where he was born and raised. If anyone's got talent in the medical field, it's him." That had Kidd surprised. It wasn't everyday Killer would give such a high compliment to someone, especially someone he didn't personally know. He suddenly began to feel a little uneasy about the situation. If Law really was that well known, then the person blackmailing him might have more power than he originally thought. "Alright, got it." It never surprised him how fast Killer could locate someone. The man was a techno-genius. He pulled out a small piece of scrap paper from a nearby shelf and a pencil, scribbling down the address before handing it to Kidd.

"Thanks," the redhead said, pocketing the information. "Now, do you think you can gain access to his bank account history?"

"No problem. Give me a minute." The redhead looked around the dark room – he had no idea why Killer insisted the lights stay off in this one room – and crossed his arms. The multiple wirings in the room was so neat, he couldn't believe it. He had seen professional companies who had this much wiring in one room and couldn't keep it half as organized as Killer had it. Yeah, he was totally a techno-genius. "Okay, I've pulled up his account history."

"Good. Now I want you to look for anything strange, anything out of the ordinary. Start…ten years back." Killer did as told, but not before sending a quick glance at the redhead.

"Mind telling me why you're doing this?"

"I just want to make certain on a few things, that's all," was all the male answered. "I'm gonna make something to drink. Want anything?"

"Something citrusy would be nice," the blond answered. "Oh, and while you're at, make yourself at home," he added sarcastically.

"Killer, this has been my second home from the moment you invited me into your house all those years ago. Now shut up while I make you a citrus drink."

"Alright, so first of all, Law's parents died when he was around eleven, and he was living off his family's fortune. He'd take no more than ten to fifteen dollars out every other day for, what I'm guessing, was food."

"That's not a lot of food," Kidd replied, his eyes on the main computer screen. "I guess that explains why he's so thin. What about that, the fifty dollar withdraw?"

"That was for a new medical textbook that had been released. All fifty to ninety-five dollar withdraws were for textbooks. The occasional twenty to thirty dollar withdraws every two months were probably for clothes, supplies, or other necessary things." They scrolled through the history. "Everything's pretty much the same up until here," Killer pointed to the monitor. Kidd furrowed his brows.

"He didn't touch the account for a whole week?"

"That's not all. When he finally did touch the account…" The redhead's eyes widened.

"Fifty million dollars was withdrawn?"

"After that, he didn't touch it for another five days. Then things go back to normal for a while. Except instead of buying food every other day–"

"He began to buy food every three days…" Kidd sat on the edge off Killer's table where it was empty. 'So that's when it began. That's when the assaults started.' His grip on his arms tightened. 'He's been doing this…for seven whole years? No. No, that can't be. That's too long.' But the facts were right there in front of him, staring him in the eyes. Seven. years. He couldn't believe it. "Killer, look to see who was in the North Blue that month. Focus on the powerful and rich, people you wouldn't mess with." The monitor on the left pulled up some newspaper articles and Killer quickly scanned through them.

"Two were there that month. The first one was Moria."

"No, he died five years ago. Who's the other one?"

"…DonQuixote Doflamingo."

And, for a moment, Kidd's world seemed to stop.

Law shut his computer off and closed it, leaning back into the couch as he stared at his ceiling. His mind wandered to his old friends and he wondered how they were doing. He hadn't seen them in a long while. He quietly wondered if they forgot about him, whether they went off and followed their dreams, and if they were happy. He hoped they were. He wished he could see them, to catch up and hang out. To tell stories and jokes, and to laugh. Laugh… He hadn't laughed in over seven years. Chuckled, yeah, a few times, but not laughed.

'Has it really been seven years already? Seven years since…that day…'

He closed his eyes.

He had been under Doflamingo's grasp for too long. Seven years of his life, gone, wasted away. He spent them in desolation. For seven years, he endured the abusers and the rapists. For seven years, he's lived a broken and empty life. For seven years, he's been wasting away. For seven fucking years, he's been living in fear. Fear that Doflamingo would hurt his friends. Fear that Doflamingo would ruin his chance at become a surgeon forever. Fear that Doflamingo would send Vergo after him again. Fear that Doflamingo himself would come after him.

For seven years, Law put up with everything.

But as he sat there on the couch, he thought to himself.

'Will I survive for another seven years?'

'Am I ever going to be free?'

'Should I…just end it all?'

xx - xx - xx - xx - xx

I have no idea why, but I can kinda see Killer being somewhat of a romantic at heart. I can totally picture his honeymoon on a beach under the stars with dead bodies on the sand and his scythes stained with red. XD Speaking of Killer, my description of him is based off a picture by eagle-eyes on DeviantArt. She draws a cute Killer~! XD (Hell, I love all her One Piece drawings!) (By the way, I know Killer's ooc in this chapter. My apologies.)

Seven years. I know, I'm horrible. A little bit more of his bank history will be revealed in the next chapter. And as for the beginning of the chapter, the signs of what happens to someone who was (or about to be) assaulted... If I got anything wrong, I deeply apologize. I know it can be a touchy subject to some people, so, like I said, if anything is wrong, again, I apologize. I do not mean to offend.

Sorry for the late update! My computer has completely and utterly DIED on me. So now I can only use the library computers. So the next update may not be for a month. Or two. I am so sorry! I'm gonna try to get my computer fixed as soon as I can. Until then, I hope you guys can hang in there. Sorry bubblewrapgirl :/

Again, thank you, wonderful readers, for all the wonderful reviews! You all deserve some cake! ...Or pie, if you're a pie person. Or pudding. You know what? You all deserve your favorite desserts! (There, much better! Now you have choices! XD)

Until then, take care, and have a great morning/day/night!

Your ice/water elemental,
~»roo the psycho«