Blind Me

Summary: Law hates blindfolds. In fact, he's utterly terrified of anything that covers his eyes, and he has every right to be. Unfortunately, Luffy doesn't know this when he's feeling slightly mischievous one day. Mentions of torture.

Warnings: mentions of torture, bad writing, possible ooc, and unrealistic dry drowning...

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. Ermahgerd, isn't that such a surprise?!

Can't tell if this is true or dream
Deep down inside I feel to scream
This terrible silence stops me
I'm waking up, I cannot see
Nothing is real but pain now
Darkness imprisoning me, all that I see
Absolute horror
Hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please god wake me

-Metallica (One)

It wasn't very often that the ship was quiet enough that Trafalgar Law could fall asleep. Naturally, he took advantage of it while he could. He put himself as far away from the noisy crew as he could, settling himself in the aquarium bar. The entire crew was in the crow's nest, what they were doing he didn't know or particularly care at that moment. Getting himself comfortable, he set Kikoku by his side and tipped his hat down to cover his eyes. He gave a sigh and closed his eyes, exhaustion claiming him within minutes.

Luffy was the only one who seemed troubled by the fact Law wasn't partying with the everyone. They were all having arm-wrestling matches and so far, without much shock, Zoro was the undefeated winner. He glanced back at everyone else. Zoro was sitting at a table and everyone was pushing down on his arm to try and defeat him.

Surprisingly, Zoro's arm hadn't hit the table yet.

But Luffy focused back on Law and his absence. They'd been with the male for a little over four days now and not once had he seen the surgeon give a laugh or an honest smile. Smirks, yeah, but Luffy was aiming to see a smile and happiness in the other captain's eyes. He was so serious all the time, always trying to plan out their next move and such. He gave a frown, wondering why Law was being such a stick in the mud.

He had a hunch that Law's little "alliance" was a more personal thing.

But he didn't dwell on that at the moment. Instead, he jumped down to the deck and began searching the ship for the surgeon. It didn't take long to find him, and he grinned happily when his eyes landed on the still form of Law. He happily bounced over and opened his mouth to call the man's name when he stopped and blinked at the sight before him.

Law was fast asleep.

A part of Luffy – the smart and considerate part of him – told him to just walk away and let the surgeon get the well deserved rest that he needed. But the larger, more selfish part of Luffy said to wake him up so he could join in on the fun. The mental war lasted about three seconds before Luffy gave a mischievous grin. After the arm-wrestling was done, everyone decided on playing some blindfolded games that were not only fun, but would help sharpen their senses.

The straw-hat captain exited the room to grab a blindfold, barely containing a chuckle as he re-entered the aquarium bar. As quietly and gently as he could, he leaned over Law and tied the blindfold around his closed eyes.

Law was pulled from his dreamless sleep as he felt someone tie something around his face. He stifled a yawn – and a growl – as he gave a frown, knowing he wouldn't be able to get anymore sleep until nightfall. He opened his eyes to scold whoever woke him up when he felt himself freeze in place. His eyes were open, but it was pitch dark. And then the realization hit him that there was something covering his eyes.

A blindfold.

His blood ran cold as sweat started form on his brows. He could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage and his breathing started to become shallow and quick. Unwanted memories filled his mind and he shook his to get rid of them. No, no he wasn't blindfolded. It was just dark, he tried to convince himself.

But he could clearly feel the fabric resting against his skin, and he couldn't help the small "no" that left his lips. He reached up to tear the blindfold off when he remembered that he wasn't allowed to touch it. A voice suddenly entered his dark world but he couldn't recognize it because he didn't want to be there he didn't want to die he didn't want to go through it again and again and again–

Strong hands gripped his shoulders and he couldn't suppress the shout that left him. "Let go of me!" He was beginning to panic, he knew he was. He tried to think of where he was, tried to sort out his frantic mind. Last he remembered, he was on the Thousand Sunny with the Straw Hat Pirates. He was safe, no one would hurt him there because they were all idiots but they were good idiots and–

Or…or had that all been a dream?

Was he still twelve years old, stuck on that old rundown ship with those horrible pirates? Was he still in their holding cell, being interrogated for any information on Doflamingo and his nasty schemes? Was he still trying to escape, not wanting to be tortured by them anymore for knowledge he didn't even know?

Was he about…to die again?

The strong hands returned to his shoulders and Law pushed himself as far into his seat as he could, trying to put as much distance as he could between himself and his attacker. Instinctually, he kicked out and felt his foot connect with flesh. Good, they hadn't tied him down yet. He may have a chance then. He scrambled off his seat and hit the floor with a hard thud. Pain blossomed in his ribs but he didn't care about it, and he reached up to pull the damned blindfold off.

The strong hand once again found its way to his shoulder, and there was someone calling his name. "G-Get away!" He tried to lash out again, but another strong hand gripped his legs, immobilizing them. Someone called his name again but he ignored it. He wouldn't go through it again, he absolutely refused to. He would escape, he would be free…!

He flipped part of his body and threw a punch. His fist made its mark, but the second fist he throw completely missed. The hand left his shoulder and grabbed his wrists, pinning them above his head. He still fought though, squirming and thrashing and doing everything he could to break their hold.

It worked.

The hand lost its grip on his wrists. But then something forced his arms back to his side, and something was wrapped around his waist and arms. His arms were completely immobilized now. Law's eyes widened under the blindfold. He could clearly feel the wood beneath his back and grit his teeth as pure fear gnawed at his mind.

He could feel tears begin to prick at his eyes because he knew what was coming next. "No, stop," he whispered in attempt to avoid the oncoming torture. But it never worked, it never did. It seemed to only fuel their need to get information out of him, and he shut his mouth with an audible click. His teeth were clenched to the point where his jaw ached, and his fingernails dug into the wood below.

"Law! Law! Traffy! Traf– Traa– Tra-fal-gar Law!" His eyes widened even more when, finally, he realized who that voice belonged to.

"M-Mugiwara-ya…?"

"Yeah, it's me." The hand that held his legs down left and soon the blindfold was removed. He took in a deep breath he hadn't known he was holding and immediately shot up into a sitting position when Luffy's rubbery arms unwound themselves from his body. A cold sweat covered his body and he could feel his heart trying to escape from its white cage. He took in a deep breath and pinched the bridge of nose to try to calm himself down.

When he finally opened his eyes, he was met with the very concerned face of Luffy. "Are you alright? You… You kinda freaked out on me."

"I'm sorry," Law said. "But you unknowingly triggered a very…traumatizing event in my life." Luffy's eyes were filled with guilt and he glanced down at the blindfold in question. Law gave a nod.

"I'm sorry," Luffy apologized, tossing the blindfold out of sight. He didn't miss the way Law slightly flinched when he grabbed the piece of cloth. "Do…Do you want to talk about it?" Before Law could even say no, Luffy spoke up. "Someone…hurt you, didn't they." The surgeon didn't fail the notice how Luffy's eyes held a glint of understanding. "When I was seven, this pirate tried to get information out of me about where my brothers Ace and Sabo hid their stolen treasure. I was scared that if I told them where it was, Ace and Sabo wouldn't want to be my friend, and then I would be alone again. So…So I didn't say anything. Even though it hurt. I had nightmares for a while after that."

Luffy looked off to the side as he remained crouched next to the surgeon. "Ace went through something similar, too. He had a fear of having his hands tied up. One day, when I went down to our village, a group of people Ace stole from managed to capture him. They…They tied his hands too tightly. They beat him, badly. T-Tortured him." Law could see how just thinking about the memory made Luffy uncomfortable. He could also see the guilt in those brown eyes.

"I…I found him several hours later. We escaped, but he wasn't…right after that. He wouldn't let people touch him, and he didn't want to be alone for too long. It took him a long time to go back to normal, and to not have any nightmares. And it took even longer for him not to be afraid to have his hands tied." A thought nagged at Law's mind and he got the feeling that Ace's captors did more than just 'beat' him if he had such a severe fear for so long. Luffy looked into Law's eyes with slight empathy. "So if you want to talk…I'm here to lis–"

"They tortured me," Law suddenly interrupted, eyes looking off to the side. "They used a method called 'waterboarding'. Do you know what that is?" He got a shake of the head from the other captain and wasn't surprised at that. "It's when you're tied down to a table with a bag over your head, and someone pours water over your face." He could see the other captain shiver at that, and he didn't blame him. Waterboarding wasn't exactly a fun thing to experience.

"What it does is it makes the individual experience the sensation of drowning. It can cause extreme pain, dry drowning, damage to the lungs, and brain damage from lack of oxygen. It can also cause broken bones if you struggle against the restraints." Luffy didn't fail to notice how Law's left leg gave a slight twitch at the sentence. "It also brings lasting psychological damage, and in a lot of cases, death."

"Why were they…doing it?"

"After I left Doflaingo, I sailed as far away from him as I could. Unfortunately, while I was sailing, a pirate ship came across me. One of the men recognized me and they wanted information on Doflamingo. Information that I didn't have."

Law knew something was wrong when the men around him put a bag over his head. You usually only put a bag over someone's head when you were leading them to somewhere secret and to not let them see anything around them. But that didn't make sense, they were on a ship. There were only so many places to go, and Law highly doubted there secret rooms they wished to keep hidden.

He was picked up and roughly set on a wooden table that was inclined about fifteen to twenty degrees. They pushed him down and strapped his legs, arms, and torso down. He pulled at the restraints, giving a slight growl when he couldn't get free. His struggling died down as unease gripped his mind, and he strained to hear what was going on around him. The men were asking him questions, questions that he didn't have the answers to.

"I don't know!" Law grit out with a small snarl.

"I don't believe him," one of the men spit.

"Neither do I," another said.

"What do you think, captain?" There was a moment of silence, and Law held his breath as he waited for the addressed man to answer.

"…Do it." Two little words. Law didn't know two little words could bring him such dread. He struggled hard against the restraints once more as he heard what sounded like water sloshing in a barrel come closer and closer. And before he could do anything else, someone held his head in place as water suddenly soaked the bag over Law's head.

He sputtered, not expecting the liquid at all. The water continued to pour and he stared into the darkness with wide eyes as he tried to take a breath and found that he couldn't.

He couldn't breath.

His thrashing became more desperate when he realized that, and he tried his hardest to turn his head sideways as to get a proper breath of oxygen. But the hands holding his head would not budge, and Law was left to gasp and sputter as the sensation of drowning took hold of him. He felt his world begin to spin and dots began to line his blackened vision.

"You ready to talk yet?"

"I- I d-" He tried to get any sort of air into his lungs, but nothing came. His heart was beating frantically against his ribcage and the idea that he might actually die in the moment frightened him more than anything.

Because if he died now, then Cora-san's sacrifice would have been in vain.

It would have been for absolutely nothing.

He could feel his consciousness beginning to fade, and his thoughts began to grow fuzzy and unfocused. He was going to die. And what worried him was that a part of him was okay with that. Because if he died, that meant he'd get to see everyone he lost– mother, father, Lamie, the students, the teachers…Cora-san…

It meant he wouldn't to feel the pain of living alone in the dark anymore.

And in that moment, knowing there was no way for him to get out of his current situation, Law gladly accepted death.

But death, it seemed, was not yet ready to accept Law.

Because Law woke up.

His lungs burned fiercely and he gasped for sweet oxygen. His eyes were wide and filled with confusion as he stared up at the wooden ceiling above. He gave harsh coughs between his gasps until he could finally breath at a somewhat normal level. His head throbbed and his body trembled and Law was positive his heart had stopped working. He had officially died.

And oh, how he wanted berate himself.

How stupid was he, accepting death so quickly and easily, to accept the first invitation out of life. Cora-san would be ashamed of him. He gave up so damn fast. Not again, not ever again. He had a goal he needed to accomplish. He needed to stop Doflamingo…and to avenge Corazon.

"The kid's still alive."

"What luck."

"Brat, you ready to talk yet?"

"I- I don't know," Law panted. "I don't know anything about Doflamingo's plans."

"Liar! We saw you with him! You were apart of his 'family'!"

"I swear, I don't–"

"Do it again."

"No!" Law's body suddenly thrusted itself against the restraints as the bag was placed back over his head once more. "No! Stop, let me go!" He gave a particular hard thrash and restraint for his right arm came loose. He instantly reached up to pull the bag away when he felt a hand grab his arm and slam it back against the table. The boy gave a short yell as felt the bone in his arm crack.

"Don't touch the bag," a voice growled in his ear. "Do it again, and we cut your arm off." The threat sent shivers down his spine. He couldn't have his arm cut off, he'd never be able to become a surgeon if that happened. And becoming a surgeon had always been his dream. He wanted to be in the medical business, just like his mother and father were.

He was pulled from his thoughts when more water began to pour over his face once again. "No-" His words were cut off as he found himself unable to breath once more. He thrashed as hard as his little limbs could, trying to twist and squirm and break free of being held down. A powerful thrash caused a sudden hot flash of pain to appear in his left leg, and he gave a quick groan. His body had barely calmed down from dying once, it was in no way ready to experience more damage so soon.

He found himself fading from reality more quickly this time, his lungs feeling as if they'd been set on fire. He couldn't die, not yet. Not when his new goal was unaccomplished! But mind over matter did not count here; willpower could only get you so far in certain situations before the body shuts itself down. "C-Co- Cora–!" He called to his guardian, hoping he would come to his rescue. For a moment, in the darkness of the bag, he thought saw Cora's soft smile and his hand reaching out.

Then the darkness consumed him once more.

The second time Law woke up, he was honestly surprised that he didn't have any brain damage from the lack of oxygen. His arm and leg throbbed, and his head pounded. His lungs were nearly reduced to ash as they continued to burn fiercely and his body shook and his throat was beyond sore from all the cough and gasping and sputtering. Tears had spilt from his eyes and he barely even registered them as he fought to catch his breath once more. He felt so weak, so spent…so dead.

The restraints and bag were removed as voices communicated with each other around him. His mind was too fogged up to be able understand them. He was roughly pulled from the table and set on the ground where he nearly collapsed from exhaustion. A shooting pain ran through his entire leg as pressure was put on it and he gave a tired hiss at the feeling.

"This is your last chance. Are you ready to talk?"

"I said I don't know anything," he whispered back. "I don't know. I don't know anything."

"Well then, that's too bad. Boys. You know what to do. Finish it." Law's half-lidded eyes landed on the bag that was coming back for him again, 'causing him to suddenly become more focused and awake.

"N-No! Get away from me!"

"Hold still, kid."

He pushed his good arm out. "No! Now get away!" And suddenly, a blue sphere encased the small room. The occupants all stopped what they were doing and stared at it with confusion and caution.

"What the…?"

"Where'd it come from?"

But Law didn't care about the damn blue sphere. Instead, he reached for the nearest weapon, a sword. It lightweight and obviously cheaply made, but it would do. Turning, he lashed out; swinging the sword out to show these pirates that he was not one to be messed with. But even though the sword had been nowhere near the pirate before him, the man's stomach still split apart.

And Cora-san's words popped into his mind. "Hahaha! Don't be silly. This isn't come kind of magical power! I told you, didn't I?"

It wasn't magic, no.

But it sure as hell seemed like it.

Law lashed out again, and again, and again. And with every slice he threw, the people in the room were cut into smaller and smaller pieces. 'This is the power Cora-san gave me,' he thought. 'This is the power he gave his life for. This is what will save me. Cora-san… Thank you.'

"Law?" The surgeon was snapped out of his memories and focused on the concerned face before him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, Mugiwara-ya," he answered after some time. "I am." Luffy didn't look convinced but dropped the subject anyway. There was a tension in the air between them, and neither knew what to do now that they'd swapped torture stories.

Luckily, it was Luffy who broke the silence by giving a sigh. "Aw, and here I was hoping you'd play some blindfold games with us. Oh! I know! Maybe you can still play with us as long as I hold your hand!"

Law's eye twitched. "Mugiwara-ya, I'm not a child who needs comforting. I–"

"No, I mean holding my hand will keep you in the now, right?"

"It doesn't work that way," Law sighed, but he couldn't help but want to smile at how Luffy was still willing to try to get him to join in the festivities. The will of D… It certainly was a strange thing.

"Oh! Then you can be the one that's not blindfolded! All the games usually require at least one person to not be blindfolded!" The surgeon looked like he was about to decline the offer but Luffy already had his mind set on it. He grabbed Law's wrist and dragged him onto the deck, his famous grin plastered on his face. "Trust me, you'll have a great time!"

In the end, as they played Blindfolded Robot Wars, Sentinels, Hide and Seek, and Drawing, Law couldn't help but smile at the shenanigans the crazy crew performed. He also let a laugh or two escape. And as he looked at the crew, especially at Luffy, he couldn't help but feel accepted and, on another level, cared for.

It was the most fun he had in a long time.

Not that he would ever admit it, of course.

After all, he had a reputation to uphold.

A/N: Guys. I honestly don't know where this came from. I also honestly don't know why I posted it. I totally didn't know how to end it after coming out of the waterboarding scene. So it was goofy and off and at the end. It's also 4am here, so the dry drowning research I did didn't exactly stick...so it wasn't exactly accurate. So yeah. Yay for fail-ness! I was so tempted to make this LawLu/LuLaw story, but decided against it last minute. (I've really fallen for the LawLu pairings lately XD) But I can kinda see Law getting pulled into their Blindfold games and being the one that calls the shots. Here's how to play the games mentioned:

Blindfolds Robot Wars: work in pairs, a controller who is the sighter and a robot who is blindfolded. Robot is in marked zone and scores points by picking up paper balls and then throws it at the other robots in the zone. The controller is outside the zone and directing their robot verbally as to where to find the paper and then which direction the throw it.

Blindfolds Sentinel: In a good sized room lay a number of light objects on the floor. The group stands around the room and one person, the sentinel, wears a blindfold and stands in the middle of the room. Players take turns retrieving the objects from the floor without making a sound. If the person hears them, they point to them and say 'heard you', and that person's turn ends. The winner is the one with the most objects.

Blindfolds Hide and Seek: Mark out a zone on an area of grass. One person stands stationary in the zone. The rest of the group is blindfolded and have to find the person within the square. A good progression of this activity is to allow the sighted person to move slowly whilst the rest of the group tries to find them. Typically this will require the blindfolded players to word together.

Blindfold Drawing: A leader calls out an object to be drawn, group members each have to draw that object while blindfolded.

Was also thinking of maybe uploading one more chapter to this, the day Luffy found Ace after visiting the village. If you guys want me to do that, lemme know. :] Anyway, have a good morning/afternoon/evening! Review, please?

Your shy ice elemental,
~»roo the psycho«