Law's eyes slowly opened to be met with a strange white paneled ceiling. His vision was extremely blurry and his head was hazy and heavy, almost as if there were a huge weight sitting upon his painfully pulsating brain. The blindingly bright lights that were embedded into this strange ceiling made his eyes throb duly as they tried to adjust to this sudden change after having been closed for so long.

He couldn't quite remember what had happened... Hazy images of screeching tires and shouting was all his brain could comprehend.

His eyes finally opened fully as he blinked rapidly to try and rid himself of any remaining hints of tiredness that remained in his eyes. Just as he was doing this, he heard a door open and a pair of footsteps enter the room.

"Oh, you're awake!"

A female voice met his ears, but it was not one he recognised.

Gathering what little strength he had, he brought himself up into a sitting position. Of course, this was easier said than done in his current condition as his whole body ached painfully with the slightest of movements and his head made the whole room feel like it was spinning.

He shook his head slightly to try and recollect himself as the room around him finally became apparent... He was in a hospital room.

He was in a room by himself but he could see all of the machines and monitors stood next to his bed, telling him that this was indeed a hospital. The sound of the beeping heart monitor sounded rhythmically in his ear and he noticed all of the wires and tubes that were attached to every inch of his body, giving all of his bodily information to those strange machines. He began to grow worried as he saw bandages wrapped around his arms and he could feel even thicker bandages around his stomach beneath the hospital robe he wore.

"How are you feeling?"

Law's attention was brought back to the lady who had entered the room before. He looked round at her and saw that she was dressed in a pastel blue nurse's outfit. She had long, auburn hair tied up into a loose ponytail so she had to constantly tuck the strands that were falling in her face behind her ear. Her eyes were closed and her face was painted with a kind, sincere smile, but still, Law was far from comforted by her presence.

"W-why am I here?" he asked slowly, his voice shaking slightly.

"Do you not remember?" the nurse asked, opening her eyes as her face was now cast with worry.

Law shook his head.

"You must have suffered some head trauma from the accident..."

"Accident?" Law cut across her. "What accident? What happened to me?"

"You were involved in a pretty serious truck accident a day or two ago. You've been unconscious since then. You're in ER recovery right now," she told him slowly and carefully so as not to stress him out anymore, walking over to him and analysing the machines stood by his bed as she did so.

"That would explain all the car noises I keep remembering," Law said thoughtfully.

He scrunched up his eyes as he tried to recall exactly what had happened to him. Blurry images of wreckage and debris came fazing into his blackened mind and he could hear the distinct sound of crying... But it was a cry he recognised.

"What exactly happened?" Law asked the nurse.

"I'm afraid I don't know all the details. What I do know is that we received a call from the ambulance that picked you up, saying they were bringing in two boys who had been critically injured by a truck accident," she explained.

"Two...?" Law questioned with furrowed eyebrows.

And then it hit him.

The beeping of the heart monitor next to him began to grow faster and faster by the second. A cold sweat appeared on his forehead and his breathing became a quick, panicked pant. The nurse said something to Law, but he couldn't hear. The room seemed to fade out of existence so only he was left sat up in bed, unable to believe the information his brain was feeding to him.

All of a sudden, he snapped back into reality and turned to the nurse somewhat aggressively.

"Where's Straw Hatter?!" he demanded.

"Do you mean the boy who was brought in with you, Luffy?" the nurse answered, taken aback by Law's sudden change of tone.

"Yes, now where is he?"

"Law, I need you to calm down... You're not in the right state to see him right now. You're still recovering yourself," she told him tentatively, reaching over and touching his hand with her own gently.

"What's that supposed to mean?! What's happened to him?!" Law said, his voice slowly raising as he grew more and more anxious.

Law received no answer from the nurse. He looked into her face and could see her eyes were full of pity and sadness. The fingers of her hand that rested upon Law's own circled the top of his skin slowly and methodically. She was trying to distract him and calm him down... Just what was going on?

He could take no more. He ripped the IV needle in his hand, not even bothering to acknowledge the pain that electrified his body or the spurt of blood that was now oozing down his hand. He ripped out all of the other tubes and wires and threw himself out of the bed, making a straight run for the door.

"Law, stop! You're in no state to be getting out of bed!" the nurse yelled, trying to grab his arm to pull him back.

"Get off me! I need to see him!" Law growled, shaking her off and crashing out of the room.

He found himself in a typical hospital hallway, the beady eyes of nurses and patients boring into him upon hearing the noise he had just been making only a moment or two before, but he couldn't care less. They could stare at him all they wanted.

He sprinted down the corridor, pushing past everyone who was even remotely in his way. The shouts of the nurses and the murmur of the patients wondering what on Earth was going on followed in his wake, but he had no intentions of stopping.

He checked every single room he could, peeking in the window before racing off to search once more. His heart was pounding and he could feel every part of his body shaking violently. The blood that came from his IV needle wound was now dripping from his fingers and his palms were damp with the deep red liquid. He had never felt this scared before... He was scared about what had happened to Luffy... Scared about what he would find when he finally did find Luffy.

After much perseverance on Law's part, he peeked into what must have been the hundredth window he had checked and immediately noticed Luffy's distinct straw hat hanging on the end of the bed. He burst into the room, tears in his eyes.

"Luffy, Luffy, are you OK?!" he yelled, running over to the end of the bed and wiping the tears away so he could see clearly.

But once he took in the figure of what his boyfriend had become, he wished he had stayed in the sweet serenity of ignorance.

He saw Luffy, once practically bursting with energy and never without a smile on his face, lying motionless in the hospital bed. His chest rose and fell in time with his somewhat steady breathing, but even Law could see that he was far from OK. His body had become a mess of wires and tubes, even more than Law had had attached to him. Law could see the various liquids and substances being pumped into and out of his body as his heart beat rapidly in his chest.

Law swallowed hard as he looked up at Luffy's face. He was sleeping, but it was not the face Law recognised. He was familiar with the sleeping face of the boy lay before him, Law always being the one to awake first in the morning. He couldn't help smiling when he saw Luffy like that, innocent in his complete vulnerability, his cute face pressed up into the pillow as his blanket lay strewn halfway across the room. But now, his face showed pain. Even though he wasn't conscious, Law could see the hints of pain that painted themselves upon his face. He could see the dark circles under his eyes and his face was no longer soft and cute but rugged and torn.

But all of this was nothing compared to the shock that hit Law when he realised just how much injury Luffy had sustained. His tanned skin was littered with deep cuts and bruises that were not so much purple but black in colour. He was wrapped in bandages, but Law could see the red of his blood staining the pristine white material of the bandages. There was a deep cut on his forehead, the dried blood still stuck to his face showing the stream it had formed when seeping from the cut. Presently, the cut itself had been covered with a thick bandage, but Law could still see the ends of it sticking out from the corners of the bandage, emphasizing its size and making Law's heart give a painful tug.

Next to Luffy's bed stood machines that the various wires and tubes were attached to, but there were a lot more than Law had. He didn't understand all of the information that was flashing on the screens, he just knew that it wasn't good news. The machines whirred and beeped incessantly, driving Law to the near point of insanity. The blood that was seeping from his hand had formed a puddle on the floor and Law's ears were met with the sound of each new drop that fell from his fingers splashing into the red pool.

The reality of the situation came and hit Law like a brick. Tears were involuntarily streaming from his eyes as he stumbled backwards. He stumbled into the wall, knocking things off the nearby table as he did so. His eyes were wide and he was shaking uncontrollably as his breathing heightened once more.

"NO!!" Law screamed, pulling down on his hair as his complete shock was replaced by anger and sadness.

He cried out, unable to contain all of these feelings that were bombarding his body. His head was racing and he couldn't think straight... This was too much to bare.

The nurses burst into the room, having finally caught up to Law and were now trying to say things to him to calm him down, but all Law could hear were blurs of noise against the never-ending wave of thoughts that his brain was drowning in. He fell to his knees, his legs being unable to hold the weight of his body that had become like a lead weight. Law's whole world began spinning... He couldn't tell which way was up and all his brain could understand were the screams and tears that still came from his body.

Before he was fully aware of it, he had fallen to the cold floor as he fell into unconsciousness.

***

Law held Luffy's hand as he balanced along the low wall of the street they were strolling down. He watched in amusement as Luffy's tongue stuck out of his mouth in concentration and how he kept sticking his leg out at random intervals in order to keep himself from falling. He gripped Law's hand tightly as Law moved his arm in accordance with Luffy's own so he could fully maintain his balance.

"See, look! I told you I could do it!" Luffy said triumphantly as he came to the end of the wall, hopping off with his hands on his hips and a beam on his face.

"Only because you had my help," Law sighed, smiling nonetheless.

Luffy came over to Law and interlocked his fingers with Law's own. He pulled himself in close to Law, nuzzling his chest affectionately.

"You're always gonna protect me, right?" he asked, looking up into Law's face.

"Of course I will, you idiot. What got you thinking about that?" Law asked.

"Just curious! I'll always protect my Traffy, so I wanted to know if you'd do the same!" he giggled, laughing that distinct laugh that Law had fallen in love with.

Law leaned down and kissed Luffy's head gently.

"You're stupid," he muttered.

The two continued on down the road, hands locked together as Luffy hopped about on the balls of his feet like the excitable child he was.

Whilst they walked, a huge gust of wind hit them suddenly, forcing Law to squint slightly at the sudden change in velocity. His hair was blown back off his face forcefully as he shivered slightly with this cold breeze.

"Ah, my hat!" Luffy exclaimed.

Law looked and saw that Luffy's hat had been blown from his black locks. He jumped up to try and grab it, but it had already been carried out of grasp. Law chased after it, not really paying attention to where he was going as his eyes were fixed to the hat.

Eventually, there was a low dip in the hat's flight and so Law managed to jump up and grab it from the air.

"Hey, Luff--"

"TRAFFY WATCH OUT!!"

Everything after that shout seemed to happen in a blur of motion... Law realised he was stood in the road as he turned to see a huge truck looming in front of him. His ears were met with the horrific screeching of its breaks and the loud blow of its horn pretty much directly next to Law's head. His eyes widened as he had no time to run.

Scrunching his eyes up in preparation for the collision, he held Luffy's hat close to his chest.

He was knocked off his feet at an incredible force, but something had become attached to him before the crash. Law skidded across the floor, his arm breaking as it hit the ground to break the rest of his body's fall.

Law lay on the floor, completely dazed and with everything seeming to be fuzzy around him. His arm was turned the wrong way and he could feel every crevice of his body oozing out his bright red blood.

But all of this wasn't what was bothering Law the most... It was the weight that was pressing onto his back. Turning around, Law seemed to become utterly unaware of his own pain and suffering, these feeling being completely replaced by one of utter shock.

Limply draped over his own body, was Luffy.

"Luffy...?" Law whimpered, unable to process this.

He looked at Luffy fearfully and was filled with despair. Luffy's head was close to being split open with a huge cut stretching the length of his forehead. Both his legs were broken and Law could see the pools of red coming from his skin that were slowly growing as they stained the clothes he wore. The blood from Luffy's body was beginning to seep out from him, dripping onto the gravel where they both lay. Presently, he was unconscious as the blood from his head injury formed an incessant stream down his face.

His arms seemed to be the only things that weren't mauled beyond recognition. They were wrapped tightly around Law's own body and had stayed there even after that had both taken the hit from the truck.

"LUFFY, NO! WAKE UP!!" Law screamed.

He shook Luffy's body, but he remained limp and lifeless.

"THIS ISN'T FUNNY!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" he cried, tears now streaming from his eyes.

He wrapped his shaking arms around Luffy's small, fragile body and pulled him into his chest, crying uncontrollably into the young boy's hair.

He tried futilely to try and awaken Luffy over and over again... He wanted Luffy to open those wide, sparkling eyes of his. He wanted Luffy to look up at him with that goofy smile of his and tell him that he was absolutely fine... He wanted Luffy to be alive.

All of his exerted energy trying to revive Luffy coupled with the shock and trauma of the crash meant that Law eventually began to lose his consciousness. He tried his best to fight it as he continued to shake Luffy, but before long his body failed him and he collapsed backwards, his head hitting the gravel roughly.

The blurry sound of sirens buzzed in his ear as everything else became a pitch black vision of nothingness.

***

Law's vision came back to him slowly, that same white ceiling meeting his gaze once more. He could tell he was back in his room and he could feel the IV needle had been put back in his other hand. On the hand it had been in previously, Law could feel a thick plaster had been applied to the top of his skin. Beneath the plaster, his hand throbbed painfully and he regretted being so reckless when pulling it out.

He suddenly remembered why he had yanked it out in the first place as his eyes widened. He sat bolt upright and was suddenly alert and alive, throwing the sheets from his body as he made to jump out of the bed.

Before he could get any further, he found a pair of hands on his shoulders firmly pushing him back down onto the bed. Looking up, he saw the same nurse that he had awoken to before... Her face was filled with concern and underneath the ugly white lights of his hospital room, he could see a red tint to the whites of her eyes, almost as if she had been crying.

"You need to stay still for a while," she said, her tone comforting but certain.

"Let go of me! Please, I need to go back to him!" Law said, his voice breaking in sadness as he struggled against the nurse's grip.

"I'll let you see him, Law, but you have to listen to me first. This is important," she said.

Upon hearing that he would be allowed to see Luffy, he stopped struggling and listened intently to the nurse's words.

"Luffy's situation is... Critical. He took the full brunt of that truck head-on and he has some serious internal bleeding. A lot of his organs are failing and we think there may be some damage to the brain as well. He's conscious now, but his life is practically dependent on our machines. We're doing all we can to make him as comfortable as possible, but his health is rapidly deteriorating. There's not much else we can do except bide our time and keep him out of pain," she told him slowly.

Law's eyes welled up with tears.

"How long has h-he got... left?" Law asked, his voice barely above a hoarse whisper.

"A couple of days at most," she said quietly.

Law's head dropped and the tears from his eyes dropped onto the sheets covering his legs. His whole body was shaking and he tried so hard to hold back his whimpers of sadness, but to no avail. His hands covered his face, behind which he was falling apart... No, not just him... His whole world was falling apart.

"I'm so sorry, Law. This must be so hard for you," the nurse said.

Law looked at her and saw the tears streaming down her face. Her hands were wringing around each other and her quiet sniffs made her whole body shake and jump.

"It's alright... This isn't what he would have wanted. He hates people being sad on his account, so if we wanna make him as happy as possible then we have to put on brave faces," he said, wiping his tears away, but it did nothing to quell the never-ending feeling of dread that lay heavy upon his heart. "Will you let me see him now?"

"Yes of course, but you must take your drip with you. You caused us a lot of trouble before when you ripped out your IV," she said, standing up as she too wiped her tears away.

Law had to smile at this as he shimmied to the end of the bed in preparation to stand up. The nurse brought over his drip and he grasped onto it as he pulled himself up into a standing position. He hadn't realised it before as had been running on adrenaline, but Law found it quite difficult to stand on account of his injuries. He took a few shaky steps before he adapted to being upright once more and walked towards the door.

The nurse walked with him until they reached Luffy's door.

"Are you sure you're OK?" the nurse asked. "You can wait a while before we go in,"

"No, that's OK. I want to see him as soon as possible," Law answered, forcing a smile.

"I'll leave you to it then. Call me if you need me," she said kindly, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder before walking away.

Law took a shaky breath in, placing his hand on the door handle. He stood there for a moment, staring at his stationary hand as he tried to will himself to open the door. He knew what he was going to see upon entering the room... He just didn't want to accept it.

With one last deep breath, he pushed open the door and walked inside.

Luffy's head raised when he heard the door open. Law saw that he was still in the same state as before, but he was happy at least to see that he was awake.

"Oh, Traffy! I'm so glad you're here!" he said.

His voice was somewhat raspy and weak, but it was still the voice that Law knew and loved. He watched as Luffy smiled broadly, almost as if all of this pain and suffering that he was enduring was second nature to him. Law had to smile at his tenacity as he made his way over to the chair next to Luffy's bed.

"Hey, weirdo. How you feeling?" he greeted Luffy as normal, trying to hold back his tears at seeing his little ray of sunshine in such a state.

"I'm great! I look a lot worse than I am," Luffy laughed. "I always knew my confidence would wind me up in a hospital bed,"

"Confidence?" Law scoffed. "More like stupidity,"

"It's a mixture of both really," Luffy smirked to himself.

Luffy began coughing roughly, his body shaking with the intense force of each cough in his fragile state. Law cast his eyes downwards as he bit his bottom lip to keep himself from crying. Luffy's coughing slowed and he noticed Law's slouched figure, looking upon him with worry in his eyes.

"Why the glum face? I'm OK, Traffy!" Luffy smiled broadly.

"Yeah... I know," Law said quietly.

Luffy sighed slightly, leaning back on his bed as he continued to stare at Law's downcast expression.

"They told you, huh? That I'm dying? These machines are the only reason I'm still here to talk to you," Luffy said matter-of-factly.

"Don't talk like you're already dead!" Law suddenly snapped, his head looking back up quickly.

Luffy stared at him with shock, watching the clear drops of tears fall from his steely grey eyes.

"What happened to the Luffy I knew? You never gave up so easily, even when it seemed hopeless!"

"Oh, Traffy," Luffy breathed, his heart tugging painfully as he saw how sad Law was. "It's hard to be optimistic when your organs are failing by the second,"

He laughed slightly to try and lighten the mood.

"I'm not giving up at all, Traffy. I'm just trying to accept the facts so that I'm ready when the time comes,"

Law could no longer hold back his tears upon hearing Luffy's words. He lay his arms on Luffy's bed as he broke down into a mess of whimpers and sobs. His tears began to dampen both Luffy's sheets and his exposed arms, making his tattoos glisten underneath the small pools of water that his tears had become.

"You can't die! It's my fault... It's all my fault you're like this! If I hadn't been so careless and actually concentrated on where I was going, neither of us would be in this situation! I don't want to be the reason why the only thing I care about died!" Law cried, grabbing Luffy's sheets in his balled up fists.

"Law, come into the bed with me," Luffy whispered, his voice calm and soothing.

Sniffing loudly, Law looked up and saw Luffy smiling at him as he shimmied over to make room for him. He obliged Luffy's command and so climbed into the bed next to him. The bed was only really meant for one person, so the two lovers were snugly close to one another, able to feel the warmth of one another pressing up against them.

Despite his condition, Luffy turned on his side and wrapped his arms around Law's head as he pulled him into his chest. He buried his face into Law's glossy black hair as he played with each individual strand beneath his fingers. He could feel Law's tears staining his hospital gown as he gently shushed the older boy, pulling him in a little tighter.

"This isn't your fault, Law, I promise you. I did this to myself, knowing full well what I was getting myself into. I did it to protect you, but I did it of my own free will. And you wanna know something? I'd do it all again if it meant I could protect you one more time," he said quietly, his already low voice being somewhat muffled by Law's locks.

Law didn't reply, he simply continued to cry as he wrapped his own arms around Luffy and hugged him tightly, pressing his face into Luffy's chest.

He thought about how this situation mirrored the crash, but Law comforted himself by the gentle feeling of Luffy's weak but methodical heartbeat thumping against his ear.

The two stayed like that for a while, Luffy continuing to play with Law's hair as Law began to calm down. Eventually, they began to joke with one another, reminiscing about their days together and how most of the crazy situations they had found themselves in were as a result of Luffy doing something stupid to trigger it all. Law found himself laughing, finding comfort in Luffy's lighthearted words even in his darkest hour.

The night set in and Law fell asleep next to Luffy's chest, the days events having worn him out completely. Luffy smiled when he noticed, pulling the sheets up so that it covered the both of them as he too lay down and closed his eyes, the feeling of Law's systematic breaths on his body lulling him into a contented rest.

Law awoke the next morning to the sound of birdsong outside and the bright rays of sunshine that were a nice change to the unsightly, artificial light that the hospital lights provided in the dark. He looked up, expecting Luffy to still be asleep, only to find the young boy looking down at him with a soft smile on his face.

"Good morning!" he smiled.

But it wasn't a good morning for Law... He sat up fully as he took in Luffy's appearance, his heart sinking within his chest.

Luffy's normally tanned skin complexion was now faded and sallow, highlighting the cuts and bruises that still littered his face and body. His plump and bright pink lips had been reduced to sickly thin slits that Luffy still tried to smile with.

His large, glistening eyes that were always so full of life and joy were now dark in his skull having lost their shine and now retaining a glazed and tired look.

Because of their close proximity, Law could feel Luffy shaking violently. He couldn't recall him shaking the previous night, only serving to increase his anxiety further. The hands that held Law were not as tight as they had been before, now appearing to be weak and feeble in comparison.

"Luffy..." Law began.

"I know," Luffy said, still smiling at Law. "The nurse came in to check my vitals while you were still asleep. Apparently these are my last few hours,"

Law expected himself to start crying, yet he found himself shimmying up the bed so that his face was right next to Luffy's own. He slid out of Luffy's weak grasp and instead wrapped his strong grip around the small boy. He closed his eyes, kissing Luffy's forehead in reassurance as he stroked the line of Luffy's spine slowly.

"Will you stay with me, Traffy?" Luffy asked quietly.

"Of course I will," Law whispered.

He stroked the back of Luffy's head gently, wanting to keep Luffy as calm as possible during his final hours as a living being. For a while, this is how they lay, simply reveling in each other's company as they knew they would soon be parting from each other forever.

"Are you scared?" Law asked uncertainly in the silence that had draped the room.

He watched Luffy shake his head gently.

"Uh-uh... I'll be reunited with Ace after all this time. Plus, I can finally watch over you properly and keep you safe, and that fact alone makes me happy," Luffy answered.

Law leaned forward, placing his forehead against Luffy's as he couldn't help but smile.

"Always thinking about others," he muttered.

"Say, Traffy, will you remember me after I'm gone?"

"I could never forget you, Luffy... You're the best thing to have ever happened to me. I'm just so sad our adventure is over,"

"Well now you can go on an adventure all your own," Luffy whispered sincerely. "I want you to take my hat... That way, no matter where you go or what happens to you, it'll be like I'm always there with you. In a way, it's like you're taking me on all your adventures!"

He laughed quietly, that familiar laugh of his becoming a pale imitation of the loud, genuine one that Law had become accustomed to.

"I will, and I'll never go anywhere without it," Law said.

The two fell silent again, their slow breathing calming both of their nerves as Law continued stroking Luffy's mess of black hair.

After a while, Luffy took a sharp intake of breath, his body seeming to shake a little more intensely than before.

"Traffy... Where did you go?" he asked, his voice almost child-like in tone.

Fearfully, Law looked into Luffy's eyes and saw they had turned completely milky white. Law's eyes welled up with tears as he tried to reassure himself with images of how Luffy's eyes were before... Bright, sparkling and reassuring.

"It's OK, Luffy, it's OK... I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere," he whispered, voice breaking as he rocked Luffy gently back and forth.

He kissed the tip of Luffy's nose before stroking his cheek so Luffy could feel him and know for sure that he was right in front of him.

"I knew it. I could recognise that warmth anywhere... I'm so glad it'll be the last thing I feel," Luffy said, a smile crossing his face.

The full recognition that Luffy was finally slipping away hit Law and he could compose himself no longer. He began to weep as he continued to rock Luffy, wanting this moment to last a lifetime so that he would never have to face the hardship of allowing Luffy to leave him.

"I don't want to let go, Luffy. I can't... It's too hard! I love you so much and I can't imagine my life without you," he whispered timidly, feeling weak and helpless.

He felt Luffy moving and so he opened his eyes to see the young boy leaning in to him. With his lost sight, he fumbled slightly in an attempt to find Law's face, but as soon as his nose pressed into Law's, a smile slipped across his mouth and he kissed Law on the mouth. He stayed still, Law feeling the last dregs of Luffy's warmth radiate through his lips and into his own body.

"You don't need to be afraid Law..." he murmured, his milky eyes slowly closing. "Because I... love you,"

Law's ears had become accustomed to the beeping of the heart monitor, but what they had not grown used to was the flat line that now buzzed throughout the room. Other than that noise, there was silence.

Terrifying silence.

"Luffy?" Law whispered, shaking the body of the boy in front of him.

Nothing.

Leaning down, he placed his lips upon Luffy's. The warmth of his life still radiated from his lips, almost as if he were merely sleeping and would awake at the sensation of Law's touch. He drew back and placed his forehead against Luffy's once more, only now he pressed my nose into his and stared at his now forever closed eyes.

The sadness came and hit Law like a tidal wave... He began to cry loudly, his tears staining Luffy's skin. He didn't believe Luffy to be dead, he wanted this to be another one of his stupid pranks. But he knew the reality of the situation was much more crushing than that.

He heard the door open as a group of nurses entered the room accompanied by a doctor. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder as they tried to pull him away from Luffy's lifeless body.

"NO! He's not dead!!" Law screamed, shaking them off.

After the performance he had put on the other day with the IV incident, the nurses had come prepared for his resistance. Gently yet forcefully, they pulled Law up and off of the bed whilst the doctor analysed the machines and wrote on his clipboard.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!! HE'S STILL ALIVE!!" Law yelled, thrashing about in the nurse's grasps.

The doctor looked at Law with sympathy as he reached down, grabbing the sheets from Luffy's bed before pulling them up and over his body.

"He's not dead!" Law shouted, but he was beginning to realise how futile his actions were. "He's not dead..."

He collapsed onto his knees in a fit of cries and screams as the nurses came down with him. The nurse who had been with him this whole time hugged him tightly as she rubbed his back up and down. Law buried his face into the crook of her neck as he wept and shook.

"I miss him already..."

***

"Come on, Law! We have to get moving!"

Law looked up from beneath the straw hat that sat snugly on the top of his head, only to be met with the image of Bepo and the others waving to him from the car.

"I'm coming! Just give me a second!" Law responded.

It had been a year since Luffy's passing, and not a day went by that Law didn't think about him. The time had come for Law to go to university, and he was about to leave to embark on his newest adventure... But he couldn't seem to bring himself to do it.

This town was where Luffy was born and where he died. It held so many memories that Law couldn't seem to let go of... Leaving here meant leaving a part of Luffy that Law had been clinging to ever since his death.

His hands wrung around each other as he tried to decide what to do.

All of a sudden, he felt a firm pressure on his back, almost as if someone had just shoved him, and he stumbled forwards with the force of it. He spun around, expecting one of the guys to be there, but he was met with no one.

Law's eyebrows furrowed as he decided he must have imagined it when he heard that laugh... A laugh he could have recognised anywhere.

"Now you can go on an adventure all your own!"

Law's eyes were wide, but he soon shook himself back into reality as he pulled down on the sides of his straw hat, smiling broadly just like that little ball of smiles had taught him how to.

"I know, Luffy... I'm going," he whispered.

Turning around, he began to run towards the car as the others revved the engine.

"Let's go!"