Genrou sat in Literature, ignoring the teacher's exposition on Shakespeare - why did they have to study some dead English writer, anyway? - in favour of doodling in his notebook and brooding. Kouji was nowhere to be seen, and that made him extremely nervous. Had they been caught, after all? Had there been some kind of security system in the shower, and Kouji had been hauled off to be 'straightened out'? Genrou shuddered, remembering his mother's threats to send him to a shrink to 'straighten him out' when she'd first found his shounen ai manga.

This school had an extremely harsh reputation, but so far, other than the bathroom-cleaning incident, neither Genrou nor Kouji had seen any of that infamous 'discipline'. Sure, they'd been careful to keep their noses clean - who wouldn't, under these circumstances? But would they really take action because of what the two boys had been doing in the shower that morning? And if so, why hadn't they come for Genrou himself?

:Maybe 'cause I was uke, so they thought he was forcing himself on me or something? Dammit, they didn't do anything when Kaen and Chuin had their goons try to beat me up. And it was pretty obvious that I wasn't objecting to what Kouji was doin' to me.: His body tightened again just remembering, and he harshly squashed the erotic memories.

Stifling a yawn, Genrou tried to focus on the lecture to no avail. He glanced down at his notebook, to find that a new element had added itself to his random doodling. In addition to the character for 'wing' and that strange, sweeping bird, the character for 'well' now appeared, along with a rough drawing of that weird little chibi. :'Well'? What the hell? Where'd that come from? And what the HELL is up with that damn chibi?: Snorting in disgust, Genrou shook his head.

Letting his thoughts drift once again, Genrou found his mind returning to his roommate once more. Houjun, as he had looked that morning, sprawled over his bed, panting softly and moaning another's name. Genrou gritted his teeth as his body tightened further. :Dammit. I've got stop obsessing over him, I'm gonna get myself in trouble. Gods knows I can never keep my big mouth shut! He's not even all THAT cute!: His libido disagreed with him, providing mental images of how Houjun might have looked, writhing and panting under HIM.

:Grrrr. Damn, I want him. BAD. What is it about him, anyway? Why am I so damn drawn to him?: Glancing down at his notebook again, he found that he was now intertwining the two kanji characters, with little hearts and '+' symbols. :Ah, what the hell? This is nuts. Heh. Maybe my sister's right, and I really DO know him from a past life, and these symbols are our names, or something.: Glancing out the window, he stared blankly at the beautiful mountain landscape just a few miles away.

Grumbling, he scrambled up the steep incline behind his friend. Ahead of him, the monk bounced along effortlessly, humming and grinning and generally being his normal cheerful self. Swearing, he tripped over an exposed root and hung for a moment, poised to fall backwards down the mountain. Spinning, the blue-haired monk grabbed his arm and hauled him back to safety. There was a look of gentle reproach, smothered with affection, in the single warm, brown eye.

"Ne, Tasuki, you really should be more careful no da!"

Genrou jumped in his seat as the bell rang, startling him out of his daydream. Blinking, grateful the Sensei hadn't called on him while he was in lala-land, he hastily shoved his notebook in his bag and scrambled for the door with the others. But the cheerful chattering of the other students around him did nothing to penetrate his thoughtful mood.

:What was that all about? Felt like - a dream, or a really old memory. But I've never been to the mountains. And that was Houjun ahead of me, I think. Definitely his face, and that scar is unmistakeable. But what was with the funky clothes? And the hair? Dammit, he looked like that damn chibi again, except normal height!: Shuffling into the cafeteria, he picked up a tray and got in line, still distracted. :What is it with me and chibis lately anyway?:

Spotting Kenji and Min at their usual table, he threaded his way through the crowd to join them. Glancing around, he noted that Kouji still hadn't shown up. "Oi, either of you two seen Kouji? He wasn't in Lit. class." He slung the tray onto the table and sat down.

The two boys exchanged glances. "We have science together first period," Kenji commented quietly. "He fell asleep in class, and the Sensei caught him. I was on the other side of the room, I couldn't do anything. I'm sorry, Genrou."

Genrou made a face. "Stupid baka. Well, come on, how bad can it be?" Seeing Min shift uncomfortably, and the downcast look in Kenji's eyes, he grew nervous. "Guys? Come on, quit it. Yer freakin' me out. How bad can it be?"

"Real bad," Min said shortly, then turned to his food and refused to say more, no matter how Genrou tried to draw him out. Kenji also picked at his food in uncharacteristic silence.

As the lunch hour dragged out and his two friends refused to look him in the eye, Genrou grew more and more frantic. He seriously debated skipping his afternoon classes to check on his friend, and some of his thoughts must have shown in his expression, for Kenji grabbed him by the arm and held on tightly.

"Don't even think about skipping class, Genrou!" the older boy hissed quietly, his eyes darting from side to side as if he was afraid someone would overhear them. "You'll be in even worse trouble than he is, now."

"Besides," Min sighed. "They won't be finished with him yet. You can check on him after class. Look, I know we're making you nervous, but I lived through it, and so will he."

"Oh, did one of the worms get into trouble?" Genrou stiffened at the now-familiar, smirking alto voice.

"Poor baby," Chuin agreed with her friend, as they lounged back against the table behind the three boys. "Oh, look, the other little worm is nearly frantic with worry." The predatory glint in her eyes was stronger than ever, and Genrou unconsciously winced away from her.

"Fuck off," he muttered. Min gave a little 'eep'ing sound, and Kenji gaped at his audacity. Kaen's eyes narrowed in anger, but the hunger in Chuin's gaze only became stronger. "Just go the hell away and find someone else to 'play' with. I ain't in the mood."

Genrou saw Kaen's hand flying at his face with more than enough time to block it - but sat, stunned, as Chuin got there first. Eyes narrowed, the gray-haired woman leaned in close to her best friend. "DON'T mark him, Kaen. Not even a bruise. You always get to have fun with the newbies. I want this one!"

Kaen turned a surprised face to her companion. "Oh? You should have said so. You so rarely take a direct interest, I didn't realize you had your eye on this one." She turned a falsely-sympathetic smile on Genrou. "Poor little worm. At least I usually leave my toys in one piece." Laughing, she turned away. "He's all yours, Chuin. Don't have too much fun all at once, okay? You know how disappointed you are when you break your toys too quickly."

Genrou's face was bright red with suppressed fury by this time, and he was shaking with anger. Leaping to his feet, he practically shouted into Chuin's face. "I am not some fucking plaything, get it? I ain't intimidated by you, and I ain't gonna dance to your tune. So you can just go screw yerself! I…" he stopped, shivering, as the lustful golden gaze caught him with a near hypnotic effect.

Paralysed, he found he couldn't move as the woman leaned in until her face was only inches away from his. "So very passionate," she murmured in that strange tenor voice. "So full of fire. I like to play with fire, I really do. Struggle all you like, little worm, you're just pushing the hook in deeper."

Genrou took a deep breath, and forced himself to look away, breaking the strange spell. When he brought his gaze back, he found he was able to look at her without fear once more. "Fuck. Off." He said, making each word sharp and distinct.

Chuin laughed in utter delight, sending chills running up and down Genrou's spine. "How proud you are! I will so enjoy breaking that spirit of yours." Grasping his chin in a hard fist, with a strength seemingly at odds with her delicate looking body, she forced Genrou's face to hers, catching his lips in a bruising kiss.

Yelling in outrage, he planted his hands on her shoulders and shoved her off of him. Wiping his mouth in utter disgust, he ignored her laughter and grabbed his lunch tray, motioning to the frozen Kenji and Min with a jerk of his head. "Come on, guys, the warning bell already rang. Let's get to class." Moving off without looking back to see if his friend were following, Genrou tried very hard to shake the feeling that he'd just painted a giant bulls-eye directly in the center of his back.
 
 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He didn't even stop to drop of his books before racing to Kouji's room after class. The door was shut and locked, and there was no response to his repeated pounding. As he stood there, staring at the wall in frustration, Naisu approached and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"He's asleep, and its probably best if he stays that way for now," she murmured quietly to him.

Genrou gave her a frustrated look. "What the hell did they DO to him, Naisu?"

Her face was sad, as she shook her head. "You don't want to know, Genrou. Let this be a lesson to both of you."

He pounded his fist against the wall. "Dammit, I wanna see him! I need to know that he's okay!"

She gave him an oddly considering look. "You two, you really care about one another, don't you?" she asked. "As more than friends, I mean."

Genrou's eyes went wide, and he back peddled furiously, trying to work his way out of the situation. "Wh-what do you mean? Hell, we're best buddies, our moms shared the same damn hospital room when we were born. Inseparable, ya know? I just…"

She grinned at him suddenly. "Oh, it's okay. I'll keep your secret. I think it's cute." She sighed. "And lord knows, he's gonna need someone to support him right now. Okay, I'll let you in, but you have to promise not to tell ANYone that I did it, okay?"

He nodded solemnly, and watched as she drew out a large keyring identical to the one Mamoru had used to let him into his room on the first day. Glancing around to be certain no one was watching, she cracked the door open and let him slide inside. As she shut the door behind him, she whispered, "Don't keep him awake too long. He needs his rest, if he's gonna make it to class tomorrow. And he'd BETTER make it to class tomorrow!"

"Yeah, yeah, I gotcha." Genrou muttered as the door clicked shut behind him.

The lighting was dim, the sunlight being filtered through a heavy screen that hadn't been there before. Genrou automatically started to flip on the lights, then reflected that the room was probably dark for a reason. Moving forward, he felt his way to the end of the bed.

"Ne, Kouji?" He hadn't meant to whisper, but his voice came out quietly anyway. The only answer was a soft moan from the heap of blankets on the bed.

Genrou sat on the edge of the bed tentatively, and reached out a shaking hand to clasp what he was pretty sure was his buddy's shoulder. "Kou-chan? It's me, Gen…"

A strangled shriek cut him off, as Kouji jerked away from his light touch. His voice sounded as if it had been completely worn out, and Genrou's eyes widened in horror as the bedsheets fell away from him.

His chest and shoulders were covered in dark purple bruises, some of which were oozing blood slowly. Each mark was long and thin, as if he'd been hit repeatedly with a narrow, solid object. The worst of the wounds had been dressed, but most of them were open to the air.

Wild brown eyes met Genrou's amber gaze, but Kouji seemed not to see him. "Yamero!" He cried, his voice hardly more than a whisper though he was obviously trying to scream.

Nearly in tears, Genrou stared helplessly at his friend. "Kouji! Kouji, it's me, Genrou! Snap out of it, buddy!"

With a shuddering sob, sense returned to Kouji's eyes. "Ge-genrou?" he croaked, his voice raw. His fists clenched in the sheets. "I'm back in my room?"

"What the hell did they DO to ya, Kouji?" Genrou nearly wailed.

Kouji gave a half-laugh, half-sob, and buried his face in his hands. Genrou winced in sympathy as he saw more of the horrible marks across his friend's back. "They - caned me, I think. I'm not really sure, it's all kinda fuzzy - all I can really remember is how much it hurt…" He began to tremble, his breath hitching.

Instinctively, Genrou wrapped his friend in a comforting embrace, only to pull away, swearing, when Kouji cried out in pain. Holding the other boy's hands in his own, he murmured useless reassurances over and over.

"Yer safe, Kouji. It's okay now. They're not gonna hurt ya anymore. Dammit, buddy, look at me! It's okay! I won't let 'em hurt ya like that ever again, I swear!"

"NO!" Kouji's eyes were wild again as he stared at Genrou. "Gen-chan, don't fight them! Whatever you do, don't fight them! They'll do it to you, too!"

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down, buddy! They ain't gonna do nothin' to me!"

Kouji gripped his arms with bruising force, shaking him for added emphasis. "Promise me! Gen-chan, promise me you won't do ANYTHING to piss them off!"

Genrou trembled, tears of pure fury in his eyes, to see his normally proud friend brought to such a level. Whatever they had done to him, it went far beyond a mere physical beating. He was fairly certain his spirit wasn't broken, but it was a damn near thing.

"All right, buddy. If it means that much to ya, I promise. I promise I won't to anything to get in trouble."

Kouji slumped back into the pillows, sighing with relief. There were tears in his eyes. "Genrou - it was awful. I don't know what the fuck they did to me - I mean, I've been beat up before, I can handle pain, but this - this was nuts. Every minute stretched on for hours, it was like time had slowed down to let me feel every bit of the pain."

Genrou could feel Kouji's hands trembling in his, and he bit down on his lip to keep from crying. "I'm here for ya, buddy. Just hang in there, it's gonna be okay."

He held Kouji's hands while the other boy fell into a fitful sleep, stroking his forehead to calm him when he cried out from his nightmares. By the time he had fallen into a true, restful sleep, it was nearly 6 o'clock.

Genrou stood quietly, disentangling his fingers from Kouji, careful not to wake him. He opened the door silently, slipped out, and shut the door just as quietly, then turned and marched back to his room.

The utter fury in his narrowed hazel eyes, along with his clenched fists and fang-baring snarl, must have conveyed his feelings adequately to the other students, because they gave him a wide berth. From her doorway, Naisu muttered "He's excused from dinner, but you're not. Don't forget, Genrou!" as he passed her.

He shot her a death glare, and she actually took a step back, her face startled. He said not a word as he continued on his way, taking each step with measured preciseness.

By the time he got to his room and was standing with his back against the door, staring unseeingly out his window, his entire body was trembling with suppressed rage. Houjun looked up from his laptop, surprised at hearing nothing but silence from his normally cheerful roommate, and actually flinched at his appearance.

"What happened?" The older boy jumped to his feet and approached Genrou.

"That's what I'd like to know," Genrou snarled, clenching his fists before him. "Kouji fell asleep in class this morning," he said, his voice now sounding almost casual.

Houjun turned pale. "Oh."

"Oh?" Genrou turned blazing eyes on his roommate. "OH? ALL YOU CAN SAY IS OH?" His voice rising with every word, he was soon shouting. "THEY FUCKING WHIPPED HIM, HOUJUN!"

The older boy bowed his head, his expression sad. "You were warned," was all he said, as he turned away.

Genrou grabbed him by the shoulder and hauled him back around. "Warned? What the fuck? They can't do this shit! It's fucking illegal! You can't just beat the hell out of somebody because they fell asleep in a fucking CLASS, Houjun!"

"Yes, they can. And they will continue to get away with it, because the police and the lawyers don't care what they do to us here. You were told that on your first day here." There was a sad expression in his chocolate brown eye.

Genrou sputtered. "But - but they CAN'T! They just CAN'T! It's not fair! It's CRAZY!"

"Nobody said life was fair, Genrou." Houjun tried to break away, but Genrou tightened his grip.

"I know life ain't fair, but this is nuts! He was beaten black and blue, Houjun! He's bleeding! And I dunno WHAT the hell they did to his mind, but he's nearly broken!"

"Then he's lucky," Houjun replied, and managed to tear himself out of Genrou's grasp at the other boy's surprise.

"What the hell do you mean, he's LUCKY?" Genrou demanded.

Houjun sighed. "Most people DO break." He moved to stare out the window, where rain was dripping from the eaves.

Genrou just stared at him, jaw open in shock. He shook his head slowly. "I don't get it. You, the guy who refuses to take shit from Kaen and Chuin, are just standing here telling me that you won't stand up to this fucking school?"

Houjun snorted. "Kaen and Chuin are just sick little teens, playing sick little games. The school has POWER over us, Genrou. Power that we can't fight. Our parents gave it to them, the courts gave it to them, and if we say anything against it, they WILL recommend that we be sent to prison for 'further correctional efforts'." His face was pale, and that terrible, haunted look was back in his eye.

Slowly, some of the rage drained from Genrou, and he moved to sink down onto the bed, head in his hands, his fingers fisted in his long hair. "I just can't believe this is actually happening. I mean, what the hell did they DO to him, Houjun? Kouji's a tough guy, he can take a lot of shit. But he was scared silly - his voice was totally gone from screaming!"

Never taking his gaze from the rain, Houjun answered slowly. "I'm not sure exactly what they do. Some people speculate that it's an experimental drug, meant to stimulate the pain centers and accentuate the punishment. Others insist it's some kind of hypnosis. Anyone who digs too deeply, tends to get charges trumped up on them, and they get hauled away for 'punishment' - and they never complain or question again."

"And yet you still say prison is worse than this? They're BEATING us, Houjun! Last I heard, they stopped doing that in prison years ago!"

A brief spasm of pain flitted over the older boy's face. "There are worse things in the world than a physical beating, Genrou."

"Worse than some kind of mind-altering drug?" he demanded hotly. He jumped to his feet, pacing back and forth in front of his roommate. "What the hell could possibly be worse than having them fuck with your head?"

Houjun shook his head and refused to answer. Genrou blew his breath out in frustration, ruffling his long bangs. "Dammit, this is insane." Glancing at the clock, he sighed, and headed for the door. "I'm going to dinner."
 
 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Min, Naisu and Kenji were still tiptoeing around him at dinner - and with good reason, Genrou reflected, fuming quietly. His formidable temper was primed and eager to blow, which showed in the restless energy that possessed him while he impatiently waited until he could leave the cafeteria.

As he stared blankly into his ramen, ignoring the chattering of other students around him, he let his mind drift again. The memory of the horrible wounds covering Kouji's torso made him shudder and clench his fists again.

:Gods, those'll take WEEKS to heal, some of 'em. What if some of the goons try to catch him in a fight, in the meantime? There's always someone trying to prove they're better than us. He won't be able to protect himself! Dammit, and I can't be with him all the time.: He swirled the noodles with his chopsticks, and watched the patterns they made.

:Heh, that almost looks like 'wing'… why do I have such an obsession for that kanji, anyway? Hey, there's 'well.' Hmph, pictured that damn chibi again. Whee, that one's 'fire'… I'm such a pyro. "Lekka shinen!" I wonder where I got that phrase from, anyway… I swear I picked it up from Kouji, but he insists he never heard of it before he heard me use it. Still, it sounds cool if you shout it right before you punch someone. Hmmm… that one could almost be… 'rare cart'…: he sighed heavily. :Yeah, too bad Mits isn't here, he could just heal Kouji and then everything would be… Aaaa! What the hell am I talking about? Who the hell is 'Mits'?!:

Shaking his head at his own fancifulness, he slurped up his soup. :First 'wing' and that damn bird thing, then screaming 'Chichiri' every time I come - poor Kouji, took him a long time to get over that - then it's 'well' and blue-haired chibies with Houjun's face. And now someone named 'Mits' who can heal people? Fuck, man, Kouji's right. I'm getting weirder by the day.:

With a growl and a glance at the clock, he snatched up his tray. "I'm goin' to check on Kouji again," he muttered, ignoring the feeble attempts by his friends to get him to stay longer. Scraping his plate into the garbage and dumping his tray on the table by the door, he headed for the dorm wing of the school building.

With dinner in full swing, the hallways were nearly silent. Only an occasional sensei or janitor could be seen as he made his way to his friend's room. Only when he got there did he realize that he needed Naisu to let him in. Cursing, he kicked the wall and shoved his hands in his pockets.

A moment later, the door swung open to reveal Kouji, still looking fairly battered but much better than he had earlier, leaning against the doorjamb. "Figured that'd be you, Genrou," he said. His voice showed no trace of it's earlier roughness.

Genrou gaped at his best friend in disbelief. Most of the horrid marks had faded to that sickly greenish yellow bruises turn when they're nearly faded. His eyes were clear and free from pain. In short, it looked as if the beating had been several weeks ago, not earlier that day.

"Wh-what happened to you?" he murmured, slipping inside and allowing Kouji to close the door behind him. He accepted the hug the other teen gave him without protest, but he felt numb with shock.

"Didn't you hear?" Kouji pulled away and flopped down on the bed. "I got caught sleeping in class."

Genrou snorted. "I know THAT, baka." Seeing Kouji's surprised look, he added, "Don't ya remember? I was here after class. I held ya till ya fell asleep."

Kouji shook his head. "Nope. Don't remember. All I remember is coming back after, crawling into bed and falling asleep."

"Well, you looked like shit," Genrou stated bluntly. "Real bad shit. And now you look like you got beat up weeks ago! I don't get it! How come yer healing so fast?"

Kouji blinked at him in surprise. "Huh? It wasn't that bad. Pretty damn rough, for just falling asleep in class, but not all that bad. I've been beat up worse by the school bullies."

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Genrou tried to organize his thoughts. Slowly, he laid out the facts as he saw them. "Kouji, not two hours ago, those marks were deep purple, and some of 'em were bleeding. You were nearly incoherent with fear when I touched ya. Ya were trembling and almost crying, and you made me promise that I wouldn't do anything to get in trouble, ever." He lifted his eyes to meet his friend's disbelieving gaze. "And now, yer practically fine. A few old-looking bruises. But you say you don't remember seeing me earlier tonight, and now you say that the beating wasn't all that bad."

He jumped to his feet and began to pace, winding his fingers through his long hair absently. "I don't get it. I just don't get it!"

Kouji wrinkled his nose. "Well, I certainly don't FEEL as if I were beaten as badly as you say, Gen-chan. Maybe you were just really worried, so you saw things that weren't there?"

Genrou swung around to face him, fists clenched. "I sure as hell didn't imagine you cringin' away from me, crying out 'cause it hurt too much when I touched you! I didn't make up you beggin' me not to get in trouble! And I didn't exaggerate the way everyone has been tiptoeing around - Min, Kenji, Naisu, hell, even HOUJUN was upset when he heard you'd fallen asleep in class. He said ya'd be lucky if yer spirit wasn't broken completely!"

Kouji shook his head from side to side slowly. "Genrou - man, I don't know what to tell ya. I remember them takin' me into this room, and using a long, ruler type thing ta beat me. But it wasn't that bad. Like I said, I've been beat up worse by school bullies. And I sure don't remember you being in my room earlier."

"Drugs," Genrou muttered suddenly. "They must have drugged you. Kouji, LOOK at your chest! Those are really bad bruises - but they look weeks old! How the hell did that happen?"

Kouji shrugged. "Damned if I know. Genrou, I think you're blowing the whole thing out of proportion." His posture was relaxed and his face open, but deep inside his brown eyes, Genrou swore he saw a flicker of suppressed fear.

He sighed and slumped against the wall, momentarily defeated. "I dunno, man. I just don't know."
 
Review
Next
Previous
FY Yaoi Fics
Fushigi Yuugi Yaoi
Home