Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/1055681.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      M/M, Multi
  Fandom:
      07-Ghost
  Relationship:
      Frau/Teito_Klein, Ayanami/Teito_Klein, Castor/Labrador, Teito_Klein/
      Hakuren_Oak
  Character:
      Teito_Klein, Mikage_Celestine, Hakuren_Oak, Ayanami, Capella, Frau,
      Castor, Labrador, Mikhail_(07-Ghost)
  Additional Tags:
      More_pairings_in_the_future, Mature_because_non-con_sex_scenes_and
      violence, I_torture_my_characters_more_than_usual_here, so_much_blood, So
      much_torture, Trigger_warnings_in_chapters, Suicide_mentions, AU, ha, now
      i_can_add_the_tag_i_wanted_to_add, for_years, HAHAAA
  Stats:
      Published: 2013-11-23 Updated: 2015-12-03 Chapters: 8/? Words: 39674
****** Papercuts ******
by Justanothersinger
Summary
     These were nothing more than a few scrapes or scratches. Nothing
     more. And no-one paid any attention to me, let alone them. Except for
     that damned teacher.
***** The shattered mirror *****
 
Trigger_warning:_Mild_mentions_of_violence_
Paper-cuts
Chapter_1:_The_shattered_mirror
It's been a long time since it rained.
Even from here, he could see the sunlight straining through the thick curtains
that blocked most of the view from the French windows. It burned bright red
through the crimson lace and soft white through the gap, threatening to blind
his eyes in the intense darkness.
Relentlessly, he kept staring at the light, keeping his gaze anywhere.
Anywhere but at him.
He seemed to acknowledge the younger boy's tenacity, preferring instead to
silently stare at him, his sharp eyes not missing a single move the boy made;
the hand on the knife that buttered the bread, the eyes that stared dully at
the glass and the lips that refused to say anything.
The boy could feel the stare like a lead weight on his shoulders. He took his
time, slowly chewing every last morsel of food, prolonging the moment he would
look up at the man finally.
"...Have you finished?"
The plate was swiped out from under him and he felt a sliver of shock on his
face, despite himself.
This was different.
"...Yes." The younger one answered, keeping his voice even. The man looked at
him coolly, then proceeded to drop the plates on the floor. The room echoed
with multiple crashed as each plate broke into crystalline fragments. But the
boy didn't bat an eye, keeping his expression calm and steady.
"Aren't you going to be late?" The man asked, leaning over so that the boy was
forced to look at him.
"No. I'll make it, in plenty of time." He replied, "Besides, there's an
administrative meeting in the morning, so even if I'm late, I won't miss
anything."
"Don't even consider the possibility." The man's voice was colder than ice. The
boy's eyes widened slightly at the change in tone, and he stared harder at the
eyes in front of him.
"Forgive me." He pushed his chair back and walked across the room, hooking an
arm through the black, leather bag that slumped over the recliner, "I didn't
mean anything by it."
"Didn't mean anything by it?" The man was amused now. The boy could hear his
steps towards him as clearly as hammer on iron. Unconsciously, he felt his fist
curl on his bag strap.
"You didn't mean anything by it?" He felt a hand slither through his hair, its
warmth a few degrees higher than that of a corpse, "Tell me, how long has it
been when you said something you did not mean?"
"I don't understand." Still, the same, flat tone. There was no point really. It
was already too late.
"You say these things with an open face, grinning at me all the while I drive
my own self crazy. Half-sentences with a double meaning, leaving me to guess
for myself whether you mean to make me or destroy me." The man's hand gripped
the boy's hair and pulled his face up. The mad gleam was back in his eye.
Already too late.
"I plan to do neither." Was all the boy said. Already he could feel that damned
choking feeling in his throat, slowly creeping to his already-numb legs and
rigid hands.
Too late.
"I was hoping you would say that."
Flash of silver. The knife was missing from the table.
And the last thing he remembered was a fleeting shard of pain and blood
touching his eyelids, while he kept thinking one last thing. A memory.
"No-one will ever come and save you."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x
"You got sent out of class? Again?"
Teito winced at the volume of the yelling. Half a mile away from him, girls
shot him nervous looks, while the boys merely shrugged their shoulders. It was
Teito Klein after all.
"Mikage..." Teito muttered into the phone, an annoyed tick on his forehead, "I
think you just blew your cover."
"Hm?" Teito heard the dry rustle of static, then a very brief but colorful span
of cursing, "Shit, I gotta go. I'll call you back soon."
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"When will he learn? He'll never be an army cadet at this rate." Teito sighed.
Yes, he'd been sent out of class. Again, as his best friend so kindly reminded
him, but it was Kyouya-sensei after all. He didn't need much to take on
disciplinary measures, especially when it came to Teito, who he loathed with
every fiber of his being.
Join the club. Teito thought wearily. He'd been falling asleep in class more
and more lately, not that it worried him much. He never found the need to pay
attention, not when every lecture that the teachers give are picked up, word by
word from the textbooks.
A triple-beeping sound in the air broke through that line of thought. He picked
up the phone and said, "Now, what was that you were saying again, Mikage?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Mikage sighed.
"You were implying that being sent out of class was a bad thing." Teito
informed him, grinning now.
"Yeah, I found it liberating actually." Mikage replied...grudgingly, it must be
admitted.
"Well, at least, staying out is better than listening to the old-man's droning
on battle strategies, right?"
"How'd you know I was in Techniques and Weaponry 101 now?"
"You wouldn't be calling me in-between otherwise."
"...You alright over there, Teito?" At that, Teito's smile slid off his face
like sand in water.
Caught on again, Mikage?
Really, how was someone who could barely handle the issues on his own plate,
able to tell when Teito felt like shit? It was almost as if those damned eyes
in the sky wanted Mikage to know what he was going through.
"Yeah. I just had a weird dream when I fell asleep in class." Teito said, "I
think it was one of you eating the Church cake again and Sister Libelle was
yelling at me." Teito sighed, "I still can't believe you ate the whole thing;
it had to be at least seven layers."
"But it tasted like Yakisoba!"
"I really wonder how the lunch-lady manages to feed you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mikage sounded so defensive, that Teito really
laughed that time. "Seriously, how's it going over there?"
"Mmm...alright, I guess." Teito responded, "Exams are over, so it's mainly
lessons and a lot of free time now."
"Yeah? Lucky kid. My exams are coming up soon and I barely have time to sleep
or eat now."
"Idiot, you have to sleep properly! What's the point of studying like a dog for
the exams, if you're not in any shape to write them in the first place?"
"I was just exaggerating, Teito. Come on. Hey, maybe I'll take a leaf, from
your book, hm? Those desks sure look uncomfortable though."
"Not really."
"You know I'll take care of myself, Teito." The cheerful tone was still there,
but with a serious undertone to it, "But don't expect me to slow down. I'm
giving it my all in my exams, so I can get that week-off from the academy.
You've been dealing with things all by yourself right?"
"...Use it to go see your family, moron."
"They see me every other day. At least, my dad does, and my mom knows I'm fine,
too." Teito shook his head and was about to respond to this a screeching bell
from the other side interrupted him," Look, I have to go now. Wait for me,
alright?"
"...Fine."
"Bye." Click.
With a weary sigh, Teito relaxed on the tree trunk, feeling the rough bark
scratch against his back. He could never win with Mikage, no matter how hard he
tried. And his headstrong friend didn't look like he was going to deviate from
the plan either.
Really. Teito felt a faint smile cross his face.
He hasn't changed at all, has he?
"Teito-kun?"
Teito opened his eyes and saw a man stand in front of him, with his back turned
to the sun. Even though, the only light in his face was their glare off the
man's glasses, Teito could recognize him.
"Castor-san?"
"I thought you might be out here. Kyouya-sensei asked me to give this to you."
He held out a file of tightly-bound papers, with a grin, "You exceeded your
previous performance. Congratulations."
Teito inspected the file and said, "Thank you, Castor-san."
The man made no attempt to leave. He just stared at the sky, a smile on his
face.
"...You didn't just come here to give me my file, did you?"
"Well, I wish that were the case, Teito-kun." Castor said. Teito pulled himself
up and looked at him closely. From this angle, it seemed like the man was calm,
but he could see the slight facets of strain in those eyes.
"I've been hearing more and more things about you lately. None of which are
good." The man frowned, "And that was an understatement."
"Are you talking about Grace Lockhart?" Teito asked, looking away. "...Yeah, I
suppose she had plenty of stuff to tell you."
"I know that Lockhart-san's behavior belies the others' belief in her...but she
claims she saw you on the school wall yesterday in the dead of night..."
"It wasn't me." Automatically, lacking any emotion. "I was at home last night
with my guardian."
Castor had heard the excuse many times before, but he made no attempt to prod
the boy further. He'd become well-acquainted with Teito on the many occasions
that he'd been sent to the elder's office, enough to know when Teito would clam
up and not tell anything more.
"Yes. That is what I thought. Well, anyway, about the file...Kyouya-sensei felt
that there would be no need to ask him any questions regarding it."
"Oh?"
"He says it won't be necessary, since he's leaving."
Teito looked back at the man, "Seriously? But I thought that he cancelled his
resignation."
"Let's just say that it took a lot of persuasion and a little help from his
wife to give his knee a break." The man coughed, "Well, anyway. The new
homeroom teacher'll be here tomorrow, so at any rate, you may as well keep it
with you."
"Alright."
"Now, you better get back to class. I understand that you have a project to
finish today? Try not to stay too late after school."
On that note, Castor walked back towards the school. Teito watched him
silently, leaning back against the trunk.
"Well, I better get back too. It won't be good if I delay for too long."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x
It seemed like there were none who whispered of it.
But there always were few who broke the unspoken rule. There always was in this
never-ending labyrinth called society.
He heard the rumors too. Rumors about things that the other did, that chilled
his core.
He looked back at the man again, as he slumped on the black armchair,
expression entirely unreadable. He seemed to notice the eyes that stared at
him, for his own raised upwards and looked at the younger one.
Calmly, he stood up and walked towards the boy, sinking down to his knees in
front of him. One pale, gloved hand raised the face in front of him and a grim
chuckle echoed in the room.
"I know that look in your eyes. I wore in too once." He brought his hand
towards the lower side of the cheek. The boy didn't answer, but merely stared
ahead, not looking at anything. The man dropped his hand and looked with
detached interest at the freshly-stained glove, with its blossoming crimson
strain.
"You look the most beautiful with death in your eyes." The knife in his hand
traced the skin, drawing a weeping line of blood where it touched. The boy took
a deep breath, willing himself not to flinch.
It would all be over after a while.
Don't move.
"A pity that you have stopped for the time being...doing what you were born to
be, that is." The man sneered, "But no matter what guise you walk around in,
they can see in your eyes and tell, can't they? That you are different. The
monster's keeper."
He walked back towards the armchair, without sparing a glance at the broken
teen, even as he fell to a fresh wave of hacking coughs.
"Your name and your appearance can never silence him forever."
And as the boy that was just half a day ago called Teito Klein fell unconscious
he heard a voice resonate in his mind.
"No-one will ever save you."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
***** Ripple Effect *****
Trigger_Warning:_ Rape,_blood_and_violence_against_women_and_minors_
Papercuts
Chapter_2:_Ripple_Effect
The land of the looking glass has rules to be followed.
The woman looked up and sighed, brushing her hair back to survey her handiwork.
The floor was spotless, the taps gleamed, the light that reflected off the
silverware on the table persistently tried to burn her eyes.
And the mirrors gleamed and glared at her from all sides.
She heard the shuffling noise again and turned around to see the boy stand
there. For a fraction of a minute, there lay uncertainty in her features before
she smiled, but she was certain that Teito could see it.
"You're awake, young master."
"Kurena." He said, nodding in acknowledgement. It was a miracle he could speak,
really, considering the shivers that racked through his frame. He drew the
thick quilt tightly around his body and tried to suppress yet another shudder.
"Oh my! I didn't notice how cold it had gotten!" She advanced upon the
fireplace and in an instant, the soot had vanished and was replaced by bright,
burning wood. The boy heaved a grateful sigh and scooted closer to the
fireplace.
"Breakfast preparations are underway and should be finished in half an hour,
young master." Kurena said.
"No need, Kurena. I plan on skipping breakfast today."
The conversation stilled for a moment, broken only by the spitting and hissing
of the fire and the sounds of the mop breaking the water surface. Kurena looked
at the young boy for a brief moment and nodded, "Very well then. I shall inform
the Lord of your absence."
"You don't have to do that. I'll tell him." The child immediately replied. The
eyes that peered over the blanket were ice-cold, but through the jade, she
could see a sliver of concern.
"But young master..."
"Teito." The boy interrupted, a hint of childish stubbornness dawning on his
blank face. The maid smiled and said, "Very well, Teito-kun. But if I were to
explain away your absence, then perhaps..."
"It will not make a difference in any case. You don't have to take the blame
unnecessarily, Kurena." He explained. Little by little, she could see his blank
mask slipping to see genuine concern on the boy's face. He seemed to notice and
turned his face away hurriedly, back towards the fireplace.
"At what time will you be leaving?"
"In half an hour maybe." He looked at the mist that caressed the glass of the
French windows and winced a little at the sheer thickness. It was going to take
a miracle for the sun to be able to shine through this, which was especially
difficult in the gloomy province known as the Seventh District by cartographers
and Hell on Earth by its residents. With a resigned sort of sigh, he left the
quilt on the couch. Shivering slightly in his black jeans and grey hood thrown
over his long sleeved shirt, he proceeded to pack the bag he'd left there
earlier yesterday.
"Shall I prepare a bento for you, young...Teito-kun?"
"No, it's fine." He said, zipping up the bag and hefting hit on his shoulders.
As he left for the door, Kurena called after him. "Teito-kun...wait." As the
boy turned around, she walked over to him and said, "There's something on your
face."
He froze at the hand that closed the proximity between them. If Kurena had
looked closely at him, she could see Teito trembling slightly. If she had
looked carefully at her young master's face, she could see the terror that he
struggled to hide.
But she desisted, straightening the bandage on his cheek. "Please take care,
Teito-kun." She told him, bowing slightly.
The boy looked at her for a long second, then nodded. "You too."
He walked out of the door without a second glance.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Sentry Road, House no 13.
Although, it's been quite some time since the establishment there was an
actual house.
Once it was the magnificent home of a war general, who'd died in battle. His
only son was a gambling addict and recklessly spent his father's money on
menial pleasures, until he didn't even have two coins to rub together. As a
result, the mansion had fallen to rubble.
After the War though, the Archbishop had scouted this location and created a
Church that towered over the entire District, with its gleaming marble columns
and stone hallways, sheer expansion of emerald green lands with dozens of
brightly-colored cheerful flowers, the complex waterways that entrapped and
entranced one in a maze, where a proud marble fountain stood at the centre.
One visitor of the Church didn't care much for these surroundings though,
choosing instead to indulge in what had to be his 30th cigarette this morning.
Normally he respected the Church ideals and refrained from smoking(at least in
front of the Sisters), but this time he was pretty sure that God would have to
forgive him, considering Frau had almost been forced to join his maker for good
several times already.
Heck, he didn't give a shit that Castor would be pissed at the smell of smoke
in the car.
Then again...maybe he shouldn't push his luck more than he ought to.
He clambered out of the car and crushed the cigarette in his gloved hand before
throwing the remains on the road. Looking back again at the fog with distaste,
he proceeded to walk inside.
The corridor lanterns had already been lit, and their dull flames illuminated
the marble corridors, throwing their soft light over the wide expanse inside.
Most of the people who stood there were acolytes, bishops, nuns and the orphans
who stayed there, but there were the rare early visitors who looked in wonder
at the incredible mosaics and glass-art. Seeing looks on their faces made the
man grin in a weary sort of way. The Church-goers had spared no expense to
replace this building to its former beauty, a place worthy of invoking God's
blessings.
He did appreciate the art decor, he truly did.
Too bad it made the place so fucking easy to get lost in.
As he rounded yet another corner and ended up in the same spot, he sighed. He
thought that today would finally be the day that he could get around the Church
without asking anyone. He'd been in the Church more times than he could count
and he still keeps losing his way.
Either my navigation skills are for shit or I'm just an idiot. He thought,
running his hands through his hair. He started down another corridor...before
hitting a 'dead end'; the exam hall and the bishops' dormitories which were out
of bounds for visitors.
He glared at the wooden doors before turning abruptly and stomping back to the
starting point, all the while trying to convince himself that at least he had a
vague idea about the Church now. He continued to do so as he tried to go down
yet another corridor. He was barely a few paces in...when he was almost knocked
down to the floor.
"What the-?" Cursing, he ducked to the side and narrowly avoided the large
white object that hurled in his way. It skidded to a halt on the floor and with
a soft pattering of feet, straightened and rushed towards him again.
Before he could do anything, sharp, piercing whistles sounded through the air
and the creature came to a grinding halt in front of him. Now that it had
stopped, Frau could see that it was a pure white dog, with intelligent crimson
eyes that stared at Frau curiously. It gave a playful yip and bounded behind
him, barking all the while.
Frau was still quite disoriented, and was incredibly thankful when the
whistling stopped. Instead, it was replaced by soft taps against the floor,
that echoed eerily in the large hallway.
Footsteps. His mind informed him. He looked up at that point and saw a young
boy running up to where he was standing. The dog woofed softly on seeing the
new arrival and bounded to the brunet.
"My, this is a lively scene."
"'Lively' is not the word I'd use, old man." Frau commented dryly, eyes still
on the brown-haired boy, who was petting the dog somewhat awkwardly,
considering the canine was practically hanging off the boy's slate-grey jacket.
"Really, Frau. That is not the proper way to address Jio-sama." The lady at the
back said to him, irritation only barely evident in her voice.
"It's alright, Libelle. No need to waste your breath on him." The smile on the
old man's face took away the bite from his words. He looked at Frau curiously,
"It's quite a ways off the beaten path, Frau. I don't expect you're here on a
social call?"
"Not really." Frau said, finally looking at the man. "I just had time to kill
before my next job."
"...Then step into my office. Might as well make ourselves comfortable."
Archbishop Jio said, pointing to a door not five feet away from him.
Knew I'd find my way eventually. Frau sighed wearily. As he walked in, he heard
Archbishop Jio say softly, "Shouldn't you go to school?"
"I'm early." Was the boy's curt reply, as he kneeled on the ground to gently
push the dog off himself.
"All is well, I trust?"
"Yes." If he noticed the slight hesitation in the boy's voice, Jio did not
comment on it. Instead, he nodded and said, "Well, off with you then."
"Come on, Calypso." The boy motioned to the dog, who followed happily behind
with a trail of friendly yips. Jio closed the heavy wooden door behind him,
cutting off the noises outside, and flooding the room with an easy, comfortable
silence.
"Now then, Frau. I wouldn't have thought you of all people would show up at the
Church Entrance, after all these years. At this time, I might add." Jio said,
tilting his head in direction of the clock. It read 7:30 am.
"I know, old man, but my job starts at the crack of dawn." As if to emphasize
this point, Frau let out a long yawn, "And anyway, I can't afford to be picky
about my work. This job didn't just fall into my lap, y'know."
"Oh?"
"Hey, don't look at me all weird. This job is completely legit."
"What is it then?"
As Jio predicted, Frau started squirming around in his chair. What the
Archbishop didn't know was that the man was reluctant to reveal his occupation
for different reasons. "You'll laugh."
"Really, Frau. This manner is befitting of a child."
"You'll still laugh."
"I'm only concerned for your welfare, Frau. If your job's nature is something
that you cannot reveal, then…"
With a resigned sigh, Frau told him. And true to his word…
"Damn it, just shut your trap already, old fart!" Frau demanded. Archbishop Jio
wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. "Pardon me," he said, still chuckling,
"But that was quite unexpected."
"I did warn you." Frau pointed out sulkily.
"Nevertheless, you never struck me as the type for…that kind of job."
"Like I said, I can't afford to be picky. Castor recommended me specially and
this was the only opening available. If I didn't look for a way to start
earning something fast, I may as well've been kicked out on the street."
"I see. How are things otherwise, Frau?"
"Apart from the money bit?" Frau scratched his head, "It's been…really quiet.
That's the only way I can put it."
"Ah." Jio nodded, "But you do not seem at ease."
"You know me too well, old fart." Frau gave him a weary grin, "So you should
know by now that I can't stand it when things are too quiet."
"Certainly, you kick up enough of a ruckus when you deem fit." Jio sniffed
derisively.
"Heh. So how have things been on your end?"
"Splendid, as usual. And I expect them to proceed that way, Frau." The man
said, looking at him sternly. Wordlessly, Frau raised his hands in mock
surrender, then grinned his most infuriating grin. "Relax. I can't do anything
now anyways. No time. Speaking of," He added, looking at the clock, "I'd best
be going now. Don't want to be late on my first day."
"I daresay not. You would be late on every other day, in any case."
"See you."
"Oh and Frau. Give Castor and Labrador my blessing."
"From what I hear, they're going to need it." Frau muttered as he closed the
door behind him.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x
"You made it." Castor remarked, as Frau showed himself inside the Counselor's
room. To be fair, the tone of surprise in the man's voice was faint.
"Welcome, Frau." Labrador said with a smile.
"Nice place." The school had been bigger than he expected, but to his relief,
he found his way around without any problem. He wasn't fussed with the issue of
directions; he was here to stay at this place...well, unless they kick him out
or he resign. Chances are, that it would be the former.
"I'm surprised that you made it here in one piece." Castor said, voicing Frau's
thoughts.
"This place isn't as bad as the Church."
"With the number of times you visited the Church, don't you think you should
have a faint idea of the way by now?" Castor asked, with a slightly mocking
grin. Frau instantly bristled, "Can you find your way around it then, if it's
so damned easy?"
"Of course." Castor replied, without any hesitation.
Frau sputtered inaudibly for a while, before making a "tch" noise and settling
down on one of the plush leather chairs near the table. Labrador proceeded to
pour him some fresh herbal tea, and judging from the unusual smell, Frau
concluded that it was one of the doctor's concoctions again. He sipped it
cautiously. It was faintly spicy, yet there was an interesting sweetness to it
that counter-balanced the fire.
"Anyway, considering that you got the Juniors' Class this year, finding your
way about the school will be the least of your problems."
"What, are they a bunch of juvenile delinquents?" There was a dark glint in
Frau's eye now, "If so, then I know how to handle 'em."
"Please. Do not." Castor emphasized, "On the contrary, this year's batch is the
most studious one we've hosted so far. The main problem is that they constantly
hassle teachers, looking for answers to questions beyond the book. I thought I
should warn you before you meet them for the first time."
Frau let out an overly-long sigh and grinned, "Meh. I guess I shouldn't have
expected anything less, if you of all people recommended me for it."
"There was no-one else we could get on such short notice." Unfortunately, the
tone in Castor's voice added.
A short, loud tap sounded on the door.
"My, he's impeccable. On time, as usual." Castor said, looking at the clock,
"Come in."
The door opened and a boy made his way through. "Did you want to see me about
something, Castor-san…?" His voice trailed off as he stared at Frau. Likewise,
Frau stared back at him in mild confusion.
"Frau, this is Teito said, swiftly covering up the awkwardness of the moment
with introductions, "Teito-kun, this is Frau. He's a new teacher here."
"We've met." Frau said. There was no doubt about it; it was the same boy from
the Church this morning. Apparently, Frau was not the only one who liked to
take morning detours before going to school.
"Oh, is that so?" Labrador put in mildly, "Then perhaps, Teito-kun, can you
show Frau around the school?"
"Ah…" Teito blinked, "But what about…?" He gestured wordlessly to Castor. The
man smiled, "It's alright, Teito-kun. We can skip today's session."
"Ok, then. Um, this way." Teito said to Frau, indicating the doorway behind
him. The latter got to his feet, saying, "Let's go, kid."
Oddly enough, Teito seemed to bristle at that, but a quick glance at Castor and
Labrador made him hold his tongue. He just nodded stiffly and proceeded out the
door. The heavy thudding of
footsteps behind him told him that Frau was following him. He indicated the
room nearest to Castor's, "This is the library. Normally, Nobue-san is in
charge of this place, but she's taken an
extended leave and the place is now run by Tanaka-sensei."
At this point, Teito looked behind him and noted the expression of
dissatisfaction on Frau's face. So…he mused, he is the womanizing type after
all.
Before he had entered the room, he stood in the corridor. The man Frau had left
the door slightly ajar, so every word of the conversation reached the boy's
ears. Castor normally admonished this as
eavesdropping, but Teito didn't think so. He was merely in the wrong place, at
the wrong time in most occasions.
"Why did Glasses call you there anyway?" Frau suddenly asked behind him. Teito
paused, looking back, "…Glasses?"
"…I mean, Castor. Why'd he call you to his office?" Teito blinked. It was as if
Frau read his mind. For some reason, that…felt strangely unnerving. "I usually
have sessions with Castor-sensei in the
afternoon."
"Hehhhh…are you one of those juvie types he warned me about?"
"Hardly." Teito said, a bite of impatience in his voice, "He just recommended
that I see him on a daily basis, instead of sporadically, after school."
He braced himself for a further jibe; perhaps Frau would ask if he had any
emotional trauma. Or perhaps assume that the boy was misunderstood or
attention-seeking. Wasn't that logical to assume when someone visited the
school counselor, everyday no less?
But the blond didn't inquire further; he just looked thoughtfully off into the
distance.
"This is the cafeteria." Teito pointed out a large hall with a large counter.
Behind the glass were several platters, heaped with food and at the far ends
were plastic trays, "And behind those double-doors at the other end are the
swimming pool and tennis court." He indicated the glass windows, where, sure
enough, the glimmer of the sun reflected off an azure pool and glinting on the
worn-out court.
"This is the gym." He indicated another set of double-doors just opposite of
the cafeteria, "Basketball practice often takes place here. On occasion,
basketball matches also take place here."
"Let me guess. Full school attendance is mandatory right?"
"Yes."
"You're kidding me."
"No, I'm not." Teito sighed.
"That must suck for you."
"Why do you say that?" Teito asked, honestly curious. The question surprised
him as much as it did the older man.
"You don't exactly look the type for sports." Frau pointed out.
"It does beat having classes though."
"Saying that to a teacher's face on his first day? That's incredibly bold of
you, brat." Teito flushed. The blond did have him there.
"…Anyway, here. This is the Junior's homeroom." Frau looked around and
whistled. No wonder the school was huge; the homeroom was wide and airy, with
rows and rows of desks stacked up on stone steps. The little light that the sun
could emit through the thick fog shone through the large glass windows, floor-
length and intricately decorated.
"Right then. Might as well start right away. You can give me the rest of the
tour during recess, kid." Frau said. He walked inside and put his briefcase
down on the desk. He was about to unwind on his chair when he saw movement out
of the corner of his eye. He looked up.
Teito was climbing the stairs.
"What?" He asked, when he noticed Frau's stare.
"What're you climbing the stairs for?"
"I'm getting ready for class. Sue me if I like to do that early." Teito said
defensively.
"...This is your class?"
"Are you stupid?" Teito countered, dropping all pretenses of polite student-
teacher interaction.
"...How old are you, kid?"
"Seventeen."
"...Well, now I can see why you're so enthusiastic where basketball is
concerned." Teito reddened again at that and inwardly cursed his absurdly short
height.
"L-Like I said, it beats having classes." Teito said. Teacher and newly-
discovered student glared at each other and continued doing so, until the bell
rang for homeroom. Even after that, Teito remained more taciturn than usual,
refusing to do anything but look out the window.
He wasn't upset that he'd messed up his introduction to his new "sensei" (Hah!
He would rather believe himself to be a nine-tailed fox before he thought of
that giant, aggravating man as a sensei). No, he was more angry at himself for
losing his composure so easily. That man, Frau, he seemed to have an ability to
get under people's skin and ask them questions they know they can't answer. All
the while, grinning that damn infuriating grin.
More to the point, first impressions weren't exactly his forte. Sustaining a
social relationship wasn't one either. It took Mikage weeks to get Teito to
talk to him, let alone earn his trust.
It wasn't that he couldn't trust people(although, he was still hesitant about
that topic). It was the fact that the more people grew close to him, the more
he lured them to the edges of his private wall. And the more likely they seemed
to fall over the edge of sanity and entered a world he shuddered to remember.
His world.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x-x-x-x
It was evening when Teito returned to the mansion.
"Welcome back, young...Teito-kun." Kurena said, stumbling momentarily over the
lack of formality. Teito nodded to her in return and set his back bag down at
its usual spot near the fire-place.
"How was your day?" She asked, as she took his coat.
"Eventful. We had a new sensei in homeroom today."
"...You don't seem to be happy about it, Teito-kun. If I may be so bold to
point out." She hastily added. A weary smile crept up the teen's face.
"That..." He huffed tiredly, "is an understatement. But it's not anything I
can't handle."
"...I see."
"And yours. Kurena?"
"My day was simply spent in the mansion. I did not need to go to the town, as
our supplies are still plentiful." She replied. Teito looked at her sharply,
"By that...nothing else happened?"
"No."
"Ah. Has he returned?"
"Yes."
"Kurena...is all well?"
"Yes."
"You're lying. Show me your arm, Kurena." Even as he said the words, he grabbed
her sleeve. It was warm, but oddly damp and from even here he could sense the
rustic smell that made bile rise in his throat. He looked at her with hard,
unchanging eyes...but she could still see the pleading behind the mask.
Wordlessly, she pulled the sleeve back and revealed long slashes that extended
to her elbow. The lacerations were clearly newly-made; some of them still wept
tears of blood.
"Where is he, Kurena?"
"The kitchen." She replied, with little hesitation. Her face did not change,
but a pang struck her heart when she saw the master head towards the door. With
a flash of black, she was upon him, her arm on his shoulder. She looked at him
mutely, refusing to let Teito go.
"Kurena. Let me go."
He could feel the slight trembling through her fingertips, and could finally
see the raw panic on her face now. He tried to pull his arm away.
The maid refused, merely tightening her grip on his arm.
Teito put his hand over hers and gently pried each finger away, "It's going to
be ok." He kept saying, "Nothing's going to happen to you. I'll deal with him
myself, and you stay in your room. I'll see you tomorrow."
The maid nodded and made her way to her bedroom shakily. Teito proceeded
towards the kitchen and opened the door.
"You're early."
"Yeah. School got over and there was no after-class." As he spoke, he looked at
the older man sitting on the counter. His silver hair covered hung languidly
over his cheeks and his sepia-colored eyes glowed in the darkness. His posture
was straight, and his hands hung stiffly behind him.
"You have no after-school activities?" Lord Ayanami asked.
"No. Not for today, at least."
Ayanami lowered himself to the floor and walked over to Teito. As the distance
closed between them, Teito carefully shut his own expressions away behind an
unyielding mask, the fisted hands and the unsteady beating of his heart the
only indications of life in him.
"So you rushed home immediately?" Ayanami asked, a small sneer readying on his
lips.
"Yes."
"There were no detours?"
The beating of Teito's heart quickened at the dark undertone in his voice and
Teito mentally berated himself, forcing himself to calm down. He would not show
fear. He will never show fear.
"Detours, Lord Ayanami?" He asked, in a naively questioning tone.
The man slashed at the boy with an unnerving burst of speed. Teito caught the
brief movement, saw a flash of silver from the corner of his eye. His legs
dragged his body back but he felt the knife drop and slash before him.
Drops of warm scarlet flew to his face, as he gazed at Ayanami with startled
eyes. The freshly-made cut in his chest started to prick, itching horribly and
Teito had the uncanny feeling of worms crawling up his skin.
In one fluid movement, Ayanami raised the knife to his face and surveyed the
blood idly.
"You...are truly a dangerous creature." He mused, as he looked back at Teito.
With every effort he could muster, Teito hid his emotions under a mask once
again.
He's angry.
Good.
"How so?" Teito asked, in that tone he knew the man hated. It was sugary sweet,
with just the right amount of naivety that Ayanami found infuriating. But to
his surprise, Ayanami smiled lazily back at him, as he once more closed the
remaining distance between the boy and himself.
"Such a dangerous being..." The man practically purred as he caught some of
Teito's wayward hair between his fingertips. As he stared at the brown hair,
reminiscent of chocolate silk, he left his fingers to linger on the scar on the
boy's cheek...the one that he himself had left the last time.
"But truly...you must be cocky to let your guard down to this extent."
The knife flared and plunged again, this time tearing at an old scar near the
boy's hip. Teito gritted his teeth, but was unable to stop the moan of pain
escaping from his mouth.
If he's angry...then it will get over more quickly.
"I wonder what you're thinking." Ayanami continued, as he looked at the boy's
pain-struck face. Teito merely looked away and didn't answer. He felt cold
fingers dig in the re-awakened scar and suppressed a shudder.
Ayanami wordlessly drew his blood-stained fingers upward and painted the boy's
lips a deep red. "This sinful color suits you." The man smirked, before he
closed the remaining space between them.
Those cold lips, mixed with the rustic taste of blood made his body shiver and
he felt that familiar cold numbness, creeping up his skin. His arms remained
limp and his breath hitched as Ayanami moved from the mouth to his neck...and
slowly towards his chest.
"Sometimes, your naivety astounds me. But your attitude is not that of a child.
No matter how much you persuade yourself you cannot hide who you really are."
He said, as he caressed the boy's chest.
"The hell I am. You made sure of that." Even though he persuaded himself not
to, a modicum of anger leaked in his voice. Ayanami moved towards the hip and
touched the crying scar, before unzipping the boy's pants. "What a disgraceful
sight." Ayanami commented, as he revealed Teito's manhood, "I should take care
of this." With that, he ran his tongue along the hardening length.
"Bastard..." Teito spat out through clenched teeth.
"How brave. To challenge your master so openly."
"You are not my master."
"Just as you are not a human." Ayanami looked back up at the boy again, as he
licked the whitish liquid from his lips, "If only the others could see you
now." His arms which had draped themselves on the boy's waist, slowly started
to move around, caressing the pale skin.
"Damn you..." Teito moaned. It was beyond him to control himself now.
"But then I want to keep these moments for myself." Ayanami continued, as he
removed his own trousers, "I want to preserve in my memory, the image of the
monster, soiled and filthy, tamed by it's own desires."
Shit. I'm really losing it now...
It will get over soon. Calm down.
The stab of pain interrupted him from his desire-driven trance and he cried
out. Ayanami had shoved one of his fingers into Teito. Smirking, he pulled it
out, letting it linger inside the boy.
"Monster. Traitor. The world has been very unkind to you, Teito Klein." He
inserted two fingers now. The boy cried out, clutching his arms against his
body, shivering.
And a third.
"The hell with you, you bastard!" He screamed. But it was no use. The manor was
so large, that they, in a kitchen shoved in an isolated corner, could not be
interrupted.
"I've been there. And I know the hatred you have towards me." Ayanami pushed
his throbbing manhood towards Tetio's and the boy had to force himself not to
gag.
"Hate me more."
As he thrusted into Teito, a rush of painful blood flew to the boy's head and
he blacked out.
 
***** Proof Of Life *****
Trigger_warning:_More_violence_against_minors  
Papercuts
Chapter_3:_Proof_of_Life
Teito woke up two hours later.
He'd felt cold stone the minute awareness flooded back into him. Automatically,
he shifted, seeking comfort and groaned loudly when he felt the white-hot shard
slice through his body.
Memory came to him with the pain and forcing himself to calm down, back to
restive state, he slowly opened an eyelid.
Just to his side, he saw the door, left slightly ajar, enough for the dim
hallway light to spill through. Slowly, carefully he pushed himself up,
gritting his teeth against the protests of his aching body. He was dimly aware
of a soft, silky fabric sliding from his shoulders to his legs and looked down
to see a thin blanket draping his form.
He already knew that Ayanami had left the kitchen. The man never stuck around
him long enough if he could help it; he used Teito as he would and then, he'd
go back to ignoring the boy's existence in the next breath.
Teito hesitantly got to his feet, one arm clamped on the counter, the other
clutching the blanket that drifted listlessly towards the ground. He took in a
deep breath and forced his body to move, one painful step at a time, towards
the door and out of the kitchen.
Luckily for him, his room had been based on the ground floor and not up the
spiraling staircase that led to the servants' quarters above. He just walked a
few steps and he was sorely tempted to sink on his knees and stay there till
morning. Fisting his hands even tighter, he half-supported himself on the wall,
closing his eyes and suppressing the impulse.
His outstretched hand brushed against something rough, and he looked to see
dusty oak instead of smooth stone. Gratefully, he opened the door and staggered
inside.
His room was spartan; a bed, a desk, a cupboard and a side-table were the only
signs of any human life in the vicinity. His window was covered with simple
white curtains that still smelled of starch, framing the all-encompassing
midnight blue that shone above, the gibbous moon positioned in the centre; like
a dented pearl in the sea of velvet.
He dragged himself to the bathroom to the left of the door, staring enviously
at the bed, with its cold steel legs, the stiff white sheets with a white
cotton blanket and the iron head-board.
Sleep can wait. It's not as if he gets much of it anyway.
He needed a bath.
He needed to rid himself of the cold feeling that wrapped around his numbing
body. And of the unpleasant warmth of the sinful white that coated his skin,
mingled with the metallic smell of drying blood.
Automatically, the bile that he had been forcing back the entire evening shot
up his throat and he barely had time to duck in front of the toilet before it
broke past his weakened resistance.
He retched until his throat burned in protest and his stomach growled at its
sudden emptiness, but he welcomed the feeling. If anything, it rid the taste of
blood and sweat in his mouth. Just thinking about it threatened to pull back up
what little food he had left in him since that afternoon lifetimes away. He
slid against the wall, utterly drained, not caring that he was naked as the day
he was born.
At least, Ayanami hadn't scarred his face or neck this time. But he saw the
man's eyes when Ayanami forced himself upon him; the man was far from through
with him.
He didn't want to think of the repercussions just yet. They would come whether
he willed it or not. But not now.
He groaned a little, as he pulled himself up again. With any luck, the pain
would be gone…or at least, lessen by tomorrow morning.
He stepped into the bathtub and started the shower, sighing in relief when the
hot water slid on his bruised and battered body. He massaged the heat into his
skin, as he felt his mind grow lighter in the steam and warmth surrounding him.
His thoughts drifted, skipping lightly from one memory to another. In his
sleep-ridden state, he could feel his ability to hold onto a single memory slip
from him.
Almost as if his memories were fading to dark. Almost as if he was fading to
dark.
Is this what it's like? , He mused, Is this what it's like to turn into a beast
from the blood-filled world of cardinal sin?
It's happening to me, isn't it?
As he pondered, he felt another memory resurfacing. He'd expected it to pass to
the beyond as well, but to his immense surprise, it persisted.
It was different from the other, more recent, more painful memories. It
happened in a time he felt like eons away from him, but every speck, every
detail was present.
If mental thought had the sensation of substance, of feeling, this one would be
soft as feather-down, and light to the touch, giving a warm spark of energy
that countered the prickly threads of misfortune.
" Hey, Teito!"
Teito blinked at the screen of his cell-phone. Was it his imagination or was
the voice on the other end- "…Mikage? Don't you have class now?"
"Huh? Ah, well…maybe?"  Teito could hear voices in the background, before a
shuffling noise cut them off.
"…You're calling me in the middle of class, aren't you?"
" N-Not really. I mean, class is ending now anyway, so technically, I'm not
calling in the  middle of class…"
"Isn't it the second period now? I thought cell-phones aren't allowed in
class…"
" More like the entire Academy."  Mikage said gloomily,  "But I heard that you
have recess now, so I thought it'd be a good time to call you."
"For what?"
" To say hi! Hi~!"  He could practically see Mikage's child-like grin,  "What,
I'm not allowed to say hi now?"
"Moron." Teito managed, his own lips twitching.
" Ehhh…how mean! I go through all this trouble to sneak in the mobile under the
sensei's nose-which is not an easy feat, I tell you-"
"Where are you sitting now?"
" Back row. As in way back…shoot!"  There was a clattering noise on the floor
and Teito could hear Mikage's voice answering some question the sensei asked.
Then with another clattering noise, silence resumed except for the sensei's
nasal voice echoing in the distance.
" Teito? You still there?"
Teito sighed. "I hope at the very least, you answered that question properly."
"' Course I did!"  Mikage said, in a mock-offended tone,  "I may not be the
student know-it-all, but I've been studying properly this time! Honest!"
"Your mid-terms are around the corner right?"
" Yeah."  Mikage answered reluctantly,  "But I'm ready this time. I think."
"At the very least, don't do anything idiotic. Like that disastrous study-
session." Teito paused for a minute to shudder. It was a miracle he'd survived
that night.
" Don't worry, already! I do all my studying myself. No alcohol, no pot-heads
and no car-crashing involved. Scout's Honor."
"Remind me again when you were a Boy scout?"
" All right then, Cadet's Honor! Enough about me,"  Mikage continued, waving
the issue aside,  "How have you been doing over the past couple of weeks? How's
your new school? I heard they've got a real amphitheatre in there! Is it true?
The cafeteria food's pretty high class, isn't it? And the rooms look like they
belong in a palace! That may be because it was one though. And I heard about
the library too! Someone told me there were a couple of secret passages down
there that lead to the blocked-off castle dungeons! Whoa! What do they look
like? What-?"
"…I really envy your room-mate and the people who stay at your dorm. Not. Are
you this hyper all the time?"
" I prefer the term open. It's fun to be open, y'know? Plus it helps if you eat
a lot of sugar everyday. So are you going to answer my question or not?"
"Which one?" Teito asked resignedly.
" How's your new school? And neighbourhood in general."
"That's two questions." Teito couldn't help pointing out, "Well, anyway. The
neighbourhood is well-kept and quiet. I don't stay much there, my villa's on
the border of the District, so I don't know the ins and outs of the place as
such. They have a good theatre though. Not much interesting stuff to tell you.
Just your regular sleepy suburb. As for the school, it's like being in those
classy boarding schools teenage girls read in novels-you're right, it was a
palace before it was converted to a school-and there's plenty of stuff for me
to do everyday."
" Do you have any new friends there?"
"I'm still new." The fib came out easily, without even the smidge of guilt
Teito usually felt for lying to his best friend, "They tend to keep to
themselves there, so…"
" Oh. Okay then. I just wanted to ask how you were. Keep your cell next to you
though, 'cause this is not going to be the last call."
"What…?"
"Yeah! I'll call you the same time everyday! That is…" Mikage continued,
hesitating, "…unless you're already booked. I can understand."
"You really are a moron, you know that?" Teito sighed, allowing himself a
wistful grin, "I'll be waiting, then."
" Great! Talk to you tomorrow! Take care of yourself, understand?"
Take care of yourself. Four simple words that simply drop from people's mouths
when they converse. They mean little more than empty promises and even then,
their worth is not valued by those who give it.
So why did it bring tears to Teito's eyes when he remembered them?
They started slowly at first, dripping over his cheeks and tracing his jaw-
line. Then, they increased in intensity as if his eyes were jealous of the pain
surrounding the rest of his body.
He leaned his forehead against the frosted glass and clenched his teeth against
the sobs, but they broke through the little composure he had left as the sorrow
burned his veins to consume his heart.
Don't care about me, Mikage. Don't.
It hurts too much to care about me.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"Come on, Castor. Just a few more hours."
Castor frowned at Labrador, who was currently leafing through one of the many
pamphlets scattered across the desk. "It's easy for you to say," Castor
retorted, "You don't have any appointments today. I, on the other hand, have
had to see one hysterical couple after another and have to assure each and
every one of them that their child OR children do not have any serious
psychological problems, rather they're just shy/misunderstood/hyper-aware of
their social surroundings/tend to emulate their idols/not able to relate to
peers of the same age. And in the last hour, I've been informed that many of my
files need to be updated, including test results and IQ examinations of the
student over the last three years and a revision of his/her extra-curricular
activities if I am to maintain my status of Counselor. Not including the fact
that I must soon attend the Inauguration Ceremony for the new auditorium, after
which I must check upon the several mail-orders for new books on Calculus,
Chemistry and Physical Sciences for the Eastern Wing. Then I have to be back
upon the desk once more, smiling inanely and trying to convince the parents
that neither the child nor I have psychotic tendencies."
Labrador grinned, "One of the advantages of being the Medical Attendant in a
high school were many of the students have their own private doctors. It makes
one feel un-needed, but at least I have time to tend to the flower garden out
back."
It's a pity many of them don't bother to add a pet psychiatrist to their
collection, Castor sighed resignedly and turned back to the file he had been
reviewing.
"How is Frau doing?" Labrador asked.
"Frau… seems to be doing fine." Castor said absent-mindedly as he finished
filling out a form and started checking another file, "He's adjusting to the
school quite well. Better than I expected."
"I was surprised when you suggested him as the replacement German teacher. I
didn't even know he was that good at the subject."
"He wasn't." Castor admitted," That may be due to the fact that he kept
skipping school to go watch German films, which is why he's quite fluent in
speaking. It's a miracle he can even read and write Japanese. For some bizarre
reason, it never showed on his tests though."
"I'm glad. Frau's been needing a job for some time now."
"He's still stubborn as ever?"
"You knew him better than me, Castor." Labrador said, as he kept the pamphlet
back on the desk, "After all, you grew up with him."
"Indeed. Although, I've yet to find out whether he's grown. Mentally, at
least." Castor replied, shuffling the papers into some kind of organized mess.
"Castor, don't start picking on him again. He isn't one of your regulars."
"He should be." Castor muttered.
"Too bad I'm not. So why don't you go use those head-shrinking powers of yours
on some poor defenseless kid instead?"
Castor didn't even bother looking up, "It's rude to eavesdrop. And smoke in
people's offices."
Frau rolled his eyes and sauntered in, settling down on the leather sofa, "I
need a smoke and your room is the only area on campus without a smoke alarm. Do
the math."
"I was never aware that you were such an expert on the subject, Frau."
"How are you finding your job, Frau?" Labrador asked, as Frau wasted his energy
glaring at Castor when the man couldn't even see it.
"Alright, I guess. Glasses was right though; they do annoy the hell out of you,
with doubts and crap." Frau said, leaning back in the chair and increasing his
chances of drowning in leather upholstery. He didn't care. It would be a
comfortable way to die at any rate.
"So did you teach them any more German swear words yet?"
"For the last time…" Frau growled, "that was an accident! I didn't mean to; it
just slipped out! And they didn't understand head or tail of it; in that sense,
their education is, sadly, lacking."
"Thank the Gods that Mrs. Lancaster wasn't around to hear that particular
outburst. You're toeing the line as it is."
"That old bag? Nahh, she's too fond of me. Real fond of me, as it happens."
Frau smirked, "I'd say that my standing here in this school is as steady as a
rock."
"Frau. Please do not tell me you are having sex with the school's principal."
Castor said, looking up at last, "The last thing you need is another scandal to
drive you out of town. Again."
"Hardly." Frau deadpanned, "I didn't take things that far with her. Although
she's got a sinful body for a woman her age…"
And I thought convincing Willem Frond to stop hanging around railroad tracks
was hard. Castor sighed, At least I know how to deal with suicidal teens. My
handbook, however, does not state the list of things to do when dealing with
horny teachers.
"Do you have any classes after this Frau?" Labrador asked.
"Not really." Frau replied, after taking a long drag from his cigarette, "Which
is why I'm not going to show at the Inauguration Ceremony for the auditorium.
It's not like I'm going to be of any use there, anyway." He continued, prompted
by Castor's raised eyebrow, "I'm still new and I wasn't around when they listed
out the duties for each teacher there. So what's the point of hanging around a
place where I don't have shit to do?"
"I suppose you're right." Castor replied, turning his attention once more to
his growing pile of work, "But, try to remain inconspicuous. There are
dignitaries arriving here for the inauguration, and it wouldn't do if you made
a bad impression on them on your first week."
"So any other week is fine?" Frau quipped. On seeing Castor's frown, he
grinned, "Lighten up, Glasses. 'Course I'll be on my best behavior. Now, if
you'll excuse me, I got some time to kill. See you, Lab." He dumped his
cigarette in a silver ashtray and walked out without another word.
The smell of nicotine lingered in his clothes and hair, but Frau was least
bothered. It's not like he's the only one who smokes here; even the prim and
proper, 'idealistic' teachers here at Barsburg Academy indulge in a sin or two,
be it drinking, smoking, drugs etc. They just didn't make it as obvious as
Frau.
Since his first day here, he got the feeling he was different. His t-shirt-
leather-jeans-military-boots look combined with his sharp, chiseled features
just seemed to scream 'King of the yakuza' to them. Not like they hid it from
him. According to them, the only thing he was missing was a monstrous dirt-bike
and some beaten-up underlings on the floor a few feet away from him.
And his I-don't-give-a-shit-about-it attitude towards anything related to the
school did not help either.
Not to say that they could complain about his teaching; he may not look it, but
Frau did know more than a thing or two about German. And when they weren't
being pricks with the doubts and the extra questions thing, the kids in his
class were surprisingly normal, especially for a rich school. And they seemed
to respect him; though that may be due to the fact that they were afraid he'd
pull out a gun from underneath that huge oak desk of his.
He counted back the days to when he arrived and was surprised to find that he
spent two weeks there already.
Time passes quickly here.
I'd forgotten.
Or was it because he was finally back?
His eyes drifted towards the window just near him.
And he stopped dead.
Even though the glare of the rare sun was blinding, he could still see three
figures standing in the Eastern courtyard. It was impossible not to.
Not when one of them had, at that point, leaped into the air and with the
savage and ferocity of a lion, kicked the others to the ground, then proceeding
to beat the living shit out of one of them.
One foot moved in front of the other. But Frau's eyes remained on the glass
until the wild kid looked up from the boy he had been bashing to pieces. His
eyes, fiery with rage and hate, were large and an impossibly green shade that
Frau recognized all too well.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x-x
Reason remains flighty to the monster's keeper.
The sky roars around his head.
Teito felt his heart lurch as his body leaped forward.
As he hears the sound that he most dreads.
He sees the tornado of color around him, feels the wind streak through his hair
and cutting his face with a sharpness that could bleed.
He bleeds now. It drips against his forearm from the numb, cold stone that is
his fist.
But it is not his own blood.
He feels a cry rip through his throat, so alien, so foreign, that it makes his
hair stand on end.
He sees the other ones. Their mouths move, but the sounds reach his ears late,
like watching an ancient, run-down film. The look of horror on their faces
thrill and terrify him at the same time.
It was too late.
Bones against his fingertips shatter and crack.
It was too late.
The blood that is not his own marks his prey.
And the monster in him rejoices.
The sweet dance, the wine we drink…
Is mixed with poison…
And we go mad…
What am I doing?
He hears a voice call his name.
Stop.
The monster in him roars.
The human in him reaches to his soul.
Stop it!
They clash. They collide. They fight for control.
The siege for power was too much.
It's too much!
He hears the sound long before he feels the sharp pain, as something collides
with his head. Startled, he blinks and finally registers that foul stench, the
one he smells of so often…
Blood…
Blood rushes to his head.
And he accepts the waiting darkness without a struggle.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
White.
Even through the dark, he could see it.
Pure white, a force so strong it seared through his head and made it ache.
A light.
His light?
Mikage?
A groan racked through his body as he shifted his arm, pain running through it
towards his back.
Pain?
Pain.
He felt his strength trickle back with the pain and with it, consciousness. He
was suddenly aware that his eyes were closed and opened them automatically.
A minute later, he wished he didn't. The light flared viciously into his
unprotected eyes and with a faint groan, he propped his arm against them while
he used the other to carefully push himself up.
"Back among the living, kid?"
The voice was heard, but was faint in the pounding of his head. The room seemed
to be spinning, and each beat of his heart seemed to resonate loudly in his
ears, in his throat…it wracked his whole body. He swayed a little and fell back
against the pillows.
"Here."
Something grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back up gently. Through the
blinding light, Teito was just able to make out a blurry figure, but he didn't
need to see the face.
"Frau-sensei?" The name was rusty on his tongue and his throat croaked, as if
he hadn't spoken in days.
"Feh. You're alright then." Frau said, somewhat irritably. He was sitting
beside Teito on a small stool, which accounted for why his absurd height was
less emphasized than usual. Eyes now adjusted, Teito lowered his hand and saw
that he was sitting on a leather sofa, red and surprisingly soft, to the point
where he felt like he was sitting in quicksand.
"Where am I?"
"You must be out of it to not recognize this prison cell. Castor said you
visited him everyday after school, remember?"
"The Counselor's office." Now he remembered. But the sun was still unusually
high up in the sky, judging by the only-slightly faded golden light. When Teito
normally visited Castor-sensei, it would be around evening. Wouldn't there be
classes right now…?
Then it came to him. With sickening clarity, he remembered the frenzy he'd gone
into earlier, when the last thing he remembered seeing was that boy's face…the
last thing he heard was bones breaking…screaming…
"Did I…did I kill him?"
Frau looked at him incredulously, "Of course you didn't. You didn't even
scratch him. That kid was just knocked out, and you gave him a couple of
bruises but that was it."
"But…there was…there was blood…"
"That from a broken nose. I have to hand it to you kid; for a puny brat, you
can sure throw a mean punch."
A broken nose?
That's it?
Come to think of it…I actually don't remember doing anything to him. The minute
I saw the blood, I remembered…
A time when I wasn't capable of remembering.
His head started spinning, and he repressed the urge to pass out again,
especially in front of Frau. More to distract himself than anything, he asked,
"What time is it?"
"Close to one. You can forget about going to your afternoon classes now. Lab's
ordered you to go home straight. The medical attendant." Frau added, when Teito
shot him a confused look, "And besides, I don't even think you can make it out
the door."
Teito glared at him, "I'm not a dying invalid. And besides, I have to go to
class, I need to give in my project and-" Teito broke off, as he remembered
something, "Don't you have class? The Inauguration Ceremony should be over by
now, right?"
Frau looked like he'd been sitting there for quite some time before Teito woke
up. His face was dull, as if he'd been waiting for a long time and his
movements were languid.
Almost as if he was…worried about Teito.
No way.
"Nope. I don't. I'm…well, I was free for the rest of the day."
"Then you didn't have to take me here."
"'Course I had to."
"What?"
"Come on. Do you expect me to leave you lying on the grass there? I don't know
what issues you had with that kid, but I can't just ignore someone who looks
like he's a shade paler than death. Besides, I had to come here anyways. Castor
had a spare cloak for me."
The words flew over Teito's head. "Why would you need a spare cloak?"
"Because someone…" And here Frau looked at Teito accusingly, looking so much
like a child that Teito resisted the impulse to laugh, "…was too wimpy to stand
the sight of blood and threw up on me. Do a kid a favor and look what you get
in return. This is why I hate school…"
"I threw up on you?" Teito asked disbelievingly, interrupting the teacher's
muttering.
"You nearly gave Castor a heart-attack. Glasses wanted the grounds to be
spotless emerald, not puke-infested white. You know I imagined that a smart kid
with a weak stomach wouldn't normally go looking for fights, and then you come
along."
"Well, I'm not the smartest kid in class." Teito replied hotly.
"The test scores on your report beg to differ. An A on every subject, plus
extra-credit from participating in the Beautification Committee-not like you
need it. I was wondering whether you were even human, or maybe some wacked-up
android or something on a test run from the Government, to see whether you can
mingle with other humans." Frau said, "If that was the case, I'd have sent you
straight back to the laboratory."
"…You have an active imagination."
"Nah, I just sit late-night watching horror movie marathons."
"Seriously? You like watching horror movies?"
"Mostly to laugh at their visual effects. The last one I saw, there was blood
flying at least fifty feet from where the guy was standing after he was
attacked by this zombie."
"…I'd have imagined you to be one of those Rebel-movie types. Because you look
like you should be in one."
"Oh-ho. I see that the cockiness hasn't left you, even though most of your
breakfast has."
Teito's stomach gave a large rumble at that. Now that it had his attention,
Teito couldn't imagine how he'd managed to ignore it in the first place.
"Thought as much." Frau said, grinning. Teito had to raise an
eyebrow; he wasn't the one being cocky here.
Frau stood up and walked over to where Castor's desk was. When he returned, he
had a large plastic tray with him, which he unceremoniously plonked on Teito's
lap. "I didn't know what you liked, so I got one of everything." He said,
explaining the unusually large quantity of food.
Teito blinked. "Um…"
"And drink this." Frau said, holding out a cup, "Lab says you need something
warm to drink." Bemused, Teito took it and sipped; it was hot chocolate, which
warmed him up straightaway and cleared his head.
"Right, then. I'm off."
"Eh? Wait a moment!"
"What? If it's to nag at me some more, at least save it till tomorrow. I've got
to go meet someone."
"…Thanks."
Frau stopped walking. He looked over his shoulder and saw the boy fidgeting,
looking down at the food. With a sigh, Teito forced himself to look up.
"Thanks for helping me."
If Teito looked closer, he could have sworn that there was a smile on the King
of the Yakuza's face.
"You're welcome, kid."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
***** Wild Doll *****
Trigger_Warnings:_Rape,_violence_against_minors_
Papercuts
Chapter_4:_Wild_Doll
"You're early."
Like you really care about that.
"I wasn't feeling well." Teito curtly replied, "And the school doctor said I
should go home for the day."
"Hmm." Ayanami commented disinterestedly, still staring out the window. Teito
busied himself with undoing the tangled mess of knots that his shoelaces had
become. He struggled with them silently for five minutes before finally bowing
to the inevitable and pulling his shoes off by hand, irritably shoving them
into an empty space in the shoe-rack.
"Urk..." Teito winced when the movement jolted his sore arm. He carefully
brought it back to the side, a few inches away from his body and gritted his
teeth, willing for the pain to stop.
Naturally, it didn't. It had however lessened considerably with the change in
position though. He massaged the bicep with his other arm as he settled down on
one of the dining-room chairs that faced the door, adjusting it slightly to the
side so he was just out of the man's line of sight.
If Ayanami saw the more than obvious change in position, he did not comment
upon it. He merely directed his gaze from the blanket of blue outside to the
map that was spread atop the glossy mahogany table, fingering one of the
yellowed edges.
"Is that all that he said to you?" Ayanami asked finally.
"Yes." Teito said, still staring towards the doorway.
"...And what of your condition?"
"He said it wasn't anything serious." Teito shrugged a little, still not facing
Ayanami, "I may have caught the flu that's been spreading around school
recently."
"...And how long are you planning to lie?"
"For as long as I want to." Teito answered, without missing a beat. And my
heart did not miss any either. He told himself vehemently. Still, no matter how
much nor how hard he tried to lie, he knew that Ayanami wouldn't be fooled.
Sick as the man was, there wasn't a single thing that could pass by him that
escaped his notice.
"You know that I know the truth." Again with the damn mind-reading. Teito
neither confirmed nor denied the statement, remaining silent as he
absentmindedly twisted the white thread on his hooded jacket with his finger.
"And yet you still lie." Ayanami fell silent, expecting Teito's on-cue smart-
assed reply. When Teito still refrained from answering him, the man did not
speak, simply letting the silence between them stretch on for what seemed like
forever.
He didn't need to speak.
Teito could hear the grating sound of wood scraping against marble as the chair
of the mahogany desk was pushed back.
His actions spoke for him.
Teito could hear the soft footsteps on that same marble floor, as Ayanami
casually made his way to the boy.
And his actions boded ill for the person they were targeting.
The soft rustle of flesh against hair reached him late. The pain reached him
first. Teito bit his lip as the fiery shards bit into his scalp, refusing to
show weakness. Ayanami's own face was set into a grim expression as he twisted
the boy around to face him.
I am not a puppet! Teito snarled, dislodging Ayanami's vice-like fingers. "Yes,
I still lie." Teito said, mouthing each word like they tasted of sour-tinged
metal, "But that's only because I tell the truth to people I respect."
Ayanami blinked, then grew incredibly still. Teito regarded him with cold eyes
that were shallow at the depths. He couldn't let Ayanami see through them after
all. He couldn't let the man know that his anger had floundered and flickered
out the moment those words left his mouth. In this battle, Teito would not give
up. Not when he knew what was coming.
"Respect" He enunciated that word with the same amount of venom Teito had spat
at him earlier, "has to be earned, boy. Are you worthy of earning mine?"
"I could say the same to you." Teito shot back.
Ayanami's arm shot out again and he gripped Teito's hair more forcefully this
time. He wrenched the locks farther back, forcing the boy's head up. That
didn't mean that Teito would look at him though.
"The servant girl left something in the fridge for the rats to eat. Go, get rid
of it." He said shortly. With that he let go of the boy's hair and walked out
of the room.
Kurena? Teito remained rooted the spot for half a minute before sighing and
pushing the stray hair from out of his eyes. His other hand brushed the pocket
where the necklace lingered and he glanced briefly at the doorway again before
pulling it out.
The gold chain glittered brilliantly in the sunlight, but anyone could see that
the gold was painted on, for small bits of the paint had started flaking off on
the oval locket. Teito balanced it in his hand, tracing the outline of the
locket with his fingertip, before shoving it back in his pocket and heading for
the kitchen.
He wasn't there.
Teito hesitated briefly at the door before pushing it open and heading for the
double-door steel fridge. Inside, Kurena had indeed left him some sandwiches
wrapped in plastic and some orange juice. Tacked on the juice carton was a
note.
Master Teito,
In the event that you feel hungry, I've prepared these sandwiches and bought
some juice. I apologize for the lack of variety, but this leave of mine had
come at short notice, as I've already explained to you in the note in the
locket I've delivered.
I shall see you in two days. Please take care until then.
-Kurena
Teito unwrapped the sandwich and bit into it. It was so cold he could barely
taste what he was eating, but he didn't mind. In spite of the heavy meal that
Frau had given him at school, he was still famished, not to mention that his
throat felt like sandpaper.
He finished eating the sandwich and opened a packet of orange juice, bypassing
the straw and opening the carton fully so he could chug it down.
Moments later, he wished he hadn't.
Ugh, brain freeze. Lovely.
He took out the remaining sandwiches and closed the fridge door with his foot,
heading for his room. I'll wait for the remaining sandwiches to thaw there.
He eased his way inside and dumped the sandwiches on his bare desk, before
pulling out the locket again and placing it under his pillow.
I hardly doubt that she will come back after two days.
As his eyes scanned the room, he paused momentarily at the bathroom. His hand
automatically moved to his throat, as if the presence of flesh was enough to
drive away the sudden tightness.
But he'd learned to deal with such emotions countless times before.
He'd either go insane or transform into something barely human.
If he hadn't already.
So what was the point in remembering the details he would soon forget when the
blessed-cursed darkness strips him of reasonable thought?
Something gripped him in the back. Hard.
Taken aback, Teito flinched and almost tripped, but another arm caught his own
and spun him around. He barely had time to register purple eyes boring into his
own before cold lips forced themselves upon his.
"Wha-?" He yelled.
Ayanami pulled away from him. "I apologize if I came at an unwelcome time." He
recited in a mocking tone, "But then, I did not expect whores to have neither
personal time nor…"His voice had darkened alarmingly at this point,
"boundaries."
He unzipped Teito's jacket and pulled it off the boy's shoulders with the force
just shy of the amount required to dislocate an arm.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Teito shouted, trying to push the
man away. Ayanami merely brushed the boy's hands off and caught them both in
one of his own, pinning the boy to the floor.
Briskly, he yanked Teito's T-shirt up and over the boy's head.
"Listen to me when I'm talking to you, bastard!" Teito kicked at the man's
stomach. Ayanami grunted at the force of it, then caught the boy's neck with
his other hand, squeezing it tightly. As Teito choked and gasped, the man let
go of Teito's neck and just about managed to pull the boy's pants down,
lingering just a bit too long at the pelvis area, tracing the dip of the bones
with a single finger.
"Oh, but I cannot, you see. If the only words that come out of your mouth are
lies, then what is the point in listening, boy?"
Teito glared at the man and scratched at the hand that was on his neck. Ayanami
alleviated the pressure and leaned even closer.
"You don't deserve the truth."
Ayanami closed his eyes, like the words had inflicted physical pain on him. But
that was just one more act. A beast like him wouldn't feel any pain.
Takes one to know one.
Then suddenly, the man drew away. "You bore me." He said, and if it weren't for
the dangerous, killing intent hidden in that low voice, the words would have
seemed almost childish. His eyes darkened, and it may have been the light
shining directly at him, but he could have sworn that those eyes turned black
as night for a single, stuttering heartbeat.
"You make me regret." Ayanami said, with a small exhale, his version of a mock-
disappointed sigh, "For a moment, I wish that the servant girl were still
here."
Thud!
A dull sound echoed throughout the room as the teenager pushed himself up in a
second and without even hesitating, punched Ayanami in the face. The man showed
no reaction, only touching the place where Teito had hit him and looking down
at the boy.
"Don't you dare touch her!" Teito hissed.
"Ever ready to take up the mantle of the martyr, I see." Ayanami commented
lightly.
"We had an agreement, Ayanami." Teito barked at him, "Break it and we're done."
"I would have thought you would take the first opportunity to break our…deal."
Ayanami said.
"I am not you." Teito said.
"True, you are not. You are the hero of this tragic story, and so you choose
the honourable way out." At that, Ayanami's eyes raked over the teenager's
still-naked body, and Teito flushed and looked away.
"Which makes you the crazy bastard who fucks the whole story up."
"What vile choice of vocabulary. It does not befit you, Teito."
"You don't own me." Teito simply said.
"No." The surprising admission threw Teito off for a minute, but he maintained
his stance.
"However, as long as you continue to let your heart rule you," Ayanami curled
his lip, like the very idea was as ridiculous as it was incomprehensible, "I
use your heart to rule you. I do not need to own you."
Teito looked him full in the eye and pulled his own lips back in a smirk, "You
keep saying that you're turning me into a beast. A killing machine. A killing
machine has no need for a heart. Keep doing this to me and one day, I will be
the end of you."
Ayanami just stared at him in interest, and then nodded in perfect
comprehension, like he'd expected that answer all along, "Yes. But as long as
you continue to hate me, I will continue to use you. I will always find a way
to use you."
As he spoke, Teito felt a hand creep up the underside of his leg. Instinct made
him try to yank the leg away, but he was stopped by the firm grip of the man's
other hand on his ankle.
"Animal." Teito hissed.
"You are turning into one as well, Teito." Ayanami pointed out. Teito gritted
his teeth, but the retort was lost, as the man's hands slowly started drifting
over his body, the touch of rubber gloves on skin creating a strange,
unsettling sensation.
"Until this boy ceases to exist, he is a prisoner. Does he chain the monster or
the other way around?"
Now, they moved towards his sides, touches soft, drifting and so painfully
light that they made the boy's stomach flutter. They continued upwards, mapping
every cell of the body that lay before them, as they had done so many times
before.
A shiver rippled up Teito's back as he saw Ayanami's eyes loom over his face.
His throat dried up and he found that it was almost impossible for him to talk,
even if he wanted to. Even if he had words to speak, insults to throw, he
just...couldn't...
Ayanami took Teito's lips in his own hungrily, licking at Teito's lips until
they gave way before him, tasting the boy with his tongue. His hands pressed
against Teito's hips, pushing the boy upward and arching his back even more, as
the boy bit his lip and gripped at the floor with shaking fingers.
"Ah..." The involuntary moan was lost in the kiss that seemed to rob him of the
breath in his body, leaving him cold, aching and strangely weak.
"Give in." It was an order now, all mockery gone, and hell, with what the man
was doing to his body, Teito wanted to do just that; give in to those sinfully
talented fingers that knew where he needed to be touched in order to be
silenced. Teito closed his eyes and tried to muffle the disgusting sounds
rising in his throat as Ayanami dipped his tongue between his parted lips,
nipping at them with his teeth.
The man finally spared his lips and drifted down to the boy's chest, tongue
flicking in and out, tasting the salty sweetness of Teito's skin. What little
breath Teito managed to regain was expelled again in a gasp as Ayanami traced
the spot directly over his heart with long nails, scratching at the skin as if
it would break and give way, to allow the claw-like fingers to push through
until the touch was satisfied by the soft pierce of strong, fluttering red
muscle and stained with tears of blood.
His mind was so fogged in horror and sensation, he couldn't even distinguish
right from wrong anymore.
No! He quickly snapped back to sanity when he felt the blast of air on his neck
as he was pulled ever more up, after laying on the floor for so long, Don't!
That bastard is trying to make you want this!
But the touches on his body left him feeling heady. All he could think about
was the way that Ayanami's fingers drifted along his chest, teasing each of the
sensitive spots there with flesh and tongue, butterfly kisses that kept
poisoning his mind over and over and over again…
Ayanami was on his knees now, pulling Teito to a sitting position close to him.
Too close to him. Teito squirmed and tried to put some distance between himself
and Ayanami, but the man would have nothing of it. He caught one of Teito's
hands in his own and led it downward until…
Teito's eyes shot open. "You…! Just where do you think you're putting my hand?"
Ayanami didn't answer, only forcing Teito's grip on his manhood. Teito recoiled
in disgust at the touch, the hot, stiff, throbbing…
"Give…in." The words were faint, the sentence cracked in the middle. Ayanami
was losing his composure. Strong fingers tilted the boy's chin upwards and he
could see Ayanami's fury at himself for letting Teito's touch get to him.
He took his grip of the boy's hands and pulled off the gloves his wore with his
teeth.
"Time's up."
The touches this time were far from gentle. Those cold, thin fingers kneaded
painfully into the bruises on Teito's body, tracing the roughness of the scabs
over his cuts and the blurred outlines of purple and green-yellow skin.
The cold, numb feeling seeped into his spine and Teito took a deep breath,
revelling in the sensation. The worst part was over; now that the pain had
started, he could fight the urge more easily now. He withdrew into his mind,
blocking off his surroundings, to wait until it was over.
It did work. To an extent, he couldn't feel the things that were being done to
his body.
But there were always exceptions.
Like the warm, damp breath that he felt across his neck as he felt Ayanami's
tongue traced the path of his lifeblood that beat under the thin, breakable
skin that separated them both.
And the tightening hold of the hands across his hips.
And finally, the stab of pain that resonated through the boy as Ayanami drove
into him, without even so much as preparing the boy.
His mental control had shattered; scattered around him like dust in the wind
and he cried out, digging his fingers into the floor for all it was worth.
Ayanami grunted and shoved in further, eroding away the boy's control.
Teito stared up at him with soulless eyes, bruised and battered lips mouthing
shapes at random, until he could push the scream that lodged itself in his
throat upwards to power their worth.
"I hate you!"
Ayanami didn't even pause, wasn't even fazed by the declaration, just
continuing to probe into Teito, taking what was forever and always his.
"Likewise."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
5:30 am.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Click.
5:45 am.
Beep! Beep! Bee-!
Click.
6:00 am.
Beep! Beep!
Click.
6:15 am.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Cli-
Ker-crash!
"Fuck it all." Frau groaned into the pillow. The banged-up piece of shit
formerly known as a digital clock lay still on the floor, red numbers flashing
innocently behind the thrice-cracked screen. How it could still work after
having endured this morning ritual for 7-ish years is anybody's guess, but
then, so was the issue of Frau getting up so early in the morning. The man
continued to mutter a string of curses into his pillow for a few more minutes,
until his stomach decided to join in with a clamouring of its own.
Frau sighed and cracked an eye open. The room was still dark, which either
meant that his stupid alarm clock had somehow set itself 15-something minutes
faster again or the fog that morning was thicker than usual and blocked out the
sun. He really, really hoped it was the former, but in any case he had to check
out which it was.
Somehow, Frau managed to detach himself from the blessed object of fabric,
linen and down-feather and sit up, before clambering out of the bed in an
ungainly fashion and making his way, yawning, to the window. He glared at the
offending rays of sunlight...what he could see of it anyway, behind the fog
that clouded over the golden orb.
"Guess it can't be helped." He yawned again and dragged his feet to the
bathroom.
20 minutes and a steaming hot shower later, Frau was sitting at the small,
round dining table with a plate of somewhat-brown pancakes in front of him,
smothered in maple syrup. He propped his face up on one hand while the other
got busy trying to shove the carbohydrates into him, in a futile attempt to get
him out of his half-asleep state.
I really need to stop staying out so late, Frau thought, as he yawned for what
had to be the fortieth time this morning, Note to self: Next time Leo tries to
sweet-talk me into trying some of his new poisoned cocktails...concoctions, or
whatever he calls 'em at that godforsaken bar of his, tell him to shove it. He
ran his fingers through his hair, pulling at the awkwardly bent golden strands.
His eyes moved to the clock. It was now 6:45 am. Unless he get a move on, Frau
would be late at the first meeting at his new job.
Yes. A meeting. At the crack of fucking dawn.
And no, Labrador had repeatedly reassured Frau, the abnormal timing was a
result of the school's completely-packed schedule, the result of the frequent
visits of the dignitaries from the District's educational board and was not in
any way related to the fact that Castor had quite the amount of power[read:
dirt, skeletons-in-the-closet, that sort of thing] over the principal of the
ever-so-prestigious Barsburg Academy and that the same man had been more-than-
a-little pissed off to see that Frau's libertine streak hadn't faded with time.
It's not like I go roof-jumping anymore. Frau thought irritably, as he dumped
his used plate inside the sink, increasing the ungainly grimy pile of china and
steel there by one, Or ditch school halfway and make a beeline for this place's
Red-Light District. Hell, I'm not even sure this place even has its own Red-
Light District. The reason being that he just couldn't imagine any host clubs,
bars or brothels in the same District that was famed for housing the largest
Church in the Empire.
And even if that weren't the case...the people were...well. They often reminded
him of the weather that frequently inhabited the place; social but silent,
compassionate but cold. At first glance it looks like they are fairly open with
their affairs, people with nothing to hide but then you stare harder and
realize that they had much more deeper shit that they didn't want anyone to
know.
Frau had been in this place for more than half his life and he still didn't
understand how the town ticked. Maybe that made him an outsider in everyone's
eyes. Not like they tried to hide it either.
Or maybe it was the motorbike and the leather jackets. And the glaring fact
that the blonde still didn't know left from right in his own hometown, courtesy
of his "extraordinarily inept directional skills". Quoth Castor.
Frau shrugged on his favourite navy blue trench-coat and into black boots
before leaving the apartment and stepping into the dimly-lit lobby, stopping
yet another yawn as he jabbed at the elevator button.
Might as well get this over with.
And Frau, though not immediately identifiable with the character trait called
'patience' in the personal view of most of the people he'd met, can be
surprisingly adept at displaying the selfsame quality in these sort of
situations.
However, it did take a lot out of him. And seeing as he had to deal with
classrooms of teenagers soon after, he wasn't exactly looking forward to the
meeting.
So, he couldn't decide whether he was irritated or relieved when he found out
that the stupid thing was cancelled.
"Seriously?" He repeated, gaping at the red-head sitting behind the marble
counter. And not because she had an amazing rack either.
Ok, that may have been a tiny part of it.
"Yes, Frau-sensei. Apparently, the cancellation was a last-minute request from
Principal Lancaster on receiving word that the representatives from the
Educational Committee would be making rounds today." She repeated calmly, not
the least bit put out by his staring. Or showing any reaction for that matter.
"But won't they be here only in the afternoon?" Frau questioned.
"Arrangements are to be made regarding their inspection and it is estimated
that these preparations would take about 4 to 5 hours to complete." She said,
reverting her gaze back to her computer as she spoke, "We are cutting it quite
close as it is."
"I see." He looked down at his watch again, "So classes start at 8 'o' clock,
like usual?"
"Yes."
"Great. That leaves me with an hour left to kill." Frau sighed. He then looked
back at the red-haired woman, "Say, are you free right now?"
"Hell no, I'm not interested." The woman replied in a much more human-sounding
tone. At Frau's expression, she actually did crack a smile, "I'm afraid your
reputation precedes you, Frau-sensei." She said, placing special emphasis on
the sensei bit.
Wow. The rumours started already? Frau whistled. "Believe it then. Most of that
stuff's true."
She raised an eyebrow, "Even the one where-?"
Frau raised a hand, effectively cutting her off, "Uh-uh. Really don't want to
know." At her confused expression, Frau grinned, "At this point, I've given up
on trying to track down everything they say about me. You would too if you've
ridden across all Seven Districts and lived to tell the tale."
"...I see. Interesting." And miracle of miracles, she really did look
interested at that.
"So you're not gonna change your mind?" Frau asked, grinning that "woman-
killer" grin of his. Quoth Frau.
"Nope." She replied, without batting an eye, "I'm engaged. Nice try, buddy."
She continued, waving the gold banded finger in front of him.
Damn.
"Ah well." Frau said, straightening up, "Thanks for the info."
"Lexis." She said, pointing to the name tag and donning her blue-rimmed glasses
again.
"Frau. No suffixes. Just Frau." Frau said, before pushing the door open, "And
congratulations. Tell your fiancé that he's one lucky man." Lexis showed no
indication that she'd heard except for a slight reddening around her ears. Frau
smirked again and made his way out to the hall.
But seriously, what am I supposed to do for the next hour here? If I'd known
about this cancellation sooner, I would've stayed in bed. Frau griped as he
walked along, I'm really not in the mood to go to the staff lounge and start
watching sappy tv soaps. Which is what they'll be showing at this hour. Bleh.
And on top of everything else, along with the irritation, the urge to break out
the cigarettes was gnawing at his brain. At a place like the super-prestigious
Barsburg Academy where the higher-ups kept the kids on tight leashes with drug
tests, constant surveillance and above all, non-smoking devices placed
in all areas.
Except, for some unfathomable reason, Castor's room. Maybe he let his clients
have the occasional smoke so that they can loosen up and talk to him more? For
a brief moment, Frau wondered exactly what kind of dirt Castor held over the
principal's head. And whether he really wanted to find out.
So, in any case, he can't sneak in one either until idiot Glasses came to the
school, which would only be after half an hour.
Unless...Frau stopped walking and stared at the floor thoughtfully, A few days
back, Labrador told me that after the inauguration ceremony, they stopped using
the old auditorium, and since there isn't anybody hanging around that place
anymore, they stripped that building clean. Which means electrical devices too.
Frau reached inside his jeans pocket and felt his fingers brush smooth plastic.
Looks like it won't be such a shitty day after all. He changed direction and
headed towards the main gates.
If I remember correctly, Lab said it was to the far left of the gates. Frau
pushed the entrance door opened and shuddered briefly when the wave of cold hit
him.
Wonder if there's enough gold up there in that castle to spare for a few garden
heater fans. He hopped down the stairs and made his way west, hurrying up when
he saw the building up ahead.
He walked his way up the staircase and eased himself through the gap through
the heavy double doors.
The auditorium was spacious, but oddly warm, even though the weak light that
poured in through the gap in the door did little to illuminate the area.
It was dark, stuffy and humid.
It was perfect for him.
He just about made out the white-covered objects that littered the floor,
varied in size and carefully tip-toed around them, trying not to knock anything
over. They must be using this place as a storehouse for all the props for the
Theatre Club's plays.
He stopped when he reached the other side. The stage of the auditorium was
exactly like the auditorium itself; grand, painted with warm wood and earth
colours. The stage was not the normal rectangular shape though; it jutted out
in the general direction of the audience in a semi-circular fashion, with a
gold-painted[hell, it may even be real gold. Frau wouldn't expect any less from
this school] railing around the rim.
Frau continued to stare at it, until he nodded to himself, mind apparently made
up. He walked towards the stairs on the left side of the stage, climbed up them
and a few minutes later, was leaning across the railing to the seats below.
For some strange reason, the stage area was much warmer than the rest of the
auditorium, humid almost. Frau could practically feel his hands defrosting from
the inside of his gloves. And now that he was on the stage, he could hear a
strange, but very familiar whirring sound to his far right that sounded
almost...mechanical?
Wait a minute.
Frau looked towards his far right for a minute, then quietly walked towards the
stage wing. The closer he was, the louder he could hear that whirring sound.
When he'd completely left the stage and walked into the wings, he could just
make out the silhouette of a dark wood door. Behind it, the mechanical whirring
was so loud now it was deafening.
"Oi! Is somebody there?" Frau called. No voice answered him, but Frau could now
hear another sound added to the mix. This sound wasn't mechanical at all, but
somewhat deep, and low...and vibrating?
That sound...is that a dog growling?
Frau tested the handle of the door. It was jammed and no amount of pulling or
pushing could get it free.
The hell? But how did a dog get in there if it's stuck?
"Oi, mutt! If you can hear me, just stand back!" Frau yelled, choosing to
ignore the fact that he'd just shouted to an animal that presumably is not able
to understand him. Had he dwelt on the realization, he would've felt quite
stupid. But then, according to Castor, the man was impervious to sheer
stupidity considering he was neck-deep in the stuff as it is.
He didn't have the time anyway, because he was too busy walking a few paces
away from the door, lowering his hands to the side and in a single, fluid
movement, raised his right leg and kicked at the door, throwing the full weight
of his body in the impact.
The door shuddered, then made a low, groaning noise and fell over backwards,
raising insanely thick clouds of dust as it hit the floor. Frau had
approximately 0.06 seconds to register these facts before something large,
white and very loud came hurtling right at him from inside the room and knocked
him backwards.
"Oof! What the fuck?"
A very happy woof sound answered him, only emphasized by the slathering of
doggie drool on the man's face. "Cut that out! And get off me already, I need
air in my system, damnit!" Of course, he was wasting some by just yelling at
the pooch. In any case, the dog heeded his words and slithered towards the
man's right, standing up properly when its feet touched the floor.
At that point Frau really looked at the dog.
And realized that it looked awfully familiar.
Intelligent crimson eyes stared right at him.
"...Calypso?" He asked finally, recognizing the mutt as the Church dog. The dog
nodded and pressed its face near Frau's cheek affectionately, which made him
draw back immediately.
"What...?" The dog just stared at him silently as he slowly sat up and looked
at it in confusion. He pulled off one of his gloves and hesitated, staring at
the dog. The dog just blinked and leaned into his bare hand.
Calypso's fur was soft and silky. And extremely hot. So hot, it felt like his
hand was going to burn by just touching the dog's fur.
"How did you get like this?" Frau asked. Calypso got up and walked back into
the room. She stopped just a few feet inside, looking back at Frau.
"...You want me to follow you?" Frau asked out loud. She gave a soft bark, and
Frau took that as a yes. He stepped into the room and did a double-take when
the heat wave finally hit him, practically scorching the cold off his face.
The mystery of the whirring sound was finally solved, and just as he'd
suspected, it was from a disused portable heating fan that was connected to a
wall socket which, somehow, still provided electricity. Yet, despite the fact
that the room was hot enough to rival the heat-baked sands of the desert far
away from the Seventh District, one small figure was huddled in a corner with a
thin, ratty brown blanket that seemed ten times bigger than its owner. Only the
top of the head could be seen; a mop of ruffled brown hair and closed eyes
framed by an uneasy frown, even as the figure breathed in and out in the slow
manner of a sleeper.
Calypso walked up to the figure and nudged its side gently. At that, those eyes
slowly opened and clouded jade eyes stared in confusion at the dog.
"Calypso...? What's wrong?" Teito asked, sitting up straight, the blanket
falling away to reveal his face fully. He rubbed his eyes, one at a time, while
he stared at the dog through his free eye in a detached sort of confusion.
Apparently he was still half-asleep and hadn't registered the fact that he'd
been trapped in a room with a hyperactive dog and a heater fan at a hot enough
temperature to cook human skin for god knows how long.
"What are you doing here, brat?" The question finally drew Teito's attention
from his adoring dog to the man who stood at the now-open doorway.
"...Frau-sensei? What are you doing here?" Teito asked, as he started pulling
his blanket free.
Calypso yipped and padded back to Frau, where she pranced around at his feet.
"I asked you first." Frau said testily, even as he bent down and patted the dog
on the head. Teito finally shed the blanket and pulled himself off the
floor...where he was promptly knocked over by the over-energetic Calypso,
woofing and barking at him in short, loud bursts.
"Looks like you scared the shit out of her, kid." Frau added unnecessarily, as
he wandered further into the room. After watching Teito try to disentangle
himself from the dog and fail miserably, Frau smirked, walked over to where the
pair lay sprawled on the floor, carefully pulled the dog off and with a brisk
yank, took the boy's flailing hand and pulled him to his feet.
For one brief moment, he could feel the heat practically radiating out of
Teito's skin, every bit as warm as Calypso's cotton-candy-like fur. The man's
fingers had wrapped around the kid's wrist and for that one brief moment, he
could actually feel the kid's heartbeat, still somewhat slowed from Teito's nap
earlier.
So when the shiver racked through Teito's thin frame, Frau felt it. The moment
Frau's fingers touched him, Teito had flinched away, rocking backwards on the
soles of his feet and pulling his hand from Frau's iron grip.
"Oi, oi, brat! You almost dislocated my shoulder!" Frau griped, looking up to
glare at the boy.
And stopping short when he really looked at him.
Teito was staring at Frau with an expression that could only be described as
hell-born hate, shadows darkening the light green shade of the eyes with an
ominous grey, chest heaving as he breathed in short, rapid breaths, left arm
gripping at the right, left shoulder pointed outwards in the strange stance, as
if he'd shove down anyone who took so much as a step closer towards him, his
feet spread apart, as though bracing himself for a hit that would never come.
"Teito?"
One blink and the moment was gone.
"...Stop treating me like a kid already." Teito said sullenly. He turned his
back to Frau and whistled softly to Calypso. The dog bounded eagerly to her
master's feet and he bent down to pet her.
"That's enough for today, Calypso." He said, gently but firmly, "We should
probably get you home now."
"And how do you propose we do that, brat?" Frau asked, raising an eyebrow,
"Students can't leave the campus during school hours. And even though it's a
free period right now, it counts as school hours."
"I don't know!" Teito snapped, "I'll just figure out a way! Calypso can't come
with me to school; pets aren't allowed on the campus for one thing and it's not
like I can leave her here! She could get locked in again!"
"Then what do you do?" Frau repeated, staring at the boy's bent head. From
here, he could almost see the cogs whirring in the kid's mind, as it went into
overtime.
"I said I'll come up with a way." Teito repeated, much less heatedly, lost in
thought, "Come on, Calypso."
Without another word, he walked out of the room, the white-haired dog close by
his side. Frau stared after him for a few moments, then sighed. "Not so much as
a thank you. What a moody kid." He bent over and turned off the heater fan and
unplugged it from the wall socket after flipping the switch off. That done, he
left the room too.
A few minutes later, he was outside, shielding his eyes from the suddenly-
shining sun with his hand. He was halfway through the school grounds when he
stopped. And sighed.
And headed towards the direction of the gate.
Sure enough, the brat didn't disappoint. Right in front of him, a familiar
white-haired dog was pacing back and forth near the gate anxiously, her face
tilted upwards, watching her master as he tried to scale the school gates. The
selfsame school gates which had to be over 17 feet tall, framed on either side
by brick walls that were rimmed with barbed wire at the very top, painted in a
suspiciously realistic gold sheen. [Frau momentarily wondered if these were
real gold too. Surely, the higher-ups wouldn't spend that much on decoration.
Then again...] Keyword being 'tried'.
Teito huffed irritably, then paused, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He
eased himself up slowly, and hooked his fingers through the leaf-and-vine
latticework, simultaneously placing his foot solidly on the gold bars.
The sigh of relief turned into a gasp as his sneaker slipped off the slick gold
metal, the force of it prying his fingers away from the gate and throwing him
backwards, falling towards the ground...
"You know kid, when you said you were going to come up with a way, I did expect
you to come up with an actual way out. 'Cause you're supposed to be smart and
all." Frau half-shrugged. Teito glared back up at him and shifted irritably in
the man's arms, trying and miserably failing to push himself away and onto
solid ground.
"Let me go!" He snarled. Calypso, by this time, had bounded back up to Frau,
whimpering pitifully.
"He's fine." Frau scoffed, turning his head to the side to avoid the kicks and
punches the kid was aiming at him.
"I said, let me go, idiot teacher! I have to get Calypso back before-" Teito's
sentence was abruptly cut off when Frau dropped him unceremoniously onto the
ground and started dusting off his jacket, watching with amusement as Calypso
started barking and howling reproachfully at the boy, gnawing at the kid's
overlong sleeves with his teeth.
"The hell was that for?"
Frau ignored him and walked down the slightly sloping road, until it split into
a fork; one path led to the school and the other led to the security guard's
office.
"Where are you going?" Teito called after him. When Frau didn't answer him
again, he muttered, "Screw this. We still have to get you out of here." He got
up and looked back at the gate again, "So climbing it is a bad idea."
If dogs could roll eyes...wait, could they roll eyes? Teito mused briefly,
before shaking his head and looking back to the school building, "...Is there
some way we can hide you until school is over? Since the old auditorium is a
no-go, maybe we should try the Gym? Oh, right. Today's Tuesday, so they'll be
holding mass drill for the seniors. Crap." He chewed on his lip and stared hard
at the ground, "And the library is a definite no; even if I manage to somehow
sneak you in one of those disused closets, I can't actually guarantee
you'll stay hidden; most of those teachers will start poking around in there
because they need material for their upcoming exams. Mmm...should I try to hide
you in the Swimming area? Wait, I can't. There is no way you'll stay hidden
once you see that pool, you water-loving little monster." Teito snorted,
ruffling the dog's head affectionately, "...Then...where should I-?"
"Oi, brat! Quit standing around daydreaming and let's go!" Teito blinked, spun
around and saw Frau stand near the gate, which, would you know it, was actually
open. Teito gaped at the sight while Calypso bounded out and ran around in
circles just a few feet away, chasing her own tail.
"How did you...?"
"'Students are not permitted to leave the grounds during school
grounds, unless accompanied by a teacher, citing reasons for absence on
educational grounds.'" Frau smoothly recited as he followed Calypso, "Castor
practically welded the rule book into my brain when I first arrived here." He
continued, by means of explanation, "Annoying as hell, but it's dead useful in
getting out of...trouble."
"So..."
"So, you're coming with me back to the Church where we can return this mangy
mutt of yours, and in return, you have to help me research the majestic history
of the Barsburg Church." Frau said.
"...Wait, what?"
"Look, let me make this simple. All you have to do is borrow a few books from
the Church Library, related to the year it was built, the meaning behind the
varying architectural stuff like the difference in mural art and stuff, etc.
etc. etc." Frau said, "And this counts as a class assignment, because the
Church had major ties to the German culture. You'll find out the rest in
class."
"Ok." Teito nodded.
"Then let's go already, brat. I'd only managed to borrow you for about an hour
and you have to make sure that that mutt isn't seen."
"I'm not a brat and she isn't a mutt." Teito replied hotly, "And she knows not
to be seen."
"Riiight." Frau took another look at the decidedly-conspicuous dog.
"She's only like that with you for some reason." Teito said, "It's probably
because she knows you aren't exactly the model teacher and won't rat her out or
anything."
"Seriously? I go out of my way to save your ass and this is the thanks I get?"
"In case you haven't heard, I'm only a model student when it comes to my
grades." Teito scoffed.
"Oho." Frau raised an eyebrow, "And why is that?"
"None of your fucking business. Let's go already, you were the one in such a
big hurry." Teito said, stomping ahead of him. Calypso slunk ahead of him,
surprisingly quieter than she was before. Frau stood there for a moment, then
pocketed the cigarette box and the lighter he'd been carrying around all this
while and mentally sighed. Looks like I won't be getting that smoke after all.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x
***** Winter Sunshine *****
 
Papercuts
Chapter_5:_Winter_Sunshine
"We're lost."
"No, we're not."
"Yes, we are."
"No, we're not."
"We've walked around the same street. 5 times. That usually means we're lost."
"Just your imagination, kid. All the streets look the same in this District."
"Do they even have the same signposts?" Teito inquired in a mock-innocent tone,
pointing to a white-coloured one where the words Chase Street were painted in
red.
Frau didn't even bat an eye at it, simply answering, "There are three Chase
Streets in this District."
"Do all three streets have a costume store with god-awful Victorian-era gowns
hung at the windows?"
"It's the Seventh District, brat. The Seventh District has enough festivals in
a month what most countries have in a year. Of course there are gonna be a few
costume shops here and there."
"And all of them are painted in hot pink with Seventh Heaven splattered on a
white sign in neon purple?" Teito deadpanned, "And are all of them installed in
buildings where the windows have balconies painted in white, one of which has a
green vine wound tightly around it and disappearing through the cracks in the
wall?"
Frau stared at the boy, "...You seriously just made that up."
"Did not."
"Yes you did."
"No, I didn't. And there's your proof." Teito pointed towards the building they
were just passing by, which was, admittedly a rather loud shade of pink. And
which did have a white sign with Seventh Heaven painted in purple placed in a
building with snow white balconies. And the window of which did display
rather...shoddy dresses of the Victorian era with ratty-looking, mouldy yellow
lace.
"...That wasn't there the last time I was here." Frau muttered.
Teito rolled his eyes and continued, "Point is, we've been walking on the same
street for 10 minutes now."
"Says who?"
"...We just had this conversation 5 seconds ago."
"Did we now?" Frau grinned.
Teito opened his mouth, then closed it and shook his head. He sighed and
whistled to the white dog in front of him, a warning for her to stay in his
sight. She gave a hearty yip back as she padded on ahead, nose up in the air,
smelling the strange mixture of smoke, perfume and baked bread.
"...One question, kid. Why'd you bring the mutt to school anyway? Was it some
kind of prank or something?" Frau asked. Come to think of it, Malcolm Finch is
supposed to be allergic to dog hair. And he's not exactly the most likeable
English teacher I've seen so far...
"I didn't bring her to school, she followed me." Teito sighed, "And no, I
wouldn't go through the entire hassle of bringing her to school, just to keep
her under the desk and order her to stay there for the whole English period and
watch Finch-sensei sneeze his lungs out and puff up like a giant red balloon.
Too troublesome."
"..."
"...What?"
"You wouldn't happen to know anything about the dog turd that somehow managed
to find its way inside the staff room, do you?"
"Nope."
"You're a horrible liar."
"Believe it or not, I didn't. Finch-sensei is notoriously easy to prank."
"And you know this how?"
"It wasn't me! Besides, I don't even own Calypso." Teito replied, looking away,
"She stays at the Church with Cape-...the orphans there."
"She's attached to you, though."
Teito glared at him, "Why are you so interested all of a sudden?"
"Have you forgotten that I'm your homeroom teacher?"
"For a blissful 10 minutes." Teito muttered.
"The point is, that makes me accountable for each and every one of the kids in
my class. And for the record, you haven't exactly been the poster child of
studiousness lately."
Teito twitched visibly, "Not my fault."
"Do tell."
"They started it." Teito gritted out.
"Oh? And what'd they do to get a triple face-pounding from you, kid?"
"Nothing you want to hear."
"Didn't I just explain to you-"
"Yes, you just warbled on about how I'm some problem kid that you aren't
getting paid enough to deal with." Teito said impatiently, then on seeing the
look on Frau's face, "...Look. You can relax, it won't happen again."
"I'm more interested in why it happened then."
"And I thought my sessions with Castor-sensei were tiring." Teito whispered to
himself. A low chuckle told him he hadn't been quiet enough, "What, that four-
eyed freak sics his dolls on you too?"
"Dolls?" Teito repeated, perplexed. After a few seconds though, his expression
cleared into one of recognition, "Oh, are you talking about those robot dolls
he keeps making? No, he just...um, listens to me talk."
"Translation: 'He listens to me with that creepy-as-fuck half-grin on his face.
Throughout the hour, he keeps that smile plastered in place, and gives me that
sneaking suspicion I'm saying something wrong, but doesn't tell me if I am. And
then, he draws the blinds when it's sunny outside and turns off every light in
the room and sits behind his desk and smiles and says: "Where were we?' and
makes me think he's some kind of freakish night-thing that shrinks heads and
can strangle you with those minion dolls of his'."
Teito surprised them both with a snigger, "No, no. It's not like that. He
really does listen to me. He keeps asking me a lot of questions though. But
most of the people who go to him have that same opinion."
"Bah, it wasn't bad enough that you were a teacher's pet, brat? You have to be
Glasses' pet too?"
"I'm not his pet."
"'And the blood-sucker used his head-shrinking powers on the poor, defenceless
brat, turning him into a brain-dead ex-juvie that he uses to lead his army of
plastic-boned minions. Minions that were once human, minions which were created
by inserting the hearts of helpless virgins into hollow bodies...'" Frau
intoned in the sort of voice reserved for low-budget horror movies.
"...Vampires flicks? Really?" Teito raised an eyebrow.
"No, it was mostly a mix between a zombie movie where the guy's girlfriend kept
trying to bite his head off and an ancient-I'm talking way, way before colour
TV ancient-vampire movie where this vampire dude kept ripping out the hearts of
the people he sucked dry and kept them preserved in glass boxes hung above his
coffin."
"You have too much free time."
"Nah. Mainly three days a week. The rest of 'em are...well, let's just say I'm
too occupied to see them."
"Are you actually discussing your sex life with your student? Now?"
"Why do people automatically assume that I'm out banging some girl when I say
I'm busy?" Frau asked irritably, "I have a job too, you know."
Teito just stared dubiously at him. "Don't tell me you heard the rumours too."
Frau continued, giving the boy a look.
"Maybe." Teito said, looking to the side.
Silence.
Sounds of footsteps and every now and then, a bark to make sure they remembered
that the dog was still there.
Teito shivered slightly and pulled his hooded jacket tighter over his body. He
drew his hands up to his face and breathed into them and Frau saw that they
were bare and pale. In fact, the kid looked ill-equipped to be out in such a
cold morning. That jacket, with the cross-stitch detail that made it look like
it was worn inside-out, looked more like a black-dyed second skin than anything
and underneath that jacket, he was wearing a simple green cotton shirt.
Teito looked up then, as if he'd sensed that he was watching him. "What?"
"Are you alright?"
Teito blinked, "Yeah, I am. Why?"
"...No reason."
Teito frowned, but Frau refused to elaborate the subject. They walked on,
occasionally scanning the buildings for stores they haven't seen before and
ducking down that road.
"What movies do you watch then?" Frau asked, more to break the silence than
anything. Teito spun around and blinked at him bemusedly, "Me?"
"Yeah, you."
"...What movies do you watch...?" The boy repeated, looking at him uncertainly.
"I asked you first. Plus, you already have an idea of what I watch anyway."
Frau said, although it seemed like Teito was repeating the question more to
himself, as if he couldn't believe or quite understand the fact that the man
was asking him something so ordinary.
"Well...the last movie I watched was around two months ago. I usually watch
movies on TV, but Mikage insisted that I see that movie with him. It was a
supernatural movie, based on an alternate universe where people have powers.
Two countries were at war and the main protagonist is a slave from the defeated
country. He went to army school only to discover that the captain there
murdered his father and he was actually the prince of the dead kingdom. Or
something." Teito scratched his head, "And...I think he fled the school and
crash-landed in a Church? No...he crash-landed on somebody who brought him to
the Church...and they sent his best friend after him, only he didn't want to
and they set some kind of freaky mind-control on him, turning him into some
kind of monster. The friend died to protect the main character..." At this
point, the volume of Teito's voice dropped a little and he coughed, continuing,
"Long story short, the rest of the movie was more of a journey for the boy to
become a priest and travel the world to avenge this friend."
"That is one...different story."
"Yup, that was Mikage's reaction too." Teito snorted, "...When he could talk
again, that is. He cried when the friend died. A lot." The boy shuddered, "He
could've flooded the rats clean out of that place and that is not an
exaggeration. People kept looking at me like I stole candy from him or
something."
"Is this Mikage kid at the same school?"
"No...not really."
At this point, Frau stopped suddenly. Teito had walked a few more steps before
he'd noticed. He spun around on his heel, still walking forward and said,
"What's-"
That was about as much as he could get out of his mouth before his foot had
struck something. Hard. The rest of his sentence had turned into a cry of pain
which then turned into a cry of shock when he fell forwards right into a
bright, golden light that made his heart stop as his eyes flickered towards
it...
"Teito!"
A strong hand pulled at his arm and yanked him out of the car's way. The
momentum threw Teito behind and he landed on the sidewalk flat on his butt.
"Ow..." He winced.
"The hell were you trying to do?!" Frau demanded.
"Last I remember, I was walking." Teito snapped, flinching more when his foot
twinged. Ok, his foot was doing a lot more than twinging. Goddamnit, he had
enough pain to deal with on a daily basis! "Y'know walking? That thing you do
with your feet? ~First, you lift your right foot, put it down. Then, you lift
your left foot, put it down." He said the latter sentence in a sing-song voice
as he slowly climbed back up into a standing position.
To his surprise, Frau laughed. A genuine laugh, not the snarky sort of one the
boy'd been expecting. "Yeah, but why'd you keep going?" He shot back, as he
watched Teito dust off his pants.
"I didn't know I was supposed to stop."
"Well, now you do."
"Big help." Teito said, rolling his eyes.
"Ok, so where now?" Frau asked, suddenly.
"Mm?"
"Where do we go from here, kid?" At Teito's blank stare, Frau elaborated, "You
were the one harping about the fact that we were lost. So, do you know where to
go next."
Teito stared ahead of them, as if his gaze could somehow bore a hole through
the cotton-candy thick white floating in front of them, and muttered something
in a voice too low for Frau to hear.
"...What?"
"I said, I don't know damnit!" Teito finally said in annoyance.
Frau's confused look morphed back into that stupid, stupid cocky grin of his;
that damned crooked smile that flaunted as much teeth as possible, whose absurd
angle which brought a surprisingly child-like quality to that sharp-chin face.
"Oh really?"
"Yes, really. I don't know this area."
"Then how do you know that-"
"I just know, ok?" Teito cut him off, "I've passed by the Church enough to know
the routes. And this is not one of them."
Frau just grinned some more, but didn't push the subject. "Hmm...then where do
we head now?" He asked finally, adopting a more thoughtful expression, "It's
not like we can keep wandering around here until school starts. We have to drop
that mutt of yours off."
Thank you for stating the obvious, Captain Obvious. "Yeah, but at this point, I
don't think we have a choice." Teito said, "Calypso!" He called to the dog,
"Don't wander off too fa-" Again, his sentence was abruptly cut-off by a wince.
This did not go unnoticed by Frau. "Hey." He said, in a much less gruff tone.
Upon seeing the way the boy was gingerly holding his foot above the sidewalk,
he asked, "Does it hurt?"
"Gee, whatever gave you that idea?" Teito asked with an expression on his face
that was intended to be anguished, but ended up looking absolutely hilarious to
Frau. Something must've shown on the man's face, because Teito gave him a
scorching glare, "Yeah, I also find it incredibly funny that I just banged my
foot on..." He looked back at the thing he'd hit and paused for a while as he
realised what he was seeing, "...a telephone pole?"
"Yup. Or to be more accurate, a telephone pole with no wires attached." Frau
pointed at a ditch to his left, "I think it was supposed to be set up there
during the night, but for whatever reason, they hadn't done it yet." At Teito's
questioning look, he continued, "You'd be surprised at how much you can learn
in different Districts."
Teito nodded, then carefully tested his foot against the plaster again, wincing
less slightly this time. "Can you walk, kid?"
"Yeah. It just took me by surprise. I'll be fine."
Breathe through the pain.
"It'll be fine!"
A smiling face blocked out the sun above, staring back at those perplexed green
eyes that regarded him with something close to wonder.
"...What?"
Mikage frowned at Teito and pulled at the boy's right arm, grinning wickedly
when the smaller boy gasped and flinched. "I know you broke your arm. Don't
even bother hiding it."
"Mikage." Teito slowly growled the name, stretching it to three syllables,
"When you know that a person's arm is broken, you're not supposed to tug on
that same broken arm! It hurts. A. Lot!"
"Yeah, but I had to check if it was true, didn't I?"
"Why the hell would I lie about a broken arm?"
"I dunno. To get all the attention from the girls around here, maybe? But that
reminds me." Mikage took Teito's arm again, this time by the overlong sleeve
instead of grasping the limb directly, "Why are you hiding it? You're lucky I
knew about it, but if people don't know you're injured and they treat you
normally, won't that be a problem?"
Teito looked away, "I don't want them to know about it."
"Keep it up for however long you want. Sooner or later, people will find out
about it."
"...How did you know?" Teito asked finally, looking away from his best friend.
A sharp thwack on his head pulled his attention back to Mikage. "Ow! What the
hell was that for?!"
"Asking a stupid question, stupid!" Mikage declared, pouting at him. Seeing
Teito's glare, he hurried on with his explanation, "Of course I would know! I'm
your best friend! Ask me what I don't know about you!"
"...My shoe size?"
"Size 10."
"My weakest subject?"
"Art. Hate to say this Teito, but kindergarten kids draw better than you." That
statement earned Mikage another glare before Teito continued, "What about my
favourite food then?"
"Hah. Too easy. Waffles. You keep gorging on the things every time you visit
me." Mikage said.
"Mikage, there's a difference between being my best friend and being my
stalker."
"Well, I can't help it if you're so darn cute!"
"I'm not cute!" Teito protested hotly. Blushing just a little doing it, but
he'd be damned if he let Mikage see it.
"Yes, you are! You're pretty like a girl. But that's not the point." Mikage
said, waving his hand as if to physically swat away the "kill-you-dead" look
that Teito's glare had evolved into, "The point is that you shouldn't hide
things from your best friend. Especially things like this." Mikage's face
softened into a genuine smile, "I know what a pain in the neck these things can
be. Heck, when I fractured my wrist, I swear to God I would've gone insane if
you hadn't been there with me."
"It's not my fault you're such a horrible patient." Teito sighed. "You should
be thankful that hospitals can't ban people because that evil eye the nurses
were giving you could've burnt a hole through the thick cement-plastered roof."
"It's not my fault that hospitals are so boring." Mikage shrugged, "So, don't
even bother hiding such things next time, ok?"
Teito remained mute, staring at anywhere but Mikage.
"It's alright to depend on someone else, Teito." Mikage said gently. That
sweet, idiotic grin that was ever present on the boy's face had melded with the
soft, gentle look in his eyes into an understanding smile. "Even if it's just
for a little while, depend on me."
"Mikage..."
"The pain's not as bad if you have someone to lean on. You were the one who
taught me that, remember?" Mikage continued. He frowned a bit as if a thought
had occurred to him and then, his face brightened, "And when I'm not there, and
if the pain's really bad, then just remember this. Just breathe through the
pain," He closed his eyes himself, as if enacting the action for him, "And
smile."
"Well, that should be easy to do, considering the amount of pain medication
they give me." Teito said dryly, "You don't even want to know what kind of
weird dreams I have when I'm on those."
"Ehhh? What kind of dreams do you have?"
"Not telling."
"Wah! No fair! I'm really curious now! C'mon, tell me already!"
"Nope."
"Aw, Teito! Please? You know it keeps me up at night when there's something I
don't know and I'm dying to know what!"
"Yes. Yes, I do." Teito answered smugly.
"...Unless...gack! Wow, Teito! I didn't know you were that kind of guy..."
"What the hell are you thinking about, you perverted idiot?"
"Hehe...I'm not telling!"
"Mikage!"
"Hahaha! Not telling yooooooouuuuu!"
"Real mature, Mikage." Teito sighed, feeling the inevitable smile creep up his
lips.
"Still not telling you, Teito!"
Teito.
Teito.
"Teito!"
"...Huh?" Teito blinked. Did someone call him just now?
"Joined the land of the living, kid?" Frau was actually waving a hand in front
of his face. And, Teito noticed, it was dangerously close to thwacking his
nose.
"I didn't realize I left it." Teito said, drawing his face away. Frau's
lopsided grin made another brief appearance as he said, "Kinda figured. Anyway,
you can keep moving right?"
"I just said that one flashback ago, stupid teacher." Teito muttered, too low
for Frau to hear.
"What was that?"
"Nothing." Teito said, smiling innocently at Frau, "Absolutely nothing at all."
"Well, try not to moan and groan too much kid. It's the crack of fucking dawn
and I don't want to get any crap about 'disturbing the peace' of the people in
this neighbourhood with your whining." That wiped the smile right off the boy's
face, "You don't have to worry about a thing, sensei."
However, five minutes in, Teito did make a rather loud...'groan'. Just not the
kind Frau was expecting.
"What the hell, brat?"
"It wasn't me!" Teito protested, even as his stomach made another noise that
sounded less like a growl and more like the kind often heard when a car skidded
on the street.
"When was the last time you ate, brat?"
"Half an hour ago." Skree-grrrooooowwwwl.
"Right."
"I did!"
"A slice of lemon and two pieces of toast a meal does not make, kid."
"...Why a slice of lemon of all things?"
"I dunno. It was catchy?" When Teito's stomach voiced yet another complaint,
the boy just wrapped his arms around it and said resolutely, "Let's go."
"Yep." Frau replied. And without further ado, he whistled, calling Calypso
over, grabbed the back of Teito's jacket and proceeded to drag the boy away
from the sidewalk and into a nearby café.
"Wha-? Wait, wait are you doing?! Let go of me!"
"Nope." Frau said, as he pushed the door open. The soft tinkle of tiny silver
bells announced their arrival.
"Why not?!"
"Don't you have two continuous classes with me today? They're before lunch and
I really don't think everyone'll be able to hear me over that." He pointed to
Teito's mid-section. "...I don't have any money." Teito said finally, "It's
fine. Just let me go."
"It ain't fine for me if my ears bleed out, kid."
"Oh come on. It's not that loud!"
"Au contraire. Tell me you aren't hearing that too." Frau said this last part
to a caramel-skinned young woman with dark hair. She nodded and smiled
apologetically to Teito, who was gawking at her with a rather distraught
expression.
"Was that French? I thought you were my German teacher." Teito said sulkily, as
Frau dragged him to one of the chairs by the window.
"Along with German, I do know French, Dutch and Japanese." Frau listed
smoothly. Teito shot him a disbelieving look, childish pout still in place.
"Hey, is it ok if I bring the dog in here?" Frau asked, turning back to the
woman behind the counter. She looked doubtfully at Calypso, who was waiting
patiently outside.
"Depends. Is she house-trained?"
"Well, kid?"
"Yes, she is."
"Ok. As long as she doesn't make a mess in here."
"I'll get her. Kid, what do you want to eat?"
"Nothing."
"We are not stepping out of here until you eat something."
"..."
"What, you think I'm joking? Hey, miss, what are the timings-"
Teito murmured something then. It was inaudible, but Frau was quite certain he
heard the word...
"What?"
"...I'd like some waffles please. With maple syrup and strawberries."
"Coming right up." She said, "Anything else?"
Teito looked at Frau, who replied, "Nah, I'm good." The waitress nodded and
walked away.
"You're the one buying something from here, don't you want to eat anything?"
Teito asked, as he took his seat. Frau shrugged, "Nah, not really. I'm not
hungry."
"Oh." Teito looked down, fidgeting with one of the napkins.
"Kid, I'm the one who dragged you in here. You don't feel guilty."
"Wh-who says I'm feeling guilty?" Teito said hotly, wrenching that poor paper
napkin even tighter into a kind of twisted rope, "I-I just think it's a waste
of time, that's all."
Frau made a 'tch' sound and shook his head, all the while holding a superior
sort of smile. Teito narrowed his eyes at the man, "What now?"
"For someone so incredibly smart, I'm surprised you don't see opportunities
passing right under your nose." Frau said. At Teito's confused expression he
continued, "Here, in a café with so many people around, we have ample
opportunity to ask directions to the Church. Unless there are 12 people in this
town that don't know left from right in this town."
Teito's eyes flickered from one person to another, and Frau could practically
see the cogs turning around in the boy's mind as he tallied the number of
people there.
"There are 11 people here...hey!" Teito's eyes flicked back accusingly towards
Frau, who chuckled and said, "In case you haven't noticed, Teito, I'm not
exactly the best at following directions. You, at least, know your town well
enough to figure out the route we were following wouldn't lead us to the
Church."
Teito's fingers, which were absorbed in folding and bending the now-extremely
crumpled tissue between them, slackened their grip. His lips quirked into a
kind of sad smile, which just as quickly reverted back to a frowning face,
"This isn't my town." It never will be. "I moved in here some time ago." Too
long ago. Too long since I've been here.
"Alright then." Frau said, tilting his head to the side, grinning that inane
grin again.
"Alright what?"
"Since you were a newcomer like me once, that makes it your job to show me the
place here."
"...Are you nuts?" Teito asked, though it was more of a question than an actual
statement.
"All the locals think I'm some kind of dirt-bike riding, gun-toting rebel
leader who can't keep his dick in his pants and can drink people under the
table to the point where they get hangovers that last a week. As you can
imagine, that doesn't exactly make them run towards me with arms wide open. And
the town's changed a lot since the last time I was here."
"...So you're telling me you're not that guy?"
"Do you always act like a fucking brat when you're starving?"
Teito opened his mouth to answer when something caught his eye. He blinked,
frowned, then said, "Wait a minute, is that...?"
"Teito nii-chan!" A sweet, high voice called out, followed by a laugh that
sounded like wind-chimes fluttering in the breeze.
"Capella?" Teito said, as if he couldn't believe who he was seeing, "Lazette?"
"Nii-chan! I'm so happy to see you!" What appeared to be a white rabbit shot
through the room right towards the teen, who'd stood up as he called those
names and hurtled itself right at the boy's mid-section. The white tornado was
closely followed by a girl with long, violet-pink hair, who ducked through the
gap between the boy and the table and popped up behind him, wrapping her arms
around his chest and pulling him into a hug, giggling.
"Ack...good t-...to see you too." Teito managed to breathe out. His normally
pale complexion had gone a lovely shade of brilliant red, "Um, c-can't
breathe..."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" The bundle of white had loosened its death-grip on Teito and
stood back and Frau saw that it was actually a very young, fair-haired boy with
wide blue eyes practically drowning in the clothes he was wearing; white
sweater with a small silver cross on the chest and white pants. The girl had
loosened her grip on Teito as well and was the first to look at the table. Her
eyes widened when she saw Frau.
Frau spoke first, "Wait a second...aren't you Four-eyes' Lazette? Castor?"
She nodded.
"What are you two doing here? Weren't you staying with your mother, Capella?"
Teito asked.
"Lazette nee-chan works here on weekdays." Capella answered brightly, "And mama
had to go back to the big white building again, so she sent me to live with
Liam nii-chan and the others. Nee-chan brought me here so I could try her
pancakes."
Frau was watching Teito as Capella chattered happily to the boy. At the mention
of Capella's mother, Teito's eyes had darkened even as the smile stayed in
place.
"I see."
"Eh?" Capella jerked a little when he felt soft, warm fur brush against him and
when he looked down, "Calypso! Nii-chan, Calypso's here too!"
Teito laughed, a genuine laugh that made the boy look about as young as
Capella, "Yeah. Calypso followed me to school today."
"But, she's not supposed to do that, ne nii-chan?"
"No, she isn't. Me and my...sensei were free, so he decided we could drop her
off back at the Church."
"Oh."
"So you work here now, Lazette?" Teito asked. The girl nodded, smiling. "That's
good to hear! Castor-san mentioned that you'd been wanting a part-time job for
a while now."
She turned a bright shade of pink and made an embarrassed sound.
"Apparently, Castor-san doesn't think you're a grown woman now." Teito said.
He'd appeared to have interpreted her response correctly, as Lazette sighed,
her mouth curling up into a pout.
Teito laughed again. "Lazette, even if you turn 51, Castor-san will still think
you're his baby sister. He's a lost cause."
She smiled back, an exasperated sort of smile even as her eyes shined in clear
adoration of her taciturn big brother.
"Don't worry, he's too busy making our lives hell to focus on you now." Frau
added. Lazette sighed and made scissoring motions with her fingers, cocking her
head to the side, a questioning expression in her eyes.
"Labrador-san is fine." Teito said, "And yes, he's been making sure Castor has
time to eat in-between. He's been meaning to ask Castor-san to show you his
gardens for a while now. He knows how much you love bluebells."
She laughed and clapped her hands excitedly. Then, she paused and looked behind
her, towards the counter. Her eyes faintly apologetic, she motioned towards it.
"No, it's ok. Go back to work. I'll talk to you later." Teito said. She nodded
and made her way back towards the kitchen.
"Capella, have you just moved back in the Church?" Teito questioned.
"Mm!" Capella nodded, his face aglow with happiness, "I just saw Liam nii-chan
and Ouida nii-chan! Oh, and I've also seen Sister Athena, Sister Libelle and
Sister Rosalie!"
Just then, the girl they'd spoken with earlier placed Teito's order on the
table, smiled at them and said, "Enjoy your meal!"
"Oh, am I interrupting, onii-chan?"
"No, no. We're just taking a break."
"But doesn't onii-chan have school after this?" Capella frowned a little, then
brightened as he looked back up, "I know! I'll take her back, onii-chan!"
Teito looked back at him uncertainly, "Are you sure? She might be a bit too
much to handle for you...heck, there are some days I can't manage her."
"Me and onee-chan are walking back to the Church after nee-chan's shift is
over." Capella informed him, "We can take her, onii-chan!"
"Well..."Teito's eyes flickered back to Frau, who shrugged and said, "Up to
you."
"Ok. But just call me if you have any problems with her, Lazette gave you her
cell right?" Capella nodded, "Fine. Calypso, you go with Capella when he and
Lazette leaves, ok?" Calypso woofed in response and licked the little boy's
face. Capella giggled as he said, "See you, onii-chan!" and ran back to
Lazette, the dog prancing after him.
Teito looked on as they went, a faint smile still lingering at his lips. He
noticed some movement from the corner of his eye, and directed his gaze back to
the table, only to see Frau busily cutting a piece of the topmost waffle off.
"Oi! What are you doing?"
"What does it look like?"
"That's mine!"
"This plate's been sitting on this table for ten seconds and no-one's hacked
into it yet. That's a real crime right there." Frau said, as he successfully
took a piece, even as Teito snatched the plate back.
"You don't just take other people's food, you jerk!"
"Hoh...then try and take it back, you brat." Without further ado, he opened his
mouth and was about to shove the waffle piece inside-
-when a thin, pale hand reached out and clamped around the man's wrist-
-pulled at it with surprising strength-
-and finally managed to direct the fork to Teito's mouth instead, upon which he
promptly closed it.
Frau just stared at him as Teito glared back, pulling the now-waffle-less fork
back out. Then he burst out laughing.
"You did it!" He chortled at a mortifyingly loud volume, "You actually did it!
You stole back the food from me! Fucking hell, kid!"
"Stop laughing!" Teito demanded, his cheeks turning bright red. He let go of
the man's hand like it had burned his fingers. Frau shook his head, still
laughing for a full two minutes before he'd quieted down.
"You are seriously a piece of work. Especially where food is concerned."
Teito shrugged, "I like waffles."
"Funnily enough, I got that."
"It's rude to take someone else's food."
"You were the one making a big deal of not wanting anything to eat." Frau
pointed out. Teito blushed even more, before saying, "...Those waffles looked
too perfectly good to waste."
"So me eating them is wasting them?"
"Yes. No. I don't know!" Teito snapped finally. Frau grinned, "It's fine
already. Dig in. Or I will." He added at the end. Teito hesitated for only a
few seconds more before he did just that. And then some.
"This being the same brat who did everything short of dragging me away from
this place." Frau commented. Teito ignored him and continued to scarf down the
waffles at an inhuman pace, starting with the strawberries on the side when
he'd done with them.
When the kid had finished, Frau could practically see him deflate in a sort of
relieved satisfaction.
"That was good."
"I got that too."
Instead of the usual smart-ass reply that Teito would normally give him at this
point, Teito looked him straight in the eye and said, "Thanks for the meal.",
with absolutely no hesitation.
Frau was surprised, but he kept it from showing on his face. "No problem."
Teito looked out the window. The fog had cleared up some, and if he peered hard
enough through the glass, he could just see snatches of forget-me-not blue sky.
"We should get going now, or they'll notice that we're gone."
"I thought you didn't care much for the rules, kid."
"That was when I had a hyperactive dog at my heels. Not now."
"So, you admit she's hyperactive?"
Teito snorted, "Come on. Let's pay at the counter and leave already."
"Right, right. So impatient. That kind of attitude will make girls steer clear
of you. Unless...you aren't interested in them?"
Teito's mouth fell open as the blush, which had faded from his face mere
seconds ago returned in full force, "Are you seriously questioning my sexuality
right now?!"
"So that's a yes?"
"NO!"
"Hmm."
"Wha-what was with that reply?!"
"What was with what reply?" Frau asked, feigning a clueless look, "I didn't say
anything."
Teito stuttered incoherently for a while before he realised it
really, really wasn't doing anything to support his argument and settled for
thwacking the idiot sensei right on the head.
"Geh! What the-?!"
"Stupid idiot perverted teacher! Go die and rot in a hellhole!" Teito spat at
him, running out of the door like the hounds of fucking hell were after him.
Frau watched him go, raising a hand to prod at the sore spot on his head and
wincing in response.
"Maybe that was a bit too much." He acquiesced, "Ah, whatever. Not like he held
me in high regard anyway." And inexplicably, he felt a smile tug at his face
for the nth time that day.
Looks like things won't be so humdrum here after all.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x
***** Downward Spiral *****
Trigger_Warnings:_Self-harm
Papercuts
Chapter_6:_Downward_Spiral
"I'm home."
Silence.
Teito paused halfway through unlacing his boots and looked up. Even standing
just a few feet away from the door, he could see a faint trace of black to the
left of the entrance.
The hallway lights were off?
Teito looked down and resumed pulling at the laces until he'd finally[somehow]
managed to pry those stubborn knots free and eased out of his boots. He placed
them next to the shoe-rack and walked to the side of the entrance, stopping
just a few feet in front of the hallway.
Through the pitch-black dark, he could just make out the wooden rims of the
doorways leading to the hall, the kitchen and the servants' quarters.
All of the doors were open.
All of the rooms were dark.
The house...was empty.
A lone white switch panel was to his right, and even in the inky darkness it
gleamed with that same brand-new sheen that he'd come to recognize while living
in that mansion. That borrowed brand-new sheen that left behind raw, red hands
and a worn washcloth, and all the while they worked, a serene smile that
always, always held vestiges of pain.
He turned his gaze away from the switch and continued unlacing his boots,
tugging at them once they were completely free of knots. His fingers
inadvertently paused in their task when a jolt of pain shook free from his
ankle and shot through his leg. Surprise took over expectancy, and he gasped
out loud.
"Urgh!" Damn it. It's worse than I thought. He braced himself and pulled off
his left boot and sock, grimly surveying the damage. His fingers probed at the
foot warily, It doesn't feel like it's broken...ouch! Hehissed as his fingers
passed over his ankle, causing the same bolt of pain. Nothing's broken, but I
do have a sprain. Great. The last thing he needed right now was a noticeable
injury, a clear sign that something was wrong with him. And as per usual, that
was exactly what the Fates have given him.
...I need some ice.
He tugged off his other boot and sock, took in a deep breath, and raised his
arm towards the wall, pulling himself up. He cried out softly as his ankle
voiced its protest, but didn't stumble. He forced his breathing to slow down
into a steady, deep state as he limped up the two steps separating the doorway
and the still-dark hallway. He reached over and flicked the light switch on,
looking back to the hallway as soon as the metallic buzzing of the tube-lights
above.
Nothing.
Empty.
Teito paused for only a millisecond more, before he lowered his head and ducked
in the room closest to him.
The servants' quarters.
The lights in here were slower to come, and when it did, it dimmed mere seconds
after it had been turned on.
A bed. A tiny mini-fridge. A bathroom. A window with white curtains and a
bedside table with the white paint peeling off in some corners.
No Kurena.
Teito made his way over to the mini-fridge and pulled the top door open. He
took out an ice-tray, fished out his handkerchief and deposited some ice-cubes
into it. He replaced the ice-tray, closed the topmost fridge door and opened
the bottom one, where he pulled out a lemon slice. He closed that door, turned
off the lights and exited the room.
Slowly, almost of their own accord, his hands moved towards his jacket pocket,
touching lightly the corner of a small piece of paper, folded several times
over into a small chit, one which contained hastily scribbled words of regret
and promise.
And care. For him.
Master Teito,
I'll be away for a few days, as I must attend to the needs of my aged mother. I
regret not having to informed you sooner, but I'd received news of her illness
only moments ago and with Master Ayanami's permission, I have chosen to set
forth for the town of my birth.
-Kurena
The letter didn't end there. Under her name, Kurena had written out several
more words, but had crossed them out vigorously, almost viciously to hide what
she had written. Except for the last three.
Please take care.
Take care.
You leave suddenly, without a word to me except for a frantically written note
about seeing your mother, when just days before, you'd commented that she was
as hale and hearty as ever.
And you expect me to 'take care'?
What did he say to you this time, Kurena? Teito thought as he silently exited
the room and made his way to his own, What haven't you told me?
The same things you haven't told her.
Teito paused mid-step.
She doesn't need to know.
You mean, you don't want her to know.
...No. I don't.
Why?
Step.
She doesn't need to know.
Step.
Are you afraid of what she'll think of you? When she finds out?
Halt.
If she finds out. Which she won't.
Are you really that desperate to keep your dirty little secret under wraps?
"She doesn't need to get herself involved!"
The echoes of his outburst fled towards the safety of the shadows in the house,
as if they too feared their owner and his anger, what the combination could do
to them.
"She doesn't need to get involved in all this." He repeated, with quiet
finality as he started walking again in the gloomy corridor, "She doesn't need
to drown herself in this darkness. She doesn't need to turn herself into a
monster too."
You mean you don't want her to .
"...Yes I mean that." The door creaked loudly as he made his way through. He
closed the door, and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He'd already had a long, dragging
day at school; he really didn't need to put up with the shit that his own mind
seemed to be throwing at him.
But it was better than the quiet silence of this house. The quiet, quiet
silence that seemed to echo deafeningly in his ears, the quiet before the
storm, the horrendous, cruel-eyed storm that bruised and battered him, broke
him and poisoned him slowly.
...It's cold. He snapped on the light and dumped his bag on the floor before
flopping onto the bed gratefully. He lay there on the hard, unyielding
mattress, soaking up the relief from freeing his ankle from the unwelcome
weight, staring at the bleached, white ceiling. Fatigue from the long, long day
mercilessly pulled at his muscles and bones into the cocoon of hard mattress
and starched sheets. His eyelids felt incredibly heavy and the mattress seemed
to be growing softer and softer with every second...
"Are you running away?"
"Running away from your responsibilities?"
"It's your mess, clean it up Klein."
Hands fisting in his hair, the cold, impure feeling of poison travelling up his
being as that touch, too familiar for his liking snaked up his skin and settled
on his wrist, before clawing at it with a grip as hard as steel.
"No-one will ever save you."
Teito's eyes flew open and he abruptly sat up, crying out when the movement
shook his ankle. "Fuck, ow!" He hissed. The glare of the setting sun burned
against his eyes, and he closed them reflexively.
...Did I fall asleep? If he did, it may have only been for a few minutes. He
squinted at the windows, the bloody light dancing solemnly on the curtains
before turning back towards his aching ankle. He scooted over towards the
pillow side of the bed as gently as he could without moving his ankle, before
he reached over and grabbed his med-kit from the bedside table. He opened the
kit and pulled out a roll of bandages and some pins, his hands tending to the
injury with practiced, almost automatic movements.
Once he was done, he reached out again and pulled at the chair near his desk,
dragging it to the side of the bed, before stacking his pillows on it and
finally his ankle on the makeshift elevation ensemble. He tied a knot on his
dripping handkerchief, and kept it balanced on his ankle, shivering when fresh
tendrils of cold travelled up his leg.
At least if my foot's cold enough, I won't feel the pain anymore.
And that is exactly what you want. Is it not? The sarcastic thought slipped
from his mind almost unwillingly, but Teito ignored it. He shrugged off his
backpack and started rifling through it, absently sucking on the lemon slice.
Now where did I put my history book? It has to be in here somewhere...Something
plastic rustled under his fingertips. Something small. A slight frown appeared
on his face as he tugged at the object, which seemed to be wedged between two
of his thicker, bulkier books. A few minutes later, Teito finally pulled it
free and gazed at the tiny object in his hand.
It was a receipt. From the shop that idiot teacher had made them stop at that
morning.
He just stared at the paper for what felt like an eternity, before he crumpled
it up into a small ball and chucked it at the waste-basket. It bounced off the
rim and landed a few feet away.
Teito searched through his back again and found his history book this time. He
opened to the index page, and his finger had barely traced the page numbers of
the first few titles before it stilled, and he caught himself looking at the
white ball that stared back at him from across the room.
He made a slight motion, as if to push himself off the bed and into a standing
position, eyes still on the crumpled white receipt.
To k-...throw it. Throw it away.
He paused, tearing his gaze away and settled back down into a sitting
position. My feet hurt more than a little to even consider trying to walk
anyway.
That's rich, coming from the world's greatest fucking martyr. Teito leaned
against the wall, history book on his lap and slowly closed his eyes. He
blanked out his mind, shutting off the less-than-savoury sentences that his
asshole of a mind shot one after the other at him and focused on one sound.
Or rather the lack of it.
He focused on the silence that enveloped his being like a thick, woollen
blanket. His arms pricked with even more goosebumps than before, as he heard
the slight rattle of the frigid nightly wind on the glass-window pane, slow
shivers travelling down his spine, racking it with a fiery chill that had may
have had something to do with the bitingly sour taste of the lemon slice.
It was quiet.
And somehow, the statement sounded loud, excessively loud in his mind, as if
he'd shouted the words into the outside world with the strength of every last
shred of air in his lungs. He wrapped his arms around himself again, willing
himself to settle into calm.
It was quiet.
I don't like the quiet.
Even as he started reading words about long-dead civilisations and stories of
heroes that seemed more angel-or more devil-than man, he could feel the dread
that crept through his being, poisoning him slowly from the inside, breaking
any and all illusions that he tried to hold around him.
When it's too quiet, I start to think.
And then, when my mind falls silent...
He turned sideways and leaned against the wall, a breath escaping him in a
groan, sounding much too loud against the stark, breakable silence.
"When it's finally quiet around here, I don't feel like studying anything."
When my mind falls silent, I can feel the darkness poisoning my being.
Another exhale. And another.
The pain is all that holds him. Holds him to the bed, the room, the house, the
very earth of the District.
And I lose myself.
"This sucks."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x-x-x
"No matter how much it may suck, you still have to do it."
"I don't wanna..."
Castor pushed his glasses up his nose with a little more force than was
necessary. He'd been considered something of a pioneer in the field of
psychology, having delved deep into the realm of the human mind to cure
patients that all other psychologists wouldn't even think of treating, written
books on his findings that have been assigned as official textbooks for those
applying for the subject, even travelled to other countries holding lectures
and televised talk-shows on the subject.
All that intelligence, acquired over all those long hard years of trying to
understand exactly what went through that extremely complex, sensitive, and
incredibly fascinating organ called the human brain, and the man still had
absolutely no idea how it was even possible that a grown man could be so
childish to the point of even looking like one while resorting to delinquent
behaviour.
"You knew what you were getting into when you signed up for this job, Frau."
Castor said finally, breaking his stare-down with his friend to turn his
attention back to the alarmingly large bundle-...bundles, he corrected as a
harried-looking Maya-sensei dumped another bundle on the large conference
table, eliciting yet another groan from Frau-on his desk-of paperwork that had
been commanding his attention for the past half hour.
He didn't even know what Frau was complaining about. Usually, the staff at
Barsburg Academy would be having a far-worse situation during mid-term week.
Castor supposed that those new scheduling systems that Mrs Lancaster had
applied this year were having at least some effect on the workload.
It made for much more shorter dead-lines though.
"Cheer up, Frau. It's just a little more until the day ends." Labrador piped
up. Frau turned to glare at the medical attendant, "...It's easy for you to say
that, Lab, you don't even have that much to do!" He complained.
"On the contrary. I must start on those forms that the Education Board has sent
me, and perform the students' semesterly check-ups, as well as having to meet
with the school inspector for a separate interview regarding the medical safety
of the students and to voice my opinion as to whether or not the facilities I
have been provided with are satisfactory or not. All those events added up make
for a rather draining week." Lab sighed, "At least, there is little to do in my
garden this time of year."
"See? You're not the only one. Now stop complaining. With any luck, you'll be
able to make a dent in that paperwork before the week ends. Which, if I may
remind you is our deadline."
"Urgh. Now I know why you're so pissy all the time." Frau muttered, plucking
off the topmost sheet on the bundle. He squinted at it, "...Is this even
English?"
Castor pulled the sheet from the man's fingers. "It isn't supposed to be, Frau.
It's German. Which you teach to high-school students on a daily basis and
constantly bemoan about."
"I know." Frau grinned, "Just messin' with ya." On spotting the look on
Castor's face, he swiped the paper back from the man and snorted, "Lighten up,
Glasses. Keep it up any longer and you'll have a coronary."
"Do you even know what that word means?"
"Will you quit asking me that?" Frau said irritably, "I actually do know what
it means. Don't believe me, ask Lab. The guy's been going all med-journal on me
every time I visit him."
"My office becomes quite busy during mid-term week." Labrador said, by way of
explanation, "However, most of the students come to me with faked illnesses,
looking for a medical certificate so they can skip school for a few days and
study for the exams. I regret to say that I've made it something of a habit to
drill into their heads the actual symptoms of the disease that they have, at
that time, portrayed in a...not entirely pleasant manner."[1]
"You should've seen what he said to the guy with shingles." Frau shuddered.
"They usually stay away from my office after that. Well, the seniors anyway. I
believe it has been made into an initiation ritual of sorts, seeing as how I
keep getting 'sick' students every year who seem to be freshman."
"I just think you're having a bad influence on him, Glasses."
"Look who's talking. Ever since you came here, the disciplinary committee's had
their hands full with out-of-control students, petty fighting, vandalism, lock-
pickers, cheaters and all other types of hooligan behaviour. They're at their
wits' end what with the duties they have to perform and the messes they have to
clean up."
"It's all part of the duties of the committee, sir. Nothing that the committee
can't handle."
Frau looked up and saw what appeared to be a talking pile of paperwork. That
is, until he noticed the arms that were supporting the stack somewhere near the
bottom, showing just a little strain under the weight of the pile. The figure
moved towards Castor's end of the desk and dumped the stack unceremoniously
onto the table, finally revealing the carrier: a pale boy with long, blond hair
and the imperious kind of attitude that usually accompanied people of
authority.
"Ah, Oak-kun." Castor said, sparing the boy just a quick glance before
returning to his work, "I trust that this is the paperwork Tanaka-sensei
entrusted you to give me?"
"Yes, sensei. I was also told to inform you that Mrs. Lancaster and the rest of
the teaching staff would require your assistance with the upcoming Sports Day
event."
"Ah, yes. Would you mind carrying a response back to them?" Castor didn't even
pause to let the boy shake his head, let alone verbalise a reply, "Tell them
that I have every intention of answering their beck and call and going back and
forth between them and the Education Board like the loyal dog they take me to
be, when I'm not spending the entirety of my existence filling and signing this
blasted paperwork they expect me to finish. Oh, and that they really need
better scheduling techniques."
The boy called Oak, to his credit, barely reacted to the message and its
contents, save for a small, tired smile twitching at his lips, "As is the case
every year, sensei."
"Why do they give you so much paperwork, anyway?" Frau asked, "You're not even
a real teacher."
"Yes and no." Labrador answered, "Castor is a counsellor here, and also acts as
the Vice-principal of the academy. They require his help arranging for the
school's necessities and dealing with the Education Board, seeing as he was one
of its members. Up until...very recently."
"Two years ago." Castor said, in a tone that invited no further conversation.
"...Um...who are you?" Oak asked, having just noticed Frau sitting at the
teacher's desk.
"Oh, that's right! Hakuren-kun has been absent since the beginning of the
semester, so he hasn't seen you here, Frau." Labrador said, "This is Frau-
sensei. He'll be replacing Kyouya-sensei for homeroom for class 3-A, and is
teaching German. Frau, this is Hakuren Oak." A flash of recognition in Frau's
eyes, quickly stamped out when Labrador gave him a pointed look, "He'll be in
your class for the rest of the semester."
"So, you're the student council president?" The boy was wearing casual clothes
like the rest of the students but he had a black armband with the Barsburg
coat-of-arms decked in gold on one sleeve of his sweater and he was wearing a
student id card on a cord attached to his neck.
"Yes, sensei." Hakuren nodded, analysing Frau with new, sharp eyes. Frau
returned the stare casually, holding it until Hakuren looked away
uncomfortably, "Um...please take care of me during the semester. Castor-sensei,
Labrador-sensei, if you don't mind...?"
"Not at all. I wouldn't deprive you of your lunch hour." Castor said, and
Labrador nodded, smiling. Hakuren returned the nod tersely before stepping out
of the staff room. Once the door closed behind him, he let out a weary sigh.
"Either way, I would have my lunch hour occupied." He muttered. Being absent
for nearly three weeks had cost him and even bringing the work home and staying
up for three nights in a row still left quite the workload. It was all he could
do to stay awake in classes, because as student council president, he had to
set an example, damn it.
Well, standing here brooding is not going to get any work done. Even though
every single atom of his body was begging for just five more minutes of rest-or
better yet, boarding up the stupid office and never, ever, eversetting foot in
that godforsaken room as long as he lived-Hakuren reluctantly started making
his way back to the student council room.
Although it was lunch hour now, the corridors were mostly deserted. This was
quite an anomaly, but then again, it was the first clear day in the Seventh
District in months-with actual sun and everything; you could even go so far as
to say there wasn't a cloud in sight-and the students were making every use of
the opportunity.
Of course, that only just added to Hakuren's foul mood.
But it was his own fault. And while he regretted staying at home for so long,
he could never regret the reason why he made such a sudden decision.
Never.
He was so involved in his own thoughts, he almost didn't notice that someone
was standing near the lockers, directly in his path. Almost.
"What are you doing in here?"
The student looked up and glared at him. And of course, Hakuren knew who it
was. He doubted that there was a single soul in this school who didn't know who
Teito Klein was.
For all the wrong reasons.
"Studying." Klein replied curtly, and he was indeed rifling through his lockers
for some book or the other. Hakuren blinked, "Inside?"
"Yes. Last I checked, that doesn't exactly go against the school rules or
anything."
"I wasn't implying that you were breaking any rules. I was just...surprised."
Teito rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the locker.
"I could do without the attitude, Klein."
"And I could do without the interrogation." Teito turned back to his locker,
"Isn't there anything else you should be spending your precious lunch hour
over, kaichou?"[2]
"That's none of your business." Hakuren snapped, "And for the record, Klein,
the academy rulebook discourages loitering in the halls."
"I'm looking for a book in my locker." Klein replied dully, and almost as if to
prove his point, the hand inside the locker suddenly stilled and tugged at
something within the confines. He pulled out a thick-hard-cover book, one which
Hakuren recognized as their German text book-and immediately slammed the locker
closed. Not a second had passed before there was a sudden groan and a rather
alarming series of thud noises as a series of heavy objects appeared to collide
with each other and hit the door. Teito winced a bit and eyed his locker in
apprehension, as if debating whether or not the locker door could handle the
barrage of books and whatever the hell else the boy stuffed in there.
When he'd finally noticed Hakuren's staring, he asked, "W-what?"
"Nothing. If you've finished your business here, then keep moving." Hakuren
coolly replied, as he resumed walking through the corridor. He could feel the
boy's eyes on him long after he'd turned the corner.
It was so easy to forget.
So easy to forget when the boy was acting like that. Easy to forget that Teito
Klein was no mere seventeen-year old.
"...I should get back to work."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Three hours, 47 minutes and 9 seconds later, Hakuren leaned back in the
uncomfortable hard-back chair, stretching his arms. Aaaaah, finally finished
over a week's worth. Thank God; my fingers are cramping up...
Hopefully I can get some sleep now, before I study for the next exam. Hakuren
pushed the chair away from the desk and stretched, a happy groan escaping from
his lips.
He looked up at the clock. It was the final hour now, but he had the class
free. And as much as he wanted to skip the final hour and go home early, his
duty as council president weighed heavily on his conscience.
Barsburg Academy may be one of the most prestigious educational institutions in
all the Seven Districts, but it was still a high school. And where there was a
high school, there were inevitably some people there who took it upon
themselves to disturb the peace of the academy. Bullies, trouble-makers,
delinquents. Whatever label you gave them.
Why wasn't it a serious problem? Because Hakuren and the rest of the student
council had their eye on the disciplinary committee, ensuring that it wouldn't
become one.
And though he was tired, craving for a good night's sleep and about to go off
the deep end in general if he had to sign one more lousy paper, he wasn't going
to slack off now. He reluctantly stood up and looked around. The council room
was empty; he was the only member who had a free period after all. He switched
off the lights and locked the room.
He yawned and blinked when its echo returned to him a few seconds later. The
corridors here had surprisingly decent acoustics, despite being more than a
little draughty on windy, rainy days. The whole make of this school in general
was built to impress, and in certain ways, imitated the architecture of the
Church in the same area. Only instead of warm, white marble, it favoured black
onyx and a yellow metal that Hakuren was convinced was pure gold, although he
wasn't sure that such large expenditure would go towards a school.
Then again, the school's benefactor was supposedly one of the richest men in
the kingdom, with a family fortune enough to rival that of the Empire's king.
Despite the school's grandeur though, there was this glaring sense of emptiness
that washed over Hakuren every time he stepped out of a room. Maybe it had
something to do with the size of the place; the school was built on a large
enough scale to house five giants-the kind from fairytales that chased after
humans for food-or maybe it had something to do with the unmistakable air of
new-ness about this place-having been built a mere three years ago. No matter
the cause, the boy could feel it. Acutely, an almost painful awareness.
"The sun's already gone." He murmured, looking up at the sky, now blanketed by
a thick layer of gray clouds, "So it'll get dark early."
I have to call her. Make sure she's ok.
He stopped and pull his cell phone from his jeans pocket, thumbing through the
device. When he'd pulled up the contact he was looking for, he paused, thumb
poised right over the call button.
...Later. I'll call her later. He put away his cell-phone and was about to
resume walking, when something caught his attention. He looked around.
Nothing. Was that his imagin-
No, there it was again! Faintly, he could make out someone speaking in hushed
tones, coming from down the hallway.
Someone skipping classes? It seemed likely. At any rate, he should check it
out. Hakuren walked towards the end of the hallway and peeked around the
corner.
Someone was slumped on the floor, leaning back against the lockers. To their
left side, two crutches lay at an awkward angle. The hallway lights were on,
but they only faintly illuminated the person's slender figure, completely lost
in large, frumpy jackets and jeans. Where his clothes were frumpy, at least
they were dry; his hair was wet, falling into his eyes, the warm, chocolate-
brown colour darkened considerably. Even with the layers of clothes, the boy
was shivering, his lips were almost blue and his face was an unnaturally pale
shade of peach, almost white.
Teito...?
"Oi, oi, idiot. Calm down. What did you do now?" He said in a clipped voice,
steady, despite the fact that his body was racked with shivers and Hakuren just
noticed the cell-phone held up to the kid's ear. He paused, listening to the
other person's reply and commented, "Well, I have no sympathy for you. It's all
your fault." Another pause, and then, "What can I do about it? I didn't have
any part to play in your silly charade-" He fell, visibly cringing. Hakuren
couldn't blame him; he could actually hear the other person's shouting from
where he stood.
"Quit yelling already! Do you want to get in more trouble for using a cell-
phone in the middle of detention?!" The volume of the yelling lessened. Pause.
A sigh, "Honestly..."
Another pause. "How's your sister doing, anyways?" More talking on the other
end. A nod. "I see. Have your parents chewed you out yet?" The volume of
chattering on the other end increased. "I don't see what you're complaining
about. It could have been worse." Yet another slight shiver, a hand running
through wet hair. "Yeah, I've had worse."
A sudden fall in volume. Teito blinked, "...No, it wasn't that bad. It's ok,
it's...No, I'm fine. Quit worrying about me, you have enough problems of your
own." Another pause, this time a frown. "Excuse me for being one of those
problems then." As the talking continued, the frown slowly melted away,
replaced by a...rather odd look, "Don't worry so much about me. Yes, yes, I am
your friend", a strange inflection in his voice here, as if he does not believe
what he is saying, "But that doesn't mean I'm completely helpless without you,
I-..." Another blink and a dusting of red across those pale, bloodless cheeks,
"I-I...what do you...of course, you can take care of yourself without me,
idiot!" Another pause, this time the boy turning so red, that if word spread
around the academy that the boy was half-tomato, one may actually believe it.
"I am not cute!" He protested hotly, "Will you get it through that thick skull
of yours?! I-...damnit, Mikage."
The words spoken on the other end had softened by this time. "Yeah. I guess I
kind of miss your...stupid rambling about everything." He folded his knees
slightly and his jeans pulled up a bit, revealing a flash of white.
Bandages? That would explain the crutches...but Klein was injured? They'd
talked this afternoon and Hakuren hadn't even noticed...
"No, I am not! Quit it! Urgh. A-anyway, you should probably hang up now. Your
parents will be leaving soon." He nodded again, then rubbed the back of his
neck, "Yeah." His lips twitched a bit before a smile broke out on his face.
Hakuren blinked. It was strange...it was like that simple action alone had
wiped away all the traces of hardness and cold fire from his face, his being,
leaving behind a completely normal teenage boy.
Normal.
Something Teito Klein was not.
"Yeah. Bye." He pulled the cell-phone away and shut it with an air of finality.
He leaned back against the lockers, taking in a deep breath and closing his
eyes.
"Sorry."
Hakuren blinked. Teito could easily have been talking to himself, but for some
reason, he felt like the apology was directed towards-
"Sorry if I disturbed the school peace. Kaichou." Teito tilted his head,
looking directly at Hakuren.
Hakuren froze, before clearing his throat and stepping out of the corner he'd
been hiding in, "What do you mean?"
"Isn't it clearly stated in the rulebook to avoid talking on cellphones?" Teito
asked, "I remember it was even advised not to bring the things to school in the
first place."
"It was more of advice than a warning." Hakuren said, "And in this society,
anyone who doesn't carry cell-phones wherever they go will ultimately damn
themselves to be the victims of robbers, pedophiles and lowlifes of society in
general."
"Isn't that the wrong thing to be telling me?"
"What do you mean?"
Teito didn't answer that. He picked up his crutches and set them leaning
against the lockers, before gingerly getting up. "I shouldn't be taking up any
more of your time." The boy murmured, almost to himself, "I'll be going now."
"What happened to your foot?"
That made Teito paused. Without looking back, Teito replied, "I twisted my
ankle. Labrador-san gave me these crutches and told me to stay off it."
"...And how exactly did you sprain your ankle, Klein?" Teito did look back
then, and his eyes were cold, jade stone.
"I fell." He said flatly, "You have nothing to worry about."
"What do you mean?"
"This", Here, Teito stuck out his ankle, pulling back the jean leg. It was
tightly wrapped in bandages and Hakuren could almost see black-blue marks
around them, "wasn't because I was involved in any fight. So neither you nor
the disciplinary committee need to concern yourself with the possibility of
discord in your precious academy." The boy's tone however implied that he
wasn't involved in a fight this time. Hakuren frowned, but pushed that issue
aside.
"No, I wasn't thinking that. I was just concerned for your well-being."
That same odd look came on Teito's face again, the one he had earlier when he
was talking on the phone. However that same, flat tone was there in his voice
when he replied, "No need to trouble yourself so, kaichou. Not when you could
care less for my well-being."
"I'm in charge of the student council, and the safety and well-being of my
students is my business. That includes you too."
"Don't pretend like you actually give a shit about me." Dread crept up
Hakuren's spine as Teito's voice changed, the uncaring, bland tone giving way
to something...dangerous. "No-one else does. So why should you, Oak?"
"And what if I said it was genuine concern?"
Teito stared at Hakuren and the longer he held their gazes, the more anger
Hakuren could see through the cracks in his mask. And underneath that strong
emotion of hatred, flickers of something else.
Something else Hakuren recognized all too well.
"I'd say that your concern was wasted on me." Teito pocketed his cell-phone and
took his crutches, hobbling past Hakuren without another word.
At least, he would have if Hakuren had not grabbed Teito's arm.
For a split second, he felt cold, damp skin and his fingers traced the raised,
uneven flesh of goosebumps, before Teito flinched and slapped his arm to face
him.
And the emotion that Hakuren had seen in the corners of the boy's eyes stared
right back at him, increased ten-fold, written all over his face.
Fear.
"Don't touch me." He hissed out, "Don't...fucking touch me. Leave me alone." He
turned back around and hobbled away.
And this time, Hakuren made no move to stop him.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x-x
It was 11 'o clock and Frau was about 97% sure that he was stinking drunk.
The other 3% of his brain was afloat in alcohol, so it pretty much didn't
count.
As soon as school ended and Frau had made a remarkable attempt in dealing with
the paperwork he had, he'd stood up from his desk as soon as the bell rang and
headed out of the school with only one goal in mind-drown out his sorrows and
bleach out his mind the only way he knew how. The only way he knew how that
didn't involve destruction of public property and life-or-death situations.
With the scales tipped heavily towards 'death'.
And he really, really did not want Castor on the war-path. Not with the man
backed into a corner with Leaning Towers of paperwork on all three sides.
Which, if one thought about it, is why Frau was going to drink in the first
place.
Ugh, paradox.
Why is this District so fucking big? The Church was big, the academy was big,
the streets were big, the shops on the street were big. And the houses on the
street...there were a whole different level of big. 'Bigger than mountains'
didn't even come close. And he was pretty damn sure they were all built from
marble, onyx and whatever the fuck else was more commonly used to build palaces
and not common family villas.
It wasn't like Frau's salary was less than satisfactory either; within two or
three months, the amount of money he earned would clear off half his debts.
With interest. That was pretty easy money right there; even with the crazy
workload, the students there were, at least, well-behaved-more or less,
considering what a brat Frau had been when he was that age.
Sure that was Frau, but the fact remained that is was getting difficult to find
model students in this day than back when he was a kid.
'Back in my day'?
...I'm getting old. Meh.
Frau managed to stumble across a crossing and looked up to see that he'd
finally made it to a street he actually knew. Better yet, his apartment was
just two blocks away. And although he'd never been one for turning in early-11
was more than a little early for him-all he really wanted to do right now was
get through that apartment door, flop on the couch and doze off.
No, more than anything, he never wanted tomorrow to come.
He stopped.
Tomorrow would come. It would come, whether he wanted to or not. He'd already
found that out the hard way.
Frau yawned. I really need to sleep. Damn it, I really wanted to see that movie
marathon too. How they could make a low-budget thriller parody thing based off
'War of Our Worlds' is anyone's guess though...He scanned the buildings, trying
to pick the ones he needed to go between to reach his apartment.
I think I need to walk a little more before I reach there...He resumed walking
again, trying to pick up any landmarks he could go on.
Yes, Frau was stinking drunk. And though the street lights were on, the
darkness was impenetrable. So much so that even if Frau were completely sober,
he would still have trouble navigating the area. True, there was not a person
in sight And as for what happened next...if Frau had to put a label on the
circumstances that surrounded that particular instance, he would undoubtedly
have called it lots of things.
'Circumstantial' was not one of them.
He wasn't sure what grabbed his attention first. He'd replayed that scene a
thousand times in his head, even years into the far future and he still wasn't
sure just what it was that made him turn around and see. At some points he
couldn't even tell whether the clatter of metal on stone pavement, or the
nearly-inaudible, held-in sob of pain that he had 'heard' were even real.
But there was no doubt when it came to the feeling that he'd felt just moments
before. That spine-chilling, walking-over-your-grave feeling that Frau had
learned years ago never to ignore.
So he turned and looked.
A lone figure sat in the shadowed alleyway closest to Frau. The hood from his
jacket was pulled up over his head and his hands were tucked away in his over-
long sleeves, but Frau could clearly see that the person was probably in his
teens. He-even under the bulky jacket, shirt and jeans, Frau could clearly see
that the figure was male-was visibly shivering, even with the thick jacket over
him and whatever Frau could see of his skin was bone-pale.
But all these details had registered themselves only later in Frau's mind. The
only thing that the man had eyes for the minute he'd set them on the scene
before him was the large splotches of red on his clothes; his chest, his arm,
his legs. They were everywhere.
The boy didn't seem to notice the man was there, however. Frau could hear the
sound of shaky, shallow breathing as trembling fingers pressed the area of his
chest, horrifically close to his heart. The light from the dimmed street-lamps
shone on him briefly as he clutched at the blood...red-stained shirt
The figure trembled and cried out again, as his fingers passed over the spot at
the centre of the stain and the momentary light illuminated the gash in his
grey hoodie and underneath, a long slash in the skin.
"The fuck?!" The exclamation ripped through what was left of the tense silence
and before Frau knew it, he was on his knees next to the boy. His hand had
caught the boy's, his eyes fixated on the boy's bent hood, and in a low voice
he demanded, "What the fuck happened?"
The boy showed no response, except to sway a little more. Was this kid drugged?
Drugged and attacked?
"Hey, hey, stay with me!" Frau said as the kid swayed more, leaning towards
Frau. Just when the man though the kid would fall, his hands shot out and
supported him at the last minute.
"Agh..." A slow groan finally escaped the kid, his knuckles gripping the ground
tightly.
"Can you hear me, kid?" Frau kept his voice strong and even, his hands on the
kid's shoulders, touching that terrible damp warmth of what he now knew for
sure was blood, "Try not to faint, ok? What happened to you?"
"..."
I have to call Castor. Of all the thoughts flying around in Frau's brain, that
was the one that seemed the most swore and pulled out his cell-phone. He was
about to speed-dial Castor, before a heavy, listless hand knocked Frau's away.
The cell-phone was knocked from slack, unexpecting fingers and clattered to a
halt a few feet away from them.
"Don't." Despite his weakened condition, the boy's fingers closed with
surprising strength over Frau's wrist.
"What...?"
"Don't...call...anyone." The pauses were long, and the words were so soft they
were almost lost in the rush of air leaving the boy's body with every breath.
But Frau still heard them.
"What...?"
"He'll..." The breathing was becoming dangerously slow and shallow, and the
boy's body was becoming more and more limp with each passing second.
He's losing too much blood...if this keeps up, he'll bleed to death right
here! "Listen to me, kid. We have to get you to a hospital, alright? Can you
walk?" The boy didn't reply to that. His breathing was becoming laboured now,
and his upper body was slowly relaxing, slumping over.
Shit! "Stay with me, now. Come on, don't go fainting on me like a wimp." His
only response was another huff of breath. He won't be able to last long at this
rate...should I try carrying him to the hospital?
"Do...you...even know the way?"
"What?"
"Won't you j..." The grip on Frau's wrist tightened as the boy said in as clear
a voice as he could, "Won't you just get lost again?"
Frau froze. His mind struggled to work through the fog of shock that had
settled in not only his brain, but his limbs and heart, as he started to
consider the possibility that he knew that voice. That voice, virtually
unrecognizable, that voice thick with the difficulty of breathing, weighed down
with sorrow, pain, fear...and anger.
The boy looked up at him then.
Dull, green eyes peeked out through slicked, wet brown hair, holding his own
with a strength that belied his condition.
"Right," A mocking blood-tinged smirk, a flash of the eyes, "Frau-sensei?"
"Teito?!"
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
***** The Space Between *****
 
Italics: They indicate flashbacks/dreams
Papercuts
Chapter_7:_The_Space_Between
"Look at her".
No.
The word was but a mere whisper in the confines of his mind, but something on
his face must have given it away. Cold eyes traced his figure, one pair after
another, taking their turn in this sick, twisted game.
A brief flash of pain, before it dulled into the continuous ebb and flow of
agony flooding his body.
"Look".
The word was a constant murmur in his mind, even when its echo had long faded
into the silence of the new-moon night.
But still he desists, clenching his teeth and keeping his head bowed, focusing
instead on the red that covered his arms, his legs, his neck, his entire body
covered in sticky almost-warmth.
Pain would not force him. Pain would not motivate him.
Pain was theirs to inflict through their puppet's hands. Pain was theirs to
see, to revel in through the eyes of their little toy soldier.
They play with his strings to make him dance, with the cruel single-mindedness
of a child curious to see how much he could play with his toys before they fall
to the ground and break into a thousand pieces.
It wasn't too difficult to do that, when the toy was already broken to begin
with.
His fingers gripped harder at the blood-soaked ground, as fire tore through his
limbs and throat. His mouth fell open and his ears heard the hacking coughs
that tore through his body, thrumming through the aches and pains that
resounded through his entire being.
The warm feeling of liquid on his flesh, a bright, fresh splatter on the drying
blood on his skin, dribbling down his mouth.
Fire fighting fire, destroying the wielder, burning him alive.
Shrill screams pierce the silence.
Eyes meet eyes and the woman screams again, as she sees the monster look at
her.
Because what lay in front of her was just that.
A monster. Not a man.
"Finish her."
No.
No.
No.
"...Yes, master."
And as the earth sways off its axis, and the screams fell away into the dark
silence, the monster stands in the moon's cruel, gentle light, wiping the last
flecks of blood on its face away. It feels their gazes burn its back, as it
looks away in silence, from the fresh corpse at its feet, from the mask-like
faces that sweep the arena, equal parts curiosity and disgust.
Looking away from the bitter truth it cannot escape.
"You are mine."
You are mine.
Mine.
Mine.
Mine.
The monster is not so far gone that his thoughts have disappeared. Not yet
anyway.
And unwillingly, the last remnants of a once-human mind finishes the sentence
whispered in its ear, with a final certainty that breaks its fever-dream.
And no-one will ever save me.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
'Aaaaah...such a beautiful day. '
Arms stretched out towards the sky, sunlight peeking through the gaps between
interlocked fingers. A yawn worked its way through him, a tired grin following
shortly after.
"Feels so good to stand out here after so long."
'Thwack!'
"Wha-owwww!"
A hand flew to his head and a hiss rose to his lips as his fingers probed at
the tender spot where he was struck. "Owowowow...that hurt!"
"It was supposed to hurt." A voice informed him in a listless monotone. The
grass underneath rustled dryly , informing him of a presence next to him, "You
have exams coming up in a few days, for which you haven't prepared for in the
least and yet I find you sitting out here, wasting time that you don't have."
He turned around to protest at the not-entirely-baseless accusation, but
stopped when he saw the object responsible for his now-aching head "...Did you
just hit me with my own sketchbook?"
"It was the only thing here I could hit you with."
"You could have just not hit me at all!"
"Idiots can only learn life lessons if they hit them in the face."
"You hit me on the back of the head!"
"Same principle applies."
"So mean..." He pouted, "I need to spend some time in the sun after staying
indoors for so long..."
"And whose fault was it that you had to do that?" The bite of the rebuke was
softened by an exasperated sigh.
"...I'm sorry."
Genuine surprise colored the words that followed, "For what?"
"You came all the way out here to see me and I end up having to take re-tests
because I failed by one stupid, stinking mark." Fingers curled into a fist that
pressed softly into the ground, "And when I finish, you'll be going back to the
Seventh District...and I can't see you."
"You do realize I'm staying over at your house, right? We'll be seeing each
other everyday before I leave."
"Yes, I know! I know that but it's...it's not the same. We won't be able to go
to that new cinema theatre together, see the seals and all the other animals at
the zoo, go to the gaming arcade together or that impossibly swanky bar-turned-
breakfast diner, or..."
"Oi, oi...how much exactly did you plan to show me in one week?"
"I won't be able to do any of those things now...and I won't be able to spend
any time, really spend it with you. We haven't seen each other in years and
when we finally meet, this happens. I'm sorry, Teito. I..."
"I don't need to do all those things to enjoy myself."
"But still-!"
"There isn't anything you have to do to show me a good time or make me feel at
home." Teito looked somewhat uncomfortable with the turn the conversation was
taking. He fidgeted before he continued in a low voice, "I don't waste my time
with people I don't like. And it doesn't feel like I'm just wasting my time
when I spend it with you. So it doesn't matter to me whether we go out or just
meet at the dinner table , I'm kept busy enough as it is making sure you
actually study and not just goof off. Or running away for hours on en-oof!"
Teito's sentence was cut-off abruptly as arms wrapped around him, and he was
thrown to the ground. Breathless, happy laughter reached his ears as the arms
tightened their hold on him, ignoring the boy's protests, "Teito!"
"Wha- hey, Mikage! Get off!"
"Teito Teito Teito!
"Let go of me already! Come on!"
"I'm so happy!" Mikage said, finally drawing back from Teito enough that the
boy could see the proclaimed ecstatic expression on his friend's face, "It's
the first time you've ever told me something like that to me! I'm so happy that
I think I could die!"
"Stupid! Don't say something like that! Let me go!"
"No." Mikage stretched the word, making it sound like it had ten syllables
instead of just one, as the idiotic grin shone at Teito with the splendor of a
thousand golden suns.
"Mikage, come on..." Teito pushed at his friend, trying in vain to push himself
out of the Mikage's arms, "Get off."
"I'm glad that you're my friend."
"Are you an idiot?" Teito sighed. Mikage merely hummed in response. He still
hadn't let go of Teito, and the boy had to wriggle around in Mikage's choke-
hold of a hug to sit up and look at him.
"Move."
"No."
"Mikage."
"Not yet."
Teito looked off to the side again, but even then, Mikage could identify the
sudden shift in Teito's mood. Mikage finally scrambled back to a sitting
position near Teito just as the boy's muttered words reached his ears.
"Why me?"
The question...was soft. Soft both in the sense that it was barely audible-
Mikage had to strain his ears to catch the words, almost melding into Teito's
breath-and also, the words trembled at the end. Trembled.
Mikage had known Teito for a short while, admittedly. But it had been long
enough for him to know that Teito was strong. Physical strength aside, the boy
had a will of steel-it wouldn't be an understatement to say that nothing short
of death threats would sway him from his decisions.
He'd never heard Teito as he was now.
Child-like and vulnerable.
"Teito?"
"...We should get going now. We have to get you back, so you can catch up on
studying today's portion."
"Eeeeeeeeh?! Whyyyy..."
"Because you shouldn't fail again, since it would be a black mark on your
record and you would have no hope of becoming a Begleiter?" Teito mock-asked,
giving Mikage an incredulous look.
"Come on, Teito, I'm not that bad..."
"Anywhere near the passing/failing mark is bad for the military academy and you
know it!"
"I can't help it! My class is full of nerds! And besides, cramming up stuff
won't do any good in the actual battlefield!"
"First off, it doesn't matter if you have nerds in your class, their marks
don't affect the pass/fail mark. Their marks affect the average." Teito shot
back, "And you need to understand at least the basic theory here, if you want
to be a successful Begleiter. Successful meaning not getting yourself killed in
your first year."
Mikage pouted, and the childish expression pulled at Teito's lips, trying to
make him smile, make him laugh.
It didn't. But Mikage's worry ebbed slightly when he saw that the comical
expression had at least taken Teito's mind off whatever was troubling him.
"I got it, I got it." Mikage said grumpily, pushing himself back up to his
feet. He thought he saw a brief flash of relief on Teito's face, but it
disappeared before he could comment on it, reverting instead back to its normal
grouchy look.
"Come on then. We've got a lot of work to do before the sun sets."
Mikage blinked, "We?"
"Yes, 'we'." Teito said, looking impatient, "I'm going to be there, making sure
you study whatever your supposed to be studying and drill it into your thick
skull."
"Aaaah, scary." Mikage said, only half-jokingly, "So, the topper of Barsburg
High is going to be my tutor? I'm honored."
"Topper...what nonsense are you babbling now?Let's get going already." Teito
grumbled, the tips of his ears turning red. Mikage grinned again, stretching
his arms behind him.
His head throbbed dully from where Teito had hit him, his body ached slightly
from where he'd tackled Teito, not to mention that his skin was heated, his
body spent from laughing and rolling on the grass like children, his cheeks
red, his breath coming out in huffs.
He wouldn't give up this feeling for the world.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
He wouldn't give up this feeling for the world.
The snip-snip-snick of twin blades, smooth rings of metal against his knuckles,
the soft flesh of his fingers.
The metal gleams and flashes a threatening silver.
His eyes glow cold fire, colder than the steel in his hands
He felt his mouth stretch into a gaping hole, before it angled itself, tearing
at his cheeks, revealing gleaming teeth.
He felt no warmth.
Not any more.
...Any more?
Snip-snip-snick.
No.
Perhaps he'd never felt it in the first place. Maybe, he'd mistaken vague,
fleeting illusions of security for warmth, convinced himself into thinking that
even.
Snip-snip-snick.
He dived forward suddenly; the sudden rush of air raising goosebumps against
his skin, his heart pounding against his ribs, his breath trapped in his body.
The sound of glass shattering, windows breaking, fell on his ears. Faded into
the background, radio noise.
It was there and then it wasn't.
Just like the warmth he had supposedly felt.
He shook his head. Long strands of hair, dirty and unkempt, fell into his eyes.
They stung.
He shouldn't hope for something that never existed.
For him, anyway.
Yes.
Radio noise.
He shouldn't hope.
He shouldn't feel.
Radio noise.
He shouldn't feel. He shouldn't.
A scream. Single, drawn-out, a woman's, the woman's, a woman he kne-
Radio noise.
Because the only warmth that he could feel.
Was the warmth that he had to steal.
The scissors glinted dully in his hand, reflecting its twin, reflecting flesh
so pale it was almost white.
The contrast of red splatters on his skin, on the steel, against the white of
his being was stark and almost frightening.
The red was so warm.
But it would fade to cold.
And this fleeting warmth is all he could have.
For as long as he was warm, he could feel.
And he wouldn't give up this feeling. Not for anything in the world.
This feeling, this shadow, this warmth would never touch him for long.
But he'd learn to live with the cold.
After all, it was all he had to live with.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
It was something he'd learnt to live with, he supposed.
The rain poured onto the earth relentlessly, but the sudden downpour was not
unexpected. This sort of weather was the norm in the Seventh District; freak
thunderstorms were mere summer showers to the inhabitants.
When the Oak family had shifted Districts, Hakuren Oak, then 7'years of age,
found the weather there much different than the sunny shorelines of the First
District.
Of course, he'd expected as much.
The sky roared; a low, ominous growl. Hakuren frowned.
'So much for clear, sunny skies.' But then he didn't trust the weather forecast
here anyway. To say the changes in weather patterns were unpredictable was
putting it mildly.
His fingers played with the curtain as he stared out the window, letting the
sound of thunder wash over his ears. A strange shiver flitted through him,
goosebumps rising on his arms.
'Strange. Is the radiator broken?' He wondered.
Before Hakuren could dwell more on the issue, there was a knock on his door.
"Master Hakuren."
"Come in, Annika."
The maid stepped inside the room. She sank into a curtsy, head bowed and said,
"Master Oak wishes for your presence in the dining hall."
"Father does?" Hakuren sounded a touch incredulous, but with good reason. To
say that he wasn't on the best of terms with his father would be putting it
mildly.
The maid's pretty face clouded, as she unaware of the details, Master Hakuren,
but...there seems to be a dignitary of sorts coming to visit later and Master
Oak wishes you to be present when they arrive."
"Isn't the party scheduled at 8 this evening?"
"Yes, it is."
"...Very well. I will be downstairs shortly."
"Yes, Master."
"Annika
"Yes, Master?"
"Regarding..." Hakuren cleared his throat, "well, regarding the subject we
spoke of earlier..."
The maid's face cleared and she smiled, sinking into another curtsy, "I will
attend to it, as commanded."
"Thank you. You may go now." He turned back to the window, as the door closed
behind her, the groaning of hinges loud in the silence that followed.
"And I was hoping for some quiet before the next public show of humiliation."
Hakuren took one last look at the window, before pulling the rope beside him
and watched the curtains fall, cutting him off from the view of his last, final
sanctuary.
It was funny, in a way.
Ten years ago, he didn't even like rain.
A flash of light barely made itself known through the gap in the curtains, and
another roar of thunder followed, drowning out the sudden sounds of glass
breaking, the dim, faraway sound of pounding and the voice of someone he barely
knew, hushed for a second, then high-pitched and anguished the next.
Ten years ago, anyway.
He supposed that he should probably get going. His Father was a lot of things,
and a patient man was not one of them.
He opened the door and stepped out of the room, into the wide, spacious
hallway. No-one had bothered to turn on the lights; probably Father had all the
servants running ragged with
preparations for the last-minute party.
'If he expects to have guests over, then Father should at least make the house
look hospitable. Better to greet guests in something that resembles a house
more than a dungeon.'
Then again, with the reputation surrounding his family name, Hakuren often felt
a dungeon more suitable to host social gatherings.
"...Let's just get this over with."
"You could at least make an effort to pretend to be enthusiastic."
Caught breath.
Frozen heart.
A trail of ice kissing the line of his spine.
"Will you stop doing that?" Hakuren's voice stayed calm. He rubbed his hands
over his arms and glared at the figure that peeked out from the shadows.
"My apologies. I assumed that the sentence from before was meant for me." The
voice was warm, the words rife with the sweet tones of laughter, making the
speaker sound younger beyond his years.
Admittedly, the age gap between them was almost non-existent, but it was almost
too easy to forget that.
Hakuren hated forgetting things.
"I was talking to myself." Hakuren replied shortly.
"I see. Again, my apologies." The servant stepped into view, dipping into a
bow.
"...Where's Liam?" Hakuren asked finally.
"Liam is with Oak-sama right now. He will be serving the guests this meeting,
while the other servants attend to the party arrangements. I was sent to call
on you."
"It's hardly been five minutes."
"I am aware. Annika informed Oak-sama that she had informed you of the
meeting." This time, Ouida allowed a small smile on his face, "...I may or may
not have excused myself from Oak-sama's presence,
under the pretext of calling you." He saw the expression on my face and laughed
a little, "It's not my place to say this, but...well, Oak-sama seems a little
more uptight than usual."
Hakuren rubbed his eyes wearily. "I didn't even think that was possible."
"As did I. At any rate, I felt that I should warn you."
"I didn't need it."
Ouida's smile dropped down a few notches. "No. You didn't." He looked behind
him, as he continued, "May I take my leave? I have to check on Liam."
"You don't have to ask."
"Well then. I'll take my leave now, Hakuren-sama."
"I told you to stop calling me that."
"Yes." With that vague answer, Ouida turned on his heel and walked off.
For someone who's a servant of the Oak family, Ouida is remarkably carefree.
And he wouldn't have accepted anything less.
Hakuren walked the rest of the way in silence, with only his thoughts to keep
him company.
As always.
His feet feel leaden, heavy, his thoughts cloudy.
He coughed. The harsh sound echoed through the hallway, grated on his ears.
Made the skin of his neck prickle.
Only vaguely was he aware of the sweat trickling down his forehead, only the
burning in his chest and throat. Only the slow thoughts in his head, trickling
like sand in an hourglass, slow but continuous, occupied his attention and
before he knew it, he'd lost sight of the hallway entirely. His eyes closed,
opened, closed, opened, closed, opened, blink, blink, closed, opened,
closed...opened...closed. Opened.
...Closed.
...Opened.
...Closed.
...
Opened.
He rubbed his eyes, his hand leeching the heat from behind his eyes.
His eyes...his eyes...
"HAKUREN!"
"...!"
His breath returned to him in a sharp gasp, his heart hammering against his
ribcage, his face and body drenched in sweat.
His eyes flew open.
...Open?
They were closed before?
...Was he lying down?
Hakuren sat up.
He stared at the white sheets blanketing his legs, covering his stomach, cool
to his fevered touch.
Fevered? He touched his forehead and found that he was dripping in sweat. Odd.
Wasn't he shivering like a leaf earlier?
...When exactly was 'earlier'? And how did he get here anyway?
"You're awake."
Hakuren looked to his side to see the slim figure of a young boy standing near
the window-somewhere, he realized abruptly, near where he was standing before
while he watched the rain. He tugged at the rope, letting the curtains falling
back to earth almost immediately, as if he were caught doing something that he
shouldn't have.
Well, he was trespassing in Hakuren's room and seeing as Hakuren had no idea
who he was...
"I apologize for the intrusion." He continued calmly, as he switched on the
lights.
"What..."
"You had fainted in the hallway outside the dining hall."
"I did?"
He nodded, "You 're running a high fever. I suspect that you may have caught
the flu that's been going around recently."
Hakuren frowned. It was possible; he had been feeling under the weather for a
couple of days now. And this morning, he did feel the beginnings of a fever
coming on. It sounded plausible.
What perfect timing. Hakuren chuckled. At least it wasn't his fault he'd fouled
up his old man's plans yet again.
The boy stared as Hakuren laughed, then looked to the side as if the display
had put him off somehow.
"So you were the one who found me there?"
"Yes."
"Then I must thank you."
"There's no need." The boy said uncomfortably, "I just did what anyone else
would in this situation."
"Don't be so sure of that." Hakuren said grimly. Fatigue was pulling at the
back of his mind, demanding his attention, and slowly he was giving in to it.
But he wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea of sleeping with a stranger in
his room, even a well-meaning one.
"...Do you have an ice-pack?"
"Hm?"
"Or something that can help bring down the fever?" He clarified, as he looked
around.
"Ah...no. I don't."
The person nodded to himself, before murmuring, "I suppose I'll have to make
do." He made his way to the bathroom.
Hakuren leaned back against the headrest, assessing his condition. His throat
hurt, his nose was stuffed and a lovely shade of mottled red, his head felt
like it was full of air, his body was drenched in sweat, crying miserably for
cooler air, his neck and shoulders hurt-although that may be because of his
unfortunate unhealthy habit of sleeping on the desk-and his body felt somewhat
light and shaky, which may be
All in all, it wasn't too serious, but he wasn't going for any marathons any
time soon.
He was surprised he hadn't caught the flu sooner, considering his poor sleeping
habits and his unfortunate tendency to overwork himself. Of course, he could
have contracted the flu earlier at school and it simply manifested while he
stayed at home, and he was too oblivious to his deteriorating condition to
notice. His symptoms seemed a bit extreme to assume that he'd just caught it
today or even yesterday.
As he let his mind wander, it occurred to him that his Father may be more than
a little furious that Hakuren would not be able to attend the pre-party meeting
or the party itself.
Well, it's hardly my fault if I fall ill.
Something cool touched his forehead and he opened his eyes to see the same
stranger leaning over him, carefully placing a wet towel on his forehead.
Noticing the stare, the stranger said somewhat grumpily, "...These were the
only things I could find."
"No, it's fine. Thank you."
He placed a bowl of water and a box of tissues on the bedside table, before
moving away, back towards the window. His face was blank, his steps careful but
light, almost as if he were drawn to the chaos of water and wind and light
outside.
"The storm's still going strong...huh..."
"It's supposed to be the worst storm this season."
The boy blinked and looked over at Hakuren as if he'd forgotten that he was
there.
"This season? I thought the only weather we had over here was rain, rain and
more rain."
"It's a plausible assumption. But no. There is a very brief dry spell in the
middle of winter that lasts for about a month. Admittedly, there isn't much sun
then, given it is winter, but at least it's long enough to consider it a
season. I think."
He just nodded absently at that; his gaze had gone back towards the window
while Hakuren was talking.
Hakuren fixed his towel absently, feeling his eyes grow heavier with each
second. As much as he didn't want to fall asleep in this stranger's company,
his tired, worn body, weakened by the fever, was slowly being tempted into
sleep.
"Go ahead."
Hakuren's eyes flickered back to the stranger briefly; he was too tired to turn
his head.
"I'm not going to slit your throat while you sleep. You can relax."
Hakuren laughed again; this time a short, tired bark of laughter, "There's a
comfort."
He didn't see the boy's response to that. His eyes had already closed, his mind
lost in a sea of fog, his senses slipping to black.
Before he slept though, he heard that voice again, almost drowned in the wail
of the rain.
"I haven't seen the sun since I first came here. And I don't think I ever
will."
It was strange.
Ten years ago, Hakuren didn't even like rain.
Ten years ago, Hakuren had uttered more or less that very same sentence. In
that very same spot, looking out into the grey-white of the sky, groping
blindly for the last few rays of sunlight that never existed.
Ten years later, sick in bed, sicker at heart, Hakuren was staring at his own
reflection. In the flesh-and-blood body of another, he saw the same etches of
loneliness in his eyes, the same tightness in his lips that spoke of anger
barely reigned in, the same posture; spine straight, head held high, as if he
dared the people around him to do the impossible. To try and break something
that was already broken.
Ten years later, Hakuren had found someone who could possibly understand what
he had gone through, someone to talk to, someone he may even call a friend one
day.
Teito Klein.
Ironic that it would be the one who, if he was in his right mind, would hate
with every fiber of his being.
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Contrary to general opinion, Castor was not an early riser.
If anything, the man would be more than happy to stay asleep till one in the
afternoon at the very least.
But then, as reality had been kind enough to point out at every instance of his
life, his wish was no-one's command.
He yawned as he pulled into the school's parking lot, automatically turning to
the section reserved for the faculty and teaching staff. As he scanned the area
for a free parking spot, he occasionally glanced up at the academy building
with something close to loathing.
At the risk of sounding like one of the little brats that often visited
Lazette's cafe during Strawberry Sunday, he really did not want to be here
today.
Hell, if he had any sense at all, he would probably be in the Sixth District by
now, braving hailstorms, tornadoes or whatever else the storm of the week was.
He finally spotted a gap in the rainbow of metal on either side of him and
swerved to the left. It was quite a ways off from the entrance, but he
preferred it like that. The walk up would give him time to clear the cobwebs of
sleep from his head.
He parked the car and stepped out, into the sea of frigid-cold air. The mist
seemed to be back with a vengeance after yesterday's unexpected, brief sunny
reprieve.
Castor smiled. Lazette had managed to beg her boss to let her off for half an
hour so that she could spend some time outside. She loved spending time in the
sun and valued every minute of it, especially now that she was staying in a
district where one could count the number of sunny days a year on your fingers
and still come up short.
Sometimes...he'd wished that there was a better alternative for her than just
staying with him in this nowhere town.
Castor sighed as the beginnings of a headache bloomed somewhere near the bridge
of his nose. I need coffee. The first of many through the day, as always.
24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
It had gotten to the point where the man felt that the academy should invest
some of the school budget into extra coffee pots for all of the teachers to
carry around. It would certainly be less of an expense than some of the other,
more...conspicuous ideas Headmistress Lalonde had, at the very least.
He fumbled in his pockets for his keys as he walked, cursing the overtly-thick
gloves Lazette had insisted he'd wear. Well, more like she'd taken one look at
the weather outside and moved to step between Castor and the front door, gloves
in hand, and that same look in her eyes Castor had seen too many times to
ignore.
...She shouldn't even have stayed long enough to see him go.
She shouldn't be staying at home.
Not now, not when her life had finally acquired some semblance of normalcy.
His fingers finally managed to find purchase on steel and he pulled out the
keys just as he reached the door. He stopped in front of the door and touched
the handle as the hand with the keys moved towards the keyhole...only for the
door to slide silently away from his touch, stopping when the gap had widened
about the fraction of an inch.
Castor stared mutely as the light that flooded from the office within and into
the outside world, before allowing himself another sigh and pushed the door
wide open.
"What's wrong now?"
His question hung listlessly in the empty air, devoid of noise save for the
rapid, steady breathing of the man sitting on the sofa where Castor's clients
usually sat. Parallel images, yet absolutely identical, even down to the
sitting posture. Back bent forward, elbows propped on knees, forehead propped
on joint fingers, eyes turned away from the light.
They were similar even at psychological levels. Because if they had it their
way, this office would be the last place they would come to.
Even if the fact wasn't flattering, it still was that. A fact. And Castor had
long ago learnt to come to terms with it just by being friends with the man who
looked trouble straight in the eye and flipped it off, while insulting it in
the most offending way imaginable.
Because there were some things even Frau couldn't face alone.
"You're going to catch something if you sit here dressed like that." Castor
said, taking in Frau's trademark blue overcoat and gloves, which while
sufficient in skin coverage, even with the man's height, lacked in the
insulation area, "At least put the heater on if you plan on hiding here all
day."
Still no response. That was expected though.
Castor pocketed his keys and hung his coat on the coat-rack before flipping the
heater switch on. The familiar mechanical whirring that every citizen in the
District had come to associate with warmth broke the silence, filling the room
along with the heat.
"Did you even go home last night, Frau?" Castor continued, as he made his way
towards the small area where he stocked the coffee powder and checked the
electric water kettle.
Still no response.
"I'll take that as a no." Castor pulled out another cup from the cupboard and
continued, "You still take your coffee black, no sugar?"
"..."
"You need to consume something other than cigarettes and alcohol, Frau." Castor
said, as he scrutinized the other cupboard he'd dubbed the office pantry for
something decent to eat.
Not a fruitful search, admittedly, but he'd settle for anything edible. Frau
most likely hadn't eaten since lunch. He finally settle on somewhat-stale
sandwiches he'd bought from the convenience store, picked up a steaming mug of
coffee and shoved it at his friend.
"Eat."
Frau didn't move.
"This'll make it easier on both of us Frau. Lab's already busy enough as it is,
he does not need to explain how the corpse of what once was a teacher had come
about."
Frau did look at him then, eyebrow raised slightly.
"Take a look at yourself in the mirror. It's not in my habit to exaggerate.
That's your job." Castor said, as he settled down in the chair near his desk,
"That and, may I remind you, taking German classes for high-school students."
Frau's fingers twitched. The motion was infinitesimal at best. Most people
wouldn't even have noticed the slight changes in the man's statue-like
demeanour. But then, Castor was not most people.
"So it's one of the students then. What happened?"
Frau's reaction was slightly more obvious this time. He froze abruptly, then
took a sip of coffee.
If Castor looked close enough, he could just see slight tremors in the man's
frame, the skin acting as a living conduit for the rage that slowly broke
through the cracks in Frau's expression.
"Frau, you have to tell me eventually. Isn't that why you're here?"
Frau said nothing and Castor pursed his lips. He'd been in this situation
enough times to know which direction this conversation was going. And he didn't
like it.
No matter what kind of trouble Frau had gotten himself in, he still managed to
retain a few shreds of his carefree, I-don't-give-a-fuck exterior, the attitude
that people in his life had come to recognize as his own, to associate
as Frau's.
But the wordless anger in his friend's eyes was pure. Unadulterated.
He'd seen that same anger a few times before. And the circumstances during
those instances had been far from kind to them both.
"...ng."
"What?"
"Nothing." Frau said, and the bite in his tone was almost lost in the hoarse
rasp of his voice, "Absolutely nothing. That's the fucking problem."
"...What?"
"You heard me." Frau looked up at Castor, the anger showing openly in his face
now, "There is nothing that's wrong. Why should there be anything wrong? This
town is fucking perfect, isn't it?" That question seemed to be rhetorical, as
Frau didn't wait for Castor's reply before continuing, "There isn't anything
wrong, because everything is hunky-fucking-dory. And the people..." A scathing,
humourless laugh, before the mug was slammed back onto the table, "Well, they
certainly live up to their name as the children of the town of God."
...This isn't what you're angry about. Frau was stalling for time. Time for him
to think, sort out his emotions.
Something he hadn't done since he left town. Something he hadn't found himself
in the need to do since he left.
"...Tell me what happened, Frau. Exactly what happened."
Frau didn't seem to hear him, however. He answered with a question of his own.
If Castor could call it a question, that is. There wasn't a trace of
uncertainty or doubt in his voice, nor curiosity or dread in his words or
bodily actions that suggested that he was asking something of the school
counsellor.
No, his tone...blank, flat and matter-of-fact clearly stated that what Frau
asked of Castor was something that the man had to answer.
"I want to know everything you know about Teito Klein."
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***** Break Beat Down *****
Chapter Notes
     it's been a while huh?
     let's get back into it.
Papercuts
Chapter_8:_Break_Beat_Down
 
"I want you to tell me everything you know about Teito Klein." 
 
"If you're asking me that, then you already know."
 
Of course, he answers in fucking riddles. Frau closes his eyes and tempers his
rage for about the thousandth time since yesterday.  
He'd never been good at that. Never. 
And when he opens his eyes, he sees Castor staring at him. That same, hard
stare. 
 
They'd known each other for far too long to try to lie. 
 
"I know something at least. And I have no fucking idea of what I'm looking at."
Frau tries again, "All that I know is, I really, really don't like to look at
it." 
 
"And you're still looking?"
 
"I don't want to look away." 
 
"...You haven't really changed much, have you?" Castor sighs. He walks over to
the window and looks out at the view beyond.
It was only two or three seconds before he'd started to talk.
 
Thinking back, Frau realized that in itself was a warning of the shitstorm that
was to come. 
 
"The boy's name is Teito Klein. You know this as well as I. But that's the only
thing people expect you to know because they know if you heard the rest, you
wouldn't just stand by. Like they have." 
"Stand by?" 
"Stand by and watch." Castor lowers his head, slowly shakes it, "Remember?
You'd raise all kinds of hell, like you normally do." 
 
"..."
"And some of them had actually caught on to that pattern that 'sets you off'."
 
Castor's actually looking at him now. 
 
"Frau." 
 
He'd heard that grave tone once before. 
 
It never had been a happy memory. 
 
"Can you promise me something?" 
 
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Every time he woke up, he said a prayer. 
It was a habit that he'd worked into his day when he moved into the District.
Capella had told him about it. 
 
'A Prayer for Everything'.
 
Before he opened his eyes, he thought words in his mind. Simple words. 
Single words. 
 
With those single words, he connected it to people and things that he knows. 
 
"..." 
Before he opened his eyes, the first word that he thought of is 'safety'. 
 
Of this, he thought of three people. 

One was the lonely young woman he'd met on the bridge that fateful night. A sad
smile and sadder eyes, who talked of her family and ailing child. 
Who he met again in his employ, tear stains still visible on her cheeks. 
 
For the woman called Kurena, he prayed for her safety. 
 
Then he remembered that she still hasn't returned and his throat is dry. 
 
The second was a bright young man who he remembered as a boy. By 'boy', he
meant the him from a few years earlier, but he'd acted so innocent, so naive
and so cheerfully oblivious, that was the term he'd used to define him. A boy
with a sunny smile and kind eyes, whose hand was warm as he shook hands with
him.
A boy with a strong smile and wavering eyes, who waved him farewell as he left
the town gates.
 
For the boy named Mikage, he prayed for his safety.
 
Then he remembered that he can never see him again.  
 
The third was a little child that he'd met for the first time under storm
clouds, drenched wet as if the sky wanted to hide his tears and his sadness. A
child with shaky hands and a shakier voice, who refused to look him in the
eye. 
A child who looked at him with haunted eyes the second time they'd met,
scrunching his hands up and speaking words too grown-up for him. 
 
For the child called Capella, he prayed for his safety.
 
Then he remembered that he'd probably never be safe again.
 
He opened his eyes and the blinding white of the hospital room fills his
vision. 
 
"...?" 
His body felt weak, horrendously weak. 
 
"Where...oh." 
He didn't need to look too far to see him. 
 
A figure in black, sharp contrast with his pale skin and sharper eyes. Sitting
close, too close, too fucking close to him.
 
"You're awake." 
Finally. It's heavily implied in his sentence, impatience seeping into his very
tone. 
 
"...I'd hoped otherwise."
That response doesn't rouse a reaction out of Ayanami. Not yet.
 
...Or maybe it does. 
He could recognize the storm in his eyes. 
 
There's a second word in his prayer, but he can't remember. 
 
Ayanami reached over and he feels a tug. Ah, Ayanami's taken his hand. 
Heavily bandaged, he could barely feel it. Through the bandages and the
medicines that make his eyes heavy, his thoughts weak. 
 
He could barely feel the kiss on his palm, the lips on his fingers and the
tongue that tastes his skin. 
But it still revolts him, makes him want to throw up. 
 
"I'd thought you'd appreciate something like this." 
"All it's doing is making me retch." He said dryly, pulling his hand away,
"You're acting creepy. More than usual." 

"Only acting creepy, hm." 
"Thus far, anyway." 
 
Ayanami's changed his tune, but he's only acting. Of course he can tell. 
Of all people, he should know when a person starts to lie.
 
"I thought it was strange. A boy from class had come and visited while you were
still asleep." 
 
That's all it took for the cold sweat to break out over his skin. 
A boy from class. Who was it? He honestly doesn't know, because who
would care enough to visit him?
 
"The Oak boy. He was quite worried about you. He'd heard quite a lot of things,
it seems." 
Hakuren. 
"..."
 
"They'd found you wandering the streets, covered in blood. You were bleeding
far too much." 
...He was smiling again. 
 
Deep from within, he felt a shard of fear pierce through his heart. 
 
"But some of it was not your blood, was it?" 
 
He looked down.
 
"Who were the others? Had they tried to harm you?"
Not an ounce of warmth or worry in that tone. 
 
"Why do you care?" 
"Because someone has to pray for the corpses that you leave behind." 
 
And then...then, he sounded absolutely delighted. 
 
 
"Since when were you the type to pray?" 
His words sounded steady, at least. He raised his head up again and tempers his
fear, met those cold, dead eyes, "Don't tell me the District has had an
influence on you." 
 
"Staying in any place for this long, you'd adapt to some of their customs."
Ayanami said. He's the one who looked away now, "And you are the same aren't
you?" 
 
A hand that tugged on his hair, hard. 
He sucked in a breath. An involuntary gasp of pain. 
 
He's angry. 
This is bad. 
 
"Isn't that the meaning of your existence?" 
"My existence?"
 
He'd wipe it out with the next few words, like he'd always try to do.
 
"To protect the master of this body, Mikhail." 
 
Ayanami hated to say his name. 
Had he run out of patience already? 
 
"I do not pray." Mikhail said coldly, "I do enough to protect him on my own."
 
My prayers are his. They belong to him. 
 
"I wonder. What exactly are you willing to sacrifice?" 
 
Mikhail closed his eyes.
Everything. 
 
 
"I could kill you before you even so much as move."
"I know." Mikhail said. 
 
And beyond everything else, he doesn't want this body to die.
 
"Your master would surely suffer when he wakes up. So don't move." 

Words endlessly repeated. 
To protect his master, he had to lie still. 
 
Mikhail gritted his teeth as he moves closer.
 
Lie still. Be weak. 
 
Mikhail closed his eyes. 
 
Be weak so you could let him be strong.
 
"How far you've fallen, Angel of Death."
 
He'd come to hate that name almost as much as his master did. 
 
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"Promise you something?" Frau asked. The question is unexpected comes at him
from left field, almost. 
 
"Yeah. Before I can tell you anything, you have to promise me this." 
 
How strange. 
Hadn't he heard that question a few hours before? Yeah.
Word for word. 
 
In a young boy's hoarse, dying breath. 
 
"Promise me something." 
It was a plea in the harsh tone of a curse. He'd refused to let Frau go, let
Frau get any help. With strength far more than his feeble, broken body had ever
let on, he grabbed hold of him. 
Strength that had been reflected in his eyes. Dark green, unfocused, like he
wasn't even seeing who was in front of him. 
 
Like the words were a desperate prayer for a god not willing to listen. 
 
"...Let me go! I need to get-"
"I can't! Not until you promise me!" He'd yelled.

"Why...?! Fine! What do you want me to promise you?!" 
 
What was that after?
 
Was it his imagination?
He'd sworn that he saw the boy's eyes flash red. 
 
"You shouldn't break this promise. No matter what." 
"Fuck, I get it already! Just tell me!" 
 
The boy smiled. Almost angelic even as he uttered the next words-
 
"Frau?"
"...It's nothing. Can you...just get it over with?" Frau inhaled, a deep breath
and asks, "Whaddya want me to promise you, Glasses?" 
 
"Just one thing. After you hear this story, I want you to do something for me."
"What?" 

"I'll explain later." 
 
"...Whatever. It shouldn't be harder to do than the other promise I have to
keep." 
 
"Other promise?"
"The brat made me promise something to him before I could get him help." 
 
"What exactly was that?" 
"You don't need to worry about it. You know as well as anybody else that I'm
terrible at keeping promises." 
 
"...Not exactly the best kind of attitude when I am the one asking you to keep
them." 
"Yeah, but you're a pain in the ass to deal with. So I keep them for sanity's
sake." 
 
Castor huffed then, almost childlike. But he noticed the look in Frau's eyes. 
 
He hadn't seen it for awhile. 
 
"Whatever promise he asked you to keep...don't do it." He said finally.
"Way ahead of you, Glasses." 
 
There was no way he could. 
 
But the expression on the kid's face was burned into his mind. 
 
"Promise me, Frau." He'd said and his words are little more than puffs of air,
his tone so brittle it could break into pieces. 
 

In a hospital room with the door strangely locked...
 
...A boy with red eyes embraces a man.
 
For a boy so far-gone to make a monster protect him,
To make an Angel of Death pray for salvation, 

I want you to fulfill a promise to me. 
 
And behind his back, he smiles. 
 
"Frau, I'm begging you."
 
"Please...kill me." 
 
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