A Dream of Endless Friendship
She always loved him. I should have seen it from the start. No matter how much I loved her, she would never, ever love me. There was something about it that I couldn't stand. Shion had always tried to steal everything from me. Despite that, I was amazed by how abruptly Mokurin was stolen away from me.
It happened like a shot out of the dark. Mokurin was unconscious, ill, and she had been raped. By Shion. I wanted to feel his face crunch under my fist. I wanted to break every one of his bones with my power.
All I was able to do was hit him, once. He cupped his face, wiped his bleeding nose, and smiled. That smug, self-satisfied smile.
"You're probably mad at me, huh?" He said, smiling, his eyes narrowed in bitter arrogance.
He used to be my friend, so I decided to tell him the truth, "Yes."
"Why?" he asked.
I was taken aback. Of course he KNEW why. I didn't understand the question for a moment, so I rammed my fist into the wall.
"You're frustrated.." he accused, "You're angry because I did what you couldn't do…" he said, bringing his bloodstained fingers to his chin. The deep opaque red trailed down his cheeks in fingerpaint marks.
I gasped silently, my mouth open in a fugue of anger and confusion.
"I got her to love me…" he finished, his face mocking me.
I couldn't control my anger. I pressed him up against the wall, denting it with the form of his body. The unseen wind that touched him did nothing to me, its master. His expression began to shatter, and started to contort in pain.
"Gyokuran!" called Enju, from the doorway. She silenced, and I eased the pressure on Shion. Her eyes were deep and pained, "What would- What would Hiiragi say?" she said, and turned away.
I knew it hurt her that I fought to protect Mokurin. I couldn't help it. Enju was always someone I could talk to. Something like "friends with benefits". It hurt me to see that look in Enju's eyes. I didn't want to hurt her but… I could never help what I really felt.
I let him go then, "I don't care about it." I said, obsessively straightening my uniform, "Come on, Enju." She left with me, unquestioning at my hand.
Then Mokurin came out of it. And what she said…
"Shion and I, we're already married." She looked so strange. Her face was bright, but something was broken in her eyes.
I couldn't see it then. Somehow he had stolen her heart.
But it was a true theft. I saw it later. Her face and her hands were marred with dirt and scratches from the grass. He was watching her, his eyes were so self-satisfied. I offered to help.. But…
Enju met me in the hall, "Hello, Gyokuran.." She said, in that same kind voice.
I was so angry, so very bitter and confused that I just smiled, "Hello, Enju. How are you?"
"I'm quite well.. Mokurin, however…" she bit her lip, "I just don't know what we're going to do."
I looked away, "She… She can take care of herself." I said.
Enju's eyes were hurt, "You don't mean that." She said.
I smiled bitterly, "No. You're right. I don't. But that's all right. I have you, right?" I asked.
Blushing, she smiled, "Of course." She said.
"Come on, it's getting late. I've found some interesting fossil records I'd like to show you." I put my arm around her, and she yielded, just like that. I knew I could do whatever I wanted…
I took advantage of her, then. I'm not proud of what I did. There was something that troubled me, in that night. When I was sleeping with her in my arms… It seemed my eyes had only just closed, and then…
"Don't misunderstand… We're not gay or anything…" I didn't see the look in his eyes.
I took him by the shoulders, "Issei… This means that… We're not normal… What happened between us last night was…"
"I don't understand, Issei… Alice and Rin…" I leaned a little farther on the railing above the school.
And that bitter look in his eye,"You don't care, do you?"
I was confused, "Issei, I…"
It was just a moment, but I could feel the tears on his cheeks. I stepped back away from him, and I was shocked.
His eyes were cold and dead, "It's all right, it's okay… It was just… just a stupid little joke.." And then I was looking at his back. Couldn't we just be perfect friends forever? Couldn't we just be friends?
"Gyokuran?" I heard Enju's voice.
"Iss-e-i?" I said.
"I-ssei?" she said, confused. Her eyes widened in recognition, "You mean you, too?" she asked, covering her mouth with one hand.
I shook my head, feigning simplicity, "No… I don't know what you're talking about.."
She looked disappointed, "You didn't have a dream last night?" she asked.
I paused, looking at the pain in her eyes, "You know.. As you mention it, I did." I sat halfway up.
"Oh? Well, what about?" she was eager.
"I had a dream, last night, Enju. That you and I… Could be best friends… forever." I said, and stating the words did almost as much to hurt me as the pain I saw in her eyes. "I ought to go now." I said, and I stood, "I can see you later, right?"
Enju wiped her eyes, "Ah.. Uh huh.." she said, and she sniffled, "Always…" she said, her eyes wavering.
I heard her begin to sob as I turned the corner. I couldn't tell her, I couldn't say anything. I just knew then that my future could not include a love for her.
"Um… Hi, there. I'm Jinpachi Ogura."
"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Issei Nishikiori."
"Hey, I overheard you talking about your strange dreams. I've had some pretty weird dreams before…"
"Oh yeah? What about?"
"Um… They're about a man… who has very good intentions. However, he always seems to hurt the people that he most loves."
Author's Note: A lot of the scenes with Gyokuran and Shion were adapted from the manga. I'd like to thank the people who have the comics on their sites, so I can kindly and obsessively read them. I love you! You're very cool! Anyway, I decided to take the conservative side on this fic, because I think that just as Gyokuran could not be happy with Enju, Jinpachi could not be happy with Issei, as they are portrayed in the OAV. Perhaps if there was a change, but the truth is that only the Enju part of Issei loves Jinpachi. Even the name "Issei Nishikiori" means "Two consciousnesses in one mind." This is just my opinion, and intelligent comments on it can be sent to DragonGirl17@AOL.com.
She always loved him. I should have seen it from the start. No matter how much I loved her, she would never, ever love me. There was something about it that I couldn't stand. Shion had always tried to steal everything from me. Despite that, I was amazed by how abruptly Mokurin was stolen away from me.
It happened like a shot out of the dark. Mokurin was unconscious, ill, and she had been raped. By Shion. I wanted to feel his face crunch under my fist. I wanted to break every one of his bones with my power.
All I was able to do was hit him, once. He cupped his face, wiped his bleeding nose, and smiled. That smug, self-satisfied smile.
"You're probably mad at me, huh?" He said, smiling, his eyes narrowed in bitter arrogance.
He used to be my friend, so I decided to tell him the truth, "Yes."
"Why?" he asked.
I was taken aback. Of course he KNEW why. I didn't understand the question for a moment, so I rammed my fist into the wall.
"You're frustrated.." he accused, "You're angry because I did what you couldn't do…" he said, bringing his bloodstained fingers to his chin. The deep opaque red trailed down his cheeks in fingerpaint marks.
I gasped silently, my mouth open in a fugue of anger and confusion.
"I got her to love me…" he finished, his face mocking me.
I couldn't control my anger. I pressed him up against the wall, denting it with the form of his body. The unseen wind that touched him did nothing to me, its master. His expression began to shatter, and started to contort in pain.
"Gyokuran!" called Enju, from the doorway. She silenced, and I eased the pressure on Shion. Her eyes were deep and pained, "What would- What would Hiiragi say?" she said, and turned away.
I knew it hurt her that I fought to protect Mokurin. I couldn't help it. Enju was always someone I could talk to. Something like "friends with benefits". It hurt me to see that look in Enju's eyes. I didn't want to hurt her but… I could never help what I really felt.
I let him go then, "I don't care about it." I said, obsessively straightening my uniform, "Come on, Enju." She left with me, unquestioning at my hand.
Then Mokurin came out of it. And what she said…
"Shion and I, we're already married." She looked so strange. Her face was bright, but something was broken in her eyes.
I couldn't see it then. Somehow he had stolen her heart.
But it was a true theft. I saw it later. Her face and her hands were marred with dirt and scratches from the grass. He was watching her, his eyes were so self-satisfied. I offered to help.. But…
Enju met me in the hall, "Hello, Gyokuran.." She said, in that same kind voice.
I was so angry, so very bitter and confused that I just smiled, "Hello, Enju. How are you?"
"I'm quite well.. Mokurin, however…" she bit her lip, "I just don't know what we're going to do."
I looked away, "She… She can take care of herself." I said.
Enju's eyes were hurt, "You don't mean that." She said.
I smiled bitterly, "No. You're right. I don't. But that's all right. I have you, right?" I asked.
Blushing, she smiled, "Of course." She said.
"Come on, it's getting late. I've found some interesting fossil records I'd like to show you." I put my arm around her, and she yielded, just like that. I knew I could do whatever I wanted…
I took advantage of her, then. I'm not proud of what I did. There was something that troubled me, in that night. When I was sleeping with her in my arms… It seemed my eyes had only just closed, and then…
"Don't misunderstand… We're not gay or anything…" I didn't see the look in his eyes.
I took him by the shoulders, "Issei… This means that… We're not normal… What happened between us last night was…"
"I don't understand, Issei… Alice and Rin…" I leaned a little farther on the railing above the school.
And that bitter look in his eye,"You don't care, do you?"
I was confused, "Issei, I…"
It was just a moment, but I could feel the tears on his cheeks. I stepped back away from him, and I was shocked.
His eyes were cold and dead, "It's all right, it's okay… It was just… just a stupid little joke.." And then I was looking at his back. Couldn't we just be perfect friends forever? Couldn't we just be friends?
"Gyokuran?" I heard Enju's voice.
"Iss-e-i?" I said.
"I-ssei?" she said, confused. Her eyes widened in recognition, "You mean you, too?" she asked, covering her mouth with one hand.
I shook my head, feigning simplicity, "No… I don't know what you're talking about.."
She looked disappointed, "You didn't have a dream last night?" she asked.
I paused, looking at the pain in her eyes, "You know.. As you mention it, I did." I sat halfway up.
"Oh? Well, what about?" she was eager.
"I had a dream, last night, Enju. That you and I… Could be best friends… forever." I said, and stating the words did almost as much to hurt me as the pain I saw in her eyes. "I ought to go now." I said, and I stood, "I can see you later, right?"
Enju wiped her eyes, "Ah.. Uh huh.." she said, and she sniffled, "Always…" she said, her eyes wavering.
I heard her begin to sob as I turned the corner. I couldn't tell her, I couldn't say anything. I just knew then that my future could not include a love for her.
"Um… Hi, there. I'm Jinpachi Ogura."
"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Issei Nishikiori."
"Hey, I overheard you talking about your strange dreams. I've had some pretty weird dreams before…"
"Oh yeah? What about?"
"Um… They're about a man… who has very good intentions. However, he always seems to hurt the people that he most loves."
Author's Note: A lot of the scenes with Gyokuran and Shion were adapted from the manga. I'd like to thank the people who have the comics on their sites, so I can kindly and obsessively read them. I love you! You're very cool! Anyway, I decided to take the conservative side on this fic, because I think that just as Gyokuran could not be happy with Enju, Jinpachi could not be happy with Issei, as they are portrayed in the OAV. Perhaps if there was a change, but the truth is that only the Enju part of Issei loves Jinpachi. Even the name "Issei Nishikiori" means "Two consciousnesses in one mind." This is just my opinion, and intelligent comments on it can be sent to DragonGirl17@AOL.com.