Prelude To Darkness Author's notes: This is rather strange... and really mushy... and cheezy... and yes, the spelling errors were put in on purpose.. it's kind of hard to explain... oh well, just read it and tell me what you think. ^_^

"Prelude to Darkness"

It was a bright summer evening, with the sun still high in the sky. The kind of evening which left people with good feelings inside them. The kind of evening that most people would enjoy. But for one, that was not the case.
As usual, Izumi Koushiro was in his room, typing away at his computer. A thing he usually enjoyed, even on bright days. But now, on this bright evening, there were tears in his eyes...

The shades were drawn, the door was closed. Now pitch black, the room seemed to give a feeling of haunting, the only light being a gloomy glow coming from the computer screen. Biting his lip, Koushiro reached up to wipe away his tears and continued typing, wondering why he wasn't doing the logical thing. The instant message chat, empty of all but himself and one other person, seemed ominous, evil, and yet though he wished he could close it and continue web-surfing, he could not leave it....

Another message came, just as dark and putrid as the last. Frustrated, Koushiro continued the conversation, his rage building, unable to stop himself. The comments kept coming...

Kick Butt: Shut up queer, go fuck yourself. You know queers are just guys that can't get a chick

KnowledgeIsPower: Excuse me? Can't you get it through your thick skull? I don't WANT a girlfriend! I HAVE a boyfriend, and he's kinder to me than any girl could ever be!

Kick Butt: That's just cause ya can't get anythin from the chicks cause your fuckin queer so your so desperate to get laid that u go fuck a guy

KnowledgeIsPower: WHAT?!

Koushiro cringed. Though he knew that this other chatter was merely an idiot who couldn't see the truth, he couldn't bring himself to leave the chat room. Come on! His mind willed him. Leave! But somehow, his body would not obey... It would not close the window, though he wished so much that he could do so.

Kick Butt: The world would be better without all these fuckin homos. U will go to hell, U gay ass fairy

KnowledgeIsPower: Can't you go find someone ELSE to insult?

Kick Butt: no cause gay cock suckers are fun cause all they say is shit and i aint got nothin to do till school fuckin starts

"Why won't you just leave me alone?" Koushiro whispered to himself, staring at the screen. "There's nothing wrong with me... is there?"
The sound of his door creaking as it was opened made him jump, his attention ripped from the screen. He looked toward the doorway, startled. Light spilled into the room, and as Koushiro blinked, his eyes adjusting to the brightness, he realized who it was. "Jyou?"
"Yeah, it's me. Your mom let me in...," Jyou replied, smiling slightly. He flicked on the light and walked over to Koushiro, eyes sparkling. "It's good to see you.... what were you doing sitting in the dark?"
"It seemed to fit my mood," Koushiro mumbled. He turned away, hiding his eyes. I can't let him see my face, he thought. I can't let him know I was crying...
Jyou blinked, a concerned expression crossing his face. Something wasn't right... Koushiro wasn't usually like this. "Is something wrong?" he asked softly, gently placing his hand on Koushiro's shoulder. He realized that since he had turned on the light, Koushiro hadn't even looked at him.. he had turned away, something he would never usually do....
"No, nothing's wrong..," Koushiro replied, silently cursing to himself, hoping his voice wouldn't betray him.
The answer didn't satisfy Jyou. He continued to pry, his kind, gentle voice slowly grabbing a hold of Koushiro. "Koushiro... I know that's not true... Koushiro... you sound really sad, what's wrong? Please, Koushiro, look at me," he whispered. "look at me.."
Slowly, Koushiro turned his head to look at Jyou, tears spilling from his eyes. "There's nothing wrong," he said, stubbornly, though he knew he wasn't fooling anyone but himself. "Nothing."
"If there's nothing wrong, then why are you crying?"
"I...." Koushiro's eyes darted involuntarily to the chat on the computer screen. Jyou followed his gaze, and frowned as he read the latest comment.

Kick Butt: Hey you fuckin homo are you listenin to me or are you too busy cause youre suckin some guys cock?

"Is this what's bothering you..?" Jyou asked, voice trailing off. Koushiro nodded, and hung his head.
"I know I shouldn't let it bother me... but I just can't help it," he whispered, voice shaking. "I just..."
"It's all right," Jyou replied softly. "I know how you feel.. Can I talk to this guy for a moment?"
"Just a sec," Koushiro muttered as he typed in a reply.

KnowledgeIsPower: I am not listening to you, because I am talking to my boyfriend, who just came over. He wants to have a word with you...

Kick Butt: ya whatever bring him on mother fucker

Koushiro got out of his computer chair and wiped his eyes, blinking as Jyou sat down and began to type. What is he going to say? he wondered.

Jyou gnawed his lip. He had had experiences with people like this before... they were always the same, always insulting, hurtful... he usually tried to ignore it but this time, it was different. This time, someone had insulted Koushiro. His Koushiro. His sweet Koushiro.... he couldn't let this continue. He couldn't let someone hurt Koushiro. Sighing, he placed his hands on the keyboard and somehow, his fingers typed out letters, and those letters formed words....

KnowledgeIsPower: I know you think you are right. I know you think that people like us have no place in the world. I know you think it would be a better place without us. But, let me tell you something: it's people like you who make this planet such a hell to live in. People like you, who fear what they do not know, and hate what they fear. Who insult whoever does not seem "normal". Who hurt people who are not as hard-hearted as you are. Now, maybe neither of us right. Maybe we are both wrong. But even if we are, you have no right to say the things you did. No right whatsoever. So shut up, and keep you comments to yourself.

Jyou pressed 'enter', his fingers trembling. He paused for a moment then frowned, a thought crossing his mind. "How did this guy find you?" he asked.
"I don't know....," Koushiro replied, shaking his head. "I really don't know.."
"Well... he won't bother you any more," Jyou murmured as he set the chatter's name on the 'block user' option and closed the chat window. He sighed, and shook his head in disgust. "It's people like him that make me sick.."
"How... how did you know what to say?"
"I... to tell you the truth, I really don't know," Jyou whispered. "I guess I just said what was in my heart.. what I knew to be true. Don't let people like him bother you, Koushiro... they're the ones who wouldn't know love if it hit them in the face." He shut off the computer, and turned to face Koushiro. "All right?"
"All right..," Koushiro whispered, nodding stiffly.

There was an awkward pause. Looking into Koushiro's large, black eyes, Jyou realized they still had tears in them. Tears which shouldn't have been there. Tears... which had no right to be there, yet refused to fall.
"Koushiro?"
"Yes?"
"Are you all right?"
Koushiro smiled, though it was small, pained. "Yeah.. I'm all right."
"Are you sure?" Gently, Jyou took Koushiro's hand and pulled him into his lap, holding the younger boy close. "If there's anything wrong, you can always tell me.. anything.."
"No. Nothing's wrong. Not now," Koushiro whispered, the tears falling from his eyes. "I'm just so glad you're here.." He let out a choked sob and buried his face in Jyou's sweater. "I need you here. I need you."
"I.. need you too, Koushiro," Jyou murmured, unsure of what to do. Something was going on... something Koushiro simply refused to talk about. Something a hundred times worse than prejudice chatters... but what? A slight feeling of foreboding entered Jyou's mind, but he shrugged it off quickly. The problem, whatever it was, couldn't be that serious...
"Don't worry, Koushiro," Jyou whispered, gently kissing the one he loved more than life itself. "No matter what happens... I won't let anyone hurt you."

There is a dark corner to everything, even hearts, even minds, even souls. And in the deep, pure elements of Koushiro's soul, something stirred. It was not black, but blue, and yet somehow it seemed darker than the deepest ebony.... and it was slowly gaining power.

Author's notes: ummmm..... This is based on a...conversation.. that I had with a homophobe. However, unlike Koushiro, I didn't have a sweetie like Jyou to comfort me *sniff* Oh well...