Not. Lovebirds. (You Bastards, Cutting My Girlfriend Up.)

By LoveAnimeForever

"Shin! Oi!"

Haruhiko crawled forward, wincing from cuts and bruises all over – and some bones might even have been broken… He could feel the blood on his lips, on his skin; could see it on the floor, everywhere… Worst of all – on Shin. Hair and jacket that should have been black, skin and shirt that should have been pale like snow, torn, ripped, patched with thick crimson.

Normally – normally, he and Shin would've been the ones to win, the ones to walk away laughing. Especially since their attackers had been from Eishou. Haruhiko had seen two of the faces before – Satou and Suzuki (he'd have to tell Yankumi later), goody-two-shoes both. But they'd had knives. (What the hell?) And they'd appeared out of the blue… He and Shin had been walking along the river, just passing time… A completely normal afternoon – albeit missing three of the usual five – interrupted and ruined by those bastards…

"Ne, Shin."

At the sound of his name, Shin turned around to face his friend, who was staring absently into space, hands in pockets and kicking at the pebbles lining the ground. He was going to reply, but just behind Haruhiko, and quickly advancing, appeared to be a mob of Eishou students, metal rods glinting in the afternoon sun.

"Well, would'ya look'a that?! Shirokin has their very own lovebirds! Under all that fighting, too!"

Haruhiko's eyes widened as he snapped out of his trance, then narrowed, his face morphing into an annoyed scowl. He turned around, scowl deepening further, teeth bared like an animal's.

"Watch your words, damn-"

He grit his teeth, sizing up their opponents. They wouldn't back down – because they were from Shirokin – but that was an impressive crowd… Haruhiko clenched his fists, getting ready to charge, not needing to look behind to know that Shin would follow. And Shin would overtake him, reach that mob first, and get beaten up, Haruhiko unable to help except to throw himself into the fray and get beaten up as well. After all, that was what friends were for, right?

… Speaking of friends, Shin wasn't overtaking him…

"I think you should watch your words, Shirokin… After all…"

Haruhiko didn't need to turn back to know it was Eishou's top student somewhere behind him, taunting him further. Suzuki had appeared on national television enough times for anyone to recognize his voice. And, of course, anyone in Shirokin – especially anyone in 3-D – would recognize… Shin's… hiss… Damn them. Haruhiko stopped short in his tracks and spun around.

He was met by the sight of Shin caught in a hold by Suzuki and Satou (another useless scholarly-type). It was little consolation that it took both of them to match Shin. It wasn't a consolation at all that they had to use knives, because there was a slit across Shin's cheek, stark red against his pale skin, even from this distance. The knives were still at dangerous positions, keeping Shin from fighting back – one was at his neck, and Satou's position made it look like he had a knife to Shin's back. Haruhiko growled.

"Shin-!"

He was cut short when he felt a metal rod connect with the small of his back. Momentarily stunned, he couldn't react when his legs were swept out from under him by another rod (didn't these guys know how to use their limbs?!), and he crashed face-first into the dirt. What felt like five full-grown male high school students promptly piled themselves on his back, dropping their full weight onto his body without a second thought. Haruhiko could have sworn he heard his spine snapping.

"Get off, you bastards!"

He tried to buck them off – tried being the keyword. Well, at least he managed to get the dirt out of his eyes, and he could see…-?! Shin! The rest of the Eishou mob had shifted over to Satou and Suzuki, and they were kicking at Shin, stomping on his stomach, stabbing at him with their metal rods… Shin was curled in on himself, already to beaten up to fight back. Haruhiko could barely see him between their legs, but he could hear the blows against Shin's body, especially now that he, himself, was trapped and unable to move.

Of course, Shin was forcing himself to keep silent. Haruhiko bucked again. Damn it, why are these bastards so heavy-?! He stopped struggling when a knife embedded itself in his shoulder. (It better have been of its own will, or someone would be feeling a world of pain… …Later.) Right now, the pain radiating very, very, fiercely from his shoulder was more than a little immobilizing; Haruhiko fell limp, and got dirt in his eyes again. (Damn-) The knife dislodged itself; Haruhiko cried out, as much as he didn't want to.

Someone's hand tangled in his hair, wrapping his braids around his fingers and wrenching backwards. The action jerked his shoulder as well, and stars exploded before his eyes. When the dizziness cleared, Haruhiko could see Shin in his direct line of sight, some distance away, bloodied and battered, held in a kneeling position. His eyes were hooded, and he wasn't talking back, or struggling… They had to hold him up by his hair, like the bastards on his back were holding Haruhiko's head up… And yet they didn't want to stop… They were reaching for their knives… Haruhiko hadn't the strength to buck again, as much as he wanted to.

Satou smirked and drew his knife across Shin's torso, leaving yet another bloody line in its wake. Haruhiko could see Shin wincing in pain, but the wound didn't seem too deep, thankfully. He stopped being thankful when Suzuki dropped into a crouch as well, opposite Satou, and dragged his knife diagonally across Shin's face.

"Stop it! Let him go, damn it!"

Shin's eyes came into focus for a split second, reprimanding Haruhiko, before he passed out.

One of the guys holding Shin up felt the added weight. "Oi. Suzuki…"

Suzuki got up and they had a little whispered conference. The idiots! Isn't it more than obvious that they've overdone it?! Damn them! If Shin- If-

"What, done already? Shirokin students are weaklings, in the end, huh." Satou sneered and kicked at Shin's limp body.

Haruhiko snarled quietly. Enough is enough. These guys are so dead if we ever get our hands on them. Their bravado was painfully obvious; even through the pain and rising panic (that he was still keeping down, thank goodness), Haruhiko could see the fear all too clearly in their eyes. Suzuki looked down at Satou, and Satou looked back. Their eyes were cowards' eyes. Hadn't they been beating Shin up so easily a while ago? Now, they didn't even have the courage to face that they might have… Have… Haruhiko didn't want to think about what would happen to Shin. All that mattered now was that the Eishou bastards had fear in their eyes, and they had thrown Shin down, and they were running… The five on his back got up and ran off as well. Going… going… Gone. Haruhiko just lay there, face in the dirt for a while, before remembering that Shin was badly wounded, and unconscious, and needed help, and just damn them all…

Haruhiko collapsed beside Shin.

"Shin… Wake up, Shin."

He gently – gently as he could, anyway, with one useless arm – rolled Shin over, so he wouldn't open his eyes to a faceful of soil and grass. The other's eyes fluttered open, then flew shut again.

"Shit. That hurts."

Shin weakly lifted his hand to check the slit across his face, flinching when he felt the blood across his face. He'd disturbed the wound across his abdomen, too, and that looked like it hurt. Haruhiko hurriedly leant over and held him down, so he wouldn't hurt himself anymore. His shoulder screamed in protest, but that didn't matter; it wasn't much compared to the state Shin was in…

"Shin… Are you al-… Stupid question, sorry."

Shin smiled as much as the wound across his face would allow him to. "I-I'm sure I'll make it."

Encouraged, Haruhiko laid himself gingerly beside his friend. "Y'know – I mean, I know it's stupid n'all – but he called you my girlfriend."

"I can't believe you just said that with a straight face."

Shin propped himself up, winced when his wounds acted up (look… pretty stars…), and dropped back down. Haruhiko laughed, though a bit of blood came up with the laughter.

"But – y'know… Don't'cha think it's kinda true?"

"What, that I'd be your girlfriend? Are you crazy?! Ack-!"

Haruhiko could just imagine the sarcastic look Shin would have given him, if he hadn't had so many wounds that it hurt to even talk. Even this much… Haruhiko sat up again, shoulder pulsing, and held Shin down again. An exasperated smile broke out on his face, even with the blood flowing from the edge of his lips.

"I couldn't help thinking it! Give me a break!"

Shin's body finally stilled, in more of a bloody mess than ever. "Look. If I ever dated you – and that would be never – I'd be the guy. Iika?"

Haruhiko rolled his eyes. Again, with Shin always having to be the stronger one… His build was clearly the smaller of theirs, too. Why am I even thinking this?!

"Yeah, whatever… Yankumi will be here soon, ne."

"Yeah. Probably."

"Yeah…" Haruhiko scooted just a little bit closer (just to be safe, you know, and keep Shin warm, and, yeah…) and passed out.

"Baka." Shin smiled and sat up, wincing when the wound across his abdomen acted up again. He gave Haruhiko a once over before slumping, unconscious, over his girlfriend's body.