** This fic is a collab work by UekiKosuke and MyInfernalInsanity ** Thank you :)
Disclaimer: WE DON'T OWN ANYTHING! And by we, I mean by MyInfernalInsanity and myself. (Posting it again, just in case...) I wish PoT was mine tho...
WARNING: This fic WILL have cutting and it will have rape in the future chapters! It's also going to be boy x boy, so if you don't like, please press the back button or close the tab ^^
-Ryoma's bit was written by UekiKosuke and Eiji's bit was written by MyInfernalInsanity ^^
Please Enjoy the next chapter~ less than three :3
Chapter 2 – The Hidden Secrets
In America...
The bell rang, signaling both his freedom and his hell. His heart clenched painfully in his chest, as his lungs seemed to be leaking all the air he tried to breathe in. He noticed that his classmates were staring at him, which didn't increase his comfort level. Ryoma eyed them from the corners of his eyes and silently begged for them to leave. As always, luck was not on his side today. The entire population of the room, minus Ryoma, slowly moved towards him, smirking, and snickering at him.
"Freak. Emo. Loser…" Each word cut through Ryoma's already non-existing heart. But on the other hand, those words brought laughter and joy to the others. They laughed; pointing at Ryoma, making faces, running their hands through their wrists, mocking the fact that they thought Ryoma was 'emo'. Ryoma remained silent, and his expression hardened. The way Ryoma reacted seemed to be pouring oil into a burning fire as one of the kids picked up a pair of scissors and chucked it at Ryoma, leaving the boy with a deep cut running from his forehead to his right eyelid.
"Go cut yourself and die!" The insensitive words, carelessly and spitefully thrown by his 'friends', stung more than the cut on his forehead did. Ryoma visibly cringed when they all turned their backs in unison as the blood from the fresh cut seeped into his eyeballs, bleaching his eyes red. It stung. Oh yes, it stung a lot, but he couldn't move. His entire body system froze, disabling him from any movements.
He sat in his lonely chair for what seemed like hours, until he slowly got up and forced his legs to bring him home. With each step, his heartbeat slowed down, desperately hoping with all his heart that 'the man' hadn't arrived yet.
Finally reaching his own house, Ryoma wearily opened the gates and stepped in. When he walked into his house, he could already feel his doom waiting for him.
"Yo, brat." The man dressed in brown greeted with a cigarette snug between his lips. Ryoma flinched noticeably and side-stepped away from the man he once called father.
"Ta… Tadaima…" Ryoma fearfully, but respectively, bowed his head slightly, acknowledging the fact that he was home. The man smirked and moved closer towards Ryoma till he was just inches away from him.
"So brat, how was school?" The man asked in a mocking tone. When Ryoma didn't say anything, the man che'd and took his cigarette with his index finger and his middle finger. The cigarette fitted perfectly between his fingers, eagerly burned, wanting to burn something. "Didn't I ask you a question boy?" The man chuckled to himself. "My, my, I'll have to punish you now…"and without a warning, he swiftly rammed the burning end of his cigarette on Ryoma's right shoulder. Ryoma shrieked in pain and tried to turn away, but the man knocked him to the ground and was already straddling him.
"No… Please…" Tears streamed down Ryoma's face as he struggled to get free.
"My boy, no one's here to save you anymore. You're alone. You're nobody. You will never know how it feels like to be loved. You will fail in life and die a pitiful death." The man laughed like a maniac and drew out a knife from behind him. Ryoma's eyes widened in horror when the man revealed his new torture device, "So I'll help you, and end this miserable life of yours for you!" Ryoma squeezed his lungs till his last breath, screaming, begging for mercy as the blade dug into his skin. The man traced the blade down Ryoma's chest, eyes glistening in madness. The cut wasn't deep enough to kill anyone. But it was enough to make a teenaged boy cry in agony. The man's laughter and Ryoma's screams mixed in one, rang throughout the neighborhood that night as well, lulling the town people to sleep.
WORD VOMIT PAGE BREAK! SDFJ:OWIEJF:OIE:NFDJBNFLEJWFO:IWEJ:WENF:WEFJPRINCEOFTENNISFORTHEWIN
Time in school flew past just like any other day. Ryoma was non-existent in the classroom as he merged with the walls. When lunchtime came however, Ryoma was unwillingly dragged into eating lunch with his blond best friend.
"Hey man, did you hear the kid screaming last night?" Kevin's unexpectedly serious question froze Ryoma.
"What?" Ryoma decided to question his friend. He swallowed hard, afraid that he had gotten exposed. Kevin blinked in confusion at the sudden interest from the usually ignorant boy.
"Well, you know that horrible racket you hear every night?" Ryoma bit his lips and nodded in response. "Yesterday, the screaming was worse than usual." Kevin shuddered at the memory. "It was painful listening to it." Ryoma clenched the loaf of bread he was holding, which spewed out cream.
"Is that right…" Ryoma whispered just loud enough for Kevin to hear. Surprisingly, Kevin sighed and brought his hands up, scratching his head.
"I wish I knew who was screaming. I wish I knew who was in so much pain…" Kevin muttered, his expression hardening.
"And?" Ryoma whipped his head towards the other direction, avoiding eye contact with Kevin.
"Hm?" Kevin craned his neck, trying to examine his friend.
"What are you going to do when you find out?" Ryoma asked; his eyes clouded with the darkness of his heart.
"I'm not sure actually…" Kevin chuckled to himself. "What is an idiot like me supposed to do in that situation?" Kevin took a big bite out of his loaf of bread and took a sip of milk. Ryoma's silently glided his fingers lightly across his chest. Hiding behind the tightly wrapped bandage was a wound his own father left him. The horrors of last night rushed back to him. Ryoma gagged as the loaf of bread he just consumed rushed up his body system.
"Hey you okay?" Kevin asked, but before anything else could be said or done, Ryoma lowered his head and he vomited. He coughed a couple of times, getting everything out of his system as the tears flowed out. Ryoma fell to his knees and cried pathetically drowning in his vomit. The metallic smell of his own content filled his nose, as the taste took over in his mouth. While all this was happening, Kevin was speechless. Never in his life had he seen anyone in this much pain. He rushed towards his vomiting friend and patted his back, helping him.
"I'm fine… I just need to –" Before the sentence could come to a conclusion, Ryoma rushed towards the bathroom leaving Kevin alone, terrified.
What terrified Kevin the most was, the fact that Ryoma came back a couple of minutes later, completely fine, in his gym clothes.
"Dude, Ryoma you have to go to the nu-"
Ryoma cut him off with a sharp glare. "No. I'm fine. Let's just get to class."
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"KEVIN!" Kevin's mother shrieked from downstairs. Kevin lazily got up from his bed, placing the book he was reading on his pillow.
"COMING!" He called back. He wondered what could be working his mother up like that and rushed down the stairs to his house to find his best friend collapsed in his front doorstep with only a thin bed sheet covering him up. "Wha…. What happened?" Kevin rushed over and slumped over Ryoma, examining every inch of his body. He couldn't help but to gasp at the number of bruises that decorated Ryoma's body. His wrists had small cuts in them as well as a big purple bruise; his cheeks had streaks of dried tears plastered onto them, and worst of all, his anus… White substance oozed through the thin cloth wrapped loosely around him, and trailed down his side staining Kevin's carpet. Kevin scrunched his nose as the salty scent of the liquid caught his nose. With shaky hands, Kevin lifted the blanket up to find Ryoma's chest bounded in bandages clumsily. He gently undid the bandages and gasped, and like Ryoma earlier, his stomach content poured out in an instant. And that's when Ryoma spoke.
"Kevin…. Help me… Please…." And the two broke into tears.
Back in Japan...
He walked into the school grounds, the usual happy-go-lucky mask in its place. The people around him were happily talking about what they did on the weekend, only true emotions playing on their faces and in their voices, Eiji almost choked, whether from disgust or jealousy he didn't know himself, and forced his body to move deeper into the territory.
The people that were supposed to be his friends were already in the classroom and chatted with each other about the latest move in the theaters; how good it was, the characters in it and what parts of the book were left out.
"Oh, good morning Kikumaru. Didn't see you there." Oishi said, a genuinely friendly smile on his face and eyes closed, in a friendly manner. Though, he only said that once Eiji dropped his bag, louder that necessary, on his desk. A small attempt to get their attention.
Fake emotions on his face, he made a cheerful laugh: "It's ok nya." God, he hated to add the cat-like sounds to his speech. "I just got here; overslept a bit. What are you talking about there, with Fujiko and Momo-chi?"
Momo scratched his head, grinning like an idiot all the while. "The new movie. The one about the wizards and the strange creatures, you know, the new one. I finally got to see it the day before yesterday, so now we can finally talk it over without giving me spoilers." He laughed again, punching Oishi a mock punch on the shoulder.
"I still think that the bad guy was the best out of them all." Fuji added as a matter of fact. His always permanent smile in place, even when he turned his head to speak with Eiji, "What do you think Eiji? You usually like the bad guys, don't you?" his voice held little interest.
Eiji smiled, "I haven't seen that movie yet, I had to help my parents during the weekend." That was an obvious lie; Eiji scowled in his head, but just like all the times before, his 'friends' didn't seem to notice it.
Fuji seemed to carefully study his face, trying to see past the fake mask maybe, Eiji couldn't tell, and was about to say something. But at that time the teacher came in, signaling the start of the lesson. Her voice was monotone as she spoke, almost lulling Eiji to sleep. He ignored her and turned his head in the direction of the window, even if he wasn't sitting next to it (there were two more rows of students between him and it) he could still feel the gentle breeze blowing in the classroom.
The whole day went by like that, nothing out of the usual routine really happened, everything was the same as any other day. He said goodbye to his friends (adding so called in his head) and headed down the road, seemingly in the direction of his hose. Once he was sure that no unwanted eyes were following him, Eiji quickly turned in some shady looking alley. He avoided the toppled trash cans and the puddles of the rotting substances and maneuvered deeper into the darkness.
Once he was in front of a slightly rusted metal door he pulled the small locked from underneath his shirt. It swayed from the sudden movements and the little light that got in the deserted place reflected from it with its each movement. Eiji took the key-shaped locker and pushed into the small keyhole, opening the lock with a small 'click' and then pushing the door open, the metal creaking when it was forcefully moved.
His phone chose to ring the moment he stepped inside the dark room, used as a small warehouse at the moment. Eiji slid his hand into the pocket of his school pants and took out the small device, without looking at the caller ID he flipped it open.
"Yes?" his voice formal, as if he knew who was calling him.
"Where the hell are you Min? Your buyers will be snatched away by others if you don't hurry up and drag your ass here. Got that?" the voice on the other end seemed to yell some orders between talking with Eiji. The irritation clear and vivid.
Eiji sighed, balancing the phone between his shoulder and ear while he grabs a few packages with the white powdery substance or colorful pills in them. "Well sorry Sai, but as I have said before, I have the goddamn school and whatever. I can't just walk around the city with drugs on me. Who knows what will happen if a cop decides to check me."
"I don't fucking care. Just get your ass here as fast as you can and maybe I won't have to fucking punish you. Again." The one called Sai ended the conversation and left the warning hang up in the air as a dangerous shadow over the teen.
After locking the door and hiding the pendant under his shirt Eiji ran to the usual meeting place, once again maneuvering through the small alleys and streets with little people on them. This was a road that he knew so well from going through it almost every day, while doing his patrols around the neighborhood and searching for new customers.
It didn't take long for Eiji to get to the usual market place, hidden form the police and people who shouldn't know about this place. He walked past the drug addicts and sellers, people who he knew so well, and settled in the same place as always.
"Min, you're finally here." A paper white girl, her dirty dark brown hair sticking to her face and eyes glazed over, called out. Her skeleton thin hands already holding a sum of money needed to buy the next dose. "I was waiting for you to come, since you sell the best stuff. No extra ingredients you know." She laughed weakly and allowed the paper and metal money to land on the wooden table.
Eiji counted the sum with his eyes. "I had some… problems, so I came late today. Sorry about that Aya." He reached inside his bag, "Pills, powder or liquid? Maybe your tastes have changed from the last time."
"T-the pills. I don't like the needles, they scare me." She laughed nervously again and after getting her hands on the small bag of pills ran off somewhere, all the while looking around nervously as if someone might come and attack her any moment.
There were few more people like her; pail, week, scared and controlled by the drugs. He just sold and took money that they brought him. Stolen from their parents or something they got from exchanging the valuables, like silver, gold or a stolen radio or maybe even a TV.
"I see that you're doing good Min." Sai's cold voice drifted from behind Eiji. The little hairs on the teens back stood up and he turned to look at the man he feared so.
Eiji managed to pull his lips in a forced smile, as if that would fool the man in front of him. "Yeah. I already have something to give back to you. See?" he pushed the small pile of money to Sai, hoping that at least today the ringleader of all this will be merciful.
"Hmm…" Sai looked thoughtful for a movement and then smirked, obviously pleased by today's income from Eiji's deals. "It seems that a little bit of our dept is returned to me today, once again." He slapped the teens butt and gathered the cash. "See you tomorrow too, Eiji-chan."
The shiver that crawled up Eiji's spine was one of fear and disgust. His body remembered the touches and feelings that that man made it feel, so clearly etched in his body was the fear from that one man. Eiji had to clutch on the table to keep himself from collapsing, his legs no longer strong enough to keep him up on their own.
When he walked home, it seemed like the world was spinning a little. Due to hunger and sickness, Eiji concluded when he threw up in one of the alleys. His wrist started to hurt again, the scratch marks from his nails bleeding a little. "I'm a masochist." He mumbled to himself, eyes looking at the blood dirtying his school uniform.
Maybe, just maybe, tomorrow would be better.
.
Just for the hell of it, another word vomit here i come! jfa;oiejaf;oieflajwebnlfabwelfajew;oifjaew;o :3
A/N (MyInfernalInsanity): I can't write drug dealers/users. I suck at this. And suicidal Eiji is still so hard to do~~ . Maybe in the next chapter Eiji will be less… Depressing-ish? Though, I highly doubt it, since this is a depressing story.
I hope Ueki is having less problems with characterization that me. :D
A/N (UekiKosuke): Wow, I nearly cried while writing this and reading the part my awesome cyber buddy wrote T-T The next chapter hopefully wont be as… uh… angsty as this one was, and well… Kevins helping Ryoma so it should be all good… yup…
This is a change of character huh? I mean, Ryoma being abused, sure been there done that, but Eiji? Really? Its just kinda cool I guess X3 And MyInfernalInsanity does an awesome job in portraying it right? :P