Chapter 7

Ganta awakens in a medical room; his vision is blurred from the intense white lights that illuminate the pale room. He blinks twice and a shadowy figure appears in front of his face. "Senji?" Ganta says with a hoarse voice. A broad hand strokes through his black knotted-up hair. He soon is lifted up from the hospital bed and being carried away.

Ganta hears a woman's name shouting and hears a man with a deep voice yell back at her. Ganta must have passed out since the next thing he knows, he's in Senji's room being...stripped? Senji is taking off his clothes; through sleepy eyes, Ganta can see a flesh colored tone body before him. Ganta slightly blushes and feels sort of embarrassed but his grogginess made him too lazy to fight back.

As Ganta is lifted up again, he can feel Senji's bare skin touch against his own. He lays his head under Senji's chin to feel him closer.

Ganta gasps a little when he is submerged under warm water. He slightly opens his eyes a little and looks up, Senji and he are soaking in a tub. "Finally, you're awake." Ganta rubs his eyes. He looks at their position. Senji is sitting normally in the bathtub but Ganta is lying between the older man's legs. A pain strikes through the side of his body, he shifts his body a little. "Be careful when you move kid." Senji repositions Ganta. "I don't want you sitting on my dick, that fucking hurts."

Ganta sighs. "What happened?"

"I took you out of the medical room. You have stitches on your side so don't push yourself." Senji's hand glides over Ganta's three inch long stitch work. It's tender and inflamed around the wound. "Ngh...it's too tender..." Ganta moans. Senji ignores him and continues on to gently touch around the stitching; with his other hand, he softly embraces Ganta around his chest. Ganta shifts his body a little. "Relax..." Senji whispers in Ganta's ear.

Ganta closes his eyes and let's Senji bathe him. He even falls asleep for a little while. When he awakes, Senji is pulling him out of the bathtub. He sits him down on the toilet seat. "You can stay in my room for tonight, I'll lend you a shirt." Senji goes on to dry Ganta off then himself. Senji leads Ganta to his bed and gives him his underwear he had stripped off earlier.

"Senji." Ganta says.

Senji gets the shirt out the dresser. "Yeah?" he replies.

"Why do you think Tsunenaga added four Deadman to attack each other?" he asks.

Senji reaches in his drawer and pulls out a shirt for him. "I don't know...but it was strange..." He hands Ganta the shirt and he takes it from him. He slides it on-the shirt is so long, it goes past his groin area. Senji also pulls out a shirt and pant for himself.

Senji sits down next to Ganta. "I'm not sure what Tsunenaga's plan is but there was something behind that whole 'perfomance'...I think there's more to come." Ganta looks up at Senji. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you realize it was easy for us to kick those bitches down to the ground?" Senji's eyes narrow. "It wasn't a challenge…it just was odd to put us against those two. I know you got hurt but you weren't on the break of dying."

"Well, when you do put it that way, it does make sense…" Ganta leans his head on Senji's arm.

Senji looks down at Ganta. "Did you really mean what you said back there kid?" he asks, totally chaning the subject a one-eighty.

Ganta slightly glances up at Senji. "About what?"

A small blush crosses his cheeks. "About saying that we only have each other and I being the only happiness in the prison?" Senji looks away, totally embarrassed as he recited those words.

Ganta nods his head. "Yeah…it's true…"

Next thing Ganta knows, Senji is gently forcing Ganta to lie on his back. He hovers over him and kisses Ganta's cheek in a loving way, then his lips; he navigates his way down to Ganta's stitching. He lifts up Ganta's shirt and kisses around the stitch. Ganta flinches. "Senji…" Senji smiles as his tongue slithers out of his mouth and wonders around the stitches. "Senji, it'll get infected." Senji once again ignores him. He stops momentarily. "I want to love you." He whispers. Ganta's mouth goes agape as his boyfriend said those words. He lies back and relaxes. "Okay…" Ganta agrees.

Senji continues kissing Ganta everywhere in a loving manner instead in a passionate and sexual way. Ganta smiles to himself.

All of the sudden, the loving sweet moment ends when the television turns on. Ganta and Senji quickly look over at the screen.

…It's the chopping block for the two girls they defeated in Carnival Corpse…

Ganta lets out a frightened gasp. Senji notices and quickly puts Ganta on his side. Senji presses against Ganta and whispers quickly. "Cover your ears—now." Ganta does as he is told. Senji takes his hands and covers Ganta's hands with his own so the little boy doesn't have to witness another chopping block. Senji kisses Ganta's cheekbone to give reassurance.

Ganta is beginning to sweat and Senji can tell his heart is racing like wild. Senji covers Ganta a little bit more with his body. He even begins a sort of rocking motion to settle down the young boy. He knows Ganta was already traumatized when his eye was torn out—he doesn't need to see two girls get something ripped out from them too.

The chopping block continues on…

It lasts for about an hour for both girls. There were screams and yelps and Senji hopes to God that Ganta didn't hear one single cry for help.

The Dove had it lucky and only got her kidney removed. However, for the Cardinal, she wasn't so fortunate. She had her entire arm removed—and they did it slowly to further prolong the suffering and pain.

Senji is used to dealing with the chopping block but Ganta…well Ganta is innocent and he doesn't need to be tainted with that kind of shit.

After the chopping block is finished and done, Senji uncovers Ganta's ears and Ganta is crying a little. "Is she alright?" he has to ask Senji…to know for sure that he didn't cause the Mourning Dove to suffer.

"Yes, she only had her kidney removed." Senji says gently. Senji embraces Ganta in his arms and hugs him tight to his chest. Although it takes a couple hours, Ganta drifts off to sleep, completely within the safety of Senji's arms.

"Dammit!" Senji cries out.

Ganta wakes up from the shouting. He gets off the bed and finds Senji in the bathroom. "What is it?" he asks groggily.

Senji turns around. "It's the damn pluming again—we have to use the public." He eyes travel to the wall next to Ganta.

"Okay." Ganta replies, all relaxed and calm. Ganta goes to find his prison uniform.

Senji snorts. "'Okay'?" he repeats. "Don't you fucking remember the God damn tape?" He charges at Ganta and grabs him by the collar. "The whole prison was shown that tape and now horny fuckards are gonna want a piece of that action from you!"

Ganta stares at Senji with his big black eyes. He innocently whispers. "I'm sorry, Senji. I just forgot."

Senji grunts and let's go of Ganta. "Yeah…" Senji grabs Ganta by his arm. "When we're in there, don't get too far from me. They won't mess with you if they see you with me." Ganta nods, dresses in his uniform and follows Senji out of the room.

Ganta hesitantly walks into the locker room.

As everyone sees the boy, their eyes widen; some eyes widen in passion, some in disgust, and some in shock. A man comes up to Ganta and his hand smacks Ganta on the ass. "So…you like it behind here pansy? I can make ya squeal real loud, ya know?" Ganta backs off the man. Just then, Senji grabs hold of the man's hand and bends it beyond the capability it's able to bend.

"Ow, shit!" The man screams.

"Yeah, I can make you squeal too, fucker." Senji says and lets go of the man. As everyone sees Senji, they look away from Ganta, knowing they don't have a chance. Senji guides Ganta over to the shower area.

Ganta slowly takes off his prison uniform. Some prisoners are stealing looks at the boy's pale and scrawny body. Senji begins stripping naked and stands in front of Ganta, blocking the naked boy's image from the other prisoners with his own muscular body.

Some men keep their eyes on Ganta, trying to get quick glances at his body. "Godfuckin' dammit…" Senji mumbles. "They're all trying to get off from you." Senji presses his lower body up against Ganta's backside. Ganta's eyes broaden and his cheeks flush. He turns around and angrily says. "What the hell do you think you're doing!"

"Trying to keep dominance." Senji says. "I want to show these prisoners my dick is the only one that's going inside your body." He bluntly states.

Ganta pushes Senji aside. "Go away."

"Why?" Senji questions.

"I don't want to see you right now." Ganta hisses and continues on to take his shower. He turns the nozzle around and begins to soak his entire body. Senji watches Ganta take a shower and soon joins him under the same shower head. "I'm not going anywhere. These prisoners are going to jump you the second they see you without me."

Ganta once again turns around and faces Senji. "Get off me!"

"No." Senji says. "Why won't you let me stay with you?"

"Because you're treating me like a girl!" Ganta shouts. The locker room becomes quiet and everyone looks at Senji and Ganta. Ganta continues on. "You're always protecting me…I like it but sometimes it goes too far. I don't want you saying those things about showing other people that you're dominate…I feel like you treat me like a girl and not like a man."

"You're not a man; you're a boy living in a man's world." Senji sighs. "I know I probably went too far but I don't want you being stupid and getting hurt."

Ganta looks away from the older male, he knows he's right. He is a boy that was thrown in a man dominated world of hell. "I'll let you stay but don't be affectionate in front of everyone else—I don't want anyone seeing that."

Senji nods his head. "Sure kid, whatever." Senji steps aside and turns on the shower head that is next to Ganta's.

During the shower, Ganta can't help it but sneak his own peeks at Senji's body. He watches as water pours down his toned body…he bites his lips as he turns back to washing himself. Senji smiles to himself, he knows Ganta has been stealing peeks at him. Maybe he'll get lucky and get laid this evening—Ganta's had enough of healing time. Now it's time to get some relief for himself.

Ganta and Senji finish taking their shower and migrate over to the bench area to dry off and dress by the lockers. Ganta is sitting on the bench, towel drying his hair. He and Senji are conversing a little about the Carnival corpse and some other general topics when Yo pops around the corner. He's wrapped himself in a towel. Ganta looks up, surprised to see him. "Yo—?"

Senji's head snaps up at Yo and his eyes go wild and ballistic. He pushes Yo against the lockers and held him up by the neck. "Do you fucking know what you did to us, huh?" The prisoners catch sight of the action and gather around. Ganta comes up from behind and says. "Senji, please don't hurt him."

Senji pushes Ganta away and Ganta falls on the floor. He hits his wounded side on the bench and it rips a stitching out. "Ngh…!" Ganta covers the stitching with his hands and applies pressure. Senji doesn't take notice.

"You are the only bullshit eater that knew about Ganta and I!" Senji presses harder against Yo's neck. "And you ratted to Tsunenaga about our fucking."

"I…I want to…apologize—!" Yo grabs hold of Senji's arms. "I need to tell you and Ganta something. I need to warn you guys!" Senji gives an odd eye at Yo and lets him go. Yo falls hard onto the floor. He is gasping hard.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Senji says.

Yo takes in a couple of deep breaths. "About…Tsunenaga…"

Ganta crawls up to the bench, still holding his side. "What about him?" he asks.

Senji notices Ganta's hurt side and cringes at himself for hurting him like that. Senji stands next to Ganta. "Tell us you fucking bastard or I'll rip your throat out." Senji scowls at Yo in a threatening manner.

Yo leisurely stands up. "He's planning something for you two."

"What is he planning?" Ganta presses.

Yo looks to the ground, biting his lip. "I'm so sorry…I didn't mean for any of this to happen!" He smashes his fist against the lockers.

Senji's face flushes. "Tell us already!" His patience is running out.

Yo grunts. "Tsunenaga is preparing a match." He looks at Ganta. "A match between the Woodpecker and the Crow."