THIS WAS NOT BETA'D. I DID MY BEST TO EDIT. PLLLEAAASE! If you have experience and want to help, email me!
The Wallpaper
Chapter Fourteen
The Art of Sacrifice
Will you endure the nightmare, so another can dream? Will you silence your soul, so another can dream?
Will you bleed, to plant the seed, wilt, so it can grow?
Just how far will you go
The rope around your neck is tight
Will you jump, for the sake of all that is right?
Could you do this, would you do this
Just because you should?
How far will you go, how much pain will you know
For another to be happy?
"It hurt, so bad, I can't get him off of me." Eiri carefully wrapped his arm around Shuichi, and pulled him close.
Xoxoxoxo
Very rarely is there a moment when Eiri allows his blanket of selfishness to fall, in order to do something for the benefit of another. His prime instinct, his reactions, his decisions, all of those revolve around his primitive urge to protect and do what is best for him, Eiri Uesugi, no one else.
Eiri shook his head. Acknowledging his poor traits was no new battle for him. It was the matter of overcoming them that caused the internal twisting and struggling of his organs.
Eiri had managed to pull the reluctant Shuichi from the cold tile of the shower, and back to his somewhat furnished apartment. By that point, Shuichi had gone blank, hardly recognizing that Eiri was changing him into a random shirt and a pair of shorts the latter had found on the floor. It wasn't until Eiri had guided him gently to the bed, and pulled the covers to his chest, when he had any vague sense of who was with him.
"Eiri I can't do this anymore." It was barely a whisper. It wasn't a plea, it wasn't a hysterical cry; it was an awakening to reality.
Before Eiri could even think of a response, Shuichi closed his eyes and fell from consciousness.
Looking down at the sleeping form next to him, Eiri understood. Gripping the covers, he let his gaze fall to his lap, desperately trying to ignore his reality. The world, this apartment. This fucking ugly wallpaper, this everything.
Should I even bother sleeping tonight? He wondered. What dreams would taunt him now, with his decision set? How much more blood would he have to try and remove now? How many more hours of sleep would be taken from him for this?
How far will you go,
With all that you know
Of the pain, of your little gain
But another's lottery?
With his silent acceptance of what would come, Eiri was surprised that the black did not encumber his mind. His hair did not raise, his conscience was not taken over in a flood of anxiety, he was…
At peace.
Eiri shook his head. It's not a peace. It's a resolution.
It had to happen, and with each second that past, the more he became confident with that fact. After all, it would be worth it.
Deciding to give sleep a try, Eiri scooted smoothly back under the sheets, laying his head on the pillow, just a breath away from Shuichi.
A resolution, a sacrifice for him to be safe.
With a deep sigh, Eiri was resolved with the knowledge that he would give his all; mind, sanity, everything, to save Shuichi.
xoxoxoxox
"I didn't mean to. He was going to rape me, I had to do it." Eiri whispered, eyes wide.
In his right hand he held a gun. Lying on the floor, pants and knickers to his knees, shirt unbuttoned and pushed off his shoulders, gun in right hand, and left hand in the hair of the man on top of him.
He could feel a warm liquid pooling around his head, soaking his blonde hair.
"Eiri, get up and come wash your hands."
"But I can't move."
The body on top of him was lifted off and dropped to the side with a thud. A hand was held out in front of him and he grabbed it, being pulled to his feet. Swiftly, the hands pulled up his clothes, and placed the belt back through its loops. His shirt was discarded; thrown on top of the corpse and its pool of blood. In its place came a large black sweatshirt.
"We must get out of here before the others wake up."
"Where can I go?"
"You can come with me. You can work for me, and I can keep you hidden."
Eiri nodded, not quite sure of his surroundings, not really understanding.
"I had to, he had his hands on me, in me, they all did, they were going to-"
"Stop babbling. You killed a person, so what? There are much, much worse things you could have done." Eiri fell silent and allowed the other to push his hands under the faucet of the sink, his hands being rinsed with warm water.
A sense of blank, numb darkness began to cloud around Eiri as he watched the blood and water swirl to the drain.
As his eyes went black, he smiled in the relief that he would not remember this.
Xoxoxoxox
"You thought you could escape me? You thought I wouldn't be able to find you?" Tohma sighed, yawning and kicking his feet up on his desk.
Such a pathetic portrait that lay before him.
There, on the floor, bound and gagged were the two rug rats that had tried to escape their contract, leaving their third to take over it. Which wasn't a big deal, but it was the principle of the thing.
He liked the original arraignment. The control it had given him was unusual, but very much enjoyed. Shindou-san lacked emotional backlash. The boy went blank, unmoving, unresponsive.
The man with his long, wild brown hair pulled into a loose ponytail, glared harshly at Seguchi, not moving, just sitting straight on the floor. The smaller one looked utterly defeated, kneeling on his knees with his head bowed.
"Any last requests?" The smaller one's head shot up, eyes wide and filling with tears. The other's glare fell into acceptance. The latter took a minute, but finally nodded.
Seguchi waved his hand lightly to one of the guards, who promptly walked over and removed the tape from Hiroshi's mouth.
"Allow us to unbind our hands." An odd request. No pleading? No begging? Seguchi smiled. The man knew better than that.
"Fine." It's not like they'd get far.
Their hands were released, and Hiroshi moved to kneel next to Suguru. Removing his tape, he grasped his hand.
"I love you," Suguru smiled.
"I bet you regret not going to med school now, huh?" Hiroshi shook his head and squeezed Suguru's hand harder.
"My life was, is, and forever will be, yours."
"I love you too, then."
Seguchi nodded, and simultaneously to silencers were aimed silently behind their heads.
"I feel bad now though, breaking my promise to Shuichi."Suguru nodded.
"We'll see him when it's his time."
"At least we won't ever have to see that ugly wallpaper again."
There was no sound other than the splattering of blood against the tarp laid before hand over the floor, and the thud of two bodies slumping to the ground.
Seguchi smiled, noting that their hands were still clenched.
"Clean this mess up. Take a picture before though, and place it in my filing cabinet."
xoxoxoxox
Eiri woke slowly, smiling to himself.
No nightmares.
Opening his eyes, he met the gaze of Shuichi, just inches away from him.
The blank, cold, foggy gaze.
"G'morning." Shuichi said with a yawn, turning, stretching, shaking the deep rooted pain from his appearance. Sitting up, Shuichi kicked his legs over the side of the bed, moving to the kitchen.
"I'm not sure how much food there is, but are you hungry?" Shuichi called to Eiri.
Eiri remained in the bed, watching carefully for any signs of weariness.
"Shuichi, come back over here for a minute." Shuichi looked over the fridge door, then stood and closed it.
"You're not hungry?" he questioned, although obliging to moving back towards the bed. Eiri didn't respond, merely raising the blankets and pulling Shuichi close against his chest.
Ever so gently, he laid his lips against Shuichi's, pressing, slightly pushing his mouth over his. Taking his top lip between his own, he moved with care on top of the smaller teen, blanketing him with his body.
As Shuichi began to respond, Eiri couldn't help but note that this might be the last time he got to feel like this, to feel this ecstasy.
How far will you go?
The whole of the day was spent like that. All day, the two of them, forgetting all obligations, severing all ties to the world for those hours. Shuichi didn't seem to notice Eiri's desperation, mainly focusing on ridding himself of the filth he had known.
Eiri closed his eyes, and pulled Shuichi tightly to his chest.
All the way, I'll give up it all.
The two looked up at the knock on the door.
Xoxoxox
-"I'm sorry-"
"Sorry lies between shit and syphilis in the dictionary."
"So there is no hope then?"
"No, none at all."-
End Chapter Fourteen.
Sorry. xD I just ended my Junior year on a good note, and in order to do that I had to sell my soul. And my life. Anyway, here it is. Un-beta'd. PLEASE email me if you have experience and would like the beta this story.
I WILL finish this. The end is in SIGHT I PROMISE.
I thank you, all of you, who remain faithful and read this, despite its lack of updates. This story is my pride and joy, and I do love it. 108 reviews! Woot!
The poetry? All my own. Don't touch.
The ending quote? My Auntie's. May she rest in peace.
How many people want to kill me for killing Hiroshi and Suguru? Probably a lot.
I love unnecessary angst.
Until the next time,
Peace Out.