Hair?
Eiri pushed a couple loose strands back down and put just a touch of gel on it to keep it in place.
Teeth?
Eiri brushed his teeth hard, making sure to get every section. Then he used some minty mouth wash just to make sure his breath smelled nice.
Clothes?
Eiri pulled down the edge of his blue wool sweater and adjusted the stiff collar of the white shirt underneath.
Everything was perfect.
Today was going to be perfect.
***************************************
Broken Doll by Tenshi
Part 3 of 3
***************************************
Eiri double checked everything one last time. Today was his big chance with Sensei. It would be just the two of them, alone, no interruptions. He could tell Sensei how he felt. He would be strong and express himself, because Sensei had encouraged him. Sensei had told him that everything was the result of his will. He could control his life if he wanted to.
Eiri wanted a life with Sensei.
"Eiri-kun!"
"Yes?" Eiri left the bathroom and walked to the kitchen where Tohma was eating breakfast.
"Are you ready for today? Kitazawa will be here any minute." The word "Kitazawa" coming from Tohma seemed like such a dirty thing. Eiri frowned and sat down at the table.
"Yes, I'm ready."
"Where is Shuuichi?"
Eiri pointed towards the doorway. "In my backpack already by the front door. I also packed my lunch and made sure my keys are in there too."
Tohma sighed. "Okay then. Just behave yourself today and if he does anything to you..."
The doorbell rang. Eiri quickly rushed over and opened the door. "Hello Sensei! Today is going to be a wonderful day, isn't it?"
Yuki stepped inside and nodded. "I can't wait to show Yoshiki Angelic Layer. I think he'll enjoy it."
"Yoshiki?" Eiri puzzled over the unfamiliar name.
"Yeah." Yuki motioned behind and a small, skinny boy walked through the doorway and politely bowed. "This is my younger brother Yoshiki. You guys have met before. Remember when we went to the Aquarium?" Eiri remembered the trip... but he certainly didn't remember any younger brother. And besides! Today was supposed to be his special day with Sensei! Having a little tagalong would ruin everything!
"Isn't Yoshiki a little young for Angelic Layer?" Eiri tried to lie. Maybe it'd be possible for Yoshiki to stay in the house with Tohma for the day. Then again, Tohma probably wouldn't agree to do anything nice for Yuki.
"Nah, he's older than your brother Tatsuha-kun. I think Yoshiki will pick it up fast too."
"Oh... okay..."
Eiri picked up his backpack and waved good-bye to Tohma. "Bye Tohma-san!"
"Bye Eiri-kun. Be back by 6 o'clock, OK?"
"6?! But the main tournament won't even start until 5!"
"7 o'clock then."
"But..."
Yuki stepped in. "Don't worry. I'll make sure to have Eiri-kun home by 7 o'clock." Tohma muttered "you better" under his breath and then waved good-bye.
----
The walk to the new Piffle Princess store was unbearably quiet. Everyone seemed to be thinking about their own situation. Poor Yoshiki was painfully aware that Eiri didn't want him there, but his brother had insisted that he come along. Yuki was happy to guide his student into a hobby that would be appropriate for a boy his age. There was finally something he could do besides study. Maybe this would be the start to brand new Eiri, an Eiri that had comics and posters and dirty clothes on the floor.
Eiri was another story. He trailed behind the two Kitazawa brothers. It seemed impossible to do what he wanted now. It was hard enough getting up the courage to talk with Sensei, but now that his little brother was along too? Eiri looked at Yoshiki. He had the same color hair and eyes as Sensei. Part of him wondered if that's what Sensei looked like when he was younger. It was almost... cute. But Eiri was still mad at Yoshiki for ruining his day. When he noticed that Yoshiki had caught him staring, he gave the small boy a sneer and Yoshiki quickly looked away.
Eiri made up his mind. There was no way he was going to let a small pipsqueek ruin his day. It may be more difficult, but if Eiri tried hard, today could be just as special and wonderful as he had planned. Eiri rummaged through his backpack and pulled out Shuuichi. Then he ran to catch up with Yuki and started walking next to him.
"Hey Sensei..."
"Yes Eiri-kun?" Yuki looked down at Eiri. His face was semi-flush. It was good to see his pupil so excited about today.
Eiri held up Shuuichi. "Do you think Yoshiki might want to take a look at Shuuichi for a moment?"
"I bet he would." Yuki took the small doll from Eiri and showed it to Yoshiki. "This is Shuuichi, okay? Take good care of him. Maybe Shuuichi can be your friend too." Yoshiki smiled and took the doll. Since he was busy thinking about the doll, he walked slower. Now Eiri and Yuki were just a little more alone than before.
"Sensei?"
"Yes?"
"You know how you told me I need to take control of my actions? I want to start doing that. I want to start today."
"That's great Eiri-kun. Today you'll meet all sorts of other people who like Angelic Layer too. Maybe you'll finally make some friends here. Your English isn't anything like when you first moved here, so I'm sure it'll be easy for you to communicate."
"That's... not really want I meant."
The two came to the end of the sidewalk. The crosswalk signal was red so they stood there at the corner looking at each other.
"Eiri..." Yuki felt disappointed. Maybe he hadn't been so successful in redirecting Eiri's feelings.
"Sensei..." Eiri looked straight up at his teacher. Those eyes were always so honest, and right now they had that perfect touch of sadness. That look of some secret that Eiri desperately wanted to be a part of.
The light changed and Yuki started to cross. "Come on." he motioned.
Eiri refused to cross. If he didn't do it now...
"SENSEI GA SUKI!" Eiri yelled. The tears started to run down his eyes. Everything was in his control. He just had to believe. He just had to...
notice
...that his teacher, his beloved teacher of three years with beautiful hair and eyes, with the brightest smile and sense of humor...
was shaking his head. He wasn't saying anything. He just stood in the middle of the road, shaking his head.
Eiri refused to be refused. "I love you Sensei!" Eiri began to cross the street; his voice wavering slightly. "You said I had to control my actions and control my feelings. And I am! I'm..." But the teacher just kept shaking his head.
It wasn't fair.
Eiri shook his head rapidly back and forth. It wasn't fair. Sensei had lied to him! He heard screaming. It's my own voice, he thought to himself. It must be. This wasn't the way it was meant to be! How could live... How could he even go forward knowing that his teacher just didn't... It wasn't fair. It couldn't be like this. He couldn't bear to see his teacher each day if... Eiri wiped some tears from his eyes and looked down at his feet.
Shuuichi was lying on the street. The left arm was bending back in an unusual, tortured sort of way. Eiri quickly picked up the doll and looked around for Yoshiki. "Yoshiki!! What have you done to Shuuichi!!" As the words left his mouth, he could hear Yoshiki screaming. It hadn't been his voice. Why was Yoshiki screaming?
He looked at the street again. There was a tiny trail of a dark, thick liquid finding its way to the curb. Eiri fell on his knees and refused to believe. There was a car. It was stopped in the middle of the street. There was a boy. He was sobbing and shaking a lifeless body. There was a teacher, and there was a teacher no more. The crosswalk signal was red. It was Eiri's fault.
"It's my fault," he whispered.
He had caused Yuki to stop in the middle of the street. He had distracted him. It was his fault.
"my fault..."
Eiri burst into tears and started to scream like Yoshiki. "It's my fault!!!"
----
Eiri sat on the sidewalk hugging his knees. An ambulance was taking its time doing its job as he, Yoshiki, and Tohma watched. Tohma was holding Eiri tightly. It kind of hurt but it was okay. It was his fault anyway. He had killed his teacher. If he hadn't done what he had done, none of this would have happened. Tohma was whispering to him that everything would be fine. It wouldn't be. Tohma wasn't very good at lying.
Eiri looked around at some of the people that had stopped to stare. They were pathetic. Maybe more so than he was. No...he stopped himself. It was my fault. There are none lower. There were two elderly ladies making chit chat about how slow things were going.
"Did you see him before?"
"Oh yes," the other replied, "It was quite gruesome."
"He was almost like a broken doll."
Eiri pulled himself away from Tohma and threw up over the sidewalk.
----
"They said he looked like a broken doll?" The $500 an hour psychiatrist made another mark in her notebook.
"Yes. That's what they said."
"Why do you think they said that?"
"Because he did."
"What did you do with Shuuichi after that?"
"I threw him away. Can... no... I'm leaving." Yuki Eiri got up from his seat and put on his coat. He threw a few bills on the chair and then walked out of the office. He continued walking out the hospital, down the block, and wound up in a deserted park.
It was already late at night. Those stupid clinics were always behind schedule. He found a bench and proceeded to light up a cigarette. He tried to calm down. He didn't want to remember that day. Why did those so-called therapists always want to talk about the same day? Eiri took another puff.
It was true that he had thrown the broken toy away. It seemed sad at the time. He threw away everything with that doll. He'd no longer act like a spoiled child. He wanted to go back to Japan. He'd become a writer. A romance novel writer even. Which was as absurd as anything else in his loveless life. There had been women since then. Plenty of women. The needy kind that expected he'd be as sweet and generous and caring as the men in his novels. They were all disappointed, and he didn't really care. For a brief moment, Eiri almost wished he had that doll back. He wanted it back. Everything.
Eiri stood up and stretched. It was time to go back home. There was beer at home and better cigarettes than those he could buy in a vending machine. He started to walk forward when he stepped on a small piece of paper. He picked it up and frowned.
"Love's not like that. It's not sugary sweet. It's not intimate moments in dark rooms."
He took a second to laugh as he continued to read the little lyrics sheet in his hands.
"You'd think you'd never had sex. But let me tell you one thing. There's no such thing as fate."
He looked up.
"Fuck."
~The End~
Author's Notes: Okay, so I am a flake!! . I didn't like my original ending and I couldn't think of a better one... and then I got a few more reviews and felt like I should really finish it! So... here's the ending... Thanks for reading :)
Eiri pushed a couple loose strands back down and put just a touch of gel on it to keep it in place.
Teeth?
Eiri brushed his teeth hard, making sure to get every section. Then he used some minty mouth wash just to make sure his breath smelled nice.
Clothes?
Eiri pulled down the edge of his blue wool sweater and adjusted the stiff collar of the white shirt underneath.
Everything was perfect.
Today was going to be perfect.
***************************************
Broken Doll by Tenshi
Part 3 of 3
***************************************
Eiri double checked everything one last time. Today was his big chance with Sensei. It would be just the two of them, alone, no interruptions. He could tell Sensei how he felt. He would be strong and express himself, because Sensei had encouraged him. Sensei had told him that everything was the result of his will. He could control his life if he wanted to.
Eiri wanted a life with Sensei.
"Eiri-kun!"
"Yes?" Eiri left the bathroom and walked to the kitchen where Tohma was eating breakfast.
"Are you ready for today? Kitazawa will be here any minute." The word "Kitazawa" coming from Tohma seemed like such a dirty thing. Eiri frowned and sat down at the table.
"Yes, I'm ready."
"Where is Shuuichi?"
Eiri pointed towards the doorway. "In my backpack already by the front door. I also packed my lunch and made sure my keys are in there too."
Tohma sighed. "Okay then. Just behave yourself today and if he does anything to you..."
The doorbell rang. Eiri quickly rushed over and opened the door. "Hello Sensei! Today is going to be a wonderful day, isn't it?"
Yuki stepped inside and nodded. "I can't wait to show Yoshiki Angelic Layer. I think he'll enjoy it."
"Yoshiki?" Eiri puzzled over the unfamiliar name.
"Yeah." Yuki motioned behind and a small, skinny boy walked through the doorway and politely bowed. "This is my younger brother Yoshiki. You guys have met before. Remember when we went to the Aquarium?" Eiri remembered the trip... but he certainly didn't remember any younger brother. And besides! Today was supposed to be his special day with Sensei! Having a little tagalong would ruin everything!
"Isn't Yoshiki a little young for Angelic Layer?" Eiri tried to lie. Maybe it'd be possible for Yoshiki to stay in the house with Tohma for the day. Then again, Tohma probably wouldn't agree to do anything nice for Yuki.
"Nah, he's older than your brother Tatsuha-kun. I think Yoshiki will pick it up fast too."
"Oh... okay..."
Eiri picked up his backpack and waved good-bye to Tohma. "Bye Tohma-san!"
"Bye Eiri-kun. Be back by 6 o'clock, OK?"
"6?! But the main tournament won't even start until 5!"
"7 o'clock then."
"But..."
Yuki stepped in. "Don't worry. I'll make sure to have Eiri-kun home by 7 o'clock." Tohma muttered "you better" under his breath and then waved good-bye.
----
The walk to the new Piffle Princess store was unbearably quiet. Everyone seemed to be thinking about their own situation. Poor Yoshiki was painfully aware that Eiri didn't want him there, but his brother had insisted that he come along. Yuki was happy to guide his student into a hobby that would be appropriate for a boy his age. There was finally something he could do besides study. Maybe this would be the start to brand new Eiri, an Eiri that had comics and posters and dirty clothes on the floor.
Eiri was another story. He trailed behind the two Kitazawa brothers. It seemed impossible to do what he wanted now. It was hard enough getting up the courage to talk with Sensei, but now that his little brother was along too? Eiri looked at Yoshiki. He had the same color hair and eyes as Sensei. Part of him wondered if that's what Sensei looked like when he was younger. It was almost... cute. But Eiri was still mad at Yoshiki for ruining his day. When he noticed that Yoshiki had caught him staring, he gave the small boy a sneer and Yoshiki quickly looked away.
Eiri made up his mind. There was no way he was going to let a small pipsqueek ruin his day. It may be more difficult, but if Eiri tried hard, today could be just as special and wonderful as he had planned. Eiri rummaged through his backpack and pulled out Shuuichi. Then he ran to catch up with Yuki and started walking next to him.
"Hey Sensei..."
"Yes Eiri-kun?" Yuki looked down at Eiri. His face was semi-flush. It was good to see his pupil so excited about today.
Eiri held up Shuuichi. "Do you think Yoshiki might want to take a look at Shuuichi for a moment?"
"I bet he would." Yuki took the small doll from Eiri and showed it to Yoshiki. "This is Shuuichi, okay? Take good care of him. Maybe Shuuichi can be your friend too." Yoshiki smiled and took the doll. Since he was busy thinking about the doll, he walked slower. Now Eiri and Yuki were just a little more alone than before.
"Sensei?"
"Yes?"
"You know how you told me I need to take control of my actions? I want to start doing that. I want to start today."
"That's great Eiri-kun. Today you'll meet all sorts of other people who like Angelic Layer too. Maybe you'll finally make some friends here. Your English isn't anything like when you first moved here, so I'm sure it'll be easy for you to communicate."
"That's... not really want I meant."
The two came to the end of the sidewalk. The crosswalk signal was red so they stood there at the corner looking at each other.
"Eiri..." Yuki felt disappointed. Maybe he hadn't been so successful in redirecting Eiri's feelings.
"Sensei..." Eiri looked straight up at his teacher. Those eyes were always so honest, and right now they had that perfect touch of sadness. That look of some secret that Eiri desperately wanted to be a part of.
The light changed and Yuki started to cross. "Come on." he motioned.
Eiri refused to cross. If he didn't do it now...
"SENSEI GA SUKI!" Eiri yelled. The tears started to run down his eyes. Everything was in his control. He just had to believe. He just had to...
notice
...that his teacher, his beloved teacher of three years with beautiful hair and eyes, with the brightest smile and sense of humor...
was shaking his head. He wasn't saying anything. He just stood in the middle of the road, shaking his head.
Eiri refused to be refused. "I love you Sensei!" Eiri began to cross the street; his voice wavering slightly. "You said I had to control my actions and control my feelings. And I am! I'm..." But the teacher just kept shaking his head.
It wasn't fair.
Eiri shook his head rapidly back and forth. It wasn't fair. Sensei had lied to him! He heard screaming. It's my own voice, he thought to himself. It must be. This wasn't the way it was meant to be! How could live... How could he even go forward knowing that his teacher just didn't... It wasn't fair. It couldn't be like this. He couldn't bear to see his teacher each day if... Eiri wiped some tears from his eyes and looked down at his feet.
Shuuichi was lying on the street. The left arm was bending back in an unusual, tortured sort of way. Eiri quickly picked up the doll and looked around for Yoshiki. "Yoshiki!! What have you done to Shuuichi!!" As the words left his mouth, he could hear Yoshiki screaming. It hadn't been his voice. Why was Yoshiki screaming?
He looked at the street again. There was a tiny trail of a dark, thick liquid finding its way to the curb. Eiri fell on his knees and refused to believe. There was a car. It was stopped in the middle of the street. There was a boy. He was sobbing and shaking a lifeless body. There was a teacher, and there was a teacher no more. The crosswalk signal was red. It was Eiri's fault.
"It's my fault," he whispered.
He had caused Yuki to stop in the middle of the street. He had distracted him. It was his fault.
"my fault..."
Eiri burst into tears and started to scream like Yoshiki. "It's my fault!!!"
----
Eiri sat on the sidewalk hugging his knees. An ambulance was taking its time doing its job as he, Yoshiki, and Tohma watched. Tohma was holding Eiri tightly. It kind of hurt but it was okay. It was his fault anyway. He had killed his teacher. If he hadn't done what he had done, none of this would have happened. Tohma was whispering to him that everything would be fine. It wouldn't be. Tohma wasn't very good at lying.
Eiri looked around at some of the people that had stopped to stare. They were pathetic. Maybe more so than he was. No...he stopped himself. It was my fault. There are none lower. There were two elderly ladies making chit chat about how slow things were going.
"Did you see him before?"
"Oh yes," the other replied, "It was quite gruesome."
"He was almost like a broken doll."
Eiri pulled himself away from Tohma and threw up over the sidewalk.
----
"They said he looked like a broken doll?" The $500 an hour psychiatrist made another mark in her notebook.
"Yes. That's what they said."
"Why do you think they said that?"
"Because he did."
"What did you do with Shuuichi after that?"
"I threw him away. Can... no... I'm leaving." Yuki Eiri got up from his seat and put on his coat. He threw a few bills on the chair and then walked out of the office. He continued walking out the hospital, down the block, and wound up in a deserted park.
It was already late at night. Those stupid clinics were always behind schedule. He found a bench and proceeded to light up a cigarette. He tried to calm down. He didn't want to remember that day. Why did those so-called therapists always want to talk about the same day? Eiri took another puff.
It was true that he had thrown the broken toy away. It seemed sad at the time. He threw away everything with that doll. He'd no longer act like a spoiled child. He wanted to go back to Japan. He'd become a writer. A romance novel writer even. Which was as absurd as anything else in his loveless life. There had been women since then. Plenty of women. The needy kind that expected he'd be as sweet and generous and caring as the men in his novels. They were all disappointed, and he didn't really care. For a brief moment, Eiri almost wished he had that doll back. He wanted it back. Everything.
Eiri stood up and stretched. It was time to go back home. There was beer at home and better cigarettes than those he could buy in a vending machine. He started to walk forward when he stepped on a small piece of paper. He picked it up and frowned.
"Love's not like that. It's not sugary sweet. It's not intimate moments in dark rooms."
He took a second to laugh as he continued to read the little lyrics sheet in his hands.
"You'd think you'd never had sex. But let me tell you one thing. There's no such thing as fate."
He looked up.
"Fuck."
~The End~
Author's Notes: Okay, so I am a flake!! . I didn't like my original ending and I couldn't think of a better one... and then I got a few more reviews and felt like I should really finish it! So... here's the ending... Thanks for reading :)