Chapter 5: Papercut (Rage Against the Machine and Hybrid Theory all the way!)
(Well, dinner isn't gonna happen 'till my oven is clear from others' debris, so I'm startin early. Apparently this time the closing note will be the big one, since I'll be responding to reviews in IT when I get there tomorrow. If I'm not shot for the last chapter I wrote. So, enjoy, although I make no promises to Aoshi/Misao fans, this is all about OC and Katsu. Enjoy it anyway!)
(The last Haiku failed
to disclaim, so here goes:
I don't own RK)
Darkness. Peace. Soft, yeilding-notebook. Fine. Notebook. Not pillow. But not desk. For once.
Faint voices called his name. "Jaaaaaack."
Slurred, then sharper and sharper, but still muffled, until-
"JACKSON!!"
Jack flew upright, smacking his head against the wall behind him and cursing viciously in a bastardized mix of German, archaic Japanese, and several made-up languages he used for incomprehensible profanity.
"I understood some of that German, by the way, but if you could just read us number 14 in the Latin I'll forgive the remarks about bestiality." Said the Latin teacher, Jiya, as his merciless gaze swept Jack's deep-bagged, red-rimmed eyes.
Cursing softly, now in Mandarin with bits of gutter Portugese, Jack began the long search for his paper. And he needed his pen to fondle. Kuso (back to Japanese), had he done 14? And had he lost another pen? The class was staring. And snickering. God how he hated them. And what about that girl, in the corner there, giggling with the rest, damn her
Hyperventilating. Gotta get out. To much running through mind, to fast, nothing working, nothing good,
"Pass, Mr. Jiya. Musta forgotten that one."
Class laughing openly now. Girl calmer, but not by much. Hate life. Hate everyone. Ma De Dan, where's that friggin' pen? Need it, need something, so friggin hot
Jack pressed his forehead to the desk, relishing the chill against his feverish brow. AHHHH.
Breathe. One at a time.
It was like he was ducking underwater to avoid a swarm of malaria-infested mosquitoes. He could only hold his breath so long, and hiding didn't make them leave. Shieysta
These little thingsI should be able to ignore them, deal with thembut somehow they're all stacking up, and they won't go away, even when they're done it's like they're still bothering meonly one thing for it
Slowly raising his head, he spotted the pen on the floor, and his life began again
*
Head. Locker. Felt goooood
"Hey."
More invented mental profanity. Had to look. See who it was.
Would rather not.
"Hi. Don't feel like moving. Please leave message after beep." Jack cursed foully. Again.
Giggle. Aww crap. Girl from classKaoru? Yeah. Kaoru. "Just, you knowI know you smacked your head against that wall pretty hardand you look tired, and sorta sick andI'm sorry I laughed. You just sorta looked funny, even though I know it hurt." She grinned sheepishly. "Still speak to me?"
Hope you don't expect it to be censored, puta. "Umm. Sure. Don't worry about. It. Yeah. I'm ok. Frickin peachy. Shoo, shoo, I like missing classes, but you have a GPA to maintain. Get to class."
She smiled, and turned "You sure? You look like hell" She caught his wince. "I mean, usually you look petty cu-I mean-"
"Heh. It's ok. Hurry on ahead. Tell the teacher I'm melting lockers with my mind."
The girl grinned and hustled along. As soon as she left, with her smiles and her apologies and her care-
Kuso. The thoughts were back. Nothing for it but to try and find that homework. Can't afford to fail Latin THIS semester
*
Ahh, the only class I'm gonna pass! Art!
Sano's domain opened before him, the scuplting tools, the brushes and paints and oils and the sheets and sheets of canvas and paper, and most of all the pictures and the tiny statues everywhere, hanging from walls and ceilings
Home.
New faces assailed him, however, in the midst of the only familiarity he felt in the school outside he and Kenshin's boarded-up bathroom.
"Mr. Sagara! So nice of you to join us, a mere 4 minutes after the bell!" Sano gave the art teacher, Mrs. Yumi, and enthused look until she broke down into a grin. "Just playin with you, kiddo, you're on time for now."
Only teacher who's ever told a joke that wasn't openly at my expense. "I need you to baby-sit some new-comers though, so I hope your masterpieces can take a day off."
Sanosuke followed the volupturous woman's dainty finger to a table, where the two new faces from before awaited.
"Sure, Miss Yumi. Consider them taken care of." The teacher grinned, and wandered off to a table stuffed with repeat-offender backpack flippers.
New face number one was topped with spiky black hair and covered with a dark tan. It also probably came up to Sano's belly-button. The boy tapped one foot impatiently, and his dark orbs explored the room constantly, meeting everyone's eyes and not breaking away until they did.
New face two was pale and elegant, with dripping black bangs and blue eyes that focused on the task of inscribing a new and meaningless ideogram on his arm with a pen. With light strokes he described one more squiggly line, and lifted his gaze to look at Sano, who was inspecting the strange character the new boy had just finished.
"Very nice. Mean anything?" He asked, indicating the slowly spreading ink, which was running into the invisible creases of the skin, producing a very cool effect.
"Not a clue." The pale boy rose, and offered his hand. "Katsuhiro. The short one who's been bothering me all day is Yahiko."
Yahiko threw Sano a look, snorted, and returned to gazing around the room. "Ahh, the little one doesn't want to talk to me? Well I'll live just fine without ya, got all the damn midgets I need around here."
Sano slid a stool over to Katsu, who was admiring one of the large canvases suspended high above the room. "Wow, who did that one?" He asked, pointing to the sweeping view of a massive, half-naked Atlas, who crumpled under the weight of a normal-looking backpack, tiny on his wide shoulders. The irony was poignant, if club-handed.
"That'd be me. Like it?" Sano stared with him, but gazed out of the corner of one eye at the lanky boy admiring his work.
"It'sincredible. Subject matter aside the drawing is beautiful, and the way you built up all the power and skill of artistry to the puny backpack is just funny as hell." Katsu turned back to the artist. "You really drew this?"
Sano practically puffed in pride. I love it I love it I love it, getting praise is the only reason I think I bother drawing sometimes "Yope. To silly for the galleries, but I got Mrs. Yumi to shove it on the ceiling just for laughs."
Katsu grinned widely. "That's incredible mantell me about the class? I wanna draw like this too you know!"
Sanosuke smiled. "Fine, Katsuhirowhere to start?"
*
An incredible talent writhed and danced and swung his glistening spikes around in wildly gyrating patterns, strumming with intensity at his guitar.
If you are the light post
Then you own the working cla-assss
But if you want the answers
YOU'D BETTER GIVE A PIECE OF YOUR AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSS!!!
Yahiko screamed incoherently and flung his slight body around his room to the brutal bass riffs. It was actually a fairly impressive performanceif he were a couple feet taller
His older sister Kaoru sat enraptured, at first tempted to snicker, but then seriously considering applauds. Wowyou knowhe's actually pretty goodknows his System of a Down too.
Needs a real guitar though. That broom isn't gonna take him far
*
Yahiko, lost in the bass line of his new piece (System of a Down, Peephole), which blared out of the massive speakers stacked on the otherwise-unused desk, never noticed his audience.
Kaoru, who wouldn't dare actually laugh at the spasmic dance piece Yahiko was even now forcing his poor, abused spine through, had no compunction about sharing this new-found performance genius.
Misao had no such qualms about laughing, and it was a very good thing that Yahiko had recently discovered the stereo's built-in EQ. The thumping from the drums destroyed any noise that wasn't actually explosive. And Misao's laughs came close anyway.
But soon even she quieted down, as Yahiko switched CDs to some rap, and tore up an imaginary stage in a very impressive way.
"I gotta admit," She whispered to Kaoru "he's pretty damn good!"
"Yeahwe should really try to spread this young genius's fame, build him a rep. It's the least I can do for my little brother"
Misao laughed again, and this time Kaoru joined in.
It was not a pleasant laugh
*
Kaoru was walking from Latin the next day when she heard a loud bang behind her. Spinning, she saw Jack, again pressing his forehead against a locker. I hope he's okoh, he's getting up, it's alright!
BANG.
Kaoru sprang forward, but Jack seemed to be ready for another smack at his metal foe, as he drew back his head again-
Only to have his unruly mane seized into a cruel ponytail.
Kaoru was actually sort of startled. It's a lot softer and CLEANER than it looks she thought, more used to the image of Jack's hair as a tangled brown waterfall, cascading to his shoulders in a mass of knots.
"I'm rather attached to that, you know," Said Jack. "May I have it back?"
"Not if you're going to be pounding it against walls." Kaoru unconsciously drew her pale fingers through the chestnut mass, viciously extracting tangles. "It'd be a shame to lose this HAIR" She murmured.
Shelikes my hair?
Sweet!
"Wait a second, I think I have a combyeah, here we go." Kaoru dragged the comb through Jack's hair, as the boy himself slumped against the locker, humming tunelessly.
Ilike it when people play with my hair
Finishing the long, silky back, Kaoru remembered a trick Misao had mentioned, which she had taken a death-oath never to share with anyone else. Yeah right! Anyway, which was it-there!
The dark haired girl rubbed softly at a vertebra at the base of Jack's neck, gently massaging it. Her victim lost all muscle control and started to purr.
Ahhthat's niceNO! DON'T STOP! DAMMIT!
Mewling pitifully as she pulled away, Jack pathetically tried to find the sweet spot again. "Oh don't bother, it's a special little techniqueerr, sorry I hijacked your hair." She giggled. "It's really nice now"
Jack gaped after her, feeling the long shag he prided himself on in separate strand for perhaps the first time in months.
"Well, see you next period! No more smashing lockers, silly!" She waved and skipped off to class.
Jack stared after her, his other concerns forgotten, and decided to laugh at Misao's professions undying love a little less.
*
Kenshin, still smarting a little from the last time the little gang of homophobes had trapped him away from the staff, knocked on Sano's door, sure that the taller boy would make him feel better when nothing else could.
SighI love him so muchno matter what those intolerant little-damn, now I sound like Jack! Really though, he'sspecial to me. Not like anyone else
Where the hell IS he though?
Kenshin craned his neck to peer though the door's window, looking for his boyfriend's characteristic forest of spikes proceeding through the hall.
It came, but it came with company.
"Heya Kenshin, come on incaught me an Katsu in a game of HALO" The shorter boy trailed Sano to the big-screen TV, where a lanky pale boy was curled around a pair of long-fingered hands, clutching the big X-box controller.
The pile of bleached bones arose, and extended one of those delicate hands to the redhead. "Hello, Kenshin. Sano tells me you play this damn gamecare to give it a shot?" He winked a dark eye. "I think he's a little tired of me attaching those plasma grenades to him"
Kenshin blinked at the greeting, unexpected coming from someone who appeared sodead. Looking at the scrawny, elegant kid offering a hand and a controller, he felt
Threatened?
"Hi, Katsuhiro, Sano's mentioned you as the only other even slightly talented person in his art classand I'd be glad to give you a little competition in the game of kings here." Pasting on his biggest, fake-est smile, Kenshin accepted the gauntlet on the left and the handshake on the right.
I don't know WHY I don't like him, but this seems to be a healthy way to work it out
*
Twenty-five frags later
MUST RESTRAIN JACK VOCABULARY
Kenshin had already lost it a few times, although so far he had managed to confine his tantrums to quiet muttering in different (and sometimes imaginary) languages. I think Katsuhiro caught some of that French though
If he HAD caught it he had re-paid with interest by means of brutally placed grenades, and camping with the sniper rifle (DAMN HIM AND HIS 10X ZOOM!!). The normally cool-headed (if firey-haired), Kenshin was very close to snapping. I come over for a little tender loving care, and instead I get 14.5 calibers in the head!
As the final scores popped up (The Ineffable:17 kills, 25 deaths, Sexy Zechsy: 25 kills, 17 deaths), Kenshin renewed the failing plastic smile, and congratulated Katsu on his victory through clenched teeth. You'd best hope I don't get my hands on a REAL pistol
Sensing a change in the average temperature of the room, Sano offered to go grab drinks for the combatants before he joined in next round, and Kenshin left Katsu to try the 'Library' level on solo for a moment. I called it a challengepoor fool. That level is impossible for ANYONE alone!
Explosions and faint cursing from Katsu followed him down the stairs to the fridge, where Sanosuke extracted a trio of Vanilla Cokes, Wrapping his hands around that strong waist, Kenshin buried his face in his boyfriend's neck and sighed softly
But Sano just stiffened. "Sano?"
"Ummsorry. I'm just afraid of Katsufinding out. 'Bout us. You knowyou were right about not telling people. He's a good friend, I don't want him to be scared off"
All Kenshin could hear was Sano choosing Katsu over him.
And it hurt.
(Whew, a nice long one! Review me or die! I really need a little support, reading seems to be sucking down more of my life than writing nowand sometimes I do other stuff too. Peace, people! Oh, and I'm sorry if Aoshi seems OOC, I WAS trying to keep him inI mean, he is pretty cool about it, but he HAS feelings for Misao, neh? Otheriwse he would have cut her down after his fight with Jiya. He's gonna express them somehow, I figured the way I went was best. If you disagree, write your own, you lazy-ok, sumimasen, gomen nasai, havent been sleeping enough. Tell me what you think of t3h uber-long chapter, sorry it took so long, bought Samurai X movie. Had to watch it both ways (subs and dubs) before I sent it off to Koishii. Who I love, btw. L8r!)