Chapter Three: The Transformation of Friendship

"I play; you obey..."

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(A/N: This is a little bit of a prologue to the story...enjoy)

"Today in class we are going to learn about abuse. There are three types: physical, mental, and sexual. Now can anyone tell me what physical abuse is?" the teacher, Takanori-sensei, started the day's lesson in Health. The class was just before lunch, so most off the students were fidgety and restless. Saionji sat at the side of the room, staring longingly out of the window. Too much had happened to him in the past few days. He didn't feel like listening to a word of what the teacher had to say. All Saionji could do was try to block out what had happened to him the previous night.

"Physical abuse is when you get hit and stuff," answered one student.

"That's right. Does anyone know what mental abuse is?"

He continued to stare out the window as Health class went on without him. His eyes became fixed on the crowd of students running about the track that ran along the side of the building where his class was held.

"Isn't it when you get put down a lot until you start to believe it?" answered yet another student.

"Correct. Now, does anyone know what sexual abuse is?"

Amongst the crowd of PE students running along the track, one popped out to him. Long red hair and a devilish smile sent terror into Saionji's heart. The figure stopped and stared into the window, seemingly back at Saionji. He gasped out loud making the class turn to him.

"How about you Saionji? Do you have an answer?"

"I don't know. What was the question?" he smarted back to the teacher, folding his arms while some of his classmates giggled.

"What is sexual abuse?"

"Abuse or harassment?"

"Abuse, Saionji."

"Well isn't it obvious. It's when..." he paused, remembering what had happened the night before, "it's when someone uses sex as a tool to violently attack you."

"Not always, but yes, that is correct. Now I'm going to spend a little more time on this one because many of you teenagers maybe experiencing sexual abuse and don't realize it. Besides the type that occurs at the home, usually to younger children, there is a type of sexual abuse that occurs during this period of life. Maybe some of you have boyfriends or maybe even girlfriends that pressure you into sex. Maybe you don't realize that it is a problem, the person 'loves' you, so everything is going to be okay. Well, kids, it's not. If any of you are in any type of an abusive relationship: physical, mental, or sexual, please talk to your parents, your counselor, or even me."

"Sure," Saionji turned back to the window and saw nothing but the dusty track. He wanted nothing more but to get home and as far away from the school as possible. Once the bell rang he let out a long sigh, but before he could get up to leave Takayori-sensei was standing above his desk.

"Saionji, I'm a little worried. You never seem so...so...in total disregard for class."

"Can't I just be having one of the those days. I'm just having a bad day okay."

"Is anything stressing you out?"

"No, I am fine. Listen, I have a Kendo meeting to get to. Do you mind?"

"Sorry. You've just been a really good student in the past. You were at the top of the class in chemistry last year."

"Do I have to do well in all of your classes?"

"See, there you go, Saionji. Total disregard!"

"Can we talk later?"

"Fine. Have a good...rest of the day Saionji."

"Yeah, you too."

Saionji walked down the halls and into the kendo room. He didn't know why he wanted to go there, even though that's where everything had happened yesterday. But inside he stepped and let the tears flow down his face. He leaned up against the door and sobbed letting the memories fall through his fingers. He felt weak. Saionji was no longer the strong captain of the Kendo team, but a wounded man used by his only friend to their heart's content.

"Touga..." he let out a whisper, "I hate you...."

"But why?" a voice drifted in from the lockers. Saionji's eyes widened as his attention was turned forward. He knew that voice anywhere. It was always the same. From ten years ago until now, that voice remained strong, deep, and seductive. The figure in which the voice had belonged to stepped from the locker room and into the main room where Saionji stood cowering and crying.

"Touga! What are you doing here?! I thought you were in PE! Doesn't it take you guys longer to..."

"So you memorized my classes? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were stalking me," he grinned as he edged toward Saionji, blazer open and eyes targeted.

"No! I only saw you running on the track! It's outside my class," he hurriedly recovered and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Oh my dear Saionji, why are you crying? Would you like a firm shoulder to rest your weary head?"

"No! Get away from me Touga! I am not just going to play around and pretend yesterday didn't happen! Tell me! Why did you...how could you do that to me?!"

"You say it as if you didn't like it."

"I didn't! Friends don't do that Touga."

"But we are more than friends...we are...we are..."

"We are what Touga? Just what the hell are we?"

Touga smirked and pushed Saionji up against the door. His hands slid down Saionji's arms until they reached his wrists. With undeniable speed Touga pinned Saionji's arms above his head.

"Touga! Don't do this please! Please! We are friends! Aren't we supposed to care for each other?" Saionji cried, trying anything to be relieved from Touga's grasp.

"You care for me about as much as my 'father' cared for me! Don't even dare to lecture me about caring Saionji! Look what you did to the Rose Bride!"

"Shut up Touga! I'll get her back! That's none of your concern!"

And with that, Touga pressed forward, kissing Saionji forcefully upon his lips. Saionji tried desperately to pull from the kiss, but failed. Touga was stronger than him. Touga was...Touga was...crying? Saionji finally pulled away; Touga released him and leaned limp on the wall.

"Touga? Tell me, what's wrong?" Saionji ironically turned to his 'friend.'

"You wouldn't understand."

"Is it about the cabbage patch?"

Touga stood straight and returned to his simple seductive smile, "Nothing of the kind. Just a little emotional I guess."

"Touga...," Saionji found himself embracing his friend, holding him tightly, "don't cry about it. It's over. Remember when you told me the first time. You slept over at my house and we played games the whole day. Everything was better."

"Kyouichi..." Touga smiled, sharing the embrace. It was beautiful again. The eternity they had shared seemed to have returned, but neither one of them was the same as they were five years ago. Touga's smile turned quickly into a troublesome grin and Saionji's into a deep scowl of anger. "Well then, if you seem to love me so much..."

"Touga!"

"Then why not," Touga spun his friend's shoulders about until Saionji's back faced him, "you and I..."

"Touga don't! Get away from me!" Saionji pulled away and grabbed a practice sword from the rack swinging it fiercely towards Touga's brow. The hit connected and Touga gasped, he grapped a sword as well and held it towards Saionji.

"That was uncalled for."

"So was last night."

"Never mind that."

"Never mind the fact that you raped me in this very room after practice?"

Touga lunged forward striking, hitting Saionji's sword with a great clash.

"So you are the innocent victim and I am the villain, eh, Saionji? Aren't you the one who invited me to spar in the middle of the night?"

The clash separated and the two stood back from each other. Saionji poised the sword above his head and Touga held his in front of his waist.

"I only invited you to spar late at night because I couldn't sleep. Regardless...you never actually sleep anyway, so I figured it wouldn't be a problem."

"What do you mean?"

"Aren't you always up? Either with a girl, or the chairman, or maybe..."

"Maybe what?"

"I wonder? How is your father doing these days?"

Touga charged, tackling Saionji to the ground and tossing his sword to the side. He took Saionji's lapel into his hand and held one fist above his head.

"Don't you ever mention him again! Do you hear me?! DO YOU HEAR ME?!!!"

"Touga...I...I'm sorry. That was low of me," Saionji admitted.

Touga rolled off of Saionji and laid back upon the wood floor. There was a still silence through the room. The light from outside leaked in through the cracks in the blinds and lit Touga's blue eyes. Saionji gazed across the body of his friend...unsure of what he could possibly be thinking, but without hesitation he leaned over Touga's form close to the other's lips.

"Touga...I'm so sorry...and if what happened last night was because of that...because of everything...I don't mind...I deserved it..." Saionji whispered just before kissing him lightly but fully. He sustained the kiss for what seemed an eternity, until Touga's hand came upon the back of his head, taking over and deepening the kiss. This was brief and Saionji pulled back a bit and smiled. Touga grinned as usual.

"It reminds me of our first kiss. Do you remember it Kyouichi?"

"Yes. We were here; it was five years ago. We were sparing and you hit my arm. You bandaged it up like always and kissed it. Then you kissed my upper arm, then my shoulder, my neck and then my lips. And that was the first time we kissed."

"Was it your first?"

"Yes it was. Yours?"

"Well...no..."

"Who?"

"I don't want to think about it."

"Oh, I understand."

"Do you regret it, Saionji?"

"Never."

"Good. I suppose you don't regret last night then?"

"Touga! You know that was different."

"Not much different," he grinned as he pounced upon Saionji, unbuttoning the clasps of his pants.

"Touga! STOP THIS!"

"Heh...for now...there is only ten minutes left of lunch. I might as well eat a little something, food that is. Surely, one of my many admirers is searching for me somewhere with a bento box," he said as he stood from the scene and opened the door. He turned, "oh, and Saionji...fix yourself up please...highly inappropriate at school," he smiled, chuckled, and walked away leaving Saionji alone upon the wooden kendo floor.

After school, Saionji went back to Takanori-sensei's class. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he knew it was something he really needed to do.

"Oh, hey, Saionji. Everything okay?"

"Well, yes and no. I need to talk with you about something."

"What is it?"

"Well, at lunch...at lunch I was talking with a friend of mine. Well, he was telling me that (and this is where it gets a bit weird sensei)...this guy we both know, his old best friend has been treating him...well, different."

"Hmmm...so this guy you know, his old best friend..."

"Yeah, they aren't very close anymore. I think something happened, but I'm not sure what."

"Okay, I get it. Continue."

"So, my friend didn't want to tell any one, but (and that's why I can't tell you his name) his old friend...raped him. He said that it seemed like he did it for sport. So basically, I need you do give me some advice for my friend. That way I can help him out, you know?" "Of course. Well, I think that he should tell someone himself. But if not, then standing up to the other guy when he is not in a spot where that could happen again would be a good idea, then maybe things could be resolved."

"One more thing."

"Yes, Saionji?"

"Well, I know a secret about the guy's old friend. It may or may not be important as to why he did what he did."

"Tell me."

"Well, when that guy was little, I think around eight or ten or something...well, he was molested by his foster father in the cabbage patch outside his house."

"Oh my God! I'd have to say that certainly has something to do with it. Though I am not exactly sure. My guess would be that the pain and aggression toward that incident and his father was somehow transferred to your friend, so he attempted the same painful act on him."

"That makes sense. Well thank you Takanori-sensei," he spoke just before he left. And with that, Saionji knew...why Touga had raped him the night before.

Things ran through his head at vicious speeds. Pictures of the memory haunted him. He laid back in his bed forgetting about any and all homework and even Kendo practice. He couldn't function anymore. So long ago, Touga and his friendship had blossomed into something so beautiful and seemingly eternal. Then in one night, everything changed again and for the worse. He couldn't really explain the magnitude of what had transformed their friendship into a constant battle for supremacy, but it had happened...long ago. And now, just in one day, their friendship had become something even uglier. The battle had gone to far. Touga was the president; Saionji was the vise-president. Touga beat Saionji 200 times at kendo; Saionji beat Touga 175 times at kendo. Touga was a playboy whom everyone loved; Saionji was popular whom most everyone loved...for a while. Touga was everything; Saionji was something. Touga was Touga; Saionji was Touga's friend. Touga had everything just above Saionji. Save for the Rose Bride...until a few weeks ago. Then Saionji's only treasure above Touga was gone...gone. So the battlefield was reopened...and this was the result. A battle to conquer the other by the only means they had never engaged in with each other. He supposed it was bound to happen in some ways. They had at one point cared for each other in such a way. Touga had taken Saionji; Saionji had never taken Touga. And so with a grin, Saionji turned over in his greenish black sheets and snickered a bit. This new plan... this new idea of his would only help to continue the vicious cycle of their relationship.

Touga sat back in the study. His work was finished and he decided to sit back and relax in the large expanse of the study. He was never a scholar and really didn't have to do much to get A's, they were practically given to him. He unbuttoned the blazer and stretched.

"Ssssaionji..." he whispered as he stretched out on the lavish chair. His eyes sprung open, unaware of why he had whispered his best friend's name.

"I really need to go to bed earlier. I'm starting to hallucinate."

Just then the telephone rang. He leaned over to the desk and answered it.

"Hello, this is the Kiryuu Residence, may I ask who is speaking?"

"Yes. It's me. Can't you recall the voice of your father...Mr. Kiryuu?"

"Mr. Kiryuu? Father?!" he cleared his throat, in total shock, "what do you want?"

"Just to call and see how you and your sister were. It's been years now since you and Nanami joined the ranks of Ohtori."

"Yes, you and mother lived here with us in this estate back then. Not that I protest at all, but why did you two move away and leave us the estate?"

"These are matters not for your ears my beautiful son. Do tell me...your hair, you have not cut it?"

"Why should it matter? Why don't you go ahead and ask me what I'm wearing?!" he screamed into the receiver and hung it up with a clash.

He received one of those calls about once or twice every year. Five years ago, his mother forced his father to move away from the estate with her. He assumed she had found out about everything, but didn't want to ring suspicion and ruin her family's rank in society. They moved to a fashionable city on the other side of Japan, but he didn't care. Not in the least.

He picked up the phone once again and dialed, "Saionji...if only we could be friends like we used to...I wish I could talk with..."

Saionji picked up the phone, "Hello? Who is this?"

Touga froze and hung up. They weren't friends like that anymore...and he figured they never would be. He stretched and tried to relax again as the phone began to ring once more.

"Hello, this is the Kiryuu Residence, may I ask who is call—"

"Touga?!" Saionji's voice rang out.

"Um...yes? Why are you calling me at this hour? Would you like me to come over?" he snickered.

"No! I just received a call a few seconds ago. No one answered even after I screamed 'hello' into the phone. So guess what I did Touga? I *69'ed them. And would you believe who answered the phone?"

"Funny Saionji. I get it. But I only dialed the wrong number."

"Oh, really. Then why wasn't your phone busy then? It wouldn't make sense if you called a wrong number then gave up. You must have had someone you had to call?"

"Leave it alone Saionji."

"I don't think I will. I think you called me. Just admit it."

"It was the wrong number Saionji. Get over it," he said forcefully as he hung up on Saionji. Saionji could do nothing but laugh. He had won that one, and Touga had lost miserably. However Saionji did continue to wonder why Touga would have called him.

They both fell asleep...they both thought of the other...

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"...Midnight Celebration." –Hyde