High School Crushes are for Wimps

Aoshi did nothing but stare down at Misao's pale wrist, his eyes blinking several times even though nothing came forth from his lips. What could he say? Misao was after all kneeling before him showing something that obviously no one knew about. He watched silently as Misao retreated her wrist back towards her lap and covered it with her other hand. She seemed so afraid, so lost now that Aoshi's lips parted without his consent and the first thing he ever thought of slipped through,

"I'm sorry Misao…" Ocean blue eyes blinked widely into his gaze, bright emotions flicking forth but they were soon controlled and would never be revealed aloud. Aoshi observed as Misao got up and sat on her lounge, her legs being hugged to her chest as she turned her head away from him in embarrassment. Again he had called her Misao and not Makimachi. That had more impact on her, which Misao did not like at all. Why had she done what she did? Why did she have to show him of all people one of her scars? Why?

"I…had no idea…that you too…" Aoshi shook his head as he still sat on the carpet in Misao's place. He was lost for words. Of all the people that could ever relate to him in anyway, the Ice Queen at his high school was not the first person Aoshi would think of. Would it be so wrong though? Would it be so wrong to confide in someone like her? She would not tell a soul, for he too knew of one of her own secrets…

Suicide…

"You…cut yourself wrong…" His ears picked up Misao's muffled voice, she still curled up on her lounge and facing away from him.

"As did you, but I was quite young…quite alone back then and knew nothing…" Aoshi responded quietly from the floor and heard a muffled 'hai' escape Misao's lips in a rush. Was she really alone as well? Aoshi was mentally slapping himself for thinking on that question. Of course she was alone! Although he had his father, an abusive man, it still meant he had family…whereas Misao did not. Not a soul surrounded her, comforted her. Of course Aoshi's own father would do no such thing as to comfort him if he needed it, but he had friends that he could confide in if he ever wanted to whereas Misao…had none.

"So what happens now?" Aoshi's own voice fell flat once more. At such a time like this, what was one to say? Aoshi had no words and clearly Misao had none either. She sat on her couch, hugging herself tightly, but still the only thing that could be heard was the heater blowing warm air into the room.

"I think…school is out for today. It would be strange if both of us turned up late." Misao finally mumbled and Aoshi nodded his head silently, even though Misao never saw him agree. An immense thickness hung in the air around them once more.

"Is it okay if…" Aoshi died off when ocean blue eyes locked onto his gaze.

"If what?" She asked just above a whisper.

"If I could stay…just a little longer… I won't bother you…I promise." Misao blinked her eyes at Aoshi. Here they were, a sixteen year old being asked by an eighteen year old, an adult whether he'd be able to stay in the confines of her apartment then go out into the harsh world. Just what was the world coming to?

"Of course…and besides, we've got an assignment to do remember?" Misao quickly added. She had seen a splash of gratefulness rush over green-grey eyes but it fled them just as it was discovered.

"Right… I have my bag her after all, so how about we start making up a speech?"

"I'll get my stuff." Misao spoke and stood up heading for her bedroom door, which was closed. While waiting Aoshi decided to look around, mainly for the fact he really wanted another hot chocolate and decided to make his "hostess" one as well.

"I'm curious, what is up with the mannequin any…eh?" Misao cut herself off seeing as Aoshi was not at the coffee table anymore. Her eyes turned to the right and found him bringing out some milk from her fridge. She also noted the fact that the blanket that had been wrapped around his shoulders hiding his abused body from her was now gone so she could gaze her ocean blue eyes all over him. Misao had to admit, under the stoic facade he was quite attractive…and under those bruises there was a nice athletic body too. Misao squished that thought, but couldn't help a gasp escape her lips when Aoshi turned his back on her. A large scar ran vertically down his spine the beginning of it hidden by strands of jet-black hair falling down his neck while his uniform trousers cut off the end. Misao immediately watched Aoshi stiffen lightly, his left hand pressed at the small of his back knowing why Misao had gasped.

"Disgusting ne?" She heard the almost inaudible voice question. For once in her life Misao felt her heart lurch in her chest for Aoshi. He stood stock still at her counter, hands clenched on the bench and his eyes staring down at steaming hot chocolate. They didn't stay on hot chocolate for long when there was slight pressure on his shoulders. Aoshi turned his head over his left one and noticed Misao had brought the blanket back over to him and was covering his battered body.

"This place isn't very warm, so I think its best you keep this wrapped around you. I'd offer you a shirt, but I think I'm a little too small for you." A quirk at the side of Aoshi's lips made Misao relax a little more.

"I'll have one sugar in mine thanks." Misao spoke before heading back to the coffee table to lay out her books.

"Err…sure…" Aoshi muttered and did as Misao said. He headed back to the lounge area and sat down on the opposite side of the coffee table.

"Arigatou." She muttered with a pen in her mouth. She was eyeing several diagrams and then moved to a book she'd loaned from the library to get more notes from.

"What I was thinking is making some 3D graphical heart diagrams using the computers at school." Misao absently spoke while flipping the page.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, like I can torture some poor computer geek into doing it all for me on some kick ass high tech software you know? I just had this great idea that one of the diagrams can have the sound effects of a heart beat and then squirts of blood can come from the arteries." Ocean blue eyes lifted when Misao had heard a small chuckle from Aoshi.

"What's so funny?"

"Actually I kind of had those exact thoughts…only a little different."

"Oh?" Misao mimicked Aoshi.

"Yeah, um, that's what Betty comes in for and the lab coats. She can be our patient, but of course will die so we can take her heart and examine it though it won't be human, more like a sheep's heart instead. What I was thinking was grabbing some tools and some screws and connecting her together but I have to cut a hole in her chest, so we can pretend the hearts sits in there until we take it out."

"Then when your operating you can squeeze it and fake blood will come squirting out over our lab coats and onto the floor and shit." Aoshi quirked an eyebrow at Misao's choice of words. He could have sworn there was excitement in that usually dull sounding voice of hers.

"Exactly, so what do you think?"

"I'll get some sound effects placed together, time it right with our actions so it can be done perfectly. I'll grab some sort of effect that sounds like the ribs are being cut away. Also we can have the whole heart beat slowing down until its just flat line…and…" Misao stopped pursing her lips when she noticed Aoshi was just silently staring at her.

"What?" She narrowed her eyes at him, arms folding over her zip up black hooded jumper as she had grabbed it from her bedroom floor earlier.

"Nothing…" Aoshi remarked and went back to highlighting some notes. Misao eyed him silently for a moment before going back to her reading.

"You know, we actually might make some students puke." Aoshi finally noted.

"Exactly Shinomori, it's going to be the best part in this crummy assignment." She was pleased to hear another little chuckle from Aoshi but did not admit it aloud. In fact, Misao found it odd she liked his company.

* A couple of hours pass by *

"I really should be going…" Misao eyed Aoshi as he started backing away his books, the blanket slipping from his shoulders to reveal the bluish-purple bruises at his neck and arms and the large one around his stomach and hip area. Misao bit her lip…and felt like dying when her words spilled forth from her mouth.

"Does it hurt?"

"What?" Startled green-grey eyes looked over at Misao, her hands clasped over her lips wanting to shove the words back down her throat.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" Misao died off when she watched Aoshi head for her bathroom to grab his torn uniform clothing. He emerged with them on, but the bruise on his left arm could be seen no matter how much he tried to hide it.

"Thank you for your kindness Makimachi, but its time for me to go now. I'll see you around at school." Aoshi made a beeline for the front door and turned the knob opening it up.

"Yes…" Came a small whisper from his lips.

"Eh?"

"They hurt more then anyone will ever now. What hurts the most though…is all the inner wounds…all the scarring from…everything I guess." Misao stared wide-eyed at her closed door, teeth biting into her lower lip. He just confessed something extremely personal to her, but why? Aoshi stood outside the door thinking the exact same thing.

"Baka…" He cursed himself before racing for the elevator.

* Aoshi's House *

He cautiously placed his head around the corner of the fence and breathed a sigh of utmost relief. His father was not home. Aoshi headed for the front door and walked inside. Typical it was never locked but then who'd want to steal anything from this place? It was completely trashed…again. Aoshi headed upstairs and into his room closing the door silently behind.

It only took Aoshi five minutes to start grabbing clothes and thrust them into a medium sized duffle bag. He needed to get away if only for a few days. He'd rather sleep on the streets then here and if that were what it took for him to not have to worry about being beaten every single night then he'd do exactly that. He opened the drawer at his desk and picked up the photo brushing his fingers over it for a fleeting moment before he heard a bucket of bolts (his father's car) pull up in the driveway. Cautiously pulling back the black curtains Aoshi saw him sway towards the front door. He was drunk…again. Aoshi grabbed his duffle bag and the photo frame and opened the window. Stepping onto the ledge, throwing his duffle bag onto the roof, his green-grey eyes widened when his father started yelling for him, calling him the usual names like "unworthy", "pathetic" and "poor excuse for a man" as he headed upstairs. Aoshi jumped out the window, clinging to the side of the roof, grunting lightly at stretching his bruised body but pulled himself up just in time to hear his door opening and his father yelling for him. All he would have found was an empty room with the curtains and window open.

Aoshi drew his knees to his chest as he sat on the roof of his house pondering just where he would go at sunset. He couldn't head back to Misao's; she'll just make him feel even more insecure with himself as he had opened up to her just that little bit more. There was just something about her that made him do so…and he hated that.

* Hours tick by – Around 9:30 at night *

Aoshi had been wondering the residential streets; drenched from the rain that had begun falling over an hour ago. Families who had been going for afternoon walks looked at him strangely as he walked past.

Aoshi clutched his duffle bag at his side, hiding the bruise on his exposed left arm. Then it finally clicked as he stopped walking to find the piece of paper he had stuffed in his bag not too long ago. He remembered that Sano had given him his address freely letting him drop by anytime he wanted, but Aoshi stopped at the thought. It was quite late, what if his family was asleep, hell Aoshi didn't even know how many people were in Sano's family!

After much debating on Aoshi's behalf as he absently walked the streets he was surprised that he actually found himself at the crossroad of Sano's street and one heading back into the city. Aoshi took a deep breath and headed down the lit up sidewalk looking for Number 3845.

After walking for another twenty minutes Aoshi found it and clicked the lock on the gate open and headed up the stony path to the steps and then onto the porch. It was a two-storey place, but seemed more western style then his. And the fact it was in good knick, with a blooming garden and fountain out the front and no cracks in the windows or walls for that matter too. Everything was spotless, no weeds, no chunk in the front yard and before Aoshi could stop himself he'd already rung the doorbell. Water dripped onto the wooden porch from his soaked clothing and he blinked several times as a light flicked on and a young girl cracked the door open just a little to glance a brown eye up at Aoshi.

"Konbanwa, I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if Sano was here?" Aoshi spoke as gently as he could to the young girl, she looking like she was about 10 or 11 years old.

"Sano-nii, some boy is here to see youuuuuuuu!" The girl yelled loudly and then Aoshi heard the distinctive but muffled voice of Sano as he drew closer towards himself and the girl still at the door.

"Sayo-chan, there is no need to yell or you'll wake up kachan and tousan and they won't be happy about that."

"Gomen ne, but he doesn't look good at all!" Aoshi cringed at her words and watched the door open more, cinnamon eyes looking a little bit up into his own green-grey ones since he was taller then Sano.

"Shi-Shinomori, what are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry to bother you at such a time, but I was wondering if I could perhaps stay the night here? I know it's sudden but…" Sano eyed Aoshi when he died off and continued to look him up and down. He was drenched, clinging to a duffle bag and then he took in the ripped school uniform and the split lip.

"What happened? You get into a fight or something?" Sano watched Aoshi cast his eyes to the wooden porch and smacked his head.

"Ah gomen, quick get inside and get warm. It's fucking cold out there!"

"Sano-nii you swore!" Sayo remarked and Sano placed a finger to his lips and winked at his little sister. She nodded her head at him knowing she'd get a present from him for not telling their parents he used bad language in front of her and skipped off to the lounge room.

When Aoshi didn't move from his frozen position on the porch, Sano reached out his hand and grabbed Aoshi's left arm wanting to yank him into the house. This startled Aoshi from his reverie and he let out a small grunt, the duffle bag dropping from his left arm in surprise at the tight pressure.

"What the hell? How'd you get this bruise?!?" Sano yelled in surprise turning Aoshi's restraining arm up to his eyes.

"Don't…" Aoshi began but never did finish. There was a sigh from Sano before he let go, bent down grabbing the wet duffle bag and headed inside.

"Are you coming or not? I won't be responsible for you freezing to death on my front porch." Aoshi tentatively stepped into the house and closed the door behind him.

"Take off your shoes and follow me alright?" Sano spoke as he headed upstairs to his room. Aoshi did so in silence, eyes still cast to the carpet in the hallway, his long bangs covering a third of his face, droplets running down his face.

"Welcome to paradise." Sano spoke, his voice lower then usual because of his parent's bedroom down the hall. Aoshi looked up and couldn't help but smirk. It was a freaking mess, but then this was Sano after all.

"Not exactly clean, but it's a sanctuary from Sayo-chan when she gets real annoying."

"Aa…" Aoshi muttered as he stared at the posters all over the wall, all of women of course. A computer sat on a desk with all the latest components and near the queen size bed stuck in a corner with crumbled sheets and blankets was a wide screen television, VCR, DVD player and every console ever invented and games also littered the carpeted floor.

"Here, you can take a shower in here so you won't have to be worried at facing my parents if they wake up." Aoshi caught the towel that Sano threw at him and headed into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

* Twenty minutes passes *

Aoshi opened the door, flicked off the light, but his green-grey eyes were immediately on the cross-legged figure of Sano sitting on his bed, arms crossed over his chest looking defiant.

"Now start confessing." His voice was stern…and Aoshi headed over, the towel wrapped over his shoulders catching excess droplets from his drenched black hair. He was in a pair of black slacks and a plain black long sleeved shirt.

"Sano I really don't want to…"

"Come on, what harm can it do man? We're friends aren't we?" Sano spoke again, placing his bare feet on his carpeted floor eyeing Aoshi silently.

"Well yeah I guess, but…it's not…a good idea if you know about this."

"If you don't stop talking in riddles I'm going to have to punch you." A cocky grin was on his face, but it slipped when Aoshi slightly flinched at his choice of words.

"Shinomori?"

"Are you sure?" Aoshi spoke, head turned from Sano to look out the window. It was raining heavier now.

"Yeah sure, I'm ready for anything." Aoshi sighed and then turned his eyes to cinnamon once more. The towel was dumped to the ground and Aoshi placed his hands on the bottom of his shirt.

"Shinomori what are yo-?" Sano never got any further as Aoshi lifted the black shirt up and over his head, revealing in the bright lighting of Sano's room his abused body.

"Fuck! I mean…shit I don't know what I mean! Hell I don't know what to say!" Sano was gapping at Aoshi watching as he placed the shirt back on in a flash.

"Don't…mention this to anyone…"

"HELL NO!" Sano barked loudly. "But…I mean…how, when…why?" His voice was back to a soft whisper now. He really hoped he hadn't woken his parents up with that loud remark.

"It's a long twisted story I really don't wish to discuss tonight…maybe…"

"When you're ready Aoshi…when you're ready." Green-grey eyes darted to Sano but he was currently lying on the floor pulling something from under it. It was the first time Sano had called him Aoshi…and that surprised him for the fact that no one ever called him that, not even his father. Aoshi brushed those thoughts aside.

"Ah here we go, it's not much, but it's pretty comfortable." Sano spoke as he pulled out a futon and then unfolded it for Aoshi to sleep on. He patted it down and then jumped back onto his bed.

"There you go." Aoshi nodded his head silently and descended to the floor.

"Well I gotta make sure Sayo-chan's in bed, so I'll be back in a second. Oh, do you need a drink or anything?"

"Water if it's no trouble." Aoshi automatically responded.

* Ten minutes later *

"Ah, she's out like a light. Here you go." Sano spoke as he headed for the bed and where Aoshi was just beside it on the floor already inside the futon with the covers up to his chin. An arm reached out and grabbed the glass from Sano, a small 'thanks' escaping Aoshi's lips as he took a sip and then placed it on the floor besides him.

"So…" Aoshi started as he heard the creaking of the springs from Sano's bed as he jumped onto it and place on a lamp near a chest of draws before turning off the main switch light as there happened to be a second one near his bed.

"It's alright Aoshi, you can trust me, it was just…surprising that all. I mean I've been in fights and all, seen my older brother in some too, but I've never really seen someone that…um…abused before you know."

"Aa…" There was silence until Aoshi watched Sano lean over the side of his bed, noticing that his cinnamon eyes held laughter in them as he stared down into his half lidded green-grey ones.

"Actually what was more surprising was when you took off your shirt. I thought you were trying to get fresh with me." Sano was more then relieved when he heard a small but tired chuckle escape Aoshi's lips. One of his hands had come out of the futon again to whack him, but Aoshi missed because of his slowness, his body shutting down as it craved rest. All Sano received in answer was a mumbled,

"Ba~ka…"

Sano didn't know how long he watched Aoshi, observing as the 18 year old slept like the dead…and with his pale complexion at the moment he freaking looked dead too! Sano got up headed for his cupboard and pulled out an extra blanket and unfolded it to place it over the sleeping Aoshi so he'd have more warmth through the cold night.

He lay awake in his bed, listening to the pounding rain…and then a muffled voice cut through the quietness in the room.

"Stay away from me…" Sano moved once more, brown eyes gazing over the edge to look at Aoshi in the darkness. His voice was filled with utter pain, but Sano was at a loss of what to do. From the street light outside Sano could just make out Aoshi's form as he curled himself into the blankets with his head, bar the top of his jet-black hair was hidden from view.

"You are my friend Aoshi and no matter what you try and hide, it will not help you for I'll find out everything in the end. I won't let you dive into the darkness like my brother did. I will protect you from this pain…that I promise you." Sano confessed to the sound asleep Aoshi. He yawned himself and then flicked off the lamp before sprawling on his bed and fell into a deep sleep himself.

"Arigatou…" Came a whisper in the night.

Outside the rain kept coming.

* * * *

To be continued…

* * * *

Author Notes: Well holey crap, I did it! Yaataa! *Throws herself into a pit of bishonen and hugs each and every one of them senseless* Thank Christ that's over for now. Um, gomen that not a lot of it is Aoshi and Misao, but I need to express the friendship that's going to grow between Sano and Aoshi. Oh and no there is nothing shounen-ai about this or anything of the sort. Sano is just quite the protective guy when it comes to his friends and finding out that Aoshi has been abused (though he still doesn't know who by) just furiously pisses him off. So in the end he will be extremely protective, which will bug Aoshi, but alas its got to be this way.

Well hope you enjoyed, I'm off to bed now. Ja!