Ok loyal readers, I'm going against what I originally told you I would do! I'm posting this chapter on its own, and so I'll leave you in horrible suspense. I'm sorry! Well, this might be my longest chapter yet, among other things. Major language warning here, Black Haru has such a dirty mouth! (tee-hee, I never swear, so I had fun writing this!) hmmm, next chapter will totally rock! That's all I'm saying at this point! Enjoy, and review!
"Momiji," The teacher scanned his grade book, pausing in front of the blonde's desk. "I want you to join group number two." He tapped his fingers on the surface impatiently, waiting for the rabbit to move.
Grabbing his cousin's arm, Momiji looked up hopefully. "Can I work with Haru-kun? Bitte? Bitte?"
"Hatsuharu," The teacher pointedly ignored the small boy's pleas. "Please join group four."
Rolling his eyes, the cow cast a grim glance across the room at a gaggle of girls. "This is going to be fun," He hissed sarcastically under his breath, turning to pat the smaller boy's shoulder. "Good luck," He encouraged, drudging toward the group of females.
"Hi Hatsuharu-san," A girl named Nanatsu sighed, flashing the white-haired boy a dreamy smile. "I'm so glad you're working with us."
"Yeah," He replied politely, albeit half-heartedly. Staring across the room, he watched Momiji skip over to a crowd of boys.
"Hallo everbody!" Swinging his legs against the base of the chair, Momiji surveyed the three solemn faces in front of him. "Isn't the science fair fun? We're gonna win this year! What should our topic be? I think this chapter on cells is really cool. Maybe I could color some pictures of the different cells and then we could all work on the report together." He paused, a little concerned by the other boys' unresponsive expressions. "But if you don't want to do that, it's OK. I don't care. We can do whatever you want."
"I want you to shut up," The boy called Honda muttered, jerking his hands inside his leather jacket.
Next to him, his friend Taki snickered. "Shit, why did we get stuck with this freak? I feel like I'm working with my little sister."
Hurt creeping into Momiji's eyes, he forced a happy tone in an attempt to ease the friction. "It won't be so bad. I can do most of the work if you want. I know the teacher said we should all work together, but my cousin's a doctor and I'm sure he knows all about cells. "Hey!" He smacked his hand on the desk in his joy. "Maybe we can all get together at my house this week. I'll make dinner, and then Ha'ri-san can help us with the project."
"You'd like to eat dinner with me, wouldn't you, faggot?" Ripping at Momiji's scarf, Taki leaned closer so as to taunt the rabbit. "It'd be a fuckin' date for you." Pulling back abruptly, he looked at Honda with an amused smirk. "He'd like that, wouldn't he?"
"Guys," Yoshi, a popular student who was also assigned to work with Momiji, warned, "let's just get this finished."
"Wow Yoshi, it sounds like you're defending him!" Honda shoved his classmate. "I didn't suspect you for a fag."
Yoshi bit his lip, his voice growing icy. "He's a nice guy and you know it. Why are you always so retarded?"
Meanwhile, Momiji doodled on his paper, appearing disinterested, or perhaps trying to ignore the bitter criticisms. Pausing suddenly, he questioned, "Yoshi-kun, what does 'faggot' mean?"
Honda and Taki erupted in vicious laughter. Even Yoshi had to hide a chuckle behind his hand. "Was?" Momiji scanned his group, giggling to mask his confusion. "Does it mean something funny?"
"Yeah, it's funny, if you like sleeping with men," Taki grinned, anticipating the smaller boy's response.
"Oh, I understand!" Momiji exclaimed, pressing a finger to his lips. "I sleep with Haru-kun every night."
All around the blonde, the boys' faces danced with shock and amusement. "What?" Honda yelled, leaping to his feet. "What's this I hear, Haru?" He spoke too loudly so as to attract as much attention as possible. "Momiji here says that he's been sleeping with you. Is that true?"
Nervous titters scattered through the room as Haru rose to his feet. "What the hell did you just say?" Shock sliced at his heart like a sword, and disbelief bubbled over in his chest. 'So this is it?' He thought, horrified by how a few seconds could expose all his deepest fears. 'They all know that I'm not normal. Why did you tell them, Momiji? Don't you understand anything?' Embarrassment gave way to frustration, causing a fire to ravage through his veins and fill him with hateful black smoke. Black.
"I asked you a question, you stupid fuck!" The white-haired boy stomped toward Honda, seizing him by the collar and spearing him with a penetrating stare. "What are you, mute? You sure could yell a few seconds ago."
"Honda, Hatsuharu," The teacher demanded, attempting to restrain the furious attacker. "Let's stop this right now."
"So, you stop me, but where were you when these boys made fun of Momiji?" Haru turned on the man, advancing in accusation. "Is what I'm doing so much worse?" Clenching his hands on the teacher's arms, he gave a firm shake. "If I kill you, will it hurt any worse than Honda's heartless jokes?"
"That's, that's enough," The teacher stuttered, "If you don't stop, I'll, I'll go to the office!"
"Go ahead and run," The cow suggested in response, twisting his lips into a demented grin.
"Haru-kun, stop it, please!" Momiji cried in panic, reaching to give his cousin a comforting caress. "If you don't calm down, you'll be in trouble. And then they'll call Akito-san, and what if he makes you leave school? You want to stay here with me, don't you?"
"Oh, isn't that sweet," Taki added boldly, mimicking Momiji's high tone. "Your little boyfriend wants to protect you like you protected him. But Momiji told us the truth, didn't he? Will you deny it?"
"That's enough, Taki!" Attempting to silence the student, the teacher stepped in once more.
"Let me handle this," Black Haru commanded. Turning back to the two boys, he offered a stony glare. "Why the hell should I talk to you about this? I don't even like you."
"I sure hope not, you fag! Momiji's your bitch, that's his job. You don't need me!" Honda's voice grew more confident as he elicited quiet snickers from the class. "He told us all about it. Why are you so ashamed of your relationship? Is it because he's a guy, or because he looks like a little kid? What does that make you, some kind of pedophile?"
"Boys!" The teacher interjected. Seeing the murderous look in the Sohma's eyes, he nearly pushed Haru back into his chair. "This needs to end right now. Calm down, all of you! I will not have this kind of conduct in my classroom."
His "black side" receding only slightly, Haru tried to hide his shamed face behind his fingers. 'Pedophile. A stupid queer, and a pedophile? Is that what I am? Well, they all know now. Momiji knows. It's my fault that they laughed at him. I knew what we were doing was inappropriate. I should have just explained why we can't sleep in the same bed. I didn't because I liked touching him! How selfish! Look what I've done now!"
Momiji attempted to shake away his friend's pain as he nudged the cow's arm. "Haru-kun, are you OK?" Pulling out a piece of candy from his pocket, he slipped it into Hatsuharu's sweaty palm. "I hope you get feeling better. I don't know why they laughed at us, but I'm sorry if I made you sad!"
Feeling his classmates' eyes on his back, Haru shuddered in disgust. "Shut up," He grumbled, dropping the candy on the floor. "If you don't stop talking to me, they'll make fun of you again."
Tears brimming under the rabbit's thick lashes, he whispered a response. "I don't care about that, Haru-kun. Ich liebe dich."
Hatsuharu tossed his body from side to side, twisting the blankets tightly around him in an attempt to get comfortable. 'It feels so cold and lonely,' He realized, cursing the inhospitable bed. 'How can I sleep without Momiji? Everything just feels so empty!'
After the incident in class that day, the white-haired boy had managed to avoid his cousin by sulking home and holing himself up in his room all evening. Now he shivered between the sheets, not knowing whether he should feel regretful or relieved that there was no squirming boy sleeping next to him. 'I miss you, Momiji. But this is how things should be. I was using your body for my own comfort, and it wasn't right. I made all of these problems in your life, and I won't let you hurt again.'
Sighing in the silence, the cow strained to hear his cousin in the next room, trying to imagine that the boy slept beside him instead. However, in place of even breaths, he heard sobs. "Mutti! Mutti! Warum liebst du mich nicht? Ich habe angst!" Although unable to comprehend the foreign words, Haru could understand the distressed tone. " Haru-kun, was ist passiert? Warum liebst du mich nicht?"
The white-haired boy bit his lip as he recognized his own name. 'I'm so sorry Momiji. But it's for the best. You really don't want to be around me!' Lost in his own turmoil, Hatsuharu failed to hear Momiji leave his room until the smaller boy had pattered down the hallway and burst through Haru's door.
"Haru-kun," His voice sounded bright despite his tearful sniffles. "Are you still awake?"
"Yes," He answered shortly, frustration rising in his voice as it became difficult to keep his promise.
"Good!" Hopping to the bed, Momiji attempted to jump in next to the larger boy.
"Momiji!' Haru resisted, his frustration exploding into anger as he found no voice to protest further.
"It's OK if I sleep here, right?" The blonde smiled expectantly.
"No, it's not OK!" Heat churned in the cow's heart, and blackness crept like fog into his gaze. "You can't sleep here ever again! It's disgusting and wrong! Don't you remember how much trouble this caused today? Are you too stupid to see what those boys must think about us?" Somewhere deep inside of the infuriated body, the harsh words astonished White Haru. 'Dammit, Momiji, I don't mean that!' He called out silently, attempting to reclaim the remarks.
"Haru?" Choking back tears, the rabbit shook with fierce tremors. "Haru, I don't-,"
"You don't know, do you? You never know!" Black Haru insisted, flashing a bloody glare. "You don't know anything about me, and that's how things should stay! Get the fuck out!"
Watching helplessly as Momiji retreated, White Haru struggled to contain his monstrous alter-ego. 'Oh God! What have I done? My 'black side' never turned on Momiji before. I failed to protect him from myself again. Oh, Momiji, please forget all about this! Why can't I take back all those terrible words and make you happy again?'
Rising to his feet and resolving to apologize, Hatsuharu inched toward his cousin's bedroom door. Gasps and crying echoed from inside, and the hideous sounds turned the cow's stomach. 'I did this to you, Momiji! I'm the only one that deserves to cry.'
Momiji's German lesson...#7?
Bitte- please!
Was?- What? (this should be review. I used it last chapter?)
Ich liebe dich- I love you (again, it's review!)
Warum liebst du mich nicht?- Why don't you love me?
Ich habe angst- I'm afraid
Was ist passiert?- What happened?
...coming soon! Something cute and happy. After this chapter, I'm sure it'll be a welcome change!