A/U. Kharl, successful business CEO, lives peacefully with his, er, housekeeper Garfakcy. However, when he is seduced by a local highschooler named Rath, their life takes a sickening turn for the worse.

Notes: Uuuuuuuuum...SCHOOL'S (almost...) OUT! TOT June 16 can't come fast enough...xX;;; Anyways, my second update in as many days:D (I actually updated Bittersweet, lol...Kagome+Sesshômaru fic, check it out—my shameless advertising demands it! xD). Wow, I haven't written for almost a year...;;; So don't expect it to be the pinnacle of writing perfection...:laughs nervously:

Everlasting

Chapter Four: Normalcy

"Rath!"

He turned around grudgingly, expecting to see yet another teacher coming to talk to him about his grades—how he was an "underachiever", how he had "enormous potential", and especially how he needed to deal with his "attitude problem". He let his emotions slip under a politely interested mask; he'd learned long ago that arguing only prolonged the encounter.

But it wasn't a frowning teacher who ran up the hallway to meet him; it was a girl, long hair flying and face wreathed in smiles as she sprinted to catch up.

"Rath, where are you going? Don't you have chemistry next period? You're heading in the completely opposite direction, genius! ...Wait, don't tell me..." The smile dropped off the girl's face suddenly. "Are you skipping school again?"

"Cesia..." He blinked. She always talked so damn fast, and so much that he could never quite catch everything. Indeed, their one-sided conversations always left him feeling rather dazed. But she was cute, she was rich—very rich, and she was quite generous, always buying him little presents around holidays and his birthday. So he put up with that annoying voice and focused on the positive side of things. Besides, she was fun to tease when she got angry.

Without waiting for an answer, Cesia threw the heavy textbook she was carrying to the ground in frustration. "You promised me, you jerk! You told me you wouldn't skip anymore! You promised! Doesn't that mean anything to you, anything at all?"

"Hey, hey, calm down!" He grinned now, trying to placate her. "Who says I was going to skip? I was just...going to the bathroom."

Cesia glared at him. "How stupid do you think I am? There's a bathroom three doors down from chemistry—and don't give me any of your ridiculous excuses about how the ones on the other side of school have softer toilet paper and better soap. Did you really think I'd fall for that?"

You did the last four times, Rath thought ruefully. Too late, he realized that he'd said that aloud.

He thought Cesia would explode, really he did—her face certainly turned red enough to warrant a bomb alert. But all she did was stomp angrily and whirl away from him, heading back down the hallway.

"Cesia! Wait!"

She turned, and under the angry expression, her face looked almost hopeful. "...Yes?"

Rath pointed to the ground. "You forgot your book."

Her face crimsoned again with shocking speed. "Oh, you...!" Cesia picked up the textbook and flung it at him with angry tears glimmering in her eyes. "I brought it for you—you left it in PE." He caught the heavy volume easily, looking askance at her. Why is she suddenly so mad?

Without another word, Cesia ran off, presumably to her next class. "What the..." Rath asked aloud. Once again, his encounter with the girl left him feeling decidedly confused. He shook his head. "Girls! What's wrong with her?"

"I believe she was expecting you to apologize," an amused voice remarked from behind him. Rath spun...and there he was, the big-shot CEO, Kharl.

"Apologize? Apologize for what?" Rath snarled angrily, hiding his surprise at the man's sudden appearance. "I didn't do anything to her—she's the crazy one."

He chuckled, pulling at the elegant white gloves he always seemed to be wearing. "She brought you your book—you hurt her feelings by neither thanking her nor keeping your promise to attend your classes. I believe she was expecting some sort of an apology when you called her back the first time. Really, Rath...you could at least have picked that book up for her."

"Who has time to analyze some bitch's feelings like that?" Rath shot back, surprised for the second that day by Kharl's easy interpretation of the little drama. So that's what it was about...

"My, Rath, you certainly don't fit in here very well, do you?" Kharl whispered, his gaze suddenly piercing and shrewd. "You don't fit in at all..."

"Fuck off," the boy answered casually, but his fisted hands were trembling. "I'm going to the bathroom...you better not follow me there, creep."

Kharl watched him go, the angry line of the shoulders, the purposeful stride. As soon as Rath was out of sight, the CEO slid against the wall, feeling curiously drained by the short conversation. He stared pensively at the tiled floors, fingers absentmindedly tracing a pattern in the thin layer of dust. Rath...he is so close to it. But not quite ready...he still will not accept how different he is from those other common, useless high school students. He is hungry for power, I have seen that in him; he understands my own pursuit of it...but some part of him, however small, still wants to be one of them. How do I change his mind?

He closed his eyes: the memory still stayed with him vividly. The power that sparked within Rath, that he had felt erupting in brief flashes of anger...when their eyes had met during that fateful speech, when he mentioned Viaresu's name, and just now, when he had touched upon a delicate topic. It still took his breath away. Such potential, such energy, such perfection, such an absolute waste...!

His eyes snapped open. I will make him understand. No matter what, he will understand. Resolute once more, Kharl stood and brushed the dust off his clothes. It didn't bother him unduly; he had plenty of his own in the few corners of the apartment that Garfakcy was unable to reach. At least he'd done the school a favor by taking a bit of it with him. With that thought in mind, Kharl left the school building smiling.

Rath slipped out from his hiding place behind a pillar and watched Kharl's receding figure with narrowed, distrustful eyes. He couldn't quite pinpoint it, but there was something about that man...something about him that made Rath distinctly uneasy. Perhaps it was his uncanny change from friendly confidant to cold, hard, and disturbingly knowledgeable enigma; perhaps it was that expression on his face as he sat there against the wall, staring into nothing and tracing words into the dirt...what was it that he had been writing anyways?

Fighting back a sneeze, Rath scrutinized the dusty words carefully. "Lazarus...3?" he whispered to himself, brow furrowed. The words had a strangely unpleasant ring to them.

His nose suddenly couldn't take any more; Rath's sneeze obliterated the dusty message as if it had never been there. Dust motes floated up, twisting and turning on the slightest breath of air, momentarily lit golden by the watery yellow square of sunlight from a window. Despite Rath's futile attempts to brush them, they clung to him, stubbornly, tenaciously, as if infused with the will of Kharl himself.

-------

Viaresu yawned hugely as he meandered down the street. Enticing smells wafted from the numerous small restaurants positioned strategically every few feet, close enough to give indecisive customers a chance to change their minds, and far enough so that the rich smells of chocolate, coffee, frying shrimp, spicy peppers, spaghetti sauce, and baking bread wouldn't mix. He had come to this area of town with the idea of rewarding himself after finishing a strenuous two-hour English final, but now there was so much on his mind that he didn't feel hungry at all.

He scowled. He really needed at least a B on that final to keep his grade up, but he doubted that he would get anything over a C-, at best. I meant to study last weekend, I really did, Viaresu mentally berated himself. It's not my fault I couldn't concentrate...

No, he thought, his scowl deepening, it's not my fault at all. Instead of studying all weekend, he had been worrying. Cesia, that odd CEO, and...Gil: all three had been running through his mind, and there was one connection between them, someone who had been acting even more disturbing than usual. Yes, Viaresu knew exactly who to blame, the same person who had been causing trouble ever since he arrived in this town...

"...Rath?"

"What?" The name had not come from his mouth, but from somewhere else. Viaresu looked around for the speaker, but no one was even looking in his direction. A coincidence, then? It was possible...

"Down here." The voice was drier this time, and yes, it came from somewhere at around waist-height. Viaresu dropped his gaze to a short, brown-haired boy with a wry twist to his mouth. "I get that a lot."

The boy appeared to be no more than 12 or 13, but there was something about the expression in his eyes that caused Viaresu to take a second look. He surveyed the child carefully...no, on closer inspection, not a child at all; this boy was wise to the world, and someone to be dealt with respectfully. "...What did you say?" he repeated.

"Rath. Iryuuzaa Rath," the stranger repeated with a bite of impatience. "Do you know him?" He glanced quickly at Viaresu's uniform. "He goes to your school."

"..." Those hooded orange eyes were completely unreadable. "Who are you?" Viaresu demanded, ignoring the question.

"I'm..." He hesitated, unsure of whether or not to tell the truth. But he suspected that, somehow, the highschooler would catch him in a lie. "I'm Garfakcy."

"An interesting name." Viaresu didn't mention that it was interesting in the fact that it wasn't a name used outside of the Servants' Union, or that he had heard it before. "Mine is Viaresu."

Garfakcy's eyes widened. Jackpot.

"Then you must know—have known—a Nakegawa Gil," he whispered, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice.

Rath—and Gil. Two names better left unsaid in Viaresu's presence, and even worse if mentioned together.

Orange fire blossomed in Viaresu's eyes. "You better have a very good explanation for this conversation, brat," he said softly, dangerously. "A very good explanation." A quick flick of his fingers drew Garfakcy's gaze to his sleeve, where a glint of steel burned dully.

Garfakcy met his eyes steadily. This is for Kharl-sama.

"I'm not your enemy, Viaresu...Rath is. In fact, I just might prove to be an invaluable friend."

"Indeed?" The flash of steel disappeared, but Garfakcy knew that it was still there, well-hidden and ready for use. Viaresu relaxed visibly, though the other boy could discern a hint of the previous fire smoldering in his voice and eyes. "Then we really must talk. In fact..." He trailed off, glancing towards a café whose flashing sign screamed "BREAKFAST ALL DAY! NEW CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE ONLY $1.99!"

"...I was just about to have lunch. Why don't you join me?" Viaresu flashed a small smile. "I think my appetite's come back."

-------

"This was a stupid idea," Rath griped, his eyes fixed on the clock. The damn thing's got to be broken—it's moving way too slowly to be telling the right time. Slowly, inexorably, with the all the speed of a dying snail, the second hand swept upwards. Rath tensed in his seat, alert, watchful. Soon...soon...3...2..1...NOW!

BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING.

A flash of a black uniform, a gust of wind, and even before the claxon clang of the bell had died away, Rath was gone from the classroom without a backward glance. Once outside the door, he slowed down and breathed deeply, huge gulps of air, as if hoping to clear the last vestiges of the history class from his system

Why did I listen to Cesia anyways? I should've known—any idea that comes out of her mouth is sure to be stupid and pointless.

He'd ended up skipping the rest of chemistry, but a vague sense of guilt had suckered him into going to his next period. He had paid for that rare moment of weakness the second he stepped into the history classroom: not only had he been forced to endure a whole hour's worth of pointless lectures, he had been met with the disbelieving stares of students and teachers alike, followed by hesitant but exuberant greetings. You'd think they'd never seen someone walk into a classroom before.

Not just anyone—the infamous Iryuuzaa Rath.

And oddly enough, for the first time since he'd arrived at the prestigious school, Rath had returned their greetings with actual words. He didn't know why, but today he'd felt compelled to respond to those same people that he had always looked on as snobs and losers. It had been awkward and alien to him, but somehow the words had been forced past his lips.

But why? Why today?

I was just feeling friendly, nothing more. Just saying hi. But when was Rath ever friendly? The action had been totally unlike him, unnatural to him, but still...there was no way... He clasped hands to his head, trying to block the thought out—

I was just proving to Kharl that he's wrong about me.

"Hey, are you ok?" A hand fell onto his shoulder. "Maybe you should go to the nurse's office, or you could go—"

"I'm fine!" Rath hadn't meant to, but the words came out in a snarl. "I'm fine, ok!"

The boy who had offered assistance backed off, looking offended. "Well excuse me for trying to help the great and powerful Iryuuzaa Rath," he said sarcastically. "I guess he doesn't need the rest of us lowly little nothings," he said to his friends. "We're too inferior for him to even pay attention to. Watch where you're stepping, Iryuuzaa...you might accidentally squash one of us bugs." The student and his friends left in a wave of uproarious laughter.

Rath stared at them, a look of complete bewilderment etched onto his face. Why? Why? Why did I just do that? I could fit in with them if I really tried...I could...couldn't I? Why did I just do that?

He walked slowly away, away from the laughter, away from the chattering, away from the classmates that he knew but had never really known. A flash of shining black hair caught his eye. "Cesia..."

"Rath! There you are." The expression on the girl's face was oddly guarded, completely unlike her usual happy nature. The incident this morning...he was doing it again. He was driving away the only person with whom he had built up even the most tenuous of friendships. He was a fool, but he didn't know how to call her back, how to act at all.

"I..." At a loss for words, Rath said the first thing that came to mind. "I went to history today."

"You? No way! You did—you're not joking, are you?" Cesia asked, pointing accusingly at him. When he shook his head, she jumped up and down, squealing excitedly. "Rath, you kept your promise! I can't believe it! Oh, wow! We have to celebrate...I know this great little café. It has the best chocolate cream pies. I'll buy you a piece—no, I'll buy you lunch! Let's go right now!"

He bit his lip, nodded. Cesia beamed, and suddenly leapt forward and hugged him. "Rath...I knew I could turn you around...I knew it..." she whispered happily.

He wanted nothing more than to shrug off the embrace, to push away the alien feel of her arms around his back, to tell her that no, he'd changed his mind, he didn't even like chocolate. That's what he wanted, but—

"My, Rath, you certainly don't fit in here very well, do you? You don't fit in at all..."

"You're wrong, Kharl," he hissed between gritted teeth, eyes shining hotly in a way that suggested he was ready to do murder, not to hug a pretty girl. "Dead wrong."

"Rath? Are you ok?" Cesia fidgeted. "You're squeezing really tight...ow! Rath, watch it!" She broke the hug, taking a step back. "Are you ok? Your eyes are a little...weird."

He stared at her, as if not really seeing her, then something seemed to pass over him and he was smiling at her. Him! Smiling! It was strained and unnatural on his face but...well, he had plenty of time to work on that smile that sent a cold chill down her spine. Cesia smiled back.

"I'm fine," Rath said firmly, as if convincing himself. "I'm fine. I'm as normal as anyone could possibly be."

End Chapter Four

AN: I like this chapter...and it's incredibly long for me xD Ummm, yay! I managed to fit in a part about Viaresu:mucho applause for self: ; LoL...so we see some Rath/Cesia interactions in this chapter...I tried to make it true to the manga: he thinks her talking is annoying; she tries to "save" him by keeping him on the right track; he sticks with her at first because of the money (power) she has.

Also: notice how Rath is less bitchy around Kharl-sama...just as the manga, Kharl's manipulating confuses and scares him. Sooooooo...any suggestions?