A/N: I'm curious to know if any of you are cutters or know people who are because I'm a cutter—as a matter of fact I just cut myself before I started to type this and am watching the blood seep from the wounds.

Generations

Chapter Nine:

The next day:

Blue eyes opened to the sun shining through the window, confusion-glazed until memories of what happened the day before flashed through their owner's mind.

Kessuke groaned in frustration and blocked the sun from his eyes, wincing when he moved his arm too roughly and hurt his bandaged cuts. Cursing, he looked around the room, expecting to see the nurse, but the room was empty save for him.

'They left me alone? Shit, next thing you know they'll leave a penknife or something where I can easily get it.' Kessuke sat; eyes adjusted to the light, and looked at his arms. White bandages adorned both, going from his wrists to almost his shoulders. His eyes watered as he felt the tremor rise up again, and he searched through his pockets for his knife. Then he remembered how Shinichi had grabbed it and threw it across his room. 'And I bet a teacher already searched my room and got rid of it, plus the razors I had hidden.'

He cursed again, digging his nails into his palms—then his eyes lit up in remembrance.

After another glance around the room to make sure he was alone, he slipped his hand under his pants and underwear, taking out the very thin small blade of a disposable razor he'd hidden beneath his underwear on the outside of his thigh.

'I'm glad that nurse couldn't check me all over—what they're doing with a female nurse in an all boys school is beyond me. But it suits me just fine now.'

Gazing over the blade with a hunger, Kessuke bit down on his lip, remembering how both his arms were bandaged. Closing his cobalt eye briefly, he sighed and pulled down his pants slightly—just enough to reveal a few inches of his thighs.

Scars adorned the skin there, less than were on his arms, but left completely untouched. There was still some dried blood from where he cut himself before arriving at the school.

Gritting his teeth, Kessuke brought the blade to a nearly unblemished part of his thigh and pressed down, slicing across the flesh slowly the pain sharp and brief. When he pulled the blade away a two inch long cut going across his thigh glared back at him, seeping with blood after a few seconds.

He brought the blade down again and again, until five cuts red with blood marred the flesh of both thighs—the blood welling into droplets that slid along his flesh when he moved.

He took in a deep breath, held it, and then released it, the tremor passing. That's when he heard footsteps walking toward the room and the door opening.

Quickly he pulled his pants up, and placed the blade under his pillow, biting his lip from the sharp pain his new cuts caused. He cursed when whoever had entered the room left—obviously it was someone looking for the nurse—and he let his eyes wander to the table beside his bed.

That's when he saw the memo-book. He picked it up and read the name scrawled on the bottom corner of it: Shinichi Uesugi, room 327.

"I wonder…is this blondie's?" He stared at the memo book for a moment longer, not opening it, and then put it in his pocket. With one more glance around the room he exited through the door and wandered down the hall.

-

Standing in front of the mirror in his room—a full length, stand-up mirror—Shinichi pulled back his long blond hair and tied it with a hair-tie. A smile played at his lips as he took in his reflection—a moment short-lived when his door opened and Kessuke walked in the room.

"This notebook's yours, I came to…." Kessuke spoke until he looked at the blond teen, and a few moments of silence past as he took in Shinichi's appearance.

The blond wore a black skirt that barely reached his knees, and a lacy white girl's shirt, with fluffy cuffs and collar; plus, Kessuke noted as his eyes surveyed the blond's legs, three inch black heels. Gaping he looked at the blanching teen's face, eyeing the blush, eye-shadow and lipstick expertly applied.

"Ah…Going for the school girl look or something?"

"Shit!" Shinichi rushed toward the closest place he could escape to—other than out the hall—and ran toward his room's closet. He got a few steps before tripping from his high-heels and, cursing, fell toward the floor.

Before he could hit the floor, two slender arms caught him and stopped him in his fall.

"What's the rush? I'm not gonna laugh at you—you just shocked me." Kessuke said helping Shinichi stand upright, deliberately refraining from commenting on the deep red blush forming on the blond's face.

"God, I'm lucky it's you and not someone else—god, if it was Toya the whole school would know by midday." Shinichi leaned on Kessuke, his body shaking from the adrenaline at being caught and almost falling. "You sure you won't tell?"

"I'm not a rumor spreader, besides, who is going to talk to me in this school anyway? The rumors about what happened at my old school have already spread—I bet the only students who talk to me will be ones wanting to get sucked off."

"I…ah…." Shinichi bit on his lip as he remembered the music room encounter. "I'm sorry about before, about calling you a cocksucker in the music room. It…people used to tease me by calling me blondie and I…."

"Don't worry 'bout it, I shouldn't have called you that, or followed you."

"You followed me?" The blond stared dazed at the black-haired teen. "You followed me?"

"Yes, you were the only one alone when class was over so I thought I could…well, be friends…I'm not good with people, and…."

"Didn't turn out like you planned, huh?"

"I didn't really plan anything, it was just a whim. But I wasn't really surprised by what you said, I got that a lot at my old school."

A few moments of silence passed, in which Shinichi sat down on his bed and wiped off the makeup from his face, while Kessuke stood with his hands in his pockets.

"So…um…I'm curious…um….did you really get…."

"Kicked out of my old school for giving a blowjob in the boys' locker-room?"

"Yes." Shinichi blushed deeper. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to; it's none of my business, and I'll understand if you don't want to tell me." The blond said this all fast, barely getting any breaths in between words.

"I did."

"Wh…ah…." The blond teen gaped at him in utter disbelief. "You…."

"I got tired of that school, but I couldn't transfer without parental permission—so I did that to get expelled, that way I had to transfer to a different school."

"You wanted to get expelled? But Surugi High is one of the most prestigious schools around. Why did you want to leave?"

"My father's…ur…'friend' is a teacher there. He teaches music."

"By 'friend' dyou mean…lover?"

At this Kessuke blushed, his chin going stiff. "Yeah, what's it to you? If you say anything 'bout my dad I'll…." He glared at Shinichi expecting to hear some form of ridicule.

"Relax. You don't have to worry 'bout me saying anything. That'll be like 'the kettle calling the pot black' or however that saying goes."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, my parents happen to be the most famous gay couple in Japan. Eiri Yuki and Shuuichi Shindou, so I can't go around saying stuff about your father without being somewhat hypocritical."

Kessuke only gaped at Shinichi, his attention riveted at the sound of the name Shindou.

"Shuuichi Shindou? Of Bad Luck? You're the son of Shuui-sama?"

"Yeah…."

"God, I have all of his CDs, even the ones he did solo during the time the band took a break from music. God, you're related to him?"

"You're a fan? You're the son of Ryuuichi Sakuma and you're a fan of my papa's?"

"Hell yeah. God, do you think you could get me his autograph? How 'bout some tickets to his next concert? I never got a chance to go to one yet, things keep on coming up and preventing me."

"How 'bout I get you to meet him? I bet he'll be more than glad to meet you—you being the son of his idol."

"Your dad's a fan of my dad?"

"Yes, my papa is…and could you call Papa Shuuichi papa or father, since I use 'dad' to refer to Eiri."

"Ur…I'll use the word father, I don't really like using the word 'papa' anymore."

"What, too babyish for you?"

"No, it's…my father's lover insists on me calling him that…and I…he's the one who…I…never-mind."

"…." Shinichi noted Kessuke discomfort as his voice trailed off, and he remembered the bruises adorning the teen's skin. "He's the one…who beats you?"

Kessuke merely nodded then looked away, his fist clenching as the tremor rose through him again.

"Whoa…Kessuke, calm down." Shinichi stood and placed his hands on the teen's shoulders. "You're shaking, you should sit."

"…."

"You don't have to worry 'bout him, he can't get you." The blond paused as he heard the whispered words 'I need to cut' come from Kessuke's lips. "What? You shouldn't, I'm here to help, you don't need to…."

He wrapped his arms around the teen, heart pounding as he thought about yesterday's episode, almost gasping when tears slid from Kessuke's eyes.

"Kessuke…? What's…?" Shinichi's gasped when the black-haired teen leaned into his embrace, like a child desperately seeking comfort from a parent. "Kessuke?"

"Keep holding me. No one's ever held me…I…what that man does doesn't count…."

"Kess…." Shinichi held tighter to the teen, chewing on his lip in uncertainty over what he should do or say. After a few minutes of letting the teen cry on into his chest, the blond sighed and wiped the last of the tears from Kessuke's face. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah. Sorry 'bout this…I…."

"No need to be sorry, I'll be here anytime you need me."

"Thank you."

A few more seconds of silence passed between them before Shinichi spoke up again.

"So…um…do you care to tell me the name of the man who…who hurts you?" Shinichi asked tentatively, hoping he wouldn't upset Kessuke again. "You don't have to say it if you don't want to, if you want to talk about something else I'm fine with that…it's just…I…."

"It's okay." Kessuke looked into Shinichi's face. "You're cute when you're flustered."

"I…I…."

Kessuke chuckled as the blond grew red once more, the tremor completely gone and forgotten.

"Taki." Kessuke spoke, his face suddenly turning stony.

"Huh?"

"The man who beats me, his name's Taki Aizawa."

A/N: End Chapter: Finally a long chapter with 1789 words, not counting the author notes. Whatcha think about the identity of the man beating Kessuke? I came up with the idea on a whim after rejecting the idea of it being Ryuu, and though I did entertain the idea of it being Tatsuha, I rejected that the moment I discovered one of this story's reviewers is a Tatsuha fan. So I was down to too few choices, and almost made it an OC, before the idea of Taki Aizawa came along. I really hope none of you are fans of his, or if you are you don't hate me for making it him.

On another topic: Could one of you please give me a description of Tatsuha's appearance in the Anime since my DVDs are at my father's house and that's all the way in a different state.

(I moved to my step-mom's to get away from all the stress at home—my dad found out I cut myself and brought up the idea about getting away for awhile. Of course that was after he practically said I should just kill myself, and that he wouldn't grieve if I did that—he thinks I cut for attention, jerk.)

And people wonder why I hate people. With a father like that who needs enemies? He said the same thing when I snapped and held a knife to my throat not a month after my mother's death. And that time I barely knew what I was doing, everything was a blur.

I really need some help, don't I? Well if any of you want to email me, my email is a yahoo email address: ryuuangstluvr--it's on my profile where is says email at the top.