Hi everyone! Hope you are all enjoying the New Year (oui, je sais que c'est le 11 janvier, mais…) !!!

Anyway, sorry for leaving the previous chapter like that…but, you have to be cruel to be kind, right? Also, I wasn't going to update until this year (as I said in chapter 4) because I have been incredibly busy! If I could complain about one thing right now, it would be my cold, cold hands. It hurts to type…

Okay, more ranting at the end…thanks for reading and reviewing people! You make my day! Enjoy!

Chapter 5: Truth

'This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This isn't happening.' Ryo squeezed his eyes tight. The last of his teardrops rolled gently from his dark lashes. The sandy-haired teen felt like his mind and body had been separated. It was easier to blank out than have to listen to the creep pinning him to the bed.

"You taste so good…" The tongue ran down Ryo's throat.

'It's not me, I'm okay. It's not me. I am no one.'

Teeth grazed at the base of Ryo's pale neck. Pain registered in his mind, but he felt unable to do anything. A sob caught in his throat.

'Stop, please…'

"Go ahead and cry sweetheart." A deep voice pulled Ryo back into reality. He didn't want to leave the safer haven of his mind. Not that he was really safe there anyway, but anything was better than being in this room. "I'm right here…" The voice purred in his ear, before moving to bite on a tender earlobe.

"Don't!" Finding his voice, Ryo attempted to start shouting when a hand clamped over his mouth. "Nn…!"

"Hush now, Ryo." Rose whispered gently, his hand going lower.

'Dee, where are you? God, what can I do? What can I do…?' Panicking, Ryo thought hard. He poked his tongue out, softly licking Rose's fingers.

"There, isn't that better?" Rose teased, smiling hungrily at the teen beneath him.

'You bastard.' As soon as the fingers over his mouth relaxed a little more, Ryo sank his teeth into them.

"Ouch, what the hell?" Rose sat up a little, holding his fingers. One of them was bleeding from the nip.

"Stop it! You pervert…" Ryo fought harder, his fear driving adrenaline through his body and giving him newfound strength.

"Stop it!" She cried out, her blue eyes filling with cerulean tears. "Stop it! You're not my Berkie! Give him back to me!"

"Stop it, Rose!" The half-Japanese teen, forced his way out of Rose's grasp, his heart pounding in his chest. His usually pale cheeks were flushed red, and his breaths had been reduced to pants.

"I love you…"

"Argh…!" A dull pain throbbed at the back of Rose's head. His vision blurred, causing him to slightly loose balance. He fell onto the bed, his right hand clutching his aching head. 'My head…It feels like…like something is scratching, trying to burst out and break free.'

As much as he wanted to unlock the door and run for it, Ryo watched the older teen. He seemed so weak and defenceless now. A part of him told him to stay back, in case this was a ploy, but the affectionate half, buried under memories and confusion, told him that Rose really was in pain.

"…" Trickles of sweat accompanied Ryo's heavy breathing. 'I need to sit down…it's too hot in here. I'm suffocating…'

"…Where am I…?" Rose's voice was muffed by his bed sheet. He rose slowly, rubbing his eyes.

"Rose…?" Ryo's voice was reduced to a whisper as the older teen looked up, his glassy eyes connecting with his own dark orbs. "Oh, I'm sorry." He chuckled, reaching over to his desk. Rose picked up a pair of tinted glasses. By this time, Ryo had unlocked the door, a pale, shivering hand clutched the door handle.

'I've got to get out of here, NOW!' His mind screamed at him.

"Hmm…" The blonde-haired teenager frowned at Ryo, unable to recognise him even after what he had done. "Who are you?"

Without another word, the sandy-haired boy thrust the door open and ran for it. In a blind panic he ran with no care to where he was going. His mind repeated a single mantra.

'Dee didn't come. Dee didn't come. Dee didn't come…'

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"Where the hell is he?" Dee frowned. "I knew it. I fucking knew it. He's lost." Sighing, the dark-haired teen left his room.

"Ryo!" He shouted down the empty hallway. "Ryo, where are you?" Walking further down the hall, Dee kept shouting the other teen's name, but all he received in return was deadly silence.

"Dee? What's all the commotion?" The door to Nurse Sofia's office opened, and a familiar jolly face with short blonde hair appeared.

"My roomie's gone missing, so I'm just looking for him, that's all." Dee shrugged. "Sorry for the noise Soph."

"It's alright. But, Dee…" The Nurse wore a worried expression.

"Hmm?"

"Be nice to him, okay. He's still new and adjusting." Straightening out her skirt, the blonde Nurse watched Dee nod and continue on his way. 'Oh Dee. It's not that I don't trust you, but after what happened…please…Let that McLean boy be safe.'

A lap of the next couple of corridors didn't get Dee any closer to his roommate.

'Damn it all, why do I have to share a room with an air-head?'

Walking down the green coloured corridor, the emerald-eyed teen heard footsteps padding just ahead of him.

"Ryo? Ryo! RYO!" Dee yelled. The footsteps slowed, then stopped. Dee squinted further up the corridor. He ran forwards to the figure in front of him, stopping so that there was a distance between them. "There you are, Ryo…I was gettin' kinda worried…"

The shorter teen turned around slowly. For a moment the two boys just stared at each other. Slightly puffy dark eyes glared into sparkly green depths. Neither of them spoke, neither of them moved. They just stared in a painful silence.

Uncomfortable, Dee shifted on his feet. "Ryo…" He whispered gently. "What's wrong…?"

Thinking for only a second, Ryo dashed towards Dee, flinging himself into the taller boy's arms. He snuggled so close to him it look like he was trying to take refuge inside Dee's body. Pale hands grabbed the dark-haired teen's shirt, and as Ryo's body trembled, tears pricked behind his Japanese eyes.

"You didn't come…" He mumbled as strong arms encircled him and pulled him close. "You didn't come…"

"Ryo…you're burning up…" Dee couldn't mask his face of concern as he looked at the teen shaking in his arms. "Ryo…?" The boy's breathing had evened out. Dee gently shook his roommate, but he didn't stir.

'You didn't come, Dee. Why didn't you come…?' Ryo thought sadly as he passed out in the safety of his handsome roommate.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"Drake-Sempaii!!!" A voice purred. The tall teen smiled nervously as his lavender-haired friend circled him, like a cat ready to pounce. "Play with me!"

Drake blushed, looking at the floor. How could someone so innocent-looking sound so dirty?

J.J pounced, his hands attempting to grab his roommate's hips so he could latch onto the older teen. But, prepared for the attack, Drake dodged swiftly, letting J.J smack into the wooden desk.

"Owie…Drake…you're no fun!" The young teenager pouted.

In the bed next to the offending desk, Ryo stirred from his slumber.

Drake put a finger to J.J's lips and nodded at the boy.

"Ooh…right. Drake, can you go get me a flannel from our room? I'll watch Ryo, kay?" Taking another look at Ryo, J.J frowned. 'You have to wake up when I was hoping for some me and Drake time. How rude.'

"Nnh…" Stretching, Ryo opened his dark eyes. His head felt lighter than before, and he felt cooler again.

"Afternoon, Ryo." J.J attempted a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"J.J? Better I guess…where's Dee?" Ryo looked around the room, but only he and the light-haired teen were present.

"He's at his appointment right now. And Drake's fetching a flannel, so it's just you and me. We're just looking after you until Mr Handsome returns."

"Oh, okay…" Ryo suddenly wondered why his pants weren't wet, since his bladder wasn't tight anymore.

J.J saw Ryo's confused face, unable to cover his laugh. "You didn't make it to the toilet, did you?" he grinned mischievously. "Don't worry, Dee helped you out."

With J.J winking at him, Ryo blushed hotly. He didn't know how to take that statement and decided to change the subject.

"So, err, why is Dee here? I mean, he seems totally normal to me, apart from his temper. But everyone gets mad once in a while. It's only human."

All the happiness drained itself from J.J's face. "That's not a topic we discuss very often." He answered carefully, his cheery blue eyes darker than before.

"Oh, I'm sorry then. I didn't mean any harm. I was just curious, but you're right, it's none of my business." Ryo hung his head ashamed. But Dee was a nice guy, if not a little intrusive and loud. Surely he couldn't have done anything that bad. And he seemed too relaxed to be traumatised…

"The truth is…" J.J's voice brought Ryo back to Earth. "…Dee should have left here a long time ago…" There was sadness in the teen's voice, Ryo noticed. J.J. was wringing his hands as if uncomfortable with the situation. "It's his guilt that's keeping here…He doesn't think he deserves to leave…"

Intrigued, Ryo sat up, fully concentrating on J.J's words.

"Yes…?"

"I don't know how much I am allowed to tell you, but…"

Outside the room, footsteps drew closer.

"…But, after the incident a few years ago, Dee was accused of - !"

A figure in the doorway stopped the lavender-haired boy's tale. He froze as dark eyes stared at him. The other teenager shook his head.

"Drake…" J.J acknowledged his roomie. "I'm sorry, I was blabbering again. I just can't help myself."

Sighing, Drake came into the room with a wet flannel. He placed it gently on Ryo's forehead, giving him a small smile.

"Get some rest, Ryo. You'll feel better in the morning." J.J tucked the half-Japanese boy under his sheets whilst Drake pressed the flannel onto his forehead. He was almost normal temperature now, but his mind and body craved sleep.

Despite desperately wanting to know what had happened to Dee, Ryo knew that J.J shouldn't be the one to tell him. It had to be from Dee, with Dee's voice. Shuddering, Ryo suddenly remembered Rose. His husky voice and rough fingers…Rose began to approach him, getting closer and closer…But just before the creep could touch him, Dee appeared. He stood protectively in front of Ryo, and he sighed in relief. Everything would be okay now. It would be okay.

"Who are you?" Rose's last words. They were so odd. Of-course he knew who he was! He'd just tried to molest him! But something made Ryo believe those words. The truth.

'Where does the truth end…?' Ryo thought in his restless sleep, 'And the lies begin?'

TBC…

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Okay, this took me longer than expected, and it isn't even that good! I can't express my disappointment…I was typing this on Word and suddenly, my program shut itself down. I hadn't saved it, and so it looked like I'd lost everything. But, before I unleashed my anger, I checked my recovery files and…phew! There it was, only missing one line! I must remember to continuously save my work sigh. I'm such an air-head.

I didn't really write everything I had planned last chapter. To be honest, most of my plans don't seem to be followed so closely anymore. But, I have written the beginning of this chappy out four times…that's gotta amount for something!

I'm not helping myself update quickly by starting a new story. There's another fic idea in my head that I desperately want to put onto paper, but I will restrain myself until the time is right. I'm not bored by this fic, but for some reason, my more recent chapters haven't lived up to my expectations. Is chapter five okay? Does anyone still want me to keep going? I will continue, only if someone asks me too. I love writing, but as of late my motivation has gone down a notch…

See you next chapter (hopefully!)

Minako Angel xxx

P.S. Yes I lied, this was posted Thursday, not Friday!!! But, better for you, hmm?