Title: Imperfect Countenance

Author: YaoiGoddessNekoJin

Rating: T

Warnings: Yaoi, Language, Violence, Implied Rape, *Chapter may be triggering to those who have struggled with self-harm*

A/N: Alright, I know this is rather late and I apologize for that. Thank you again to all of my reviewers! ^-^

Anyway, I hope ya'll enjoy this next installment of Imperfect Countenance! ^-^

Chapter VI

Darkness surrounded him in a thick, inky, black fog. It made it incredibly hard for Rei to even breathe. He coughed, trying desperately to force air into his burning lungs. Rei's heart stopped and a white hot chill of sheer terror froze his body to the spot when he caught sight of glowing, red eyes in the midst of the heavy fog. As the eyes got closer, Rei began to struggle, desperately, against his invisible bonds. He tried to scream, but no sound emitted from his mouth.

x~x~x

Rei awoke with a jerk, body covered in a quickly cooling sheen of sweat. His breathing was ragged and his heart was racing. It had only been a nightmare. He'd been having them every time he closed his eyes it seemed. As the adrenaline wore off, Rei's injuries were brought back to the forefront of his mind as they began stinging fiercely. The pain that washed over the boy brought tears to the golden eyes. Rei lay there, stock still, for what seemed like hours before the pain slowly subsided. Rei sighed in relief when the once sharp, stabbing pain became a dull, manageable ache. He reached a still trembling hand to feel the rough bandage wrapped around his face. It had been two days since he'd been admitted to the hospital. Two days and nobody, not Kai, Judy, or even Max, had come to back to visit him. He guessed he asked for it. After all, he had been the one that had told them he didn't want to see them. But, he had been upset, vulnerable, and he just didn't have the energy left for visitors. 'I know part of it was that I didn't want them to see my face as well.' he silently admitted. Now, however, he was overwhelmingly lonely. In fact, the last time he had felt this alone had been just after his parents had died. Rei's eyes began to water as he thought about everything. It didn't seem that he would ever get a break. Right when he was about to finally make something of himself, this had to happen. No magazine or any other modeling outlet would want to hire him with the hideous scar that now adorned his face. What else could go wrong in his miserable excuse for a life? Not only had his career been ruined, but he had been violated in such a way that he felt he could never recover from. At least not emotionally, any way. By this point, hot tears trailed down his face, the salt from them stinging the cut on his face as they soaked into the gauze bandages. Rei felt completely and utterly worthless. After quietly weeping for several moments, Rei decided to try and get up so that he could go to the bathroom. Sitting up carefully, he had to stifle a yelp of pain as the shock blazed up his spine. He sat there for a moment, attempting to regain his breath, before gently swinging his legs over the side of the hospital bed. He grabbed the bed rail in a white-knuckled grip to steady him as he rose to his feet. Ever so cautiously, he put one foot in front of the other and began to make his way, precariously, to the restroom.

Once he had made it to his private bathroom, Rei closed the large, wooden door behind him and braced himself on the porcelain sink, looking at his reflection in the mirror. Gosh, he looked awful. His hair was lifeless and stringy, his skin was a chalky pale, even his eyes were a dull, ugly bronze. The pristine white of the gauze only succeeded in making him look even more washed out. If that weren't enough to make Kai hate him, he was sure that the fact that he had been tainted certainly would. He was dirty. 'I don't want to be here anymore.' he thought, angrily, as he brought his fist back in the air. He swung with a frustrated cry and his fist connected with the mirror, shattering it on impact. He fell to his knees, tears once more returning in the form of heaving sobs. He carefully picked up a jagged shard of glass, turning it over and gently rubbed a finger down one side. A tiny sting was the only sensation he felt as a small amount of blood surfaced. Rei smiled with grim satisfaction as he raised the large shard to his wrist. Gritting his teeth, Rei pressed down as hard as he could and pulled the glass across his skin, ripping a gaping cut in his arm. He then did the same to the other wrist and sat with his back leaning against the door. He watched in amazement as twin rivers of crimson red ran down his hands to collect in pools on the floor. As the minutes ticked by, the puddles of blood became larger and larger, soaking into the white hospital gown he was wearing. Rei's vision began to darken around the edges and he leaned his head heavily against the door as the darkness closed in more and he began to feel a tiredness descend upon him. His last thought before he blacked out was that he would finally find peace.

x~x~x

TBC...

A/N: Okey dokey. So, that wasn't too long, but it's better than nothing, ne? Well, review and let me know what ya think. .