A/N: Happy Halloween! I'm sleeping over at a friend's, so sorry for the late post. Enjoy some depressing angst! Again, set during the journey to Banten... please review!
005: OUTSIDES
Yoite had remained stubbornly in his soaked clothes until the man finally went to bed. Miharu knelt down in front of him and whispered, "You need to change, you're going to get sick."
"Doesn't matter." He was already sick.
"Yoite..." Miharu reached out as though to touch him, but hesitated. "You can change in the bathroom, and it's dark out here. I won't look."
Yoite tightened his arms around his legs. The rain had chilled him all the way to the bones, and he could tell that his fever was worsening. Miharu hadn't said it, but Yoite read it in his face-- you promised me you wouldn't die.
Silently, he rose to his feet, toed his shoes off, and stripped his gloves. He considered his options. He didn't want Miharu to see his body, but the bathroom was sure to have a mirror...
Yoite carried the clothes the man had left out into the bathroom. He locked the door behind himself, but didn't turn the light on. Eyes closed, he unbuttoned his coat and dragged his clinging sweater over his head. He was out of his pants and into the dry pair in a matter of seconds. It was in the middle of tugging the new shirt on that morbid curiosity possessed him.
Yoite raised his head up and stared into mirror, eyes clinically examining the spread of discoloration across his chest. The dark, bruise-like patches didn't disturb him like they should've. Yoite had never liked his body. When he was younger, the doctors had studied his reproductive organs and deemed him to be mostly female But as he got older, no period ever came and breasts formed to take shape-- his shoulders widened and his voice dropped instead.
Yoite went to clasp his scarred neck, but his hand jerked in reflex to cover his mouth as he choked on blood.
All his body ever did was betray him.