Thy Darkened Ways

[O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger,

neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak:

O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed.

My soul is also sore vexed:

but thou, O Lord, how long?

Return, O Lord, deliver my soul:

oh save me for thy mercies' sake.]

"Wha—wait! Teito!"

Teito ignored the blond boy's shouts as he fled from the shower room, clothes in hand. He knew that Shuri would think of it as his victory, but he couldn't care less about the bastard. All that mattered was what Mikage thought, and he surely wasn't thinking anything in Teito's favor by that point.

He quickened his pace when he heard footsteps echoing from behind him, but to his dismay, he realized that track practice had indeed worn him out, and he couldn't keep up his stride. His and Mikage's room resided at almost at the complete other end of the corridor, and even so, he knew he couldn't avoid the other boy forever. So he came to an abrupt stop, waiting for the footsteps to inevitably draw nearer and nearer until he felt a hand at his bare shoulder.

"Teito, don't think that…" Teito screwed his eyes shut at the pause. Mikage really did believe Shuri's words; he was just grasping at straws trying to find the right thing to say.

Abruptly, Teito pushed Mikage away, fixing the boy with a sharp jade glare—though it killed him to treat the only person who put up with him here like that. "Stay away from me, you heard what Shuri said, right?"

Mikage lunged for Teito again, not threateningly, but in desperation as to not let the boy slip away once more. But Teito had expected this and was prepared for it—he sidestepped Mikage's move and grabbed the arm nearest to him, tripping Mikage with his foot as he did so and shoving him to the ground.

"Just leave me alone!" he cried—but even Mikage could hear Teito's voice crack. "Stop getting involved with me…" And while Mikage was still sprawled on the floor, Teito took off, not looking back. He decided that going back to their room wouldn't be the best choice at the moment, and he streaked out of the dorm room hoping to find a bathroom somewhere to change back into his clothes—

That is, until he ran headfirst into something extremely firm, sending him flying back in the other direction, and he landed gracelessly on his back onto the stone flooring of the courtyard.

Eyes not accustomed to the bright daylight, Teito sensed more than saw that there was a man standing in front of him. Oh no, I'm not dressed—!

"Streaking out in the middle of the day, are we?" a deep voice asked, his tone dead. Teito blinked rapidly, and it only took a few moments to make out a tall man standing before him, wearing a formal uniform that only the higher-up teachers and staff members wore. Before Teito could even open his mouth to speak, to make an excuse, to do something, the man spoke again. "I'm the vice principal, Ayanami. And as such, I don't think I should allow behavior like this to go unnoticed." His cold, violet eyes ran down the length of Teito's body, causing the boy to shiver and cover as much skin as he could with his arms.

"But—"

"No excuses," a new harshness in the man's tone did the trick, shutting Teito up effectively. Teito hung his head as he stood, clothes still clutched in his hand. "Come with me."

Walking through the courtyard near fully exposed was humiliating, but Teito supposed he should be used to that by now. After all, he'd suffered worse humiliation before…

He shuddered, worse than he had when Vice Principal Ayanami had looked at him with leering eyes, remembering a certain unpleasant happening.

This damned mark, Teito thought, his eyebrows drawing together in renewed anger, If he hadn't done this to me, if I didn't have this mark, Mikage would still trust me. I mean, anyone would believe Shuri, since I can't deny that this is the mark of a prostitute…

"Stop spacing out." Ayanami's harsh command ripped Teito from his less than enjoyable thoughts, and he stumbled forward to stay in line behind the vice principal.

He's…intimidating… Teito found himself thinking as he stared at the man's broad back. Granted, he couldn't help but think so, as Ayanami was much taller than the small boy. The overly-serious hat that sat atop the man's head—the black cloth contrasting with the man's fine silver hair—was the only thing Teito supposed that could be humorous about him.

He blushed when he began to hear soft mutters being passed around the courtyard. Snippets of conversations, such as "…Teito Klein…" "…tattoo…" "Vice Principal…" could be heard, and though the words were harmless by themselves, the boy knew what other words the passers-by would be saying, though they couldn't be heard.

Even so, they were inside the main staff building soon enough—a building that branched off from the main school building. Ayanami led through more winding, similar looking corridors until they reached his office.

"I really should notify the principal about this, but unfortunately he's in an important meeting at the moment," the vice principal said, leading Teito into the spacious room. A simple desk stood at the back, with a plush, black chair pushed under it neatly to complement Ayanami's steadily increasing intimidating stature.

"Just let me explain—"

"Didn't I tell you already?" Ayanami turned to face him, and Teito immediately shut his mouth, teeth banging together with a small clack as he did so. "No excuses. Sit down." He gestured towards one of the three chairs that sat in front of the mahogany desk, and Teito took the one in the middle as Ayanami made his way to his own chair. Teito had been right—it did make the man look scarier.

"I don't think I need to explain very much to you. For students enrolled in the athletic curriculum, after showering they are ordered to get changed into clean clothes in the dressing room. Why were you streaking out in the courtyard if you knew of this rule?" Ayanami questioned, his tone as cold as his eyes.

Teito wanted to shout in frustration. He'd been trying to explain himself the whole time—now this man was just asking him why he was running around almost naked? In fact, he still wasn't even dressed properly, sitting in the wooden chair uncomfortably, only clad in his undergarments. This was ridiculous. But Teito knew better than to give anyone of authority any kind of lip, so he simply collected every ounce of self-control he possessed and put it into play.

"Well you see…" That is, until he realized he couldn't simply tell Vice Principal Ayanami about what exactly had happened in the shower room. When Ayanami simply raised an eyebrow in dead curiosity, Teito felt all thoughts of a possible excuse slip away as he panicked. What was he supposed to say? That he'd been bullied? No, Shuri wasn't the reason he ran out into the open—well, not the direct reason, anyway. It had been his own fault. "I was just…being stupid. It's my fault, no one put me up to it or anything," he continued after an elongated pause. He hoped that's what Ayanami had been thinking—that it had been some sort of dare or lost bet.

"Is that so?" was all Ayanami had to say in reply. Teito gulped, feeling the pressure of his situation finally sink in. Could he be kicked out for something like this? Surely not, if it didn't hurt anyone… But his doubtful thoughts took over as Ayanami pulled out a book full of students' names. "Your name?"

Immediately, Teito replied, "Teito Klein."

"Hm." Ayanami huffed slightly as he leafed through the pages, finding the "K" section with seasoned ease. "Teito Klein…you're here on full scholarship, enrolled in both the academic and athletic curriculums. Your room is 225 in Dorm B…and your roommate is Mikage Celestine*…" At that, Ayanami stopped reading and raised his gaze to fix Teito in a violet stare. "This Mikage. I wonder if he would tell me the reason you were running around like that? He would know, am I correct?"

Teito felt the blood drain from his face. The last thing he wanted was to see Mikage at the moment—let alone in a vice principal's office while he was contemplating the chances of him getting suspended, or even worse, expelled. It was his first day of classes, for God's sake.

"N-no, he wasn't around at…at the time…" Teito replied weakly. Please don't call my bluff. Don't bring Mikage here.

For the first time, Teito saw Ayanami move his lips in something other than the formation of words, and they curled upwards to smirk coldly. "Then please indulge me in the reason you decided to take that foolish action."

Who does this bastard think he is?! Teito clenched his fist at his side, feeling a flash of anger overtake him for an instant. "Like I said, I was being stupid and I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to be…funny." Teito exhaled the slightest bit at his words in relief. They sounded sure of themselves for once, and he was almost positive that Ayanami would buy his lie at this point.

"Hmph." Ayanami let the book fall through his fingers and hit the desk neatly. "Well, because of your actions, you'll have to serve detention here after school for two weeks—which includes the weekend, of course," he added, letting his smirk slip away. "Be here at five exactly each day, or your detention is extended by another week. You'll be working for two hours, and may return to your dorm at seven." Intertwining his fingers—gloved fingers, strangely enough—and placing them on his desk, he said in a dismissive tone, "If you don't have any questions, you may leave. Detention will start today for you."

But Teito did have questions. He was relieved that he wasn't being suspended or expelled or anything of the sort, but there was one problem with Ayanami's punishment. "I have track meets on Saturdays from four to six—"

"You'll be excused from those."

"Th-then…I'll take my leave…" Teito said, his voice returning to its wavering state.

"I'll see you at five o'clock, Teito Klein."

And with that, Teito exited the office, at least slipping into his pants. He felt his face flush when he realized that he had subconsciously ignored the fact that he was nearly naked the whole time he had spoken with the vice principal. Even so, he felt light-headed from all the events that had taken place that day. Everything seemed to be happening too fast…this wasn't anything like the slowly torturous life he had lived before coming to the academy…

Suddenly, just as he realized that his light-headed feeling wasn't disappearing, he clutched his head as a painful throb clawed at his skull.

Wha…

Before he could even finish his thought, Teito Klein was out cold on the marble floor just outside Vice Principal Ayanami's office.

"T-T-Teito…I love you, my very own Teito…"

A young green-eyed boy stared at the drunken man before him, his face contorted in pure fear. "No, I'm not a thing! Don't touch me!"

But before the small boy could escape into one of the many nooks and crannies the house had to offer, or even take more than three steps away from the man, he was grabbed by the collar of his already-ripped shirt. It was only a reminder of how many close-calls he'd had before now.

"No no no no no, Teito, no. That's bad. You're mine, all mine." The man sighed in insanity-driven bliss as he pulled the uselessly struggling boy into his chest, burying his face into the soft brunette locks. "Mine, mine, mine. All mine." The words continued to ring in the boy's ears as he was taken to the man's room, in which he ripped the brunette's shirt off, tying his wrists to the bedpost. "How can I convince you, Teito? How, how? You should know you're all Daddy's…"

Jade eyes wide in overpowering fear, the boy couldn't help but think that the man wasn't his father—not at all. He had hoped, when he first met the drunkard, that he could be his father, but that wish had blown out the window almost the first day he'd stayed with the man.

When the boy could hear beyond the steady pounding in his ears, he realized that the man was sifting through a chest—he remembered that chest. It was full of metal rods the man used when he was a blacksmith—now he was just a drunkard, of course.

"Here it is, here it is, lookie, Teito! This,this will show you that you're all mine." He swung a rod in the boy's direction—the brunette could barely make out the shape of the rod, but he realized that there was a strange, intricate design crafted on the end of it.

"No—no! Stay away!"

As if the man had listened, he disappeared from the room for a few minutes. In that short period of time, the boy fought with the cloth that tied him to the bed, trying to loosen it somehow, but the drunkard had tied it damn tight, even in his intoxicated state. He couldn't help but wonder why this was happening to him. What had he done wrong?

Just as his thoughts became tinted with negativity, the door swung open again, and the man entered the dim, unlit room once more—but there was something wrong.

The rod was glowing.

The end with the design was burning red and orange, glinting evilly against the gray and black shadows that engulfed the room.

"Here, here, Teito…don't be scared, my Teito…my beautiful Teito…"

The boy screamed. He was unable to do anything else. His body was paralyzed in fear—he couldn't even kick or struggle. All he could do was scream at the top of his lungs until the man shoved a corner of the comforter into the boy's small mouth to shut him up.

"Can't have that, can we, Teito? No, no." Finally, the man flipped Teito onto his stomach and held him there, though the boy wouldn't have been able to fight back anyway. Tears streamed onto the pillow as he awaited what would surely be a tremendous amount of pain…

…and he was right.

The man whispered false words of love and affection for the boy as he placed the hot brand on the boy's back—causing the brunette to choke on the sheets as he tried to scream again. The drunkard laughed in delight, watching as his "son" squirmed under him in indescribable pain. He kept the heated brand on the boy's back until the skin reddened sickeningly. The brand would surely scar into a mark—a mark of his property, or so he thought.

That night would be the worst night of the boy's life, as the events that happened afterwards only continued in a horrid downward spiral.

"…Teito."

Jade eyes blinked open, and Teito Klein saw the ceiling swimming before him.

Huh…? What's going on?

Wiping at his eyes, he was surprised to pull his hand away and find tears wetting his fingers. I was…crying?

"Teito," the voice repeated, and his head snapped up to see a familiar blond staring at him worriedly from a cushioned white chair. "Teito! You had me so worried when you ran out like that! I mean, you weren't even dressed and—and anyway, are you okay? Do you need anything? I mean, you were crying—"

"I wasn't crying," Teito cut Mikage off, subconsciously rubbing at his eyes again. "A-anyway, why are you here? Where am I?" He glanced around the room, which seemed to be covered in white furniture to match the white wallpaper and the white flooring. He was surrounded by a sea of white. Before his mind could put two and two together, Mikage answered him.

"We're in the nurse's office. You collapsed outside of the vice principal's office…" To Teito's complete and utter surprise, Mikage began to tear up. "I was so worried about you, Teito! I didn't know where you went, but then I saw the vice principal carrying you here—"

"Wait, you mean Ayanami carried me here?" Teito couldn't believe it. That cold-eyed bastard?

Mikage blinked. "Err…yeah. It was a little weird, but he couldn't just leave you there if you collapsed in front of his office, right? Oh. I helped you change into a clean set of clothes, but you can thank me later," he continued, grinning broadly. "Anyway, Nurse Labrador is getting your medicines, so you'll just have to sit tight till then."

"My medicines?"

"Things for headache and stress…or something. I don't really know the specifics, I guess you'd have to ask the nurse…"

Teito sighed. He didn't want to be here alone with Mikage after crying in front of him, and especially after having that horrible recollection of his childhood. And after what had happened in the shower room, as well.

"Teito…"

Oh no. He's going to ask about it. He's going to ask about how I was a prostitute. That damn Shuri will have that lie spread all over the school by tomorrow…

"…if you ever want to talk to me about how you really got that mark, I'll listen to you." Teito's eyes widened as Mikage flashed him a childish smile. "I mean, I really don't believe a word that Shuri says! Did you know we used to go to school together? He would just tattle on everyone, the punk…"

Teito's sheer relief drowned out Mikage's words as he began to talk about his elementary school days. Mikage would listen to him…he didn't hate him…and most of all, he didn't believe that Teito had been a prostitute.

God…if you really exist…thank you…!

After a few minutes of Mikage rambling about one thing or the other, a gentle-looking man clad in white entered the room and made his way to Teito's bed, carrying several different containers filled with either liquid or pills.

"Hello, Teito! I'm Nurse Labrador. You collapsed earlier and Vice Principal Ayanami brought you here to rest, but I thought I should give you some medicines just in case." And with that, Nurse Labrador began handing the containers to Teito, explaining what each one was called and what purpose they served, alone with possible side-affects each one might have.

"And that's that," Nurse Labrador concluded, sending both Teito and Mikage a soft smile as they thanked the nurse and left his office.

Mikage ruffled Teito's hair as they left. "Everyone's talking about you, by the way. After some people saw the vice principal carrying you through the school, you've soared in terms of popularity," he said, and added jokingly, "Oh, and the fact that you were apparently wandering around with him…umm…in your underwear?"

Teito couldn't stop the blush that dusted his cheeks red. "Sh-shut up, it's not like—hey, stop laughing!" The brunette crossed his arms in irritation and stomped away, with Mikage hot on his heels after he'd recovered from his laughing fit.

Well, he supposed it would still be a long way till five o'clock.

A/N

*There's this one part in the manga that has Mikage's last name in it…I think…I could have misunderstood it but screw it Mikage's last name is Celestine, dammit . Kidding. If anyone knows what Mikage's real last name is, or if that IS his real last name, let this clueless idiot know por favor~

Labrador being sneaky with a small appearance. I should ship him and Castor in this story too, eheheheh.

It totally killed me to write about Teito being tortured by that fucker. I mean, just no. And then there's the other part to his memories—what happened after he got branded—but I'm not sure if people want me to write about that because A) We all basically know what happened and B) Most of us probably wished they didn't o_o

Lots of setup here for Ayanami x Teito here, too. I wonder what will happen to Teito in two weeks…? Hmm. HMM. And as always, there was Mikage x Teito setup EVERYWHERE in this chapter :3 Oh, and before I forget, if anyone wants me to write little pairings off to the side—such as Castor x Labrador, etc. etc.—let me know, and I'd be happy to somehow entwine them into the story *^*

Ja ne~!