[fic] MEGA-crossover - Jinchi High School 11A/?
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“Gackt…”
The brunette hesitated before replying. He considered ignoring the voice and continuing to fake sleep as the redhead played with his hair, but he’d been doing that since Kami had woken up late that morning. Hours of avoidance had passed since then, and Gackt knew he’d have to face reality again eventually…
He swiftly ran a fist over his eyes, hoping to conceal any traces of his afternoon’s activities, before rolling over onto his back. “… Yeah?” He grimaced slightly at the raspiness of his voice.
Kami sighed. “… I’ve been thinking, about treatment.”
Gackt shifted a bit, nerves suddenly tripling. He waited for Kami to elaborate.
“I’ve decided, because I know it’s important to you, I’ll d-“
“Me?” Gackt’s brow furrowed and he lifted himself into a half-sitting position, swiveling around to face the longhaired boy with an expression of unexpected anger. “Because it’s important to me?! What about you!? You don’t care if you live or die?”
“Gackt, it’s not that I don’t care, it’s that I don’t think it makes a difference. I’ll die soon enough anyway.”
Gackt looked like he’d just been punched in the gut. “How can you say that? Of course it makes a difference, Kami. Everybody dies eventually, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep living until we do!”
“Gackt, I’m going to keep living,” He reasoned, placing a hand on the distressed boy’s shoulder. “But, the fact is, my time is almost up. Knowing that and still going through this is going to be bad enough, but when I think about prolonging the final stages…” He trailed off, closing his eyes for a moment to gather himself. “I just… don’t know how much difference a week or two, hooked up to a bunch of machines, is going to make.”
Gackt was crying again, he couldn’t help it. “I don’t understand… how- how can you be so accepting about this? I- I can’t even-“ He broke off, vainly attempting to calm himself by burying his face in his palms.
“I’m not. I don’t want to be, Gacchan, but…” Kami exhaled slowly, tears pricking at his own eyes as he drew Gackt’s shuddering form against his chest. “... Nothing I do can change this. It’s… fate, maybe.”
“It’s stupid.” Gackt’s muffled voice was nasally with tears. “I hate it.”
Kami smiled sadly at his childishness. “Yeah, me too.” He tightened his hold around the younger boy, sighing softly as he burrowed his cheek into the crook of Gackt’s neck, his tears dripping slowly and silently into the white material of Gackt’s shirt.
“…Am I selfish?” Gackt asked quietly after a couple long minutes had passed.
Kami nuzzled a bit closer, frowning slightly. “I don’t think you are.”
There was a pause. “I’m sorry I pressured you. It’s your life; you can do what you want. Don’t worry about me.”
Kami shook his head, sliding one hand up to rub soothingly through Gackt’s dark hair. “No, I’m glad, actually. I’m the one who’s been selfish. I forgot how many people care for me like you do, Gacchan. I should thank you for reminding me.”
Gackt bit his lip. After only just calming his emotions, Kami’s words had once again swollen the lump in his throat. He didn’t want to make a scene, he felt foolish enough as it was for making Kami feel guilty.
“I…” He swallowed, not knowing what to say next that would lighten things. “I… I have to pee.”
Kami pulled away, frowning in surprise at him. “Um… okay. Go ahead.”
Gackt blushed, nodding and rolling off the bed. He hurried across the small room to the attached bathroom and slipped inside. As the door clicked shut behind him he released the breath he’d been holding and nearly collapsed against the sink. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the counter and he grit his teeth while he blinked away another onslaught of tears.
“You idiot…” He hissed at his reflection in the mirror, hating the disheveled, red-eyed, person he saw in there. “Pull yourself together!”
It wasn’t really working. He felt like he would suffocate in the cramped space and was sure Kami could still hear the hissed insults and strangled noises he was making in an all-out effort to avoid breaking down completely.
He wiped his eyes one last time on his already damp sleeve before sliding the door open and striding back into the room with determination.
A nurse was changing the white bandages wrapped around Kami’s thin middle. The redhead looked up as he entered, watching the haunted look widen Gackt’s eyes as the gauze served as a huge reminder of the situation they were sinking in.
“I’m… going for a walk.” Gackt announced, his legs shaking a bit as he hurried to the room’s exit.
“Gacchan… Don’t avoid me, okay?” Kami frowned with concern. “I’m getting enough of that from my parents right now.”
“No, I’m not!” Gackt assured him, one hand reaching blindly for the door handle. “Honestly, I’ll be back. I just need to clear my head a bit.”
Kami smiled, nodding and turning back to the nurse as Gackt left the room. The door slid back into place and the smile melted off his features as he returned to watching the nurse finish her work.
“A friend of yours?” She asked pleasantly, checking to see that the gauze was fastened tight enough.
Kami nodded, his eyes empty and pained. “Yeah. He is.” He stared vacantly ahead of him, barely noticing the nurse stand and move towards the door behind him. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even hear himself murmur the gist of his thoughts aloud. “… It’s hard to act strong.”
The nurse paused at the door, smiling sympathetically at the dying boy’s back before exiting with the usual ‘press the call button if you need anything’.
Kami eased himself onto his back, staring up at the ceiling with a heaviness set achingly upon his chest. He didn’t want that sterile, white, surface above him to be the last thing he saw.
Gackt had been right, however…
Fate really was stupid…
+++++++++
The door opened and a doctor with graying hair stepped out. All three boys craned their necks to see two nurses bent over a hospital bed with electric blankets in their hands. The door closed softly before they could catch a glimpse of the body in the bed.
The doctor shook the butler’s hand, leading the anxious group a few steps from the door.
“How is he?” Suzuki-san asked.
The doctor smiled, straightening his white coat. “He’ll be fine. His condition is fairly mild, so we’ll heat him up gradually and get him back to normal in no time.”
“His condition?” Ken questioned the word aloud, worrying his lower lip.
“He has hypothermia, but, like I said, it isn’t a serious case.”
Hyde saw Yuki blanche out of the corner of his eye, mouthing the word silently to himself.
The doctor continued with a frown. “Even in miserable weather like this, your friend must have been out for a while to reach such a body temperature. You don’t have any idea what he was up to?”
Ken shook his head, obviously upset. “I’ll- I’ll ask him, whenever he wakes up.”
The doctor nodded, giving the shaken dark-haired boy a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before excusing himself and striding off to see another patient.
Ken slumped into a seat by the wall, and Yukihiro followed him slowly. There was a strange expression on the blonde’s pale face, as though he were lost in some disturbing thought.
“Do you boys need anything?”
Ken and Yuki were still spacing so Hyde shook his head for them. “No, I think we’re fine.”
Suzuki-san nodded. “Well, I’m going to go find a payphone in the lobby and give Doi-sama a call. He’ll want to be notified about the situation immediately.”
“Is he back?” Hyde frowned.
Suzuki-san shook his head. “No, he’s still in Sao Paolo. Last I heard he’d be wrapping things up and on his way back tomorrow afternoon.”
“Oh, okay.” Hyde shoved his hands deep in his pockets, sighing softly. “I think I’ll walk around a bit.” He turned towards the two boys who were seated. “Call me when something changes.”
Ken nodded distantly and ran a hand over his face. Hyde looked unconvinced.
“Don’t worry.” The butler smiled reassuringly. “I’ll remind them.” He addressed the group. “But, if you’ll excuse me…” He bowed, striding down the hall to the elevators. Hyde watched him go before strolling down the hall in the opposite direction.
He wandered aimlessly, glancing through any open doorways he passed and reading all the signs that hung on the walls.
After a period of time he stopped in front of an art-craft display made by sick and dying children. They’d traced their hands on colored paper, cut out the shapes and stuck them together to make butterflies. The wings were decorated with stickers and little messages and drawings the children had done in crayons. Sparkly black letters were pinned on the wall above the display and read ‘Butterflies of Hope’.
Hyde sighed, easing slowly onto a bench across from the artwork, as he looked the whole thing over. He’d read the signs, he knew which section of the hospital this was, and the fact that many of these children would never leave these sterile halls clenched his heart like a vice.
Another person wandered down the hall, but Hyde didn’t notice until the other boy was stopping a few feet in front of him and blocking his view.
Hyde frowned, waiting for the stranger to move, but he didn’t. The newcomer stared at the colorful paper, reaching up tentatively to run his fingers around the uneven edges, tracing the honest, heartfelt, messages they’d printed messily on the fingers.
Hyde felt a pang of sympathy. Maybe this guy knew one of the kids who were stuck in here.
The standing boy’s shoulders sagged. Leaning forward, he rest his forehead heavily against the bulletin board.
Hyde stood slowly, walking over to stand next to the taller stranger with a concerned frown. “Hey, are ok-?…” He froze, seeing the gold crest on the front of the boy’s white dress shirt. Hyde’s eyes darted up to the face of the boy -who’s eyes were closed as though he hadn’t even heard Hyde speak- and his eyebrows shot up. “-Gackt?!”
The tall brunette’s eyes shot open and he stumbled back away from the wall in shock. “Hy- Hy-… What are you doing here?!”
“Um, someone I know got hypothermia, so…”
Gackt looked suspicious. “It’s almost May…”
Hyde shrugged. “Whatever. It’s cold out today.” He paused. “…and wet.”
“Well… Your friend’s an idiot if he was out long enough to be hospitalized.”
Hyde’s jaw dropped. “My friends are idiots? How can you judge my friends when yours are so-“
“There’s nothing wrong with my friends!” Gackt shouted suddenly. “There’s nothing-“ He broke off, grimacing as tears spilled abruptly over his cheeks. “There’s-…” He sobbed, turning on his heel and rushing away down the hall.
Hyde was shocked. He hadn’t expected that reaction, and it took him a moment to realize that Gackt had evidently spent the night in the hospital, which meant whoever he was visiting couldn’t be in here for anything good…
“Oi! Wait up!” Hyde jogged after him, struggling to keep pace beside the boy he’d inadvertently upset.
“Go away.” Gackt growled, turning down a hallway and wiping blindly at the liquid streaming from his eyes.
“No, just hold on a second.” Hyde tried to calm him. “I wasn’t trying to offend you or anything, okay?” Well, maybe he had been, but he certainly hadn’t meant to make him cry.
Gackt only sped up, turning a corner and running down it. A nurse in a room they passed gave them a dirty look, but Hyde didn’t pay attention. He was too focused on keeping up with the tall boy’s pace. He wasn’t even reading the signs flashing by in his peripheral vision, though he could tell by the colors on the walls that they were in a different part of the hospital.
“Come on, just stop running. Whatever’s wrong I didn’t mean to-“
“Stop following me! Go away!”
“Can you just calm down and listen to me?!” Hyde sped up, getting in front of the other boy and trying to block his way. “I’m not letting you go off mad at me in this state.”
Gackt clenched his teeth, barging past the smaller boy with his only intention being to put as much distance between them as he possibly could. Of course, Hyde was of a different mindset, and so he reached out and clenched a hold on the other boy’s sleeve.
“Wait. At least let me-“
Gackt shouted, his voice hoarse as he wrenched his arm free with all his strength. “Just leave me alone!” The force he put into ripping himself free caused him to lose his balance and stumble a few feet away before falling to the ground next to the wall. He sobbed, covering his face in his hands and shaking without the energy to stand. “Just- just leave me-…” His voice cracked and he sunk further in on himself, pulling his knees up to his chest.
Hyde watched, standing in the center of the otherwise empty hall as he tried to take the scene in. Now that he noticed it, Gackt’s appearance seriously reflected his emotional state. He honestly looked terrible, and that was putting it relatively kindly.
Slowly, he crossed the space between them and crouched beside the other guy. Gackt couldn’t even manage another strangled plea for solitude. Hyde bit his lip, eyes shifting awkwardly to the sides as he tried to think of what to do or say. He’d never been too good at comforting people, especially not since Gackt was someone he barely knew. Still, he had to do something. After all, the smaller brunette felt rather guilty since it had been his words that set the other student off.
“Um… Look, I don’t know why you’re crying, but-“
“I’m not crying.” Gackt’s thick, muffled, voice cut him off.
Hyde rolled his eyes to himself, getting annoyed with being interrupted so much but trying his best not to let it show in his voice.
“Okay… What I’m saying is, I don’t know why you’re here, but I’ve got some time to kill so… If you want to say anything I’ll, uh, listen…”
“… You don’t even know me.” Gackt lifted his head, eyeing him with red, watery, eyes and a fair amount of confusion and wariness.
Hyde shrugged. “So? That makes it less personal, right?” He smiled, acting as though he wasn’t pitying the other guy at all, though he felt differently. “Tell me whatever, I won’t judge you.”
Gackt looked undecided, his eyes flickering between Hyde’s eyes and smile, searching for a lie in his assurances. His chapped lips cracked open slightly, as though he were about to speak, and, judging by the scared, vulnerable, look in his expression, Hyde figured whatever he was about to say wasn’t just another variation of ‘F-off’.
Before he could speak, Gackt’s eyes shot up at the sound of a door opening behind Hyde. Fear, panic, and who knows what else, had him scrambling into a standing position and shooting off down the hall before Hyde could open his mouth to protest.
“Gackt?…”
A voice behind Hyde made him turn to face a thin boy with long, reddish, hair in an open doorway. He was seated in a wheelchair and staring after Gackt with an expression of both confusion and hurt. Hyde realized with a jolt that this must be who his distraught lab partner was here to visit.
“Uh, hi.”
The red-haired boy looked down, seeming mildly surprised to find Hyde waving awkwardly at him from his position on the ground. “Hi?… Who are you?”
“Oh, um, I’m Hyde. I know Gackt from school.”
“Oh.” The other boy smiled. “I don’t think we’ve met before.”
“Yeah, well, I’m new, so…”
“Oh, okay. I haven’t been in school lately.” He looked away before smiling again. “You’re friends?”
“Uh… No, not exactly.” Hyde chuckled, grinning wryly as he scratched his neck and stood. “I’m pretty sure he hates me, actually.”
“Oh.” The longhaired boy laughed in surprise. “That explains the shouting then.” Another chuckle. “But don’t worry, you’re new after all, and Gacchan just hasn’t been himself lately.”
Hyde nodded, biting his lip.
“I guess you have me to blame for that.” The redhead smiled wryly. “Oh, I’m Kami, by the way.”
Hyde’s eyes widened. “Kami?… Oh…” Gackt’s friend from childhood, the nice guy out of Mana’s gang… That’s who his lab partner was so distraught over. “I’ve heard of you, actually. Everyone says you’re a nice guy…”
Kami chuckled. “Do they? That’s very kind of them.” He smiled. “I can’t say that I’ve heard of you yet, but Gackt hasn’t been much of an informant lately. Give me a chance to get back to school though and we’ll see.”
“Okay then.” Hyde returned the smile, curiosity causing him to shift uncomfortably. “If, uh… If you don’t mind me asking, Kami-san, that’ll be soon? I mean, you look pretty healthy, except for… you know…” He gestured at the wheelchair.
Kami hesitated before nodding and smiling slightly. “Yeah. Probably sometime next week.”
Hyde smiled. “That’s good. Not that I know you or why you’re here, but I’m glad you’re getting better. Gackt’s mood should be improving then too…” He hesitated, realizing that the tall brunette’s earlier actions contradicted the idea of Kami getting better. “… I hope it will, anyway. Maybe then we can actually get some work done in class, instead of snapping at each other.”
Kami looked eager to change the subject. “What class is that?”
“Biology. Oh!” Hyde suddenly exclaimed, turning to reach into his schoolbag. “I’m sure he doesn’t want to deal with me right now, but could you give this to him? He left it in class the other day.” He held out the textbook for Kami to take it.
The redhead did, staring at the cover without actually seeing it. “… There are a lot of things Gackt doesn’t want to deal with, but I’ll do my best.” He smiled in a sort of sad way, making Hyde frown curiously.
“Like wh-?“ Hyde cut himself off as the phone in his pocket began vibrating loudly. “Oh, sorry, one second.” He pulled it out and flipped the device open. A next from Ken bore the simple message ‘Tet’s up.’
Hyde looked apologetically at the redhead. “I’m sorry, I’ve got to go. It was nice meeting you though, Kami-san.”
Kami smiled, waving off his apology. “Nice to meet you too. I’ll put in a good word with Gacchan for you.”
Hyde grinned, laughing as he jogged down the hall with a wave. “Thanks!”
+++++++++
PART 11.B IS HERE!
“Gackt…”
The brunette hesitated before replying. He considered ignoring the voice and continuing to fake sleep as the redhead played with his hair, but he’d been doing that since Kami had woken up late that morning. Hours of avoidance had passed since then, and Gackt knew he’d have to face reality again eventually…
He swiftly ran a fist over his eyes, hoping to conceal any traces of his afternoon’s activities, before rolling over onto his back. “… Yeah?” He grimaced slightly at the raspiness of his voice.
Kami sighed. “… I’ve been thinking, about treatment.”
Gackt shifted a bit, nerves suddenly tripling. He waited for Kami to elaborate.
“I’ve decided, because I know it’s important to you, I’ll d-“
“Me?” Gackt’s brow furrowed and he lifted himself into a half-sitting position, swiveling around to face the longhaired boy with an expression of unexpected anger. “Because it’s important to me?! What about you!? You don’t care if you live or die?”
“Gackt, it’s not that I don’t care, it’s that I don’t think it makes a difference. I’ll die soon enough anyway.”
Gackt looked like he’d just been punched in the gut. “How can you say that? Of course it makes a difference, Kami. Everybody dies eventually, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep living until we do!”
“Gackt, I’m going to keep living,” He reasoned, placing a hand on the distressed boy’s shoulder. “But, the fact is, my time is almost up. Knowing that and still going through this is going to be bad enough, but when I think about prolonging the final stages…” He trailed off, closing his eyes for a moment to gather himself. “I just… don’t know how much difference a week or two, hooked up to a bunch of machines, is going to make.”
Gackt was crying again, he couldn’t help it. “I don’t understand… how- how can you be so accepting about this? I- I can’t even-“ He broke off, vainly attempting to calm himself by burying his face in his palms.
“I’m not. I don’t want to be, Gacchan, but…” Kami exhaled slowly, tears pricking at his own eyes as he drew Gackt’s shuddering form against his chest. “... Nothing I do can change this. It’s… fate, maybe.”
“It’s stupid.” Gackt’s muffled voice was nasally with tears. “I hate it.”
Kami smiled sadly at his childishness. “Yeah, me too.” He tightened his hold around the younger boy, sighing softly as he burrowed his cheek into the crook of Gackt’s neck, his tears dripping slowly and silently into the white material of Gackt’s shirt.
“…Am I selfish?” Gackt asked quietly after a couple long minutes had passed.
Kami nuzzled a bit closer, frowning slightly. “I don’t think you are.”
There was a pause. “I’m sorry I pressured you. It’s your life; you can do what you want. Don’t worry about me.”
Kami shook his head, sliding one hand up to rub soothingly through Gackt’s dark hair. “No, I’m glad, actually. I’m the one who’s been selfish. I forgot how many people care for me like you do, Gacchan. I should thank you for reminding me.”
Gackt bit his lip. After only just calming his emotions, Kami’s words had once again swollen the lump in his throat. He didn’t want to make a scene, he felt foolish enough as it was for making Kami feel guilty.
“I…” He swallowed, not knowing what to say next that would lighten things. “I… I have to pee.”
Kami pulled away, frowning in surprise at him. “Um… okay. Go ahead.”
Gackt blushed, nodding and rolling off the bed. He hurried across the small room to the attached bathroom and slipped inside. As the door clicked shut behind him he released the breath he’d been holding and nearly collapsed against the sink. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the counter and he grit his teeth while he blinked away another onslaught of tears.
“You idiot…” He hissed at his reflection in the mirror, hating the disheveled, red-eyed, person he saw in there. “Pull yourself together!”
It wasn’t really working. He felt like he would suffocate in the cramped space and was sure Kami could still hear the hissed insults and strangled noises he was making in an all-out effort to avoid breaking down completely.
He wiped his eyes one last time on his already damp sleeve before sliding the door open and striding back into the room with determination.
A nurse was changing the white bandages wrapped around Kami’s thin middle. The redhead looked up as he entered, watching the haunted look widen Gackt’s eyes as the gauze served as a huge reminder of the situation they were sinking in.
“I’m… going for a walk.” Gackt announced, his legs shaking a bit as he hurried to the room’s exit.
“Gacchan… Don’t avoid me, okay?” Kami frowned with concern. “I’m getting enough of that from my parents right now.”
“No, I’m not!” Gackt assured him, one hand reaching blindly for the door handle. “Honestly, I’ll be back. I just need to clear my head a bit.”
Kami smiled, nodding and turning back to the nurse as Gackt left the room. The door slid back into place and the smile melted off his features as he returned to watching the nurse finish her work.
“A friend of yours?” She asked pleasantly, checking to see that the gauze was fastened tight enough.
Kami nodded, his eyes empty and pained. “Yeah. He is.” He stared vacantly ahead of him, barely noticing the nurse stand and move towards the door behind him. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even hear himself murmur the gist of his thoughts aloud. “… It’s hard to act strong.”
The nurse paused at the door, smiling sympathetically at the dying boy’s back before exiting with the usual ‘press the call button if you need anything’.
Kami eased himself onto his back, staring up at the ceiling with a heaviness set achingly upon his chest. He didn’t want that sterile, white, surface above him to be the last thing he saw.
Gackt had been right, however…
Fate really was stupid…
+++++++++
The door opened and a doctor with graying hair stepped out. All three boys craned their necks to see two nurses bent over a hospital bed with electric blankets in their hands. The door closed softly before they could catch a glimpse of the body in the bed.
The doctor shook the butler’s hand, leading the anxious group a few steps from the door.
“How is he?” Suzuki-san asked.
The doctor smiled, straightening his white coat. “He’ll be fine. His condition is fairly mild, so we’ll heat him up gradually and get him back to normal in no time.”
“His condition?” Ken questioned the word aloud, worrying his lower lip.
“He has hypothermia, but, like I said, it isn’t a serious case.”
Hyde saw Yuki blanche out of the corner of his eye, mouthing the word silently to himself.
The doctor continued with a frown. “Even in miserable weather like this, your friend must have been out for a while to reach such a body temperature. You don’t have any idea what he was up to?”
Ken shook his head, obviously upset. “I’ll- I’ll ask him, whenever he wakes up.”
The doctor nodded, giving the shaken dark-haired boy a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before excusing himself and striding off to see another patient.
Ken slumped into a seat by the wall, and Yukihiro followed him slowly. There was a strange expression on the blonde’s pale face, as though he were lost in some disturbing thought.
“Do you boys need anything?”
Ken and Yuki were still spacing so Hyde shook his head for them. “No, I think we’re fine.”
Suzuki-san nodded. “Well, I’m going to go find a payphone in the lobby and give Doi-sama a call. He’ll want to be notified about the situation immediately.”
“Is he back?” Hyde frowned.
Suzuki-san shook his head. “No, he’s still in Sao Paolo. Last I heard he’d be wrapping things up and on his way back tomorrow afternoon.”
“Oh, okay.” Hyde shoved his hands deep in his pockets, sighing softly. “I think I’ll walk around a bit.” He turned towards the two boys who were seated. “Call me when something changes.”
Ken nodded distantly and ran a hand over his face. Hyde looked unconvinced.
“Don’t worry.” The butler smiled reassuringly. “I’ll remind them.” He addressed the group. “But, if you’ll excuse me…” He bowed, striding down the hall to the elevators. Hyde watched him go before strolling down the hall in the opposite direction.
He wandered aimlessly, glancing through any open doorways he passed and reading all the signs that hung on the walls.
After a period of time he stopped in front of an art-craft display made by sick and dying children. They’d traced their hands on colored paper, cut out the shapes and stuck them together to make butterflies. The wings were decorated with stickers and little messages and drawings the children had done in crayons. Sparkly black letters were pinned on the wall above the display and read ‘Butterflies of Hope’.
Hyde sighed, easing slowly onto a bench across from the artwork, as he looked the whole thing over. He’d read the signs, he knew which section of the hospital this was, and the fact that many of these children would never leave these sterile halls clenched his heart like a vice.
Another person wandered down the hall, but Hyde didn’t notice until the other boy was stopping a few feet in front of him and blocking his view.
Hyde frowned, waiting for the stranger to move, but he didn’t. The newcomer stared at the colorful paper, reaching up tentatively to run his fingers around the uneven edges, tracing the honest, heartfelt, messages they’d printed messily on the fingers.
Hyde felt a pang of sympathy. Maybe this guy knew one of the kids who were stuck in here.
The standing boy’s shoulders sagged. Leaning forward, he rest his forehead heavily against the bulletin board.
Hyde stood slowly, walking over to stand next to the taller stranger with a concerned frown. “Hey, are ok-?…” He froze, seeing the gold crest on the front of the boy’s white dress shirt. Hyde’s eyes darted up to the face of the boy -who’s eyes were closed as though he hadn’t even heard Hyde speak- and his eyebrows shot up. “-Gackt?!”
The tall brunette’s eyes shot open and he stumbled back away from the wall in shock. “Hy- Hy-… What are you doing here?!”
“Um, someone I know got hypothermia, so…”
Gackt looked suspicious. “It’s almost May…”
Hyde shrugged. “Whatever. It’s cold out today.” He paused. “…and wet.”
“Well… Your friend’s an idiot if he was out long enough to be hospitalized.”
Hyde’s jaw dropped. “My friends are idiots? How can you judge my friends when yours are so-“
“There’s nothing wrong with my friends!” Gackt shouted suddenly. “There’s nothing-“ He broke off, grimacing as tears spilled abruptly over his cheeks. “There’s-…” He sobbed, turning on his heel and rushing away down the hall.
Hyde was shocked. He hadn’t expected that reaction, and it took him a moment to realize that Gackt had evidently spent the night in the hospital, which meant whoever he was visiting couldn’t be in here for anything good…
“Oi! Wait up!” Hyde jogged after him, struggling to keep pace beside the boy he’d inadvertently upset.
“Go away.” Gackt growled, turning down a hallway and wiping blindly at the liquid streaming from his eyes.
“No, just hold on a second.” Hyde tried to calm him. “I wasn’t trying to offend you or anything, okay?” Well, maybe he had been, but he certainly hadn’t meant to make him cry.
Gackt only sped up, turning a corner and running down it. A nurse in a room they passed gave them a dirty look, but Hyde didn’t pay attention. He was too focused on keeping up with the tall boy’s pace. He wasn’t even reading the signs flashing by in his peripheral vision, though he could tell by the colors on the walls that they were in a different part of the hospital.
“Come on, just stop running. Whatever’s wrong I didn’t mean to-“
“Stop following me! Go away!”
“Can you just calm down and listen to me?!” Hyde sped up, getting in front of the other boy and trying to block his way. “I’m not letting you go off mad at me in this state.”
Gackt clenched his teeth, barging past the smaller boy with his only intention being to put as much distance between them as he possibly could. Of course, Hyde was of a different mindset, and so he reached out and clenched a hold on the other boy’s sleeve.
“Wait. At least let me-“
Gackt shouted, his voice hoarse as he wrenched his arm free with all his strength. “Just leave me alone!” The force he put into ripping himself free caused him to lose his balance and stumble a few feet away before falling to the ground next to the wall. He sobbed, covering his face in his hands and shaking without the energy to stand. “Just- just leave me-…” His voice cracked and he sunk further in on himself, pulling his knees up to his chest.
Hyde watched, standing in the center of the otherwise empty hall as he tried to take the scene in. Now that he noticed it, Gackt’s appearance seriously reflected his emotional state. He honestly looked terrible, and that was putting it relatively kindly.
Slowly, he crossed the space between them and crouched beside the other guy. Gackt couldn’t even manage another strangled plea for solitude. Hyde bit his lip, eyes shifting awkwardly to the sides as he tried to think of what to do or say. He’d never been too good at comforting people, especially not since Gackt was someone he barely knew. Still, he had to do something. After all, the smaller brunette felt rather guilty since it had been his words that set the other student off.
“Um… Look, I don’t know why you’re crying, but-“
“I’m not crying.” Gackt’s thick, muffled, voice cut him off.
Hyde rolled his eyes to himself, getting annoyed with being interrupted so much but trying his best not to let it show in his voice.
“Okay… What I’m saying is, I don’t know why you’re here, but I’ve got some time to kill so… If you want to say anything I’ll, uh, listen…”
“… You don’t even know me.” Gackt lifted his head, eyeing him with red, watery, eyes and a fair amount of confusion and wariness.
Hyde shrugged. “So? That makes it less personal, right?” He smiled, acting as though he wasn’t pitying the other guy at all, though he felt differently. “Tell me whatever, I won’t judge you.”
Gackt looked undecided, his eyes flickering between Hyde’s eyes and smile, searching for a lie in his assurances. His chapped lips cracked open slightly, as though he were about to speak, and, judging by the scared, vulnerable, look in his expression, Hyde figured whatever he was about to say wasn’t just another variation of ‘F-off’.
Before he could speak, Gackt’s eyes shot up at the sound of a door opening behind Hyde. Fear, panic, and who knows what else, had him scrambling into a standing position and shooting off down the hall before Hyde could open his mouth to protest.
“Gackt?…”
A voice behind Hyde made him turn to face a thin boy with long, reddish, hair in an open doorway. He was seated in a wheelchair and staring after Gackt with an expression of both confusion and hurt. Hyde realized with a jolt that this must be who his distraught lab partner was here to visit.
“Uh, hi.”
The red-haired boy looked down, seeming mildly surprised to find Hyde waving awkwardly at him from his position on the ground. “Hi?… Who are you?”
“Oh, um, I’m Hyde. I know Gackt from school.”
“Oh.” The other boy smiled. “I don’t think we’ve met before.”
“Yeah, well, I’m new, so…”
“Oh, okay. I haven’t been in school lately.” He looked away before smiling again. “You’re friends?”
“Uh… No, not exactly.” Hyde chuckled, grinning wryly as he scratched his neck and stood. “I’m pretty sure he hates me, actually.”
“Oh.” The longhaired boy laughed in surprise. “That explains the shouting then.” Another chuckle. “But don’t worry, you’re new after all, and Gacchan just hasn’t been himself lately.”
Hyde nodded, biting his lip.
“I guess you have me to blame for that.” The redhead smiled wryly. “Oh, I’m Kami, by the way.”
Hyde’s eyes widened. “Kami?… Oh…” Gackt’s friend from childhood, the nice guy out of Mana’s gang… That’s who his lab partner was so distraught over. “I’ve heard of you, actually. Everyone says you’re a nice guy…”
Kami chuckled. “Do they? That’s very kind of them.” He smiled. “I can’t say that I’ve heard of you yet, but Gackt hasn’t been much of an informant lately. Give me a chance to get back to school though and we’ll see.”
“Okay then.” Hyde returned the smile, curiosity causing him to shift uncomfortably. “If, uh… If you don’t mind me asking, Kami-san, that’ll be soon? I mean, you look pretty healthy, except for… you know…” He gestured at the wheelchair.
Kami hesitated before nodding and smiling slightly. “Yeah. Probably sometime next week.”
Hyde smiled. “That’s good. Not that I know you or why you’re here, but I’m glad you’re getting better. Gackt’s mood should be improving then too…” He hesitated, realizing that the tall brunette’s earlier actions contradicted the idea of Kami getting better. “… I hope it will, anyway. Maybe then we can actually get some work done in class, instead of snapping at each other.”
Kami looked eager to change the subject. “What class is that?”
“Biology. Oh!” Hyde suddenly exclaimed, turning to reach into his schoolbag. “I’m sure he doesn’t want to deal with me right now, but could you give this to him? He left it in class the other day.” He held out the textbook for Kami to take it.
The redhead did, staring at the cover without actually seeing it. “… There are a lot of things Gackt doesn’t want to deal with, but I’ll do my best.” He smiled in a sort of sad way, making Hyde frown curiously.
“Like wh-?“ Hyde cut himself off as the phone in his pocket began vibrating loudly. “Oh, sorry, one second.” He pulled it out and flipped the device open. A next from Ken bore the simple message ‘Tet’s up.’
Hyde looked apologetically at the redhead. “I’m sorry, I’ve got to go. It was nice meeting you though, Kami-san.”
Kami smiled, waving off his apology. “Nice to meet you too. I’ll put in a good word with Gacchan for you.”
Hyde grinned, laughing as he jogged down the hall with a wave. “Thanks!”
+++++++++
PART 11.B IS HERE!