streetwalkers | COLLEGE AU MASTER POST

Will you not resist more, Kirei?

[His other arm snakes around Kirei and he presses his hand to Kirei's chest almost possessively]

You want resistance?

[That's creepy, dude. For his part, Kirei doesn't know what he wants. His head's all abuzz with sinful thoughts, and it's highly distracting when Gilgamesh is so close.]

I expect it.

[And he he smiles, his hand sliding lower]

You've denied me twice already, remember?

[He grabs that offending hand by the wrist, and holds maybe just a bit too tight.]

You're so troublesome...

[If it weren't Kirei, he'd protest.

But when he feels that pressure on his wrist, he can't hold back the self-satisfied smirk that spreads across his lips as he leans in to kiss down Kirei's jawline]

I take what I want, that's all.

[Calling anything hell on earth would probably have been a laughable hyperbole to Kariya before - for all his disgust at his family, and all the stress and corruption, his home situation was something that was escapable. But this? Perhaps it was something akin to hell on earth, something he couldn't escape without plunging Sakura into even worse danger.

And then there was the issue of his brother - not Byakuya, of course, he couldn't bring himself to miss Byakuya terribly at all. No, there was his twin, still at home, still living under their father's thumb for reasons he couldn't understand. They had always been of a similar mind, him and Takaya. Through all of their family's madness, they had been inseparable, taking solace in one another's company in the way only twins could.

Thinking about it now is painful, the emotional equivalent to Zouken's twisted experiments. He misses his brother terribly, but fear and anxiety keep him from calling and asking why they aren't here together.

So perhaps it'd be best to try and push thoughts of his twin out of his mind for now. He's tired, worn down, sick from all the experiments and behind on reading for class. He'd like to just fall asleep right here on the bed, but he tries to be more responsible than that]

Edited 2012-07-15 09:53 (UTC)

[It hasn't really been that long. Kariya left just months before their high school graduation, the moment he (and Takaya too) turned 18. Now it's a bitter winter, less than a year later, and he can't take it anymore.

He didn't want to stay behind. He'd listened to Kariya talk about leaving, about doing something about their family, and he'd waned to run right along with him. He'd even watched Kariya pack, watched him walk out the door, and he'd have given almost anything to follow. The one thing he wouldn't give, however, was Kariya himself. He knew very well that Byakuya was too incompetent to inherit the business, and that if the twins both ran they'd be chased -- that or they'd bring some other family's innocent child into the fold in their place. What was most likely though was that they'd be hunted down, dragged back, and severely punished for leaving at all.

But if just one of them left, what did it matter? There'd be an heir, and Takaya had no doubts that their parents would be more than pleased to see the two of them pulled apart. It had always vexed them to see the two of them together. Their close bond was a buffer between them and the molding of the family, and was likely the main reason they both turned out decent people.

It was obvious that was considered "bad". That's why they'd been given separate rooms when they were only 6, and why they'd been encouraged to study separately. But nothing could really separate them -- until Kariya left. That night, Takaya made the choice to be the sacrifice, and without telling his brother why (he wouldn't have left alone if he'd known), he'd refused to go.

Since then he's missed his twin terribly, with a ache worse than every pain their family had ever thrown at them. He's kept his head down and tried his best to be obedient even when it made him sick, but after this long he's just too lonely to bear it. So when they received word of where Kariya's going to school, Takaya slipped out in the middle of the night with a box full of their mother's best jewelry, sold it all for a big wad of cash, and got on a bus. They'll know where he's gone, of course, but he's prepared now to fight for their freedom if he has to.

He hasn't slept in two days of nervousness and travel when he comes up to the door he's been told is Kariya's and knocks softly in a pattern that's instinct and muscle memory by now. It's their signal for "I'm here, but be quiet", the one they used every time one snuck into the other's room late at night for comfort.]

[For a moment, Kariya's sure he's hallucinating -- something brought on by the drugs and fatigue and loneliness. He considers ignoring it, but it's instinct and a faint glimmer of hope (can he really call it hope now? The thought of opening the door and finding Takaya outside makes him one part happy, and several more parts scared and angry and betrayed) that hurries him to the door.

His hand pauses as he reaches for the knob, and his mind is a blur of possible scenarios. He'd cry maybe, or laugh, or give Takaya a hug, they're all possibilities that flash through his mind, but to Kariya's horror, the most persistent, attractive option is feeling his thumbs pressing into his twin's neck and crushing his windpipe.

Needless to say, when he opens the door he looks obviously trouble, surprised, and almost angry.]

[Kariya looks different. Kariya looks terrible. The very first thing that hit Takaya's mind is oddly enough the fact that they're not identical anymore. The second is that Kariya looks half-dead, and that's terrifying. He doesn't know what he's supposed to say, and for a moment he flounders.

Then he sees the look on his twin's face, and his own expression just crumples.]

...Kariya?

...Hey.

[He knows he looks terrible, but being face to face with the person who used to be his double is an undeniable reminder of how utterly broken he's become, inside and out.

He's an unsuitable test subject, and Zouken makes it a point to remind him often. His body has no affinity for the parasites and chemicals, and his only saving grace is his high pain threshold -- it's the issue of scarcity and Zouken's own sadistic pleasure that allows Kariya to keep coming back. But it won't last long, and Kariya knows it. His body is crumbling around him, the physical stress and the drugs have bleached his hair, the parasites have reduced him to skin and bones, and his left eye, on its way to permanent damage, is hidden beneath a medical eyepatch.

People talk, of course. When you watch someone slowly turn into a ghost of a human being, it's hard not to, and the only way Kariya can handle the situation is by shying away from people and wordlessly waving off prying questions. Mostly, he holes himself up in his room with his notebooks, hiding from Oscar and his classmates as much as possible.

Right now he wishes he could hide from Takaya too.

He knows he shouldn't be seen like this - if Takaya were to try and intervene, his arrangement with Zouken would be on thin ice. That fear, intermingling with the all-too-clear mental image of his fingers closing around Takaya's throat, makes Kariya flinch away from his twin]

What are you doing here?

[He doesn't know what else to say. The better part of him, the part that Takaya knows, is telling him to choke back the anger, but he can feel it seething inside of him.]

Edited 2012-07-15 18:40 (UTC)

I...

[He doesn't know how to respond to that. What is he doing here? He let Kariya leave thinking he was alone. He let him think he was being betrayed, and even if it was for his safety it was still something he knew was cruel. Kariya has every reason to look like he doesn't want to see him. Maybe he should have left him alone.

But he's glad he didn't. Something is horribly, horribly wrong, and he decides right then that he's going to fix it. He's not going home. He's going to stay right here and make things okay somehow, no matter how bad the mess he just stepped into is.

He pushes his way into the room, shoving Kariya aside if he needs to, and closes the door behind him.]

What's going on!? You look like you're dying!

[He stumbles when Takaya shoves his way inside and catches himself on the wall, leaning into it and watching his twin quietly, eyes narrowed.

Why the concern now? Why does he suddenly care when it's too late, when Kariya knows he's in too deep to do anything now? Why didn't they leave together when they had a chance? Surely if they had, they would have been able to protect one another, been able to look out for Sakura and Aoi, been able to prevent all of this.

Kariya bites his lower lip, and his fingers curl into the sleeve of his jacket in anger.]

It doesn't concern you!

[Finally he snaps back in reply, then stops and looks surprised at himself]

[Those words sting, though he can't say he didn't expect them at least a little. He looks, at first, like he's been slapped in the face -- and then he puts on a sad smile. It's the exact same smile he's made so may times before when things got bad, and more specifically when he's stood in front of something painful for the sake of his twin. It's the look that usually comes with the same words:

"It hurts, but it's okay. I'm the big brother, so I've got to protect you."

It's been said so often it's like a mantra, even though the time between their births is mere minutes and he's needed protecting of his own plenty of times. He's always tried, in his quiet way, to honor that self-imposed duty -- and that's why he made sure not to smile at all as he watched Kariya leave.

Now, though, he doesn't know what other face he's supposed to make.]

Hey, calm down. I'm not going to rat you out.

Then what are you going to do?

[Because as far as Kariya's concerned, anything else is pointless.

And when he sees that smile, he huddles closer to the wall, eying his brother suspiciously. He knows that smile, knows that means he's being looked at like an injured dog, and he almost lashes out to slap that expression off Takaya's face. He doesn't need or want that protection right now, not from the person who let him walk away]

...I missed you.

[There's no other way to put it but simply. He doesn't like the way he's being looked at, but that's his fault, isn't it? He set it up this way on purpose. He thought he could hold out and Kariya would be okay even if they never saw each other again.]

I thought if I stayed they'd leave you alone. I thought it was worth it, but I couldn't stand it anymore so...

Looks like I failed anyway, huh?

You abandoned me!

[Missed him? Missed him?

The words make something inside him snap, and even in his condition he manages to cross the room and grab Takaya by his shirt. He's not sure what to do from there, because anything he does would honestly scare him, but there's an anger and a desperation and a deep ache in the way his voice cracks when he screams those words.]

You can't miss me now!

[He doesn't resist being grabbed, though it does make him flinch. They haven't had many fights, and something as deep as this feels like his heart is being ripped out. He wants to scream back, to say that he was suffering too, but it's clearly nothing like whatever Kariya's been through, so that's something he certainly shouldn't say. He can't keep the heartbreak out of his expression though, and his own voice is shaky and emotional as well.]

I'm sorry. I was trying to protect you. They wouldn't have let us both go, Kariya. You should know that.

You should have come anyways.

[His grip loosens, but instead of letting go, he pulls Takaya close and slumps against him. He's still furious, and he doesn't want Takaya to think anything is even close to OK now, but feeling his twin close enough to hold is an overwhelming sensation that he can't shake off.]

I know. I'm sorry...

[He knows it's not okay. The easy, comfortable way they used to touch is missing entirely, and he can't ignore that coldness. Still, it's instinct to wrap his arms around Kariya and hold him close, even if it's probably not a welcome action. He has to. It's been like losing a limb having to live without him.]

Please forgive me. I won't leave you again.

You have to stay with me. Right here.

[He doesn't want help, he doesn't need help, and he repeats that to himself over and over again, but simply keeping Takaya here isn't accepting help. That's what he tells himself - it's not help, it's a need, something that he can't deny himself. If he sees that pity again, he'll stomp on it. He will. But if it's just having his twin here, just like this, close because he wants him to be close, then it's okay]

I will. I promise. I'll always be right with you, so...

[He needs to hear he's wanted. He can't stand the idea of being rejected now, when he was so ready to fall apart from loneliness. He wouldn't know what to do if he couldn't stay with Kariya. He can't go back to the family, and if he was entirely alone... just the thought makes him hold on tighter, and drop his face to his brother's shoulder.

He can't do it. He can't go on by himself, and it doesn't even occur to him that Kariya doesn't sound quite right.]

So I won't be alone again. Right?

['Not quite right' is an understatement. There's an absent, hollow quality to his voice, something that's worlds apart from the heartbreak and anger that was so audible only moments before. The thought of having Takaya back is oddly thrilling in a strange, possessive way that Kariya is completely unfamiliar with. He'll think to be scared by it later, but right now he's more concerned with clinging to his twin and making sure he can't go anywhere]

Right. No matter what, I'll never let you go again.

[He attributes that hollowness to whatever pain Kariya's been in lately. His brother is clearly badly hurt, and he has every intention of making it better as much as he can. Right now though, he's more concerned with just the feeling of being close and together again. The fact that Kariya is clinging back means a lot, and Takaya won't let go until he has to.]

[A small smile ghosts across his lips, and Kariya settles against his brother with an exhausted sigh. He's tired, and all the excitement is beginning to take its toll on his body.]

That's good. Really good...

[He coughs a bit, nuzzling close to Takaya]

Won't let you go either.

Good.

[He sighs a little, rubbing Kariya's back soothingly for a moment. He pulls back then, putting a hand on his brother's forehead an frowning with concern.]

...C'mon, it's late enough to go to bed. You can tell me about it tomorrow, but for now let's get some rest.

COLLEGE AU MASTER POST

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