Ma Cherie: Chapter Seventeen
Author: Scarlet Kozi
When Közi gave Klaha the business card, Klaha had seemed so overtaken with relief to know that Gackt was safe that Közi could barely meet his eyes.
'I can't tell him,' he thought, almost painfully. 'I can't tell him that Gackt went back to prostitution for a little while. I know that he'd be much too upset to take it. He got pissed off enough when he found out that Gackt let ME fuck him, after all. Besides, Gackt's stopped whoring himself again, now that he has a place to stay, and if he wants to tell Klaha about what he's done to get there, then that's his choice.'
So Közi said nothing, even though his guilt was overwhelming, and he let Klaha go on and on about how grateful he was, and how he was going to go and see Gackt as soon as possible.
'You do that, Klaha.'
[A night soon after]
Kami shot another glance at Közi, unsure. "Ano ... Közi-kun ..."
"What?" Közi slurred, leaning against his arm.
"I think you've had enough of those, ne?" Kami gestured weakly at the pile of crushed, empty beer cans that littered the carpet around their feet. They were both sitting in Közi's vast living room, in the relative darkness because of the time of night and the fact that neither were sober enough to face the assault of electric lights. Közi was already severely drunk, having downed at least a pack and a half by himself, whereas Kami was still mostly sober.
When Közi had called him up and asked him to come over, Kami hadn't known what to think. He'd been here before, of course, but Közi had sighed as he spoke on the phone, sounding sad, sounding almost upset. Kami rarely heard him like that, so he'd hurried over. Now he could tell that the reason for Közi's need to get drunk was the fact that he was giving up on Klaha entirely.
"*Hic* Iie, haven't had enough yet ..."
With that statement, Közi fumbled over at Kami's hand and pulled the half-empty beer can out of his long-haired friend's grasp, downing the rest on his own.
Kami just watched him. "Ano ..."
"Thanksh for lishening to me, Kami-kun. You don't desherve any of thish shit," Közi mumbled after he'd finished swallowing, and he crushed this can too, almost angrily, then tossed it into the pile. He leaned against Kami's shoulder again, unable to support himself on his own, as they sat on the floor sitting against the back of the couch.
"Don't worry about it." Kami almost smiled at him. He'd never complain about being in Közi's company, no matter how drunk Közi intended on getting.
"Damn it," Közi muttered.
"Nani?"
"Do you think I've been shtupid, Kami-kun?"
"How so?"
"Chasing after Klaha for sho long." Közi let out a long murmur and then reached for another can of beer. Even though Kami eyed it distrustfully and was about to protest, Közi cracked it open and took a little sip. "I mean, it'sh been obvioush that he'sh never liked me, but I didn't get it. I chased him anyway. You think I should have laid off a long time ago?"
"Oh, I don't know. You wanted him, so you chased him, I guess. There's probably no right and wrong about it," Kami told him absently, looking at the large pile of beer cans. "Ano, Közi-kun ..."
"*Hic* Wha?"
"You're gonna get rid of all those cans, right? I mean, when your parents get home and see that pile sitting there, they'll freak out. You ARE underage, after all. Ne, I am too."
"Who caresh." Közi batted at his arm dismissively. "My parentsh don't give a shit what I do, anyway. Well, maybe, but it'sh not like they're going to get home anytime before a couple of daysh. They're vishiting my grandparents."
"Oh."
Silence. "I'm such a goddamned idiot ..."
Kami blinked, and looked down at Közi, who was starting to slump against him again, almost spilling the beer can that was in his hand. "What do you mean?"
Közi just shrugged, heaving a sigh and closing his eyes, close to yawning. "*Hic* Eto ... Today I gave Klaha thish little card from some guy that Gackt is staying with ... and he looked sho relieved, ne? I know he really caresh about Gackt. I know Gackt caresh a lot about him too. I've kinda come to accept that. But shtill ... I couldn't tell him that I knew Gackt was whoring himshelf again ..."
Kami was confused, but decided not to ask, and just to go along with it. "So?"
"Sho? Sho it meansh that I'm done for."
"Nani?"
Közi leaned up and spoke confidentially to Kami, with another sigh, his breath hot with alcohol on Kami's ear, his hand clutching unsteadily on his arm. "I knew he'd never let me fuck him," he said. "Well, after a while I knew, anywaysh. In the beginning, thought I'd be able to get him ... but then Gackt came along, and he and Klaha fell for each other ... *Hic* Sho I was shcrewed since then. And now I've helped Klaha to go find Gackt again. They'll work thingsh out by themshelves, and end up together. I'm out of the picture. I've helped Klaha ash much ash I can. He doeshn't need me anymore, ne? Oh well. What do you think I should do now, Kami-kun? Move on with my life?"
"Probably for the best," Kami could only utter.
Közi was staring at him a bit oddly right now, close to holding his breath.
Kami swallowed, blinking at him. "Um, you know what? I'm going to go get you some coffee." With that, as he swallowed and attempted to recover himself, he gently pushed Közi off of him and against the back of the couch. "Stay here, and don't drink any more beer." When Közi just murmured something and laid back, holding his beer can, as a response, Kami sighed and left the room.
In the kitchen, he fixed some coffee for Közi.
"Oi, Közi-kun, coffee ..." he prompted, coming back into the living room.
But when he peered in, he found that Közi had apparently passed out.
The boy had slumped down against the ground without something to lean on, and now he was laying stretched out on the floor behind the couch, his cheek pressed against his arm, his eyes closed. He was almost snoring, little drunken snores. His can of beer was on its side about a foot from him, with a growing beer stain soaking into the carpet with every moment.
"Damn it, Közi!" Kami exclaimed when he saw the stain.
He put the coffee down on a decorative table---'Forget the coffee,' he thought---and hurried across the room. Immediately he plucked the beer can from the ground and crushed it in frustration, tossing it with the others, then stared at the stain. It had already soaked in, so it was useless to try to clean now. The only thing that might get it out was some detergent or some stupid cleaning secret that Kami would know nothing about, so he decided to leave that until Közi was awake enough to help him.
He turned to Közi, seeing his friend's somewhat intoxicated body lying next to him. "Oi, Közi-kun. Közi-kun. Wake up, you little shit."
Közi stirred slightly. "Mmm ..."
Sighing, Kami couldn't help but feel his affection. "Come on, I've got to help you up."
A small struggle ensued. Kami attempted to roll Közi over and pull him to his feet, but at first Közi fought him sleepily, pushing him away and muttering muffled curses at him, asking what the hell Kami had done with his beer. At last, however, seeing that Kami was much stronger than him, he collapsed against Kami's arms, and Kami was able to bring him around to the other side of the couch. He hefted him up and laid Közi down on the cushions, against one side, as he sat down next to him, frustrated.
Catching his breath, he shook his head and shot a glare at Közi. "You're so much trouble," he muttered as he looked at his friend. Since he figured that Közi was too drunk to understand him or remember this later, he groaned. "Making me watch you chase after Klaha for months, ignoring me when I try to tell you that I like you, then forcing me to come over and listen to you piss and moan while you get drunk and trash your parents' house. What the hell is wrong with you, anyway?"
"Why, *hic* nothing ..." Közi sighed.
Kami rolled his eyes.
Közi was starting to pass out again. He was laying on his back on the couch, his legs spread out upon the wide seat with just enough room for Kami to perch on the other end. Then his eyes began to close again, and he started to doze off. Sighing, Kami decided that it was a bad idea to let Közi pass out on the couch when he could bring him out of this beer-soaked room.
He put one knee on either side of Közi's legs and crept up so that he was leaning down over Közi's face, peering at him in the shadows. Long strands of his hair fell over his shoulder and down onto Közi's body. He patted Közi's cheek gently. "Oi, Közi-kun ..."
"Kami ..." Közi moaned this out softly, then reached up and slid his arms around Kami's neck, burying one hand in Kami's hair to pull Kami's head down to his own. He kissed Kami then, drunkenly, and Kami froze, blinking fast, staring down at his friend's face. He felt Közi's tongue starting to creep into his mouth and melted, allowing Közi to pull his body down on top of his, balancing his weight so as not to crush Közi but to rest pleasantly down on him.
"K-Közi ..." Kami only breathed out, when Közi's lips slipped away from his for a moment.
Közi looked up at him through half-open eyes, taking a breath. "Ne, Kami-kun ... Never notished how pretty you are before," he remarked, slurring.
Kami looked down at him and swallowed. Feeling a little pang, he started to try and pull himself out of Közi's arms. It seemed as though Közi was going to try to get Kami to sleep with him, now that he was drunk and needed companionship. But Kami thought to himself sullenly, 'I don't want to be a comfort fuck. I don't want to let him pull me into bed if he's going to be thinking about Klaha.'
Közi didn't want to let him get away, and pulled him back down, showing deceptive strength for being so drunk. "Stay!" he ordered. "I'm not done with you."
Rolling his eyes a little, Kami let out a small sigh. But he couldn't help feeling a little rush of pleasure to be in Közi's arms like this, the way he'd been dreaming about for such a long time. He'd wanted Közi for as long as Közi had wanted Klaha, really, and finally being with him now was arousing.
Közi leaned up and started kissing his way down. He kissed a trail from Kami's mouth to his jaw, and then began to lick and suck at Kami's neck. Kami caught his breath, his eyelashes fluttering as he attempted to maintain his balance above Közi. It showed how much experience Közi had, to be able to bring this kind of pleasure to someone even when his lips were drunk and fumbling. Kami would have enjoyed it no matter what.
As he kissed Kami's skin, Közi let his fingers begin to play clumsily at Kami's shirt, trying to undo the buttons. When he had unbuttoned the shirt halfway down, so that Kami's navel was exposed, he pulled the fabric out of the way and kissed Kami's chest.
"Shorry, Kami," Közi murmured, bringing his head up to kiss Kami's collarbone again.
Kami managed to speak through his haze of pleasure, to hear this apology. "Hmm?"
"I wash pretty blind, ne?" Közi laughed a little, then kissed his neck again.
Kami was stunned. And then he began to blush. Közi knew, then. Now that he was making advances on Kami, and now that Kami wasn't rejecting him, Közi could tell that Kami wanted him. And suddenly it was probably becoming clear, even in Közi's drunken mind, that Kami HAD wanted him for quite some time. And now Közi was realizing how affectionate he was for his own friend, now that Klaha was lost to him, so he wanted to take advantage of the situation while he still could. Now that they were together.
And so, Kami succumbed, leaning down to seize Közi's lips again, who kissed him back passionately. Kami had a feeling that in the morning, despite what he had at first thought, Közi would remember EVERYTHING that had happened.
[A couple of days later]
Klaha abandoned his classes, unable to stand it any longer. He'd been planning to skip the rest of school today so that he could go and find Gackt, at last, after being separated for what seemed like an eternity, so he forged an excuse that said that he had to go to a doctor's appointment. The school would never know that he was going to the slums, and his parents would never receive word that he'd left school, because the teachers would all assume that his mother and father of course knew if they'd signed the note.
'I've got to find him ... I can't go without him anymore. I need him.' Klaha was thinking this to himself, over and over, all day long.
At last sometime in late morning, he gave the excuse to the office and walked out of school. It was a pleasant temperature outside today, but on the slightly chilly side, so Klaha wore a black jacket and gloves over his formal school uniform, and he ran a hand through his hair and stepped out onto the sidewalk.
It didn't take him a long time to get to the slums, but then again, he had run. At top speed. The only thing on his mind was Gackt, finding him, talking to him.
'Where did Közi say that Toshiya-san lived ...?'
Klaha pulled the card out of his pocket, looking around him at all the run-down buildings in the ghetto.
'Let's see ... Oh, good, I'm only a block away. Getting closer ...!'
Directing himself by the address on the card, Klaha found himself in front of a large apartment building on a corner. It was certainly more kept-up than the place where Gackt used to live, but it still looked a bit in need of repair and some security. Klaha went up to it a bit hesitantly, going up the steps and casting glances around him, and then let himself inside.
'It should the apaato at the end of the hall on the third floor,' he thought to himself, looking around as he ascended the stairs inside.
When he found himself on the third floor, he started going down the hallway. His heart beat quickly in his chest to think that his feet were taking him closer to Gackt every second. He hoped desperately as he stared at the door at the end of the hall that Gackt was truly there, that he would see Gackt in only a few moments. Klaha was so desperate that he almost couldn't believe that it was true. He adjusted his jacket nervously and tried to ignore a suspicious sound he heard in one of the apartments that he passed, until he came to the end of the hallway.
The door was all that was keeping him away from Gackt now. Klaha ran a hand through his hair and was just about to ring the doorbell, when he saw that a note had been left on the door.
"Ano?" He blinked. It said his name at the top.
Klaha plucked it off the door and began to read.
"Klaha-san---If you're reading this, then I'm probably at work, at the doctor's office a few streets down. I've been leaving the door unlocked for you in case you come, because if you knock, I doubt that Gaku-chan will open the door for you. I'm a bit worried about him ... He's been sleeping almost constantly, and will barely talk to me. I'm really glad that you've come to see him. Good luck. ---Toshiya"
Klaha studied the note for a moment. He had never spoken to Toshiya directly, but Közi had given him a message from him before and had described him, so Klaha had gotten a basic idea of what Toshiya was like.
'At least he left the door unlocked ...'
Klaha felt a bit funny about entering someone else's place, but he wanted to see Gackt.
Quietly, Klaha opened the door and hesitantly stepped inside, peering around. "G-Gackt?" His excitement had died down a bit, so that he could be calm enough not to just rush in and fly around looking for Gackt. Klaha shut the door behind him and looked around. The apaato was small, but very nicely kept, and the small amount of personal belongings were all arranged in an attractive way. Klaha looked around for a moment at the primary room, and didn't see Gackt anywhere, so he kept going. "Gackt? Gackt ...?"
No response.
Klaha found himself at the bedroom door, which was closed most of the way. He remembered how in the note, Toshiya had said that Gackt had been sleeping almost constantly, and so, he started to go inside. He went slowly, biting his lip, not bothering to shut the door behind him.
Gackt was there. Klaha caught his breath and stopped, staring.
The bedroom was small but also nicely organized, and across from Klaha against the other wall was a bed. In contrast to everything else, it was mostly unmade, for the sheets were strewn and twisted on the top, and laying even above the sheets was Gackt himself. His slender form was dressed only in a white silk bathrobe that he had probably borrowed from Toshiya, and his hair was touching his cheek lightly as he slept in silence.
"Gackt ..." Klaha could only murmur the word. Slowly he came forward, crossing the room.
At last he let himself breathe, as he stopped at the edge of the bed, still gazing down at Gackt. He lowered himself to sit on the edge, where Gackt was facing him. For a moment he said nothing, but his eyes became tender and he leaned down over Gackt a bit.
And after a moment, Gackt woke up ...
He'd been sleeping all day without interruption, before now. The sensation of the mattress sinking a little bit under someone's weight was what first roused Gackt a little bit. He didn't care, though. In recent weeks, he had not been able to make himself care about anything unless it was related to people he cared about, like Toshiya, or Klaha, who he had given up any hope of ever seeing again. Gackt let out a small moan, sighing and stretching, and squeezed his eyes shut a little tighter. The moment he regained full consciousness, a little pain hit his heart, reminding him of where he was and why he was here, and all he wanted was to go back to sleep.
But there was a small, almost inaudible sound next to him that Gackt would have missed if his hearing hadn't been so good: soft breathing, so familiar to him, really.
Blinking slowly, Gackt opened his eyes. He gasped. "K-Klaha?"
Klaha smiled a little bit, and reached out, gently brushing some hair from Gackt's eyes.
For a second Gackt merely lay there, staring up at Klaha. He simply could not believe that Klaha was here, of all places, when he had thought that they would never be able to see each other again. Then, Gackt abruptly sat up and reached out, pulling Klaha into his arms, his eyes wide with shock. He was trembling violently, overwhelmed to be in Klaha's presence again. "Klaha, what the hell are you doing here?" he could only whisper.
Klaha held him in return, breathing a sigh of relief and happiness. He was touching Gackt, after so long a time without him. He tried to calm Gackt's trembling by stroking his hair. "I came to see you," he told him. "I was so worried about you ..."
"Worried? About me?"
Klaha pulled back slightly, and nodded.
Gackt gazed at him, still in awe.
For a few moments there was just silence. Klaha looked into his eyes, wondering why it had taken so long for them to be reunited, and he smiled a tiny bit again. Then he kissed Gackt once on the lips, having missed the soft, warm sensation. When he pulled back, however, his expression became a bit darker. "I'm so sorry, Gaku-chan."
Gackt swallowed. "You're sorry?" he asked quietly.
Klaha nodded and let out a frustrated sigh, shaking his head, as he held Gackt's hands within his own. "For my parents." The tone of his voice helped to describe the great exasperation and anger that he now felt for his mother and father. "They had no right to do that to you! I shouldn't have told them ... I was just so angry. I couldn't keep it a secret anymore. I figured that they would be upset, but I never thought that my father would be such an asshole about it! If I'd known they would react like that, then I ... I wouldn't have told them."
Gackt shook his head weakly. "Daijoubu, Klaha. I'm the one who wanted you to tell them."
"I'm still sorry," Klaha told him, "that they treated you like that."
Attempting to smile didn't prove successful. "I'm used to it."
Klaha only looked at him sadly for a moment. But then his joy at seeing Gackt again won over, and he released Gackt's hands to hug him against him again. Gackt was helpless to protest at first, though he wanted to push Klaha away, and he collapsed against Klaha's chest, as the other boy embraced him tightly. "Gaku-chan," Klaha murmured, and then tilted Gackt's face up. He pressed his lips against his lightly, then harder. He hadn't known just how much he'd missed the sensation of kissing Gackt, until now.
"My parents don't know I'm here," Klaha said quietly, and kissed Gackt again. "They forbade me to ever see you again ... But I don't care."
Gackt lay against his chest, allowing himself to be kissed. "Klaha ..."
"I'm not going to give up on you." Klaha shook his head and stroked Gackt's cheek, brushing a kiss against his forehead as well. "It doesn't matter what they think, or what they say. They can't make me stop seeing you. I'd come looking for you no matter what, because ..."
Gackt caught his breath, falling silent.
" ...because I love you," Klaha said passionately, and kissed Gackt again.
Gackt could not react. Klaha didn't seem to notice, however, so at first he merely continued to kiss Gackt, gently and yet also ardently, clutching Gackt in his arms. Gackt loosely held Klaha's shoulders, blinking slowly, but inside he was filled with sudden shame and frustration at himself. Klaha started to pull Gackt closer against him, and did so by sliding his arms around Gackt's back, but oddly, when he did so, Gackt suddenly flinched in pain.
Klaha slowly stopped. "Gackt?" he said questioningly.
Gackt avoided his eyes, trembling, and tried to pull away.
Klaha began to get worried, and frowned slightly. When Gackt began moving away from him, Klaha reached out and clung gently onto the front of Gackt's robe, which unfortunately was loose enough to begin drifting down his shoulders because of Gackt's actions.
Klaha felt badly and immediately let go, but Gackt didn't seem to notice.
And then, when Gackt was slightly turned away from him, Klaha saw it ... What was that he'd just glimpsed on Gackt's back, just a bit, for a short instant? Faded dark red ...
Klaha was overtaken with shock for a moment, and had to wonder whether he'd been seeing things. But before he could get a better look, Gackt had turned back towards him just a little bit, clutching the front of his own robe, without trying to pull it back up again. He seemed to know that Klaha had seen it, whatever it was.
When Klaha tried to speak, when he opened his mouth to ask, "Gackt, what was---" Gackt wouldn't let him.
He moved back a bit more away from Klaha, so that there was a complete distance between them. He could no longer cry. He had cried so much in the last two or three weeks that it didn't seem possible anymore. However, tears came to his eyes and he continued to tremble a little bit. He didn't meet Klaha's eyes, even though Klaha sought his out, almost desperately.
Gackt crossed his legs beneath him and sat so that he was facing away from Klaha. However, his face could be seen in profile as he looked down slightly over his shoulder, despairingly, his eyes half-closed in pain and anger as they misted over with tears.
"Gackt ..." Klaha tried again.
Gackt didn't respond.
His back to Klaha, he began to reach up towards the neckline of his robe, and he pulled it down the rest of the way. He revealed his pale shoulders, his slightly protruding shoulder blades, the smooth line of his spine, until the robe was resting down around his waist, as he had been when Klaha's father had walked in on him. Now his back was revealed to Klaha's intent eyes, but it was not Gackt's typically soft and flawless skin that met Klaha's eyes. There was a multitude of long, thin, jagged scars marring the flesh on Gackt's back, all apparently in the process of healing.
Klaha opened his mouth in shock, but couldn't speak. His eyes widened and flicked over Gackt's back, taking in each and every scar.
Gackt's shoulders were shuddering sharply, but he could neither turn around nor meet Klaha's eyes, even as he was tilting his head to look over his shoulder at him.
Klaha stared at him, appalled, as Gackt began to explain.
"I've ... I've cheated on you, Klaha," he whispered, ashamed. "Hate me if you want. I know that I deserve it. I deserve it more now than ever, since I promised you last time that I'd stop."
Klaha said nothing.
"After ... your parents threw me out, I didn't have anywhere to go. There are people around here that I know, but I don't ... trust any of them alone with me." His eyes showed that the people around here that he knew would probably rape him rather than help him. "I had no one to stay with, and I couldn't go back to you, because I knew your parents hated me. Living on the streets and sleeping on steps is too dangerous---one of Yoshiki's other whores ran away to live on the street, and something really bad happened to him." Gackt swallowed hard, filling with nausea at the mere memory. "I just couldn't make myself take that chance.
"And I didn't have any money on me, so there was ... there was nothing I could do. I lasted a day or two just on the streets, but then people started approaching me again. I had no food, no money, no place to stay ..." A shaky, enraged tear slipped down his cheek. "I didn't have any choice ... My only option was to earn money to pay for a room. And I only know one way of earning money ..."
Klaha stared at him.
"T-Two weeks later, Toshiya found me. He rescued me and gave me a place to stay for free, without any obligation at all. He's taken good care of me." Gackt paused again, apparently thinking of how grateful he was now to Toshiya. "But a couple of nights before he and I ran into each other, I had a ... a customer ... one of the ones that you used to call 'dangerous,' because he wanted ... to do THIS to me."
This. The scars. Then ... Gackt had let someone whip him? Beat him? Take advantage of him, for money?
Gackt fought against his tears now. He knew that Klaha wouldn't want to see his tears now, that Klaha would probably despise him. And besides, Gackt owed Klaha an explanation, at least, even if Klaha would decide that he never wanted to see him again.
"Now that we're together, I feel horrible about what I've done. I promised I'd be faithful to you," he whispered, almost to himself, his voice angry and tormented. "I promised! I'm so sorry ... I told you that I'd change, and the minute I became desperate, I turned around and did exactly what I said I wouldn't do."
Silence.
Gackt spoke softly. "Do you remember when I said that there are some things about my life that I've never told you, Klaha? Things you don't know?" He didn't expect a response. "There's something that I have to tell you now."
Silence.
Still without looking at Klaha, Gackt remembered something that he had never confessed to Klaha before. It was something that was entirely necessary to admit now. "When I was a prostitute and some stranger was on top of me, I'd try to tune out what was happening by imagining that everything was different. Near the end, when Yoshiki was still alive, when you and I became friends ... whenever I was with a customer, whenever someone was with me, I'd ... I'd pretend that they were you."
Klaha's eyes widened.
"I hated doing it all, but back then, even when I tried to convince myself that I didn't need you, I knew that I cared about you. I knew I'd like being in your arms much more than any of these cold, demanding strangers, even before I KNEW. So I'd pretend that they were you." He paused tensely, his voice very quiet. "But never as much as in the last two weeks, because I ... I've thought of you ... all the time ... to keep myself alive ..."
Klaha met his eyes once now, and by this time he was trembling also. He couldn't help it. However, he said nothing. Even though he was listening to this confession and absorbing it, his mind was elsewhere still, at the same time.
Gackt almost choked on his words. "L-Listen, Klaha," he managed weakly, "I don't deserve you, okay? I ... All I've done is hurt you ... I'll understand if you never want to see me again."
"Gackt," Klaha managed, shocked. "Don't say that ...!"
"I'll understand," Gackt repeated.
Klaha continued to sit there gazing at him. He had never known any of this. But then his mind was pulled back to the wounds on Gackt's back, which stole his attention cruelly. Klaha reached forth, and as though out of anticipation, Gackt slowly closed his eyes. Klaha brushed his fingers across one of the scars, tracing its red path along the white skin there. It looked so violent, so wrong, so cruel, even though it wasn't a serious wound. However, Gackt's breath caught and he bit his lip, wincing, when Klaha touched it.
"You ... You let someone do this ..." Klaha's voice shook.
Klaha suddenly pulled Gackt against him, turning him around and bringing him to his chest. Even in his grief he stirred enough consciousness to avoid the scars, so as not to cause Gackt more pain: he clutched Gackt by laying an arm around his shoulders, and another around his waist, thus embracing him as one would a child.
He seemed so upset. He hated to see the cruel, spiteful way in which Gackt had been treated, after spending months seeing bruises and scars on his beloved's body that he'd never been able to prevent. Klaha held the surprised Gackt tightly, his eyes wide open as he gazed at the wall, hastily trying to compose himself.
Gackt could hardly breathe, so secure was Klaha's grip. He stared up at Klaha, clutching the front of his shirt, surprised. He opened his mouth to say Klaha's name, but no words would come to him yet.
"Promise me," Klaha only said, looking down at him now. "Promise me that you'll never do it again ..."
Gackt understood his meaning, and almost broke down to hear the request. He knew that Klaha wanted Gackt to be his and his alone, and he wanted Gackt to finally stop giving his body away, for good. Also, Gackt knew that Klaha hated to see him hurt, as he was now. Klaha refused to allow Gackt to put himself in danger any longer. All he wanted was to protect him---to protect Gackt, HIS Gackt.
Tearfully, Gackt untangled himself from Klaha's arms.
"Yakusoku ... I'm sorry, Klaha," Gackt whispered, holding Klaha's arms carefully but steadily. "I'm so sorry ..."
Klaha only looked away, closing his eyes tightly to hear these words.
Gackt touched Klaha's face and kissed his lips. "I promise you I won't do it again," Gackt murmured now, and it was at this point that Klaha finally managed to lift his eyes from the bed, to stare into Gackt's once more. "Ever. Ever. I'm only yours."
Klaha swallowed hard. Then, he seized Gackt in another embrace. "I'll never let anything tear us apart again," he whispered in Gackt's ear. "No matter what."
Gackt only managed a nod, and held him in return. "No matter what ..."
NOTES~It doesn't matter whether you love the story or hate it (though I hope you love it more than hate it ...), but some comments would be very much appreciated ... onegai?
Glossary
ano: um…
iie: no
nani: what
oi: hey
eto: well
apaato: apartment
yakusoku: promise, I promise, etc.
onegai: please
To Be Continued
To the next part